How to Act in Faith

We learn in Alma that “if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.” (Alma 32:21) Faith is the combination of hope and works.  If either of those were absent in the equation then it wouldn’t be faith.  We show faith in our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ by obeying the commandments, making and keeping covenants, and following the Spirit when prompted.  Moroni said concerning faith in a prayer, “O Lord, thy righteous will be done, for I know that thou workest unto the children of men according to their faith…; wherefore thou workest after men have faith.” (Ether 12:29-30) This tells me that we must first do all we can.  Sometimes when our righteous desire has not come to pass after doing so much, we wondering if we have done enough. These are the times we must then let go and allow our Savior to take over. Joseph Smith said, “Therefore, dearly beloved brethren [and sisters], 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.” (D&C 132:17) It is so important to believe in the power that is in Jesus Christ for those things to come to pass. The Lord knows what is best and will grant unto us what we ask, if it be right. Remember, we must work with God in all we do. And when we do, that is when we see miracles in our daily life. “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” Luke 1:37

On the Third Day He Rose

The last week of the Saviors mortal life was filled with many miracles, teachings, and blessings. It began with his triumphal entry into Jerusalem after which he cleansed the temple and taught many precious truths including the Parable of the 10 Virgins. He instituted the sacrament as an offering of Himself to His disciples while knowing that one of his closest friends would betray Him. He spent the last week of His life showing love to His neighbors only to be rejected and ridiculed by the very same people. What does this teach me about my Savior? That His love is bigger than anything I can comprehend and nothing I can say or do will take it away.

The last days of His life were of most importance. They were the very reason He came to Earth.  They were His mission.  They were vital to each and every person’s existence and salvation who has or ever will come to the earth. In Matthew 26: 36 we read “Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.” Jesus was on the brink of the hardest thing He would ever accomplish. He had to do it alone. If another shouldered the pain, the sacrifice would not work. In Mosiah 16:13 we read “...remember that only in and through Christ we are saved.”  

He was foreordained, chosen. In our pre-mortal life we knew that because of the demands of justice we could not return to our beloved Heavenly Father unless those demands could be satisfied. We all shouted for joy when it was announced “But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me- Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.” (Moses 4:2)

Walking to the Garden was no easy task. Jerusalem is built on a hill. The way to Gethsemane was a rocky, uphill, narrow path. It much symbolized the task at hand. Not to mention the meaning of the Garden. Gethsemane means olive press. Olives come in plenty in Jerusalem. But to get the oil, which was a healing ointment, they had to press the olives. Olives were placed on a stone. Another stone was rolled over the top, over and over again, until oil seeped out. It was much like what Christ experienced in the Garden. He too was pressed and squeezed until he blead. The pain was unimaginable. Elder Tad Callister said, “The Savior voluntarily let his humanity take precedence over his divinity…Not once did he raise the shield of godhood in order to soften the blows. Not once did he don the bulletproof vest of divinity. That he also had godly powers did not make his suffering any less excruciating, and less poignant, or any less real. To the contrary, it is for this very reason that his suffering was more, not less, than his mortal counterparts could experience. He took upon him infinite suffering, but chose to defend with only mortal faculties, with but one exception- his godhood was summoned to hold off unconsciousness and death that would otherwise overpower a mere mortal when he reached his threshold of pain. For the Savior, however, there would be no such relief. His divinity would be called upon, not to immunize him from pain, but to enlarge the receptacle that would hold it. He simply brought a larger cut to hold the bitter drink.” (The Infinite Atonement, p119)

As He knelt in the Garden, Jesus prayed, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matthew 26:39) Christ knew of the pain he would suffer.  But He also knew He had to do it. He did it because He loved us. Sacrifice is the highest form of love.

Upon completing the first half of his foreordination, He emerged from the Garden to find His disciples asleep. Yet, with love He said, “Rise, let us be going; behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.” (Matthew 26:46) He would be taken into custody by the guards of the high priest and then accused of blasphemy and condemned to death before Pilate. The people did not know Him. They could not see who He was and what He had come to do.

In a song called “Through His Eyes”, I wrote:

While nailed to the tree, with eyes so humble

He forgave the men who caused the trouble

“It is finished” were the last words He spoke

Then closed His eyes and ascended above

He died, my Savior with eyes so pure

That I may use His eyes to see

On the third day after His crucifixion, Christ rose from the tomb. He had overcome death. Not just physical death but spiritual death as well. He had saved all mankind from the terrible fate that would befall them had His mission not been completed. Elder Todd Christofferson said, “By His Atonement and Resurrection, Jesus Christ has overcome all aspects of the Fall…We can have ultimate trust and confidence in His power to overcome all else and grant us everlasting life.” (The Resurrection of Jesus Christ, April 2014) Christ has satisfied the demands of justice that we too may return back to the presence of Heavenly Father and live with both Him and Jesus Christ in the Eternities. He overcoming death has allowed us to accomplish anything, according to Gods will. “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” (Luke 1:37) It is a blessing to know that life doesn’t end when our mortal experience it over. Because of Christ we will continue to live and progress forever. We will continue to experience joy and love as we go about doing good.

In the song “He is Risen” by Cecil Alexander, we sing:

He is risen! He is risen!

He hath opened heaven’s gate.

We are free from sin’s dark prison,

Risen to a holier state.

I am so grateful that I get to live with my Heavenly Father and Savior again, if I do what He has asked so many times: Come unto Me. I know that through the power of the Atonement and Resurrection we are saved from the harshness of what could have been. But because Christ love us so much, He chose to deliver us from that fate. I love Him with all my heart. While conversing with the Apostles, the resurrected Savior gave them this charge, which He also gives to us:

“All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

I know the Lord is always with us because He loves us and therefor has engraved us upon His palms.

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify

Have you ever had a million things running through your head all at the same time and it seems you can never get anything done? And then you end up forgetting things. I run into that problem all the time. Most people deal with a large amount of stress in their lives.  With the great invention of technology, in addition to constant input of information, we also feel a need to stuff so much into our lives. I had a friend brag to me once of how busy she was. But, I wonder if it truly is necessary to be busy and doing all the time in order to have a fulfilling life.

This past month was a whirlwind for me. I work fulltime plus classes I was to further my education, extra circular activities, family, friends, and I was just called to serve as relief society president in my ward. And if that wasn’t enough, my health hasn’t been the best lately. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how I was going to handle it all and take care of myself too.

And then I was reminded of what the Still Small Voice has been repeating to me for such a long time, but not really listening when it came to my own life: Simplify. Simplifying doesn’t just mean to remove things from our lives. It’s stepping back and looking at what matters.  It’s looking at what we really need and value then cleaning out the rest.

There are many things that can complicate your life. The Mormon Channel mentions a few ways such as possessions, time commitments, too many goals, negative thoughts, debt or bills, habits, diet, hobbies, words, screen time/media, and connections/relationships. It seems that because there is so much to get done that we choose to multitask. Ironically, the more we multitask, the less productive we will be.  Plus, it will raise our stress levels and lead to burn out. The best way to solve this problem is simplifying.

Spring is always a great time to declutter. We can go through our homes and personal lives and define what is of most value to us. There must be a reason for choosing to include certain things and activities in our lives.  Elder Lynn G Robbins said, “Simplifying our lives increases the probability of achieving the most important things in life- the best things.”   

Here are a few ways we can simplify our lives to make them more meaningful and less stressful:

            1-    Define a clear vision for your life and home. Find out what you mostly value and choose things that support your vision.

            2-   Buy less. Having more or “it all” only takes away from our time, resources, relationships, and cleanliness. Buy what is necessary and what you can afford.

            3-   Create a schedule. An effective routine will help to reduce stress because you will know what is expected of you each day. Fill your days with those things that align with your vision and are necessary. Be sure to make time for what matters most.

            4-   Eat healthy. When we choose to leave out the unnecessary foods, such as those that are refined and processed, from our diet, it allows our bodies to work properly. We have more energy to use for those things that matter. It is also a way to show ourselves that we matter and want to care for the precious gift, our body, we have all been blessed with.

            5-   Organize your home. When we surround our lives with an environment that is clean and organized, we have more peace.

            6-   Remember all things are done in order. Things take time to accomplish. Be patient with yourself and others. Sometimes other things must happen first before we can place another in our life. It’s always good to remember: one thing at a time.

I’m sure we have all heard of the saying that less is more. Taking out the unnecessary things that can complicate our lives gives us the ability to fill it with things that will help us progress towards what is most important. When Alma, in the Book of Mormon, was giving his son Helaman words of council he told him, “Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass…” (Alma 37:6). The more we simplify our life, the more great things will be brought to pass in a way that is aligned with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

So many are looking for a magical wave of a wand to take the stress out of our life.  The magic happens when we learn to simplify our lives by taking out those unnecessary things. It’s amazing how much happier and fulfilled we will be when we are not “busy” but rather engaged in a good cause.