Eternally Safe Choices–Undertanding Agency
Filed under: Becoming More Christlike, Discovering Yourself, Finding joy within the gospel, For the Strength of the Youth, Living the Gospel, Making Decisions, Peer Pressure, Teens & Seminary
The teen years are filled with temptation. The media, peers, even teachers and other adults can try to convince a young person that sin is okay, natural, normal, and fun. For a teenager with high standards and an eye for eternity, it can be a challenge to stay on the right path, when so many people are determined to take her off that path.
Fortunately, God and His servants have outlined effective ways for teens—and adults—to stay safe.
Staying safe is a matter of choices, and to make wise choices, we have to understand the concept of agency. This article will focus on agency, and future articles in this series will walk through the process of using that understanding to make eternally safe choices. Read more
Teens: Find the Spirit in Quiet Moments
Filed under: Life Lessons, Living the Gospel, Peer Pressure
It was a defining moment in our recent Sunday School class. We had been talking about the need and value of repentance, of the happiness it can bring to those who come back to the light and love of Christ, of the need to let go of the things of this world, when a woman raised her hand.
“I have a sister who turned away from the gospel years ago,” she began. “She lives her life in a way she was not taught growing up, and makes choices that go against many of Christ’s teachings.”
I began to wonder precisely where this conversation was going, and could feel the intensity of this woman’s need to be given a firm answer.
“She has more money than I could ever dream of. She’s traveled all over, she has had opportunities opened up for her left and right. I can’t see that she’s not happy.”
This woman paused for a moment, gathering herself. “My husband and I barely get by. We sometimes wonder where money will come from to pay the bills. I hardly see him for all the hours he works, and so much of the time I’m miserable.”
Before I go to the answer our teacher gave, I want you to take a moment to think of your own life. Which of these two women do you relate to more? Do you spend much of your time doing everything, obtaining objects, living life to it’s fullest?
Or do you find yourself spending much of your time watching others have everything, others who do not live up to your same standards, while you stand miserably to the side barely scraping by?
Is there really a way to have less in this life and still be happy?
Our teacher helped bring a very special point home.
“The things of this world are in your face,” she said. “They’re too loud, they’re too bright and shiny, they’re too showy, they’re simply too much.”
Why is this concept important? Because of the second part of the answer.
“Things that bring us true and everlasting happiness, otherwise known as things of the Spirit, those are found in the quiet times of our lives.”
We are taught the voice of the Lord, or the influence of the Holy Spirit, comes to us as a whisper. When we’ve put much of our focus on the things of the world we’ve innundated ourselves with television, with video games, with flashy clothes and jewelry. We’re more concerned with having the best car rather than finding peace.
If you feel unsatisfied in life, if you’ve been growing bitter over not having everything your friends have, search for the quiet moments in your life. Listen for the quiet whisperings of the Holy Spirit. As you do this, you will find peace instead of jealousy, love instead of misery.
Teens: Finding Tender Mercies in Trials
Filed under: For the Strength of the Youth, Life Lessons, Living the Gospel
“But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance” (1 Nephi 1:20).
I’ve been thinking about tender mercies a lot lately. They’ve been thrust up in my face lately. In a good way, that is.
We all have trials. It’s simply a way of life, and one of the most effective ways for us to learn and grow spiritually. Sometimes we bring these trials on ourselves through our own choices. Other times the harsh lessons of life are learned through the choices of others, and the effects of those choices on us.
Closely connected to both of these are the lessons we learn through experiences our Heavenly Father asks us to endure.
Recently someone known by my family lost a son-in-law in a plane crash. This son-in-law and his wife had recently had a baby. The crash was tragic, heart-rending, and world shattering for those who loved him. It took the couple’s bishop (lay clergyman) to help this young widow and the extended family search for the tender mercies of the Lord. He told them if they looked they could find little ways in which they were being prepared for this awful event. The bishop encouraged each family member to write these things down, so they might be strengthened in their struggles.
So what are the tender mercies of the Lord? David A. Bednar, latter-day apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed the Mormon Church), asks and answers this very question.
“Through personal study, observation, pondering, and prayer, I believe I have come to better understand that the Lord’s tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Truly, the Lord suits ‘his mercies according to the conditions of the children of men’ (D&C 46:15)” (David A. Bednar, “The Tender Mercies of the Lord,” Ensign, May 2005, 99).
As teens in this world today, you are asked to endure, to fight against, to protect yourself from things your parents can barely begin to imagine, just as their parents could not comprehend what being a teen was like all those years ago. You have been saved for this time, because your spirits are vastly strong. If you choose to follow the Lord’s way, Satan will be hard pressed to sway you otherwise. Unfortunately, this will not stop him from trying.
They key word in that paragraph is choose. We always have a choice. If we continually strive to choose the Lord’s way, He will prepare us and strengthen us through His tender mercies, “to make [us] mighty even unto the power of deliverance.” In fact, I know that even when we haven’t been following His path, He will often send us strength through reminders to come back to Him.
My challenge to you is the same of the bishop who counseled the grieving family. If you have been, are now, or will one day face trials that seem unbearable, take time out to actively look for the tender mercies of the Lord. Look for ways you were prepared beforehand. Search for things that are helping you now. Be ready to recognize the little blessings that are to come. It may take time for some of us to find the good things, but with much prayer and practice, looking for tender mercies can become second nature.
Then, perhaps, we can say with firm testimony, “Each of us can have eyes to see clearly and ears to hear distinctly the tender mercies of the Lord as they strengthen and assist us in these latter days. May our hearts always be filled with gratitude for His abundant and tender mercies” (David A. Bednar, “The Tender Mercies of the Lord,” Ensign, May 2005, 99).
Teens: Is Being a Little Off Course Okay?
Filed under: For the Strength of the Youth, Life Lessons, Living the Gospel, Peer Pressure
“It can’t hurt.”
“Try it just this once.”
“It’s not like taking one drink/puff/shot/etc. will make you addicted.”
Heard these phrases before? Odds are you have, or will, at some time of your life. Yet caving into any of the phrases, these pressure-filled persuaders, can cause us to become vastly off course.
My husband, a bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed the Mormon Church), was directed to put together a talk (sermon) to give to the ward (local congregation) on many different subjects. All of these subjects came back to one main theme:
Are we doing all that is necessary to keep us in alignment with God’s eternal plan?
In our search for stories and other things to help keep the flow of the talk, my husband came across a perfect example of what happens when we find ourselves even a little off course. This was related through another talk given by a modern day apostle by the name of Dieter F. Uchtdorf.
“In 1979 a large passenger jet with 257 people on board left New Zealand for a sightseeing flight to Antarctica and back. Unknown to the pilots, however, someone had modified the flight coordinates by a mere two degrees. This error placed the aircraft 28 miles (45 km) to the east of where the pilots assumed they were. As they approached Antarctica, the pilots descended to a lower altitude to give the passengers a better look at the landscape. Although both were experienced pilots, neither had made this particular flight before, and they had no way of knowing that the incorrect coordinates had placed them directly in the path of Mount Erebus, an active volcano that rises from the frozen landscape to a height of more than 12,000 feet (3,700 m).
As the pilots flew onward, the white of the snow and ice covering the volcano blended with the white of the clouds above, making it appear as though they were flying over flat ground. By the time the instruments sounded the warning that the ground was rising fast toward them, it was too late. The airplane crashed into the side of the volcano, killing everyone on board.
It was a terrible tragedy brought on by a minor error—a matter of only a few degrees” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “A Matter of a Few Degrees,” Ensign, May 2008, 57–60).
Again he relates what getting just a bit off course can truly mean.
“Even small errors over time can make a dramatic difference in our lives.
Let me share with you how I taught the same principle to young pilots.
Suppose you were to take off from an airport at the equator, intending to circumnavigate the globe, but your course was off by just one degree. By the time you returned to the same longitude, how far off course would you be? A few miles? A hundred miles? The answer might surprise you. An error of only one degree would put you almost 500 miles (800 km) off course, or one hour of flight for a jet.
No one wants his life to end in tragedy. But all too often, like the pilots and passengers of the sightseeing flight, we set out on what we hope will be an exciting journey only to realize too late that an error of a few degrees has set us on a course for spiritual disaster” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “A Matter of a Few Degrees,” Ensign, May 2008, 57–60).
We could probably take a little sniff, or puff, or drink, and we’d be done with it. It would not have hurt us in a moment. There is, however, another ending to the story, one those who try to pressure us into doing something wrong tend to gloss over. You could take one drink, and feel the need to drink for the rest of your life. You could take one puff, and spend your days using close to a thousand dollars a year or more to keep up the habit. You could take one sniff, and find yourself one day desperately entrenched in a life of crime just to support the very thing that has taken over your existence.
Essentially, you could find yourself vastly off course, with little or no hope of finding your way back.
When others begin chirping in your ear to just give it a try, think about whether or not you really want to take that chance. More often than not you’ll be giving away basic freedoms. Your life will be dominated by the very things those ‘friends’ promised wouldn’t hurt you.
When speaking to my youth girls about standing strong in the face of having to make a choice, we talked about things you can say. This is a vital step in protecting yourself, in staying on course. It’s only when you’ve prepared yourselves ahead of time that you can truly help yourself to say no, and stick to it. Things like, “Can you promise me I won’t become addicted? Can you promise me this won’t hurt me if I try it just once?” You might be surprised to find it’ll stop the person just long enough for you to make an escape.
When we make the right choices, when we stand by those things that God would have us do, we will not find ourselves vastly off course. If we cave in just a little, it’s possible (not to mention easier) to make a course correction early on through repentance. Once we recognize the need to make conscious decisions to stay on God’s path, we will remain in alignment with Him.
Teens: Perspective
Filed under: Discovering Yourself, Life Lessons, Living the Gospel, Service Opportunities
This was the lesson I gave in my Young Women’s class recently. I didn’t make it to Sunday School, where most of my spiritual epiphanies originate, so I’m taking my inspiration from the messages I delivered in class.
Perspective is a funny thing. It has to be based on truth, not our interpretation of truth. Our own personal perspectives can be skewed by our experiences and the experiences others bring into our lives. These are not based on truth.
I’ve been thinking a lot about how others perceive the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed the Mormon Church). For those who have heard nothing about it, or who have been taught by those who are against it, many of our beliefs may seem really weird, out-there, or nutty. Even in this century there are individuals who are still taught that Mormons have horns, that the men still have plural wives, and other things that simply aren’t true.
One of my favorite accounts of this comes from the latter-day apostle Boyd K. Packer. He recalls:
Years ago, I was at a symposium at a college in Oregon. Present were a Catholic bishop, a rabbi, an Episcopalian minister, an Evangelical minister, a Unitarian clergyman, and myself.
The president of the school, Dr. Bennett, hosted a breakfast. One of them asked which wife I had brought. I told them I had a choice of one. For a second, I thought that I was being singled out for embarrassment. Then someone asked the Catholic bishop if he had brought his wife.
The next question came from Dr. Bennett to me: “Is it true that Mormons have horns?”
I smiled and said, “I comb my hair so that they can’t be seen.”
Dr. Bennett, who was completely bald, put both hands on the top of his head and said, “Oh! You can never make a Mormon out of me!” (Boyd K. Packer, “A Defense and a Refuge,” Liahona, Nov 2006, 85–88)
It can be difficult not to get one’s ire up just a little when these sorts of untruthes are spoken, but one of the big things I felt impressed to share with my girls is this: we don’t know where others are coming from. We don’t know what they’ve been taught. We don’t know what experiences they’ve had to fashion out their own perceptions on life.
The same can be said for us. Others don’t know what we’ve had to endure in this mortal life. They cannot perceive what personal testimony we might hold. Most of all, they do not know why we are the way we are. Therefore, we must treat others carefully, and with respect concerning their beliefs.
The second big point I felt impressed to share was that God knows so much more than we can ever hope to know. He sees everything, from where we lived before we were born (where did we come from?), to what we need to accomplish in this life (why are we here?), right down to where we can hope to be in life after death (where am I going?).
The Father’s knowledge far surpasses ours. He knows what we are capeable of, what we need to learn in this life. Sometimes He’ll ask us to go through hard times. Ask anyone who has come out of a trial seemingly stronger for the experience, and they’ll tell you they’ve learned things they never could have learned any other way. Our trials are not always punishment for doing something wrong. Sometimes they’re there to help us progress.
We all have things set up for us here in this mortal life. I personally have been given many trials in this life, most of which can’t be seen with just a glance. These lessons I had to learn were in my brain and in my heart, and I’ve passed – not with flying colors, but enough that my Heavenly Father has placed a new path my life is to take before me.
At times life feels overwhelming. At times it’s beyond exciting. At times we’re humbled. And at times we’re scared.
Lastly, it is important to keep an eternal perspective in our daily doings. We need to remember who we are: precious children of our Heavenly Father, who gave us an opportunity to learn and grow and choose this mortal life in the pre-existence. We need to remember why we’re here: to continue learning and growing and making a daily, even hourly choice to keep along the Lord’s path. We also need to remember where we’re going, and what we can become: even like unto our Father, forever connected to our families. This knowledge has brought me through many a hard time.
It is so important to make sure our perceptions, of anything and anyone, are based in truth. How? Well, we can guess at what something is or what it means, but then comes the important part. We need to take the matter to the Lord in prayer and ask if what we think or feel is truth. Be ready for the answer, whatever it may be.
Teens: All Is Well! All Is Well!
On July 24th those of us who live in Utah will celebrate Pioneer Day, or the day the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed the Mormon Church)first arrived in this area.
Whenever I think of the pioneers, those who left behind homes, farms, most of their earthly possessions, and sometimes even family members, there is a hymn that comes to mind. It was written by a young man by the name of William Clayton.
William was only 23 when he first joined the Mormon Church over in England. He was an intelligent young man, well-educated, good with figures and had excellent penmenship (something not really thought about today in the computer age). He and his wife emmigrated to the United States, hoping to meet the prophet Joseph Smith in Nauvoo, Illinois.
His talents were quickly recognized and he was soon put to work as a scribe and secretary. After the martyrdom of the prophet Joseph, William chose to follow Brigham Young, then presiding leader of the Church, to a new place.
You see, since the dawning of this new religion the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had been repeatedly driven from their homes. The Church’s headquarters moved from city to city, over many states, until at last they knew it was time to head far out toward the west in the hopes of at last obtaining some peace.
A large group of families, including William, left in early February. At that time the snow was in the process of melting, the dirt roads were thawing and mixing with the slush, creating giant mud pits. The going was not easy.
David B. Haight, an apostle of the Lord, stated:
They left in February; it was now April. Slogging through the fields with the wagons and the horses and the teams and the rain and the mud in Iowa, they were discouraged. The going was difficult, people were dying, and babies were born. They were moving slowly, only traveling a few miles a day. In their discouragement, William Clayton wrote in his journal that he sat on a wagon tongue and wrote a song, hoping it would encourage and give some renewed hope and faith to the Saints.
So he wrote “Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear.” It was difficult. They were discouraged. “But with joy wend your way. / Though hard to you this journey may appear, / Grace shall be as your day.” He was giving them encouragement to keep going, that the situation would get better.
Then he wrote those wonderful lines, “We’ll find the place which God for us prepared, / Far away in the West.” Even though we’re stuck here in the mud and discouraged, this will all change. If we have the courage and the faith the Lord will answer our prayers; it will all come about. It gave them hope and encouragement. “We’ll find the place which God for us prepared, / Far away … / Where none shall come to hurt or make afraid”—stirring, inspirational words.
And then the last verse…, “And should we die before our journey’s through, / Happy day! All is well!” So if we die, we’ve done our best. We’re going to die sometime, as we all know. So “Happy day! All is well!”
“But if our lives are spared again / To see the Saints their rest obtain.” We’ll see if the wagon wheels will stay on and if the rims will stay on the little handcarts and if we can keep up that courage and the strength through our prayers and we’ll get there. “If our lives are spared again / To see the Saints their rest obtain.” If we get there, then “All is well! All is well!”—if we get there and if we have the courage to make it work.
And in his journal he wrote, “I’ve composed a new song—‘All is well’ ” (William Clayton’s Journal [1921], 19); (David B. Haight, “Hymn of the Obedient: ‘All Is Well’,” Ensign, Nov 1997, 70).
The song was later titled, “Come, Come Ye Saints” and has become like an anthem for our Pioneer Day celebration. I invite you to read through the words and think about those times you feel like giving up; as though the world has brought you to your knees and there’s no hope. Think about those times, and then read the words, and remember God will never forsake you. He will work to provide for you a better place. You will be blessed for your faith.
Teens: Is It Important to Keep the Commandments?
Filed under: Living the Gospel, Old Testament, Pearl of Great Price, Scripture Time
I’ve been reading a lot about Enoch in the last few weeks. If any of you have ever read the account in the Bible, you know there’s not exactly a mighty gush of information to study up on.
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed the Mormon Church), have been given a bit more insight, which you too can read in the book of Moses beginning in Chapter 6.
When Enoch was still a young man he was called of God to begin preaching to the people of their wickedness. Sound familiar? Satan’s influence ran rampant throughout the land. There were only a few in Enoch’s family who still remembered the Lord and His commandments.
Enoch was frightened by the idea of preaching to the people. He couldn’t understand how he had found favor with the Lord, when he was still so young, the people hated him, and made fun of him because he was “slow of speech” (Moses 6:31). The Lord promised him none of these things would be a hindrance if he would simply have the faith, and do as he’d been told.
Enoch did just that. Can you imagine the surprise of his worst critics when this previously timid teenager suddenly spoke with remarkable eloquence? Can you picture how angry they must have been when he began calling them to repentance? Though his life was in constant danger, he continued to do what the Lord had commanded of him.
Those who chose to repent eventually formed the City of Enoch. These people were so obedient to the commandments, “Enoch and all his people walked with God, and he dwelt in the midst of Zion” (Moses 7:69). They were so righteous the Lord could be among them. In fact, they were so righteous the Lord eventually took the city up to His care and keeping.
Sounds a bit fantastic, doesn’t it? Do you really think it’s possible for an entire city to become so righteous the Lord can exist there? Can you picture being surrounded by utter wickedness, and still obeying the Lord’s commandments to the point you’re “taken up” to Him?
Keeping the commandments is a voluntary thing, but we need to remember what the consequences are when we break those commandments. Fortunately for us the Lord knows we are imperfect, and has put in place repentance to allow the chance to change our ways, and to start over. The latter-day prophet, Joseph Smith, taught:
“If Enoch, Abraham, Moses, and the children of Israel, and all God’s people were saved by keeping the commandments of God, we, if saved at all, shall be saved upon the same principle.
“We have been chastened by the hand of God heretofore for not obeying His commands…we have treated lightly His commands, and departed from His ordinances, and the Lord has chastened us sore, and we have felt His arm and kissed the rod; let us be wise in time to come and ever remember that ‘to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams’ (1 Samuel 15:22)” (History of the Church, 5:65).
Let us be wise. Let us remember that choosing to immediately follow the commandments of the Lord is much better and easier than disobedience. When we choose the wrong way there is guilt, there is chastisement, there is a lot of work to repent. When we choose the right way there is strength, there is joy, and there are blessings too numerous to count.
Don’t forget: the City of Enoch was not built in a day. Enoch preached for many years before an entire city of people were brought back to the light. Many more years passed until the people could work together so well that they became the prime example of living a Zion life in an imperfect world.
Satan will come at you. The moment you decide to obey the commandments of the Lord He will plague you with hardships, but it does not have to mean you will fail. Pick yourself up, pray, and start again.
Is keeping the commandments of the Lord important? Of course. Is it worth the effort? I think so.
Teens: Be a Missionary Now
Filed under: Book of Mormon, Discovering Yourself, Living the Gospel
It is a well-known story among members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, nicknamed the Mormons.
Ammon and his brothers were the sons of a Nephite King. The Nephites were God’s people who lived in the Americas starting 600 years before Christ was born. The king, Mosiah, knew his time on earth was coming to an end, and asked his sons who should be king. All of these young men declined the offer, wishing instead to go and serve as missionaries to the Lamanites. The Lamanites were those who were either led to hate the Nephites because of the traditions of their fathers, or who had openly rebelled against God’s Church.
Mosiah feared for his sons’ lives, and took his concerns to the Lord in prayer. There he was reassured they would be kept safe as they performed His work.
Ammon separated from his other brothers and came to the land called Ishmael that was ruled by a man called Lamoni. Ammon was bound and brought before the king, who asked why he had come to this land where he was hated. Ammon surprised Lamoni by saying his only wish was to serve. Lamoni, pleased by this, set him up with other servants to guard the flocks.
A local band of Lamanites took immense pleasure in scattering the flocks of the king. The servants were far outnumbered and had no way of keeping this from happening. On the third day of Ammon’s service the flocks were once again scattered. The other servants began to murmur. They knew King Lamoni would have their lives, as it had happened to other servants before them.
Ammon immediately saw where he could use this experience to help open a door to missionary work. He calmed the servants down saying together they would re-gather the flocks. The servants obeyed, and soon enough they’d accomplished this task. Once again the band of Lamanites came to scatter the flocks. Ammon charged the servants to surround the flocks, and stepped up to deal with these awful men.
Try to imagine the sight of one, lone, unknown individual going up against a throng of evildoers. They had no idea the Lord had promised Ammon’s father no harm would come to this son, nor did they realize what power had been granted to Ammon because of his righteous desires.
Ammon began to fling stones with his sling. The Lamanites were astounded as man after man fell, six in all. They rushed at him with their own slings and clubs, but none could touch him. Any one who raised a hand against him had his arm cut off. The only man to die by the sword, however, was the leader of the pack. As he went down the others began to flee from this frightening sight.
Once the Lamanites left, Ammon placed his sword and sling away, continued to water the flocks, and returned to the king’s household. His fellow servants, no doubt shocked and amazed by all they had seen, followed his lead. But upon returning to the household they gathered up many of the arms that had been cut off to use as a witness of the remarkable events.
Needless to say King Lamoni was astonished. He asked where Ammon was, to which the servants told him he was preparing the horses for the king’s journey into his father’s land, which had been commanded of them even before they left to water the flocks.
Lamoni’s words beautifully show his surprise. “Surely there has not been any servant among all my servants that has been so faithful as this man; for even he doth remember all my commandments to execute them” (Alma 18:10). Lamoni sent for Ammon, and then the missionary work began.
What can we learn from Ammon about being a successful missionary? Whether you’re a member of a church, specifically called to be a missionary, or simply feel the importance of sharing the Lord’s gospel, here are a few keys to follow:
First is to study, pray and fast (Alma 17:2-3). You can’t teach what you don’t know. You need to pray about the things you read to know if they are truth, and you should fast to keep yourselves in better tune with the Spirit of the Lord.
Second, you need to love God and others. I think loving God comes first. It was because of their love for God that the sons of Mosiah wanted to go out and preach His word, to turn the hearts of those who didn’t know better towards the light. As you explore and enlarge that love for God, you might be surprised to find your capacity to love those who may hate you growing by leaps and bounds.
Third, we need to give service and develop trust. Why is giving service so important? It is a remarkable teaching tool. Think of the Savior, who led a life of service. Only the most humble willingly set aside their own pride and serve others. Those who voluntarily give of their time, efforts, talents, and means instill in others the desire to trust. Ammon’s first act as a captive of Lamoni was to offer his service. He saved the king’s flocks. He could have gone strutting back in to the king, all full of himself, and demanded that Lamoni now listen to him. He could have caused much fear in the hearts of those who didn’t understand. Instead, he quietly went on with the work he’d been commanded to do.
Fourth, we need to teach from the scriptures. Once King Lamoni trusted Ammon, he allowed this great man to teach the word of God. Doors were opened. Lessons were taught. An entire city was converted to the Lord’s Church. It was truly a miracle.
One last thing. We can be the greatest orator in the world, teaching and preaching whatever may come into our hearts, but it won’t mean a thing unless we have the Holy Spirit with us. If we are not worthy to have his presence with us, if we are teaching things that go against the Lord’s ways, the Holy Spirit cannot reside. It is the Holy Spirit that testifies to our hearts, and then the teaching truly begins.
To be the most effective teachers, or missionaries, we have to have that Spirit with us.
~~~~~
To read the full story of Ammon, start with Alma 17.
Teens: Your Spirit’s House
Filed under: Doctrine & Covenants, Living the Gospel, New Testament
In keeping with the idea of putting our houses, or the corner/room we’re in charge of, in order, I want to talk about a house many of us tend to ignore: the house where our spirit’s reside.
In John chapter 2 of the New Testament, Jesus Christ is speaking to some of the Jews. He has just rid the temple of those who would treat it as a waystation, making a common place rather than a place to worship God. Here we read:
“Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said” (John 2:18-22).
The Jews did not understand what Christ spoke of when he mentioned the temple. They assumed he was talking about the building, which had taken over forty years to build, and could not comprehend Him speaking of raising it up in just three days.
This is not the temple Christ spoke of. He was giving a hint as to what would happen after his death, referring to his body as a temple.
“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19.)
We have all been given a mortal abode for our spiritual selves. Our bodies. They have been compared to a temple. When we mistreat or abuse these temples, they become places of confusion (D&C 132:8). They are weakened. When this happens our spirits cannot function properly. The same happens when others abuse or mistreat our bodies.
Satan is working so hard to hurt teens and little children. If he can get to you early, so much good is destroyed. Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed the Mormon Church) have warned so often about the evils of pornography, of gender/sexual confusion, and debilitating addictions.
How do we keep our bodies as temples clean? We need to read good books and watch uplifting shows/movies. Our ears must be filled with music that brings the spirit into our spirit homes. It sounds cheesy, right? Try it for just one week and watch the difference it can make. Pray for extra protection from the buffetings of Satan during this little experiment. You might be amazed to see what can happen.
Teens: A House (Room) of Order
I spent the majority of my teen years living in what I lovingly referred to as “organized chaos.” My room was a sight my mother took pains to avoid beholding: clothes strewn so adeptly over the floor you weren’t sure there actually was one, knick-knacks and trinkets piled high on dressers and bookshelves, and a bed which one could never be certain had ever been made since the day it arrived. But, ask me where my scriptures, or my homework, or a pencil was and I could find the desired object in less than thirty seconds. Like I said…organized chaos.
I married a man who is the exact opposite. The moment clutter begins to build up he’s on top of it, finding a place for everything and tossing out every unnecessary item. Can you imagine what it was like for him to be married to me? And then to have children? Needless to say he’s dialed down the neat freak a bit over the years, and I’ve learned to focus more on the organized rather than the chaos.
I bring all of this up because within the last few months I’ve been feeling some big impressions to put my house in order. In the Doctrine and Covenants, a collection of revelations given to Joseph Smith (a prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – nicknamed the Mormon Church), we read:
“Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God” (88:119).
These same words are repeated in Section 109:8.
“Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion” (132:8).
We have many houses that need to be placed in order. The first is our own homes. Earlier in the year I began to feel a great need to begin going through my house, room by room, and removing a lot of unnecessary things. Our garbage can was being filled almost to the brim with several things we hadn’t used in a long, long time. I made it through the living room, through the hallway drawers, and through most of my room. I cleaned out the kids’ closets. My next project is the pantry. In doing this I’m making room for storage items. At least, that’s what was in my mind at the time.
As teens you may not be able to go through your home as thoroughly. Tossing what you deem “unnecessary” things out of your parents’ closet probably won’t place you at the top of their favorite kids list. So what can you do to help keep things in order? Where can you create a place that can invite the Holy Spirit of the Lord to reside?
The answer is quite simple, and many of you have probably already figured it out (and are groaning and ready to turn off the computer): your own room. Even if you share a room with sixteen other kids, you can still make your little corner of the room a place of order.
I’m not talking about keeping your little spot in the house absolutely perfectly clean. Let’s be realistic. You are, after all, reading a piece by a woman who can’t keep her side of the bed from looking like a tornado hit it sometimes during the night. You can, however, keep it from looking like a tornado hit it. Even so, you need to go a step further.
Placing our houses in order means so much more than having a tidy house. What sorts of things adorn your shelves, your walls, your desks? Are they reminders of Christ and His work that we’re supposed to be helping with? When you enter your room, is there a good spirit residing in your own special corner? Your environment should act as a haven from the troubles and trials in this world.
Keeping your room picked up because your mom tells you to is a good thing. Keeping your room picked up because you desire to dwell where God’s Spirit can be there to heal, to comfort, or to give you solace is even better.