Mary's Example of Faithful Discipleship

Madonna and Child by Giovanni Battista Salvi de Sassoferrato

Hundreds of years before her birth, prophets foretold of “a precious and chosen vessel” (Alma 7:10), “most beautiful and fair” (1 Nephi 11:15), who would be “the mother of the Son of God, after the flesh” (1 Nephi 11:18) and she would “be called Mary” (Mosiah 3:8). Mary, the mother of Jesus, is one of only a handful of women mentioned in the scriptures. Though we get only brief glimpses into her life, those insights provide an example of faithful discipleship that we can learn from and follow today.

Mary was from Nazareth, a small town with less than 500 people located on a low hill about 65 miles north of Jerusalem. You can imagine the village surrounded by modest fields and grazing livestock that the locals used to eek out a living. Mary was a descendant of King David, but there were no riches here and no royal privileges under the Roman occupation (Strathern).

Nazareth didn't have fortifications, monuments, or luxurious architecture with marble and mosaics. The roads were not paved and most of the homes were two-room dwellings with thatched roofs. Later, when word of Jesus Christ of Nazareth spread, Nathaniel would wonder aloud what many must have thought more privately, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46).

We don't know anything about Mary's parents or her upbringing, but most likely she would have seemed like an ordinary peasant girl raised in an insignificant, rural Jewish town. “Even as a young girl, she would have worked beside her mother and the other women of the village, weaving cloth, cooking, gathering firewood, collecting water from the household cisterns or village wells, and working in the fields—all to help her family survive from day to day” (Strathern).

The first thing we learn about Mary is that she is engaged to be married to Joseph, a fact that would have been widely known in a small town like Nazareth. We do not know how old Mary was at the time, but she was most likely a teenager. Marriage contracts in ancient Israel could sometimes be arranged even before puberty.

It was to these humble circumstances that an angel was sent to fulfill a prophecy and issue a call to serve. The angel was Gabriel, who was the Old Testament prophet Noah in his mortal life. Joseph Smith taught that “Noah, who is Gabriel… stands next in authority to Adam in the Priesthood,” like a first counselor in a First Presidency to govern all the earth.

Gabriel is also sometimes known as Elias. Elias means forerunner or preparer of the way. In that role, he has been given “the keys of bringing to pass the restoration of all things spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began” (D&C 27:6).

It is important to note that Noah, or Gabriel, is not the only Elias in scripture, but he is the one sent to Zacharias in the temple to proclaim the birth of John the Baptist. Zacharias doubted that his wife, Elizabeth, could bear a son at her age and was struck dumb as a result. Yet, Elizabeth, who was Mary's cousin, did conceive.

Six months later, that same Elias came to Mary, “and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be” (Luke 1:28-29).

Can you imagine the questions Mary must have had in this moment? Why was this angel saluting her, a seemingly ordinary young woman in an insignificant village far from Jerusalem? How was she ‘blessed among women’-- and what does that even mean? She listened as the angel continued.

“And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:30-33).

Mary's response echoes the faith of Nephi, who proclaimed in his youth that he knew the Lord would provide a way to accomplish all of his commandments (1 Nephi 3:7). 

“Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” (Luke 1:34). Zacharias had asked a similar question, “Whereby shall I know [that Elizabeth would bear a son]?” (Luke 1:18), but Mary's question sought clarification rather than expressing skepticism. She already believed what Gabriel had declared and she had already resolved in her heart, likely long before this conversation, that she would do God’s will. “Questions are inevitable when God’s invitations challenge disciples to raise the bar and move out of their comfort zones, and inspired questions lead to revelation” (Strathern).

Gabriel revealed the answer to Mary's question and then shared the news that Mary's cousin, Elizabeth, would also miraculously bear a child. “For with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37). 

In the Garden of Gethsemane, our Savior and Redeemer appealed to our Heavenly Father to provide another option before submitting, “nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done” (Luke 22:42). Mary did not know everything she was being asked to do. She did not know that this calling would make her a refugee in Egypt or that she would frantically search for her twelve-year-old son and find him teaching in the temple or that she would watch him be tortured and killed on a cruel cross. She didn't know how Joseph would react to the news or whether she would end up facing public embarrassment for a pregnancy no one else could understand or believe. Simeon would later prophecy to her that “a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also” (Luke 2:35), but all Mary knew in that moment was that God had asked her to be the mother of the promised Messiah, a calling that would last a lifetime and beyond, and that she was willing to do God’s will, just as her son would be willing as he suffered in Gethsemane.

 “And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her” (Luke 1:38).

Just as Eve led Adam to the Fall, whereby they could bring children into the world, Mary led Joseph to raising the child who would save the world from the effects of the Fall. Joseph was also visited by the angel Gabriel, Adam's right hand man, and Joseph, like Adam, had the wisdom to support and follow the example of his wife.

Mary, meanwhile, was required to walk by faith. She received some evidences and confirmations, including the visit from Gabriel and the testimony of her cousin, Elizabeth, whom she visited after learning they both would be mothers by miraculous means. She knew she became pregnant and bore a son, as the angel had prophesied.

But in the midst of the experience, Mary still sought to better understand the calling that had been given to her. When shepherds came on the night of Christ's birth and told her of angels singing praises to her newborn son, Mary “kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). When Simeon held the infant Christ child and prophesied he would be a light to the Gentiles and the salvation of all people, Mary and Joseph marveled (Luke 2:25-33). More than a decade after her meeting with Gabriel, Mary found twelve-year-old Jesus teaching in the temple and did not understand what he meant when he said he “must be about [his] father's business,” but “kept all these sayings in her heart” (Luke 2:42-51).

Despite not having a perfect knowledge, Mary did not allow her questions to prevent her from fulfilling the mission she had been given with all her heart, mind, and strength. As a young mother, she fled with her family to Egypt to save her son from a jealous king. Joseph and Mary abandoned plans to settle in the comparatively more prosperous land of Judea because of another king who was a threat to Jesus. They returned instead to Nazareth, where Joseph likely walked four miles to work in Sepphoris six days of the week and then walked four miles home at the end of each day. 

At least at the time Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph were poor and offered the turtledoves or pigeons at the temple expected of those who could not afford a lamb. As many as 4 of every 10 children born at the time did not survive childhood and Mary likely grieved the premature deaths of multiple children. When Jesus was about thirteen years old, Jewish tradition holds that Joseph was killed in a construction accident in Sepphora, leaving Mary on her own with at least seven kids under thirteen years old. Despite her convictions, her four sons who grew up with Jesus did not believe in his divine identity or, by extension, her mission as his mother, until years later in adulthood.

In the midst of challenge, Mary also became the first disciple of the living Christ. In the home of Elizabeth, with the words of Gabriel still ringing in her ears and heart, Mary exclaimed in testimony, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour” (Luke 1:46-47). Her simple faith was tested and expanded with hundreds of small and simple daily experiences that are not recorded, and a few major challenges that are, until it became a firm foundation anchored to her Savior, and her son, Jesus Christ.

Before Christ had performed any public miracle, Mary had complete faith in him. There was a wedding in Cana and Mary was responsible for the wine, which was running out. She turned immediately to Jesus, who even objected a little bit, and then directed the servants, “Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it” (John 2:5).

Mary followed the Savior's travels at least on some occasions and stood at the foot of his cross as he suffered and died a painful death at the hand of an enemy many believed he was there to defeat. Like the disciples, Mary probably did not understand the victory of that moment as she watched her son pay our debts for sin and overcome all the world. Perhaps it seemed like all was lost or that the plan of God, the plan in which she played a crucial role and for which she had sacrificed so much, had now somehow been frustrated.

There is no biblical record, but it makes sense to me that the resurrected Christ would have appeared at some point to his mother. She was the first witness, a chosen vessel, the handmaiden of the Lord who did the Father’s will so that her son, the Creator of heaven and earth, could descend below all things and then be lifted up as a ruler and a judge over all things. She had prevailed in her mission to bring the Son of God to the world so that he, by love, could save the world.

Even if Christ did not appear to his mother in the flesh after his resurrection, surely their reunion after her death must have been special. Mary’s life didn’t get any easier as her remaining sons were converted to and then also became martyrs for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Surely the Savior was there to greet his mother as she passed through the veil and then, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and as a son who loved and reverenced his mother and her womanhood throughout his ministry, must have said to her, as to the wise virgins in his parable, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34).

Source: Strathern, Gaye. Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Ensign. January 2019.

Gardening, Covenants, and Enduring Love

"Nurtured by the Word" by Greg Olsen

After graduating from BYU, our family moved to Arizona to be closer to some extended family living there. We could only afford a small apartment at first, so, anxious to be self-reliant and care for our young family's needs, we asked a family member if we could use some of their backyard for a garden. They agreed and we got started.

The sunbaked earth in Mesa, Arizona, isn’t exactly dirt and it certainly isn’t soil for a garden. It’s much more like clay, which meant we really had our work cut out for us. We borrowed a tiller to start breaking up the chunks of ground and mixing in soil and fertilizer. We researched what to plant and when to plant it. We made furrows for planting squash, set up strings for the pea plants to climb, bought wire cages for the tomatoes, and built mounds for the melons and cucumbers. It was perhaps a bigger project than we expected, so we were delighted when we had finally put the last seed in the ground.

Of course, planting was only the beginning. We had arranged for our family member to help water the plants during the week, but we still needed to visit at least weekly to weed and care for the plants. It was always incredible to see how many weeds could grow in a single week, especially when nothing had grown in that spot for years (or maybe ever). The weeds grew so fast, I sometimes lectured the plants under my breath that if they would just grow like the weeds did maybe we could be harvesting by now. The plants didn’t seem to listen, so back we’d go with our one-year-old son to pull what we hoped would mostly be weeds and attend to any other needs in our little garden.

After a while, the excitement completely wore off. With busy work, graduate school, and church schedules, it was easy to wish we could spend what free time we had doing something fun or relaxing as a family. There were days when I would have volunteered to do nothing rather than going to care for the garden, but we knew we wouldn't harvest much if the weeds took over. So, while we slacked off a little here and there, we kept going most weeks to do what needed to be done in our little garden.

Excitement returned when the first zucchini were ready to be harvested. They were so big and so good! The squash and tomatoes soon followed. Though the results were delayed, we were grateful for the garden that gave us so much good food.

We also began to see how even occasional negligence had diminished what the garden could have been. If we had set up shade for the cucumbers and peas in time, they might not have withered in the hot Arizona sun. If we had been there to get the melons off the ground when they first began to grow, the bottoms may not have rotted. We didn't intend for these things to happen when we decided to skip a day in the garden, but they were the natural consequences of our inconsistent care.

Our marriages can be like a garden. As I share some principles in the context of marriage, I invite you to think about your relationship with your spouse, if you have one, or, if you are presently single, your part in the covenant marriage relationship the Lord will give you, when the time is right, if you desire it. C.S. Lewis observed:

Being in love is a good thing, but it is not the best thing. There are many things below it, but there are also things above it. You cannot make it the basis of a whole life. It is a noble feeling, but it is still a feeling.

Now no feeling can be relied on to last in its full intensity, or even to last at all. Knowledge can last, principles can last, habits can last but feelings come and go. And in fact, whatever people say, the state called ‘being in love’ usually does not last. If the old fairy-tale ending ‘They lived happily ever after’ is taken to mean ‘They felt for the next fifty years exactly as they felt the day before they were married,’ then it says what probably never was nor ever would be true, and would be highly undesirable if it were. Who could bear to live in that excitement for even five years? What would become of your work, your appetite, your sleep, your friendships?

But, of course, ceasing to be ‘in love’ need not mean ceasing to love. Love in this second sense—love as distinct from ‘being in love’—is not merely a feeling. It is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit; reinforced by the grace which both partners ask, and receive, from God. They can have this love for each other even at those moments when they do not like each other; as you love yourself even when you do not like yourself.

They can retain this love even when each would easily, if they allowed themselves, be ‘in love’ with someone else. ‘Being in love’ first moved them to promise fidelity: this quieter love enables them to keep the promise. It is on this love that the engine of marriage is run: being in love was the explosion that started it.

Speaking of engines, most of us think of our cars, and the engines in them, as an investment. That isn’t strictly true from a financial management perspective, but we treat our vehicles as investments anyway. It costs a lot of money to buy a car. We probably took some time with our last vehicle purchase to research which one could fit enough passengers, had the right mileage or price or color, and any other features that were important to us. When we found the one we wanted, we signed the purchase agreement and were excited to drive it home.

Anyone who has ever owned a car knows that they require consistent care and maintenance. We make sure there is gas in the tank and air in the tires. We make sure the oil gets changed when it should and that the tires get rotated. The brakes and air filters need to be replaced periodically and the fluids need to be topped off. Every so often, you make sure to wash and wax the car and vacuum the inside. Sometimes your car needs new windshield wipers or spark plugs or a new windshield altogether. Some of us may have put covers over the seats and steering wheel to protect the interior. When collisions or malfunctions occur, we try to fix them if we can. We are always working on our cars because we know they represent a significant investment of our resources and we want them to last; and in the hands of a skilled mechanic, they can last for decades. In fact, if we care for them well enough, they become an investment even from a financial management perspective.

In a similar way, each of us probably did some research when we were dating our spouse to make sure they had the characteristics and features that were important to us. We fell in love, signed our legally-binding marriage certificate, and were excited for our new life together. This was the planting, the explosion that got our engines running. Our marriages will require consistent care and maintenance if we are to experience the deep unity of enduring love and become "one flesh" (D&C 49:16), as the Lord directs, after the excitement of being in love wears off.

In 2006, then-Elder Russell M. Nelson taught that, "marriage brings greater possibilities for happiness than does any other human relationship. Yet some married couples fall short of their full potential. They let their romance become rusty, take each other for granted, allow other interests or clouds of neglect to obscure the vision of what their marriage really could be. Marriages [like gardens] would be happier if nurtured more carefully" (Nurturing Marriage, April 2006).

Elder Nelson went on to suggest that we could more carefully nurture our marriages by understanding the doctrinal foundations for marriage and then taking specific actions to strengthen our relationship. He taught:

Marriage is the foundry for social order, the fountain of virtue, and the foundation for eternal exaltation. Marriage has been divinely designated as an eternal and everlasting covenant. Marriage is sanctified when it is cherished and honored in holiness. That union is not merely between husband and wife; it embraces a partnership with God. 'Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other' (The Family: A Proclamation to the World). Children born of that marital union are 'an heritage of the Lord' (Psalms 127:3). Marriage is but the beginning bud of family life; parenthood is its flower. And that bouquet becomes even more beautiful when graced with grandchildren. Families may become as eternal as the kingdom of God itself.

Marriage is both a commandment and an exalting principle of the gospel... True happiness [in marriage] is predicated upon personal purity... Marriage should ever be a covenant to lift husbands and wives to exaltation in celestial glory.

Marriage was intended by the Lord to endure beyond physical death... Priesthood offices, keys, callings, and quorums are meant to exalt families. Priesthood authority has been restored so that families can be sealed eternally.

With these doctrinal underpinnings, we can take specific actions to improve our marriages. In his 2006 talk, Elder Nelson suggested that we could learn to better appreciate one another, better communicate with one another, and spend more time contemplating together the sacred covenants we have made. Each of us might consider these invitations and any other ways we might feel we can nurture our relationships in a spirit of selflessness and generosity.

Now, in cars, love, and gardening, we don’t always get the ideal scenario. Some seeds are planted by professionals in the fertile soils of the Salinas or San Joaquin Valleys and others are left for amateurs to bury in the hard clay of Arizona. Some seeds may seem to grow well for a while and then become choked by weeds or begin to wither under the heat of some intense pressure; but whatever our circumstance, our seeds will grow when we appropriately and consistently nurture, weed, and care for them.

President Gordon B. Hinckley shared this quote from Jenkin Lloyd Jones in a speech at BYU in 1973:

Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he [or she] has been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to be just like people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, and most jobs are more often dull than otherwise.

Life is just like an old-time rail journey… delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.

To be clear, this does not excuse marital abuse, neglect, or infidelity. In a relationship between a married couple and the Lord, these offenses are grievous sins against your spouse and against the Lord. The Lord makes it clear that it would have been better for us to have not been born than to commit such offenses, and especially to do so and leave them without correction and the most sincere and difficult kind of repentance. He makes it equally clear that, while we are all required to forgive those who have offended us, we are not required to continue to endure or return to an abusive relationship. Any sort of manipulation that is strung together to make you think otherwise is just that—manipulation. It is not inspired. It is not from God.

Elder Holland taught, “In a dating and courtship relationship, I would not have you spend five minutes with someone who belittles you, one who is constantly critical of you, one who is cruel at your expense and may even call it humor. Life is tough enough without the person who is supposed to love you leading the assault on your self-esteem, your sense of dignity, your confidence, and your joy. In this person’s care, you deserve to feel physically safe and emotionally secure.”

But outside of those situations, which one would hope are more rare than common, it helps to remember that planting is only the beginning. "[Love] is a deep unity maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit; reinforced by the grace which both partners ask, and receive, from God." So what thoughts and desires do you allow to direct your will? What habits have you built to deliberately strengthen your relationship with your spouse? Are you asking the Lord for his grace and blessing in your prayers? Are you treating your relationship with the consistency and attentiveness you would give to a great investment? In the words of a local football coach, can you win with the effort that you are giving?

Elder David A. Bednar has taught that "we grow to love those whom we serve" (If Ye Had Known Me, October 2016). If we start to feel like our relationships are mostly smoke and cinders, selflessly serving our spouse with the same diligence we might give a new car or a nice garden will help us clear the weeds and get us back on track.

Whether married or single, we should also be mindful that Christ compares our relationship with him to a marriage. Conversion for many of us requires some research. If we "give place, that a seed may be planted in [our hearts], behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if [we] do not cast it out by [our] unbelief... behold, it will begin to swell within [our] breasts... [and we] will begin to say within [ourselves]-- It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me" (Alma 32:28).

We are excited when we are baptized and enter an eternally-binding covenant relationship with our Savior. That union is not between ourselves and our Savior alone; it embraces a partnership with God. Most of us have patches of hard clay in our hearts, which means we have our work cut out for us. The Savior invites us to take his yoke upon ourselves so that he can help us carry our burdens. He invites us to put our lives in His hands-- the hands of the Master Gardener and Skilled Mechanic for our hearts. But this is only the planting, the explosion that gets our engines running. Consistent care, maintenance and nurturing is needed if we are to "be one" with Christ (John 17:20-21).

We can more carefully nurture our relationship with Christ as we seek in the scriptures, through the words of the prophets, and in sincere prayer, to understand the doctrinal underpinnings of our covenants with Him and then take specific actions to strengthen our relationship. We might consider developing more gratitude for the blessings the Lord has given us, learning to better communicate with Him and hear His voice, spending more time contemplating the sacred covenants we have made, and any other ways we might feel we can nurture our relationship in a spirit of humility and selflessness.

Our relationship with our Savior brings greater possibilities for happiness than any other relationship we can have. That happiness as a covenant disciple of Christ is predicated upon our personal purity. Our covenants with God include the gift of the Holy Ghost, who will sanctify us and lead us to make and keep sacred covenants in the temple that are designed to lift us to exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom.

Yet, sometimes we let our relationship with Christ fall short of its full potential. In the months and years following our baptism, we often do not always feel the same burning spiritual confirmation, or "swelling motions," that helped us know the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ and its restoration in modern times. Our lives get busy and we sometimes don't want to do the spiritual work to maintain our relationship with Him. We allow clouds of neglect to obscure the vision of what our relationship with Him could be.

When we are inconsistent in maintaining our relationship with Christ, we sometimes miss blessings we could have otherwise received. Deep unity in our relationship with Christ is maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit; reinforced by the grace which we ask, and receive, from God.

So what thoughts and desires do you allow to direct your will? What habits have you built to deliberately strengthen your relationship with Christ? Are you treating your covenant relationship with the consistency and attentiveness you would give to a great investment? Can you win with the effort you are giving?

When we start to feel like our relationship with Christ is smoke and cinders, we can remember Elder Bednar's teaching that "selflessly serving others counteracts the self-centered and selfish tendencies of the natural man. We grow to love those whom we serve. And because serving others is serving God, we grow to love Him and our brothers and sisters more deeply [when we serve]. Such love is a manifestation of the spiritual gift of charity, even the pure love of Christ" (If Ye Had Known Me, October 2016). God knows this and wants us to be wildly successful, so he has asked us to promise, and even to covenant, that we will bear one another’s burdens, mourn with those that mourn, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort (Mosiah 18:8-10).

Our relationships with God and our Savior, Jesus Christ, are reflected in the way we love one another. We cannot love God while we are belittling or criticizing His children—and that means any of His children for any reason, regardless of our age, relationships, political views, cultural heritage, or anything else. We cannot ignore our covenants to minister and serve one another without some blessings withering or rotting on the vine. And similarly, we cannot deny the Lord time together in prayer, scripture study, and in the temple, and expect to have oil in our lamps to light the way today, particularly through our darkest times, and be prepared for when He comes again.

Thankfully, the opposite is also true. A kind word or a plate of cookies can connect us with our brothers and sisters and bring joy into our lives and theirs. Helping someone complete a project or a chore can build fellowship and understanding. I have seldom given a priesthood blessing when I did not feel the love of the Lord for the person receiving that blessing. Careful scripture study, sincere prayers, and devoted temple attendance bring peace and faith into our lives. Each of these things—joy, love, patience, understanding, peace, and faith—are fruits of the Spirit of the Lord (Galations 5:22-23) and evidence of His forgiveness for us and our relationship with Him.

Though our effort to nurture the garden in Arizona was imperfect, the consistency of that effort led to a bountiful harvest that was likely much more than we deserved. To this day, we still don't know how we got so many zucchini! In a similar way, though our effort will not always be perfect, the Lord has promised those who consistently keep their covenants with Him, and with their spouses, that their relationships will endure beyond the grave. They will have happiness in peace through the trials of this life and throughout eternity. Together, as one flesh united with God, they will inherit all that He has, certainly more than any of us could ever deserve, and the bud of their marriage will flower into the abundant garden of their posterity (D&C 132:19).

Five Scripture Passages to Broaden Our Perspective on Death

Before we were born, we lived as spirits with our Heavenly Parents. We were eager to obtain a physical body, like they had, and journey to this world to live and laugh and love and learn.

"The spirit and the body are the soul of [every person]" (D&C 88:15). These were joined together when we passed through the veil of our birth; and they are separated with our death.

Death has sometimes been described as walking through a doorway from one room to another, but some doors are heavier than others. When someone we love has passed through the veil of death, it evokes pangs of sorrow and shock among those left behind. We are rarely ready to let go. Though it may vary from time to time and person to person, the hurt is real. The only length of life that seems to satisfy the longings of the human heart is life everlasting.

Mourning is a natural response and deep expression of genuine love. President Nelson has taught that "the only way to take sorrow out of death is to take love out of life." This is the way it is intended to be. The Lord commanded us to "live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die" (D&C 42:45).

In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord also promised: "blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted" (Matthew 5:4). His comfort is found as we turn to him, study his gospel to understand more clearly, and seek to live our lives more aligned with his laws that govern comfort, healing, and happiness.

A broader, more eternal perspective can provide peace "which passeth all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). Our lives are like a long-awaited trip. Before we left our heavenly home, we sought assurance of a round-trip ticket. There was a plan developed for our salvation-- collectively, but also individually. Like the trips we have all experienced, returning home is one of the best parts of the journey. For those of us still here in our mortal destination, the only way home is through the doors of death that cannot be circumvented.

There are several scriptures that help us adopt a broader, more eternal perspective on the life that continues after death. Consider these five passages, for example:

Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection-- Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they are good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.

And then it shall come to pass that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow... until the time which is appointed of God that the dead shall come forth, and be reunited, both soul and body, and be brought to stand before God, and be judged according to their works.

The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body, yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame (Alma 40:11-12, 21, 23).

Now, there is a death which is called a temporal death; and the death of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death. The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame... and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt.

Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame... and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit... to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil (Alma 11:42-44).


For it behooveth the great Creator that he suffereth himself to become subject unto man in the flesh, and die for all men, that all men might become subject unto him. For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfill the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of the Lord.

Wherefore it must needs be [that] an infinite atonement [is provided for us]-- save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man [meaning the fall] must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.

O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace!... And because of the way of deliverance of our God, the Holy One of Israel, this death, of which I have spoken, which is the temporal, shall deliver up its dead; which death is the grave. And this death of which I have spoken, which is the spiritual death [or the separation of mankind from God], shall deliver up its dead; which spiritual death is hell; wherefore, death and hell must deliver up their dead, and hell must deliver up its captive spirits, and the grave must deliver up its captive bodies, and the bodies and the spirits of men will be restored one to the other; and it is by the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of Israel.

... and all men [and women] become incorruptible, and immortal, and they are living souls, having a perfect knowledge like unto us in the flesh, save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect (2 Nephi 9:5-13).


And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection. But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ.

He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death (Mosiah 16:7-9).


And this is the gospel, the glad tidings, which the voice out of the heavens bore record unto us-- That he came into the world, even Jesus, to be crucified for the world, and to bear the sins of the world, and to sanctify the world, and to cleanse it from all unrighteousness; That through him all might be saved whom the Father had put into his power and made by him; Who glorifies the Father, and saves all the works of his hands, except those [few]... who deny the Son after the Father has revealed him (D&C 76:40-43).


This life is a time to prepare to meet God (Alma 34:32). We will all die, but through Christ we will also all be resurrected or, in other words, saved from physical death to live in a kingdom of glory.

Yet, our ability to be redeemed from spiritual death and return to our heavenly parents to live the life they enjoy, also called eternal life, depends on the choices we make in this life. That redemption is available to each of us, no matter what has happened in the past, if we remain willing to make and keep covenants with the Lord. This begins with having faith in Christ, repenting of our sins, covenanting with the Lord through baptism for the remission of sins, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and continuing to strive throughout our lives.

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

Some doors are heavier than others, but through Christ we can receive the steadfast hope and comfort that what I have shared today from the scriptures is true. We can receive assurances of our own ability to return to live with God as we make covenants with him and strive to keep them. Our families can be sealed together for time and eternity through temple ordinances. We can satisfy the longings of our hearts for life everlasting. And we can look forward to being reunited with those we love, resurrection to a perfect, immortal body, and the gift of eternal life that God desires to give each of his children.

Affliction, Potato Salad and the Stockdale Paradox

Around 60 B.C., after a power-hungry expatriate and his followers caused a fourteen-year war between two ancient American nations, the prophet Helaman wrote:

And thus [we had] wars, and bloodsheds, and famine, and affliction, for the space of many years. And there had been murders, and contentions, and dissensions, and all manner of inquity... But behold, because of the exceedingly great length of the war between the Nephites and the Lamanites many had become hardened, because of the exceedingly great length of the war; and many were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility (Alma 62:39-41).

Like these ancient people, we are surrounded today by all manner of wars and afflictions. We frequently find ourselves obliged, like the Nephites, to defend, "our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our [spouses], and our children" on social media, in our communities and in our nations (Alma 46:12). We have all undoubtedly also witnessed friends and family members who, in the middle of these dangerous circumstances, have hardened in their hearts and been overcome by bitterness, cynicism and worldly pressures. Perhaps we have also felt an onslaught of adversity and wondered how long we could endure when it seems at times that we are hopelessly outnumbered.

In such times, we can find a great reminder in the simple pleasure of a potato salad. Both of the key ingredients in a good potato salad, potatoes and eggs, are boiled in water for several minutes before they can be added to the salad. Interestingly, while the boiling water softens the potatoes, the eggs, encased in their shells, become hardened in the same circumstance.

During the Vietnam War, Admiral James Stockdale was held as a prisoner for more than seven years. He was tortured more than twenty times and had no way of knowing whether he would survive the war or ever see his family again. He told author Jim Collins:

"This is what I learned from those year in the prison camp, where all those constraints just were oppressive. You must never ever ever confuse, on the one hand, the need for absolute, unwavering faith that you can prevail despite those constraints with, on the other hand, the need for the discipline to begin by confronting the brutal facts, whatever they are."

The Lord has taught that he refines us and chooses us in the furnace of affliction (Isaiah 48:10; 1 Nephi 20:10). Our trials, in other words, are opportunities to become stronger and better people.

This point seems lost on the children of Israel in Moses' day. They endured the mass murder of their children, slavery and all its accompanying ills, and many years wandering in the desert without a home. They also saw many miracles. Yet, many of the children of Israel ultimately chose to harden their hearts, worship the golden calf, turn from Moses amid the poisonous serpents, and ultimately perish in the wilderness rather than allowing their hearts to soften and change. In the literal and figurative heat of affliction, the children of Israel built barriers of cynicism and doubt that would not permit the Lord to refine them and to make them His. In the midst of wars and afflictions, the children of Israel chose to be eggs.

On the other hand, the people of Alma were also pursued by a king for their faith and fled their homes only to become slaves to their enemies. A particularly hateful man became their ruler, persecuting them heavily and killing anyone who so much as said a prayer. When these trials were not immediately removed, it would have been easy for this people to become as cynical and angry as the children of Israel.

Instead, the scriptures say, "they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord" (Mosiah 24:16). Without barriers, they confronted the brutal facts of their reality and let the boiling water of their trials change who they were. As their faith in God grew, they found strength to endure the persecutions heaped upon them until they finally had sufficient faith to be delivered from their bondage (see also 1 Nephi 17:3). In short, the people of Alma chose to be potatoes.

We often cannot control whether we end up in a figurative pot of boiling water; but we do get to choose whether we will put up walls of doubt and cynicism or face the brutal facts without losing faith that we, with the help of the Lord, will ultimately prevail. We get to choose whether we will be eggs or potatoes.

Admiral Stockdale said of his experience in Vietnam: "You have to understand, it was never depressing. Because despite all those circumstances, I never wavered in my absolute faith that not only would I prevail--get out of this--but I would also prevail by turning it into the defining event of my life that would make me a stronger and a better person."

The people of Helaman chose continue an attitude of learning and development-- they chose to be potatoes-- through the difficulties of war and the challenges of prosperity that followed. The scripture records that, "notwithstanding their riches, or their strength, or their prosperity, they were not lifted up in the pride of their eyes; neither were they slow to remember the Lord their God; but they did humble themselves exceedingly before him. Yea, they did remember how great things the Lord had done for them... And they did pray unto the Lord their God continually, insomuch that the Lord did bless them, according to his word, so that they did wax strong and prosper in the land" (Alma 62:49-51).

In the end, whatever our choices have been, eggs and potatoes are both needed to make a good potato salad. Though we'd be hard pressed to find a good potato salad that doesn't first require we take the eggs out of their shells.

No Unhallowed Hand

Joseph Smith once declared that "no unhallowed hand can stop [God's] work from progressing". While that hasn't stopped some people from trying, it is instructive to note that opposing efforts often contribute more to the progress of God's work than they ever detract from it.

A classic example can be found in the people of Amulon. Amulon and his followers had lived lavish, idolatrous lives as priests supported by the burdensome taxes imposed by King Noah. When their country was invaded, they abandoned their families to preserve their own lives and then later kidnapped some women from a rival nation to be their new wives. Given the opportunity to oversee a righteous people, Amulon  and his followers oppressed the righteous severely and forbid prayer and religious worship. It is easy to think that nothing good could have come from Amulon.

Yet, we read that the righteous oppressed by Amulon actually grew in faith until they were eventually delivered from Amulon's rule altogether (Mosiah 24:12-16). Meanwhile, Amulon and his followers taught the language of the Nephites in every land of the Lamanites, paving the way for Ammon and his brothers to have missionary successes only a few years later (Mosiah 24:4).

When Joseph Smith knelt to pray, he was "siezed upon by some power which entirely overcame [him], and had such an astonishing influence over [him] as to bind [his] tongue so that [he] could not speak." Yet, this attack only led Joseph to exert all his energy to calling upon God and led to not only his deliverance, but his calling as a prophet and the beginning of the restoration of Christ's church and gospel (Joseph Smith-History 1:15-20).

Subsequent offenses from apostates, politicians and mobs had similar results, leading Brigham Young to declare, "Every time you kick [the Church] you kick it upstairs; you never kick it downstairs. The Lord Almighty so orders it" (Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A Widtsoe, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1941, p. 351).

The greatest opposition was reserved for the Savior himself. Though he "went about doing good" (Acts 10:38), he was hated by the leaders that claimed to be seeking him and betrayed by one of his own disciples. The people sought to kill him on several occasions and by several means, even setting traps to facilitate his demise, and finally delivered him to the Romans to be crucified. Though the governor could find no fault with him, Christ was nailed to a cross and left to die.

If any act could be perceived to hinder the work of God, killing His chosen son would seem to be it. Yet, even this advanced, rather than hindered, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Isaiah prophesied of Christ:

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised with our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:3-5).

Through the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ, we can be forgiven of our sins, redeemed from death and empowered to act in faith beyond our own ability. As the Lord taught Joseph Smith in the Liberty Jail, no matter the obstacle or the odds, "if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good" (D&C 122:7).

Perhaps some of that experience was reflected in Joseph Smith's letter to Mr. John Wentworth, editor and proprietor of the Chicago Democrat, written three years after his inhumane treatment in Liberty. Declared the prophet:

The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear; till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.

To the Seven Churches

In the Revelation of St. John the Divine, the beloved apostle sees the resurrected Savior:

And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man... His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength...

And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last; I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore (Revelation 1:13-18).

The Lord appeared to John in this apocryphal vision with personalized messages for seven churches or congregations in Asia. These congregations are compared to candlesticks holding up the gospel as a light in the unenlightened world (see Revelation 1:20). The seven stars are the seven angels or servants of the seven churches. These leaders of the church in Asia were held in the Lord's right hand to show their divine authority and approval (see Mark 16:19).

It is insightful to understand that the number seven, particularly in apocryphal texts, represents perfection or completeness and is closely associated with God and covenants. Thus, the world was created in seven days, the Sabbath was traditionally the seventh day of the week, and so on. John's assignment as the last remaining apostle and president of the ancient church at this time was to relay the word of God, which is sharper than a two-edged sword (see Hebrews 4:12), to these congregations specifically and to the complete church and its leaders. The exact words for this medieval General Conference-by-mail were dictated directly from the Lord himself.

The Lord uses the same four-step pattern in addressing each of the churches. First, he introduces himself and establishes his credibility. Next, he praises the saints for what they have done well. Third, he reproves the churches for their sins. Finally, he promises blessings to those who remain faithful.

Though he follows the same general pattern in delivering his message, the Lord personalizes his counsel and demonstrates a knowledge of the unique circumstances, challenges and needs the members of the church are facing in each region. His words have been preserved for our benefit as well as those who lived anciently.

The Lord commands John to write first to the servant of the church at Ephesus:

These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars; And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; to him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God (Revelation 2:1-7).

The Lord testifies that he knows the Ephesians and commends them for their faithfulness. He endorses their rejection of false apostles and Nicolaitan preaching of grace for sexual sin. He admonishes the people of Ephesus because they have become somewhat casual or complacent in their worship, having drifted from the diligence they had when they first learned to love the gospel. Finally, the Lord promises salvation to those who press forward.

Each of the six remaining churches received counsel from the Lord. To the Saints in Smyrna, the Lord shared:

Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life (Revelation 2:10).

Scholars believe this revelation was received between 80 - 100 A.D. The Great Apostasy was already beginning. The Lord warned the people of Smyrna that they would be persecuted for ten days. In Hebrew, the number ten represents "all". Though their tribulations would last their entire lives, the Lord promises that those who are faithful to the end of their lives will "not be hurt of the second death" (Revelation 2:11).

Pergamos was the center of the religion of emperor worship imposed by Rome. The Lord acknowledged this challenge in the lives of the saints in Pergamos and praised the faithful martyrs who were killed because they would not deny the faith. He admonishes:

I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam... so hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans (Revelation 2:14-15).

The doctrine of Balaam refers to an account in Numbers of a man who agreed to curse Israel by preaching idolatry, sexual permissiveness and other false doctrines in exchange for money, power and influence. The Lord warns that those engaging in these behaviors must, "Repent; or else I will come unto them quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth" (Revelation 2:16).

Following the same pattern as used with the other churches, the Lord then promises:

To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it (Revelation 2:17).

Just as the ancient Israelites survived in the desert because of the daily bread, or manna, provided by the Lord, Christ is the "bread of life" that sustains spiritual life (John 6:35, 48). Some of the doctrines of Christ are reserved for the faithful and taught only in the temple or through personal revelation. Paul explained:

Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:6-8).

The Lord revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith:

The white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17, will become a Urim and Thummim to each individual who receives one, whereby things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms will be made known; And a white stone is given to each of those who come into the celestial kingdom, whereon is a new name written, which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it. The new name is the key word (D&C 130:10-11).

To those challenged by a community embracing priestcraft and false doctrines, the Lord offered a personal tutoring in truths and doctrines inaccessible to those who are not on His errand. Those faithful who continue to follow Christ are provided both wisdom to refute the falsehoods all around them and a promise of exaltation in the celestial kingdom of God.

In Thyatira, the Lord praises the people for their great faith, charity and works, but vehemently rejects a particular false prophetess who had seduced many into idolatry and fornication. The Lord states that they will have "none other burden" but to be pure in heart and counsels the saints:

But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations" (Revelation 2:25-26).

In Sardis, the Lord cautioned those who, though living, were spiritually dead:

I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful therefore, and strengthen those who remain, who are ready to do: for I have not found thy works perfect before God... He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels (Revelation 3:1-2, 5).

For the saints in Philadelphia, the Lord establishes himself as the holder of the key of David. This is the key to the temple, or symbolically the key to God's presence. He commends the saints for not denying his name. He warns that there are those among them who pretend to have taken the Lord's name upon them but, in reality, are lying members of "the synagogue of Satan". He promises:

Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name (Revelation 3:12).

Finally, to the Laodiceans, the Lord commands John to write:

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth...

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne (Revelation 3:15-16, 19-21).

In each case, the Lord is mindful of the challenges of his people and offers blessings to offset those challenges for the faithful. He makes knowledge available to those surrounded by false teachings, offers the presence of God in the temple to those living in an environment that is not uplifting, and promises eternal life to those who give their lives for the gospel.

Likewise, the Lord knows the challenges in each of our lives. He has made the fullness of the gospel available in our day so that the light of our faith may continue to shine in a wicked and cynical world. He teaches us through his spirit and directs his church through revelations to inspired leaders. Sometimes the messages we hear from those leaders build our faith in Christ or share things that we are doing well. Often, the same leaders call us to repentance and give us hope that we can receive the blessings the Lord has in store for us.

Those who overcome are promised that they will see the Lord, as John the Beloved did in the meridian of time. Perhaps our experience will be similar to what Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery experienced in the Kirtland Temple:

The veil was taken from our minds, and the eyes of our understanding were opened. We saw the Lord standing upon the breastwork of the pulpit, before us; and under his feet was a paved work of pure gold, in color like amber.

His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying: I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father.

Behold, your sins are forgiven you; you are clean before me; therefore, lift up your heads and rejoice (D&C 110:1-5).

To Be A Pioneer

We’ve all heard stories of the early pioneers who sacrificed all they had, including their own lives in many cases, to preach the gospel, build up the church, preserve the authority and truth that had been restored, and support those in greater poverty than they found themselves. Driven from state to state and then into the wilderness, the pioneers faced harsh conditions as they walked the nearly 2,000 miles across the Great Plains and over the steep passes of the Rocky Mountains. Many of them experienced severe hunger and fatigue, and many left behind friends and family that did not share their faith, that had apostatized and persecuted the saints, or who had died from any one of the many perils they encountered along the way.

Every year on July 24, the membership of the Church celebrates the eventual success of our pioneer forbearers who first arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. More families would make the long and hazardous journey over the next decade. These individuals’ faith in Christ and willingness to endure all things has made it possible for us to gather here today. Not unlike Easter, where we celebrate the Savior’s victory over death and hell, to me Pioneer Day is a holiday where I can rejoice in the triumph of the Saints as their faith in Christ was victorious over the death and hell the devil sought to inflict upon them.

The scriptures are filled with stories of individuals, families and nations that were led to promised lands through their reliance on the Lord. Abraham inherited the land of Canaan, the Israelites returned to that land from Egypt, the friends and family of Nephi and the Brother of Jared were guided to the Americas, Alma the Elder led a faithful band back to Zarahemla, and Enoch’s city was translated.

In each case, as with the early pioneers, the faithful have faced significant challenges. Abraham’s father tried to sacrifice him to idols, the Israelites ran out of food and water, Nephi’s brothers doubted his every move and often tried to kill him, the Jaredites needed to find light and air for their barges, Alma’s people endured a period in slavery, and Enoch’s people were assailed by nations on every side. Most of these groups endured long journeys, years of uncertainty, poverty, hunger, illness, death and people who fought their efforts to live righteously.

All of these people are pioneers. They courageously went forward and prepared the way for those who would come after them. Each of them has contributed to the life we enjoy today—a life of relative prosperity where temples dot the earth and we can highlight favorite scriptures on our tablets without needing a hammer and chisel.

They succeeded because of their faith, unselfishness, willingness to sacrifice, obedience, unity, cooperation, commitment, integrity, endurance and courage. If we are to have the same success in reaching the promised lands of our lives, and blaze the trail for those coming behind us, we must develop these same attributes amid the challenges of our day.

Elder Oaks has taught[1]:

Many of our challenges are different from those faced by former pioneers but perhaps just as dangerous and surely as significant to our own salvation and the salvation of those who follow us… The wolves that prowled around pioneer settlements were no more dangerous to their children than the drug dealers or pornographers who threaten our children. Similarly, the early pioneers’ physical hunger posed no greater threat to their well-being than the spiritual hunger experienced by many in our day. The children of earlier pioneers were required to do incredibly hard physical work to survive their environment. That was no greater challenge than many of our young people now face from the absence of hard work, which results in spiritually corrosive challenges to discipline, responsibility, and self-worth.
There are many other dangers that pervade our society and will stop our progress if we succumb to them. With the dangers however, also come significant blessings if we will choose to receive them. One of the greatest blessings that we share with pioneers throughout scripture is the presence of a living prophet on the earth. His counsel steers us away from the obstacles that would damn our progress. Consider a few recent examples:

“Choose wisely when using media because whatever you read, listen to, or look at has an effect on you. Select only media that uplifts you… Do not attend, view or participate in anything that is vulgar, immoral, violent, or pornographic in any way. Do not participate in anything that presents immorality or violence as acceptable. Have the courage to walk out of a movie, change your music, or turn off a computer, television, or mobile device if what you see or hear drives away the Spirit”.[2]

“We cannot truly love God if we do not love our fellow travelers on this mortal journey. Likewise, we cannot fully love our fellowmen if we do not love God, the Father of us all.”[3]

“It is impossible to stand upright when one plants his roots in the shifting sands of popular opinion and approval. Needed is the courage of a Daniel, an Abinidi, a Moroni, or a Joseph Smith in order for us to hold strong and fast to that which we know is right. They had the courage to do not that which was easy but that which was right. We will all face fear, experience ridicule, and meet opposition. Let us—all of us—have the courage to defy the consensus, the courage to stand for principle. Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God’s approval.”[4]

Do we have the faith to be obedient to prophetic counsel?

Finally, we should not be surprised if it takes significant time and effort to develop the attributes that will help us meet the challenges we face. Marathons are rarely ran the first time a person gets off the couch, the best crops do not come from the first or second or third year of planting, and the faith to see God does not come from a single, thoughtless petition to ‘bless the food’ or ‘drive home safe’. The Jaredites wandered over five years to reach their goal, learning shipbuilding and the nature of God as they went; Moses and the Israelites witnessed many miracles and received the Ten Commandments while wandering the desert for 40 years; and the early Saints received the restored gospel through the Book of Mormon and Doctrine & Covenants over 27 years before they arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. We’re still waiting to return to Jackson County to build the New Jerusalem.

The final challenge, once we are on the right path, is to endure. To add a few miles or a few blocks or a few feet to the end of the path so our children and grandchildren will know the way back to our Heavenly Father. To “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men… feasting upon the words of Christ, and endur[ing] to the end”.[5]

If we are willing to do this, then Pioneer Day is about us too because we will be one of them. We will cross the figurative Great Plains and Rocky Mountains of our lives, we will mark the path for our children and grandchildren to follow, and we will be able to rejoice with those who have gone before in the Celestial Kingdom of our Father in Heaven.
-----------

Sources:

[1] See Dallin H. Oaks, “Following the Pioneers,” Ensign, November 1997, https://www.lds.org/ensign/1997/11/following-the-pioneers?lang=eng.

[2] “Entertainment and Media”, For the Strength of Youth, https://www.lds.org/youth/for-the-strength-of-youth/entertainment-and-media?lang=eng.

[3] See Thomas S. Monson, “Love—the Essence of the Gospel,” Ensign, May 2014, https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/love-the-essence-of-the-gospel?lang=eng.

[4] See Thomas S. Monson, “Be Strong and of a Good Courage”, Ensign, May 2014, https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/be-strong-and-of-a-good-courage?lang=eng.

[5] See 2 Nephi 31:20-21, https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/31?lang=eng.

Journeys of Faith

Sometime in the three years following the birth of Christ, a group of travelers arrived in Jerusalem from an unnamed eastern country. The group, which had likely come over 1,000 miles by camel or on foot, was notable for the noble men who were their leaders-- considered wise either because of royal status or education or devotion to the gospel-- and journeyed because they recognized a new star in the heavens that testified of the birth of the Messiah.

That heralding star had likely not appeared for some time, possibly even years, when the group finally arrived in Israel's capital city. Scripture does not say exactly how long the star shone over Bethlehem nor how long this group of easterners had been traveling, but it is clear the wise men, or perhaps one or more of their wise wives, found it necessary to pull over in Jerusalem and ask for directions. Knowing they sought the King of the Jews, they inquired at the palace.

King Herod was apparently not aware of the star and its prophecy, but he certainly knew of the political threats posed in the prophesies of the Messiah. He consulted with his advisers to direct the travelers to Bethlehem and, attempting to compensate for his own unpreparedness, petitioned them to do a little scouting for him and report back to the palace.

As they walked down the palace steps, the wise men would have had every reason to question the legitimacy of their voyage. It had been so long since they saw the star-- and since then they had faced the numerous challenges and fatigues inherent to a journey across the desert without a notable confirmation that they were on the right path. When they finally reached the palace, there was confusion and little knowledge about the prophecied King of the Jews they sought. Even if the Christ child would be born in Bethlehem, as they had just learned from the king's advisers, there was no way to know which house in town to go or whether he was still in Bethlehem at all. Maybe this was a dead end or just a wild goose chase. Or maybe they hadn't really seen or understood the prophecied star. Wouldn't things be easier if it was right?! Maybe they would be better off turning around and going home-- or at least searching less diligently to mitigate the risk of disappointment.

Thousands of miles away in the Americas, those kinds of doubts had quickly dominated the public discussion. They had also seen the star, but some small groups immediately began to persuade the masses that they had not really seen the star or that, if they did see a star, it was not the prophesied sign of Christ's birth (3 Nephi 1:22). Most of the people did not listen at first, rejoicing in the birth of the Savior; but within a few years the people, 'began to be less and less astonished at a sign or wonder from heaven, insomuch that they began to be hard in their hearts, and blind in their minds, and began to disbelieve all which they had heard and seen' (3 Nephi 2:1-3).

That would not be the case with the wise men, who wasted no time listening to foolish doubts or pondering potential failures. Instead they set out immediately from the palace, traveling the five-mile road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem in the darkness. Somewhere along that path, 'lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him’ (Matthew 2:9-11).

As we seek the Savior in our journey through life, at Christmastime and throughout the year, we will face many of the same kinds of trials as the wise men did. The Lord will give us revelation that we will need to trust and believe absolutely even when the special feelings have long since faded. Sometimes it may seem that we've hit a dead end or that there is no possible way the Lord could keep His promises. We may question ourselves and whether God has really spoken to our minds and hearts or if He is really guiding our path. Certainly the world around us will question our devotion and mock our reliance on the revelation they ignorantly see as strange or only imagined.

We will be tempted to quit, to trust in only what we can calculate or see for ourselves, to believe that we have reached a dead end or that God has not dealt fairly with us, or to hesitate and shy away from hard things. And if we give in to those temptations, we will most often find that we are giving up on finding Christ when we are nearest to Him, giving up the miracles and blessings we have just worked so hard to make possible, and giving up our chance to worship at His feet and live in His presence.

In the story of the wise men we see a wiser path for our lives. Journeys of faith, like journeys through the desert, simply do not happen without exertion, endurance through fatigue, and determination to press forward despite our doubts and fears. But then, if we will 'press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men', the Lord will confirm our faith and guide us to our goals; He will purify our hearts and we will know Him; and we will learn for ourselves that 'whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day' (2 Nephi 31:20, Alma 36:3).