Even a turkey can soar with the eagles

"Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:28-31)

What I love about these verses is that God, the creator of all things, never gets tired of me. He never faints in despair at my frailties and shortcomings. He who has all strength is willing to keep strengthening me, when I would have given up on me ages ago. What's more, he takes me at whatever level I am. If I can fly, he gives me wings. If I cannot fly but can at least run, he will strengthen my running. And if all I can do is walk, he'll keep me going. The pace doesn't matter to God, only the direction and the willingness to give it my all.

The key is to "wait upon the Lord". One sense of "waiting" is "anticipating with expectation". To wait is not to sit down and do nothing. It is doing everything I can and then expecting a miracle, because God is a God of miracles - always has been and always will be. He made the ends of the earth without getting tired. Surely he can make something out of me.

To "wait" on someone is also to serve them, like the waitress who brought me a sandwich and a piece of pie last night. When I wait upon (i.e., serve) God, my strength is renewed. Now matter how tired I get in his service, he pumps me back up and sets me on the course for the next round.

If I wait upon the Lord (which means serving without worrying about running out of strength, and expecting miracles from the God of miracles), I believe that even turkeys like me can someday soar with the eagles.

Praying in the name of Jesus: Am I taking the Lord's name in vain?

We as Christians are taught to pray to the Father in the name of Jesus (for example, Ephesians 5:20). We typically end our prayers with the phrase “In the name of Jesus Christ.” When we do anything in the name of Christ, we are doing what we believe Christ would do. So when I offer a prayer in the name of Christ, I should be offering the kind of prayer that Jesus himself would pray.

I think most of the time, however, my prayers are not the kind of prayers Jesus would offer to his Father. My prayers are many times selfish or prideful or even thoughtless. I fear that I take the Lord’s name in vain when I attach his name to my misguided prayers.

The answer, of course, is not to stop praying. Our Father is happy with every prayer we send his way. Any prayer is better than no prayer. My prayer does not have to be eloquent or fancy or long, and it surely should not be rote or tedious. If I bore myself, I am surely boring God. Nevertheless, the lesson I am learning is that a prayer should be worthy of Christ’s name when I attach his name to it.

If I begin a prayer by asking the Holy Ghost to teach me what Jesus would pray about if he were offering this prayer, and then listen to the promptings of the Spirit, I can offer a prayer that I can close in the name of Jesus Christ, and do it not in vain. I can pray like the disciples of Christ, for “they did not multiply many words, for it was given unto them what they should pray, and they were filled with desire. And it came to pass that Jesus blessed them as they did pray…; and his countenance did smile upon them, and the light of his countenance did shine upon them… And Jesus said unto them: Pray on” (3 Nephi 19:24-26).

I will “pray on” in the name of Christ in the faith that “Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you” (John 16:23).

Did the Creator create evil?

The Great Creator did not create all things.

• The Creator did not create dark, he created light. Dark is merely the absence of the light God created. 
• The Creator did not create cold, he created heat. Cold is merely the absence of the heat God created. 
• The Creator did not create agency, it is co-eternal with God. The Creator did not give us agency, he simply acknowledged that we have it and promised to never remove it or violate it.
• The Creator did not create evil, he created love. Evil is not a creation of God, it is a creation of people who have rejected God's love. 

Light and heat are physical forces that have physical limitations in the physical universe, and thus we may see places of darkness and cold where the Creator's forces do not reach.

God's love, on the other hand, is infinite and eternal. It can reach every corner of the universe and penetrate every human heart.  With their agency, people create places that are dark and cold by erecting walls and barriers to block light and heat. With that same agency, people create evil by erecting walls and barriers around their hearts to block God's love.

We cannot blame the Creator for darkness or cold or evil. We can blame only ourselves for using our inalienable agency to build the walls that keep God's beautiful creations out.

My prayer is that the Creator will show me the walls I have built around my heart so that I can tear them down and let his light, warmth, and love shine brightly in my life, and that I can bring a measure of light, warmth, and love into the lives of others.

The errand of all those who know the Creator's love is to shine His light into the darkness, radiate His warmth into the cold, and share His love where it is absent.

Living life Upside Down

No one will argue that everyone has struggles. We are all different, and we all have our own struggles, but it is a universal truth that we all struggle. That is why we are here on earth, to "prove [us] herewith, to see if [we] will do all things whatsoever the Lord [our] God shall command [us]" (Abraham 3:25). God tests us with life in mortality and a world full of wonderful and distracting things, not so much so we can prove to him what we can do, but to prove to ourselves what we are made of.

I struggle to get out of my own way and let the Lord’s hand work in my life. I struggle with pride and vanity and letting other people shine without worrying about how their brilliance reflects on me. I struggle to learn simple lessons and then to implement what I have learned instead of just doing the same old thing the same old way.

When I was young and starting out, I focused on getting my temporal life in order: education, career, marriage, family, house, furniture, reliable cars that had to keep expanding as the number of car seats increased, and a reasonable amount of entertainment. The Church was really a hobby. I kept the commandments, read the scriptures, paid tithing, went to church, did my home teach most of the time, filled my callings (unless they became totally inconvenient), went to ward temple night most months, and so on. I did the essential things, and I said that once I got established in life, and I was not so busy with the temporal demands of this telestial existence, I would focus more on the spiritual things. I would go to the temple more, get serious about family history research, really study the scriptures, bake more loaves of bread for my neighbors, get anxiously engaged in a good cause and do good works of my own free will, figure out what the temple covenants really mean, pray more diligently, ask for the gift of charity, align my life with the will of the Lord, and so on.

What I am learning is that all of that temporal stuff was, and still is, a distraction. I focused on the stuff of the world for forty years, and now I am finding that those habits do not just fall away when I decide it’s time to get serious. It is all upside down and backwards. Life is the distraction that keeps me from seeing what is really important. In my old age, I see that faith and service are the stuff of existence, and temporal pursuits are the hobby. The Book of Mormon teaches repeatedly that if we keep the commandments of God, we shall prosper in the land. For so long I lived as if the Book of Mormon said, “if ye prosper in the land, ye shall be able to keep my commandments.” I have had it all backwards, and when I try to turn it around, the old habits of thought and practice are hard to break.

When we are ready, however, the Lord humbles us. He has promised that if we ask him, he will show us our weaknesses. I have put that promise to the test, and I can testify that the Lord delivers, for I see weaknesses all over the place in my life. He has also made a related promise: He will make weak things become strong unto us (see Ether 12:27). I'm anxious to see how the second half of the promise pans out for me. I've got the weakness part down pretty good. Now I'm waiting for the strength part to kick in. The older I get, the more I hope that it gets here while I can still remember what I asked for.

Pioneer Day thoughts

We have concluded another Pioneer Day weekend. The Latter-day Saints share a common heritage of hardy and faithful pioneers who left their homes and often all of their material belongings and sometimes even their most cherished loved ones to honor the call of a Prophet to gather with the saints in Zion. Whether we are direct descendants of these brave men and women or simply thrilled at their stories of sacrifice, hardship, and heroism, they are our spiritual forefathers. I appreciate them, though I am not directly descended from them, because where and how I live is directly attributable to their heroic efforts.

In a way I had never thought of before, I see Heavenly Father as the Great and Eternal Forefather. He surely must have sacrificed and labored greatly to pave the way for the life we enjoy as his spirit children. Without him, we would be disorganized intelligences floating about in a universe of chaos. Through his heroic efforts, he brought organization to the universe, clothed us in spirits, gave us this earth, provided a means for us to obtain physical bodies, and made a way for us to return to him and become like him. I owe him everything.

Second, I hold the happiness of many generations in my hands. My ancestors, who accept the gospel in the Spirit World and are worthy to receive saving ordinances, cannot be happy until I do the work for them so that they are sealed together and to God. My posterity depends on my example and my efforts to ensure that they have a righteous lineage in which to be born so that they, too, will be sealed in this family and to God. Both groups of spirits are very near and are anxiously watching. If I squander my time and fail to live up to my responsibilities, they will be highly disappointed and terribly frustrated. In the end, I know that God’s mercy and justice will put everything in its proper order, but I would hate to be the missing link that he had to work around to save his children.

The Formula of Enough

I have been pondering on C. S. Lewis’s discourse in The Screwtape Letters on acting in accordance with our knowledge. Satan does not care how much we know about righteous principles as long as we do not act on them. He likes us to be satisfied with knowledge for knowledge’s sake and feel no compulsion to do anything about what we know. I am very much like that. I love to learn, but my actions are far below my knowledge.

For instance, I have learned that I should pray for others, and I have gotten good at praying for family and neighbors and acquaintances who are afflicted and struggling, and I think my duty is done. Praying is better than being oblivious, which was my former condition; but prayers without actions are not truly effective. I do not reach out to those I pray for, see how they are doing, and look for ways to help. I just pray for them and forget them as I get into my busy daily routine. If I really loved those I pray for, I would make a few minutes each day to contact at least one of them in a meaningful way, let them know that I thought about them, and lift them in some way.

As I thought about this, I recalled another statement by Lewis that if we were in the physical presence of God, we would want to be constantly active in his service and would feel disappointed if he told us to take a half hour off to go amuse ourselves. I pondered what it would be like to be truly in Christ’s presence and to serve constantly with him. It would be thrilling and deeply soul satisfying to receive a command from him, go about his business, and then return and report success and receive his approval.

Now, in this mortal world, unless we are specifically called on a mission or to some position in the Church in which we are required to forsake all and serve full time, we are expected to work to clothe ourselves, obtain our daily bread, provide for shelter, maintain our health, care for our property, and earn an honest living. Our physical bodies in their current state demand that we eat and sleep and operate within the confines of the physical limitations of our strength and age. All of this physical living takes up a good deal of our time – but not all of it. Especially in middle class American society, we still have a good deal of discretionary time.

In addition, God has given us phenomenal bodies with five senses that can bring us much pleasure in many ways. He has also created a spectacular earth with which we can interact with our bodies. These are gifts that he expects us to enjoy and appreciate. He is pleased when we find joy in the gifts he has given us. “Men are, that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25). Without our physical bodies, we cannot have a fullness of joy (see D&C 93:33-34).

God did not place us in such favorable circumstance, however, only to make a living and accumulate wealth, only to adorn ourselves, only to eat, only to relax, only to amuse ourselves, and solely for pleasure. When we do anything to excess or beyond what is needful, we are gluttons, and the Lord is not pleased with gluttony. Balance is good, gluttony is sin.

God also expects us to get outside of ourselves. It is okay to love ourselves, but we must also love our neighbors. He did not say to love our neighbors to the exclusion of ourselves, but to love them equally with the love we have naturally for ourselves.

There is the challenge. In the world dominated by Satan’s formula of “always more”, we have to learn to recognize when we have enough for ourselves and can turn our attention to others. When we have fed ourselves enough, we give the rest to others. When we have worked enough to take care of our needs, we work for others. When we have used enough time to keep ourselves fit and healthy, we give time to others. When we have loved ourselves enough, we give the rest of our love to others. We need to find the balance in the “formula of enough” to know when we have means – goods, energy, time and love – to serve others.

The formula is different for each of us, and it is defined by God. We must go to him to learn the parameters and the calculations. The formula contains variables that change with time and circumstances according to our needs, the needs of others, and God’s will. Thus we must be constantly in tune with the Holy Ghost, whose role it is to teach us every day how to work the formula. He gives us the day’s variables and we work the formula to produce the desired result, which is to please God. True happiness is found, not in gluttony, which is Satan’s equation of “always more”, but in God’s “formula of enough”.

When a funeral is a good thing

In April our stake president attended our ward sacrament meeting and instructed us on the proper observance of the ordinance of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. He said that we should treat sacrament meeting as the Savior's funeral. Now, that statement could be taken in a very morbid, macabre way, but that is not how he meant it. In fact, proper Latter-day Saint funerals are not morbid. They can be some of the most spiritually uplifting events we can attend. The same should be true of sacrament meetings, when we come in the proper spirit.

I have been to many funerals. The first thing I notice about a funeral is that everyone comes prepared. No one just drops by casually. All come with a purpose in mind and with a sense of what is going to happen. I am always struck by the sense of reverence that prevails over the congregation and over the very place where the service is held. We come seeking peace and assurance and solace. We share a common bond as a congregation - a love for the person who has passed on or for the family who has been left behind. That bond creates a unity of purpose and feeling, which invites the Spirit of the Lord to be present.

Such can also be our feelings when we enter sacrament meeting. If we all come with a purpose, seeking peace and assurance and solace for our sins, with an intention to repent and improve, if we come with love for the Savior and in reverence for the sacrifice he made for us, we as a congregation can be united, and that unity will bring the Spirit of the Lord.

Loss and Mourning

Common at a funeral are feelings of loss and mourning for being separated from the ones we love. During the sacrament we can recognize the feelings of loss for our separation from Christ because of our sins, and we can mourn the price he had to pay to overcome our sins.

The purpose of a funeral is to reflect on, remember, respect, and celebrate the life of the deceased. During the service we typically recall the fine and good things the person has done, and we hear others who knew that person well talk about their experiences with him and how they felt about him. We do the same in a sacrament meeting. We speak of Christ's love, his miracles, his matchless life, and his supernal sacrifice. We reflect on how his Atonement has impacted our life.

I have been to funerals where I did not know the person well. Rather, I go to support a friend who has lost a loved one in keeping with my covenant to "mourn with those that mourn and comfort those who stand in need of comfort." I have been fascinated by the things I have learned about this relative stranger. Similarly, I love learning about the Savior in sacrament meeting from others who know him better, or at least differently, than I do. When I listen carefully, I always come away with new knowledge and an increased understanding of Christ.

Bearing Testimony

I particularly enjoy the monthly testimony meeting. It is, or should be, like the funeral in which those who love the deceased take turns telling about their fondest memories of the departed loved one and how he or she changed their lives. Those who rise to speak focus on the individual and what he or she meant to them. They express gratitude for the service and kindness the person showed them. They speak personally, intimately about their relationship with the deceased and what they will most remember about the person.

Such should be our testimonies in sacrament meeting. We are taught to avoid thank-imonies and travelogues and sermons. The stake president counseled us to say nothing in sacrament meeting that would not be appropriate at Jesus' funeral. I think this is what he meant.

The difference between a funeral for an earthly loved one and for Jesus is that the temporary, mortal sorrow of Christ's death has already been swallowed up in the joy of his resurrection. We already know how it turns out. Because of the Atonement, we may attend the funeral of a righteous loved one with peace tempered by mourning. And so we also come to sacrament meeting rejoicing that death is temporary, that the grave has been overcome, that he who was dead now lives. And because he lives, we shall live.

Thus sacrament meeting, like a good funeral, is solemn but not somber, sobering but not depressing, respectful but not morose. We can be sorry and celebratory at the same time. It is a paradox, the likes of which God seems to be very fond.

Conclusion

My feelings about sacrament meeting have changed perceptibly in the months since President McKay came to our ward. I hope to continually attend and partake of the ordinance of the sacrament with the same spirit that President McKay taught me that day.