Lorenzo Snow

In reading the Relief Society lesson for next week I found a perfect quote from President Lorenzo Snow that goes along with my Parenting with the Spirit post.  I love what he has to say and the way he says it!

"Make up your minds to live humbly and in such a way that you will always have the Spirit of the Lord to be your friend, to make such suggestions to you from time to time as shall be needed under the peculiar circumstances in which you may be placed....How much longer I may live, I know nothing about, and I do not worry about it.  I do desire, and it is something that you should desire, to have that humility, and that meekness, and that simplicity to enjoy the spirit of revelation.  It is your privilege, every one of you, to have enough of the spirit of revelation to know exactly what is proper for you to do.  It is your privilege to have it just as much as it is my privilege to know what to do tomorrow, when tomorrow comes, for the best interests of the Church in general."   (Teachings of the President of the Church:  Lorenzo Snow, chapter 4, pg. 79)

Parenting with the Spirit

Alma 42 is the last chapter that we get to "listen in" on Alma speaking to his sons.  He is still talking with Corianton and he says in verse 1:

"And now, my son, I perceive there is somewhat more which doth worry your mind, which ye cannot understand..."

I have been thinking about this since reading it yesterday.  I wish I could hear the things Corianton is saying back to Alma.  Or, is Corianton like some of my kiddos, who largely remain silent during these tete-a-tetes?  Is Alma gleaning what needs to be discussed from what his son is saying or from the Spirit like he and Amulek did when they were "contending" with Zeezrom back in Alma 12?

Alma speaking to Zeezrom:  "...for behold, he knows all thy thoughts, and thou seest that thy thoughts are made known unto us by his Spirit." (Alma 12:3)

It has got me thinking about parenting and how Heaven Father knows my children and what they need far better than I do.  It is a thought that is a comfort to me.  When I am ready to throw up my hands in frustration as to what to do next as a parent, I can go to Heavenly Father and he will know.  Or better yet, pray before I am ready to throw in the towel.  I think that my stewardship as their mother entitles me to revelation regarding their needs.  I think I can ask him to help me perceive the things that my child is struggling with even when they are silent.  And then I can pray for the words and the love that it takes to help them understand.

The Plan of Restoration

In Alma chapter 41, Alma continues his discussion with his son, Corianton, by teaching him about the word "restoration" and how that applies to the plan of salvation.  In fact in verse 2 he talks about "the plan of restoration," then he goes on to say:

"...it is requisite that all things should be restored to their proper order.  Behold it is requisite and just, according to the power and resurrection of Christ, that the soul of man should be restored to its body, and that every part of the body should be restored to itself." (emphasis added)

In verses 3-6, Alma talks about how the concept of restoration applies to our choices in this life.  He says that those whose works are good in this life will have that which is good restored unto them, and those who choose evil will have evil restored to them.  I like how he puts it in verse 7:

"...for behold, they are their own judges, whether to do good or do evil."

I have meant some people in my life that resent the concept of religion because they think that it teaches about a God that goes around damning people to hell all the time.  They don't think God is like that, and they are right.  Our Father in Heaven is loving and merciful...and just.  This plan that he has laid out for us is the only way that we can learn and grow and eventually become like Him.  He has provided us with life on this earth, opportunities to choose, and a Savior.  The Savoir's Atonement makes it so that when we choose poorly, we can erase those sins and try again to make better choices.  We truly are our own judges, deciding what will be restored unto us when all is said and done.  Let us choose wisely, my friends.

Alma 40

In Alma 40, Alma tells his son, Corianton, about how he prayed to know a mystery of God and received his answer from an angel.  He "imparts" the answer to his son--and all of us--concerning what becomes of us between the time of our death and the time wherein we are resurrected.  He speaks of spirit paradise and "outer darkness"(v.13).  I have a note in my scriptures that says--per a Sunday School lesson--that Alma is speaking of spirit prison here in verse 13, not the "outer darkness" we think of in association with the sons of perdition.  So, Alma is discussing a part of the plan of salvation with his son in this chapter and we get to "listen" in.

The way he talks about it makes me think about the terms "heaven" and "hell" used by much of the Christian world.  The way he describes paradise and prison sure sound like heaven and hell(v.12-13).  So it seems to me that many Christian churches don't have things wrong, as far as their knowledge of what comes after this life, as much as it is that their knowledge is incomplete.  It stops there, assuming the final judgment has taken place and that it is in these places that we will remain forever.

I, for one, feel like the full plan of salvation that teaches us that final judgment comes after our time in paradise or prison and about the three degrees of glory:  Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial is a more hopeful plan.  I do understand that if one does not make it to the highest degree of the Celestial kingdom that one is damned (or unable to progress further) for eternity and that does not sound like a fully satisfying way to spend eternity, but the lesser kingdoms seem much kinder to me than thinking of an eternity in spirit prison.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I have gotten the impression that others may see our church as having a narrow definition as to those who will be happy after this life, but I feel as though the full plan of salvation is much more hopeful and merciful than the heaven-or-hell-and-that's-it type of doctrine.  I think looking at the plan of salvation this way will help me to share the gospel, because adding knowledge to what someone already believes is much less daunting then telling someone that our beliefs are completely different from theirs.

You Only Have Two Hands

In Alma 39, Alma is talking to his son Corianton about many different things, repentance and self-mastery being among them.  He tells his son to "refrain from your iniquities" and advises him to return to those whose hearts he has lead away and "acknowledge your faults and that wrong which ye have done."  Then in verse 14 he says:

"Seek not after riches nor the vain things of this world; for behold, you cannot carry them with you."

I have always thought of advice like that as referring to death and "carrying" things into the afterlife.  Perhaps that is what Alma meant, but when I read that scripture, I was picturing Corianton going among his fellow man, trying to right wrongs and accomplish good.  Because of that, I saw this verse differently this time.  As I thought about it, a picture of Isaac came into my mind.  You see, my son, Isaac, often carries around beads, or some little toy to play with as he goes throughout his day.  When I ask him to do something, he tries to complete the task with said object still in his hand.

So this morning while pondering this scripture, I can see Isaac in my mind's eye trying to clean up the living room thus encumbered.  I can see how ineffectual he is.  I can see how much more he would accomplish if he would set down that vain, or in other words, unimportant thing.  If he would put it aside, then the goal he is working toward would be accomplished much more quickly and with less frustration on his part.

I wonder if we could take Alma's advice as being like that which I say often to my kids--"You only have two hands.  You don't need that __________ so put it down and get on with life." I say it often enough that I heard Isaac tell his brother the other day to "get on with life!"

I know I can only do so much with my "two hands" of time and energy.  Perhaps I need to look at what I am carrying with me that is stopping me from getting on with my life as I want to live it each day.  If I can do that, if I can put down that which is not important, then I can work more effectively towards my goal of becoming like my Savior with a little less frustration on my part.

Shiblon

In Alma 38, Alma the Younger is speaking to his son Shiblon.

Shiblon is your typical middle child.  He gets one chapter while his older brother, Helaman, and his younger, rebellious brother, Corianton, get multiple chapters of advice from their father.  I'm just kidding.  As a middle child, I had to throw that in.  But seriously, Shiblon is a faithful man, who was a great help to his father during their mission to the Zoramites.  He will not take his father's place in keeping the sacred records as Helaman will, nor does he need remonstrating and deep teaching as Corianton, who became "distracted" by the harlot Isabel during the afore mentioned mission.  It says in verse 10 that Shiblon is a teacher of the word, and Alma hopes that he continues teaching in diligence and temperance.

There are many little gems in this short chapter, but today the one that jumps out at me is Alma's advice in verse 12:

"Use boldness, but not overbearance; and also see that ye bridle all your passions that ye may be filled with love; see that ye refrain from idleness."

All of that advice is sound, but the interesting one to me is "bridle all your passions that ye may be filled with love."  I have been thinking lately about something similar, but switched around.  I have been thinking that maybe if I have love--more specifically--charity, then perhaps that will help me to bridle my passions.  Perhaps if love is the main thing I concentrate on during my interactions with others, anger won't get the better of me quite so often.  Spikes of frustration as the results of others actions will be smoothed and bothersome occurrences will be put in their proper place.  Petty judgments laid on others around me will be shoved aside as I strive to view them as my Savior sees them.  I suppose this may be an instance much like the chicken and the egg, but one thing is for sure:  bridling your passions has something to do with love, no matter which one comes first.

Guidance

Through new callings and new lessons to study, along with the church handbook, I have let my Book of Mormon study become something that I only do during family scripture study, but that is not how I want it.  I know I started this blog so that I could share my thought as many in the ward studied along with me.  It seems that purpose went by the wayside long ago.  But I do so love my personal reflection time with the Book of Mormon that I am renewing my vigor to continue this blog.  It does me a lot of good to have to distill my scripture journal ramblings into something cohesive and better understood by others.  So I hope that no matter what book of scripture you are currently studying, you might gain something from reading what I record as I continue Learning From The Book of Mormon.

This morning I was pondering Alma 37.  This chapter contains an analogy from Alma that has long been one of my favorites.  In verse 38, Alma begins this analogy by reminding his son Helaman about the unusual compass given to Lehi and his family as they traveled in the wilderness.  The Liahona worked according to their faith in God.  If they were being faithful, it guided them well; but if they grew lax, they became lost and began wondering in the wilderness making no progress on their journey.  In forgetting to exercise their diligence they also suffered hunger and thirst because the Liahona was what kept them on the right course to aid them in going through the best hunting grounds and helped them find water.  It was the "hunger and thirst" that caught my attention this time.  I have never noticed it before.

Alma continues on to compare Lehi's journey through the wilderness with us in this life.  It is so true.  I know I am here in this world (the wilderness), but am I progressing?  Or am I simply wondering around, hungry and thirsty when there is plenty of meat and water to be had if I would just look to the Lord for guidance?  I know there is a difference between living my life as a good person out of habits that I have formed and living my life trusting in the Lord each day to guide me to that meat and water that will enliven my soul and keep me progressing on the path back to Him.

Alma 37:46:  "O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even so it is with us.  The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever."

I know sometimes my good habits sustain me, and yet, so often, they are not enough.