Seeking Strength

Fam,

Sometimes when I face challenges, it helps to put the obstacles into perspective. Now let's focus for a second and realign our perspective. Ask yourself "Why did the prophets put 1st Nephi at the front of the Book of Mormon?" Did you ever stop and think about that? I think it's because there is so much helpful information and application to our own lives right at the forefront of the book, they wanted us to be sure and benefit from it. Where would you put the most important message if you were arranging things?

On a particular occasion, President Kimball spoke to the women of the Church. He was encouraging them to complete their visiting teaching, and he recognized out loud that they faced many challenges and obstacles. Then he reminded them that God prepares the way:
1 Ne. 3:17

It is easy to get discouraged. It is easy to quit, but you must not fail. You remember how Nephi went into an impossible situation and couldn’t get the plates. His brothers couldn’t. They couldn’t buy them. They couldn’t bribe them out of the hands of Laban. They couldn’t force their way in, and their lives were hanging on a thread. In spite of all that, here comes one boy, unarmed, who walks into a city through a wall that was closed to him, through gates that couldn’t be opened, into a garden that was impenetrable, into a vault that was locked, among soldiers that couldn’t be bypassed, and comes out with his arms full of records to keep his posterity and others from perishing in unbelief. 1 Ne. 3–4

And if you think about it, that was only the beginning. Nephi faced more challenges in the wilderness and later was commanded to build a ship and sail across an uncharted ocean to start a new nation. And he successfully did it! That's just a thumbnail sketch of Nephi's experiences, and it makes my job search sound like a bed of roses. With God, all things are possible. Matt. 19:26

President Kimball continued: It can be done! We must eliminate entirely from our vocabulary the word can’t.

Then I think about Moses and the tremendous burden given him: free the children of Israel from the greatest nation on earth at the time and lead them to the promised land. God told him three things:

1. I am God
2. You Moses are my son
3. And I have work for you to do

What couldn't he accomplish knowing those three things. Moses could do anything knowing that, right? Heavenly Father tells each of us the same thing. And for the same reason, we cannot fail if we align ourselves with His will and like Moses endure to the end.

When I think of Nephi or Moses, my woes sound miniscule. Of course, the Lord will see us through. He always has. He always will. So whatever you are facing today, God will help you overcome it. Trust in Him and endure to the end.

I am so excited to see all of you today. You, family, bring me tremendous happiness, of course. And that means today is going to be a great day.

Whether in this life or the next, reunions are sweet events to which we can hope and delight.

I love you, dad

Breaking Stride

I am sitting in my office. There is quite a commotion going on around the house. A dish fell in the kitchen...this time, it can't be fixed--it shattered into a million pieces. Of course, this isn't the first time. A beautiful hand-made bowl fell victim a few months ago. I remember as a child, a family heirloom that had been entrusted to us was damaged, much to Granny's dismay. I couldn't begin to number the broken glasses and bowls or plates or watches or vases or windows. But there is One who can and does.

To us these things are lost never to be reclaimed. But that is not necessarily the case in the great plan of happiness. All broken things can be healed...because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ,

Relieving the blind, lame, deaf, and downtrodden; the Savior blessed everyone he touched. No infirmity, situation, or hardship is outside the healing power of the Savior Jesus Christ. Healing through the power of Jesus Christ involves both spiritual and emotional conditions.

Elder David Bednar recognizes that this truth may be misunderstood even among latter-day saints:

I suspect that many Church members are much more familiar with the nature of the redeeming and cleansing power of the Atonement than they are with the strengthening and enabling power. It is one thing to know that Jesus Christ came to earth to die for us—that is fundamental and foundational to the doctrine of Christ. But we also need to appreciate that the Lord desires, through His Atonement and by the power of the Holy Ghost, to live in us—not only to direct us but also to empower us.

So how does this work? How can the Atonement of Jesus Christ enable us to overcome our challenges today?

Elder Bednar continues by giving a scriptural example and shares how he has learned to use this tool in his life.

Nephi is an example of one who knew, understood, and relied upon the enabling power of the Savior. Recall that the sons of Lehi had returned to Jerusalem to enlist Ishmael and his household in their cause. Laman and others in the party traveling with Nephi from Jerusalem back to the wilderness rebelled, and Nephi exhorted his brethren to have faith in the Lord. It was at this point in their journey that Nephi’s brothers bound him with cords and planned his destruction. Please note Nephi’s prayer: “O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound” (1 Nephi 7:17; emphasis added).

Do you know what I likely would have prayed for if I had been tied up by my brothers? “Please get me out of this mess NOW!” It is especially interesting to me that Nephi did not pray to have his circumstances changed. Rather, he prayed for the strength to change his circumstances. And I believe he prayed in this manner precisely because he knew, understood, and had experienced the enabling power of the Atonement.

But you may ask, how is this done? Elder Bednar uses another example from the Book of Mormon for our benefit. Alma is directing a mission to reclaim the apostate Zoramites. Alma did not pray to have his afflictions removed, rather he prayed for strength to bear his infirmities.

38 And the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith. Alma 31:38

We can, too.

Pray for strength to suffer your challenges with faith. Elder Bednar concludes:

The Savior has suffered not just for our iniquities but also for the inequality, the unfairness, the pain, the anguish, and the emotional distresses that so frequently beset us. There is no physical pain, no anguish of soul, no suffering of spirit, no infirmity or weakness that you or I ever experience during our mortal journey that the Savior did not experience first. You and I in a moment of weakness may cry out, “No one understands. No one knows.” No human being, perhaps, knows. But the Son of God perfectly knows and understands, for He felt and bore our burdens before we ever did. And because He paid the ultimate price and bore that burden, He has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy in so many phases of our life. He can reach out, touch, succor—literally run to us—and strengthen us to be more than we could ever be and help us to do that which we could never do through relying upon only our own power.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30).

With Elder Bednar, I declare my witness and appreciation for the infinite and eternal sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. He lives. I have experienced both His redeeming and His enabling power in my life. I testify that these powers are real and available to each one of us.

As you employ this principle in your life, you will find a renewed strength and optimism to overcome life's hardship.

Listen or read the whole talk here. Many applications are made that teach us about the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It's well worth your time. Please take time to watch or read it.

Watch this video to remember and inspire your commitment to His mission wrought in our behalf.

What it means to be a father

For my entire life, every Fathers Day I would reflect on what it means to have a faithful father. Fathers Day was an opportunity to express appreciation to my dad. Of course, we all did this, which is right and good and true. I am grateful for Grandpa (dad). Hailed as one of the greatest voices of contemporary literature, Maya Angelou said "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Those words remind me of Grandpa. I always felt like his favorite. We all did.

I have written before about Grandpa's virtues. And I will write many times again, I am sure, about the uncharacteristic qualities of my father. He was patient, kind, long suffering, and fun. Even as I write these words, memories flood my mind about great times we had together and his splendid example. In many ways, he is my measuring stick for how I am doing on my own paternal journey.

But this year, after more than two dozen years as a father, I want to focus on what is means to be a dad. I am so grateful to be your father. I have the highest admiration for each one of you. No doubt, each of you is my superior. You bring me such joy. The prophets support this perspective of your being a chosen generation. I am truly among nobility. Psalms tells us that children are an heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb (our) reward.

4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children... Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them...

I guess you could say our quiver is full in that regard, but so are our hearts and admiration and respect and love for you. You children mean more to me than words can adequately express. I don't really understand how eternal families are organized in heaven, but I think how grateful I am that you let me be part of your family and were willing to allow me be your father, so that I could associate with each of you and learn from your good examples.

None of us is perfect. Gratefully, that is not required of us. We are covered through the Savior's Atonement. But we are encouraged to be "submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."
Mosiah 3:19

Thank you for your patience, love, and support and for letting me be your dad.

I love you all.

The God I serve

Today, I want to celebrate our true lineage, not just our earthly ancestors but our divine heritage. We spend a lot of time serving our brothers and sisters in the Church and all around us, but in reality, we are told that when we serve our fellow men, we are really serving God. Melanie just got home from trek this week where she experienced a small taste of the privilege and sacrifice extended by others who gave their all to serve God.

The Prophet Joseph Smith wrote of the Savior: “His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying: ‘I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father.’”

Grandpa lived his whole life in a way that bore testimony of the Lord and qualified him so that he could kneel before the Savior and wet His feet with tears of gratitude.

The Living Christ
“We bear testimony, as His duly ordained Apostles—that Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God. He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son.”

Through the restoration, we have come to know the attributes of God and His Son. When you have seen the Son, you have indeed seen the Father...

• one in character
• one in goodness
• one in perfection
• one in purpose

Because of the Son, we know the Father. He is our advocate with the Father.
We gratefully serve Him.

Gerald Lund tells a charming story about a time when he and his wife went to the Holy Land... “Some years ago, my wife and I were traveling in the Holy Land with a group of seminary and institute teachers. As we were moving through the crowded streets of Old Jerusalem, I noticed a street vendor up ahead of us. He was seated on the narrow sidewalk with several large burlap sacks of grain arranged around him. As we approached, I noticed an Arab woman coming toward him from the opposite direction. She had a large clay pot balanced on her head. As she reached the vendor, she stopped and took down the jar.

“Charmed by the scene, my wife and I stopped to watch, for it was obvious that the woman had come to purchase grain, just as people in the Holy Land had done before the days of Jesus.

“After a few words were exchanged, the man took the jar, held it over the large sack of wheat, and quickly filled it up uising a metal scoop. The last scoop left a small heap of grain rising above the top of the jar. Then the vendor did an interesting thing. He reached down and picked up a small, flat stick, somewhat like a ruler. Very carefully, holding the jar over the grain sack, he scraped the stick across the top of the jar, pushing any excess wheat back into the sack.

“For a moment I was irritated. Was he trying to cheat this woman? But she was not at all upset. . . . I realized that he wasn’t being dishonest. He was giving her an honest measure. She had asked for a full jar of grain and that was what he was giving her. He just wasn’t going to sell her one grain more than what she had paid for.”

“Now compare this with the Savior's description of how the Father blesses us. “Be ye merciful,” He said, “as your Father also is merciful. . . . Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over” (Luke:38)

“What a difference from how man deals with his fellowman. When God fills our jar, He fills it to the top. Then He tamps it down to compress the grain. That is followed by a vigourous shaking, which aligns the kernels of grain so the level in the jar drops perceptibly. Then once again the jar is capable of holding more, the Father fills it to the top again. Only with Him, there is no scraping off any excess. He fills it to overflowing, giving us more than our containers can possibly  hold. The Psalmist taught the same principle in these words: “My cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever” (Psalm 23:5-6)

“Pressed down, shaken together, and running over”—that's the Heavenly Father I have come to know.

The Loving Arms of Christ

Innocent

One of my favorite stories in scripture is the parable of the unjust servant. You remember that he owed a large sum of money. His master forgave him the debt, but that same servant went out and had a fellow servant put into prison for a much smaller debt. The master rebuked him for not showing the same compassion that he had himself received and then sent him to the same fate as his fellow servant.

Why do I like that parable so much? You could see it as a depressing account, since the servant once freed made a bad decision that caused him to be re-imprisoned.

True. But try thinking of it this way. Because we are faced with many challenges in life, our response to hardship is the deciding factor to whether our struggles become blessings that free us from temptation or a curse that destroys our lives and imprisons us anew. No. I am not talking about being thrown behind bars of steel from which we cannot escape. I am talking about imprisonment much more severe from which we have no deliverence. That's the incarceration of self destruction when we fail to forgive those around us for comparartively small infractions, when we ourselves are freely pardoned for major transgressions if we but seek forgiveness and live accordingly.

Remember, we all fall short of the kingdom of God. We must all be redeemed from the Fall. When we freely forgive others, we ourselves are liberated and may qualify for the blessings of eternal life.

Once we receive that gift, how tragic it would be to lose it because we hold malice for our neighbor and forfeit the greater blessing.

We can all be innocent because we are washed clean though the blood of the Lamb.

Perhaps another reason I love that parable is because it's a warning to us. When we have been redeemed of such a great debt, we too must return the same compassion to others, which the Lord has extended to us.

We are given multiple chances to come unto Him and be healed. Every opportunity is made possible for us if we would choose to follow the example of the Savior. Alma 5:27

And by the grace of God we are innocent, sanctified through the Atonement of Christ.

This is the essence of His gospel.

Putting your trust in God

We have had some struggles in life that at the time I thought were anything but blessings. But what I have learned is that when we put our trust in God in all we do, despite the apparent hardship that we face, we can move forward with the assurity that God is mindful of our needs, and He will turn all challenges for our good.

• Living at grandma's with no place to go
• Repeatedly losing my job
• Facing health problems
• Death of loved ones

I won't belabor the point. We all face horrific challenges. How are we to get through them?

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God...

Romans 8:28

3 And now, ... I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.

Alma 36:3

These are helpful and teach an incredibly valuable lesson we must all learn. Then, we can benefit greatly from this knowledge, especially when times get tough.

For example, we have all watched a sports contest when our team is losing. It's painful. Each fumble or mixup aggravates us and rocks our confidence, as we keep watching the clock and wondering "Is there enough time we could possibly catch up?" You know the feeling.

Your mother and I were at Buffalo Wild Wings watching a game like this between BYU and Iona. The Cougs were down by 25 points, and the Iona team wasn't supposed to be that good. BYU just kept turning over the ball, missing shots, and struggling. The crowd was livid. Frustration, anger, and despair are just a few of the words that come to mind. As you all remember, BYU came back to win the game by mounting the biggest comeback in NCAA tournament history.

But what if you already knew the outcome when you watched that game? BYU would turnover the ball, and you would brush it off. They'd miss a shot and you would chuckle to yourself. Knowing the outcome makes all the difference. That knowledge helps you get past the challenges at the moment and gives you hope and sure confidence despite the obstacles faced during the game.

Though my example is trite, this principle also applies to life. We know the outcome! The Savior is already victorious. As we align ourselves with Him, our promise is made sure. So obstacles we face in life are temporary setbacks that make us more compassionate, capable, and stronger. We will be victorious despite adversity.

Yet, life is hard. How do we know what to do?

13 But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God.

Moroni 7:13

We listen to our parents and leaders. We glean support from family and friends, and we move forward with faith in Him and have confidence that it will all be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.

A simple principle supported by scripture. Alma 7:11-13

Your can put your trust in Him and have faith you will be supported in all your trials and afflictions.

I know this to be true through personal experience.