Studying our patriarchal blessings

In Gospel Doctrine class recently the instructor made an interesting statement. She said that on her mission in Russia the missionaries were not allowed to be out of their apartments after dark. For much of the year the days were short and the nights were long in Russia, and so she had a lot of personal study time. One of the things that she enjoyed studying was her patriarchal blessing. She said that she studied it like she studied the scriptures, and she recommended the same practice to all of us in the class.

The idea intrigued me. I had read my blessing many times, but I had never studied it. So what would happen if I studied my blessing like I do the scriptures - word by word, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph?

And so I have begun a study of my blessing. I will share here only a few thoughts that are generally applicable to all of us and all of our blessings. Much of what I study will be sacred and private and not to be shared publicly. But what the Spirit constrains me to share, I will share. 

I received my blessing from Patriarch Theodore P. Malquist, in Lakewood, California, on 5 August 1969. I was sixteen years old, about to enter my junior year at Lakewood High School. I had been a member of the Church for less than a year.

After stating his authority as a duly ordained patriarch, the very first thing Patriarch Malquist said is the key to my blessing, and is the principle I want to discuss today. He said, "This blessing shall be one which shall be a guiding influence for you all the days of your life, if you will heed the counsel that is contained in this important event in your life." In this single sentence he stated the scope and purpose of my blessing, offered a promise, and outlined the contingency upon which the promise would be fulfilled. While everyone's blessing may not contain this exact sentence, the principle applies to every patriarchal blessing.

Principles

The following are general principles that apply to modern patriarchal blessings:

• The Guide to the Scriptures declares: "Blessings [are] given to worthy Church members by ordained patriarchs. A patriarchal blessing contains the Lord’s counsel for the person receiving the blessing and declares that person’s lineage in the house of Israel." 
• In a letter from the First Presidency to stake presidents, dated 25 June 1958, President David O. McKay stated that a patriarchal blessing is a "statement of the life mission of the recipient, together with such blessings, cautions and admonitions as the patriarch may be prompted to give for the accomplishment of such life’s mission." (First Presidency Letter, 25 June 1958).
• In General Conference in October 1986, Elder Thomas S. Monson taught that a patriarchal blessing is like a Liahona "to give direction to our lives, to mark the hazards to our safety, and to chart the way, even safe passage.... A patriarchal blessing is a revelation to the recipient." He said that a patriarchal blessing is as eternal as is life. "What may not come to fulfillment in this life may occur in the next." He reminded us that a patriarchal blessing "is to be loved. It is to be followed.... Patience may be required as we watch, wait, and work for a promised blessing to be fulfilled." He concluded, "Your patriarchal blessing is your passport to peace in this life."

From these teachings we learn that a patriarchal blessing is a personal revelation to us, similar in many ways to the revelations we read in the Doctrine and Covenants that were addressed to specific indivuduals, such as Olive Cowdry, Martin Harris, Thomas B. Marsh, Hyrum Smith and Joseph Smith. This personal revelation is intended to outline our life's mission and to chart a path that, if followed, will enable us to fulfill that mission and return to Heavenly Father.

Key Phrases

As I examine the opening sentence in my blessing, key phrases jump out at me.

• "Guiding influence"
• Guiding means to  "direct the course of action".
• Influence means the "effect on behavior, character and development; the power to shape policy."
• Thus, this blessing is intended to direct the course of action in my life by affecting my behavior, character and development and by shaping the policies that govern my decisions.
• My blessing is a prophecy, but not a limitation. If I let it guide me, it will lead me into paths that will expand and ennoble my life. 
• I can exceed my blessing. It tells me the minimum that I can accomplish, not the maximum. If I use the guiding principles in my blessing properly, it will lead me into greater things than are stated in the blessing.
• "All the days of your life"
• This blessing applies to my entire life. I will never outgrow it. I should be careful not to disregard sections of it or assume that I have accomplished some aspect of my blessing and now it is done. 
• Rather than try to figure out if I have accomplished some particular thing that is stated in my blessing, I should assume that I can continue growing in every area outlined in my blessing. These are things that Heavenly Father wants me to be continuously concerned about and actively pursuing.
• "Heed the counsel"
• God knows the end from the beginning. He knows my weaknesses. He knows where I need to focus at every juncture of my life. He knows I am going to fail in many ways and at many times. My blessing says to keep going, to keep trying, to keep seeking counsel and guidance, to not give up on myself.
• I need to pay attention to the advice and recommendations stated in my blessing.
• I need to look more deeply into my blessing. I cannot take it all literally or at face value. Just as the scriptures are a Urim and Thummim to open my mind to deeper things of the Spirit than are written on the page, my blessing, which is scripture to me, can also be a Urim and Thummim.
• A blessing is most valuable when we strive to consciously follow its direction and look for ways to engage ourselves in the activities about which it talks. 
• My blessing is not so much a gauge by which to measure whether I have made good decisions as it is a series of signposts on which I should fix my sights and by which I should conduct my decisions. 
• I should pray each day for the Holy Ghost to direct me to align myself with my blessing.
• "If"
• This may be the single most important word in my blessing. The word if appears three times in my blessing, indicating that the results are conditioned upon my responses and diligence.
• A patriarchal blessing is not a promise. It is more like a contract or covenant. If we fulfill out part of the contract, the Lord offers us benefits and opportunities. If we do not keep our part of the agreement, he has no obligation according to the terms of the contract.

Scriptures

The following scriptures provide valuable insight into the purpose of patriarchal blessings:

• Gen 48:14-16, 20 - Jacob blessed Ephraim with the birthright blessings. Though Ephraim was younger than Mannasah, Jacob by the spirit of prophecy knew the future of his grandsons and gave them appropriate blessings. His blessings to each of them prepared them to adjust their expectations and to align their wills with the Lord's will for them and their posterity.
  
  Our blessings likewise help us understand what the Lord has in store for us. They are prophecy. But prophecy is conditional. If Ephraim had not remained more faithful than Mannasah, he would had lost his place as the head of the leading tribe of Israel in the Last Days.
• Gen 49 - Jacob blessed all of his sons. "I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days" (v 1). The blessing to his children was a prophecy. He set them in order and prepared them for the things that would befall them and their posterity in the future. Deeds they had done and choices they had made influenced their future fate. Because of sin, each in turn from the oldest to the youngest forfeited the birthright blessing until it finally fell on Joseph.
  
  We get our patriarchal blessings when we are young, usually before we have had time to commit heinous sins that would disqualify us for the best blessings. As teenagers active in the Church and worthy of receiving a blessing, we are generally on the right path. Our blessings guide us along continual paths of righteousness and show us where valiant choices and diligent efforts can lead us. We generally are not cursed in our blessings, as were the sons of Jacob.That does not mean, however, that our future is assured. Had the sons of Jacob repented and worked hard to improve their lives, they could have exceeded their blessings and lightened their curses. Contrariwise, if we ignore our blessings and the counsel contained therein and drift away from activity and righteousness, we can fall far short of our promised blessings.

Examples and Experiences

I have spent most of my life doing what I wanted to do in my own way, and then looked at my blessing and tried to discern if I made good choices based on whether promises in my blessing have occurred in my life. Some have turned out very well. For example:

"You shall find a very choice young lady, how also loves our Heavenly Father. You shall be permitted to take her to that special place, the House of the Lord, and there be married and sealed not only for time but for all eternity. You shall find that this marriage shall be one which shall be filled with love and confidence towards each other."

I know that I was inspired to choose Evelyn for my wife. The Spirit confirmed it to me before we got engaged. Our years together have proven the correctness of my choice as she has indeed become a choice lady, and our marriage is filled with love and confidence.

Some have turned out no so well. About my mission my blessing states: 

"you shall find that it will be easy for you to make contact with non-members. Because of the special, humble, clean way that you have, you shall be able to deliver the message unto them, and shall see many join the church; and have the privilege of entering the waters of baptism with them and seeing them receive true joy in their lives."

This does not describe my missionary service at all. Rather than consider this counsel and figure out what my special, humble, clean way could be that would make it easier for me to contact non-members and deliver the gospel message to them, I just went through the motions for two years, made no real effort to improve myself, and experienced just the opposite of what my blessing stated would be my results.

Conclusion

For most of my life I have not used my blessing as a guide and an influence, but as a measuring stick. Instead of using it to look forward, I have used it only to look back. I made life decisions with little regard for the counsel in my blessing and then measured my results against the promises in my blessing to see if I guessed correctly. That is not how a blessing is to be used.

A patriarchal blessing is not a rear-view mirror. It is a lens for looking forward with clarity and insight. It is not to be filed away, but to be used.

My counsel is, to those who do not have a patriarchal blessing, get one; to those who have one, read it, often. And more than read it, study it. Ask Heavenly Father to reveal its meaning to you through the Holy Ghost. Just as the scriptures change for us as we mature, seek, and learn, so our blessings will be a constant source of enlightenment if we seek it. The words on the page will not change, but their meaning will grow as we grow in knowledge and faith.