True and Faithful Friends

I read a quote last Sunday by Elder Neil L. Andersen that gave me pause to think. The quote was in a Church News article report about a recent Single Adult Face to Face event. He said "We really do have to find other people of faith, don't we? In this world [in which] we live, [we need] other people of faith, who we can connect with at a very deep level, and talk openly about how our prayers are answered, [and] how we feel about the Holy Ghost." That support is "one of the beauties of gathering together as Saints in the gospel" added Sister Jean B. Bingham.

This idea really struck me and I was reminded of it again as I studied D&C 69 this week. In this revelation Oliver Cowdery is called to "carry the manuscript of the compiled revelations and commandments to Independence, Missouri, for printing. He was also to take with him money that had been contributed for the building up of the Church." (see Section 69 heading) But the Lord also instructs in this revelation that Oliver be given a companion to go with him on his journey.

The personal application for me was seeing that the Lord puts "true and faithful" (v. 1) people in our lives that help us on our journey here in mortality. Some of these people are with us for only a short amount of time (think of childhood friends, missionary companions or people we’re called to serve with in the church). Other people will be more long term (like parents, siblings and spouses). The companion that was assigned to go with Oliver was John Whitmer (v. 2) and not only was John to help Oliver but Oliver was supposed to "counsel and [give] assistance" (v. 4) to John with his responsibility to be writing church history. So not only does the Lord put people in our lives to help us, but the Lord also puts us in other peoples lives to help them too. There’s a Quaker proverb that describes this kind of symbiotic relationship: "Thee lift me and I'll lift thee and we'll ascend together."

The Lord will put people in our paths to help us on our journey, but we also should choose to surround ourselves with others that are "true and faithful." These people can help shield us from temptation and outside influences. They can help us stay safe on our journey. At my son's recent High School graduation one of the speakers quoted a famous study by a businessman named Jim Rohn. The study concluded that "you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with."  My take away from that quote is that we are greatly influenced by those we surround ourselves with.

Think about who your greatest influencers are? Who do you spend the most time with? Thinking of these questions brought me back to Elder Andersen's quote and the idea that we need other people of faith that we can connect with at a deep level. These are true and faithful friends and family members that can influence us in a deeply spiritual way, and that we can also share our feelings with. As I continued to think about who my greatest influencers were, the Spirit whispered to me "is Jesus Christ one of your greatest influences? Is He someone you spend a lot of time with?" 

As we think about the true and faithful people that the Lord has placed in our lives, hopefully we realize that the greatest person we can choose to have influence in our lives is our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Forgiveness and Mercy

My biggest Come, Follow Me insight this week came while listening to the Podcast called "Follow Him". The guest on the program, S. Michael Wilcox, talked about the phrase found in D&C 64:6, 8 that says "sought occasion against him/one another".  He asked some critical questions about this phrase. Questions like "do I seek occasions to be critical and find faults and weaknesses in others in order to feel better about myself? Am I looking for the motes in other peoples eyes and not seeing the beam in my own? (Matt 7:1-5). An example of this is when Mary (Lazarus's sister) anoints Christs' feet with an expensive spice. Upon witnessing this act, Judas becomes outraged feeling like Mary wasted money by using this ointment on Christs' feet instead of selling it and giving the money to the poor (John 12:3-5). Judas was seeking occasion to find fault in someone else and to make his idea look better. He "condemned for evil that thing in which there was no evil", and when we do that the Lord withholds His Spirit from us (D&C 64:16). Do we condemn people for doing things a different way just because its not the way we would do them?

Falling into this trap can destroy the concept of a Zion people. Zion is a place where the people are of one heart and one mind and if we're constantly "seeking occasion against others" that behavior is going to separate us from others instead of binding us together.

What is the remedy for this type of behavior? One thing that will help is to cultivate the Christlike attribute of forgiveness. Section 64 teaches the necessary steps:

1. Confess/acknowledge our shortcomings (v. 7)
2. Ask to be forgiven (v. 7)
3. Extend forgiveness to others (v. 9-10)

The natural man reacts to sin with outrage and intolerance, but Jesus Christ reacts to sin by first extending an offer of forgiveness and mercy. Christlike behavior is to give others the benefit of the doubt. It is to celebrate the good that people do and forgive their imperfect moments. If Christ can do that for us then we can strive to do the same for others. Our efforts to shed the natural man will help us become more like Christ who "delights in mercy and does not begrudge its use." (Elder Renlund)

Miracles come by Faith

As I read D&C 63 this week, I was struck by the two principles taught in verse 9: "faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow those that believe." 

Faith cometh not by signs: there are several examples of this principle in the scriptures. My favorite is the story of Lehi's sons being visited by an angel.  After several failed attempts to retrieve the brass plates, an angel appears to the four brothers and affirms that the Lord will help them in their efforts. But even after seeing an angel, Laman and Lemuel still lack the faith to believe that that is possible (1 Nephi 3:29-31).

Signs follow those who believe: stories representing this principle abound in the New Testament. My favorite is about the woman with the issue of blood being healed simply by touching the hem of Christ's clothing. Because of her faith, she was blessed with the miracle of being healed (Luke 8:43-48).

Those who seek signs for proof of God's existence and involvement in their lives are "lazy learners and lax disciples." It takes work and effort to increase our faith, but we will see miracles as we increase our faith in the Lord. (Pres. Nelson, Christ is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains)

Elder Rasband stated in his last General Conference talk: "Many of you have witnessed miracles, more than you realize. They may seem small in comparison to Jesus raising the dead. But the magnitude does not distinguish a miracle, only that it came from God." (emphasis added). As we continue to increase our faith in Jesus Christ, we will be blessed to witness miracles in our lives, both big and small. "For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them." (Ether 12:12)

Journey Speedily but not in Haste

I would like to share a short lesson that stood out to me this week while studying Come, Follow Me. In D&C 60: 5, 8, and 14 the Lord instructs the pairs of missionaries to leave Missouri and return to Ohio. Twice He tells them to "return speedily" but "not in haste." So how do you find the right balance between these two seemingly contradictory directives?  

While listening to the podcast "Unshaken Saints", the host gave a wonderful example of how Jesus was able to do this exact thing. He pointed out that in Mark 5:22-43, Jesus has been called on a "911 emergency call" by Jairus to come heal his daughter who is on her death bed. But, as Jesus is rushing to help this little girl, a "certain women which had an issue of blood" (v. 25) reaches out and touches His clothes. In the midst of His hurry to heal Jairus' daughter, He stops to bless and minister to this woman. He says to her "Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague" (v. 34).

The lesson I learned from this is to not be so focused on the end goal that we don't take some time to help others or to enjoy the journey along the way. Even though Christ was being crowded by people on His way to heal Jairus's daughter, he felt something different happen to Him when His clothes were touched by this woman. He felt that "virtue had gone out of him" (v 30). It is important to stay in tune with the Spirit so that when a multitude of good things are coming our way, we can know which of those thing is important enough for us to slow down and heed the direction that we are given.