Background:
After His resurrection, the Savior of the world visited some
of the inhabitants of the American continent.
This visit is recorded in the Book of Mormon.
The Power of the
Family:
At the conclusion of Jesus’ ministry among this people, we
are told that Jesus “did expound all things unto them, both great and small…
And he did expound all things, even from the beginning until the time that he
should [return].”
And then something very surprising and enlightening
occurred. Jesus ministered “unto the
children of the multitude…, and he did loose their tongues, and they did speak
unto their fathers great and marvelous things, even greater than he [himself] had
revealed unto the people.”
How is it possible that even after Jesus had expounded “all
things” to the people, that the children of the multitude could possibly speak
‘even greater things than Jesus Himself had revealed unto them’?
As surprising as it may sound, perhaps the words of a child
to a parent, or a sibling to a sibling, or a wife to a husband, have the
potential to hold more power than even the words of the Savior? If so, this power would be based on the
strong emotional and loving ties we have to our families. Families are eternal. There is an unseen and largely unused power
in the eternal structure of the family unit!
"Children are an heritage of the Lord.” Our families so special and important to us
that, in a very real sense, they are able to teach and influence and touch our hearts
and minds more than any other person, perhaps in some ways even more than the
Savior. This is the power and blessing
of parenthood and families.
The Normal Course of
Things
At one point in Jesus’ ministry to the American continent, He
asked twelve of His disciples: “What is it that ye desire of me, after that I
am gone to the Father?”
All but three responded, saying: “We desire that after we
have lived unto the age of man…, that we may speedily come unto thee in thy
kingdom.”
Jesus granted them this simple request and promised them
rest. And then He turned to the other
three, “and said unto them: What will ye that I should do unto you, when I am
gone unto the Father?”
These three remaining disciples “sorrowed in their hearts,
for they durst not speak unto him the thing which they desired.” They desired to remain and continue to preach
the gospel to all the world so long as there were souls to teach.
Jesus tenderly replied to their unspoken request. “Behold, I know your thoughts…, for ye have
desired that ye might bring the souls of men unto me, while the world shall
stand.”
Why did these three disciples feel sorrow for this righteous
desire? Perhaps they were hesitant and
sorrowful because the thing that they desired was so far out of the norm of how
God's plan usually goes. Normally, we
live and die and transition into the next world.
With careful reflection and proper application, this account
can have a great impact in our lives.
Sometimes we can feel like our lives are not following the normal course
of things. Sometimes things go so far
awry that our lives seem extremely out of the norm of how God’s plan usually
goes. We all know different situations where this might apply to us. Do you ever feel ashamed or devalued or that
your happiness is in jeopardy or that your spirituality is inferior because
your life appears to be extremely out of the norm of how God's plan usually goes?
These things can be scary and unpleasant and uncomfortable
in a lot of ways. But just like this
example, the Lord knows your thoughts and your individual circumstances, and He
will bless and comfort you, and look upon you in deep kindness, and treat
you with much tenderness and mercy and abundance. God has a general plan of salvation, and He
has an individual plan of salvation; He has a plan for you.
Experiencing Joy in
the Midst of Sorrow:
Elder Russell M Nelson recently talked about how we should
learn to experience joy even in the midst of sorrow (a vital life skill). He said: “A dear colleague recently told me
of his past two decades of heavy trials [with these words], ‘I have learned to suffer with joy.’”
Lehi was asked to endure a decade of trial and difficulty. Clearly, he knew about “opposition, anxiety,
heartache, pain, disappointment, and sorrow. Yet he declared boldly and without
reservation…: ‘Men are, that they might have joy.’ …Life is filled with detours
and dead ends, trials and challenges of every kind. Each of us has likely had
times when distress, anguish, and despair almost consumed us. Yet we are here
to have joy”.
During His American ministry, the Savior visited a multitude
of over two thousand people. He
commanded the people to kneel together and pray. The Savior was deeply saddened and sorrowful
at this time. He said: “Father, I am
troubled because of the wickedness of the people.” What did Jesus, the Master of emotions, do to
combat this deep sorrow that resulted from this fallen world? How did He find joy even in the midst of deep sorrow? He knelt down and prayed for others!
Of this prayer, the record states: “No tongue can speak,
neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive
so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one
can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us
unto the Father.”
When Jesus concluded His prayer, the multitude was
“overcome” with “joy”. And not only so,
but Jesus Himself declared, “Behold, my joy is full.” Jesus went from a moment of deep sorrow to a fulness
of joy through a prayer for others.
“If thou art merry, praise the Lord with singing, with music,
with dancing, and with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving.” But “if thou art sorrowful, call on the
Lord thy God with supplication, that your souls may be joyful.” (D&C
136:28-29)
This is surprisingly helpful, practical advice. It is also surprisingly difficult. During those times when I am sorrowful, when
I pray to be joyful, there is great variance in how much joy comes, but there
is always at least some that does. And often, a great amount of joy comes!
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