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).

Who Told You?

After Adam and Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit, our Heavenly Father visited them in the Garden of Eden. Upon hearing that Adam hid himself because he was naked, God asks, "Who told thee that thou wast naked?" (see Moses 4:12-17)

Adam had transgressed the law and so may have been reminded by this question of his unauthorized actions. The Lord chastises those whom He loves.  Yet, God's inquiry was surely not about catching Adam as much as it was about teaching him. Adam had transgressed because he allowed others-- Eve in some accounts or Lucifer directly in others-- to persuade him to believe and act in a way that violated the commandment he had been given. God's question invited Adam to look to the sources of his beliefs and actions to determine their truth and worthiness.

Virtually every scriptural account is a story of individuals choosing which sources to believe and act upon. Despite Joseph's loyal service, Potipher chose to listen to the lies of his adulterous wife and threw Joseph into prison. Years later, the king of Egypt chose instead to listen to Joseph and so saved his entire nation from a seven-year drought.

Herod's soldiers, Jews that knew God had commanded thou shalt not kill, listened instead to the voice of their political leader and boss when they killed all of the infants and toddlers in and around Bethlehem at the sign of Christ's birth. At the same time, Joseph and Mary fled with their newborn to Egypt despite no evidence of any pending danger because Joseph listened to the voice of God's messenger in a dream.They left all they knew, all that their society would have considered normal, because they recognized the source of a single dream.

Lehi explained that '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 one or the other' (2 Nephi 2:16). These enticings come in every aspect of our lives as we choose which sources we will allow to influence our beliefs and actions. They may affect the language we use, how many children we have, what media we choose to consume, our political views, the food we eat, how we manage resources like time and money, and thousands of other choices we will make in our lives.

With each decision, even many of those that may seem small or insignificant, we choose whether we will listen to the voice of the Lord or to some other source. Moroni explained that 'every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.' On the other hand, 'whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God... is of the devil' (Moroni 7:16-17).

As we reflect on our own motivations and the sources we choose to believe, it is helpful to put ourselves in a figurative Eden where the Lord inquires, 'Who told you that was important?', 'Who told you that was good?' or 'Who told you to act and believe in that way?' Are the gospel of Jesus Christ and the teachings of his modern prophets informing our thoughts and actions or are we listening to some other voice?


In our daily lives, there are many other voices vying for our attention. Deceptive messages are wrapped in the rhetoric of love, a powerful consensus or trend, an animated 'family movie', peer-reviewed science, glamorous endorsements, laws, workplace mandates, incredible special effects or seemingly small habits that don't seem so bad.

We keep our baptismal covenants when we evaluate the sources of what we choose to believe by Moroni's standard: 'Does this persuade me to believe in Christ?' As we remain willing at all times to listen to the voice of God and his prophets, the Lord will guide our lives through the deceptions and droughts that surround us.

Prophetic Priorities

Each of us face many decisions on how we use our time each day. Some of these decisions are routine or mundane and do not require much thought: Each morning I know I will spend time getting ready for work. I will use some of my time each day for eating and sleeping. On Sundays my family will use our time to go to church. These decisions-- and thousands of others-- are made without much conscious thought.

Other decisions require many devoted hours of study and research. Perhaps we are considering a career change, a college major, a move to someplace we've never been or a change in our family life.

The decisions we make without conscious thought or while racking our brains can both have major implications for our lives. As we consider our choices, Elder Oaks has reminded us that it is, 'not enough' to do something good. 'The number of good things we can do far exceeds the time available to accomplish them,' he explains. 'Some things are better than good, and these are the things that should command priority attention in our lives.'

Though the agency to allocate our time is ours alone, living prophets provide guidance and counsel that will inform our judgment and direct our lives toward those things that are best. These choices may not always be popular or easy. A particular choice may require we do something difficult or carry a burden we'd prefer not to carry. Elder Oaks reminds us in such times that 'even though a particular choice is more costly, its far greater value may make it the best choice of all.'

Prophetic priorities also protect us against dangers that could derail our lives and destroy our futures. Though the Word of Wisdom was revealed to the prophet Joseph Smith in 1833, it was President Heber J. Grant that emphasized adherence to this principle from 1918 to 1945. This was the time of prohibition, the Great Depression and World War II, when smoking and drinking were accepted norms and even considered glamorous.

Beginning in the 1960s, while illegal drug use was reaching epidemic proportions, researchers began to discover the significant health risks of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs. Elder Quentin L. Cook recently explained that 'obeying the Word of Wisdom gave our members, especially our youth, a preventative inoculation against drug use and the resulting health problems and moral hazards.' The prophets, like watchmen on a tower, saw the danger afar off and prepared those who would listen from the influences and addictions that could have destroyed them (see D&C 101:44-54).

In a January 2013 devotional, Sister Elaine S. Dalton taught that 'as dedicated disciples we must act and make prophetic priorities our priorities. In order to do this we will need to be riveted on the words of the current prophets, seers, and revelators.' The most recent general conference included a major announcement on missionary work and the announcement of several new temples. From the topics listed in the Ensign, there were nine talks about serving others, six about discipleship, six about the priesthood, eight about marriage, family or children, and twelve about Christ, repentance or the Atonement.

Are these priorities our priorities? Could a passer-by identify our priorities with a quick glance at our daily planner or by observing how we use our time today?

As another general conference approaches, we should remember to ask ourselves what we will strive to become because of what we hear from the Lord's prophets. In a separate address, Elder Oaks taught, 'We are accountable and will be judged for how we use what we have received... The principle of accountability also applies to the spiritual resources conferred in the teachings we have been given and to the precious hours and days allotted to each of us during our time in mortality.'

There are more opportunities to do something good than any of us could possibly have time enough to do. If we seek to make prophetic priorities our own, decisions of any size will contribute to a life filled with what is best. We will be protected from danger, find peace and joy in our decisions, and be led home to that God who, like any good father, is rooting for us to pass the tests we face. If we've let prophetic priorities be our guide, that will be the best of all.

A Two-Way Relationship with God

Christ taught his disciples that life eternal was to know the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent (John 17:3). Many church programs, like the Duty to God program for the young men and Personal Progress program for the young women, have the stated purpose of helping the members of the Church develop their relationships with God. General Conference talks are often laced with references to deep and meaningful relationships with the Divine that are leading men and women toward life eternal.

Despite all of these, sometimes we may wonder how to have a relationship with God or how to strengthen it. Perhaps we have asked ourselves whether we know God but are unsure of how to answer.

We come to know God the same way we come to know a friend or a family member. It takes an investment of time and effort. Most of all, conversing with the Lord helps us get to know and stay familiar with our Heavenly Father.

Mosiah taught that we serve God when we serve our fellow men (Mosiah 2:17) and John wrote that we know God when we exercise love for one another (1 John 4:8). Studying the scriptures and the teachings and practices of the Church with an eye of faith will teach us more about the nature of God and how he interacts with us. Observing the hand of God in our own lives with gratitude for our many blessings will also build our faith and strengthen our relationship with God.

President Uchtdorf has taught:

Our relationship with God is most sacred and vital. We are His spirit children. He is our Father. He desires our happiness. As we seek Him, as we learn of His Son, Jesus Christ, as we open our hearts to the influence of the Holy Spirit, our lives become more stable and secure. We experience greater peace, joy, and fulfillment as we give our best to live according to God's eternal plan and keep his commandments.

We improve our relationship with our Heavenly Father by learning of Him, by communing with Him, by repenting of our sins, and by actively following Jesus Christ... To strengthen our relationship with God, we need some meaningful alone time with Him. Quietly focusing on daily personal prayer and scripture study, always aiming to be worthy of a current temple recommend-- these will be some wise investments of our time and efforts to draw closer to our Heavenly Father.

When our prayers or scripture study are not what we would like them to be, often it is because we have not nurtured our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Just as we must give of our time and attention to develop vibrant relationships with our spouses and children, and just as our family relationships may be strained when they are neglected, the effort we give in prayer and scripture study will determine the quality of our relationship with God.

Elder Bruce D. Porter recently taught that 'prayer is the ordained means by which men and women, and even little children, come to know God.' Elder Porter reminds us that for us to get to know God and borrow strength, love and light at His doorstep through prayer, we must forsake our vain repetitions and decide to really pray. He continued:

Moroni's admonition about praying to know the truth of the Book of Mormon applies to all prayers: namely, that we 'ask with a sincere heart, with real intent' (Moroni 10:4). True prayer is heartfelt: the words convey our deeply felt desires and are coupled with a commitment to act on the divine guidance we receive.

Heartfelt prayer comes from the depths of the soul. Our mind and heart are directed toward God with full and complete attention. When we pray from the heart, we are not just saying words or 'going through the motions'; we are seeking to draw nearer to our Father in Heaven, to commune with Him in a personal and intimate manner. Heartfelt prayer is the furthest thing from a memorized recitation. We do not simply talk at God; rather, we talk with Him. This does not imply a face-to-face conversation as Moses experienced, but it does suggest communing with God by listening to the still, small voice of the Spirit. It means allowing time both during a prayer and after a prayer to hear spiritual promptings.

We know we are offering a heartfelt prayer if we mean what we say. Often times we will feel the prayer as much as we are thinking or saying it. It helps to set aside a time to pray when we will not be rushed but can meditate, if only for a few minutes, in quiet solitude. When we offer heartfelt prayers, we take a few steps closer to our Heavenly Father. It becomes easier to hear His voice in our lives and for our prayers to change from lists of blessings and desires to genuine conversations.

True prayer means speaking with God about the things that matter most. As we converse with God, we should seek to understand divine truths, to better understand the purpose of our life and to bring our will in line with the will of God. Through prayer we can learn God's will and gain the strength to accept it. Elder Porter explained:

God knows our innermost thoughts and feelings even better than we do, but as we learn to share them with Him, we make it possible for His Spirit to enter our souls and teach us more about our own selves and about the nature of God. By making ourselves totally honest, open, and submissive before God, our hearts become more receptive to His counsel and His will.

True prayer requires self-reflection and studying out our decisions before we approach the Lord. The Lord promises to tell us what is right in our minds and in our hearts by the Holy Ghost (D&C 8:2). If we have a good feeling but our thoughts are unsettled, we should continue to study and pray. If we have developed a plan of action that makes sense but does not feel right, we may not yet have the answer. Hearing the still small voice of the Lord requires silencing our personal prejudices. Only when heart and mind are in accord can we be confident that we have reached the right conclusion.

President Uchtdorf taught that 'prayer is a heavenly gift designed to help us achieve spiritual lift. It enhances and cultivates our relationship with God.' As we learn to offer more heartfelt prayers, to ponder and meditate, to search the scriptures and willingly serve our fellow men and women, we can develop a rich and meaningful relationship in this life and through life eternal.

Trusting as a Little Child

Sometimes we watch little children and wish we could be as carefree as they so often seem to be. We say things like, "Boy, it would be great to be three again!" Or five again or eight again. However many years it has been since our childhood and however distant those feelings may seem, we can regain a childlike perspective on life as we strive to build our faith in God.

The stripling warriors followed Helaman into battle against seemingly insurmountable odds. As teenagers and young adults they were old enough to doubt and independent enough to choose for themselves. Yet, leaning on the confidence and teachings of their mothers, they put their trust in God.

The rest of the story is history. Through two major battles against an innumerable army of Lamanites, and despite many serious injuries, none of these inexperienced young warriors died on the battlefield.

And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe--that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power. Now this was the faith of these of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually (Alma 57:26-27).

Helaman wrote to Moroni that the stripling warriors had many serious challenges, 'nevertheless they stand fast in that liberty wherewith God has made them free; and they are strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day; yea, they do observe to keep his statutes, and his judgements, and his commandments continually; and their faith is strong in the prophecies concerning that which is to come' (Alma 58:40).

Young children are carefree because they trust perfectly in their imperfect parents to care for them and their needs. The stripling warriors were firm and undaunted in the face of trial because they trusted in God. We are taught to learn to trust our perfect Heavenly Father as the stripling warriors did and as our children put their trust in us. As we have the courage to put our trust in Him, our souls will find the peace and confidence we so often envy in our little children.

Commandments to Help Us Change

What do you think of when someone starts talking about commandments? Ancient religion, perhaps? Of Moses carrying stone tablets off Mount Sinai or Pharisees squabbling over how many steps constitute a broken Sabbath? Does the projector in your mind play a scene from a life with a lot of parted hair, Jello desserts and time at home while everyone else is out having fun? Maybe hearing about commandments triggers a mental lecture you've given yourself at least ten thousand times or a dismissive rejection of what is only for the 'goodies' or what you feel you're already doing well enough already.

It shouldn't be a surprise that this post is going to be in favor of commandments. It may also be helpful to know that I have no intention of making anyone feel guilty. The truth is, my perception of what commandments are, and what living them looks like, would conjure up images like I mentioned above. Despite the best efforts of Sunday School teachers and religion classes, something about commandments just seems so Old Testament.

Over the last several years my perception has been changing, however. I've found that personal experiences and evidence in the scriptures can create a paradigm shift that allows us to see commandments as timeless, even modern or 'ahead of their time', and as patterns of good sense and a healthy, enjoyable lifestyle. I'll share at least some of what I mean by discussing two seemingly unrelated commandments: tithing and forgiving others.

One thing I've learned about commandments is that they're seldom really about the outward action. Take tithing. We've all read Malachi 3:10:

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

The Lord has tithed his people in every dispensation. If you think for a moment about why, several logical answers come immediately to mind. Money from tithing supports the work-- it builds temples, subsidizes missionary efforts and protects the Church from the crippling effects of debt. The faith required to pay tithing strengthens the members and their commitment to the Church. Tithing also provides an opportunity for us to 'prove' that the Lord will keep his promises.

All of these are very good answers and our lives are surely blessed by stronger faith, buildings where we can meet and worship, and a testimony of God's integrity and consistency. Yet, at least in my own mind, there is an even better reason for tithing: the gift of giving.

I like the quote from Winston Churchill: 'We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give'. Everybody has someone in their lives that they would say is a 'giver'. In every way and through every day, these people give their time and talents to help those around them. Givers are generally cheerful, optimistic, and uplifting just to be around.

You also probably know someone that might be labeled a 'taker'. Even the mention of someone who is a taker makes most of us groan or sigh inside. You know who you'd rather be like and how you'd rather been seen by others: we want to be givers.

Arthur Brooks is an economist that has written several books on giving and happiness. One of his studies found that those who give more get more-- in that order. He explained in a speech given in 2009 that I highly recommend to everyone:

Specifically, here’s what I found. If you have two families that are exactly identical—in other words, same religion, same race, same number of kids, same town, same level of education, and everything’s the same—except that one family gives a hundred dollars more to charity than the second family, then the giving family will earn on average $375 more in income than the nongiving family—and that’s statistically attributable to the gift.

In addition, Brooks mentions other studies showing that people who give to charity are 43 percent more likely than people who don't give to say they're very happy people.  People who see others-- even strangers-- giving charitably see leadership qualities in the giver and almost cannot help themselves but to follow. Givers are more productive, have better health and are better citizens. They're better company in social situations and more likely to be promoted in business situations. It goes on and on.

The Lord doesn't need our money. He's much more interested in our exaltation and salvation (Moses 1:39). Tithing given willingly and selflessly changes our hearts. It helps us become like the 'givers' toward whom we all gravitate and around whom we are all uplifted. As our natures change-- as we become happier and more productive-- we will also be more successful. We will be able to achieve and have so much more than we otherwise could've it may seem there are blessings overflowing and pouring down from the windows of heaven. It doesn't get much more modern or more practical than that: giving is a strategy for prosperity.

There are many reasons to pay tithing. We are commanded to pay tithing, at least in part, because it changes who we are and prepares us to return to our Heavenly Father.

A second example that has shifted how I see commandments can be seen in the command to 'forgive all men'. The Lord directed Peter to forgive those that offend him, 'until seventy times seven', or as often as he is offended.

I learned a lot about forgiveness from James Rasband, the former dean of the law school at Brigham Young University. In October 2012, he explained to a group of students and faculty:

Why is it that we sometimes have trouble accepting the Atonement as recompense for the harms we suffer at others' hands? My experience is that we can sometimes forget that the Atonement has two sides. Usually, when we think about the Atonement we focus on how mercy can satisfy the demands that justice would impose upon us. We are typically quicker to accept the idea that when we sin and make mistakes the Atonement is available to pay our debts.

Forgiveness requires us to consider the other side of the Atonement--a side that we don't think about as often but that is equally critical. That side is the Atonement's power to satisfy our demands of justice against others, to fulfill our rights to restitution and being made whole... It heals us not only from the guilt we suffer when we sin, but it also heals us from the sins and hurts of others.

When others cause us harm, they take something from us that isn't theirs to take. It may be a physical item like a book or a borrowed shovel, but more often it is the peace in our lives, an opportunity for faith or inspiration, or time spent in worry or grief that could've otherwise been used to build relationships or provide for our families. Justice demands restitution.

A repentant offender may do all they can to restore what they have taken. Despite the best intentions, we all know from experience that sometimes an apology just doesn't make everything okay. Sometimes there is nothing that we can do to return what was lost.

And sometimes others hurt us on purpose. Sometimes others inject our lives with tragedy-- a broken heart or a broken home or the death of a family member-- and sometimes they're not sorry. Mercy requires that there be another way to make us whole again.

Forgiveness does not require us to give up our right to restitution. Mercy cannot rob justice. Forgiveness simply requires that we look to a different source to be made whole again. Though the offender may not have the ability or the desire to compensate us for what they have done to hurt us, the Atonement of Jesus Christ has the power to restore all that has been taken away from us. All that is asked of us is to have the faith to accept the restitution offered to us in this way.

The Lord taught, 'he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin' (D&C 64:9). Sin is a separation of man from God. When we refuse to forgive, we reject the Atonement that has satisfied the demands of justice for the offender as well for ourselves. We cut ourselves off from the mercy of God while, in a metaphorical sense, turning down the full payment on car repairs after an accident because the money is coming from an insurer rather than the driver of the other vehicle. Unable to meet the demands of justice without the Atonement in our lives, we are separated from God and unable to make further progress toward our ultimate goal of returning to live with Him.

Viewed in this way, the commandment to forgive becomes practical, common sense. It may still be difficult, but when applied in our lives we will be happier, healthier and more successful. Saying it that way almost makes it sound too good to be true, maybe even deserving of an infomercial, but my experience has been that it is really true. When I have forgiven others, particularly others who have committed the most grievous offenses against me, my life has been richer and more satisfying because the Lord has made me whole again. I have found greater joy because the process of forgiving others has helped me to become a better, more Christlike person with an enhance relationship with the divine and a larger capacity for compassion, empathy and happiness.

As my eyes are opened to what commandments really are and how they really can change my life, they're suddenly not just for the Old Testament anymore. They become practical, tangible solutions to life's problems and provide enormous aid toward my life goals. Like taking money advice from a very wealthy person, commandments are life advice from the God who created life, who created the plan of happiness, and who has journeyed to the summit of life and wants to tell us how to get there.

What is true of tithing and forgiveness is true of all other commandments. Consider for a moment how the discipline that comes with a sincere fast might change who we are and what we can accomplish. What humility or confidence might we gain from using the Sabbath to serve others? Researchers have begun compiling study after study reporting how our lives would be better if we consumed less violence, profanity and sexuality in the media. Other studies show the many benefits of learning patience, getting out of debt and learning to save money for the things we need and want.

Commandments, when adhered, take the person that we are and turn us into the more successful person we can become. They develop skills and traits and relationships that unite us with God and make us leaders among our peers. They build our faith and restore what we lose along life's journey. And yes, when we obey the commandments we may often find ourselves in places with a lot of parted hair and every kind of Jello dessert. The truth is, nothing could make us happier.

God Has a Body

In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. This sentence that begins the Old Testament summarizes five majestic creative periods in which God created light, earth, clouds, oceans, mountain ranges, waterfalls, forests, flower-covered fields, flocks of gulls, parades of elephants and billions of other formations, plants, ponds, animals and insects. The magnificence and wonder of God's creations has stirred your soul and mine as we've looked out over an endless ocean horizon, sat peacefully beside a quiet mountain lake or tried to count the stars in the midnight sky.

As a capstone to His creations God created the first people, Adam and Eve:

And I, God, said unto mine Only Begotten, which was with me from the beginning: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and it was so... And I, God, created man in mine own image, in the image of mine Only Begotten created I him; male and female created I them (Moses 2:26-27).

Like our first parents, you and I have been born in the image of God. We look like Him because He is the father of our spirits. He created physical bodies for us that house our spirits and provide opportunities for us that could not be gained outside of mortality.

The gospel of Jesus Christ teaches that our bodies are sacred. Christ referred to his body as a temple when he prophesied of his death and resurrection to the Jews (John 2:21). Paul made the same reference in a letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 6:19) and goes on to explain that, though our spirits are separated from our imperfect mortal bodies at death, both spirit and body will be reunited in perfect form when we are resurrected so we may dwell in our bodies throughout eternity (see 1 Corinthians 15, Alma 41:2-4).

Old Testament Job understood this truth perhaps thousands of years earlier as he exclaimed: I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God (Job 19:25).

We have been created in the image of God. The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's (D&C 13:22), only His body is perfect, immortal, glorified and celestial in nature. He is a personage with definite and unalterable form who, albeit perfectly, shares a common physical structure and  looks and talks and walks like us. He is our father, after all.

Though most of God's communication with mortal man is done through the Holy Ghost, our Heavenly Father has appeared to men from time to time. He appeared in the Garden of Eden to give Adam and Eve instructions and perform ordinances such as marriage where there were no others to do so (Genesis 2-3). The New Testament apostle Stephen saw God on his throne with Christ at his right hand (Acts 7).

The grandest of these appearances came in a quiet grove of trees in upstate New York in 1820. There a young boy named Joseph Smith prayed with sincerity of heart to know God's will for him. After he began to pray he records this experience:

I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me... When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other-- 'This is my Beloved Son. Hear Him!'

Joseph Smith saw God, our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ. In addition to learning the answer to his prayer and being called to restore the pure gospel of Jesus Christ after hundreds of years of apostasy, Joseph learned the eternal truth that God does have a body.

Through the witness of Joseph Smith and the witness we can receive through the Holy Ghost as we approach the Lord in sincere prayer, we may know the truth about the nature of God for ourselves. We may know that He is the literal father of our spirits; that He has a glorious, perfected, immortal body; and that we have been born in the image of our heavenly parents as well as our earthly parents. You can know, as I know, that God knows and loves you and I individually, completely and unconditionally; He wants nothing more than to bless our lives and help us grow to meet our potential.

I feel much like President Gordon B. Hinckley when he said:

I do not equate my body with His in its refinement, in its capacity, in its beauty and radiance. His is eternal. Mine is mortal. But that only increases my reverence for Him. I worship Him 'in spirit and in truth'. I look to Him as my strength. I pray to Him for wisdom beyond my own. I seek to love Him with all my heart, might, mind and strength. His wisdom is greater than the wisdom of all men. His power is greater than the power of nature, for He is the Creator Omnipotent. His love is greater than the lover of any other, for His love encompasses all of His children, and it is His work and His glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of His sons and daughters of all generations (see Moses 1:39).

He 'so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life' (John 3:16).

This is the Almighty of whom I stand in awe and reverence. It is He to whom I look in fear and trembling. It is He whom I worship and unto whom I give honor and praise and glory. He is my Heavenly Father, who has invited me to come unto Him in prayer, to speak with Him, with the promised assurance that He will hear and respond (Ensign, March 1998).