Follow Your Heart's Invention

"A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps." - Proverbs 16:9

I stumbled upon this verse this morning and it has brought me to a place of contemplation and reflection. It has been an uphill climb trying to figure out how to provide for a family and enjoy a career that is worthy of my time and energy. I am not there yet and I still have a lot of questions and doubts but this verse gave me direction. We need to create or invent our future and trust that God will direct our steps.

God Is at the Helm

If God is at the Helm, then where am I on the ship? What are my duties? Where has the captain placed me? What do I know? What do I see?

God is at the Helm - Elder M. Russell Ballard

Elder M. Russell Ballard gave a talk this past general conference titled "God is at the Helm." The overall message that I received from his words is that understanding and living the principles of the gospel can have a powerful impact in directing our lives. As former President of the Church Brigham Young stated " We are on the old ship Zion...God is at the helm and will stay there...He dictates, guides and directs...If the people will have implicit confidence in their God, never forsake their covenants nor their God, He will guide us right." As I studied and pondered the meaning of Elder Ballard's talk I found 5 pillars of power that will help us sustain our captain.

Pillar of Power #1 "The Power of Witness and Testimony"

Elder Ballard teaches that "The Church of Jesus Christ has always been led by living prophets and apostles. Though mortal and subject to human imperfection, the Lord's servants are inspired to help us avoid obstacles that are spiritually life threatening and to help us pass safely through mortality to our final, ultimate, heavenly destination." We learn in John 13:20 that "He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me."

We do not gain any knowledge without first witnessing. The scriptures teach us that the mysteries to the kingdom will be revealed to the faithful. I love a verse found in the Doctrine and Covenant 76:19 "And while we meditated upon these things, the Lord touched the eyes of our understandings and they were opened, and the glory of the Lord shone round about." Elder Ballard continued to teach that "We cannot separate Christ from His servants. Without His first Apostles, we would not have an eyewitness account of many of His teachings, His ministry, His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, and His death on the cross. Without their testimonies, we would not have an apostolic witness of the empty tomb and the Resurrection."

Through diligence and communication you will know where you stand on the Old Ship Zion through the witness of those who serve the Captain of ship.

Other scriptures that I found interesting concerning the power of witness and testimony:
Alma 5:15
Ether 12:19
DC 76:12

Pillar of Power #2 "The Power of Relationships"

"By understanding who our Heavenly Father is and our relationship to Him and to His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, we will accept Their commandment and make covenants with Them that will lead us back into Their eternal presence." What would Moses be without Aaron, Adam without Eve, Mary without Joseph, the stripling warriors without their mothers? It is important that we surround ourselves with good people. Be not afraid to pull away from those who are not living principles of light. By doing so you will know and understand what you duties on the Old Ship Zion are.

Pillar of Power #3 "The Power of Chastity"

Elder Ballard teaches that"Heavenly Father created Adam and Eve for a lofty purpose. It was their charge to create mortal bodies for God's spirit children so they could experience mortality. By this process, Heavenly father sends His spirit children to the earth to learn and grow through the experiences of earth life."

The Lord is calling for us to be a chaste people, a people of virtue and understanding. Our God and captain has given us the solemn duty/responsibility, as He gave Adam and Eve, to create mortal bodies for his spirit children. I personally know of no greater joy than to walk hand in hand with your companion in following this charge. It is clear that our position on the Old Ship Zion is to "practice virtue and holiness before me continually" (DC 46:33).

Pillar of Power #4 "The Power of Warning"

As you work on the Old Ship Zion... what have you learned? And how have you learned it? Elder Ballard states "The Lord's Apostles are duty bound to watch, warn, and reach out to help those seeking answers to life's questions...Please remember that commandments and covenants are priceless truths and doctrines found in the Old Ship Zion, where God is at the helm." King Benjamin in the book of Mosiah sounded a voice of warning to his people and throughout the scriptures prophets have watched and warned of things to come. As we go throughout our journey always look to the watchtower and you will know what to do and where to stand.

Pillar of Power #5 "The Power of R"

"Another important doctrine that we should cling to is to observe the Sabbath day...The recent emphasis of making the Sabbath a delight is a direct result of inspiration from the Lord through the leaders of the Church." - Elder Ballard

Remain unspotted from the world by Remembering the R's of the keeping the Sabbath day:
1. Rest
2. Refreshment
3. Renews and Reconfirms our love for the Savior
4. Respond to the spirit
5. Remember His sacrifice and His atonement

Isaiah 58:13-14 reads "If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; thou shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth..." I love these two verses because it teaches us that by observing the sabbath day you will be able to see the wonderful surroundings of your journey while on the Old Ship Zion.

I really enjoyed this talk and hope that you gained something from the Five Pillars of Power that was extracted in my study of Elder M. Russell Ballard's words. Let us find our place on the ship, perform our duties, bring others aboard, further our knowledge, and observe the beauty around us.

It Works Wonderfully

Earlier this month Autumn, Fitz and I had the opportunity to watch the LDS General Conference. It has always been a time of reflection and resolution. Look for an update each week on a talk that was given at General Conference. As I have studied these words, happiness and peace have accompanied me in my daily walk...

This week's talk comes from Saturday Morning's session from Dieter F. Uchtdorf "It Works Wonderfully": It Works Wonderfully - Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Being a pilot for many years President Uchtdorf has gained thoughtful insight from his daily life's work and walk. I have always been inspired when someone takes an ordinary life experience and extracts lessons from it. Although this talk does not go into an airplane analogy, it can be a fascinating listen and/or read. 

Not too long ago I found myself sitting at Costco getting my "yearly" eye examination. I say yearly because it is something that I should be do annually but have failed in doing so. Anyways, one of my eyes has been consistently red, so I thought it would be good to have someone look at it and President Uchtdorf explained my attitude for this visit perfectly "As a patient, I'm not very patient." I was not impressed with what this eye doctor had said so I discounted his "diagnosis" and moved on. Like President Uchtdorf I decided to undertake an Internet search where I expected to "discover truth of which my doctors were unaware or had tried to keep from me." We all can react to situations like this in our lives and I think that is fine. The thought becomes more substantial or significant when you react this way towards your relationship with God. 

In Ether (Book of Mormon) chapters 2-3 we learn of an experience that the Brother of Jared had when faced with a problem that needed ingenuity and problem solving. The Brother of Jared had learned that God "hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee, that from thee we may receive according to our desires." President Uchtdorf explains "Sometimes, the truth may just seem too straightforward, too plain, and too simple for us to fully appreciate its great value. So we set aside what we have experienced and know to be true in pursuit of more mysterious or complicated information." We find ourselves "chasing after shadows." Remember, that the pursuit of knowledge is a good thing. Couple that search/pursuit with a Heavenly Father who is all knowing and you will be tutored by the best, directed by the best, and ultimately become the best you can be.

President Uchtdorf combines this attitude of impatience with the experience that we have at church. He poses some questions that really tugged at me... "But why does it seem to work better for some than for others? What is the difference between those whose experience in the Church fills their souls with songs of redeeming love and those who feel that something is lacking?"

As I have contemplated these questions I have found a quirky play on two words... FILLING and FEELING... I find it interesting that there are those who recognize or FEEL the spirit or God's gentle nudges and there are those who don't. I find it interesting and quite cool that if you seek long and hard enough you can recognize or FEEL the spirit/God's gentle nudges. Once those promptings are felt you tend to be FILLED with understanding and love towards others and the experience they have in worship. President Uchtdorf had two suggestions for us in how we can better our experience at Church so that we may be able to discern truth as it is... 

First suggestion from Uchtdorf
SIMPLIFY:

"We need to make a conscientious effort to devote our energy and time to the things that truly matter."

Step 1. HEAR the word of God with earnest intent leads us to believe in God and to trust His promises. After reading this I started to look in the scriptures for verses about "hearing" and Romans 10:16,17 really stuck out to me because Paul teaches that "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Is there a difference between hearing and listening???

Step 2. The more we TRUST God, the more our HEARTS are filled with love for Him and for each other. This is an important step "for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). If we have truly heard the word of God our hearts will be soft enough to soak in his teachings so that we trust what we have been told.

Step 3. Because of our love for God, we desire to FOLLOW Him and bring our actions in alignment with His word.

Step 4. Because we love God, we want to SERVE Him; we want to bless the lives of others and help the poor and the needy.

Step 5. The more we WALK in this path of discipleship, the more we desire to learn the word of God.

"And so it goes, each step leading to the next and filling us with ever-increasing faith, hope, and charity." What President Uchtdorf has outlined is very similar to what we learn in Alma chapter 32 on faith. We can apply these five steps to any doubt that we may be exploring. 

Second suggestion from President Uchtdorf

START WHERE YOU ARE:

Too many times we look at others and begin to look at ourselves in a way that degrades what we have accomplished in our journey. We have to remember that comparison is the thief to all the joy we may experience.  "If we look at ourselves only through our mortal eyes, we may not see ourselves as good enough. But our Heavenly Father sees us as who we truly are and who we can become. He sees us as His sons and daughters, as beings of eternal light with everlasting potential and with a divine destiny." I am constantly reminded that it is through the Atonement that this is possible. Christ makes it possible for the door of salvation to be opened and for us to dwell with our Heavenly Father.

Starting where we are can be easy in a lot of ways because we take out the pressure of being someone who we think we should be. Our priorities are put into place. But, as I have thought more about this I understand why President Uchtdorf said the following..."Our weaknesses can help us to be humble and turns us to Christ...Satan on the other hand, uses our weaknesses to the point that we are discouraged from even trying." Once we get past the pride of facing our weaknesses we can realize that our Heavenly Father is molding those weak spots into firm fixtures. Satan wants us to believe that we cannot change into something more beautiful. It is like being in the hands of the master sculptor. Be okay with what we struggle with enough to change and remember that "fools mock, but they shall mourn" (Ether 12: 26-27). 

I love the promise that was given in this talk that "As you exercise a little faith and begin your walk as a peaceable follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, your heart will change. Your whole being will be filled with light." We all have something that we want to change and the best time face our trials are today, right now... do not wait till tonight. Start walking towards Christ and he will help you carry the load. As we do this we will begin to realize that "Exaltation is our goal; discipleship is our journey."

As I studied this talk throughout this past week I stumbled upon this scripture found in Alma 5:16, it reads, "I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth." President Uchtdorf states that "Such contemplation may help us to refocus or realign our daily efforts with the divine plan of salvation." It is my belief that such thought can help me find true meaning and relationship with the God of this world.