Climb Your Wall

A missionary new in the field recently recounted her surprise at being spurned by the people in the area, even in passing as she greeted them on the street. This reminds me of my own experience as a missionary, when so many people wouldn’t even make eye contact with us as we would try and greet them. Rejection and discouragement seem to be part and parcel of sharing the word of God. The Book of Mormon is replete with similar examples of prophets and messengers being rejected. Should we think to have an easier time of it than they did? Likewise, should we think that we will be any less blessed in our efforts than these prophets were? Of course not. The Lord loves his servants, and is probably able to bless them even more when they carry on faithfully in the face of rejection. The prophet Samuel in The Book of Mormon is an example of this. It the face of rejection and being cast out, he magnified his efforts and presence even more by preaching atop the city wall to the people below.

 Helaman 13:2 And it came to pass that in this year there was one Samuel, a Lamanite, came into the land of Zarahemla, and began to preach unto the people. And it came to pass that he did preach, many days, repentance unto the people, and they did cast him out, and he was about to return to his own land.
 3 But behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, that he should return again, and prophesy unto the people whatsoever things should come into his heart.
 4 And it came to pass that they would not suffer that he should enter into the city; therefore he went and got upon the wall thereof, and stretched forth his hand and cried with a loud voice, and prophesied unto the people whatsoever things the Lord put into his heart.

LESSON LEARNED: Rejection of the word is God goes hand in hand with the sharing of it. This should come as no surprise, and even opens a opportunity for greater blessings when you press forward in the face of it.

FEEDBACK: WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH REJECTION IN SHARING THE WORD OF GOD, AND HOW DID YOU RESPOND TO IT?

Look and Life

Why is it that some of us are all too willing to ignor warnings when danger is eminent? Hurricane Irma is currently bearing down on the Caribbean and is on course to hit southern Florida. The governor of Florida has declared a state of emergency, similar to the declaration in Texas prior to Hurricane Harvey’s arrival. But in both storms, a small number of individuals have been too cavalier or curious to heed these warnings and feel they can stay and wait it out. In the case of Hurricane Harvey, this put rescue workers at risk as they waded through floodwaters to carry these would-be hapless heroes to safety. The Book of Mormon expounds on this same principle: an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.

 1 Nephi 17: 41 And he did straiten them in the wilderness with his rod; for they hardened their hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord straitened them because of their iniquity. He sent fiery flying serpents among them; and after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished.

LESSON LEARNED: The Lord asks that we exercise wisdom as well as faith when we are given warnings.

FEEDBACK: HAVE YOU WITNESSED ANY EXAMPLES OF THIS BEFORE?

Half of Everything

The tax burden currently in place in the United States is the highest of any country in the world. I lived in Sweden many years ago, and it was always a topic of discussion how onerous their high taxes were – reaching or exceeding 50% of your income for some. But Sweden, and all of Scandinavia for that matter, realized that this error was stunting economic growth, so they overhauled their tax code in order that their economies could once again prosper. Here in the United States, however, we are now approaching the same high tax brackets – 30-50% for some of the highest income individuals. When you add in the state taxes that are also required, it becomes a huge burden. Thankfully, strides are being made by the current sitting president to lower the percentages and remove this affliction so that growth can once again take place.

 Mosiah 7:22 And all this he did, for the sole purpose of bringing this people into subjection or into bondage. And behold, we at this time do pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites, to the amount of one half of our corn, and our barley, and even all our grain of every kind, and one half of the increase of our flocks and our herds; and even one half of all we have or possess the king of the Lamanites doth exact of us, or our lives.
 23 And now, is not this grievous to be borne? And is not this, our affliction, great? Now behold, how great reason we have to mourn.

LESSON LEARNED: Taxation is important for any economy. But it should be limited in its scope to meet the basic necessities of the country, not to glut or support the population by way of entitlements.

FEEDBACK: WHAT ARE YOUR FEELING ABOUT TAXATION AND HOW DOES IT APPLIES TO THIS PASSAGE IN THE BOOK OF MORMON?

Must Be Fulfilled

Most jobs just need to get done. The is particularly the case when on the Lord’s errand, because He has things He needs accomplished. Missionaries learn this early in their assigned areas, and discover that following their schedules and tasks with exactness and obedience is the formula to being blessed. Nephi also learned this lesson early in The Book of Mormon, and attacked his tasks directly with thoughtfulness and a lack of complaining. His oldest brothers Laman and Lemuel chose instead to learn the hard way. They would approach commandments with questions, fears and doubtful hearts. But on the rare occasions when the older brothers were whipped into shape and everyone was one the same spiritual page, the Lord was able to strengthen the whole family unit and to bless them more.

 1 Nephi 17:2 And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us, that while we did live upon raw meat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for their children, and were strong, yea, even like unto the men; and they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings.
 3 And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness.

LESSON LEARNED: When on the Lord’s errand, we will be most blessed when we put our fears and doubts behind us and performed our necessary tasks without murmuring.

FEEDBACK: WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THIS?

Serve One Another

Hurricane Harvey recently wrecked havoc on southern Texas and Louisiana, leaving thousands homeless in its wake.  It has been enlightening to see people pull together, of all religions and persuasions, to reach out and serve the victims. In a world that seems to be driving us more and more toward an inward mindset (it’s all about me) rather than an outward one (putting others first), this has been refreshing to see. But a firestorm of marketing and social propaganda is increasingly aimed at getting the individual to focus inward: my rights, my entitlements, my life, my choice, my personal happiness. Conversely, the Lord’s pathway to happiness is the one taught by the Savior – to lose oneself in the service of others. By doing so, we find real happiness and our real value. It’s probably no surprise that the route to developing an outward mindset begins with the family. In the family setting, we are forced to solve problems and consider the needs and wishes of others over ourselves. It is also no wonder that Satan, via intense propaganda, seeks to attack the family and thwart this innate avenue of service designed by the Lord. 

 Mosiah 4:14 And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the devil, who is the master of sin, or who is the evil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers, he being an enemy to all righteousness.
 15 But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another.

LESSON LEARNED: The Lord teaches us to serve one another and look outward to the needs of others over ourselves. He has created the family unit to allow us to learn this. Satan seeks to thwart this plan.

FEEDBACK: WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FAMILY UNIT?