Ponderize Alma 34:41

The past week I pondered the state of hopelessness and wondered what do I do when I feel hopeless. This lead me to look up the word 'hope' on LDS.org. I read through "The Principle and Context of Hope in the Gospel" and came upon this paragraph:

"In the language of the gospel, however, the word hope is sure, unwavering, and active. Prophets speak of having a 'firm hope' (Alma 34:41) and a 'lively hope' (1 Peter 1:3)."

The phrase "firm hope" stood out to me so I looked up Alma 34:41 and this is what I found.

"But that ye have patience, and bear with those afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions." Alma 34:41

I thought to myself, "What does 'firm hope' mean? What does hope even mean?"
I continued reading and read this:
"When we have hope, we trust God's promises. We have a quiet assurance that if we do 'the works of righteousness,' we 'shall receive [our] reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come' (D&C 59:23)."

Prophetic Teachings
I continued my search for hope by reading a couple of talks found at the end of the "The Principle and Context of Hope in the Gospel" article under Prophetic Teachings. A few of the quotes that stood out to me are as follows:

• "Hope emanates from the Lord, and it transcends the bounds of this mortal sphere."
• "Hope is essential to faith; faith is essential to hope; faith and hope are essential to charity."
• "Faith is rooted in Jesus Christ. Hope centers in his atonement. Charity is manifest in the 'pure love of Christ.'"
• "Hope is realistic anticipation which takes the form of a determination - not only to survive adversity but, more over, to 'endure.....well' to the end (D&C 121:8)."

Afterwards I decided to look up the 1828 definition of hope.

1828 Dictionary 
Hope - "A desire of some good, accompanied with at least a slight expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable, hope differs from wish and desire in this, that it implies some expectation of obtaining the good desired, or the possibility of possessing it. Hope therefore always gives pleasure or joy; whereas wish and desire may produce or be accompanied with pain and anxiety."

Hope is something more than I have considered before. In my mind I think of hope as wishing for something but that is not hope. Hope is more like faith which means we have a trust in God and his promises. My understanding of hope needs to be redefined, but I know as I continue to study I will come to learn and understand better of what hope really means.

Other Talks on Hope:
Hope, an Anchor of the Soul - President James E. Faust
Hope Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ - Neal A. Maxwell
Brightness of Hope - Neal A. Maxwell
The Joy of Hope Fulfilled - Elder M. Russell Ballard

Ponderize Alma 36:3

"And now, O my son Hellman, behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know 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." Alma 36:3

My focus this past week was on the last half of this verse starting with "shall put their trust in God...."

In pondering this verse trust and support stood out to me, so I asked two questions:
1) What does it mean to Trust in the Lord?
2) What does it mean to be supported in our trials?

As I thought about these questions I was inspired with two thoughts, 1) read Elder Scotts conference address from October 1995 (I've read this talk before so I knew it) and 2) find the chapter about Alma and his people being strengthened during their trial.

Trust
While reading Elder Scotts talk I came upon this quote:

"To trust means to obey willingly without knowing the end from the beginning (see Prov. 3:5-7). To produce fruit, your trust in the Lord must be more powerful and enduring than your confidence in your own personal feelings and experience." -Elder Richard G. Scott "Trust in Lord" GC Oct. 1995

For me I felt like this answered the question I had in trusting in the Lord or at least reminded me of what I already knew once before.

Support
There is a story in the Book of Mormon that I love for the principle it teaches about God not taking away our trials but strengthening us so we can overcome them. I wanted to find it and study it in the aspect of God supporting us. It's found in Mosiah 24:13-15

The things that stood out to me as I read were:
a) the voice of the Lord came upon them in their afflictions
b) lift up your heads and be comforted
c) Lord will deliver them
d) ease their burdens, so not to feel them
e) Lord did strengthen them to bear up their burdens with ease

The trust these people administered was lifting up their heads and being comforted. The support came from Heavenly Father in the form of a voice promising them deliverance but also strengthening them so that they could bear their burdens with ease.

Support and blessings that come from the Lord vary in many ways but He does promise us comfort and deliverance from our trials. Although that deliverance does not mean taking our burdens away, rather it means strengthening us to bear those burdens. God will and does support us. I encourage you to look a little more at your daily life and ask, "How does the Lord support me?"

Headlights, Bitterness, & Gratitude

No Headlights

On my trip out to California I noticed that my car was giving off a distinct smell as I came into Vegas. In my mind I envisioned burning wires, but I would soon found out that it was burning plastic. My first thought was the A/C unit since the fan motor would occasionally make a funny sound. Turning it off and rolling the windows down did nothing to help the smell.

Continuing down the road I noticed that the high beam light was on within my dashboard. Finding it weird I tried to turn the light for my high beams off but nothing worked. Within a couple of minutes I no longer had headlights traveling down I-15 at 9pm.

Finding a road I recognized I turned off and pulled into the McDonald’s parking lot. I tried to turn off and on my lights but had no luck in getting my headlights to turn on. I ended up calling my dad. While talking through the situation, I discovered that the connector to the steering wheel was burnt. The cause was the fog lights being on, I never used before until this trip. (So moral of my story don't use fog lights.)

With the help of my dad, I was able to rig a connection between the live wire and the headlights.  The headlights came on and I was set to make the final five hours to my destination. But the headlights only lasted 5 minutes before the connection no longer worked due to the continued malfunction of the fog lights.

Stuck in Vegas with no working headlights to make the final five hours I found myself nervous and vulnerable. When I first pulled into the parking lot a guy kept coming up to me and trying to talk, then another guy. As I was traveling I was carrying cash so I felt more vulnerable and a target. On top of everything I was feeling I knew I wasn’t in the best part of town. I was only a few blocks from one of the worst parts of Vegas and I knew I couldn’t stay in that area for too long.

Bitterness

Frustrated and extremely tired, from getting three hours of sleep in my car the night before, I was losing my patience quick. I wanted to figure out what was wrong with the car and fix it, but these two guys kept interrupting me. I kept telling them I was fine and I could handle it because honestly I could handle it. When it comes to cars I’m pretty resourceful and can fix just about anything, since I grew up helping my dad fix cars. So I didn’t need help, I needed space and quietness to work.

Eventually, I found a hotel close by to stay the night. But even before getting my room I had problems finding the hotel registration desk. I asked a security guard but got confused once I started heading in the direction he told me. Asking for help a second time, I made an attempt to venture in the way I was told. Even then I ended up confused by the directions I was given and overwhelmed with everything. Things did work out and I was able to find the desk and get a room. 

Throughout this whole ordeal I was reminded of a scripture talking about how God will consecrate our afflictions for our gain. I found myself feeling a little bitter about the entire situation though. I wondered, “How in the world is He going to make this affliction for my gain? What good is going to come of this?“ I was tired, exhausted, I had a massive headache since earlier that afternoon, I didn’t smell good, and I was sick of the car. I just wanted to be at my destination already. I was over it, and wanted the day to end.

Gratitude

Even though I was getting bitter there were small moments of gratitude that I was blessed to recognize.

• As my headlights quit working I thought, “Well if this is the worst that will happen with my car then I am grateful for it because it could be a lot worse than what it is.”
• A text from a friend came an hour or two before helping me to remember to laugh, make light of your day and enjoy the journey.
• I was grateful to have been in Vegas with car problems instead of another city. I lived in Vegas a few years ago so I knew the area well enough (the not so good areas, where certain things were, etc).  If I was in any other city I would have felt more uncomfortable and not as confident in what to do or where to go.
• I was able to get a cheap hotel room that had enough room to store my bike for the night.
• My car was still drivable during the day, just not at night.
• The guys that kept coming up to me had good intentions and asked if I needed help. At least they were willing to ask to see if I needed help and if I was okay.
•  Making it to the hotel without any more problems (using my high beams as headlights and taking two main roads to get to the hotel quickly).
• Saying a prayer with my parents over the phone to help calm my nerves.

The Lesson

That night I knelt down beside my hotel bed and talked to Heavenly Father. I told Him my thoughts and feelings, telling Him I don’t understand why this was happening and what good was suppose to come of it but I knew He had a plan and I trusted Him and accepted His will. Also, I made sure to share all those things that I was grateful for because I know that hope lies within the little moments of light, they help us press forward when we feel like we cannot.

In the morning I woke and read a talk given by President Lee from the October 1972 General Conference session. Within the talk I read these words:

“That when an individual is ordained and appointed to lead the people, he has passed through tribulations and trials, and has proven himself before God, and before His people, that he is worthy of the situation which he holds.”

The phrase lead people and being a leader kept coming to my mind as I laid in bed the night before. This quote impressed upon my mind and heart that what I was going through was to help me. I was to prove myself before God through these tests and trials so that I may stand worthy for the appointments and callings that will one day come.

At times I feel like I am given more tests and trials than the average person, in those moments I have a tendency to ask why and get frustrated. But it is essential for us to remember, as I was reminded that morning, that we are given tests to prove our worthiness to lead others and help build the kingdom of God. 

God knows what He wants us to be. To get us from where we are to where He needs us to be takes a lot of stretching and pulling, which entails discomfort and pain. There is great truth and comfort in remembering that with every great trial comes great blessings. Blessings can be found all around us, we can be grateful even when things aren't going the way we hoped they would. Will we strive to try a little more to be a little better at looking for the good and being grateful for those small things in our life? We will be blessed so much more in our efforts to be grateful. 

Ponderize 2 Nephi 2:2

A week before I was supposed to leave for California I found myself at the hospital bedside of my grandmother's, who just came out of emergency surgery. That morning I was reading from the Book of Mormon and read this verse in 2 Nephi chapter 2:

“Nevertheless, Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.”

After reading this verse to her I remember telling her that what she was going through will be for her gain and will be good. Yet, I distinctly recall hearing a voice questioning what I was saying. How was this supposed to be for her gain and how will this be for her good? I don’t know but I hold hope in the truthfulness of this declaration from one of God’s anointed servant in ancient times.

Since that moment I wondered what it truly meant by “he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.” This past week I decided to make it the verse I pondered and studied.

In my effort to understand this phrase of God consecrating my afflictions for my gain I did two things to help deepen my understanding. 1) Footnotes and 2) Topical Guide

Footnotes

Within the scriptures you will find footnotes at the bottom of your scriptures or on the website as a pop up link. As I have studied verses I tend to look at the footnotes to help in my search of receiving knowledge and a better understanding of the various words. They provided valuable information as well as cross-references to help better explain words.

Under the word affliction, in 2 Nephi 2:2, there are three footnote references:

1. Micah 4:13

2. 2 Nephi 32:9

3. *TG-Afflictions

I looked up the verses in Micah 4 and 2 Nephi 32 but felt like they didn’t provide me with any more information than I already had so I turned to the Topical Guide.

*TG=Topical Guide

Topical Guide

The Topical Guide is a place where you can look up a key word and you will find related scriptures pertaining to that key word.

After looking up the footnote scriptures I decided to turn to the Topical Guide for further assistance.

Here I skimmed through briefly reading passages that pertained to the word affliction. Most of the verses didn’t help me in furthering my understanding of 2 Nephi 2, but there were a couple that stood out to me, in which I felt helped me understand something I did not know before.

“Is any among you afflicted? let him pray” James 5:13

“Afflicted shall work together for your good” D&C 98:3

D&C 98:3 lead me to look up the word ‘good’ in the TG where I found Romans 8:28 which reads:

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according his purpose.”

In this verse ‘good’ has 4 scripture references (footnotes) one of them being Alma 36:3. It reads:

“I do know 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.”

The Lesson

In the process of seeking and studying this phrase “consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain” I understood much deeper that our afflictions work out for our good.

My mind thought of previous events in my life when I thought and viewed my afflictions as set backs and inconveniences. By these afflictions to the Lord are only events in a greater good that He is bringing to pass.

May I briefly illustrate one example?

I served a mission in Las Vegas back in 2011. While out for only four months I started having health complications pertaining to chest pains (I had this problem when I was 16 and knew it was my spinal cord). My health wasn’t improving so I came home early being honorable discharged. During that time I could not understand why I was giving this trial but years later I see how this trial has been for my good as well as the good of others. There have been moments where I have been able to reach out and talk to others who have experienced a similar trial that I did.

There is a purpose and reason for all things that we go through in life. While we see things as inconveniences God views them as stepping stones to bring to pass a greater purpose. These trials and afflictions are not only to help us but also to enable us to help others, if we so choice.

I believe that this is the meaning behind the phrase "consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain"-to help others. 

Ponderize D&C 123:17

Last October Devin G. Durrant, First counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency gave a talk, in which he invited all members to "ponderize" one verse of scripture each week.

For me I loved the idea and thought of pondering a scripture every week, but as I attempted to implement it into my daily life I found it to be a great struggle. First, I didn't understand how to effectively ponder a scripture, I still don't. Second, as the week past I felt that one week was too short to ponder one scripture but struggled to establish a time frame that was appropriate to ponder and set a new scripture.

Still struggling to implement this counsel into my life, I have decided to post every week a scripture I have selected. I will include my thoughts and feelings that have come from pondering the selected scripture. My hope is that I will be more accountable and that maybe those who read these posts will gain something from them.

Two years ago I came upon this verse that impressed me. It resonated with me because at the time I was struggling to find a job, and an internship to finish my degree. And today it relates so well to me as I am striving to find housing in a city where I know no one.

D&C 123:17
"Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed."

"Do all things that lie in our power"
             What is your part?
             What can you do?
     Consider looking for a job. Now we do not automatically get a job by chance, okay maybe a few by rare chance. But the general rule for us is that we must put in the effort, we need to do our part in order to find a job. A job is not going to just appear on our door step with an offer. We need to make a resume, seek for open jobs, and apply to those jobs.
     In every situation in life, whether its finding a job, spouse, or housing, we need to do our part. There is effort required on our end, and if we do our part we will be able to find what we seek.

"Stand still, with the utmost assurance"
    "Now God tends to do everything backwards; we worship a backwards God, in a sense. I say, 'Lord, help me understand and then I can believe.' But in the scriptures, the Lord says, 'No, believe and then you will understand.' I say that's backwards, and He says, 'No, you have it backwards.' So here the Lord says, 'Be comforted, and rejoice, give thanks, then I'll answer your prayers.' And I say, 'Lord, answer my prayers, and then I'll be comforted, rejoice, and give thanks.' That is backwards." (S. Michael Wilcox "Bread or Stones: Understanding the God We Pray to")

    For me, standing still with assurance is one of the hardest things to do. I like to be prepared and know before hand the things that will happen so I feel confident enough to approach them. Comfort comes when I know and understand, but as Michael Wilcox has stated this is not the God we worship. We are asked to have comfort and peace first, then our answers will come. How frustrating it is at times to be reminded of this, but how beautiful it is to learn that we can stand still with assurance.

"Arm to be revealed"
    As we do our part we can have peace of assurance and find hope in knowing that God will do his part. In the last sentence of the first chapter of Nephi we read that the Lords tender mercies are over all of us. When we have done all we can for a situation we can say to ourselves, "I have done the best I can do, and I will leave the rest to God." There is no point to keep holding on and worrying about things that we cannot control after we have done all we can.

    I have found myself asking, "Have I done all that I could do, was what I've done enough?" Through seeking and asking I have better understood Gods voice and the process of doing, asking, and listening. When I do what I can do then go to the Lord in prayer, I tend to ask, "Lord, I have done all that I know to do and can do, but if there is more I can do then could you please let me know?" Many times I discover that God blesses me with more impressions to know what else I can do, what other avenues to try.

    You will be amazed at Gods hand in your life as you develop this process of doing, asking, and listening. I hope that as we do our part we will be blessed to see the Lords arm revealed to us through those daily tender mercies. We can stand still with assurance while waiting upon the Lord and know He does hear us, He knows what we are going through, and He will answer. He will not fail us.

Perspective: Bearing Trials

In a previous post I talked about 1 Corinthians 10 verse 13 in an attempt to address its translation and our definition of the word tempted. At the end I suggested that maybe we should change our focus from whether or not tempted means tempted with sin or afflictions to what it means for us to bear something.

God is all knowing

            Within Ps 82:6 and Acts 17:29 we learn of our divine heritage as children of God. Before coming to this earth we lived with him; we are the offspring of a Heavenly Father. He knew us before we came to this earth (Jer. 1:5), this truth does not pertain to only the Prophets and those people within the Holy Bible because God is not a respecter of persons (Romans 2:11). He loves us all equally because He is our perfect Father in Heaven (Matt 5:48, 3 Nephi 12:48). He is perfect and all knowing, for He can see the beginning from the end, nothing is hid from Him. 

If God is our Father in Heaven and is perfect is it not safe to say that He knows us perfectly? 

Turning & Not Turning to Christ

            The articles I read in regards to 1 Corinthians 10:13 emphasized that while yes God gives us more than we can bear, it is for the purpose that we will turn to Christ. Stating that Christ is our way through the trial. I love and deeply agree with this principle of turning to Christ before, during, and after our trials but I stopped to think, 'Wait, what about when I did not turn to Christ?'

There was a time that I did not have a relationship with Christ, neither believing nor worshiping him. So, what about all those trials I experienced before my relationship with Christ? Does that mean my trials weren't anything compared to those who had Christ in their life?

If we say yes God does give us more than we can bear for the intent to turn us towards Christ then it would indicate that those who do not have Christ in their life nor turn to him during their times of trials are not experiencing unbearable trials. I refuse to believe such a notion. Every one is going to face unbearable trials at one point or another during their journey, whether they believe or do not believe in Christ and whether or not they turn to Christ. 

Yes, I do believe our weaknesses are to humble us. Yes, our trials are for the purpose of turning us to Christ and trusting in the Lord. And yes, God provides away for us to overcome our trials whether we believe in Christ or not and whether we turn to him or not. God is going to help us through either way. 

You might be thinking, "What is the point of turning to Christ then?" This is a great question but will be discussed in a later time. The point I am trying to convey is that there is something deeper we have a tendency to over look or not even consider when we are going through a trial, our perspective. 

Our Own Limits
            Consider a small child falling down and getting a cut on their knee. There is blood, a little dirt, and a scream of murder by the child. Consider the perspective of the child. There is blood and intense pain, nothing like they ever experienced before. In their eyes this is quite possibly what it feels like to die, and they believe that they just might die. But from a view of an adult, or parent with years of experience in this world, our perspective of this trial is small. We know the child will get through it and for a time it will hurt, but ultimately they will heal and survive.

Is not this the same role that is played out with us and our Father in Heaven? The cuts that we get are in the form of losing a job, losing a loved one, a financial struggle, a chronic disease, a conflict with a friend, or a struggle with a child. Yes, our trials seem unbearable, we feel broken, disappointed, helpless, and hopeless at times. But Gods view, as a parent to a child is perfectly clear. He knows us perfectly, our limits, our weaknesses, our strengths and abilities. He knows what we can and cannot bear.

For runners they know that it is the mind that limits their ability. There is a point that they must push past, ignoring the voice within telling them they can't, to find their true ability and strength. We limit ourselves and place a bound on what we are capable of doing. Consider running a half marathon. You are probably thinking "Oh, NO! I cannot do that." But why? Who says you cannot run a half marathon?

The Principle

Do we place a limit on what we can and cannot bear? Are we limiting our own strength and ability? Do we need to reevaluate our definition on what it means for us to bear something? 

God knows us completely and perfectly. He has compete and perfect trust in us and our abilities to bear our burdens. He will not give us more than we can bear. And He does not give us trials so we can prove to him what we can and cannot bear, He already knows what we can bear. God is showing us, as we prove to ourselves, not to Him, that we can bear what may seem as too much for us to bear. We discover a strength we did not know we had. We can do hard things and we can overcome anything that is placed in our path. 

Eternal matter lies within all of us. We are made of things of eternity. Nothing will be too great for us to bear because we bear the very essence of God. Christ is indeed the way. He provides us with peace, hope, and refuge from the storm. He will strengthen us and bear with us our burdens to seem like they are no longer placed upon us, but that comes when we turn to Him. We are not given more than we can bear. God trusts you and sees within you more than you see within yourself. You can do hard things, and you can get through your trials.