Strengthening Others

The principle of the gospel that really stood out to me this week in my Come, Follow Me study was D&C 108:7 which says "strengthen your brethren in all your conversations, in all your prayers, in all your exhortations, and in all your doings." They key word for me in that verse is "all" (which is repeated four times).  Everything we do should have a strengthening affect on those around us. How can we do that in each of these four areas?

In all your conversations:

Conversations can take place in many different forms...verbal and non-verbal, in-person or on-line, in public or in private. Are we speaking kindly and positively about others in all these different settings? Are our comments and testimonies strengthening those around me? What about our body language? We want people leaving our presence felling better about themselves than they did before their encounter with us. 

In all your prayers:

Have you ever noticed how quiet and attentive your kids get during family prayer when you begin to pray for them (or their siblings) by name? It always feels like the Spirit in the room intensifies as we pray together as a family on behalf of one another by name and by specific situations that family members are going through. Do you pray for people by name? Including your spouse and children? Out loud so they can hear the thoughts of your heart? You should try it!

In all your exhortations:

To me, this is probably the most difficult one to master because if you know the definition of exhortation (emphatically urging someone to do something) to me it's just a fancy way of saying that "now I have to yell at you" - which never strengthens anyone. So how do we exhort and strengthen at the same time? If we want the exhortation to be strengthening, then it seems like it needs to be grounded in love (see 1 Nephi 15:25, 1 Nephi 16:4, Moroni 10:18-19, D&C 121:43) where our desire is to see that person grow and progress in order to become someone better.

In all your doings:

Just like our words, our deeds should be filled with faith, hope and charity (For the Strength of Youth booklet, pg. 20). Can you think of someone who does this? Who leaves everyone and every situation better than they found it? I think Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of someone who left every person and situation better than He found it. He did this through His conversations, His prayers, His exhortations and His doings.

No one strengthens others more than Jesus Christ does. Him strengthening us is what will help us to strengthen others (Philippines 4:13). As we put off the natural man and try to become more like Christ, this principle of strengthening others in all we do will come more naturally to us.

The Lord's way is not always our way

I've been thinking a lot about Zion's Camp this week and the lessons we can learn from that experience. One principle that keeps coming to my mind is that the Lord's way is not always our way (Isaiah 55:8-9). Those that were called to march with Zion's Camp thought that they were going to reclaim their land in Jackson County, Missouri, by force, if necessary. But it turns out that the revelation to "redeem Zion by power" (D&C 103:15) might have had a different meaning to the Lord. What if "redeeming Zion" is not referencing the place of Zion, but the people of Zion? And what if "by power" does not mean by physical power but by spiritual power? It's easy to see the double meaning in this revelation now that we're looking back and know the result of Zion's Camp and how many members were spiritually redeemed through that experience. Can we also look back on our own lives and see the Lord working in our lives in the same way?

As I thought about this question myself, an interesting experience came to my mind that I haven't ever thought about in this "Zion's Camp" context. We had four young children and lived two hours away from our extended families when my husband was called to serve in a bishopric. As the Stake President met with us to issue him the calling, the counsel that he gave to us was to not miss our local church meetings more than twice a year. I was a little taken back by this counsel. I remember feeling like that was pretty restrictive counsel to give a young family that lived so far away from home. I would ask myself "what's wrong with missing a few Sunday's a year because we're traveling or supporting other family events?" As I now look back over the past 13 years, it is more clear to me now the spiritual blessings that have come because we were obedient to that counsel. First of all, we feel more dependable and can be relied on to fulfill our Sunday commitments. Second, it set a precedence for our children-they know where we will be each Sunday. Third, it has allowed us to consistently be edified by our local leaders who are called to receive revelation for us. Fourth, it has allowed our children to be available to serve in various capacities as needed (through priesthood and/or class responsibilities). Fifth, it puts our family in an environment every Sunday where we can have spiritual experiences.

Our missionary is currently in the middle of a "Zion's Camp" experience as he struggles to understand his purpose of being a missionary--when he has yet to teach any investigator lessons! As discouraging as this can be for a missionary (and for his parents) he is learning this principle that "his way is not always the Lord's way." He is learning to exercise faith in this principle, knowing that spiritual blessings will be realized as he continues to do what  he's been asked to do.

The same is true for all of us. As we are obedient to the commandments and counsel of the Lord and our local leaders, we will be blessed in ways that the Lord sees fit to bless us.

Meet Adversity with Gratitude

My heart is heavy today as I contemplate the suffering our nation went through twenty years ago. In the years since September 11th, 2001, I've tried to distance myself from the emotions I experienced that day, but as I scrolled through my Facebook feed and saw video footage of that dreadful event, my heart started racing, my stomach cramping and my eyes watering as my mind unlocked emotions I long ago tried to bury. How fitting that my scripture study this week led me to focus on adversity and the instructions we are given to help us get through it.

The background of section 98 of the Doctrine and Covenants is filled with the stories of saints in Jackson County, Missouri experiencing immense persecution from the local people. They are being forced from their homes by mobs that destroy their homes and businesses, burn their fields, and tar and feather them. Despite this persecution the Lord tells these Saints to give thanks in everything (98:1).

This counsel, to be grateful during our trials, is contradictory to the natural man. Saying "thanks" to God while going through trials is not a natural response, but if we can train ourselves to see God's hand in our lives during the good times, then seeing God's hand in our lives during the bad times will come more naturally. 

I'm reading a book right now where this principle is very evident. It's called "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom and it's a true story about a Christian family (the ten Boom's) that lived in the Netherlands during WWII.  This family is arrested for helping to hide Jews in their home and two of the sisters (Corrie and Betsie) end up in the same concentration camp. The author describes a great deal of their suffering as well as describing the effort Betsie puts forth looking for all the ways God is blessing them. They learn to be grateful that they are not alone, they have each other, they have their miniature Bible, and their bottle of vitamins that somehow never gets confiscated. They even learn to be grateful for their flea-infested barracks because it allows them more space to pray and minister to others because the guards avoid their barracks.

Dallin H. Oaks said: "Adversity will be a constant or occasional companion for each of us throughout our lives. We cannot avoid it. The only question is how we will react to it." (Adversity) Gratitude during trials can increase our trust in God and His promise that "all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good" (98:3). As you look for and acknowledge blessings in your life, you begin to realize how much God is aware of you and is watching over you in many ways.

Temples and Homes

 In a General Conference talk given by Elder Stevensen in 2009 entitled Sacred Homes, Sacred Temples he stated that "under the definition of 'Temple' in the Bible Dictionary, we read the following: “It is the most holy of any place of worship on the earth,” followed by this insightful statement: “Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness.” For me this suggests a sacred relationship between the temple and the home. Not only can we turn the doors of our homes to the house of the Lord; we can make our homes a house of the Lord. 

While reading D&C 94-97 this week I looked for the temple building principles that the Lord was teaching these early saints and how they apply to our family as we strive to build our home. Here are a few of the principles that stood out to me...

1) It's important to have a foundation (94:1,6,12)

2) Our homes need to be dedicated to the Lord (94:6-7,12)

3) The home is a place of preparation (95:4)

4) Endow those within your walls with power from on high (95:8)

5) Our homes need to be different than those of the world (95:13)

6) In our homes we are responsible to teach both spiritual and scholarly things (95:16-17)

7) Seek diligently to remove any barriers to your family’s progression (96:8)

8) It's going to take sacrifice to build a home that can provide salvation for your family (97:12)

9) The home should be a place of thanksgiving (97:13)

10) The home is a place of instruction where we can come to understand things pertaining to the kingdom of God on earth (97:13-14)

11) We should not allow unclean things into our homes (97:15, 94:8)

In the same talk by Elder Stevenson, he challenged his listeners to take a virtual tour of their homes with spiritual eyes. He said: "Wherever your home may be and whatever its configuration, the application of eternal gospel principles within its walls is universal... Imagine that you are opening your front door and walking inside your home. What do you see, and how do you feel? Is it a place of love, peace, and refuge from the world, as is the temple? Is it clean and orderly? As you walk through the rooms of your home, do you see uplifting images which include appropriate pictures of the temple and the Savior? Is your bedroom or sleeping area a place for personal prayer? Is your gathering area or kitchen a place where food is prepared and enjoyed together, allowing uplifting conversation and family time? Are scriptures found in a room where the family can study, pray, and learn together? Can you find your personal gospel study space? Does the music you hear or the entertainment you see, online or otherwise, offend the Spirit? Is the conversation uplifting and without contention? That concludes our tour. Perhaps you, as I, found a few spots that need some “home improvement”—hopefully not an “extreme home makeover.”

I was grateful to participate in this little exercise and to have the spirit direct my thoughts to certain areas where I can do better to help make my home feel more like the temple, and I'm also grateful for the feelings of joy that came from the spirit that allowed me to rejoice in the areas where I'm doing well. Hopefully we can all follow the spiritual promptings we receive to help make our homes more like the temple.