In Ether 3:1, I was struck by the size of the 16 stones he prepared. They were small so he could carry them in his hands. For some reason, I always pictured them bigger—to provide light to the whole barge.
But he knew a small stone could provide the light of the Lord—just like a large one could.
Then in v5, he says “Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this. We know that thou art able to show forth great power, which looks small unto the understanding of men.”
That led me to ask, “When does the Lord’s great power look small to me?”
I don’t have a full answer yet, but I think all the small things in my life—the little miracles and blessings, the friendships, the ability to breathe and heal, the opportunities to learn, the closeness with loved ones, the ability to communicate with heaven—those things are not actually “small.”
The footnote on “looks small” in v5 goes to Isaiah 55:8-9:
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
This leads me back to Ether 3:2: “thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee, that from thee we may receive according to our desires.”
Even though my desires may seem small and insignificant—and even though the answers and blessings I receive in response to my prayers may also seem small and insignificant, I have learned over the years, that the day-to-day living inside our families and neighborhoods and hearts is anything but small and insignificant.
I trust that the Lord listens, I trust that He wants to give us the good things that we desire. I trust His process will look small to me with my limited perspective. But I also trust that there is something higher and holier going on, and someday my understanding will comprehend His great power that has been with us all along.
I had a powerful experience listening to this devotional by Steven J. Lund (given at BYU on September 20th, 2022): https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/steven-j-lund/flashes-of-light/
In that devotional address, he shares how our faith can increase as we recognize God's hand ("flashes of light") in our lives.
Here are a a few thoughts of his that I wanted to record:
There is a principle of law called the Doctrine of Chances. It's an exception to the Rule of Evidence. Normally, evidence of a person's prior crimes or acts can't be considered in deciding a person's guilt in a later incident. Just because someone committed one crime doesn't necessarily mean that he committed another. But the Doctrine of Chances essentially asks, "What are the chances that a highly unlikely combination of such facts is mere coincidence?"
In a 1915 trial, there was a husband (Mr. Smith) who was accused of drowning his wife in a bath. He said she had fainted and drowned--and normally, past behavior wouldn't be able to be admitted as evidence. But the judge was asked, "What are the chances that it was just innocent coincidence that Smith's two prior wives had also drowned in bathtubs?"
He then goes on to talk about how amazing things often happen in our lives--and he asks, “What are the chances that they are mere coincidences?”
One story he told was from a time he was serving in the military in Germany. He was 23 years old, and his church and Family Home Evening activities with his fellow YSAs (young single adults) were really important to him each week, as they helped him to remember his values and purpose.
One week, he showed up to the church just as the carpool had left to take everyone to an apartment building across town where they would be holding the evening’s event.
He had been to that apartment once before, but he had been in the back seat of a very full car and didn’t have any idea how to get there. In addition, the streets of Germany are (he says) like a spider web that has caught on fire, and it is difficult to navigate even if you DO know where you are going.
He returned home and dejectedly sat in his car, pouring his heart out to the Lord.
Then, in his mind’s eye, a map of the city appeared—with the path to the apartment highlighted (starting at the church) so he could clearly see all the twists and turns, bridge-crossings, etc.
He followed that path, and through a MIRACULOUS process he describes in the talk (I hope you listen to the whole thing), he made it to the right building, the right floor, and the right hallway. As he wondered which door it could be (or if he just needed to start knocking), he heard a group of people singing “The Spirit of God.”
He said that he walked into that apartment—the most astonished 23-year-old in the church. ❤️
I have been thinking about this story over and over, and I’ve been remembering times in my life where I didn’t know what to do, but the Lord gave me some kind of a “map” in my head to guide me.
I want to do a better job remembering this, and if I am feeling confused or lost, I want to draw closer to the Spirit and trust that I can be shown the right way to go.
Sometimes it is only PART of a map that appears—like Elder Bednar’s lessons on light and taking one step into the fog.
And I have always loved this scripture in Isaiah 52:12, which I think is applicable in this case:
“For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rearward.”
When I want to push myself to go faster/get moving/achieve my goals, I need to remember that the best way to get where I want or need to go is by connecting to the Lord and asking Him to show me the way.
What is more effective or efficient than connecting with THE Map Maker?
What could be a better use of time than listening to the Perfect Guide?
What other process could bring us this kind of peace as we move through our journey in life?
I am grateful for the Savior and for His atonement. I am grateful for His mercy and grace and willingness to help me when the stakes feel high and the path is unclear.
And the more I work at this and learn to listen and act, the more sure I am that the guidance we can receive from the Lord isn’t coincidence or chance. It’s how He shows us He loves us.
I was reading in Alma 55 today, and I was impressed by verse 2, where Moroni says he will not grant unto Ammoron “any more power than what he hath got.”
I think it’s great to ask ourselves if there’s anything WE can do in our lives to make sure the adversary doesn’t get any more power than He already has.
In the April 2022 General Conference, President Nelson said, “Please do not fear or delay repenting. Satan delights in your misery. Cut it short. Cast his influence out of your life! Start today to experience the joy of putting off the natural man.”
(I love people who make these quotes shareable...)
This is something I know will make a difference in my life. I feel like fear, negative self-talk, pessimism, etc. can creep into my life, but when I can cut short any efforts to pull me down, it makes a huge difference.
Elder Kearon spoke at our YSA fireside last Sunday, and one of the topics he covered was about reordering our lives.
He started by telling us how he is a convert to the Church, and when he first started attending meetings, he was struck by how dreary many of the hymns sounded. For example, "Let Us All Press On" was often sung as though the congregation were tired, bored, or weighed down.
Then he shared a story about how one of the organists of the Tabernacle Choir (I think I'm remembering this right?) had the opportunity to compose a new arrangement to that hymn. When the new arrangement was sung by the Tabernacle Choir (video below!), they could all feel something different.
One lesson from this is that we get to rearrange and reorder our lives. We can come up with something magnificent (with the Lord's help) that can enable our lives to feel exciting, powerful, and in line with the Lord.
A question I wrote down in my notes was, "What do I need to reorder in my life?"
I'm still pondering that question, but I've learned that I can often change my activities, expectations, boundaries, plans, projects, perceptions, etc. Life doesn't need to feel "dreary."
Elder Kearon told us that when he wants to "reset" himself, he often listens to this hymn 3-4 times in one morning.
I've started doing that, as well--AND I added this hymn, which is the most beautiful arrangement of "Now Let Us Rejoice" that I've ever heard. (YouTube knows how much I like these, so they've made me a special "mix" playlist with these two songs--and several others from the Tabernacle Choir. THANK YOU, YouTube!)
This got me thinking about a couple of other things, as well.
I've been reading in Alma lately--specifically about Captain Moroni. As I read, I'm highlighting all the unique things he did as a disciple and leader (and I've been recording them in Evernote, where I have read through all of The Book of Mormon asking how I can be a better disciple and a better leader).
The verse in Alma 48:17 is familiar to a lot of us: "...if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men."
I love that. And I especially love reading WHY this was so. He thought creatively--in totally new ways, to the point that the Lamanites were "astonished exceedingly" because of how secure he made their lands. They were "prepared in a manner which never had been known," and it was because "Moroni had altered the management of affairs among the Nephites." (Alma 49: 5, 8, 11)
Altered. Reordered. Changed. Elevated. Improved.
All things we can do in our homes and families as we fight for them--as we protect them.
I especially love Alma 50:12, where we learn that Moroni's armies "did increase daily because of the assurance of protection which his works did bring forth unto them."
One thing we're working on in our family and in our stake at BYU is encouraging emotional resilience.
If you haven't yet seen the Church manual, "Finding Strength in the Lord - Emotional Resilience," there's a section in the free Gospel Library app, or you can access it online here: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/emotional-resilience-for-self-reliance?lang=eng
(Ordering the manual and working through that is best, though--it's an awesome workbook.)
The reason I love this so much is because over the years, I've learned repeatedly that it isn't "what happens to us" that causes stress. Nor is it what's going on in the news, what's happening on social media, what your family members are doing/not doing, whether you have money or vacations or a perfect body, etc. It's more about the truth shared in this quote by President Nelson:
At the beginning of the manual, it says, "Because your Heavenly Father loves you, He sent His Son Jesus Christ to strengthen you during any situation you face in life."
The more resilient we are, the more we're able to look at life with an eternal perspective--which doesn't mean we simply "press on." It means we move forward with that creative, heaven-assisted energy that will help us reorder the chaos that's often the default.
Our faith in Jesus Christ is more than a nice idea we discuss once in awhile at church. We've been promised that when we exercise our faith in Him, He won't let us down. I have seen that happen in my own life over and over and over again, and I know that faith works.
I'll close with this quote from Elder David A. Bednar that is shared in Lesson 1 of the Emotional Resilience manual:
"The children of Israel are carrying the ark of the covenant. They come to the River Jordan. The promise is they will cross over on dry land. When does the water part? When their feet are wet. They walk into the river--act. Power follows--the water parts."
Sending lots of love today as you consider which parts of your life you'd like to "reorder." I hope you listen to those two songs by the Tabernacle Choir, too. Life just feels brighter when we fill it with goodness.
Eighteen years ago, Sister Julie Beck, then a member of the Young Women's General Presidency, shared some specific details about how she studied the scriptures. I remember being so impressed by her process, and today I went back to read her talk (and was again impressed). However, in the written version online (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2004/04/my-soul-delighteth-in-the-scriptures?lang=eng), there aren't any photos, so I rewatched the video and took a few screen shots of her colored tabs and her "workbook"-like notes:
Here are a few points from her talk that I want to share today:
(1) She describes studying the scriptures as a skill. It isn't something we do once...we study daily, and over time, we grow our testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
(2) We can learn by likening the scriptures to ourselves, reading topically, reading books from start to finish, writing down names or key words when certain verses remind us of a specific event, reading in a different language, studying in order to get answers to our questions, or reading to gain knowledge or understanding as we start a new calling (to name a few ideas). There isn't a wrong or right way. Each time we read, it's adding to our knowledge.
(3) In her talk, Sister Beck referred to a talk by Joh Tanner called, "Responding to the Lord's Questions."(https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2002/04/responding-to-the-lords-questions?lang=eng) In that talk, he says, "I’ve learned that the Lord’s questions of me are more important than my questions of Him." I went through that talk (wow), and here are a few questions he mentions:
"Where art thou?" (The question invites Adam to account for himself and dignifies him with accountability.)
“Where goest thou?” (Are we fleeing God or feeling after Him?)
“But whom say ye that I am?”(The Lord measures us not alone by what we profess but by what we perform.)
“Will ye also go away?” ("By contrast, I am forced to admit that sometimes I have deserted the Master; sometimes I have wandered.")
“Lovest thou me?” ("...the Lord is insistent that this question be taken seriously...This question calls me to a deep accounting of my life. How well have I loved others?")
He also adds, "Such divine questions now seem much more important than the questions I once wrote in the margins of my scriptures. Now when I read the scriptures, I feel the weight and tug of questions posed to me by the scriptures, such as: “Knowest thou the condescension of God?” (1 Ne. 11:16). “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?” (Matt. 8:26). “Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?” (Job 40:8). “Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?” (D&C 6:23). “Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts? … and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, … can ye feel so now?” (Alma 5:14, 26)."
***I loved these so much that I made a printable list I could hang on our refrigerator. :)
(4) Like Sister Beck, "Some days I have a lot of time to contemplate the scriptures. Other days I reflect on a few verses. Just as eating and breathing sustain my physical body, the scriptures feed and give life to my spirit."
I am so grateful for the gospel, and I am grateful for the scriptures and the power they bring into my life. As I study, I feel that "lift" that I simply cannot find anywhere else.
I read a lot of books, listen to a lot of podcasts, watch videos, attend trainings, and hear a lot of voices each week. But when I read and study my scriptures, I feel the glory and majesty of God, and I know that He is so willing to share His strength and might with me.
