As Thy Days Shall Demand

How Firm a Foundation is my favorite hymn. On bad days in college, I would call my mom in the middle of the night and make her sing it to me. I'd whisper it to myself all night on bad days in the mission field. And I think of it still whenever I have a bad day and need some comfort. My favorite part is this: "As thy days may demand, so thy succor shall be." However badly you need comfort, that's how much you'll get. Whatever you need, that's what will come your way. It's such a lovely, beautiful promise of constant looking-after which really is exactly what we need and crave when our days are hard.

"It is simply a truism that nothing very valuable can come without significant sacrifice and effort and patience on our part... I am asking you this morning not to give up 'for ye are laying the foundation of a great work.' That 'great work' is YOU - your life, your future, the very fulfillment of your dreams. That 'great work' is what, with effort and patience and God's help, you can become. When days are difficult or problems seem unending, I plead with you to stay in the harness and keep pulling."*

*Jeffrey R. Holland - BYU Devotional Jan 1983, "However Long and Hard the Road"

What Matters Most

Each moment in time we have it all,

even when we think we don’t.

― Melody Beattie

The Best Kind of Literature

I love to read.

There's no way to actually pin down the root of this passion of mine. My parents don't read. In fact, reading was considered much too much like leisure in our busy ranch life and no one was allowed that luxury when there was so much work to be done. So - I'd stay up until the wee hours or read while riding horse (yes, it's possible) or stop mending fence for 20 minutes to sit against a tree and read. I snuck it in wherever I could.

But the one big problem with a voracious appetite for books and none at hand is that I ended up reading a lot of really sub-par kinds of things when I could have had great literature had I had someone - anyone - to lead me along. So, when I came across this quote about the scriptures as literature and the best kind of literature at that, it struck a chord within me. Because though I devoured less-than-savoury books in my youth, I also got a healthy dose of the scriptures - one thing we certainly had plenty of in my home.

"When we follow the counsel of our leaders to read and study the scriptures, benefits and blessings of many kinds come to us. … Where could there be more profitable use of time than reading from the scriptural library the literature that teaches us to know God and understand our relationship to him?" (Howard W. Hunter, Ensign Nov. 1979).

My mother is a fantastic storyteller and I learned the scriptures - and their accompanying lessons from her, but as a young woman I developed an appetite for them on my own and I remembering reading the Book of Mormon the summer before I left for college like I couldn't get enough of it - yes, late at night and yes, on horseback. But also during a quick lunch break and on the tractor and in the car on the way to town (it's a 30 min. drive) and every spare minute I could find.

The scriptures really are the best kind of literature - the kind that yes, teaches us to know God and understand who we are, and that always offers something new and enriches our life and experience every time we read them. Every time.

Amos 8:11-13: "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it. In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst."

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: "I have wondered... if someone within the sound of my voice might feel he or she or those they love are too caught up in the 'thick of these thin things,' are hungering for something more substantial and asking with the otherwise successful young man of the scriptures, 'What lack I yet?' I have wondered if someone... might be wandering 'from sea to sea,' running 'to and fro' as the prophet Amos said, wearied by the pace of life in the fast lane or in trying to keep up with the Joneses before the Joneses refinance. I have wondered if any [are] hoping to find the answer to a deeply personal problem or to have some light cast on the most serious questions of their heart...

"Wherever you live, and at whatever point in age or experience you find yourself, I declare that God has through His Only Begotten Son lifted the famine of which Amos spoke. I testify that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life and a Well of Living Water springing up unto eternal life...

"Our fundamental requirement is to have faith in Him and follow Him—always. When He bids us to walk in His way and by His light, it is because He has walked this way before us, and He has made it safe for our own travel here. He knows where the sharp stones and stumbling blocks lie hidden and where thorns and thistles are the most severe. He knows where the path is perilous, and He knows which way to go when the road forks and nightfall comes. He knows all this, as Alma says in the Book of Mormon, because He has suffered 'pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind … , that he may know … how to succor his people according to their infirmities.' To succor means to 'run to.' I testify that in my fears and in my infirmities the Savior has surely run to me. I will never be able to thank Him enough for such personal kindness and such loving care."

*Ensign, November 1997

Every. Day.

Insight found in scripture accumulates over time, so it is important to spend some time in the scriptures every day.

Daily prayer is also essential to having the Lord’s Spirit with us. Those who earnestly seek help through prayer and scripture study often have a paper and pencil nearby to write questions and record impressions and ideas. *

*Julie B. Beck, General Conference, April 2010

Do You?

"Do you want to feel the love of God more powerfully in your life? Do you want to feel more in tune with His Spirit? Do you want to have the heavens opened to you daily?"*

Um, yes. Absolutely yes.

"There is a way you can feel a daily renewal of God’s everlasting love and drink from “the fountain of living waters” (1 Nephi 11:25)... I speak of a morning devotional time spent in prayer, meditation, and scripture study. If you have a devotional every morning, even if only for a few minutes, you will be deeply blessed. I know this to be true."

I first read snatches of this article by Elder Kikuchi in the August 09 Ensign and I've been thinking of it over and over ever since. (Mostly when I'm so tired my eyes hurt and I can hardly summon the will to keep them open, let alone read a few verses. "Ah, if only I'd done it first thing this morning," I think. sigh)

But it's a powerful promise, no? I'm game to try to try (again). And see how he said that even only a few minutes would bring blessings? I believe it too - that just those few minutes will fill my cup.

*Yoshihiko Kikuchi, “Opening the Heavens,” Ensign, Aug 2009, 34–38

Deep Drinking

When I taught the Book of Mormon in seminary, I considered it imperative to help the youth want to read it. I wanted them to feel the way I did one summer on the ranch - it was literally an insatiable desire to read and soak up as much of the Book of Mormon as I could. I carried it with me everywhere and I read it while riding horse (ostensibly checking cattle and fence lines) and in the tractor (though my winrows of hay didn't turn out very straight), in the hay truck (my brother would get so mad because I was distracted and would miss his signals) and late at night (no wonder I had such a hard time getting up in the morning). But I honestly couldn't put it down.

I had each of my students tape this quote in the front cover of their scriptures and we would refer to it often:

"I counsel you, my beloved brothers and sisters and friends everywhere, to make reading the Book of Mormon a few minutes each day a lifelong practice... Don't be content with what someone else tells you about what is in it. Drink deeply from the divine fountain itself."*

Doesn't that fit so appropriately into our theme? I love that Elder Romney joins the idea of "a few minutes each day" with "drinking deeply". I think that we can drink deeply in only a few minutes each day - especially since sometimes that's all we have. I think if we'll savor and remember and stretch the benefit of just those few minutes, we can make them into a day-long nourishing experience.

For example, a few weeks ago during a lesson about God's love for each of us, I was deeply touched by one woman's comment. I don't think it was so much what she said exactly (since I can't now remember what it was) as how I felt - at that precise moment, I really did feel that God loved me. I remembered that experience and that feeling several times a day for the next week or so and every time I did, I felt re-invigorated. Each time was a re-affirmation just as strong as the first; that feeling returned to re-confirm my testimony that yes, God does love me.

But then, one deep drink won't sustain us long; we have to constantly for more nourishment. "Drink deeply from the divine fountain itself."

* Marion G. Romney, Conference Report. Apr 1980, 91.

Testimony: The Constant Quest

Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me. (D&C 88:63)

I sense a theme.

President Harold B. Lee taught: "Testimony isn't something that you have today and you keep always. Testimony is either going to grow and grow to the brightness of certainty, or it is going to diminish to nothingness, depending upon what we do about it. I say, the testimony that we recapture day by day is the thing that saves us from the pitfalls of the adversary."*

I love that he says "the testimony that we recapture day by day". Recapture. That brings to mind such great images. And I think that we would take our spiritual quest much more seriously if we really truly felt that we had to work to re-capture our testimony day to day. I know for sure I'd be much more dedicated to daily tasks (like scripture study and sincere prayer) if I could just think of it this way. Recapture.

President Uchtdorf offers such great encouragement: "The Lord has blessed you with a testimony of the truth. You have felt His influence and witnessed His power. And if you continue to seek Him, He will continue to grant you sacred experiences. With these and other spiritual gifts, you will be able not only to change your own life for the better but also to bless your homes, wards or branches, communities, cities, states, and nations with your goodness."**

I think remembering the blessings and spiritual experiences we've had is one of the most vital and vibrant ways to keep our testimonies bright. Even when I feel distant from the Lord, remembering a time when I knew for certain that the Lord knew me and loved me, a time when I knew for certain that He was pleased with my efforts, or a time when I knew for certain that I was doing the right thing helps to spark the desire to feel and know that again. And when I make that effort, it always comes back. Somehow, the Lord is always always willing to reach out and bring us closer. "He will continue to grant you sacred experiences." And with that, we literally do have the power to change the world for good.

*Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee (2000), 43

** Ensign Jan 2010, 7

To Walk With God

The last month or so of my mission, I put together a packet of talks and Ensign articles "to be read/studied" soon after my return. Oddly enough, six years later (and despite good intentions), I've just now opened it up. The topics seem typical of the "recently returned missionary" type ranging from finding/being a worthy companion, getting an education, serving in the Church, magnifying our callings and roles and most frequently, continuing the quest of daily personal revelation and a closeness to the Lord.

One talk by Joe J. Christensen titled "Toward Greater Spirituality"* lists 10 things he does/we can do in terms of a personal inventory to achieve this goal (his list will follow in another post). But it's the why he addresses in the first portion that strikes me:

"Spirituality is the sine qua non (the "without which not"). It is not only the thoroughly genuine desire to live in harmony with the will of God at all times, as guided by the Spirit, but also the ability to surrender totally and willingly to this guidance - and thus to do that which the Spirit whispers. To be truly spiritual is to walk with God. It is the key to true happiness and success in our lives in all kinds of circustances."

Frankly, I'd like to walk with God. I'd like to feel His comfort and confidence and encouragement all day, every day. I'd like to find true happiness and success in all circumstances. So all of a sudden, this search - and thirst - for closer communion, for greater spirituality, sinks in and is meaningful. And it's obvious that it's not a place, but a journey, a becoming, and truly - a constant consuming quest.

*Ensign, June 1983

Thirst

A strong or eager desire; craving.

This craving and desire is the very essence of thirst in the spiritual sense - to not only want or seek, but to literally need and require nourishment for the soul.

The New Testament is rife with references to spiritual thirst:

Matt 5:6 - "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness."

John 4:14 - "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst."

John 6:35 - "He that believeth in me shall never thirst."

John 7:37 - "If any man thirst let him come unto me, and drink."

But I particularly love this verse in Psalms 63:1

"O God, thou art my God; early will I seek the: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is."

I can drink a lot of water. When I lived in Italy during the hottest months, I would regularly consume more than 8 litres of water a day. Not the recommend 8 glasses (64 oz). Eight litres. And still, it never seemed enough.

And as a missionary, that was also a time of great spiritual nourishment and I daily consumed a whopping lot of {spiritual} water. And still, it never seemed enough.

And yet, though I know I can consume a great deal, though I know my soul thirsts daily, I seem to push myself to the very edge of spiritual dehydration. I find my tongue swollen and parched. My prayers are stilted and dry, not the rich, nourishing communications I know I long for. My limbs lose strength, my muscles cramp and I find it hard to find the positive, to be grateful for blessings and the see the Lord's hand in my life when the pounding aches of daily life press so insistently.

Have you seen a parched plant react to a good watering? Even the smallest dribble gives life to the soul. Thank heavens for church on Sunday. But this is not enough; it'll never be enough. The promise is to come, drink and never thirst. Did you know that by the time you feel thirsty you're already dehydrated? The never thirst part requires constant drinking, imbibing, guzzling, gulping, absorbing and soaking up. Constant.