Category Archives: Success

How to Grow Grasshopper Legs

27 Monday Mar 2023

Posted by in atonement, General, Jesus Christ, Motivation, Portuguese, Success

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These days few things seem to surprise us. With a Youtube society, we are used to seeing the outlandishly improbable happen. We can see cats dancing, watch sculpture art being created out of cheese blocks, and amazing trick shots from basketballs thrown off of waterfalls into a hoop 200 feet below.

However, a few months ago, I watched something that I had a hard time believing, even though I watched it live. My mind couldn’t quite process what was happening.

I watched some 6’1″ little hobbit look-a-like named Mac McClung, who had only played in 2 NBA games total, win the Slam dunk contest.

He competed against some of the worlds best athletes and won. It wasn’t even particularly close. He blew them out of the water. How was that even possible? The first time I saw him grab a ball, I thought it was a joke, or some sort of construed, elaborate ploy to get the attention of the judges by having the ball boy run towards the basket. Then the magic happened.

Judging by the reactions of the other participants, announcers, fans, and the other NBA players on the court, I wasn’t the only one that was shocked. They all looked at him like he had just walked out of a spaceship.

In Utah, Mac McClung saves the NBA Dunk Contest

Not only did this little guy look just like Merriodoc Brandybuck from the Lord of the Rings movies (which could explain his abnormal abilities somewhat because of his consumption of the magic draughts of water he received from Treebeard the Ent, and his connection to Galadriel, the Queen of the Elves of Lothlorien) but he also apparently possesses the jumping ability of a human grasshopper. It was a lot of fun to watch.

Martin Betancourt (@martbetancourt1) / Twitter

He had become way bigger, he had become way more than what he was just the day before. To be honest, I don’t think anyone really knew who he even was. It was a miracle. What a fun story.

Maybe the funnest part of the story is how applicable it is to all of us. The same principle that powered his legs into video game super-springs can be used to treat any obstacle we face in our lives. Probably not in the same way this worked for Mac McClung, but in our own unique circumstances.

The idea and principle is this…

We can be much more than what we think we can be.

We can acomplish and achieve much more than we think we can accomplish and achieve….and,

We can overcome any and all obstacles and challenges.

We just need to tap into a special power that is offerred freely to all of us.

Just a few short weeks ago, our daughter Olivia left to serve a mission in Brazil. Before she left, she spoke in our sacrament meeting about this exact principle. It had significant meaning to her.

She shared that the Atonement of Jesus Christ not only has the power to save or redeem us from sin and physical death, but it also has the power to enable us to overcome any obstacle we face. The Atonement of Jesus Christ has both a redeeming power, and an enabling power. Elder Bednar spoke about this particular subject in 2002.

So what does this look like in real life? What does it mean for us to use the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ?

Alma taught the people of Gideon about the enabling power jointly with the redeeming power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon…

“And he shall go forth, suffering pains and aafflictions and btemptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will ctake upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

And he will take upon him adeath, that he may bloose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to csuccor his people according to their infirmities.” -Alma 7:11, 12

Afflictions, temptations, pains, sicknesses, and infirmities are not sins. They are not relieved through the repentence process. These are directly addressed as conditions subject to relief and succor of the Savior of the world through his Atonement. He has already felt, experienced, and overcome all of these conditions along with all our sins, in order to be perfectly empathetic to our needs. He knows how to help us.

Moroni also shared what he was taught by the Lord directly about weaknesses.

“And if men come unto me I will show unto them their aweakness. I bgive unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my cgrace is sufficient for all men that dhumble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make eweak things become strong unto them.” -Ether 12:27

That sounds a lot like enabling power to me. And, Jesus actually gave us the recipe on how to access his enabling power. All we have to do to grow our own set of spirutual grasshopper legs to compete in the Dunk Contest is to humble ourselves, and have faith in him.

Olivia did a great job highlighting that principle in her talk, and sharing her experiences in the months leading up to her decision to go on a mission.

If anyone has ever evidenced the principle of the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, it would be Olivia. Her story is as dramatic, as incredible, and as amazing as a Hobbit winning the Dunk contest. She is a quiet, reserved, and humble young woman who loves her chill time, family, and a good movie.

But, in just a few short weeks, she has already blossomed into someone even more incredible. She is now a person willing to leave everything that is comfortable, everything that is familiar and safe, to step out into the vast unknown of a mission experience. And, this experience will happen thousands of miles away.

In this process, she is managing to influence all of us, her Mom and Dad, her amazing younger sister, and brother, and even her older brother away in school.

She is now in week 3 in the missionary training center in São Paulo, Brazil, learning how to be a missionary. She’s learning Portuguese, learning a new culture, learning how to budget time, and spending 16 hours a day to reach those goals. At times it has been a struggle, and the struggle will likely remain. But, we have already seen how she has been stretched and grown to become much more than she was, even a few short weeks ago. She is tapping into the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and growing spitual grasshopper legs.

We are proud of her and her decision, we grateful for the example she is to all of us, and grateful that we get to share her expericence right along with her. She is now running towards the hoop and preparing for the 360 behind the back, double clutch reverse dunk that will blow our minds!

Te amamos Olivia!

The Fierceness of the Wind

24 Tuesday Nov 2020

Posted by in General, Journeys, Preparation, Strength, Success, Trials

≈ 2 Comments

Quite a while ago, I wrote about how some of the travel stories in the Book of Mormon have common themes and are great examples of trials, tribulations, and struggles during a trip, including the idea that a journey might not just be defined as the time period elapsed or distance traveled between point A and point B.  Recently in re-reading the Jaredite journey, I liked a particular phrase (and theme) that could be related to the pre-journey and preparations that set the stage for the journey more than the actual journey (even though I love the journey on it’s own).  I know that many times this Jaredite journey has been ‘likened’ unto our mortal journeys, but what about the preparation, instruction, and stage-setting that took place prior to the actual journey?

I

This story starts out in Genesis 11:4-9 where the people become ‘confounded’.  Their language or ability to communicate with each other was disrupted to the point that they couldn’t ‘understand one another’s speech’.  Soon after this confusion, the people become ‘scattered abroad upon all the face of the earth’.   The notable exception to this mass confusion is the brother of Jared, his family, and a few of their friends.  Ether 1:33-37 tells us that the brother of Jared ‘cried’ unto the Lord for the continued ability to ‘understand’ his brother (Jared), and then cried unto the Lord a second time to expand this restored understanding to their family and friends, and that ‘the Lord had compassion upon them, that they were not confounded’.  Now, with the language confounded (mostly), and the people being scattered abroad upon all the earth, there is little doubt that these guys (the Jaredites) knew that the Lord was ‘in his anger’ – and in a very humble way the brother of Jared asked the Lord (in verses 38-39) for some additional guidance.  He asked the question ‘whither shall we go’?  He did not ask if they had to go, or if they could stay where they were – he asked ‘whither’. 

The response from the Lord in verses 41-42 is one that sets the tone for this blog post, and is the hallmark of a pre-journey stage setting.  He says: ‘Go [get all your stuff and your families], and meet me in the valley which is northward.  And there will I meet thee, and I will go before thee into a land which is choice above all the lands of the earth.  Yes.  Sign me up for that journey.  I can’t imagine it was very hard to follow that advice – even in these circumstances.

So, let’s set this stage for ourselves at the same time as the Jaredites.  I can imagine that the mass of people in the pre-existence experienced some level of ‘confusion’ (potentially being ‘confounded’) when Lucifer introduced his plan, campaigned for our support of his plan, and even starting gaining a significant following who thought his plan was a good one, and the assurances of being ‘saved’.  There was essentially the introduction of a ‘new’ or ‘alternative’ means of communication.  In addition, let’s not discount that fact that the Lord had instructed each of us that we would all (by necessity) be ‘scattered abroad upon all the earth’ – which meant we had to leave the place of our residence.  This left all of us with at least the choice of which voice (communication) to follow and seek to understand.   After the differing plans were presented and the confusion set in, we hopefully followed the example of the brother of Jared and ‘cried’ unto the Lord and asked him to lessen the effect of the ‘confusion’ that was present (which is code for ‘please allow me and my family to keep ‘understanding’ the right voices).  Then, I like to think of us (our loved ones, families, etc.) counseling with one another being thankful that we could understand each other, expecting and hoping that even though the Lord will be sending us out on a journey, that He would ‘carry us forth into a land which is choice above all the earth’ and letting that hope guide us to humbly approach the Lord and asking the same question that the brother of Jared did; ‘Lord, whither shall we go’?

Next, let’s imagine the Lord’s response to the brother of Jared as our response: ‘Go to and gather together [your flocks] and go down into the land which is northward.  And there will I meet thee, and I will go before thee into a land which is choice above all the lands of the earth.  Our flocks in the pre-existence could likely represent our knowledge, understanding, talents, characteristics, growth, motivation, testimony, etc. that we were blessed with or developed during our time there.  He essentially gave us the opportunity to ‘gather’ it all together, mentally prepare ourselves, and meet him ‘in the land which is northward’1 for our next step in the preparation stage.  Notice that there is no timeline or due date for this ‘gathering’.  The process of ‘gathering’ our stuff in the pre-existence could be hundreds or thousands of years. 

II

Ether 2:1-7 next explains the various preparations that the Jaredite party completed; they gathered flocks, fowls, vessels, honeybees, fish, and all manner of seeds.  Please note that they went on a mini-journey (to the land northward) as  preparation for and part of the ‘gathering’ for the real journey to the promised land that was in the future.  Then the Lord guided and directed them, and ‘gave directions whither they should travel’ along the way (another journey).  In addition, they did ‘build barges, in which they did cross many waters’.  Let’s pause and ask ourselves if during this preparation stage the lord was helping them learn and grow and experience things that would help them later on?  (Hint: building barges to cross many waters during their pre-journey might be a helpful thing to learn because the Lord knows that He will soon ask the brother of Jared to build ‘barges’ ‘to cross that great sea which divideth the lands’ – which is their big journey).  The fascinating phrase during this preparation/gathering/mini-journey activity is that the Jaredites were ‘being directed continually by the hand of the Lord’.   After their mini-journey, the Jaredites take a little break (potentially thinking they had arrived at the promised land) – only to realize that the Lord was just wrapping up the ‘preparation’ or ‘pre-journey’ phase. 

This little break earns the brother of Jared a 3-hour chastisement, which prompts him to quickly repents and is then told to ‘go to work’ (Ether 2:14-16).  Notice how the ‘work’ that the brother of Jared is told to do, is remarkably similar to the ‘work’ that they had already done (during the preparation journey).  They are asked to build barges  ‘after the manner which they had [already] built’.  I wonder if the Jaredites were grateful for the knowledge and experience they had gained during their pre-journey when they were asked to cross the great sea…probably. 

When we liken ourselves and our pre-mortal journeys to the Jaredites, we can see some themes that help us understand that the journey we took during our ‘gathering’ and ‘preparing’ in the pre-existence and those growing experiences we no doubt had which took us to ‘the land northward’ for our next meeting with the Lord are very real mini-journeys that were preparing us and giving us experiences that will likely be drawn out of us during our ‘real’ journeys (if and when they come) during the pre-existence and certainly here on earth.

III

The next step in the Jaredite journey occurs when most of the requisite preparations have been completed, and the brother of Jared is putting the finishing touches on a few things before they cross the great sea.  I see this last little series of exchanges as a final closeout meeting in order to make sure everything is in tip-top shape before they actually ‘set forth’.  In verses 18-20 (still in Ether Chapter 2) the brother of Jared says; “I have performed the work which thou hast commanded me, and I have made the barges”…  But, then he explains that he sees 2 potential problems: 1) There is no light, and 2) we can’t really breathe in these barges.  The lord handles problem number 2 by instructing him to make a hole in the top and the bottom, but leaves problem 1 apparently unsolved.  

The brother of Jared makes the holes as instructed, and then comes again to the Lord regarding his first problem (light) – and asks the Lord ‘wilt thou suffer that we shall cross this great water in darkness’?  I don’t know what the Jaredites had used for light in their previous barges, but it seems to me that the Lord was using this situation as a teaching opportunity for the brother of Jared to work some things out on his own – essentially study it out in his mind and come up with a solution – because He doesn’t answer the question directly, but does give some basic guidelines; they couldn’t have windows (they’d break), and couldn’t have fire (burning boat in the middle of the tempest tossed ocean could be bad news).  Then, in addition, he gave some context for the brother of Jared to consider (while he is coming up with a proposed lighting solution) that he (the barges) will be a ‘whale in the midst of the sea’, and that the ‘mountain waves shall dash upon you’, and that he will be ‘in the depths of the sea’ due to the winds, the rains, and the floods that He will send forth.  

At this point – the Lord says something totally amazing – “behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds… and the floods” – essentially letting the brother of Jared know (or remember) that the previous years of instruction, focused ‘gathering’ and the mini-journeys have all been ‘preparation’ against the trials that have been laid out, and that are sure to come in the ‘real’ journey.  The reason that is important is because that he literally could not cross the ‘real’ journey save he was prepared.  Amazing.  Yet, not as amazing as the next question he asks – ‘therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea’?  I have prepared you for all these things  – but, what is it that you need, or what else would you like as ‘preparation’ for this great journey – when (a key word), when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea.  He doesn’t ask what he needs for light when it’s sunny and calm, The Lord asks what he needs for light ‘when [he is] swallowed up in the depths of the sea’.  When we think of these things being ‘prepared’ for the journey (these things being the winds, the floods, the rains, and the mountain waves) and realize that they are a necessary part of the journey – He doesn’t ask the brother of Jared what he needs to avoid them, He asks what he needs ‘when he is swallowed by them’. 

Let’s take a break and put ourselves back into our pre-mortal Jaradite ‘type(s)’.  We complete the work that the Lord has asked us to do in the pre-existence.  We have finished the majority of our requirements, we have ‘gathered’ our flocks and our other things, we have mentally prepared (and we even traveled to ‘the land which is northward’ to meet up with the Lord and receive a few more instructions along the way).  Then, we worked through a mini-journey to get to the seashore and are asked to ‘build a barge to cross the great sea’, which we do.  After all these preparations, we feel like we are nearly ready, but there are a couple of nagging questions that have been lingering in our minds that we’d like answered before we take the plunge into ‘the depths of the sea’ (mortality).  So, we humbly ask the lord for a little more clarification on a couple of things.  Our concerns could have been based on the makeup or functions of our physical bodies (pain, weakness, illness, disease and death) or they could have been based on situations or even family relationships  (stress, emotional turmoil, etc.), they could have been based on the functionality of the veil that we would pass through, – or they could have been based on areas that the Lord seems to have been quietly waiting for us to work out on our own – but his guidance to us would be the same.  He would help us to re-remember that “behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds….and the floods”.  He says to us; ‘I prepared you [yes, just you] against everything that you will see down there.  There is no way you could make it without everything I’ve taught you here.  But, since you’re concerned about it, ‘what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea’?  In addition to all that I’ve prepared you for (and against) in mortality, what more do you need/want to give you light when ye get completely buried by it all?  Such an amazing question!

IV

This question (what else do you need?) spurred the brother of Jared to go to work.  No doubt he laid out a plan, thought about his options, worked through the pros and cons of each idea, and finally settled on a plan that would give light to the barges.  He likely talked it over with his family based on their previous building of barges.  They learned from their experience, previous experience from others and the scriptures and he went to work on a solution.  In Ether 3:1 we learn that the brother of Jared ‘went forth unto the mount, (which is exceedingly high) and did molten out of a rock sixteen small stones’.  With this passage we learn some things that the brother of Jared did not do.  He did not wander to the nearest rock pile from his tent/house and grab 16 stones.  He did not walk to the river and select a few clean rocks.  He did not even just go chip out a few clear rocks from a larger clear rock.  What he did do was ‘go forth unto an exceedingly high mount, and molten out of a rock sixteen small stones; and they were white and clear, even as transparent glass’.   Molten (the verb) is the past participle of melt, but when used as an adjective means liquefied by heat; in a state of fusion or produced by melting and casting.2 This means that it wasn’t very easy for the brother of Jared to make these sixteen stones and they most certainly were not something that he found on the ground.  He created them with a singular purpose in mind. 

Once he had diligently created and developed his sixteen stones, ‘he did carry them in his hands upon the top of the mount’, presenting his proposed solution to the Lord.  He asks the Lord to ‘not be angry with thy servant because of his weakness’, – and acknowledging what may appear to the Lord as a completely weak and rudimentary solution – to ‘look upon me in pity’ and ‘suffer not that they shall go forth across this raging deep in darkness’.  So humble and so powerful – but he’s not done.  He says; ‘behold these things (he doesn’t even dare call them anything other than ‘things’) which I have molten out of the rock’…therefore touch these stones, O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness; and they shall shine forth unto us… that we may have light while we shall cross the sea’.  Then, as the story unfolds, we realize that this humility and this faith that the brother of Jared demonstrated (remember, we are still in the preparation and pre-journey stage) is the catalyst for maybe the most amazing vision and experience ever. They are so great in fact, that we can’t even read them because they would overpower us [and they’ve been sealed] (see Ether 12:24 and Ether 4:4-5).  The Lord touches the stones – or as it’s referred to in both Ether 3:4 and Ether 6:2 the Lord ‘prepared’ the stones – ‘and they did give light unto the vessels’ – because ‘the Lord caused stones to shine in darkness, to give light unto men, women, and children, that they might not cross the great waters in darkness’.  Now, after each phase of his preparation (‘after they had done all these things’) the Jaredites ‘got aboard of their vessels or barges, and set forth into the sea.  He was finally ready to start his journey.

If we transplant ourselves back in time to when we had been asked by the Lord (what else we needed to give us light when we were to be swallowed), and think about the process that the brother of Jared went through before he approached the Lord with a potential solution, it can open up some interesting possibilities in our characters, our personalities, our interests, and maybe most importantly, our talents.  If we each took that pre-mortal time individually to reflect on the question (what is it that you want for light during the dark days of your journey) internally answering the question.  We – just like the brother of Jared – likely counseled with loved ones, reflected on past mini-journeys or preparations, looked at the pros and cons of various different possibilities, and then ultimately, we selected an option that we felt was the best solution.  Hopefully each of us came up with these solutions after much prayer, meditation, and work, and didn’t just pick up some rocks that were in the nearby field.  Then, if we imagine the term ‘molten stones out of rock’ to be synonymous with ‘developed talents, or abilities, or skills, or compassions, or character traits’ that would allow for ‘light’ to shine in times of greatest darkness, then we can see how amazing of a parallel this really is.  As we (young and struggling premortal spirits) worked so hard to develop a solution for a journey that we barely understood, the natural results of that hard work would have made us feel incredibly humble as we approached the perfection of the Lord and asked Him to ‘not be angry with thy servant because of his weakness’ and to ‘look upon us with pity’ while we feebly explained to a perfect spirit how or why we felt this meek and lowly talent could help us when we are ‘swallowed in the depths of the sea’.  Yet, we continued and asked the Lord to ‘prepare our stones, that they may shine forth in darkness… that we may have light while we cross the sea’.  Our stones are the individual talents, abilities, gifts, and natures that we spent time developing in the pre-existence molting out of rock – and as the Lord had compassion on us – he ‘prepared’ them and caused them to shine in darkness for our journey through mortality.  Even though it was the brother of Jared who created the stones, and brought them to the Lord, and even though the talents or gifts were developed by us through much hard work (in the pre-existence and here) it was and is the Lord who causes them to shine.  We bring our gifts and our talents to the Lord, and he gives them light. Then we, like the brother of Jared, hopefully use that humility and that blessing from the Lord as a catalyst of spiritual power and faith to sustain us through the long journey ahead.  Then, and only then were we ready to ‘get aboard our vessels and set forth into the sea’.

V

Once the Jaredites were sufficiently prepared, boarded, and actually in the water, ‘the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus were they tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind… they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind… the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land… and thus they were driven forth before the wind’ (Ether 6:5-8).  If I imagine a voyage across the sea (cruise, sailing, etc.) I don’t want to see the following words; furious wind, tossed upon the waves, buried in the depths, mountain waves, great and terrible tempests, fierceness of the wind, and wind did never cease.  Yet, somehow the Lords words ‘I prepare against these things’ may have echoed just enough in the Jaredites ears that they understood the reasons, plus the fact that these winds ‘did never cease to blow towards the promised land’.  It may have helped them realize that the mountain waves that were burying them in the depths of the sea, were somehow getting them closer to their destination.  And, there is little doubt that those bright white stones prepared by the Lord offered comfort, peace, and light during the most troubling of times, and also provided them a constant reminder of the hard work, faith, humility, and presence of a savior and guide who would never leave them alone. 

Once we as pre-mortal spirits were sufficiently prepared, were able to have our final pre-mortal pep talks and interviews and had both feet in the water of mortality, ‘the Lord God causes that there to be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus are we tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind… we are many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which break upon us, and also the great and terrible tempests which are caused by the fierceness of the wind… the wind will never cease to blow towards the promised land… and thus are we driven forth before the wind’.  It helps us to know that the great and terrible tempests, the mountain waves, and the repeated burying in the depths of the sea, are all due to the fierceness of the wind. 

The fierceness of this wind is in direct proportion to the fierceness of His love – since that furious wind is eagerly blowing each of us towards the promised land.  In times of trouble, when we are swallowed up, and when it seems as if there is no way out of the darkness – let us recall the gifts, talents, and small stones that we have molten out of rock that were touched and prepared by the Lord to give us and others traveling with us light specifically for those times – when we are seemingly buried in the darkness and remember, that being buried in the depths was always part of the plan. 

Notes

1 ‘The Land which is northward’ could represent any check-in station where we evaluate or re-evaluate our direction, trajectory, or standing before the Lord.  It could also represent a very real change of phase or responsibility.  It’s use in this story was a launching pad or starting line for the first part of the journey.  I don’t think it is strange to think of ‘the land which is northward’ being a starting line for any and all new journeys.  It is also likely that ‘the land which is northward’ could reference the temple since that is where he can give us counsel and direction and help us determine our location and/or direction in our various journeys. 

2 Dictionary.reference.com/browse/molten?s=t

Run, and Not be Weary

24 Saturday Feb 2018

Posted by in Baptism, Failure, General, Humility, Jesus Christ, Sports, Strength, Success, Trials, Weakness

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guy down

I ran my third Marathon today. I ran another one this year after a great experience a year ago at the same event. A year ago, I was as well prepared as I could have been, and even ended up finishinig with a little gas left in my tank. My legs were tired to be sure, but I had enough left to accelerate through the finish line, and finish well ahead of where I expected to be. What a difference a year makes.

This year, I was well prepared-ish. I had run plenty, but hadn’t been able to get the long training runs in like I had in past years. The longest training run that I did complete was just 14 miles. I am learning, the hard way, that this might not cut it.

As much as I omitted the longer training sessions, and hadn’t really prepared my legs for 26.2 miles, that wasnt the main problem. The biggest, most obvious, most glaring mistake I made this year was in the nutrition department. I thought I had prepared well enough. I thought I had a good plan, but I didn’t. I thought that rather than going with the tried and true plans presented by experts, experienced runners, and people who understand exercise physiology, I would go with the Colby plan instead.

My brilliant plan consisted of nutrition powder mixes that I had been using on my not so long training runs. My foolproof plan consisted of said powder mixes of which I had neglected to even read the ingredients on the label. My innovative plan was a disaster. Lets just say we could probably rename it the “original marathon nutrition plan”. It would probably be the most accurate considering that the dude that supposedly ran the original marathon died after he “finished”.

After feeling great for about 18, or 19 miles, I suddenly realized upon gazing at my internal energy gas tank, that it was completely empty. Not like almost empty, or dinging that little warning light that reminds us to refuel soon empty, but sputtering, and spattering, and metal grinding, and engine stopping empty. I was toast.

That was no bueno. I was 7 or 8 miles short of the finish line, with only a few more water stations between where I was, and the promised land. I was in trouble. I was hoping for one of those stations to have some of those sugary goo things, or chews, or pizza, or even cooked vegetables, I was that empty. But, as luck would have it, none of the next few did. It was water, gatorade, or some tasty advil.

I was in survival mode. My legs felt more like the rusty hinges on the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz than something that would carry me the next several miles. The reason? I really was out of gas. The powder mixes that were my main source of energy had exactly 0 calories each. Even though I had mixed 3 of them over the race, if you do the math, that’s 0 calories in, and about 3500 calories out during that almost 4 hour run. No wonder I felt so awesome.

With only about 2 and half miles left, I did run past some people handing out little honey sticks, that I promptly grabbed, and voraciously tried to suck out the 4 drops of honey. I think I may have aspirated some in my lungs I was in such a hurry. I also stole a piece of banana bread from one of the volunteer tables that was off limits. But, at that point, I was more like gollum devouring a raw fish after 7 days without food, than an actual runner.

Even with the honey, and the bread, my tank was beyond empty, it was on negative empty, if there is such a thing. It would take more than some honey drops and a stolen piece of bread to get me back to normal. The last 8 miles had been the definition of enduring to the end.

But, apparently, this is just the way that I learn best. The hard way. I had learned that nutrition was important, I had even worried about it, and planned it out meticulously in the past, but not today. I had taken it for granted. I had relied upon my own planning, and didn’t give enough thought or attention to it. In my prideful mind, I had thought, “Ive done this before, no big deal” even though, before, I had taken much better care in being really prepared by being well nourished.

As with all of the things I learn, there are parallels, and types, and comparisons that cover all aspects of my life. Truth is truth, and principles are principles. Being well nourished during a race is essential to helping me endure for the entire duration. This is as true for my physical body as it is for my spiritual side.

In the Book of Mormon we learn about the real race we are all running, and how we need help finishing. This real race consists of all of us winding our way back home to God. This race begins with our committment to run! That comittment to run is our baptism. What follows that committment is a life full of hills, long stretches without water, and others seemingly more expert at running than we are. But, the instructions on how to finish this more important race, are right at our fingertips….

“And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith.”
-Moroni 6:4

“Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.”
-2 Nephi 31:20

No matter our race, we need nutrition and nourishment. Whether it be enduring a marathon, or in real life. In a physical race, we need food, or energy to keep us going. In our spiritual races, we need spiritual energy that comes from beign nourished by the word of God, and feasting upon them.

We can’t always wait until our tank is empty before we even start to think about refilling it. The effect of neglecting physical or spiritual nutrition is the same. We run out of gas. We simply cannot expect to finish the way we want to, in either race, unless we stop thinking that our own plan is best. We have to give up thinking that our own plan is foolproof, or that any success we have had in the past was because of our own strength. The simple truth of the matter is that we will always finish best when we rely solely on the One true Expert- the “Author and Finisher of our faith”

Be More Than You Are

14 Tuesday Feb 2017

Posted by in Example, Faith, General, Motivation, Strength, Success, Weakness

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kung-fu-panda-3-1920x1080

Like most parents these days, we have found that one of the most essential tools in preventing degenerative insanity while driving in the car with the entire family is the car dvd player. I have no idea how we as children survived. Not only did we have to endure oppressive hours of boredom during longer trips, but we had to do it all while in closed quarters proximity to each other. For the Alexander kids, it also meant someone had to go to the rear facing, nausea inducing back seat of the Caprese Classic station wagon, also known as “purgatory”.

While we usually piled into the car at the beginning of the trip not wanting to strangle each other, it most certainly required regular divine interventions, and some not-so-divine interventions, to ensure that our actual family size was not diminished by the end of each trip. Today, however, the threat of self destruction during family trips is much, much lower thanks to this life saving technology.

As the years of parenting have gone by, I haven’t actually “seen” a lot of the movies that have played for our kids, but I’ve certainly heard enough of Grease, Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Open Season 1 and 2, All the Toy Stories, Monsters Inc. and each Kung Fu Panda to be able to recite them almost word for word. I’m sure this knowledge will be very useful to me someday.

Interestingly enough, sometime between the 78th, and 79th rerun of Kung Fu Panda 3, I caught a line or two that proved to be almost prophetic. It has been probably the longest running movie in our car over the last few years, and for once, something quite profound popped out. This prophetic message taught by Master Shifu not only impressed me as a movie line, but also ended up being played out in real life only a few weeks later.

The scene in the movie of which I reference is when Po, the main character, a Panda, and unlikely hero and recent graduate Kung Fu master, had been tasked by his master, Shifu, to further train the “Furious Five” who are his colleagues, and the best of the best that Kung Fu has to offer. Needless to say, he fails. Miserably. He can’t train the already trained Kung Fu Masters. He feels that he is the most unqualified person ever for the job, and that he won’t ever be able to be as good as they are.

Here is the clip

 

Master Shifu, the wise, experienced Master that he was, gave Po some great advise. He taught, “If you only do what you can do, you will never be more than you are”.

This line is a perfect description of many of our lives. We allow ourselves to feel like we aren’t good enough, or that someone else is always better than us, or they were simply blessed with more ability etc. So, we stay safe. We settle. We don’t want to  stretch to reach higher, be uncomfortable, or try to expand our abilities. We stop trying to be better because its hard, or difficult, or so far out of our comfort zone, that we feel like we are in outer space.

This concept isn’t new, and it’s frequently taught, and it’s all fine and dandy in a movie, or a catchy Facebook video, or a motivational speech by Toni Robbins. But this time, I was able to see it in action.

A little over a week ago, my wife was asked to speak in church for the following Sunday. Not a huge deal right? Well, maybe not for some people, but my wife hates speaking in church. Like, really, really hates it. She has said on multiple occasions directly to the bishopric that she would rather walk outside, stand in the road and get run over by a speeding semi than to speak in church. And she was dead serious.

And thats not even the hard part. This wasn’t a normal day at church. It was the adult session of Stake conference. Still not enough? This session also would have a visiting general authority (a member of the seventy), as well as the mission president of the Gilbert Mission (who is also a seventy). Thats like going from 0 to 120 mph in no time at all. I can count on 2 fingers the times that I remember my wife speaking in church. Period. And we’ve been married 17 years.

But what happened in that moment when she was asked to speak, and really, the whole week leading up to that very intimidating situation, was amazing to see. She was calm, collected, and faithful. She immediately accepted.

I was so impressed by the huge change in not only her willingness to do something so intimidating and miles outside of her comfort zone, but also in the way she had complete faith that she could do it. Of course she had the moments where she wondered why in the world she was asked, when there are so many other great people available, just like we all would. But she worked through all those thoughts and feelings and went on to do an amazing job that night.

It was simple, meaningful, heartfelt, and honest. It was everything it was supposed to be. She expressed her concern for our kids and how we have always tried to teach them what is right, and how now, as they are getting older, we just want them to develop a relationship with the Savior, above all else. She bore her testimony that the Savior has made all the difference in her life, and that we, as parents, need to learn how to trust our kids enough to allow them to make their own decisions. Which isn’t always easy, especially with teenagers.

After the rest of the speakers were done, Elder Jones, the visiting seventy, got up and spoke. Looking back, it’s interesting to me to see how perfectly orchestrated our lives are in the symphony the Lord is playing. I say that because, as Elder Jones began his remarks, he took a few minutes and addressed each of the previous speakers individually. He shared comments, scriptures, experiences, and testimony while turning around at the pulpit as if having a personal conversation with each person who had spoken. For Catie, he shared a scripture along with his testimony,

“For behold, the promises which we have obtained are promises unto us according to the flesh…God will be merciful unto many; and our children shall be restored, that they may come to that which will give them the true knowledge of their Reedeemer.”
-2 Nephi 10:2

To hear that directly and personally from a general authority was amazing. I can’t help but think, that Catie was asked to speak that night, not necessarily for everyone else, but specifically so she could hear that response from Elder Jones. We had been talking, and praying a lot over the last several months about this same worry. Sometimes the answers to our prayers are quiet and private, and sometimes they come when we least expect it, right after we speak in stake conference.

It was a special day, and I have been able to just sit back and enjoy it. Its fun to see how my wife has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years. If you would have spoken with her 3 years ago, and told her that she would be called to serve as the Young Women’s president, and then speak in stake conference, she would have laughed at you, but here we are today.

Just like Master Shifu taught Po, “If you only do what you can do, you will never be more than you are”, My wife has shown me that this is more than a cool line in a kids cartoon, it’s the honest truth. She has taught me that literally anything is possible if you trust in the Lord, and leave it up to him. She has become so much more than she ever thought possible. I have always seen this in her. Now, I guess the secret is out.

“I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust…”
-Psalm 40:1-4

“The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe”
-Proverbs 29:25

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation.”
-2 Nephi 22:2

“Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.”
-Psalm 28:6,7

catie21217

Just Breathe

16 Monday Jan 2017

Posted by in Battle, Failure, Fundamentals, General, Journeys, Motivation, Patience, Success, Weakness

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In November of last year, for reasons beyond my comprehension, I decided that I was going to try and do a triathlon. That rash decision was a direct result of me being shown up big time by my little brother Tyson. He had just finished a full Ironman triathlon, and made it look easy.

As has been well documented in this blog, competition among us brothers has always been, and will probably always be, in the forefront of our relationships. Let’s at least try and call it “healthy competition”. We push each other to be better. Or, we push ourselves to try to be as good as the other guy. This triathlon thing though….?

Last time I wrote about this, I described the initial attempts I had made in the swimming pool. These initial forays trying to swim didn’t go smoothly. They instead made me feel more like I was in that Gravity movie with George Clooney and was spinning out of control in a punctured space suit, hurtling and cartwheeling towards the black abyss of outer space. Tyson had warned me about that and kept saying that I would eventually get it. But it wasn’t happening very quickly.

When trying to swim the right way, or trying to emulate the way the real swimmers do it, you have to alternate breathing by turning your head either left or right, while you are pulling your way through the water. All this while your head is probably halfway submerged in the water. The official way to do this is during every third stroke. Thats how they teach it on youtube anyway, and thats where I learn to do everything.

If I wanted to be a good swimmer, I was supposed to take a stroke with my right, left, then quickly inhale a breath while turning my head to the left on the third stroke. I was then supposed to repeat and alternate ad nauseam until I either passed out, drowned, or made it to the other side of the pool. The pros make it look easy, but its not. Its not, because swimming is a very “aerobic” exercise in a very anaerobic (underwater) environment.

For the first several months I made small improvements. I went from an initial limit of around 100 meters, to being able to go to almost 400 meters without stopping to perform life saving measures.  That may seem nice, but when you consider the length of the swim on a “half” ironman triathlon is 1.2 miles or 1,930 meters it puts a damper on your excitement. It makes you feel like you have to clean the entire bathroom with only a toothbrush, and only using your teeth. Not pretty. I started to see myself as being the only one needing to swim with Dora the Explorer arm floaties during the triathlon.

I was pretty discouraged, I couldn’t seem to be able to build up enough endurance to even sniff what I was supposed to be able to do. I would go to the pool almost every single day, and the same thing would happen. I’d swim 450 meters, nearly pass out, get nauseous, and see stars for the next 3 hours while I recovered on the couch (which was not exactly getting me prepared to bike for 3 hours, then run for an hour and a half immediately after I swam).

It was about this time that a timely phone call to Tyson changed everything. We were talking about techniques and things, and he passively mentioned that he took a breath every other stroke, not every third. I decided to try out this super secret, highly advanced technique of breathing more often instead of tempting death and nearly drowning each time I entered the pool. It turned out that breathing more often was a good idea. Funny.  So I guess if you’re suffocating under water, breathing more often is helpful. Why didn’t I think of that?

The next time I went to the pool, I tried it. I took off, and took a nice deep breath every other stroke, and kept going. I passed my old record of 500 meters, and kept going. I passed 750 meters and kept going, then 900, and all the way to 1000 meters. I stopped only because I had to pinch myself and make sure it was real.  It was. I shook my head and wondered again why I hadn’t previously thought of breathing more when I was out of breath. It was just that simple.

The next day, I decided to see just how far I could go, and made it to 2000 meters without stopping. I just laughed at myself to think that such a simple change had made such a drastic improvement in what I was doing. I decided that every “how to swim” video on youtube should have Pearl Jam singing the theme song, “Just Breathe”.

 

As I contemplated this improvement, and as I was swimming for those longer training days in the pool, I kept thinking about how much better my life was now that I had a steady supply of oxygen, or breath. I thought about the similarities of having enough “breath” in all the aspects of my life. I thought about the significance of spending one day a week concentrating as much as possible on the good things in life, my Savior, and the gospel. It reminded me of how Sundays, and everyday really, could be that breath of fresh air.

Sometimes its easy to get caught up in trying to do to much of our everyday stuff, that we seldom take the time to spiritually breathe. We are here on this planet for a purpose. That purpose is not to make the most money, have the best toys, or be the most successful in our chosen field. We are here to learn to be like God.

He puts us here for that reason alone.

As I have been through my daily, weekly and yearly routines, I have been guilty of trying to tough it out for too long without taking a breath. I have struggled to make it even a few hundred meters before I felt like I couldn’t keep going. I was seemingly doing the right things, I just wasn’t “breathing” often enough.

Our physical bodies need oxygen to survive and function. Our spirits also need constant spiritual oxygen for nourishment. When its continuous, it feeds us in a way that enables us to continue progressing and we become stronger and stronger. We become a smoother swimmer so to speak. We feel more comfortable, excited, and familiar with our purpose on earth. If we go too long without it, we tend to struggle, and sometimes find ourselves on the couch seeing stars.

Every day I should be breathing in the lessons taught in the scriptures, praying, and thinking about my real purpose on this planet,  and taking in big deep breaths with my spirit. It makes a difference. If I  do it daily, as the “professional swimmers” have counseled us to do, I will have plenty of spiritual oxygen for endurance.

Breathing gives us life. It sustains our mortal lives, but the frequent breathing in of spiritual oxygen is just as critical to our spiritual survival and endurance. After all, thats really the hard part, enduring to the end.

“The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.”
–Job 33:4

The Master of Ocean and Earth and Skies

26 Thursday May 2016

Posted by in Battle, Divinity, Example, General, Humility, Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, Loyalty, Obedience, Opposition, Optimism, Patience, Power, Pride, Prophets, Strength, Success, Weakness, Weather

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Washington

Everyday life is full of gospel lessons. They are everywhere. You just have to look for them.  Who would have ever thought that even Saturday morning cartoons could teach us about the Savior and His power! Yes, even Donald Duck can teach us.

I want to share a certain scripture and then go on to explain how the lesson in this scripture can be shown in a Donald Duck cartoon, and then how it came to life in another powerful way in the late 1700’s.  It will be a bit like Bill and Ted’s excellent gospel adventure. Hang on.

The scripture is in Luke. Chapter 8 verse 25. This is Jesus and his desciples speaking in a boat. Jesus had just calmed the angry seas during a sudden storm on their way across a certain lake, simply by commanding them to be still…

“And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! For he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him”?

This is the same story that inspired the Hymn “Master, the Tempest is Raging”. The lyrics are a perfect set up for the rest of this post. Especially the part about the late 1700’s. Here is the second verse,  and the chorus…

Master, with anguish of spirit
I bow in my grief today.
The depths of my sad heart are troubled.
Oh, waken and save, I pray!
Torrents of sin and of anguish
Sweep o’er my sinking soul,
And I perish! I perish! dear Master.
Oh, hasten and take control!

The winds and the waves shall obey thy will:
Peace, be still.
Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea
Or demons or men or whatever it be,
No waters can swallow the ship where lies
The Master of ocean and earth and skies.
They all shall sweetly obey thy will:
Peace, be still; peace, be still.
They all shall sweetly obey thy will:
Peace, peace, be still.

The cool part of the story and the hymn, is that we learn that the Savior has power over everything! Including the winds, water, weather, and all the elements. We learn the same lesson in the Book of Mormon when Lehi and Nephi are crossing the ocean, and Laman and Lemuel tie Nephi up so they can have their little dance party. Only by repenting, releasing Nephi, and a subsequent petition sent to the Master of earth and skies, does the storm cease! The weather is controlled by the Lord!

Now, back to Saturday morning cartoons. In this next little clip, Donald learns all about this same principle. Sometimes the weather does funny things. Things that don’t exactly make sense. It can be sunny one second, and rainy the next. Check this out…..

Donald Duck learns the hard way that weather can only be controlled by the Lord! Normal men cannot be blamed, nor take the credit for good, or bad weather! Its God’s little way of making sure that He alone is responsible for it. When He doesn’t want you to go golfing in sunny weather, you don’t go!

Now, lets rewind to the year 1776. General George Washington had picked a fight with the largest most powerful Army/Navy/Military in the world at the time. Great Britain. He’s got a bunch of volunteer farmers fighting for him, who aren’t exactly striking fear into the British. The odds are that the “war” will be over in about 10 minutes, it was like Mike Tyson vs Steve Urkel.  The Rebel soldiers had no chance. They weren’t as well trained, well equipped, or as numerous. The one thing they did have on their side, however, was the Master of Ocean and Earth and Skies! This is how He played his part….

Example 1. The Battle of Dorchester heights. This little battle was just outside of Boston. The British had taken control of the port city, and Washington and his little army was just outside wondering what on earth they could possibly do to fight and not get blown away.  One of Washington’s colonels, Henry Knox, had heard that way over in New Jersey the Americans had captured some Cannons and supplies, and that if he could go see if he could get them to Boston, They might have a chance. Washington sent him off, and a few months later, Henry Knox returned with 120,000 pounds of morters and cannon. But here is where the details of the story go right along with Donald Duck. After getting to Fort Ticonderoga where the Cannons had been taken, he built sleds to transport them back to Boston, although no snow was on the ground. That took faith. He then waited several days, until Christmas Day, when a blizzard hit, and the Hudson river froze over, allowing for easy crossing. By January 1776 his delivery was made. The customized weather allowed the quick transport all the way back to Boston. But, that wasn’t all. More heavenly weather would come!

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Henry Knox

The new cannon had to be sent to the top of the Hill to overlook and bomb Boston. The only problem was, if the British saw the Americans hauling cannons up the hill, they would have attacked with their huge numbers, and mopped the floor with them. So, of course, the Lord sent a heavenly haze to conceal their move up to Dorchester Heights above Boston, right in front of the British lines. Unseen. But, the Lord wasn’t done yet.

Washington now had his cannon on top of the hill, but was still way outnumbered by the British. General Howe, the British commander, then decided to send his War-boats to cross the harbor and attack Washington’s spot on the hill. But, as the British sent the boats off, the day, which had started abnormally warm and pleasant, changed by nightfall into a storm that Washington’s officers called the “hurrycane” of hail, snow, and sleet!

Two British boats were blown ashore. One American Leutenant said it was the worst storm he had ever seen.  Talk about a bad day. Just to add salt to the wound, after these divine weather interventions, there happened to be a sudden outbreak of small pox in Boston where the British troops were stationed. They had seen enough, they were just like Donald Duck trying to golf, and soon thereafter said, “peace out” and left Boston!

The British were stunned. But if we look back and examine it through gospel lenses, we see a pattern that is forming. Consider this scripture in 2 Nephi. Its describing the wealthy, powerful, and worldly. See if it fits in this context…

“And the harp, and the aviol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine are in their feasts; but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands.”

                                                                                          -2 Nephi 15:12

Example 2. Escape from Brooklyn Heights. Washington’s tactics in the war were often just a matter of not getting wiped of the face of the earth. More like a prevent defense, or not losing, rather than going for the knockout win. One of these grand escapes was in Brooklyn. This miracle happened after Washington’s troops were surrounded and cornered on 3 sides by British soldiers, and blocked off by the East river on the 4th side. The British Navy had hundreds of ships in New York Harbor and was sending ships up the river to completely surround Washington’s troops. He had already lost 25% of his army in the previous days of fighting. It was pretty hopeless. The war would be over in those next 10 minutes. Well, not exactly. Maybe just as soon as the rain stopped pounding the area, making it impossible to keep the powder dry, or even move in the mud. No knockout attacks were possible. Weird huh? Not really, if we know who sent the rain!

For some reason, Washington decided to wait for 3 days, then, on the 3rd night, attempt a daring overnight escape. All the troops will be silently sent across the East river on small boats. The same river that the British were coming up in order to surround them.  It was supposed to be game over. The British only had one single problem. The Lord was on the American side. And, again, being all powerful, He controls the weather!

That night, an abnormal northeasterly wind picked up, preventing the British ships from being able to come up the river to cut off Washington’s escape. Then at 9 pm, the wind shifted and blew to the west to help Washington’s boats escape. When morning came, not all the troops were across yet, so, not a problem, the Lord sent a fog so thick that “no one could see a man even 6 yards away” but this fog was only on the long island side of the river, on the New York side, it was clear as a bell. As the last of the boats entered the water, the fog started to lift, and the British moved in, only to find an abandoned camp! The timing was so perfect, that the British even took a few shots at the last boats that were just out of range.

Washington’s 9000 men escaped! And just to make sure the British didn’t immediately follow and destroy them the next day, a fire broke out in the city just in time to take away the British soldiers attention.

What was it exactly that made the Americans different? Why did the Lord help them, and not the British?

Two simple reasons stand out. First, America is a covenant land. The Jaradites were lead here, the Mulekites were lead here, and the Nephites were lead here. To this land. For that reason alone, we know that “inasmuch as ye keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land”! The covenant stands even today. The covenant is for the land, not only the people on it.

The second reason was that Washington was not your everyday commander. He was a very religious man. He understood exactly who was ultimately in control of the outcome of the war. He knew that “Providence” was America’s only hope for victory. He demanded that his men lived virtuously. He demanded that they watched their language, that they had scripture study, and that they prayed to petition the help of the Master of ocean and earth and skies! He was just like Moroni, and Mormon. He knew that his soldiers needed to be worthy of the blessings of Heaven, or they had no chance. They were completely dependent on Him. Sound familiar? Sounds just like the people of Limhi, and the people of Ammon, and the People of Alma. History really does repeat itself.

That is why America won the war. She was led by a man who understood that God was in charge. During his inaugural address, Washington said this…

“No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency”

Remember, the Lord needed a nation built on religious freedom in order to garner in His last dispensation of the gospel. The United States constitution was ratified and officially binding in 1788, only 17 years later, in 1805, Joseph Smith was born.

No matter how helpless the situation may seem, we can learn the lessons over and over both in the scriptures and out. Gods people will prevail. Our loyalty needs to be to Him. He will never forget them. Even when its raining! Let’s always try to be worthy to be called His People.

“And the day shall come that the earth shall rest, but before that day the heavens shall be darkened, and a veil of darkness shall cover the earth; and the heavens shall shake, and also the earth; and great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I preserve;”

-Moses 7:61

Endure to the End!

18 Sunday Oct 2015

Posted by in General, Preparation, Pride, Sports, Strength, Success, Types

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I love college football. This is my favorite time of year. Each year I have renewed hope at what possibilities lie ahead. New players emerge, older players get better, every game counts. It it exciting, thrilling, heartbreaking, and devastating all at the same time.

Sports in general can teach us so much about life, and overcoming obstacles, opposition, and adversity. It is an almost perfect type for our own lives. College football yesterday, gave us that perfect example of a principle I have been thinking about lately. Enduring to the end.

This example, is of a game between bitter rivals. It was a hard fought game between Michigan, and Michigan State. All game it had been a grudge match back and forth, neither team could move the ball very well against the other, both defenses had dominated the opposing offenses, and as time ran down to the last 10 seconds, Michigan found itself ahead by two points with the ball, and just about a minute left. They could almost just take a knee, and let time expire and win the game. Almost.

As time slowly clicked away, Michigan ran the ball to make sure the clock didn’t stop and were able to get time down to just about 10 seconds left. It was 4th down, the ball was on Michigan State’s 48 yard line, and all they had to do was punt the ball away, make one tackle, and the game would be over. They would win the heated rivalry game over their higher ranked bitter enemy. Life was good for Michigan fan. They were basking in the eminent victory. They were on cloud nine. Years of being second fiddle in the state and listening to Michigan State fans trash talk would finally end. The battle was nearly over, and they would be victorious!

Then Michigan snapped the ball. And their 10 second nightmare began.

The punter for Michigan bumbled the snap, the ball fell a few feet in front of him, and in his sudden panic, lunged forward, grabbed the ball, and made a last second heroic effort to kick the ball away. But Michigan State hit him with 3 guys just as the ball left his hand headed towards his foot.

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The momentum of the hit sprayed the ball to the right, through the air, and landed perfectly into the hands of a surprised Michigan State player. Upon receiving the miraculous gift of a fumble, he took off, headed towards the end zone 45 yards away. He had a procession of blockers, and only 2 potential tacklers, time seemed to stand still and Michigan fan went from the peak of elation to the depths of despair in mere seconds. Michigan State rolled down the sideline, and lunged into the end zone with no time left to win the game.

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Michigan fan could do nothing but stare in disbelief. That actually just happened. One of the most unlikely wins and final plays that could even be conceived. If any of a number of things didn’t go exactly right, or exactly wrong, the game would have ended with Michigan on top. It was unbelievable. The odds of Michigan State winning that game before the final snap were 0.2%. 2 in a thousand! Yet it happened. Michigan State never quit. Michigan State endured to the end. Michigan did not.

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The punter had made a huge mistake, but, in the moment, when all the pressure was heaped on him, he actually made it worse by trying to kick the ball again. Had he just fallen on the ball, it would have been downed, and Michigan State would have had to pull off a hail mary pass to win, another unlikely chance. But, in the moment when panic set in, the situation became critical and the decision he made while in that mindset was horribly bad and exactly wrong. And it cost them the game. Had he thought out all the options should anything unplanned happen, the outcome might have been different.

All the hard work, battle, struggle, sweat, and effort for 59 minutes and 50 seconds just went up in smoke. It was kind of like performing a perfect face plant 25 yards from the finish line of a marathon, and never making it to the end. Sometimes we get SOOOOO close!

On the other hand, Michigan State never gave up. They played every last down until the whistle blew, there is ALWAYS a chance that things may bounce your way. But in order to get those bounces, we need to be in the right spot, and playing as hard as we can.

Whether its in a football game, basketball game, baseball game, tennis, running a marathon, or any other competition or challenge, the principle is the same, Never quit! Never stop fighting, clawing, pushing, crawling or clenching towards the finish. Never slow down, never let up. Ever.  Our lives are a race, a race to finally get back home, to our Heavenly home, and in the process, be as close to our Savior as we can be, and as much like Him as we can be.

Its never easy, sometimes it seems like its impossible to win, that we might as well just leave, because we are getting our butts handed to us. But thats not why we are here. We are here to compete, to get better, and to endure.

To me, one of the most fascinating parts of the Book of Mormon comes in the final few years of the Nephites  just before the coming of Christ to the Americas. At this time, the Nephites and righteous Lamanites actually come together in one body because the Gadianton robbers are so powerful, that they had overtaken nearly the entire country. All the people that followed the prophets gathered together to join forces and preserve their food and protect themselves from invasion.  After a long siege, and with the help from God, the Nephites eventually defeated the Gadianton robbers after a massive battle, (the slaughter was the greatest since Lehi had left Jerusalem) and completely eliminated them from the country. God had helped and preserved them according to their faith and trust in Him.

This major battle happened in the 19th year after Christ was born, and lingered until sometime after the 21st year. Christ would begin his ministry halfway around the world in a mere 8 years! So, 600 plus years had passed since Lehi and Nephi left Jerusalem, with countless prophets, wars, contentions, missions, etc. And now, in the 4th quarter, the Nephites had just seemingly defeated the last enemy and could now live in peace until the Lord would visit! Right? They just had to hang on for another few years. And they would celebrate with Christ himself!

After this massive battle, this is the mindset of the Nephites:

”And they did rejoice and cry again with one voice, saying: May the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, protect this people in righteousness, so long as they shall call on the name of their God for protection.

31 And it came to pass that they did break forth, all as one, in singing, and praising their God for the great thing which he had done for them, in preserving them from falling into the hands of their enemies.

32 Yea, they did cry: Hosanna to the Most High God. And they did cry: Blessed be the name of the Lord God Almighty, the Most High God.

33 And their hearts were swollen with joy, unto the gushing out of many tears, because of the great goodness of God in delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; and they knew it was because of their repentance and their humility that they had been delivered from an everlasting destruction.  (3 Nephi 4:30-33)

The very first verse in chapter 5 says, “Now behold, there was not a living soul among all the people the Nephites who did doubt in the least the words of all the holy prophets..”

A few verses later, it says,”And there had many things transpired which, in the eyes of some, would be great and marvelous; nevertheless, they cannot all be written in this book; yea, this book cannot contain even a ahundredth part of what was done among so many people in the space of twenty and five years;

They seem to be sitting pretty don’t they? Now its down to the final 8 years until the sign of Christ’s death and resurrection. kind of like being up by 2 points with the ball,  and only 10 seconds left? All they needed to do was make a decent punt, and make one tackle, and they would be celebrating with the Savior. But, lets watch what happens in just a few very short years…

In the 26th year, they all separated again, and went back home after having lived together as one people.

In chapter 6, it sounds the warning bell, “And now there was nothing in all the land to hinder the people from prospering continually, except they should fall into transgression.” (3 Nephi 6:5)

Kind of like a scouting report that warns about the stone hands of the punter.

Fast forward 3 short years, and this is what you get, “But it came to pass in the twenty and ninth year there began to be some disputings among the people; and some were lifted up unto pride and aboastings because of their exceedingly great riches, yea, even unto great persecutions; (3 Nephi 6:10)

Uh, oh. The punter just bumbled the snap. Better just land on it, and take your losses, repent, and get right with the Lord.

But, just like the football game, the worst possible thing that could have happened did.

“Now the cause of this iniquity of the people was this—Satan had great power, unto the stirring up of the people to do all manner of iniquity, and to the puffing them up with pride, tempting them to seek for power, and authority, and riches, and the vain things of the world. (3 Nephi 6:15,)

Now, the opposing player is running towards the end zone, and the game is slipping away.

“And thus in the commencement of this, the thirtieth year, they were in a state of awful wickedness.” (3 Nephi 8:18)

“…and there were but few righteous men among them.” (3 Nephi 7:7)

Year 30. Christ is just beginning his mortal ministry, and will eventually come to visit the Americas in just 3 more years! Thats it! 3 years. After 600 years of preparation, they bumbled it all away at the last moment. They couldn’t quite endure till the end.

We cannot let this happen to us! We need to play every down, every play the best we can. we have to endure, and persevere through the finish line. The tricky part is that we don’t know exactly when the finish line comes, but we cant let ourselves turn into the Nephites who face planted 3 years before the finish line.

Christ was so close! All they had to do was hold on just a little bit longer, and finish strong! He is our end goal! He is why we are here. He is why we can win, and why we even have a chance at all.

Sometimes we can learn lessons from other people’s mistakes. Lets look at the punter for Michigan, and the Nephites, and learn what not to do, so that we can be better prepared to work, and fight, and endure all the way through the finish line!

He is there waiting for us, coaching us, and rooting for us to succeed. Lets all try just a little bit harder to never let up, never slow down, never give up and never lose hope for the win!

The Land of the Covenant

12 Wednesday Aug 2015

Posted by in Battle, Blessings, General, Poems, Success, Trials

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Abrahampoem

 “…Inasmuch as thy seed shall keep my commandments, they shall prosper in the land of promise.”      -1 Nephi 4:14

                                                                         

God has always made covenants with His people. He promises his blessings of prosperity to those who enter into this covenant with Him, and who obey Him. We learn that this is the case all the way back to the beginning of life on this earth. When Adam and Eve were cast out, they covenanted with the Lord to do his will, and obey him. In return, the Lord would bless them.

Abraham, Moses, Noah, and on and on and on, all were part of this covenant people. In the Old Testament we learn about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob (later known as Israel) has 12 sons, known now as the 12 tribes of Israel. Joseph, who is one of his sons carried on this special covenant. We get a hint of what happens to his special lineage in Genesis..

“Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall…..Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: (Genesis 49:22,25)

When Lehi sent Nephi back for the plates of brass in Jerusalem, it was partly because they contained a genealogy for their family. Upon obtaining them, they learned that they were descendants from this very same Joseph. Those words in Genesis have a more literal meaning now right? As Lehi and Nephi were lead to their “promised land” they were, in essence, “running over the wall”. They also took in themselves them the lineage of the Abrahamic covenant and the promised blessings.

We also learn that the Land itself, this “Promised Land”, is a part of this Covenant. The Prophets Lehi, and Nephi, as well as all subsequent prophets of the Americas hammered on this like a drum. They had been led to, and given a promised land, and instructed that: “Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; but inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence.” (2 Nephi 1:20).

So, how did the people on the American continent do? They did fine when they were keeping God’s commandments, but as soon as they slacked off, they were toast. It happened over and over again, the Jaradites? Toast. The Nephites? Toast. All because they couldn’t keep their end of the bargain. The Lord will bless those who follow Him, but eventually destroy those who do not.

So, lets fast forward a little bit. Its now 1776, and there are a bunch of new guys living on this “promised land”. They were guided here by inspiration (1 Nephi 13:12), and started to grow as a people. they were a righteous God-fearing people. And by living the commandments, and turning to God, they invoked the blessings of the land of promise. This people, who were severely outgunned, outmanned, and outmatched, were victorious in their fight for independence and liberty principally because they were righteous, and God had blessed them according to the covenant that lay upon the land.

Lets now fast forward to about 1844, the year Joseph Smith was martyred. Evil was flourishing. The saints were being slaughtered, illegally imprisoned, God’s temples were being burned, and slavery was rampant in the south. The land of the covenant needed a cleansing. The people as a whole had turned from God and chosen not to obey his commandments. And, by so doing, would soon be “cut off from His presence.”

The official cleansing process of the promised land would begin not even 20 years later in 1861. The year of the start of the Civil War. The civil war would claim the lives of 620,000 men, or 2% of the total population at the time, in today’s society thats the equivalent of 6.1 million dead soldiers.

The interesting thing to me that I learned about this war, and particularly Abraham Lincoln, was the mindset of the people, soldiers, and the president. It changed from the early days of the war into an assured and pure understanding of the meaning and reason for the conflict. By the end of the fighting, many soldiers, their leaders, and especially the President understood that the will, and hand of God Almighty was cleansing the land, the north and the south, of its sinful ways.

Its not unlike all the stories in the Book of Mormon, whose people cycled over and over again from wickedness and pride, to forced humility, then repentance and finally renewed blessings for their return to righteousness.

Listen to some of the quotes from Lincoln regarding his role, and the reason for the horrific war that he found himself smack dab in the middle of, and think to yourself – Would the leaders of our country today, this same country and covenant land, say these words?

Said Lincoln:

“Whatever shall appear to be God’s will, I shall do1.”

“I talk to God…When I could not see any other resort, I would place my whole reliance in God, knowing that all would be well, and that He would decide for the right”

“It has pleased the Almighty God to put me in my present position, and looking up to Him for divine guidance, I must work out my destiny as best I can.”

In his private journal after contemplating the war, and its effect on the people, he wrote:

“I am almost ready to say this is probably true-that God wills this contest, and wills that is shall not end yet.”

As the war continued, Lincoln’s understanding of the civil war as God’s will crystallized, and he felt that the war was indeed meant to free all men. He then declared his Emancipation proclamation, thereby freeing all the slaves in the southern states.

“God had decided this question in favor of the slaves” and later continued saying that he would keep, “this promise to myself, and to my Maker”.

In his second Inaugural address he said:

“Fondly do we hope-fervently do we pray-that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away…Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondman’s two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn withe the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said, “the judgments of the lord are true and righteous altogether.”

These are the words of a man who completely understood the covenanted land in which he lived. He understood the reason for the conflict, and he understood the way out was to turn to God, as a people, and by so doing it would invoke His blessing, to once again bring peace.

Abraham Lincoln shares a name with one of the greatest prophets that has ever lived, and whose name is associated with the covenant that God has always kept with his people. That is no coincidence. He was a humble man, a man who was placed in his position to help lead the people in our covenant land back to God.

Do we today look to God as we should? Are we as a people and a society worthy of the blessings of Heaven? Are we fulfilling our end of the bargain, or are we ripening for another cleansing? Lets all try and be more like Abraham Lincoln and recognize that we live in a precious “promised land” but only if we live to deserve it.

The Land of the Covenant

Storm-black skies of thunderclouds,
Had blinded eyes with sinful shroud,
And settled down amidst the proud,
Who’d burned God’s temple to the ground2

The Covenant people fell.

They killed the mouthpiece of the Lord,3
Who’d warned with his inspired words
That soon, all men would meet the sword,
Of justice, heretofore ignored.

The truth rejected by the land.

As saintly blood unjustly spilled,
Cried out for justice unfulfilled,
From underneath Missouri’s fields,
And echoed thrice4 its claim appealed.

The Lord withdrew his hand

The covenant broken, unretained,
By forcing men to live in chains,
Their freedom cry would be sustained,
By his familiar sacred name.

The covenant name of Abraham.

And then the lightning struck with fire,
Dividing houses with God’s ire5,
Fulfilling Joseph’s words inspired6,
Repentance now would be required.

The time had come for Abraham.

To once again restore the land,
Dissevered by the sins of man,
God inspired the humble hands,
And bended knees of Abraham.

Humility across the land.

The war-torn land of death and pain,
Would kneel again, and sing refrains,
Of humble praise, from sin abstain,
And serve the Lord their God again.

Repentant land of Abraham.

And now with blessing from on high,
Gods people now had heard the cry,
For freedom, that was once denied
To men, Who now had wings to fly7

Freed by father Abraham.

Invoked anew this covenant land,
Humbled by the Lord’s own hand,
A nation forced to kneel-NOW STANDS!
God bless the name of Abraham!

Notes

1 All Lincoln quotes were taken from the book, “The Lincoln Hypothesis” by Timothy Ballard

2 On October 9th, 1848, the Nauvoo temple was burned and destroyed by an apparent arsonist.

3 On June 27th 1844, the prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were shot and killed by a mob while in the Carthage Jail in Illinois.

4 Joseph Smith, following this revelation from the Lord, asked for redress for the slaughter of his people in the state of Missouri.  All three petitions fell upon deaf ears.  D&C 101:86 Let them importune at the feet of the judge; 87 And if heed them not, let them importune at the feet of the governor; 88 And if the governor heed them not, let them importune at the feet of the president;

5 On April 12, 1861, Confederate forces fired upon Ft. Sumter in South Carolina officially the start of the Civil War. This would essentially divide the country in half.

6 On December 25th 1832, Joseph Smith received the revelation found in D&C 87 predicting the civil war almost 30 years prior to its actual occurrence.

7 On January 1, 1863, while still in the middle of the civil war, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, an executive order that, in essence, changed the legal status of 3 million slaves in the southern states from “slave” to “free”.

Successful Failures

17 Monday Nov 2014

Posted by in Failure, Opposition, Success

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Sometimes in life, we fail. Sometimes we even fail miserably.  But, I am convinced that for every single failure we experience – there is an increased opportunity for success.  True failure only occurs if we miss the opportunity to make it a success.  Heavenly Father sent us all down here to earth to be tested, and part of that test is experiencing a life completely full of failures (our own and others), which are really opportunities for improvement which cannot be learned or discovered any other way.

When Satan tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, he no doubt thought that by getting them to partake of the forbidden fruit he would enjoy a success and that they would suffer a failure.  Yet in reality, this was Adam and Eve’s greatest success – realizing that ‘man could be’1 in no other way.  I imagine that in that moment (or even the first few days and weeks), to Adam and Eve this great success might have felt a whole lot like a failure because they were driven out of the garden, the earth was cursed, and they were intimately introduced to bitterness, pain, sorrow, vice, and sickness.  In addition, they had their sorrows ‘greatly multiplied’. 2 On the surface that doesn’t sound like success, yet we all know that we must experience these things in order to know (and choose) the sweet.  Thus, we can understand that the event labeled as ‘the fall’ might be one of the greatest successes this world has ever known.  It brought about physical life (as we know it) and activated agency and accountability.

Opposite Adam and Eve in the garden was Satan, who at first thought his subtlety -which resulted in their eating of the fruit – was a success (on his part), realized shortly thereafter that his perceived success resulted in God calmly informing him that the seed of the woman (made possible only by his enticing and their subsequent eating of the fruit) would have power to ‘crush his head’. 3   Thus Satan achieved what he thought was a great success, only to understand later that it was in reality, a most glorious failure, one in which he helped facilitate his own demise.   All of this came about because he (Satan) ‘knew not the mind of God’. 4   The mind of God is ever working towards improving His Children, and there can be no doubt that He has prepared a successful outcome for each and every one of our failures.

The fall, as described above (even when viewed as a glowing success – which it is), did bring to pass negative things (physical and spiritual death).  It brought about a separation from God, and in the world of eternal life – separation from God along with physical disease and death can be viewed as failures.  Yet these conditions were necessary in order to require redemption.  This cannot be overstated.  The results of this perceived failure (along with many of our perceived failures) are the actual catalysts or pre-requisites for future success.  You can’t fix it if it’s not broken, and in this sense a fixed person (redeemed or improved person) is much more than a non-broken (innocent or non-improved) person ever could be.  The result of the fall created the requirement for a Savior.   The requirement for a Savior resulted in the most amazing event in all of creation, where God’s own son, even Jesus Christ suffered the full weight of the world5 in order to redeem us all, which in turn, allows us to draw upon that power and become much better. This is the most monumental success the world will ever know, and it was all required because of a planned failure.

Shortly following the events in Gethsemane in which the Savior performed the miracle of all miracles, His mortal life came to an end.  Jesus Christ was in no way taken, but offered Himself up willingly as the Lamb of God once His great work was completed.  However, in the minds of many (especially at the time of Christ), they considered His capture and death to be a failure (something less than complete), at least in the sense that His ministry did not result in the immediate and successful convincing of the governmental leaders, and general population to the gospel.  This perception could have been based in the fact that Christ had escaped their snares many times before – and been able to continue His ministry – but now it seemed as if all of the opposition to Jesus had finally overtaken Him.  This perceived failure was in large part due to the lack of fully comprehending the magnitude and necessity of the events, the important role of Jesus Christ, and the promises that He had made.6 Similar to the atonement however, the perceived failure (which resulted in his crucifixion and death) was an absolute requirement for His next great success – the resurrection.  In order for Christ to be resurrected, He had to die.

By defining ‘failure’ in our actions or events as ‘less than perfect’ or ‘there is some (or much) room for improvement’ we can better understand the process of learning from our mistakes, as well as the idea that our mistakes are a critical part of our success – if we learn from them.  God has laid out this plan for us on earth, and he knew very well that every single one of us would be ‘less than perfect’ or that we would act in a way that ‘could be much improved’.  Yet because of this knowledge, He has also prepared a way that because of our mistakes, we can have success.   There is no way that we can become who we are meant to become without ‘growing up unto the Lord’. 7 This includes making many mistakes, but it also includes the requirement to learn from those mistakes.  It requires our constant and continuous use and application of the atonement.  If we truly understand that the Lord can and will use us as tools to ‘do His work’ not despite our mistakes necessarily, but in large part because of our mistakes, since they are the very tools necessary to create true humility, reliance upon the Lord, and therefore true strength and power within each of us.8 If we can understand that process, then we can start to see our failures and our mistakes and what they are meant to be – lessons.  Lessons planned out from ‘before the foundation of the world’ that have been tailored to us individually and collectively.  The decision then becomes ours; whether or not we ‘will hear and know’. 9

Our lives are literally filled with opportunities to learn and during the times when it seems we are failing the most, it is likely the time when we can learn the most – if we are willing to be taught.

‘The Holy Ghost works in perfect unity with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, fulfilling several roles to help us live righteously’10 Some if not all of those roles are directly related to the process of teaching.11   This role is often played ‘independent of any kind of formal teaching or learning setting’. 12 Thus, it is our own responsibility to be aware of learning opportunities, because the Holy Ghost never stops teaching.   Being aware of these opportunities (in good times and bad) is a key element, because ‘one of the greatest acts of agency is the willingness to open our hearts to the promptings of the spirit… God allows us to be the guardians, or the gatekeepers, of our own hearts.  We must, of our own free will, open our hearts to the Spirit, for even though He has a primary role to teach, He will not force Himself upon us. 12 We should all be open to expanding our understanding of what we ourselves consider to be ‘formal teaching or learning settings’ so that we do not restrict ourselves from learning some of the most important lessons in life.  We must not, and cannot ‘try to limit the functions of the Holy Ghost – not what He does, not where He does it, not when He does it, and not how He does it.14

I think when we truly understand this concept we can take a giant step forward by understanding that God is not necessarily frustrated with our failures, since He sees the end from the beginning and recognizes the process of learning as it being played out in our lives.  He has created such a great plan, that it accounted for all of our failures, and uses them for our (and others’) successes.  This is an amazing concept, one that I (sadly) did not recognize until recently.  It doesn’t mean that the disappointments or discouragement with my own failures have evaporated, because they haven’t, but it does help me to understand that I should not dwell on them longer than is helpful, because God doesn’t.  I should only use them to be humble, learn from them, and try and discover how I can turn the failure into a success, and then help other people to learn from my mistakes.15 

An example of this concept is found in maybe the most well known and oft-quoted scripture in the LDS community, 1 Nephi 3:7 which reads ‘And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.’  I imagine the Lord thinking at the time – Nephi, I know that you and your brothers are going to go back to Jerusalem to get these plates, and you are going to fail…. twice.16 But, if you pay attention to what I say to you through the Spirit (during and after these failures), you will learn things that will help you not only now (being successful in getting the brass plates from Laban), but you will also learn some valuable lessons that will help you later because after you complete this long and hard journey, I am going to ask you and your brothers to go back to Jerusalem again.17  I don’t think that it is a coincidence that Nephi’s 2nd trip (going to get the family of Ishmael) – seemed to go a lot smoother than the 1st trip – at least until they were headed back to the wilderness when it was time for some more lessons. 18 This episode (the 2nd trip) is also an illustration of the previous concept that the Holy Ghost will only teach us what we are willing to learn.  It also is a repeat of the same process just explained in obtaining the brass plates, because during this 2nd trip (on the way back from Jerusalem), Nephi was tied up and bound and suffered much at the hands of his brothers (failure), which happened to be a success because he learned how to rely on the Lord, and act for the next time(s) that they attempted to take his life, or bind him in their anger.  This could also be a pattern for us, that any failures that we don’t learn from may be repeated until we learn the appropriate lesson and understand the reason for the failure.

    

So, next time we fail, or next time we are less than perfect, which for me will be about 1 second from now – let us remember that failure is an important part of success if we can keep our hearts open to the spirit and learn from the master teacher.  This process of repeated failure also helps each of us with opportunities to practice forgiveness, love, and serving others, which are essential parts of our learning the art of becoming like Jesus Christ – which is the ultimate goal for all of us.

1 2 Ne. 2:25

2 Gen. 3:16.  This scripture refers specifically to Eve, but I’ve left it in the plural connotation (they) intentionally because when a woman/wife experiences sorrow greatly multiplied, it also affects the husband.  I am not claiming (in any way) that a husband shares in, or somehow helps shoulder the great physical pain (especially during the child bearing process), but I for one, am very much influenced by my wife’s moods and feelings (including pain).  

3 Gen 3:15 (see footnote c)

4 Moses 4:6.  This idea can be applied to the martyrdom of Joseph Smith, as well as any of the other prophets or disciples of Jesus Christ who have sealed their testimonies with their own lives.  Perhaps that is the reason that the footnote d in this verse refers to John 16:1-3 which clearly explains that they (their moment of perceived success) who ‘killeth [them] will think that he doeth God service.  And these things will they do unto [them], because they have not known the Father, nor me [Christ].’

5 See D&C 19:16-19

6 See the Topical Guide and Bible Dictionary under the topic ‘Jesus Christ, Resurrection’ for a complete listing of all scriptures in which The Lord himself (and many others) prophesied of his resurrection.

7 Hel. 3:21

8 See 2 Ne. 33:11, Ether 12:23-28; 37, D&C 50:16, and D&C 62:1.  There is also the fact that we cannot do his work until we willingly choose to do his work, which is the starting point for all change. 

9 See Alma 10:4-6

10 LDS.org topic ‘Holy Ghost’

11 Though this refers to ‘some’ of the roles related to teaching, all of the roles of the Holy Ghost are in one sense or another ‘teaching’.  These include testifying, comforting, witnessing, enlightening, sanctifying, etc.

12 See “In Tune” by Gerald N. Lund pg. 36

13 Ibid. pg. 42-43.  Read the whole book, it is fantastic.  This concept is also explained very well by Elder David A. Bednar in his 3-book series ‘Increase in Learning, Act in Doctrine, and The Power to Become’ and in his talk ‘Seek Learning by Faith’ which was given to CES educators on Feb. 3, 2006.

14 Ibid. pg. 78 emphasis in original.

15 In reference to mistakes of a moral nature, if no other success is readily visible from the recognition of these mistakes other than the true Godly sorrow which leads to the cleansing and redemptive power of the atonement through the repentance process – that is a very real success.

16 The first failure is portrayed in 1 Ne. 3:11-14.  The second failure is portrayed in 1 Ne. 3:22-27.   The third attempt (success) is portrayed in 1 Ne. 4.

17 1 Ne. 7:2

18 1 Ne. 7:6-21.