The Living Christ

While studying The Living Christ document this week, there was a particular phrase that stood out to me: "His was a great vicarious gift in behalf of all who would ever live upon the earth." As I thought about His vicarious gift to us, it was impressed upon me that we are also given the opportunity to give vicarious gifts to others as we perform temple ordinances for those who have died.

I love the idea that just like the Savior did a work for us that we couldn't do for ourselves, we too have the opportunity to be saviors for others as we do temple work for them that they can’t do for themselves.

I've been reading a book this week about Christmas symbols written by Brad Wilcox titled "Because of the Messiah in a Manger". He writes about how the wise men recognized the star of Bethlehem for what it was and they let it guide them to the Savior. In our day, the temple can serve the same purpose as the star. We can see temples as "holy beacons" that guide us to the Savior. Brother Wilcox goes on to write: "When Christ was on the earth, some followed Him, while others did not. Have you ever wondered whether you would have accepted Christ in His day?...If we love the temple today, we would have loved Christ in His day. If we seek to go to the temple, we would have sought to be with Christ. If we desire to learn more about the temple, we would have desired to learn more about Christ...'Our feelings about the temple are the truest indicators of our deepest feelings about Christ.'" (quote by Elder Robert E. Wells)

This new year I hope to be able to increase my temple attendance, not only to be able to give the gift of vicarious temple work to others, but also as a way to become closer to my Savior.

The Family

Two of the podcasts I listened to this week both invited the same guest onto their programs to talk about The Family: A Proclamation to the World. The name of this guest was Jenet Erickson. She is a professor of family life and religion at BYU and she had some profound insights on the proclamation and the research data that supports the principles outlined in that document.

The insights I found most enlightening were those regarding parenthood. In paragraph four of the proclamation it states: "The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God's commandment to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force." I have to admit that I haven't always championed parenthood the way that I probably should. Parenting is hard, never-ending work that rarely gets any recognition and frankly, I'd feel like a hypocrite if I were to tell my kids "this is the best job ever" when I rarely feel that way.

But some of the things Sister Erickson said really changed my perspective on the purpose of parenting and the benefits that come from being a parent. First, she told of an analysis done by a renowned Harvard sociologist named Carle Zimmerman. He studied the rise and fall of great civilizations and what he concluded was that "the defining feature of civilizations at their peak of creativity and progress was their orientation to children, specifically the bearing and nurturing of children within families." (We need children as much as they need us) She goes on to talk about how as a culture, when we are oriented towards the development of children it forces us (as parents/adults) to become more forward thinking and pushes us to the peak of our creativity and development because we're bringing out our best on behalf of our children. Growth and development happens to us when we care about the development of those around us. And whenever we care about the development of others, we in turn, become a different kind of person.

The second thing I learned from listening to Sister Erickson was that raising children really exposes our weaknesses, which opens the door for inviting in more growth. She expressed this sentiment through a quote given by Michael Novak, a Catholic scholar, when he said: "The raising of children...brings each of us breathtaking vistas of our inadequacy... My bonds to them hold me back from many sorts of opportunities. And yet they are, I know, my liberation. They force me to be a different sort of human being in a way in which I want and need to be forced."  And Elder Robert D. Hales put it another way. Speaking to an audience of women (but it can just as easily by applied to men) during an education week address in 2008 he said "Motherhood is the ideal opportunity for lifelong learning. A mother’s learning grows as she nurtures the child in his or her development years. They are both learning and maturing together at a remarkable pace. It’s exponential, not linear. Just think of the learning process of a mother throughout the lifetime of her children. Each child brings an added dimension to her learning because their needs are so varied and far-reaching." (The Journey of Lifelong Learning)

I was also reminded that parenting is another avenue in which we become more like Jesus Christ. Having a child can be a very atonement-like experience where we suffer when they suffer and we sacrifice our wants and desires for them and in that process we learn to become more selfless. These are Christlike attributes that we can learn from parenting which can help us become more like our Savior. 

Thirteen Articles of Faith

Out of all the things I studied this week for Come, Follow Me, my favorite resource was a talk given by Elder L. Tom Perry in October 2013 (The Doctrines and Principles Contained in the Articles of Faith). This talk clearly outlined how the Thirteen Articles of Faith can help us better understand the doctrine and principles of the gospel. Elder Perry broke them down like this…

#1-4 Explain the Godhead and the basic doctrine of Christ

        "True doctrine comes from God, the source and foundation of all truths. The teachings and                      concepts of true doctrine are found in the gospel of our Lord and Savior."

#5-6 Explain the organization and order of the priesthood 

        "It was necessary for the priesthood to be restored before the true Church of Jesus Christ could be          organized"

#7-9 Explain eternal resources in our mortal journey 

        "We are given spiritual gifts to guide us as we follow the Lord's teachings...the scriptures are                   another guide; if we read carefully the word of God, He will reveal our path back to eternal life."

#10-12 Explain sharing the gospel 

        "We learn about the gathering of Israel in preparation for the Second Coming of the Savior. We are instructed that men and women are agents unto themselves, and they can either accept or reject              the word of God...Finally, we learn as we spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the four corners of the earth that we must respect the governments of each nation we enter."

#13 Explains aspirational attributes 

        "All of us should aspire to embody these attributes and lead lives that exemplify them."

I like seeing the Articles of Faith grouped in a way that gives them added doctrinal depth. I also like that they are listed in an order that builds on the one before it (i.e. there is no fall without God creating Adam and because of the fall we need the atonement of Christ…)

I'm grateful that as a primary child I was asked to memorize the Articles of Faith. I've never forgotten them, but I could do a better job at understanding the importance of the doctrine and principles of the gospel that are contained in these thirteen brilliant and concise statements.

Lessons from D&C 138

Here's a few more things that I understood in a deeper way after studying D&C 137-138

1) After we die and as we wait in the spirit world for the day of our "glorious resurrection" (138:14), it will be a time "filled with joy and gladness, and rejoicing together" (138:15), but not total freedom. Even righteous spirits will still experience a form of bondage in the spirit world. Phrases such as "redemption from the bands of death" (138:16), "deliverance from the chains of death", and "liberty to the captives" (138:18) indicate that there is a lack of freedom in the spirit world. Why? Because we have been separated from our bodies! It isn't until after we've been resurrected and "the spirit and the body (are) united never again to be divided, that (we) receive a fullness of joy" (138:17).

The lesson that was reinforced to me was how grateful we need to be for our bodies. Even though we all get frustrated with some of the physical limitations that come as a result of our imperfect bodies (i.e. mental illness, chronic pain, disease, or addiction), having a body is one of our greatest earthly blessings and certainly one that we should appreciate because we will miss it (for a season) after we die.

2) 138:25-26 refers to Jesus Christs' three-year ministry while he was here on the earth, and teaches that even though He was perfectly obedient, knew all the right answers, and performed many mighty miracles, there were still only a relatively few people that listened to his message. I think this is important to remember as we evaluate our own efforts to share the gospel; even if we are as close to perfect as we can be, our perceived success should not be based off of whether or not they use their agency to accept the gospel. 

3) After Christ died and visited the spirit world, "He organized his forces and appointed messengers" to preach the gospel "to those who had died without a knowledge of the truth" (138:30-32). Those people are taught faith, repentance, and the other principles of the gospel. They are also taught about baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, but that it has to be done vicariously (138:33-34), which is where we become a part of their story. We form a companionship with those on the other side of the veil. As they do their part to teach, we have to do our part and perform those saving ordinances in the temple. Sharing the gospel on the earth can reach up to 8 billion people, but redeeming the dead is for billions upon billions of people! The heavens must be shouting for joy (along with us) every time a new temple is announced!

Reading and Pondering the Scriptures

A lot of truths stood out to me this week while studying D&C 137-138, but in order to make this a more reader- friendly post, I thought I’d share just one of them with you.

Section 138 teaches us two important reasons to study the scriptures…

 1) The scriptures are a portal to revelation. As President Joseph F. Smith pondered and reflected over his scriptures, the atonement of Jesus Christ, and the love of God (138:1-4), he received this amazing revelation about the redemption of the dead (D&C 138). I personally don't expect to receive any kind of revelation of that magnitude, but I hope for and expect revelation and inspiration on how to be a better wife, mother, friend, and disciple. And the Holy Ghost can inspire us in other areas of our life as well.  I love this example from Sister Julie B. Beck, former General Relief Society President, from a 2010 Women's Conference address entitled "Choose Ye This Day to Serve the Lord" that addressed the importance of daily scripture study and how it opens the pathway to personal revelation. "I have to be able to know the mind and will of God. Therefore, I have to do the things in my life that put me in a position to hear His voice. Reading the scriptures [is] an essential for me because the scriptures contain the mind and will of God, and by reading and studying from them, I can hear His voice and receive His guidance in all aspects of my life."

 2) The scriptures help us learn the doctrine and principles of the gospel. As President Joseph F. Smith was pondering and reflecting his “mind reverted to the writings of the Apostle Paul” (138:5). It’s important that we be familiar enough with the scriptures that the Lord can bring to our remembrance things we've already read as well as to direct us to those resources that will help bring more light, knowledge, understanding, and depth to our study. I have seen this happen many times in my life as I've been preparing a talk or a lesson or thinking about what I can share that would help someone in need of comfort or strength. I don't always remember the whole scripture or quote that comes to my mind, usually just a phrase or a story, but thanks to technology I can use that little bit of information to find what the Lord has inspired me to share. For example, while thinking about what to include in my blog this week, I was reminded of a discourse by Elder Richard G. Scott where he talked about the scriptures being our friends. So I searched the internet for those key terms and was able to find his talk " The Power of Scripture". That talk contains this quote: "The scriptures...can become stalwart friends that are...always available when needed. Their use provides a foundation of truth that can be awakened by the Holy Ghost."

I like to think that even though I'm not receiving personal revelation every time I study my scriptures, my consistent study of the word of God is building a large reserve of knowledge that the Holy Ghost can access when the time is right.