The Winds Will Surely Come

3 Nephi 14
see also Matthew 7

v. 24 Therefore, whoso heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a ^arock—

v. 25 And the ^arain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it ^bfell not, for it was founded upon a rock.

v. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened unto a ^afoolish man, who built his house upon the ^bsand—

v. 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

I have loved this scripture ever since I was old enough to know adversity.  There is a comfort to it, knowing that if you hold fast to your Savior, you will be given the strength to withstand any storm that may pass through your life.  

Well, the storms are raging, and I can testify that this scripture is true.  My Savior strengthens me, He comforts me, He blesses me, He compensates me for blessings lost.

I wonder, what is it about doing the words of Christ that gives you that protection?  What does He ask of us?  Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself.  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  Judge not.  Ask for good gifts.  Serve others, "for inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."  (Matthew 25:40)

Can you not see the life you are building when you follow Him?  A life filled with love and loving relationships.  A life filled with people who care about you and will remember you in your time of greatest need.   And even if people fail you, you still have a personal relationship with Christ that will carry you through your great difficulties.

The storms will come, the winds will blow.  Nobody gets a free pass.  Life is hard, and it was meant to be, because it is only in overcoming the obstacles and withstanding the storms of life that we learn and grow and become better people.  But I know that when I hold fast to my Savior and His teachings, I can hear Him whisper, "Peace, be still," to my heart.

Apply and Live

2 Nephi 31

Am I humble?
I have promised to be obedient to His commandments.  Am I?
I have received the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Do I follow the promptings I receive?
Do I follow Christ with full purpose of heart?  Without hypocrisy?  With real intent?
Do I repent of my shortcomings?
Am I really willing to take His name upon me?  Do I honor His name by my thoughts and actions?
Am I effectively enduring to the end?
Am I pressing forward?  Or am I stagnant?
Am I steadfast?
Do I have a perfect brightness of hope?
Do I love God and my fellow man?  How do I show it?
Do I FEAST upon the word of Christ?

I can give an answer to each question, glibly perhaps, off the top of my head.  But I think I'll make this an exercise in pondering and prayer today.  Where am I weak?  How can I improve?

Blessings for the Faithful

Doctrine and Covenants 109
The dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland temple.

What blessings did Joseph Smith request for the faithful?
* God's assistance
* That they might feel His power
* That they may be taught from the best books
* That they may grow up in Him
* That they may receive a fullness of the Holy Ghost
* That they may be organized
* That they may be prepared to obtain every needful thing
* That they might speedily repent
* And be restored to the blessings ordained to be poured out upon them
* That they might be armed with power
* That they may be the bearers of exceedingly great and glorious tidings
* That no weapon formed against them shall prosper
* That no combination of wickedness shall prevail over them
* That there may be an end to lying reports
* Deliverance from under the yoke of persecution
* Forgiveness of transgressions
* The gift of tongues and interpretation of tongues
* Testimony
* Deliverance from the calamity of the wicked
* That they may be prepared for the last day
* That their garments may be pure
* That they may be clothed with robes of righteousness
* That He may hear and answer their prayers
* That they may be lifted up at the last day
* That they may ever be with the Lord

The Tree of Life

1 Nephi 8 and 1 Nephi 11

I've always loved Lehi's vision of the tree of life.  As a parent, I've felt his feelings of wanting my children to experience the joy I know through the gospel.  I've always thought of the fruit of the tree in big picture terms, as The Gospel, or The Love of God, or Eternal Life.  This time, while reading, the smaller, individual things that I love about the gospel came to mind.

I've often thought of the fruit of the tree of life as a pear.  I don't know why, but I guess because pears are white inside, and I think they're delicious.  Now, I'm thinking of it more like a cluster of grapes, and each tiny morsel contributes cumulatively to the joy of the whole.

There's a reason I wanted my daughter to go to BYU.  It's because I had so much fun there.  I enjoyed wholesome, fun relationships, and wholesome, fun activities.  I learned critical thinking.  I developed a thirst for knowledge.  I learned to think for myself.  I strengthened my testimony there.  I want my own kids to experience these things for themselves.

I really want my children, all of my children, to serve a mission like I did.  My capacity to love expanded beyond measure.  My understanding of the gospel grew.  I learned to love unconditionally.  I learned to love different personalities.  I learned problem solving skills.  I learned time management and organizational skills.  I learned how much my Heavenly Father loves me.  I learned how much I love Him.  I learned how to serve and how to work.  It made me so happy, and the preparation it gave me has made me so much happier in my marriage and as a mother.  I want my own kids to experience these things.

I think about individual principles of the gospel.  Like when I was a lonely, confused, hurt 15-year old, feeling like nobody loved me.  I knelt to pray and asked, "Heavenly Father, do you love me?"  And an immediate, overwhelming feeling of warmth, physical like a hug, rushed through my body.  I never doubted again.  I want my own kids to experience that feeling.

Or when I was an older teen, and I went through the repentance process, and it hurt like hell, but when I came out of it, I realized that not only had my burdens been lifted, but through the atonement of Jesus Christ, I was healed.  Not just healed from the pain of my sins, but healed from the pain and loneliness and self-loathing that drove me to sin in the first place.  And I found a friend who would always be with me to heal me from pain and loneliness and self-doubt.  I want my own kids to experience that healing.

I want them to feel good about their bodies when they obey the word of wisdom, and exercise, and eat properly, and feel physical and spiritual strength.  I want them to have their minds set at ease because they've learned to pay tithing and have learned that no matter how it adds up on paper, the Lord will provide.  I want them to feel good when they serve.  I want my own kids to experience these things.