It Might Be Hope

Sometimes the questions people ask surprise me. Just yesterday, a girl at church just all of the sudden turned to me in the middle of institute and asked me if I thought hope could ever be in vain. Sometimes the answers I spurt out surprise me even more. In answer to her question, I answered with a resounding no. When she asked me why, I told her because hope is a principle of the gospel, and as long as we are truly hoping for something (not wishing that your favorite team will win a rival game but true hope) righteous it cannot be in vain. For some reason, this conversation really impacted me. Why was I so quick to answer? Do I really believe what I told her? I do. There have been so many times in my life where hope is my only option. I feel stuck. I feel beat down. I feel tired. But, when there is hope, there is light. We are promised so many blessings when we live our lives with faith and hope. And, as we come to see what we have hoped for come to fruition, there is a brighter light lit within us. Today, as I was reading through Doctrine and Covenants 86 I came to verse 7 where we are told to let the wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest is fully ripe. If we ask to cut the tares down when the blades are young (and our faith is weak), we may also destroy the wheat. I immediately thought of our trials and blessings. If we immediately ask for a trial to be taken away when it is just beginning do we risk missing out on blessings (and increased faith) that are results of it? We must let our blessings and trials grow together. In the end we can sift through it all and take only the best things from the situation. Hope is like that. We have to let hope grow up with the hard. It won't be in vain. Not ever.

In An Hour You Think Not

Over the past couple of years I have come to the conclusion that scriptures can have multiple different meanings. Scriptures that I have "known" the meaning of take on an entirely different meaning as I learn, grow, and go through different life experiences. For instance, in D&C 61, we are told to "be of good cheer...for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you...for He cometh in an hour you think not (v. 36,38)." I have always found comfort in this phrase, but this time reading it, it hit differently. Before that always meant the Second Coming would come at a time that no one really knew. We just needed to prepare. This time, along with the previous verses, it meant that there are often times when we feel forsaken or feel like all is lost or that He isn't hearing our prayers but it is in the small moments as well as the big that His spirit comes into our lives. He is telling us that He hears us, He loves us, He is there for us, and He will never leave us. He comes into our lives even at the times when we don't expect. I love that. 

We are promised that we can expect wonderful works when we pray (D&C 65:4). But we have to pray. We have to be of good cheer--which doesn't mean you have to be happy, all is right in the world all of the time because it isn't. We just have to take comfort in the fact that He is there and He wants to bless us. Then, we have to look for the blessings both big and small in our lives which, in turn, will make us be of good cheer even more! THEN, He tells us to go and "make known His wonderful works." He wants us to share those things with others so they can be of good cheer as well. 

There is hope. There is comfort. There is cheer. There is love. He comes in moments that we expect like in the spiritual high of girls' camp or General Conference. He comes in the moments we don't expect when we are having a spiritual low when we don't even have the energy to pray out loud. He and His angels are there to comfort and guide us. ALWAYS. And I am thankful for that. 

A Prayer of Faith

In reading the D&C over the past several weeks I came across a phrase that’s repeated a few times throughout various sections. It often comes when there are problems. In the early days of the church, people were so eager to believe and be a part of the new church that many had “false revelations” which led others away or led them to worship in incorrect ways. There was much to learn. There still is.

Do we ever come across those times in life where we feel like we have been given a bit of knowledge and then left without all of it? How do we find the rest that we are yearning for?

Do we ever feel alone in a trial wondering what the best answer is?

Do we cry for those who have been led astray by others and wonder what more we could have done or can now do to help them?

Do we worry about ourselves or others on the path to salvation?

I am sure the answer is (or has at one point been) a resounding yes! Although the fullness of the gospel has been on the earth for many years now, we are still learning. None of us is perfect. We are imperfect people all trying our best. Some put a little and some put a lot into their efforts, but we are doing the best we can at any given point just like the early Saints. I am thankful that we have more knowledge and guidance than they had as I am sure that was a trial all on it’s own, but I think a certain phrase that is repeated many times can mean just as much to us as it did to them. That phrase is “a prayer of faith.”

A prayer of faith. Four words. An answer to so many questions. 

When we feel like we have nothing more to give what should we do? Offer a prayer of faith and try to do more for those in His kingdom.

On our darkest days when we may feel like all hope is gone? A prayer of faith and continue on as we work to draw closer to Him.

On days when we aren’t even sure what we believe or if our faith is strong enough? A prayer of faith to the One we believe in.

On days when sadness or grief try to overtake us? A prayer of faith to the One who can succor us.

On days when physical, emotional, spiritual, or mental ailments seem too much to bear? A prayer of faith to the One who suffered for all of our infirmities.

On days when we don’t feel worthy or just feel too worn down to read our scriptures, go to church, or offer a prayer? A prayer of faith. Even if it’s a silent one where we sit still for a moment of our crazy day because He is waiting for us.

On days when we just want answers to our prayers and the yearnings of our hearts? A prayer of faith because He knows all.

I don’t have all the answers. I can’t even pretend to, but I do know that He is waiting for each one of us to offer our own prayers of faith. He wants to listen. He wants to give us peace when we so desperately need it. He wants to be there for us. Most importantly, he wants to answer our prayers and bless us. We just have to get down on our knees and offer a prayer of faith. That is what he asks of us.

Revelations for Us

The Doctrine and Covenants have never been something I enjoy reading. I always saw the sections as revelations for others. Why did we have to read them? What made them stop adding to them? What made these revelations more important than ones today? 

This year, before we started reading D&C for "Come Follow Me" I heard multiple people say this was the reason they left the church. Huh? But why? 

As I have read this year I have truly enjoyed not only reading but figuring out why these revelations were made into scripture. Why were these personal messages to others supposed to be shared with anyone and everyone who is willing to read. 

1) These revelations are sometimes very similar to one another and yet are extremely personal. Heavenly Father knows each one of us personally, but His message to one can also be fitting for another. We just had conference. I promise that if you actually listened to the talks, you felt like one was just for you. The speaker was speaking for YOU in an answer to one of YOUR prayers. But, I also know there is someone else who was listening who felt the same way! All of these revelations that were for someone else can also be words to you. Even in D&C 25:16 after a revelation to Emma Smith we are told "this is [His] voice unto all." These revelations are for us. 

2) These revelations are in the beginning of the church. People are learning about the First Vision of Joseph Smith. They are starting to form a church. They working on translating the Book of Mormon and then having it printed. They are learning what it means to be a missionary. They are growing their own testimonies. We all have to grow and nourish our testimonies. We have to learn from their lessons and apply it in our lives. These revelations are for us. 

3) We can all get a blessing. Do we listen? Do we honestly feel that it is for us? Do we believe in what it says? Do we trust in Him and His promises? All of these revelations that are shared with are are for us. All of the blessings apply to us as well as those they were given to. All of the promises are promises to us. These revelations are for us. 

Today, I saw a post from someone in my ward, a girl I actually really liked. She announced she was leaving the church because she felt like "it didn't fit." I think we all come across times when it feels like something doesn't fit quite right. Life can be like a puzzle where you put a piece in that looks right, but you can't decide if it actually fits or not. Sometimes you come to know that it definitely fits and other times you realize it is just the piece you were looking for in a different area. But, I do not think it is ever the gospel. 

One of my favorite quotes from conference was, "Our entire lives should be filled with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is not part of our life, but our life is actually part of the gospel of Jesus Christ." The gospel is not a thing to fit into our lives. We must fit our lives into the gospel. The revelations in D&C are to people just learning to accept the gospel. The words are telling them how to change (for the better I might add) their lives to fit into the gospel but also provide warnings to those who let the devil prevail into making them feel like something doesn't fit whether it is the gospel doesn't fit in our lives or that we don't fit in the church. 

We are told these are the last days. I can only imagine Satan is trying his darndest to sway us to the other side, but that is why we have to hold to our testimonies. We have to study, learn from, and apply the scriptures. We have to keep going to church. We have to follow the prophet. We have to keep believing. We have to trust. We have to Let God Prevail. 

Hear Him

 A question posed by our church leaders recently is "How do you hear Him?" 

I can say I hear him in many different ways: a sparkle in someone's eye, a twinkling star, a beautiful day, sunshine, a smile, beauty all around in the big things and small... But, one way I also hear Him is through the scriptures. Now, all growing up I heard people talk about how they would pray and then they would open up their scriptures to a random page, start reading, and their answer would be right there! I never had that happen to me. I would always end up at some weird scripture in Songs of Solomon or the Index or something. But, as I read our readings from Come Follow Me and stay on schedule I find more and more answers that I need in my life at that time. 

I recently had to do a hard and yet easy thing. I turned down the job that I was wanting so badly. The one that I have been looking forward to and planning on for months. The only thing that made it easy is because I know what I believe, I know what I stand for, and I made the decision long ago that I would not let anyone or anything tell me otherwise. 

So, I have been left wondering "What now?" and praying to Heavenly Father asking Him what he would have me do. 

I got to give a talk in church on Sunday (see previous post if you're interested) on the lost 116 pages of the Book of Mormon manuscript. As I read and studied the topic I realized I had been like Martin and Joseph, pressing the Lord for a different answer when I had really already been given one that I just didn't like. Luckily, before I went too far, I realized my mistake. That is when I withdrew from the application process. As I continued to read about the topic in this week's Come Follow Me readings, Oliver and Joseph were really asking Heavenly Father the same question I was. What now? 

Four phrases/scriptures stuck out to me: 

10:3- "...see that you are faithful and continue on..."

10:4- "...be diligent to the end."

10:5- "Pray always that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work."

10:37- "...hold your peace until I shall see fit to make all things known...concerning the matter."

I once saw a quote that said to believe in what you pray for. As hard as it is, as much as I want not only a plan but a detailed outline to that plan shown to me, I know this was my answer. It is the answer to all of us who don't get the answer we want to an earnest prayer. Keep being faithful. Keep being diligent. Keep praying. Keep believing. Keep trusting. Hold on to the peace He has given you, and don't let the adversary make you forget that peace. Blessings and more answers and the next step will come. 

Talk Given in Church on 1/31/21

 Joseph Smith Jr. was a poor farm boy with a serious question. Which of all of the churches around should he join? He never considered that his answer would be none of them. When he went to the Lord with a genuine question he was actually visited by Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. After his vision, he told only a few people, but word got out and spread quickly leading to heaping persecutions against this young boy. 8 years later, Joseph was newly married and he and Emma were expecting their first child. He had gotten the plates as well as the seer stones and had begun translating with Emma as his scribe. Persecution had continued to mount, and really the only person outside of Joseph’s family that actually believed him was Martin Harris.

Martin Harris was a true friend to Joseph as well as a blessing. Before he had arrived, Joseph was losing hope. He would never be able to publish the transcript of the Book of Mormon on his own. If Joseph sold absolutely everything he had, the publishing cost was going to be 15 times what he was worth. There was just no way. Then, Martin arrived and offered to pay for it all.

There was one problem. Martin’s wife, Lucy, and some other family members were having a hard time with all of it. Why was Martin willing to give so much time and money to something they had never actually seen? This is where the trouble began. Joseph wanted so badly to be able to show them, but he had been commanded to not show anyone the plates. So, he and Martin thought, “Well, what if we just showed the translation they had done so far?” That might be okay, right? Then, they will read and know it was truth!

Joseph asked the Lord and was given the answer of no. But why? Wasn’t this a righteous desire? He couldn’t afford to lose the faith and backing of Martin! After asking three times, he is finally told that Martin could take the 116 pages they had translated so far on one condition. Martin has to covenant with the Lord to only show them to his wife and just a select few other family members and has to keep them locked up. Martin goes off and not only shows those 5 people, but actually breaks the drawer they were locked in because his wife was out and had the key to show someone he wasn’t supposed to show them to in the first place.

We all know the story. Those pages end up being stolen, and become the lost 116 pages. So, what can we learn from this? I am sure there are many, many lessons, but I will focus on just three.

In the time they had waited for Martin to return with the pages, Emma had had her baby. The baby died, and Emma almost did. In a time of such personal turmoil, Joseph also worried about his standing with God because he had lost the ability to translate since Martin had left. 22 year old Joseph must have felt like he had ruined absolutely everything!! But, as he reached out to Heavenly Father as he had done other times before, the very first sentence of the revelation states: ”The works and the designs and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught.” This is the first lesson, each of us have agency. We make decisions every day, some minor, and some with lasting effects. But, Heavenly Father has a plan, and His plan will not be foiled by choices we make. Some of our choices make it harder on us, but ultimately, his plan will work out. In this instance, thousands of years before the pages were lost, Heavenly Father had Nephi write some of what was in the plates of Lehi which comprised the lost pages. In response, Nephi writes,  “ And now, I Nephi, do not make a full account of the things which my father hath written, for he hath written many things…of which I shall not make a full account. But I shall make an account of my proceedings in my days. Behold, I will also make an abridgment of the record of my father.” 1 Nephi 1:16-17 (see also D&C 10)

The second lesson is in verses 7 & 8. “For behold, you should not have feared man more than god. Although men set at naught the counsels of god, and despise his words—yet you should have been faithful; and he would have extended his arm and supported you against all the fiery darts of the adversary; and he would have been with you in every time of trouble.” Do not fear man more than God because if we put our faith and trust in our Heavenly Father, he will be with us in every time of trouble. I am sure all of us have been subjected to peer pressure at some time or another. Do we fear what our friends or coworkers will think of us more than what Heavenly Father thinks of us? Do we sometimes ask and ask and ask the same question hoping for a different answer from him? I know I have! At this point, Joseph could have said, I don’t know how this is going to work out, but you know what? I’ve seen Jesus, and I know he can find a way to make it all work out. He was more practical. Remember, he was just a poor farm boy! He allowed the pressure of how difficult everything was going to be to overwhelm what God actually wanted him to do. Heavenly Father sometimes asks us to do hard things. He asks us to put him above all. Above being popular or stylish or funny or well-respected or rich or powerful. This is the most important choice we will make in this life.

The third and final lesson I chose is found in D&C 3:9-10- God is merciful, and no matter what mistakes are made, if we repent, we are still chosen. Joseph was so wrapped up in all of the bad things that had happened that he had quite frankly forgotten that God is still merciful. So, like the loving father he is, Heavenly Father reminds him. He says, “Thou art Joseph, and thou wast chosen to do the work of the Lord, but because of transgression, if thou art not aware thou wilt fall. But remember, God is merciful; therefore, repent of that which thou hast done which is contrary to the commandment which I gave you, and thou art still chosen, and art again called to the work.” Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us. He knew Alma the Younger would be a prophet even as he was going around persecuting the church. He knew Jonah would go and preach to the people of Ninevah even as he ran to board a ship going the opposite direction. He even knew a young Tommy Monson was going to be a modern-day prophet as he set fire to a field. We all have a work to do! We might mess up, but if we repent and keep trying, we are still chosen! Heavenly Father doesn’t give up on us. He didn’t even give up on Martin Harris, the man who lost the pages, the man who was said to be wicked in this and other revelations given to Joseph. Ultimately, Martin even becomes one of the three witnesses that actually got to see the plates! Elder Holland once said, “However late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines.”

In summary, we lost 116 pages of scripture because of this mistake. I am sure there were valuable lessons on those pages, but we need to always remember:

1    1. There is a plan in place. No one, no matter how much agency they use could keep the Book of Mormon from coming, and no one today can keep the work from progressing and the second coming from happening! You are not powerful enough to ruin Heavenly Father’s plans.

2.   2. Don’t fall in to peer pressure. At the end of the day, your question to yourself should be: How should I appear before the Lord? And when you aren't sure what you should you you should follow the words of Anna from Frozen, “I'll walk through this night stumbling blindly toward the light and do the next right thing. And, with it done, what comes then? When it's clear that everything will never be the same again. Then I'll make the choice to hear that voice and do the next right thing.” Heavenly Father knows we aren’t perfect. He is used to working with imperfect people! The best part of it all is he meets us where we are and leads us to the next right step supporting us all along the way.

3.   3. After we make mistakes and feel like something is lost whether it be lost hope, lost faith, a lost testimony, nothing is so lost that Heavenly Father’s plan for you is ruined. If we make an effort to repent, to keep trying, and to get back on the path, we are still chosen.

In the words of Emily Belle Freeman, “His heart is full of wisdom for his words preserved on holy pages can bring comfort, direction, counsel, and guidance. His heart is full of understanding for every silver lining turned forth from sable cloud comes from Him. His heart is full of tenderness for he sends blessings from heaven and ministers with mercy. His heart is full of hope for even if today the obstacle seems impossible to surmount, he has promised that tomorrow he will work wonders among you. His heart is full of compassion for he sends angels who come running and continue to minister. His is a heart we can trust because his purposes fail not, and nothing can separate us from his love.”

No Enemies

In the spring of 1820 a young boy had a question that had been troubling him. What church should he join? After reflection and scripture study he made a plan to go into the woods and pray. When he did so, after darkness threatened to overtake him, a pillar of light appeared, and he spoke to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ face to face. In the vision, he was told that he should not join any of the churches. 

After the vision, he went to tell a leader from one of the churches what had happened, and there persecution against him began. He was just a boy, and miracles and visions like that only happened in times of old. Joseph began to keep what happened to himself, but word got out quickly. Despite the persecution, Joseph never retracted his statement on what he had seen. He said, "For I had seen a vision; I knew it and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it (JSH 1:25)."

After a few years he was visited again, this time by an angel. The angel told him "God had a work for [him] to do; and that [his] name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people (JSH 1:33)." To this day, his name is had for good and evil throughout the world. But, in the words of the poet, Charles Mackay:

You have no enemies, you say?
Alas! My friend, the boast is poor;
He who has mingled in the fray
Of duty, that the brave endure, 
Must have made foes! If you have none, 
Small is the work that you have done.
You've hit no traitor on the hip, 
You've dashed no cup from perjured lip,
You've never turned the wrong to right, 

You've been a coward in the fight. 

As we each gain a testimony of the truth of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, and the gospel of Christ, we must hold fast to the ground we have won, especially when it is challenged. We may make enemies, but this fight...our fight... the Lord's fight is worth fighting for.