Don't waste it...

You can learn spiritual lessons from the most unexpected places if you are open to receiving them.

Today mine came from the first Iron Man movie.

If you've seen the movie you will remember that Tony Stark has been injured and kidnapped by a terrorist group.  Another hostage named Yinsen saved his life by operating on him and keeping pieces of shrapnel from entering his heart.  He then proceeds to help Tony execute a plan to escape.  Together they build the first Iron Man suit.  In a very intense scene, Tony is suiting up and preparing to bust free, but the terrorists have caught on that something is up and are about to barge in and spoil their plans before they've even had a fighting chance.  Yinsen, with characteristic courage, grabs a gun and tells Tony that he will buy him some time.  He races out of the cave, shooting into the air and scaring them away.  He knows he is running to his certain death, but he is willing to sacrifice himself for Stark  Tony has time to power up and then fights his way out of the cave.

The moment that the lesson all came together for me was when Tony finds Yinsen and he is dying. In words that I find powerful and full of meaning, Yinsen tells him, "Don't waste it...  Don't waste your life."  He is pleading with Tony to not waste the sacrifice that he has just made.

Can you see it?

Yinsen is the Christ figure in this story, and Tony is all of us.  He saved Tony's life, inspired him to better, and then ultimately sacrificed himself so that Tony could be free.

Christ suffered in Gethsemane.  He hung on the cross.  He gave himself willingly... not for nothing, but for you and me!  He literally saved my life, both physically and spiritually.  And He has saved yours too.

Can't you hear Him whispering, pleading, "Please don't waste it... Don't waste this life I've given you."

The Bigger Picture

Imagine standing on a huge flat plane covered with dots of various size, shape, and color.  There are others with you, many people all walking or standing in groups discussing what all the blotches mean.  Many are of the opinion that it's random and unimportant.  Why worry about it?  Many others feel certain that there is meaning, but struggle to make sense of it.  Still others you see making a definite move in a certain direction.  They move with purpose, so you follow.

Ahead you see a Man.  He says, "Come, follow me."  As you do you are guided to a type of glass elevator.  You step on.  Slowly, but steadily, it rises into the sky.  As it does, you begin to recognize patterns forming in the many dots below.  A beautiful, glorious plan is taking shape.  You can now recognize figures and faces, objects and animals.  There is purpose and meaning.  It gradually makes sense.  There, laid out below you is the most grand and wonderful picture our Heavenly Father could paint for us.  It was always there, all around us, right below our feet.  We just couldn't see it on our own.  We lacked the perspective.

When we chose to align ourselves with Christ, the power of the Atonement lifted us up, improving us and improving our vision, allowing us to see as God sees, the grander picture.  We try to shout to those below about how beautiful it is!  How marvelous and glorious and wonderful!  But they only shake their heads and shout back that we are terribly mistaken.  They see no picture there, they see nothing of worth.  They see no order or purpose to the dots beneath their feet.  They "know" we must be wrong.

What shame.  Anyone who chooses to follow Christ, to lift their sights and their minds to things of an eternal nature will be blessed to see the bigger picture.

Spiritual Inception

What do you think about in those quiet moments when there is nothing else in particular to think about? Video games? Food? Your favorite TV show? Your current hobby? Whatever it is, it is likely the same thing that gets a large amount of your time, attention, and energy. This is what you have given precedence in your life. I would propose that whatever has precedence has power in your life. This is the thing that you have most recently allowed to influence you for better or worse.  Have you given your time, attention, energy and thoughts to the right thing?  Have you chosen the best thing?

The scriptures tell us, “For as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). This means that it matters what we give precedence in our life, since that is what will occupy our thoughts and will in turn lead us to who we will become. Thus it is all the more important that we be deliberate and intentional and follow the spirit in our choices of how to spend our time.

I have learned recently just how subtle and sly the adversary really is. He really is smart. In the war in heaven I always imagined that Satan was fighting the whiteness of purity with the total blackness of sin. Instead, I am learning that he is more likely to battle whiteness with off-whiteness. He wants to taint our thinking and paradigms. If he can get us to accept just one error—just one idea that is slightly askew; perhaps a half truth or a twisted, corrupted piece of truth—He has succeeded in starting us down his path of spiritual destruction. 

This is what I have begun calling Spiritual Inception. If you've seen the movie, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, let me explain: the entire premise of the movie Inception is that an idea introduced and planted deep enough into your mind can completely overtake you. Likewise, if we are not watchful, as the scriptures advise us, we could inadvertently allow one little thought or idea take over our whole lives and ruin our peace and happiness.

Now, this sounds very alarmist, and I don't mean to be. I just want to impress upon our minds the seriousness of the battle that we undertake with the enemy. He wants us to be confused, deceived, misled... but he can succeed in his quest only if we allow him.  This is why it is imperative that we choose to fill our lives with things that inspire, edify, and uplift.  We must choose to let the gospel of Jesus Christ take precedence in our homes, and we must be ever wary of the adversary's attempts to get us off course.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him. . . . Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. ” (3 Nephi 18:15, 18)

Watch and pray always it repeats.  To watch means to have an increased alertness and an awareness of the danger at hand.  I believe that there are two ways that we can be more watchful.  One is to be more selective in how we spend our time (what we allow to influence us,) and the other is to weigh carefully the ideas and truths that are presented.  Do they fit into and mesh well with the truths that we already know?

As I have thought about those who have already let false ideas seep into their paradigms, I have been reminded of the story of Moses and the brass serpent.  When we sin, we are like the Israelites who were punished by being bitten by flying serpents.  These poisonous ideas can potentially kill us spiritually.  They destroy our peace and happiness.   We long for a cure.  How do those who have been led astray come back?  Additionally, how can those who might face the temptations of Satan stand strong?  The answer is the same for both questions, and it is simple--too simple some would argue.  In the story, Moses is instructed by God to raise up a brass serpent and all who would look on it would live.  But some would not.

41 And he did straiten them in the wilderness with his rod; for they hardened their hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord straitened them because of their iniquity. He sent fiery flying serpents among them; and after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished. (Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi, Chapter 17)

Don't let the simple answers fool you.  They are powerful and essential.  Discarding them will be your downfall.  The brass serpent represents Christ.  We must look to Christ and live!  This is the simple answer.

How do we look to Christ? Pray, study the scriptures, ponder, keep journals, participate in church, go to the temple regularly, do family history work. Pay tithing, be charitable and obedient. Do family home evening, family prayer, family scripture study, family council and family meals. Create righteous rituals and routines, give service, magnify your callings, and find ways to go the extra mile in your devotion to God.

Too simple? No.  I have a testimony that these practices will help us to keep the spirit in our homes and help us to resist even the most subtle advances of the devil. They serve as constant reminders of reality, of the truths that we know, and of the things that are most important. They keep us busy with the best things so that we don't even have time to indulge in the less worthy things. Most of all, I know that these things bring me peace and joy and help me to feel confidence in God's presence.

45 Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven. (Doctrine and Covenants, Doctrine and Covenants, Section 121)

Checking the roots

"Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me." (Book of Mormon, Alma 32:28)

This year my sweet three-year-old and I planted flowers.  I had some old seeds from a mothers day gift and my daughter and I bought the dirt and pot to plant them in.  She was so excited.  Me--I was skeptical.  I do NOT have a green thumb.  My experience has been that I kill every plant I touch.  So, although I wanted the seeds to grow, I honestly had no faith that they would.  I didn't know what I was doing.  I wasn't sure if I was watering them too much or not enough, whether they were getting enough sunlight in our dark apartment, whether I had planted them too deep or far enough apart, and so on.

But I guess by definition I was exercising my faith by my action of planting them, watering them daily, and watching to see if anything happened.  And something did happen.  Not too long after we planted them we started to see tiny little shoots poking out of the soil.  I was giddy!  I literally cried.  Why did this matter so much to me?  I'm really not sure.  But it did.  It was thrilling to know that I could grow something.  That I could nurture it and give it what it needed.  There are many different analogies that could be drawn from this story, but today I want to focus on the scripture above.

I takes faith to plant a seed and wait to see if it grows.  But if it is a good seed, and you are being intent in your nurturing of the seed, it will grow.  It will flourish as you care for it, and this is how you grow a testimony.

My flowers were growing steadily, getting stronger and thicker.  I was so proud of them.  I guess they represented for me the fact that I was capable of more than I give myself credit for.  I can do hard things.  That's why I was so crushed one morning to find this:

My one-year-old had climbed on a chair and gotten to my flowers.  She had yanked them out of the soil and tossed them on the ground.  Only a few sad little shoots survived the purge.  I was heartbroken.  Again, I cried.  I was frankly surprised by my emotional reaction.  It wasn't until this point that I realized how much those flowers meant to me and what they represented.

As I sadly gathered them up off the floor, I noticed that most of the roots were still intact.  Maybe they could still be saved!  I carefully replanted each one and put my pot back in the windowsill.  When I was finished my mind naturally turned to the analogy hidden in this experience.

I recently had confronted some difficult questions about the church and the gospel as I perceived it.  It had really shaken my spiritual world and I was left to reassemble my testimony again and again.  I realized through the experience with my flowers that what I had really been doing was pulling up my testimony plant to check it's roots.  Did I really know there was a God?  Did I really believe in Christ?  And more presently, did I really know the LDS church was true?  I kept allowing myself to read faith questioning literature disguised as just another persepctive, and in doing so I was walking a dangerous line.  I kept forcing myself to check the roots of my testimony.  This had the potential to weaken and maybe even kill my testimony.

So what should I have been doing instead? My seeds had grown, my faith had been rewarded, the seeds were good.  My testimony plant was growing beautiful and strong.  These were all evidence that the roots were fine, sufficiently feeding my plant.  Instead of tearing it out of the ground, I should have been feeding my plant with water, sunlight, and fresh air--with prayer, scripture study, and service.

Now, it's not a perfect metaphor, but this experience and the analogy it produced in my mind spoke truth to my heart.  To illustrate further, consider this scripture story about Jesus approaching his disciples in the boat, walking on the water.

27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. (New Testament, Matthew, Chapter 14)

In this story, it is the moment that Peter takes His eyes off the Savior--when he gives his attention to the storm around him instead of giving his attentions to Christ--that he begins to fear and doubt and sink.   Now, I'm not saying that we can or should stick our heads in the sand or that it's better to be oblivious to the war that wages around us.  But I do think it is important for each of us to stop and consider carefully what we are giving our prime time and attention to.  We must be aware of the power and influence we give to whatever or whoever has our focus.

Do you participate and engage in things that edify and uplift you?  Or do you find yourself doubting and drowning, and continually checking your roots?

If this is the case, I challenge you to replant your testimony and then feed it with positive sources that reflect and magnify the light of Christ.  Go back to the basics: pray intently, study the scriptures, go to church and the temple, be selfless in your service to others.  This requires faith.  It takes faith to believe that you don't need to check the roots.  But your faith will be rewarded.  It is only in this way that your testimony of the gospel can strengthen and flourish, and your roots can develop and grow.

Jesus Christ Lives

I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  He came to earth to perform the Atonement and to set an example for us.  He was perfect, and yet He died for our sins.  Because of the Atonement, I can improve and progress.  Because He was resurrected, I will live again too.

I know that the Atonement was the single most significant event of all time.  I can't comprehend it, but I love Christ for it.  I know He loves me.  I feel a closeness to Him as my Savior and Master.

He is and always will be my Master and my Shepherd.  I know that by following His supernal example, I can be happy.  I know that the Lord taught through parables for a reason.  He was speaking truth, but He taught these truths in a way that could only be fully understood through the Spirit.

I know that He lives, and He is calling out to you to Come Unto Him.

I Know There is a God

During general conference this weekend our prophets and apostles testified powerfully of what they know. It caused me to ponder my own testimony. Having considered it carefully, I'd like to share with you the things that I know.

I know there is a God. I know this for certain. I know He lives and loves me and created all things. I know this through the witness of the Holy Ghost on many different occasions. I have prayed and asked to know and God has answered. I have felt his love in powerful and undeniable ways. I see His hand in everything around me. I feel His spirit again and again as it testifies to me that there is more to this life than what we can see. I have been blessed to experience true personal revelation which I know comes from God. This knowledge brings me peace and great joy, and I long for everyone to feel what I feel and know what I know.

Roles

I feel like we have officially entered the ranks of parenthood tonight by waking up to our poor, sweet 3-year-old daughter having been sick all over herself and her bed. (I'm sure it was a product of too much Easter candy.) I wanted to cry for her; she was so scared and confused. We worked together to wash her up and clean up her bed. We spoke soothing, loving words and she was comforted.

After getting her out of the bath, the three of us--my daughter, my husband and I--gathered in the office. He told her that he was going to give her a blessing and that she needed to be very reverent and still, (which is still a huge challenge for her.) I explained that a blessing is like a prayer, just more special and important and that it would help her feel better.

Her father then proceeded to give her a blessing of comfort and peace. Amazingly she was perfectly still and quiet. When it was finished, she looked up at me and her face lit up in a smile. She seemed almost giddy. I jumped on the opportunity. "How do you feel inside?" I said. "Good!" Came the enthusiastic reply. Then I pointed out that this was the Holy Ghost helping her to feel better. I told her that I wanted her to try to remember that feeling.

As we tucked her into bed, I thought about how this whole scenario was perfectly representative of the balance that ought to exist in our homes and between our roles as parents and husband and wife. We partnered together in our work, but my husband's part is in administering the Priesthood and my part is one of being teacher.

Now, this example may not be perfect, but for me it expressed with simple beauty the plan of our Father in Heaven and the importance of our roles in that plan. I'm so very grateful for my part in it.