Healing the brokenhearted

In recent weeks we have spoken about dealing with the hardships that we confront in life, and with good reason, because we face challenges of every kind. But let's look at the other side of the coin. As we keep our covenants, because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ we qualify for the promised blessings.

Can you imagine what it will be like to live in a world of peace and tranquility? Can you even begin to fathom the complete joy in store for us that will fill our hearts? We have been told the following:

"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."

Perfect health. No challenges or hardships. Return of loved ones to us, and time & means to spend interacting with those we cherish most. Tears dried. Worries, hardship, and trials all behind us.

Our fondest dreams will be exceeded. Our finest hopes and desires will all be fulfilled.

The Lord has prepared mansions in heaven for us. John 14:2

Watch, listen to or read Because He Came.

Joy I can only imagine...

A Man's Measure

I know we share respect and admiration for Gordon B. Hinckley. He was the prophet of your youth just as Spencer W. Kimball was the prophet during mine. I came across a tender story he shares that shows the impact for good we can have on others' lives by the good examples that we set.

Without further ado, let's listen to the words of this very wise man.



If we can follow this example with our families, friends, and everyone we meet, we will find lasting joy that will break down barriers, lift spirits, and permeate goodwill every where we go.

That's the defining characteristic of the great men I know. They make those around them better, stronger, happier, and more confident.

"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good." - Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)

Comfort

Irrigation...watering our fields in Castle Valley was a chore. When we first arrived, there was a single ditch at the top of the property and the ground was not consistently slanted. We spent many hours working the land--raking and shoveling the high spots and building up the low spots. This helped us run the water down the fields to irrigate them consistently. But it was easier said than done. Our watering times often came in the middle of the night. Before we could even get the water running down our fields, we had to stop up the ditch and provide a spillway where the water could flow from the ditch into the fields. Often the ill-advised dams would break, and we would have to rebuild and repair them. The dark made it that much harder to manage, and the sandy banks were a challenge to control and keep firm. And then in the day time it was so hot. I remember once being at the top of the property watering in the heat of the day. I was so thirsty and the drinking water was way down at the bunkhouse and probably warm, anyway. So I knelt down, put my face in the ditch of water, and lapped up great gulps of irrigation water. It was probably a miracle that I never died from disentary.

It's comforting to look back and realize that though I fell short and my best was often not good enough, I was spared for greater things...and given another chance. I made some foolish mistakes in my youth. We all make poor choices, but that doesn't have to define our future. Someday, we will look back on our past with hindsight and see the wisdom of the Hand of God in our lives. The Lord has provided us every opportunity so that we can succeed!

That I know of assurety through personal experience.

http://mathewstucki.blogspot.com/1993/05/finding-castle-valley-1976-in-our.html

Sometimes I can't believe I got to grow up there

Today

Today is Grandpa's birthday. In his memory, today I share a favorite photograph of him and encourage you to review his personal history.

Happy Birthday Dad! We love you dearly and are thinking about you on your special day.

“As sweet to me and powerful in my life as the numerous blessings I have received, nothing brought more peace, and hope, and joy than has come from discovering the marvelous qualities of the Savior and all the gracious, loving and merciful things He has done for me and my loved ones. I cannot in any way repay Him, or properly thank Him. But this I can do, and seek with all my heart to do, and that is stand as a witness of the goodness of the Father in giving us such a leader and friend as the Savior.”

“I will stand as a witness that Christ is divine, has risen from the dead, and out of his love for us has overcome every barrier to our return to Heavenly Father, and enjoyment of the unspeakable joys of eternal life.”

Those are sweet words and sweet memories. Soon we will be together again.

Wrinkles

Do you wake every morning thinking "It is so great to be alive" and begin counting your blessings even before you get out of bed? No? Well I can't say that I remember to do that every day either, but then I think "why not?"

Does this sound sort of idealistic? Unrealistic?

Well, we all face challenges. Perhaps it's harder to see the blessings and easier to focus on obstacles when we are confronted with problems. But it is then that we need the strength that comes from emphasizing the power of good in our lives. Let me tell you at least one way I know that to be true.

August is a special month. Summer is wrapping up and tinges of Fall are appearing. There is the excitement of a new year of school starting and the opportunity that new friends, classes, and learning affords. But it also happens to be one week in the year when we have more consecutive birthday's than any other. Leslie, Grandpa, Levi, and Robyn--perhaps more--but at least those are the ones I remember growing up.

Celebrating their birthdays is great fun, but more notable to me is the way each one of these persons has faced obstacles with courage and determination. When I refect on their birthdays, I can't help but remember the hardships that they have faithfully borne in their lives, and to me the recollection of their examples is inspirational.

Which I remember in particular during that special week in August.

Without belaboring the point, let me use an analogy. Of course, I remember many things about Grandpa. We all do. But a favorite memory of mine is the wrinkles at the corner of his eyes. Why on earth would I cherish that? Nobody likes wrinkles, right? Well for me, they are the epidemy of Grandpa--always smiling, deeply concerned and loving, measures of decades of effort. His life was a labor of love put into family, home, service, and the Savior. It didn't come easy. In fact, his life was littered with trials. Holding his rough, callused hands taught me a great deal about love, appreciation, and service. That good can come from hardship was apparent to me then and an important life lesson.

Triumph

I attended a meeting recently where Dave Jennings, trusted advisor to leaders around the world, gave ideas about how to crawl out of the depression of losing a job. Studies show that those successfully overcoming that devastating blow have the following characteristics in common:

• Purpose
• Continued learning
• Social connection

In many cases, it's the same things that help you make it through life's challenges. The Lord can take difficulties in our lives and make them blossom as the rose. Keeping the commandments, doing our part, and showing faith in Jesus Christ enables him to work miracles in our behalf.

Some folks say they don't see miracles anymore in our day.

I say we see them all around us. If we just recognize them for what they are, we see the arm of the Lord revealed daily in our lives. Remember when the Provo tabernacle burned down? That was tragic. I attended many meetings at that remarkable, well-loved building. It was part of our heritage. One couldn't help but notice the inspiring architecture, pioneer craftsmanship, and the innumerable intricacies abundant in that edifice. Following the four-alarm fire, the newspapers reported "tragedy, shock, devasation, and loss" when describing the damage that "(left) that iconic building a blackened ruin." Many mourned the tragic loss. Some wept. Others just looked on in disbelief. And then President Monson made an announcement at conference that this building would become a temple.

I remember the occasion well. We had actually gone to Salt Lake to attend that particular general conference. Their was an audible gasp in the Conference Center when the saints realized the Lord would take this apparent tragedy and turn it into something beautiful. I have felt the same emotion when I learned about His handiwork bringing people together, solving a problem, strengthening a friend, or comforting the downtrodden. Some of the finest people I know have been lifted amid struggles, and when this happens to people we hold dear, we see God's hand in the miracle. Hardships face us every day. Challenges overwhelm us. And fear immobilizes us. But despite these obstacles, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ especially amid hardship enables us to endure to the end and gives Him an opportunity to turn difficult situations into beautiful resolutions.

Understanding our Father in Heaven allows us to face fear with faith. Faith in the Lord can turn tragedy into triumph.

A favorite poem of mine seems fitting here: The Touch of the Masters Hand

The Healing Power of Forgiveness

One family's trial becomes a shared blessing for many who serve, love, and bear each other's burdens in the video below.

His Hands

I love the scripture story of Jesus Christ cleansing the ten lepers. There are many lessons we can learn from this experience. I would love to hear your insights. One of my favorites is when the leper who was healed returns to express his gratitude. I have always hoped that is the person I would have been. Recall with me this extraordinary account:

“And as [Jesus] entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
“And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
“And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
“And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
“And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
“There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.”

One of my favorite parts is "as they went, they were cleansed." They believed and acted on that belief, then they were healed. Also significant, yet condemning is the question "but where are the nine?"

Figuratively speaking we are all lepers. Our imperfections and weaknesses make us unworthy to return to our Heavenly Father and abide in His kingdom. But the Lord Jesus Christ knows our circumstance and has wrought a miracle in our behalf to heal our wounds of sadness, loneliness, sorrow, weakness, and sin. Though we alone are unfit for the kingdom of God, He shares His perfection with us so we can realize this gift.

Also significant yet kindly condemning is the question "but where are the nine?" It causes us to reflect on what would we have done then in that situation and what we do now in similar circumstances.

Perfection comes not in this life but in the next. Yet we can be grateful now for what we have and what we are promised.

Because of the Savior, we endure joyfully to the end—every day of our lives.

And make our hands like those from Galilee.

Spiritual Economics

Recently we discussed the value of having faith in the midst of challenges. I shared some examples with you then, and we will discuss more below, but first I would like to start with a familiar story.

Remember when Jesus calmed the raging Sea of Galilee. His apostles awoke him crying "Master! Carest thou not that we perish?" When we read these verses, we probably don't do it with the emotion like it really happened. I hear them screaming the question at the top of their lungs in desperation and fear. I have felt like that sometimes. And though my response may not have perhaps had the same intensity or volume, it has been nonetheless similar in urgency. But I have realized over time that these occasions allow God the opportunity to make the tragic tremendous, as we have been promised. Romans 8:28

We dodged a bullet last week. Knowing that Alyssa is safe after the train fire scare in India is the best news we could have received, but others have not been so lucky:

1. Recent Colorado theater shootings
2. Friends and families of the 47 killed and dozens injured in the train burning in India
3. A good friend's wife recently died of cancer leaving him and eight children alone

These are perhaps the most recent tragedies, but we all know of many more circumstances close to home that have tested and tried those we hold dear. Tragedy has not been a stranger to our family. So, why does this have to happen? Why?

Consider the following effects of hardship:

1. Enables free agency - the importance of free agency cannot be over-emphasized. We must have an opportunity to learn from our choices and others must also have this right. Sometimes this instruction is painful.
2. Inspires in us gratitude and empathy - when we see the pains and hardship of others, we have appreciation for the bounty with which we have been blessed and learn to have compassion for the suffering.
3. Teaches lessons that can be revealed no other way - think back over your life; some of the most important lessons you have learned were on the road of adversity.
4. Strengthens our faith - we can't do it alone. Every person needs the help of the Savior to get through this life and into the next.

Lessons I am learning:

1. Love means there will be pain - we can expect that. "Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved," says the poet. We have been told that opposition in all things is part of life.
2. Worthwhile things are always associated with difficulty. Think about it - "easy come, easy go," they used to say in my day.
3. Learning coping mechanisms will help us face life's obstacles. Overcoming hardship prepares us to confront difficulty, forms our character, and shapes our destiny.
4. God's will is not man's will - His perspective is far greater than ours. We must have faith in Him.
   
   One of my favorite quotes from C.S. Lewis follows. It captures the eternal perspective amid the challenges of life:

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right, and stopping the leaks in the roof, and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably, and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to?

"The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of– throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace."

This doesn't mean we have to simply tolerate this existence. This understanding can lift us out of the doldrums of life's challenges to bask in the brightness of the Son. This also empowers us now to prepare and gives us the hope that through us, He can make the difficult and tragic beautiful.

Because of the Savior, even in the midst of tragedy, we have hope.

We don't know everything, but we know enough.

Two Principles for Any Economy

Tribulation Brings Peace

Faith

We all need to rely on the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ everyday, especially when hard things happen. I spoke about that in another article, so I will let you revisit that post.
But what I want to share with you today is the reason WHY.

Of course you all know that Alyssa is in India. What most of you probably don't know is that there was a terrible train accident near Hyderbad. Power was out there for thousands at the same time. The significance of this is that Alyssa and her friends at HELP were planning a visit to Taj Mahal. So the way this worked out is that I was at my computer when I received a post from Steven. We didn't know where Alyssa was for sure, and as we messaged back-and-forth I realized that we really knew few details. Steven hadn't heard from her in a while, and I think they normally chat almost daily, so I was getting concerned.

Fear is the opposite of faith. If you have faith, you can handle difficulties.

Our hope in Jesus Christ is real. He will help us through our struggles. He can make all the difference.

So back to my story, I am sitting at my computer, and I get an IM from Steven. "When did Alyssa travel to Taj Mahal? Did she fly or take the train?" He continues by asking when she was leaving, and when we last heard from her. So at this point, I called him up and asked him what's going on. He then sent me the link about the tragic train incident near Hyderbad where a fire took 47 people's lives and injured dozens of others. So I called Brady down at HELP International to confirm that everyone at HELP International was ok and in particular Alyssa. The young woman on the phone said Brady was in a staff meeting and would call me back. Of course, I didn't want to sound unduly alarmed, so I said that would be fine. But when I hung up, my mind got to rehashing "Why are they having staff meeting, why hasn't Brady call me back, and why haven't we heard from Alyssa?" Well needless to say, I was worried. Brady called me back and made a special call to India just to make sure. Everyone was fine and accounted for. In fact, they were all sleeping at that very moment. Brady apologized that I even had to be concerned.

In this life, there will be hardship, but through the gospel of Jesus Christ we can have hope that we will overcome all the obstacles that face us in life and that all things will work together for the good of them that love and serve the Lord.

With Elder Russell M. Nelson, I express my gratitude that the gospel of Jesus Christ allows me that kind of strength in these tumultuous times.

It all comes down to having faith.