The Importance of Rest in the Savior's Ministry

"Come Unto Me and I Will Give You Rest" by Yongsung Kim

We live in a busy time of the world. It is easy to be overwhelmed with work assignments, church callings, family responsibilities, and the unending to-do lists that accompany our lives. The gospel of Jesus Christ teaches that we should both "be anxiously engaged in a good cause... [doing] many things of [our] own free will" (D&C 58:27) and "not run faster or labor more than [we] have strength and means provided" (D&C 10:4). While these principles appear to be in conflict, we can learn how to apply both approaches in our lives as we study the example of Jesus Christ.

It is fair to say that Jesus had a few things on his to-do list. He was a teacher, missionary, and ecclesiastical leader called to preach the pure gospel to large multitudes and hard-hearted government leaders. He was training and preparing a group of mostly fishermen to lead an organization that would stretch from Italy to Israel and beyond. He sought to do His Father's will, inspire the faith of the Jewish nation, and live so that he could be the promised savior when the time came. Amid the hustle, he was also part of a family, had relationships with several friends, served the poor and needy, and participated in the traditions of his people. Jesus understands what it is like to be busy and to juggle priorities that are all important.

Yet, the Lord of the Sabbath, who rested on the seventh day of creation, also frequently withdrew from the busy-ness of life to rest, prepare for what was ahead, spend quality time with loved ones, and commune with our Heavenly Father. He understood what sounds obvious: that we get more strength through appropriate rest.

At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus "was led up of the Spirit, into the wilderness, to be with God" (JST Matthew 4:1). There he fasted for forty days, a number that is symbolic in Hebrew culture for a period of preparation. After he had fasted and communed with God, he returned to normal life and the temptations and challenges it brings. Jesus was tempted by the devil himself, but he was prepared to withstand all of the buffetings of Satan and command him to depart.

Jesus returned from the wilderness and taught in Galilee, Nazareth, and Capernaum. He cast out devils and healed many people of a variety of inflictions. The scriptures do not say exactly how much time passed from the start of his ministry to an evening in Capernaum when he healed all who would come to him, but we're in the same chapter when we read that Christ then "departed and went into a solitary place" (Luke 4:42).

Christ taught again in the synagogues in Galilee and was teaching a group of people on the banks of the Sea of Galilee when he found Peter, James, and John and filled their nets with fish. They went with Jesus to Capernaum where he healed a man's leprosy and "great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. And he withdrew himself into the wilderness and prayed." (Luke 5:15-16).

Jesus returned to his work and healed a man of his paralysis, called Matthew to follow him, and confronted and taught the Pharisees several times. When he provocatively healed a man's withered hand on the Sabbath in front of the Pharisees, they were "filled with madness" (Luke 6:11). "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom he named apostles" (Luke 6:12-13).

This pattern continues throughout the ministry of Christ: he was present and focused on what needed to be done and then he took time to withdraw and rest. Sometimes he rested for only an afternoon or a long night in prayer; other times he withdrew for a period of several weeks. In each case, his focus was less on protecting himself or his perceived needs and more on building capacity to move forward.

As it is with us, Jesus' plans for rest did not always go as planned. When Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been killed, he got on a boat and left Capernaum to be alone in the wilderness. The multitudes followed him on foot and met him on the opposite shore about five miles from the city. Despite his grief, Christ had patience and compassion for the people and took the time to teach them and miraculously feed five thousand of them with a few loaves of bread. Then he "straightway...constrained" his disciples to leave in the boat and sent the multitudes back to the city.

"And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone" (Matthew 14:22-23). It was from this vantage point that Jesus saw his disciples desperately rowing against the wind and being tossed upon the waves of the sea. Cutting his time to grieve and recharge short, he went down from the mountain and walked about four miles across the sea to get to his struggling followers. Reaching the boat between 3:00 and 6:00 in the morning, Jesus invited Peter onto the water, saved him when his faith wavered, then calmed the storm so they could all return home. There is no indication in scripture that Christ was able to go back to the mountain, but he did the best he could with the time he had and then moved on to other demands for his time.

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were friends of Jesus in Bethany, also called Bethlehem, about two miles south of Jerusalem. They were close friends and Jesus wept when he heard Lazarus had died (John 11:35). After Jesus publicly brought Lazarus back to life and knew the Jewish rulers were furiously plotting to kill him for it, he escaped to the wilderness of Ephraim about thirteen miles north of Jerusalem. Many scholars believe that he was in the wilderness for at least two weeks.

When he returned from Ephraim on Palm Sunday for the Passover, Christ went around Jerusalem to first reunite with his friends in Bethany. The scriptures don't say exactly why, but it was likely much more than simply checking into his lodging. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were a source of strength and comfort for Christ throughout his ministry, so it is no surprise that he goes to help when they are in trouble and goes for help when he is in trouble. He would stay with them throughout the most difficult and notable week of his life, walking to and from Jerusalem each day, until his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane in the dark hours of Thursday evening.

Following the Savior's example, we are taught to be both anxiously engaged and take appropriate time for preparation, rest, and communion with our Father in Heaven. King Benjamin counseled his people to, "See that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man [or woman] should run faster than he [or she] has strength...[But] it is expedient that he [or she] be diligent, that thereby he [or she] might win the prize" (Mosiah 4:27).

We are diligent and build capacity to move forward as we follow Elder David A. Bednar's counsel to, "Identify the two, the three, the four most important priorities in our lives, and then... make sure that each one gets the [time] that it needs." He continues, "Don't spend all of your time trying to achieve this perfect equilibrium because it doesn't exist. Focus on the things that matter most in the moment, and you'll have the Lord's help to be able to juggle and attend to all of those important priorities in your life." 

As we stay close to Him, the Lord will help us attend to our responsibilities. And sometimes, just as the Savior was, we will be "led up of the Spirit" into the wilderness, into the temple, into the strength we can receive among loved ones, and even, as Nephi, into the comforting and loving arms of the Lord who understands what we are experiencing and promises to give us rest (2 Nephi 1:15, Matthew 11:28.

Let Virtue Garnish Thy Thoughts

On December 1, 1838, the Prophet Joseph Smith was incarcerated with five companions in Liberty, Missouri. The men described it as, "hell surrounded by demons." The filthy basement cell was cramped with very little light, the food was poisoned, odors hung in the frigid winter air, and guards and passers-by would harass the prisoners at every opportunity. The six men were held in this cell for four long months.

On March 20, 1839, the Prophet dictated a 29-page letter to the Saints. Some historians have noted that the letter is similar in diction and tone to Paul's letters to the Ephesians or Romans, which were also written from prison. Excerpts from the letter are now canonized as Doctrine and Covenants Sections 121, 122, and 123.

While much of the letter focuses on the trials of the Saints in Missouri, and we often use these verses to talk about our own trials, Joseph Smith also spoke these inspired words in that dingy cell at Liberty Jail: "Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men... 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" (D&C 121:45). Additional promised blessings include exaltation and the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.

That Joseph Smith could preach charity while he was unjustly imprisoned and the Saints were being oppressed, driven from their homes, and killed is a demonstration of divine meekness and the very charity he preached. President Nelson reminded us in his most recent address that we are also expected to be peacemakers even when those around us are hostile.

But what of virtue? Often, virtue is used to refer specifically to chastity or sexual purity, but this is too limited of a definition. When the woman with an issue of blood touched the hem of Christ's garment and He felt virtue gone out of him (Luke 8:46), He wasn't somehow losing chastity.

Virtue simply means strength. It refers to a cadre of characteristics, or virtues, that give a person strength or power as we make them part of who we are. So, chastity, yes, but also gratitude, faith, integrity, discipline, generosity, temperance, kindness, modesty, patience, humility, meekness, and love.

When Christ healed the woman with an issue of blood, He felt power go out of Him.

When Christ taught Joseph Smith that we should include virtue in our thoughts, He is teaching us that there is strength in not only chaste thoughts, but also in grateful thoughts, in patient thoughts, in humble thoughts, and in faithful thoughts.

When we are charitable to others and overlay our thoughts with virtue, or in other words, when we keep our covenant to always remember our Savior, Jesus Christ, God will keep His covenant to give us the Holy Ghost as our constant companion. Through the Holy Ghost, He will teach us all we need to know to receive exaltation and stand with confidence in the presence of God, even if some of those lessons come while we feel like we're in our own metaphorical cell at Liberty Jail.

President Nelson taught, "As we diligently seek to have charity and virtue fill our lives, our confidence in approaching God will increase... Then, as we go to our Heavenly Father with increasing confidence, we will be filled with more joy, and your faith in Jesus Christ will increase. We will begin to experience spiritual power that exceeds our greatest hopes."

Heroic Lessons on Longevity, Truth, and Opposition

Credit: David Green

Recently, I had some time on a long flight to watch a National Geographic series with Chris Hemsworth, the actor known for his role as Thor in the Marvel comic movies. Over six episodes, the on-screen hero completed several extreme challenges in real life that were designed to test his limits and help him learn the key principles for a long and healthy life.

In the first episode, Hemsworth, who is afraid of heights, trained to walk on a crane perched high above a thirty-story building. As he trained, he learned about intentional breathing, positive self-talk, mindfulness and other practices that could help him control his anxiety and overcome his body’s natural stress response. After a rough start on the crane, he was able to use the principles he had practiced to calm his heart rate and even stop to take in the view.

In the following episodes, Hemsworth swam 250 meters in an ice-cold Norwegian sea, fasted for four days, climbed an 100-foot rope dangling from a cable car that was suspended over a large canyon, and navigated two days across an unfamiliar wilderness from memory. Along the way, he learned that exposing our bodies to extreme temperatures, like in a sauna, or something as simple as turning the water to cold for the last thirty seconds of a shower, can encourage our body to upgrade its defenses and power up repair systems in ways that can reduce the risk of disease and add years to our lives.

Fasting on a regular basis can clean out old and damaged cells from our bodies, sharpen our focus, and heighten our senses and perception. When we exercise, every flex of our muscles releases chemicals that prevent buildup of unwanted fat, suppress certain cancers, strengthen our minds against Alzheimer’s and dementia, and stimulate the immune system to work better and longer.

Ditching our cell phones and other screens to navigate to a new place without GPS, spend time in nature or adopt a healthier bedtime routine can build memory, problem-solving, and concentration. It reduces stress, improves sleep, and helps remove toxins from our brains.

Understanding the principles that govern physical longevity can help famous actors, and each of us, make better decisions and live longer and healthier lives. In a similar way, we can enjoy greater peace in our lives, the fruits of greater wisdom, and deeper and more meaningful relationships with God and one another as we learn the principles that govern spiritual, intellectual, and social/emotional health and prosperity. All of these principles are known to our Heavenly Father and can be revealed to us as we seek to learn by study and by faith.

One of the principles that inspired a feeling of gratitude as I watched the show on the plane is that there are absolute, eternal laws that govern the universe and the way the world works. This is to say that true principles are true regardless of how many people believe them or even if no one does.

Elder Andersen has taught, “Caught it today’s confusion, it is no wonder that so many consign themselves to the words spoken 2,500 years ago by Protagoras to the young Socrates: ‘What is true for you,’ he said, ‘is true for you, and what is true for me, is true for me.’”

“Blessed with the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, we humbly declare that there are some things that are completely and absolutely true. These eternal truths are the same for every son and daughter of God” (The Eye of Faith, April 2019).

Because eternal laws govern the universe independent of what you or I understand or believe, I don’t have to know exactly how exercise benefits my body, or perceive its effects working within me, to receive the benefits or blessings of going for a walk. And if I make a habit of going for a walk each day, those seemingly small blessings compound into a significant benefit to my health.

Likewise, we don’t have to understand exactly how prayer works or everything the prophets have taught or every bend along the covenant path to benefit from a sincere prayer, faithfully following the living prophet, and taking the next step in the plan for our salvation. If we make a habit of simple acts of faith, including daily scripture study and prayer, even when we may not perceive their effects in the moment, seemingly small blessings will compound into a firm foundation built upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

Another principle that impressed me as I watched the National Geographic series is the role of opposition in our lives. Lehi taught that “it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things… Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other” (2 Nephi 2:11, 16).

We correctly understand that Lehi meant we would be enticed by righteousness or wickedness, happiness or misery, life or death, law or anarchy, good or bad. Chris Hemsworth faced a similar question in his study of a long and healthy life: would he be enticed to stay where he was comfortable or try to achieve something difficult and uncomfortable that would bless his life?

Popular opinion tells us that we should all aspire to a life of ease and comfort with lots of money and little work. If we can do this on a picturesque tropical island where it is always 72 degrees or sleep in every day or never be inconvenienced along the way, all the better.

Our own bodies would teach us something different. The life of ease, it turns out, clogs our arteries, dulls our decision-making, and makes us more susceptible to disease and death. It is the uncomfortable things—the stress, extreme temperatures, hunger, effort, and unfamiliar terrain—that renew our minds and bodies and develop our capacity to live longer, healthier lives.

In other words, the principle of opposition invites us to be enticed by opposition itself. We should not seek for trouble, but we can welcome opportunities to learn, to serve, to improve, and to be uncomfortable. In the same chapter Lehi taught about opposition, he teaches that “men [and women] are that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25). Joy is not reserved for some heaven or paradise after we die and it does not come from a life without challenges. Rather, joy is a fruit of the spirit for those who are worthy, a consequence of our sacrifice and obedient effort, and natural to the challenging and often uncomfortable process of coming closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Sister Becky Craven asked in 2019, “There is a careful way and a casual way to do everything, including living the gospel. As we consider our commitment to the Savior, are we careful or casual?” Are we enticed by the life of a disciple or another, more casual lifestyle?

Finally, I found both reassurance and warning in the observation that few of the benefits highlighted in the National Geographic series had anything to do with what we have done in the past. Chris Hemsworth got no extra credit for being strong already. The benefits of fasting or the sauna could only be realized in real time as he endured a hunger pang or began to sweat.

Thankfully, we don’t have to take on extreme challenges to learn that there are certain eternal truths that govern our physical, mental, spiritual, and social health and longevity; that we can be enticed by the benefits obtained through the opposition in our lives; and that we benefit more from what we do now than the state of being we have previously obtained. Perhaps then we, like Thor, can choose to run towards our problems and not away from them—because that’s what heroes do.

The Power of the Holy Ghost

John Whitmer and his family were some of the first believers in the restored gospel. John was baptized in June 1829, almost a full year before the church was formally organized. He served as a scribe for Joseph Smith and was called to be one of eight witnesses who saw and handled the plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated. He was an early leader in the church with the faith and confidence of the Lord and his prophet.

When Oliver Cowdery left on a mission in the fall of 1830, John Whitmer was appointed to keep a record and history for the church. Serving as a scribe was one thing; but John hesitated to write an original work. Though he could read and write, John was a farmer, not a writer.

"I would rather not do it," he wrote at the time, but he agreed to accept the assignment if the Lord manifested that it was his will through Joseph the Seer (John Whitmer, History, 1831 - circa 1847," 24). The result is a revelation now canonized as Doctrine and Covenants Section 47.

"Behold," the Lord revealed to his prophet, "it is expedient in me that my servant John should write and keep a regular history, and assist you, my servant Joseph, in transcribing all things which shall be given you... Wherefore, it shall be given him, inasmuch as he is faithful, by the Comforter, to write these things" (D&C 47:1,4).

We often talk about the Holy Ghost, or the Comforter, as a spiritual influence that brings comfort or guides us to do what is right. The impressions of the Holy Ghost are often understood as conscience or an inner voice. In this four-verse revelation to John Whitmer however, we find inference that the Holy Ghost not only comforts and guides but actually delivers power to act as well. It shall be given him... by the Comforter to write these things.

The Holy Ghost is the third member of the godhead with our Heavenly Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. These three, distinct personages are unified in purpose. It is our Heavenly Father's plan. Through the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, power is available for us to be sanctified and redeemed from sin and death. The grace of Christ can also expand our capacity to do good. Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf has taught:

"God pours out blessings of power and strength, enabling us to achieve things that otherwise would be far beyond our reach. It is by God’s amazing grace that His children can overcome the undercurrents and quicksands of the deceiver, rise above sin, and ‘be perfect[ed] in Christ’ (Moroni 10:32)” (“The Gift of Grace,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 108).

The Holy Ghost is a messenger. He relays the words of God to our hearts and minds. The Holy Ghost is also the means whereby we receive both sanctifying and enabling power made available through the grace and Atonement of Jesus Christ.

"Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day" (3 Nephi 27:20, emphasis added).

"Ye are sanctified... [and] justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:11, emphasis added).

"For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies" (D&C 84:33, emphasis added).

"By the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things" (Moroni 10:5, emphasis added).

"And again, verily I say unto you, to some is given, by the Spirit of God, the word of wisdom. To another is given the word of knowledge, that all may be taught to be wise and to have knowledge. And again, to some it is given to have faith to be healed; And to others it is given to have faith to heal. And again, to some is given the working of miracles; And to others it is given to prophesy; and to others the discerning of spirits. And again, it is given to some to speak with tongues; And to another is given the interpretation of tongues. And all these gifts come from God, for the benefit of the children of God" (D&C 46:17-26, emphasis added).

Jesus Christ taught that "the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." He continued, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:26-27).

The Lord's peace is given to us through the power of the Holy Ghost. Paul wrote to the Galatians that "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance" (Galatians 5:22). When the Holy Ghost is present in our lives, as evidenced by these fruits, we can be confident that we are worthy to receive sanctification and enabling power also.

Consider the verses that teach us about the stripling warriors. These two thousand faithful young men went to battle with no experience and were miraculously preserved. In preparing to go to battle, these young men poured out their souls in prayer to God. Then, the record states:

Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him.

And we did take courage with our small force which we had received, and were fixed with a determination to conquer our enemies, and to maintain our lands, and our possessions, and our wives, and our children, and the cause of liberty.

And thus we did go forth with our might against the Lamanites (Alma 58:11-13, emphasis added).

In addition to spiritual comfort and guidance, or as a result of it, the Lord delivered the extraordinary physical strength and mental focus these young men needed. through the Holy Ghost. After quoting the verses as emphasized above, Elder David A. Bednar taught, "Assurance, personal peace, faith, and hope initially might not seem like the blessings warriors in battle might want, but they were precisely the blessings these valiant young men needed to press forward and prevail physically and spiritually" (Power to Become, p. 43).

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear," Paul wrote to Timothy, "but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). God desires to give us greater blessings through the power of the Holy Ghost. Like John Whitmer, these blessings are conditioned on our faithfulness. When righteous action leads us to repent and to become pure through a remission of our sins, we can enjoy the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost with all of the the sanctification, peace, strength and power available through the grace and Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Perhaps this is why the sacrament prayers don't ask specifically for the forgiveness of sin or the power to move mountains, but rather "that [we] may have his Spirit to be with [us]" (D&C 20:79).

The Lord kept his promise to John Whitmer. Within a few months of his call to write, John was involved with publishing Joseph Smith's revelations, a hymnal, a Church newspaper and other works. He kept a history of the church through 1838. Modern historians largely agree that John Whitmer's history, "illuminates many important concerns of the early church, including property issues, church discipline," the New Jerusalem, "the treatment of dissidents, and the establishment of a priesthood leadership hierarchy." The history is, "particularly significant for the revelations, petitions, and letters that form a large part of his history" (Revelations in Context, 2016).

Though he perhaps felt inadequate at first, John Whitmer's obedience continues to bless the Church . In recent years, the Saints narrative history series and other works have been released based on the writings of a faithful New York farmer. Though they were young and inexperienced, the Lord answered the prayers of the stripling warriors and gave them the assurance, the courage and the strength they needed to be delivered from their enemies.

The Lord will keep his promise to us, also.

If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (John 14:15-17, 27).

Nourished This Long Time

The allegory of the tame and wild olive trees in Jacob 5 has taught me many lessons. One of those has to do with our circumstances.

In the allegory, the master of the vineyard has a prized olive tree that begins to be old and decay. In order to preserve the tree, he and his servants nourish and prune it. They graft on branches from other trees and take branches that are grafted in various places around the vineyard. Eventually, the branches that were taken away are returned and the tree is able to produce good fruit.

At one point in the allegory, the servant asks his master why he took one of the natural branches of the tree to a particular spot in the vineyard. The Master's response is instructive to us all.

And it came to pass that the servant said unto his master: How comest thou hither to plant this tree, or this branch of the tree? For behold, it was the poorest spot in all the land of thy vineyard. And the Lord of the vineyard said unto him: Counsel me not; I knew that it was a poor spot of ground; wherefore, I said unto thee, I have nourished it this long time, and thou beholdest that it hath brought forth much fruit (Jacob 5:21-22, emphasis added).

Sometimes we feel like we have been planted in a poor spot of ground. Our circumstances may feel overwhelming or seem impossible to overcome. The Lord is aware of each of us and our circumstances. Through this parable, the Lord teaches us that he diligently nourishes especially those who are in a bad spot. His goal is often to strengthen us in those circumstances rather than removing us from them.

Prior to sharing this allegory, the prophet Jacob taught that "the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power" (Jacob 4:7). The Lord is there to support us at every age and to turn our trauma and struggles and difficult circumstances to our advantage and great benefit.

This message is repeated often in the scriptures. The sons of Mosiah didn't have much experience being the good guys when they left home to teach a people that were as likely to kill them as to listen to them. To the contrary, the sons of Mosiah had rebelled against God and sought to destroy the church for many years before their conversion. With their change of heart also came a desire to share their faith with those who did not believe.

As recent converts headed to the mission field, the sons of Mosiah "had many afflictions" and "did suffer much, both in body and in mind, such as hunger, thirst and fatigue, and also much labor in the spirit" (Alma 17:5). It would have been easy in those moments to feel like they did not measure up spiritually, like maybe they should turn around and go back to their life as princes among their people, or that perhaps they could not really be successful.

And it came to pass that they journeyed many days in the wilderness, and they fasted much and prayed much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring, if it were possible, their brethren, the Lamanites, to the knowledge of the truth...

And it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his Spirit, and said unto them: Be comforted. And they were comforted. And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls (Alma 17:9-11).

There were a lot more hard days after that. They were persecuted and cast in prison. On more than one occasion, the Lamanites did try to kill them. Yet, at the end of a fourteen-year mission in a hostile foreign nation, Ammon rejoiced.

My brothers and my brethren, behold I say unto you, how great reason have we to rejoice; for could we have supposed when we started from the land of Zarahemla that God would have granted unto us such great blessings?... And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work. Behold, thousands of them do rejoice, and have been brought into the fold of God (Alma 26:1, 3-4).

He continued:

I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God. Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever (Alma 26:11-12).

Not many years later, the prophet-general Helaman found his army in a precarious situation. His armies were outnumbered by a well-supplied force that attacked them daily. Unable to fight or retreat, Helaman's army held their position until they had nearly starved to death. When reinforcements finally came, they were only a small fraction of what would be needed to be victorious and the provisions they brought were insufficient for the number of men in the camp. Helaman's army was embarrassed, grieving and afraid.

Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, yea, and also give us strength that we might retain our cities, and our lands, and our possessions, for the support of our people. Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause that we should hope for our deliverance in him (Alma 58:10-11).

Their prayers eventually led to a strategic retreat, a surprise attack and an unlikely victory without the loss of a single soldier. Helaman wrote afterward that their supplies and reinforcements were still inadequate, "but, behold, it mattereth not-- we trust God will deliver us, notwithstanding the weakness of our armies, yea, and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies" (Alma 58:37).

In each case, circumstance stacked the odds against the faithful. The novice sons of Mosiah were not the experienced clergy one might expect could convert the hardened Lamanites; nor were the armies of Helaman sufficient to defeat their enemies in battle. Success came not because their circumstances suddenly changed, but because the Lord nourished them this long time. He prepared them to have faith despite their trials and gave them strength through His grace to prevail in the critical moments.

Whatever our circumstances, the Lord is providing nourishment to strengthen us now and prepare us for what lies ahead. Sometimes that strength comes in ways we do not expect or enjoy. The Apostle Paul taught about one way the Lord taught him the humility and patience he needed for his life:

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh... For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

As I look back over the course of my life, I can see the multitude of methods the Lord has used to nourish me and help me grow in times of good and bad. I am grateful for the youth leaders who gave of their time to build my testimony and the embarrassing acne inversa that taught me compassion for others. I can see how struggling as an undergraduate student helped me learn how to do well as a graduate student; how a difficult home life as a youth has helped me be a better parent; how the Lord taught me leadership skills for the workplace through my church assignments; and how much I needed to wait for certain blessings.

Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, our circumstances don't have to limit our outlook. Though we may feel like we have been planted in a poor spot of ground, we need not counsel the Lord. He has a plan for me and for you and his view of success is grander than our own. He will nourish us throughout our lives, if we will accept it. His grace is sufficient for those who turn to Him.

The Strength of Unity

Prepared as a Sacrament Meeting talk and given on July 15, 2018

Last summer included one of the unique experiences of my life. While the Detwiler Fire was becoming the largest wildfire in our county’s history—burning more than 80,000 acres and taking 74 homes-- I was stationed in the Emergency Operations Center. The Emergency Operations Center does everything except respond to a disaster. This is where a limited number of staff are making sure firefighters are fed, disabled residents are getting help to evacuate and recovery efforts are underway from the first day. It is a government operation, so you have to expect a few acronyms are involved—we call it the EOC for short.

A couple of things made working in the EOC a unique experience. First, normal organizational hierarchy is suspended. There are no bosses or subordinates in a traditional sense and it doesn’t matter what you do in your day job or where you normally do it. There’s no time for drama or office politics. Each person has an assignment and everyone depends on everyone else to get the job done.

Normal organizational rules are also suspended. For two weeks, it didn’t take committee deliberations and public meetings to make a decision. I didn’t receive a single request to meet with a union before work could continue. The EOC is authorized to do what needs to be done. Fortunately or unfortunately, doing what needs to be done also tends to include very long hours without many opportunities to take a break or slow the pace. In fact, one of the assignments is for someone to get food for the rest of the EOC staff so they can keep working.

Now, perhaps some of you are thinking that casual relationships and loose rules are no way to run an operation. And much of the time, I might agree with you. But I also observed some behavior that taught me a great deal about the principle I’ve been asked to discuss today. I’ll share three quick anecdotes.

On the morning of the second day, it was becoming clear that we would need more staff in the EOC to support the more than 5,000 firefighters that had arrived or were on their way. I texted the department directors and asked for five volunteer clerical staff to work 12-hour shifts in the EOC with no mention of overtime. In less than five minutes, I had seven volunteers on the way.

A few days into the fire, I noticed that one of the department directors assigned to the EOC was smiling more than usual. When I asked about it later, I was told that they had been so bogged down with administrative duties that they felt like they had almost forgotten why they entered public service in the first place. Though a tragic event, the opportunity to directly serve the people of our county was rekindling all of the positive feelings that drove them to public service in the first place. They felt privileged to be doing something that would make a positive difference for their community.

Shortly after we returned to normal operations, one of the EOC staff who responded that second day related to me what a positive experience they had. They told me that working for the County had always just been a job before, but now they wanted to make a career in public service. This employee enrolled in an online bachelor’s program shortly thereafter and is already making plans for a master’s degree when that is done.

These experiences, and dozens more like them, left me with a question. What is it about two weeks of casual work relationships and loose rules that makes seven people drop everything, an accomplished director love their job again and an already stellar employee recognize there’s even more they could be doing? A year later, almost to the day, why is the EOC still the most mentioned positive experience when I ask my team about their work?

As I’ve asked these questions, many of those that participated in that EOC echo the words of one of our Founding Fathers, Thomas Paine, who wrote that it is “not in numbers but in unity that our great strength lies.”

In the days of the prophet Enoch, the city of Zion was unbeatable. The scriptures record that “so great was the faith of Enoch” that he used earthquakes, moved rivers and mountains and called lions out of the wilderness to fight their battles for them. The enemies of Zion, including the giants upon the land in those days, were so intimidated by the strength and glory of Zion that they scrambled away to a newly-formed island where they hoped they would be safe.

And how does the Lord describe the people of Zion? As ferocious? Of superior education or training regimen, perhaps? Or as a peaceful, giving and united people? “And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them… and lo, Zion, in process of time, was taken up into heaven. And the Lord said unto Enoch: Behold mine abode forever” (Moses 7:18, 21).

The Lord wants each of us to enjoy great strength and so he commands that we be One in at least four different ways: one with ourselves, one with our spouses, one with Him, and one with our fellow Saints. Each of these is important for our salvation.

First, we must be one with ourselves. The people of Enoch were “of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness.” The Lord has warned that we “cannot serve God and mammon” and that he spews out the lukewarm because it is neither hot nor cold.

I recently read an interview of Wendell Berry, who is a farmer, poet, novelist and a sort of philosopher of the land. He was asked in the interview if farming was more of an art or a science. He replied, “To farm you have to know, which is science, and you have to do, which is art. In practice,” he continued, “it is impossible to draw a straight or firm line between knowing and doing. When this line is drawn… it is at best tentative and suppositional, at worst false.”

None of us would imagine that we could stop watering or weeding our gardens and get the same results. It seems too obvious to say that we cannot enjoy the fruits of our labor, literal or metaphorical, if we skip planting or harvesting. We understand quite clearly that what we know and what we do must be in sync for our garden to be successful. Yet, somehow, we don’t always seem to understand that it is the same with what we know is right and how we live our lives. Life, like farming, is a good deal of art and a good deal of science with no clear lines between the two.

The polarity and union of knowing and doing shapes our lives and our challenges. For example, sometimes we get comfortable coming to church and listening to those who have been assigned to teach us for the day. We come to expect inspiring messages and maybe a list of what we should know or what we can do; but reading a list about what we can do is not doing, so when we approach our church meetings in this way we relegate ourselves to passivity. We can come to church every week and still be little more than observers—and we can learn very little this way.

The opposite of passive observance is active participation. What the observer appreciates as valuable concepts and ideas, the participant understands as a call to action. The Lord has designed his Church as a place of activity: we sing the hymns together as “songs of the heart” (D&C 25:12), we “teach one another words of wisdom” (D&C 88:118), we volunteer for assignments and magnify the callings we are asked to perform. On occasion we have a reason to practice forgiving someone who has offended us or serving someone who needs our help. Approaching our time in church as a time of giving, rather than receiving only, not only increases our learning, but it also affects our integrity.

Integrity is “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles,” but the second definition is “the state of being whole or undivided” including “the condition of being unified, unimpaired, or sound in construction”. We are whole or undivided with ourselves when there is high fidelity between the person we know we should be and the person that we are because our knowledge of what we should be doing is consistent with what we do—or, in other words, when we are honest with others and ourselves about who we really are.

Interestingly, this is similar to a definition of the word, “perfect,” which is to be “complete, finished, or fully developed.” I submit that one way we can heed the Lord’s call to “be ye therefore perfect” (Matt. 5:48) is to be true to the person we really are, a son or daughter of the Most High God with courage to do the things we know we should. Because we cannot really give what is not real, personal integrity, or what we might also call “strength of character” or “unity of self” is prerequisite to dedication to the Lord, fidelity to our spouse and unity with others.

Next, unity with our spouse. In Matthew 19, the Pharisees attempt to trick the Savior into verbal support for no-fault divorce. “Is it lawful,” they asked, “for a man to put away his wife for every cause?” (v. 3)

Jesus answered, “Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (v. 4-6).

The unity of a married couple is recognized in our temporal law as well. When my wife and I were married, she had recently graduated from BYU. She had a full-time job teaching at a nearby elementary school, a newer car, a rented duplex and no school debts. I, on the other hand, was just starting my sophomore year of college. I had no car, I was sleeping on a buddy’s couch and since I didn’t have a fancy scholarship I had already racked up over $10,000 in student loans.

On the day we were married, we were no longer separate individuals in the eyes of the law. We became one unit: a single family. I was now the proud owner of a little white Hyundai; and with my name, My wife also received responsibility for my school loans. This is another reason why you should always date people who are smarter than you.

The same thing happens to us on the day we step into the waters of baptism. When we are baptized, we covenant with the Lord that we will always be willing to keep his commandments, remember him and take his name upon us. We take his name upon ourselves as a bride takes the name of her groom. So long as we keep that covenant, the laws of eternity recognize we who have sinned as a single entity with our Savior, who died and rose again the third day as a part of His infinite and eternal atonement. Through our baptismal covenant and the boundless grace of God, our debt of sin can be wiped out by the wealth of his grace. Each of us can be declared perfect as a consequence of our unity with our perfect Savior, making us joint-heirs with Christ of all the Father has (Romans 8:17).

Finally, the Lord commands us to be one with each other. This, of course, makes perfect sense in light of the unity introduced by the baptismal covenant. If I am bound to Christ by virtue of my baptismal covenant and you are as well by yours, then you and I are bound to each other. As Paul wrote to the Ephesians, when we are baptized we are “no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19).

In the household of God, we are charged with being of one heart and one mind, dwelling in righteousness with no poor among us. We teach each other the peaceable things of the kingdom and pray to know the Lord’s will individually and collectively. A slight against another is a slight against ourselves, particularly if our offense breaks the covenant we have made. We may choose to cut ourselves off, but we cannot choose who else is in the household of God.

Likewise, service to one another is only service to our God. Such service is for our own benefit and has a multiplier effect as those we serve are strengthened, our capacity grows and the household is enhanced more than the sum of the two. No wonder the Lord would ask us now to improve our efforts to minister to one another.

Each of us brings our own gifts to the household of God. The Lord taught Joseph Smith that these gifts “are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do… And again, verily I say unto you, I would that ye should always remember, and always retain in your minds what those gifts are, that are given unto the church. For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God. To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby” (D&C 46:9-12).

Unity in each of these covenant relationships—with ourselves, with our spouse, with God and with each other—are of the upmost importance to the Lord. Each of the ten commandments address these relationships. The third commandment, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain,” refers not only to our language, but also prohibits wasting or abandoning the strength that comes through the baptismal covenant, for example.

In many respects, a life in the household of God is a lot like what I experienced in the EOC. The staff of the EOC was unified and motivated by an urgent need to help our community; the household of God is united by the urgent need to save all mankind. Worldly status is irrelevant here—we are all equal in the sight of God. Worldly excuses are also of no use here—none of us are too old or too inadequate or too busy-- each of us has gifts that are given for the benefit of all.

When we live with integrity, being true to our real and divine identities, we will recognize that this is the greatest cause there ever was. We will prioritize service to others and be willing to drop everything to help them. Our service will bring us joy and help us smile a little more even in the worst of times. And we will undoubtedly find that there is more we can be doing, more purpose for our lives and more blessings available to us than we are currently experiencing.

Withdrawing to the Wilderness

Sometimes after a busy day there's nothing better than sitting on the couch watching your favorite television show. Taking a few minutes to relax can take our minds off of the things that are causing our stress and rejuvenate our strength so we can finish out the day. But then sometimes we finish a television show with the same lingering feeling we might have when we just got home from vacation and realize we really need a vacation. So, of course, we watch another unsatisfying episode and another until we're so exhausted we can't help but fall asleep.

The average American watches about five hours of television per day. If we count the media we consume on tablets and phones, that number spikes to 10 hours and 39 minutes of screen time each and every day (The Total Audience Report: Q1 2016, Nielsen Media, 2016). We might have different reasons for being so plugged in, but most of us would agree that at least one primary reason is to "recharge our batteries," so to speak.

Yet, if any of us had a cell phone or tablet that needed a ten-and-a-half hour charge-- plus seven hours in sleep mode-- to function the other six hours of the day, we would likely think it was time for a new device. Most of our ancestors farmed the land from dawn until dusk, a job that required roughly 10-14 hours of hard labor per day. So what's wrong with us that we can barely put together six and a half nonconsecutive hours of work before we need to "recharge our batteries" for the rest of the day?

Perhaps the problem for at least some of us is that we're plugging our batteries into the wrong outlet. Each of us is a spirit child of our Heavenly Father. We chose to come to this earth to obtain physical bodies and become more like Him. Our bodies can become tired and fatigued, but so can our spirits. Responding to physical and spiritual fatigue with the same treatment of television and vacations is like grabbing a sandwich every time you get thirsty-- it might quell your hunger but you'll still be thirsty (and you're probably gaining some weight, too).

Most of us know what to do when our bodies our tired, but we're less sure how to plug in the ol' spiritual batteries. We can learn how to rejuvenate our spirits by carefully observing the example of our Savior, Jesus Christ, during his ministry.

Time isn't very carefully delineated in the New Testament, but it's clear that Christ had some very busy days. In Luke chapter five, for example, Christ recruited Peter, James and John; traveled several miles on foot to a certain city where he healed a man with leprosy; taught and possibly healed some Pharisees; healed a paralyzed man who had been lowered through the roof and forgave him of his sins; explained why he spent his time with sinners; called Matthew the publican to follow him; answered some questions about fasting and authored a new parable about putting new wine in new bottles. Whether all of this happened in a single day or over a few days, the text makes it clear that Christ was almost constantly thronged with people as he went about teaching, healing and ministering to them.

It must have been exhausting for the Savior to keep up this routine day after day after day. He was still mortal, after all, and subject to the same fatigue and burnout that we all experience when we work long hours. If he could feel the virtue leaving him as he healed the woman that touched his garment, how did he avoid feeling like he had an empty tank with nothing more to give?

We get a clue about halfway through the chapter. As Christ was teaching a crowd that included a number of Scribes and Pharisees, Luke reports, almost in passing, that "the power of the Lord was present to heal them" (v. 17). Taken alone, this statement may seem ordinary or even a little obvious. Luke could have made this statement at pretty much any time, but he only said it here. His statement builds upon the prior verse where Christ, "withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed" (v. 16).

There is a similar pattern throughout the scriptures and the ministry of Christ. Moses had to withdraw himself from the Israelites to talk with the Lord and receive the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. Elijah was told to withdraw himself onto a mountain where he experienced the Lord's power and heard His voice. The spirit led Christ into the wilderness to be with God and prepare for his ministry (JST Matthew 4:1); he emerged triumphant over the devil and his temptations. The word of God came to John the Baptist in the wilderness and Christ went to John the Baptist to be baptized (Luke 3:2, 21). Christ went to a mountain in the wilderness to pray and then walked across the water to his disciples' boat. Peter, James and John climbed a mountain in the wilderness before witnessing Christ's transfiguration and receiving priesthood keys from Moses and Elias (Matthew 17). There are many more examples like these.

In every instance throughout scripture, the person goes into the wilderness with a stressor that is, to stay with our analogy, draining their batteries. It may be a particular question or a more general spiritual fatigue. In the wilderness they talk with God and have a spiritual experience that shows them God's power and teaches them more about His plan for us. The pattern concludes with emergence from the wilderness with a resolution to their stressor and an increased spiritual capacity that enables them to do great things they would not have otherwise been able to do.

Each of us can experience spiritual rejuvenation as we live the pattern found in scripture. We withdraw into the metaphorical wilderness when we separate ourselves from the world to seek after the things of God. This might be a few quiet moments in the scriptures or on our knees in prayer. It could be attending the temple and feeling the spirit of the Lord in His holy house. Certainly it includes when we seek to enter divine covenants such as baptism or marriage.

As we seek to know God, He will teach us through his spirit. We will learn the things that we should do and be endowed with the power to do all that He has commanded. It isn't uncommon to find that, bit by bit and grace for grace, the Lord has not only recharged our spiritual batteries but upgraded their capacity as well.

Then, just as an hour on the couch can give us a second wind, we will emerge from our experience with the spiritual strength to address the challenges and stressors we all have in our lives. We will have the knowledge and strength to do great things that we hadn't previously imagined we could.

Withdrawing from the world to recharge our spiritual batteries admittedly takes a little more effort than sitting on the couch to recharge physically, but if we will plug in to the right source we can find the strength and satisfaction we seek. No binge watching necessary.

Sequoiadendron Giganteum

High in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California is an organism unlike any other in the world. At well over 200 feet tall and sometimes more than 35 feet wide, the Sequoiadendron Giganteum, better known as Giant Sequoia trees, are the largest living things on earth.

They're also one of the oldest. Some of the Giant Sequoias standing today have held their ground for more than 3,500 years. They have tasted of the same winds that filled the sails of fishing boats during China's first dynasty. Perhaps they heard when Babylon fell, the singing of the Israelites being led out of Egypt, or the clanging of swords and shields as the Jaredites battled to their own extinction. Only the Bristlecone Pines of the Great Basin and Chile's Alerce trees have lived longer.

Over last three millennia, while Sequoias have stood tall, literally hundreds of forests have been eliminated due to fires, insects, droughts and other natural phenomenon. Others have been cut down to build homes, weapons, canoes and books. Some forests have regrown; some have struggled because of poor soil quality, harsh environmental conditions, or the prevalence of nut-eating animals that devoured their potential before it ever had a chance to take root. Surely Sequoias are among the luckiest species on earth to have avoided all of that.

Except, of course, that Sequoias haven't avoided those things at all. Sequoia trees grow at high elevations where life-sustaining air and water are both in short supply. Their trunks are so large and so soft (you can punch them without hurting your hand) that it is physically impossible for the trees to push sufficient water from the roots to the branches basking in the sun high above the ground. As they grow, Sequoias provide shade for other plants that soon begin to crowd the trees and suffocate their roots. Worst of all are the disasters.

In the mountains of central California, it is not uncommon for naturally occurring fires to burn hundreds of thousands of acres on an annual basis. Drought conditions can persist for several years and every twenty years or so there will be a winter with no snow at all. When most trees don't have enough moisture to produce sap, the insects invade and wipe them out. All of these and more-- like the earthquakes for which California has become infamous-- happen regularly in and around the groves of Sequoia trees. Really, Sequoias are set up for miserable failure. So how are they still here? How have they endured when nothing else has?

One meaningful way we can answer those questions is by looking for true principles in a similar situation set in a different environment. This will help us discern eternal truths from circumstantial evidence.

After the Saints were driven from Jackson County, Missouri, in 1833, the Lord commanded the Prophet Joseph Smith to lead a group of men from Ohio to help their fellow church members. Roughly 200 men were gathered for what many at that time thought would be a military mission to reclaim property and push back against the mobs that were persecuting the Saints. The group, originally known as the Camp of Israel but better known today as Zion's Camp, was entirely self-funded with some members consecrating as much as $170 (valued at more than $5,000 today), at a time when most Americans made less than a dollar a day. It would also prove to be an extremely difficult and soul-searching experience for its participants, who would walk as much as 40 miles each day through dehydration, hunger, sickness, humidity and heat.

Ultimately, the Lord would disband Zion's Camp before it had fought a single battle. Some of the men were angry at this outcome and apostatized from the church. Others were disappointed or supposed the camp to have been a miserable failure. Joseph Smith, who had contracted cholera and suffered a great deal himself while marching from Ohio to Missouri, would later explain to the Saints, "God did not want you to fight. He could not organize his kingdom with twelve men to open the gospel door to the nations of the earth, and with seventy men under their direction to follow in their tracks, unless he took them from a body of men who had offered their lives, and who had made as great a sacrifice as did Abraham" (History of the Church, 2:182n). Through incredible opposition, the Lord unlocked even greater potential.

The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the First Quorum of Seventy were founded in February 1835. Nine of the original Twelve and all members of the Seventy had marched with Zion's Camp. These men would go on to baptize thousands. They would organize the wagon trains across the plains and establish communities throughout the mountain west. In short order, and with faith in the Lord's blessings, they would make the desert blossom as a rose and build both the temporal assets and spiritual legacy that are a great strength to the Church even today.

The prophet Lehi taught that "it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, ... righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad" (2 Nephi 2:11; see also verse 15). This was true even in our pre-mortal existence, when Lucifer sought to destroy the Father's plan and capture His glory. Cast out of heaven, Lucifer and his followers roam the earth tempting and seeking to deceive those who were loyal to God. Yet, as Elder Oaks has pointed out, "that the evil one, who opposed and sought to destroy the Father's plan, actually facilitated it, because it is the opposition that enables choice... that leads to the growth that is the purpose of the Father's plan" (Opposition in All Things, April 2016).

Sequoia trees are no different: their adversity is their strength. Their height protects their cones from many of that animals that would use their cones for food and ensures the trees get the sunlight they need. Their soft trunks, useless to mankind for wood, store moisture and are naturally fire-resistant. Though insects may penetrate their bark, Sequoias are not dependent on their trunks to push water to the rest of the tree. The grace of an occasional fog provides moisture to the branches, preventing the trees from dying, and allows the tree to grow back where insects may have burrowed.

Then, every so often, the stress of drought and crowding underbrush reaches fever pitch and a bolt of lightning sets the forest on fire. What would be the end of most trees is a glorious beginning for the deep-rooted Sequoias as the fire's heat begins to expand the otherwise tightly sealed Sequoia cones. As the cones are opened, each tree releases up to 400,000 winged seeds onto the freshly fertilized ground below. Because the trees are so tall, seeds can float hundreds of feet away to find an open patch of ground. Through incredible opposition, even greater potential is unlocked.

As seeds turn into seedlings and seedlings turn into trees, Sequoias create an additional barrier around their groves. Where there are Sequoia trees, it will be difficult for other trees to grow; and where few other trees grow, fatal forest fires are reduced to brush fires that cause temporary pain and scarring but also fertilize the ground so the Giant Sequoias can grow stronger and establish a generation to last another three thousand years.

One thing that distinguishes us all from Sequoia trees is ability to choose. Sequoia trees are what they were created to be and they fulfill their role in God's plan. Each of us has been created as child of God with a divine and glorious potential. Our role is to learn to be like our Heavenly Father through faith in Christ and his Atonement, repentance, making and keeping covenants, relying on the Holy Ghost and enduring all things; but unlike Sequoia trees, we are allowed to choose whether the opposition inherent to this life will unlock our potential or weaken our ability to resist the dangerous fires of worldly philosophies and temptations. We can plant the seed of our testimony on fertile ground and become the faithful builders of an eternal Zion; or we can harden our hearts and become like the destructive apostates that are swept away when times get tough.

We get to choose what kind of a tree we will be in the forest of God's creations, but the choice we make will determine our destiny. If we will choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, using opposition to build the strength of our faith rather than deplete it, offering all we have and are as Abraham did, the Lord will send us his tender mercies as the fog to strengthen us now and expand our souls until they are more glorious than even the Giant Sequoias.

Nazis, Rats and a More Excellent Hope

I've often heard the fable of a frog in a pot of water. The story claims that a frog put into a pot of boiling water will immediately jump out while a frog in a pot of cold water that is gradually heated will eventually boil to death. It's a bit of a cruel tale (and completely untrue; the frog will get uncomfortable as the pot heats and try to jump out) but it's very useful in reminding us that the small things we tolerate today could cook our goose, or frog as the case may be, down the road.

In 1957, a psychologist conducted a real, equally cruel experiment on rats. He put one group of rats in containers of water from which they could not escape. On average he found that these rats would stop swimming, drown and die within about 15 minutes. A second group of rats were put into similar containers of water but were rescued when they stopped swimming and given time to recover. When this group was put back into the water, they astounded the researchers by swimming for an average of three days. The hope of being rescued provided motivation and strength even beyond the fear of death.

The results of this study immediately turned my thoughts to a talk Bishop Richard C. Edgely gave at a BYU devotional in 2008. He spoke of a  Jewish coworker he once had who had survived a Nazi concentration camp. On one occasion, this coworker shared some of his experiences with Bishop Edgely. When he concluded, he asked, 'Do you know what the most powerful force in the world is?' After Bishop Edgley proposed love to be that force, his Jewish coworker replied, 'No, it is not love. All those years I was in the concentration camp, I had love. I had love for my mother, father and sister. I had love for my grandmother. But that love did not sustain me. It did not keep me alive.'

After a moment the coworker answered his own question. 'Hope,' he said. 'Hope is the most powerful force. It was hope that kept me alive. It was hope that I would survive. It was hope for freedom. It was hope that I would someday be reunited with my loved ones.'

Hope is the reward we all seek, the proverbial light at the end of whatever dark tunnel may be limiting our perspective. More than passive wishing, hope is a powerful and active force. It is the new vigor we feel when we can see the top of the mountain at the end of a long hike. Hope provides a solid foundation for our faith amid the flurry of doubt and excuses all around us; it is the root of happiness and joy.

The trouble for most of us is that we're usually not at the shallow end of the tunnel or approaching the summit of the mountainous journeys we face in life. The percentage of our lives we spend on starting new adventures is equally brief. Most of our time is spent somewhere in the middle. Somewhere where the summit is not yet in sight, where our packs are feeling heavy and where our muscles may be beginning to strain and ache.

It is for this part of our journey that hope is so important. Real, substantive hope is the ability to see what can't yet be seen and know what can't yet be known. It is seeing the light at the end of the tunnel in our mind's eye and knowing that we'll get there because we're driving in the right direction. It is visualizing the majestic view that waits at the top of the mountain and knowing that we'll experience it because we're prepared for the hike below and working toward our goal.

Paul related hope to the farmers of Corinth when he taught, 'he that ploweth should plow in hope' (1 Corinthians 9:10). Farmers don't plow their fields on a fleeting wish for a full harvest, but on the robust hope that if they do what is necessary to care for the plants they'll reap what they have sewn. They see the fields of grain before the first seed is in the ground; then they get to work until the last granule is harvested.

More important than hoping for fields of grain or mountain views is a more excellent hope in Christ. President Uchtdorf taught:

Hope is a gift of the Spirit. It is a hope that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the power of His Resurrection, we shall be raised unto life eternal and this because of our faith in the Savior. This kind of hope is both a principle of promise as well as a commandment, and, as with all commandments, we have the responsibility to make it an active part of our lives and overcome the temptation to lose hope. Hope in our Heavenly Father's merciful plan of happiness leads to peace, mercy, rejoicing, and gladness. The hope of salvation is like a protective helmet; it is the foundation of our faith and an anchor to our souls.

When we have hope in Christ we can see ourselves in the celestial kingdom of God and know that we will be there because we are repenting and striving to become better through the Atonement of Christ each day. We can see our families united together and know that we will be together forever because of temple covenants that have or will be made and kept. We will see our bodies raised immortal and know as Job that it will be so because of the witness we carry in our hearts of the reality of the resurrection of our Savior.

It is this kind of hope--hope of salvation--that anchors our souls and delivers life-sustaining motivation and strength to our minds and hearts. Each of us carries some of this hope with us, but our habits and choices reinforce or diminish our hope day by day, minute by minute, thought by thought.

Which brings us back to rats and frogs. It is useful to note that the rats that swam for days and days could not see their rescuers. They had no more evidence of rescue to support their hope than the rats that drown; only a brief encounter with a curious scientist that taught them what was possible.

Like them, each of us are dependent upon our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, in their mercy, to catch us when we begin to sink (Matthew 14:29-31, see also Mosiah 27). More than curious scientists, they are our father and our brother, they love us, they are watching over us, and they very much want for us to both grow and succeed. At times, trial and temptation may swirl around us and it may seem that we'll never reach the summit of our lives. We must have the hope to keep swimming, to keep walking and to keep striving, even when it seems impossible or defies all worldly logic. If we do so, we have the unbreakable promise of our God and our Creator that He will calm the storm and pull us into the boat before we drown. He will save us:

For ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save. 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 31:19-20).

Pray for Love

God Will Lift Us Up

Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart I have written my law, fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.

For moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool. But my righteousness shall be forever, and my salvation from generation to generation.

I am he; yea, I am he that comforteth you. Behold, who art thou, that thou shouldst be afraid of man? And forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth?

Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with signing into Zion; and everlasting joy and holiness shall be upon their heads; and they shall obtain gladness and joy; sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

2 Nephi 8:7-8, 12, 11; see also Isaiah 51

Moments That Matter Most

We would do well to slow down a little... focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most... Strength comes not from frantic activity but from being settled on a firm foundation of truth and light. It comes from paying attention to the divine things that matter most... Diligently doing the things that matter most will lead us to the Savior of the world.

~President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Strength Unto Deliverance

We all need deliverance from something. Whether it be an overwhelming day, the pain of injury or disease or the burden of sin, "all mankind [are] in a lost and in a fallen state" in need of deliverance (1 Nephi 10:6).

While deliverance will come in and through the atonement of Jesus Christ, we have a vital role in our own salvation. It is sometimes said that "God helps those that helps themselves". That phrase isn't scriptural, but those who make the greatest progress are those who accept the help available through the atonement and get to work.

The Red Sea wasn't parted for the children of Israel, for example. Rather, the Lord made help available and required Moses to use his staff to part the sea. Moses had to choose to act to be delivered from the armies of Pharaoh.

When Alma Sr. and his group of followers were taken captive, the Lord heard the prayers of the people and made their burdens light. Alma's people were given strength to endure. At length, the Lord provided an opportunity for the people to be delivered. Without action, the deep sleep of the Lamanite guards would have only created a small pause from tribulation. Alma and his people were prepared for the opportunity the Lord gave them, and were delivered from bondage through swift obedience (action).

Understanding this principle, Alma Jr. and his recently reactivated missionary companion, Amulek, provide us with a model for obtaining deliverance. Bound in prison, having just witnessed the massacre of all the Christians in Ammonihah, these missionaries endured all kinds of abuse with great patience. Alma's prayer was that the Lord would, "give us strength according to our faith in Christ, even unto deliverance" (Alma 14:26).

When Alma concluded his prayer, he and his companion were able to break the cords that bound them and emerge from a prison that had been shaken by the power of God and collapsed, killing their abusers. The narrator of the story, Mormon, explained: "Alma and Amulek came forth out of the prison, and they were not hurt; for the Lord had granted unto them power, according to their faith which was in Christ" (Alma 14:28).

Whatever our burden, we can be delivered like Alma and Amulek. If we will but endure a little while, preparing to act when the Lord gives us power to do so, we can be delivered from sin, death, sorrow and tribulation of every kind. With faith in Christ, we can choose to act rather than being acted upon. Through our action, we can choose deliverance.