A Mountain to Climb

I find spiritual imagery so comforting and so inspiring.  I've been thinking a lot lately about my mountain.  The one I climb in mortality.  Because, let's face it, the earth is not flat.  Neither is our journey here.

On Hilary Week's album "Every Step" is a song called "Beautiful Heartbreak" that speaks legions to my heart and soul---I feel this song about my life's challenges.  I first heard her sing it at Women's Conference in April with my friend Cindy, who is climbing an even harder mountain than mine.  I really felt the power of this song when she sang it.  Hilary wrote on her blog about writing this song:

"You know – when you go through something that changes your life forever.  Something you would never choose.  Something heartbreaking.  But you go through it.  You face it – even though you’d run the other direction if you could.  You climb the mountain.   And then, somehow, some way…

You reach the top.

And the view changes completely.  And you realize the climb made you stronger, wiser - even though you would never have chosen to make the climb in the first place. 

But you’re closer.

To the Savior.

And that is something you would never trade.  Even though at times the journey broke your heart, you would never trade. 

That’s what this song is about." 

But that is only part of what she wrote about it.  You can read the whole blog post at this link. 

Going along with thoughts of this mountain climb we are on, I have received another beautiful and powerful spiritual imagery to go with it from Elder Matthew O. Richardson's talk in General Conference Oct. 2011.  

While his talk was on teaching through the spirit, he uses a story from his own life of hiking the South Sisters Mountain in Oregon, from which I gained some pretty strong insight (and a very tender mercy from the Lord).  Elder Richardson relates:

"Many years ago my children and I hiked to the top of South Sister, a 10,358-foot (3,157 m) mountain in Oregon. After several hours we encountered a long 45-degree slope of tiny volcanic pebbles. With the summit in sight, we pressed on only to find that with every step, our feet would sink in the pebbles, causing us to slide backward several inches. My 12-year-old son forged ahead as I stayed with my 8-year-old daughter. Fatigue and discouragement soon set in, and she was heartbroken, thinking that she might not join her brother at the top. My first impulse was to carry her. My spirit was willing, but sadly my flesh was weak. We sat down on the rocks, assessed our situation, and devised a new plan. I told her to put her hands in my back pants pockets, hold on tight, and—most important—as soon as I lifted my foot to take a step, she should quickly put her foot in its place. She mirrored my every move and relied on the lift that came from hanging on to my pockets. After what seemed like an eternity, we made it to the top of the mountain. Her expression of triumph and satisfaction was priceless. And yes, she and her brother were, in my estimation, real hikers.

My daughter’s success was a result of her diligent effort and how well she hiked after the manner that I hiked. As she synchronized her movement with mine, we achieved a rhythm together, allowing me to utilize my full energy."
And then later in his talk he adds:
"With the current conditions of the world...I know that your quest to improve may seem overwhelming at times. Please do not become discouraged with your progress. I think back on my experience hiking with my children. We agreed that every time we stopped to catch our breath, rather than focusing exclusively on how much farther we needed to go, we would immediately turn around and look down the mountain. We would take in the scenery and say to each other, “Look how far we’ve come.” Then we would take a deep breath, quickly turn, face uphill, and start climbing again one step at a time."

I feel, in my own life, like I am only part way up my mountain, and while the summit may be in sight, I am stuck at the pebbles.  While I am a mortal adult, I am a spiritual child.  I have not made it up my mountain without a guide--my Father in Heaven, and while much of my progress has been on my own efforts and abilities (choosing to act in obedience to my Father's will), there will always come a point on the mountain where, no matter how hard I try, I cannot progress without a higher source of power than my own.
Many of us have heard the story, or seen the photo, of the footprints in the sand, the point where the second set of footsteps disappear and the question asked, why, Lord, did you leave me at this hardest time of my life?...and the Savior says, I never left you, I was carrying you.  Well, here is an even more powerful imagery of our Savior helping us--on that mountain--as that father helped his little daughter.  He wanted to carry her, but it was out of his hands to do so.  So instead, he had her grab his back pants pockets and as he lifted his foot she was to quickly put her foot in his step, and utilizing her father's energy, and mirroring his every move, relying on that lift that came from holding onto his back pockets, and even with diligent effort (endurance to the end) and what seemed like an eternity, they did reach the top, and glorious was their triumph.  This little girl surely acquired more than just reaching the top, she acquired strength and confidence, faith and trust, satisfaction and triumph, by having been aided to reach the top through her own diligence and effort, than if she had been carried the last remaining distance.  This is how our Savior helps us.  He wants us to do it.  He stretches us beyond out limits, but He is there to give us the lift we need and with his very footprints marking the path upward.  All we have to do is hold onto Him and mirror His every move, relying on the lift that comes from hanging onto Him.  And at the top of the mountain rings the promise sure and true that "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint."  Isaiah 40:31

The Millennial Reign will come with our Savior and Redeemer, and, if we endure faithfully, never giving up, we will soar above the summit, above the clouds and the stars, with Him, to Eternal Life and Celestial Glory...worlds without end.

Never Forget That You Are Truly Precious

We are so blessed as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to have such wonderful leaders to guide and counsel us...to deliver the tender messages of the Lord to us.  President Dieter F. Uchtdorf addressed the women at the General Relief Society broadcast on September 24, 2011 ("Forget-Me-Not").  I not going to color-coat my life - in spite of the wonderful blessings I have, I am challenged by mortality and I struggle and yearn for the righteous desires of my heart that have not been granted me.  I make mistakes, and I feel very alone at times and my path gets dark.  I was so very grateful for President Uchtdorf's message.  It is something that I needed to hear, truly a tender mercy from the Lord.  This is what the Lord spoke to my heart:

Be patient with yourself.  It is part of your mortal experience to have weaknesses, but don't forget to look and see your strengths, and how far you have progressed in your mortal journey.  I will help you to eventually turn your weaknesses into strengths - it's a long-term process - it's OK that you're not there yet.  Keep working on it and stop punishing yourself.  Be thankful for the small success - like the tiny forget-me-not flowers - they may seem tiny to you and go unnoticed by others, but I notice them and they are not small to me.  Noticing these tiny successes can be some of life's sweetest experiences.  Find the wonder and delight in every tiny step on your long journey.  I am pleased when you sacrifice good things for something far greater with an eternal perspective.  And don't forget to be happy now.  Your deepest desires and righteous yearnings have not been fulfilled, but don't give up hope in them.  Instead, be happy now with your garden of forget-me-not blessings--discover the treasure and the beauty and the sweetness of everyday moments, and weave a tapestry of gratitude and wonder from them.  But never give up on your righteous desires.  Don't forget why you live the gospel - it is your pathway home - it is a light that penetrates mortality and illuminates the way before you.  Truly living the gospel is a joy and a delight, sweet and precious.  The what and how of obedience marks the way and keeps you on the path.  The why sanctifies your actions and magnifies your small acts of obedience into holy acts of consecration.  You are not forgotten - no matter your circumstances, no matter how dark your days, not matter how insignificant you feel - I have not forgotten you.  I love you with an infinite love.  I, who created the stars in the universe, knows your name - you are a daughter in my Kingdom, you are precious.  I am here loving you even when you feel lonely and make mistakes.  You are closer to heaven than you suppose.  You are destined for more than you can possibly imagine.  Continue on in faith and righteousness. 
Rejoice! For all that was promised...will be given...and Jesus will say to all Israel, Come Home!

 "Now Let Us Rejoice" was the closing song and touched my heart, too.  President Uchtdorf also spoke in General Conference and gave another touching, similar address:  "You Matter To Him."

Be Strong in Faith & Hope. Wait.

Live. Pray. Wait.

In a Women's Conference (2006) talk by Wayne Brickley (page 91 in the book) he said,
"In some ways, we can actually become better acquainted with [the Lord] while in this world than we could when we lived with Him.  This business of becoming acquainted with Him is life's main business and is very time consuming.  And it is this business that helps us understand why we have to wait for answers to our prayers.  When His answers seem to be getting further away, it is actually getting closer.  The longer we wait, the more ready we are for the best possible answer.  And the more ready we are, the more determined He will be to grant an answer that will surpass our greatest hopes.  Knowing this can keep our hopes bright during the long wait.

'...how great things thou has prepared for him that waiteth for thee.' D&C 133:45

"There would be no great story without afflictions, and hardship, and overcoming.
And, "God waits.  He waits for us to catch up.  ...[He knew it would] take time to absorb, to get used to things, to grow, to try and try again--that's our job.
"Keep before yourself a bright, day-by-day, unwavering hope in the future life...it will make the long wait go by more smoothly and sweet.
"Maybe there is no other way to learn except by having to wait between the time that we feel a great need and the time that it is met.
Keep praying.  Keep waiting.  He hears every sincere word...remembers every sincere prayer...He will pour out blessings such as our eyes have not yet seen...too wondrous to have entered into our little imaginations.  It will be so for those who live, and pray, and wait -- faithfully.

Margaret Lifferth's WC 2006 talk (pg 115) continues with the same message,
"When you think your prayers are not being answered, I want you to remember that the Lord knows the desires of your heart.  Sometimes we receive what we desire most only as we are 'long-suffering and patient in affliction.'  The Lord will refine us.
 
"...peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes."  D&C 121:7-8

Joseph Smith said, "All your losses will be made up to you in the resurrection provided you continue faithful.  By the vision of the Almighty I have seen it."
This quote is in Lloyd D. Newell's book "Let Him Ask of God" page 313.  Brother Newell continues with his thoughts:
"How reassuring to know if we stand strong in faith and hope, all these hardships and heartbreaks will be made up to us - we will be recompensed and restored, healed and succored, in the glorious resurrection.  We must reach out to God.  Thank Him in every moment that He loves us enough to permit us to undergo tutorial suffering.  Open our hearts in humility and trust and patience.  Follow His word, be obedient, and keep the commandments.  Understand that in a coming day of peace and rest and joy, all heartache will be healed and all pain will dissolve.

"Shall we not go on in so great a cause?  Go forward...courage!...and on, on to the victory!  Let your hearts rejoice and be exceedingly glad."  D&C 128:22

"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 123:17

Trust the purposes of God, be patient, hope on, and wait.

Affirm Your Present As Part of Eternity

I can fall into a slump so easy.  Positive thinking does not come easy for me.  I am constantly having to remind myself to re-evaluate the way I am thinking.  I am so grateful for the notes I took from reading Garth Allred's book, "Unlocking the Powers of Faith."  I try to read a page or two each day during my scripture study time, and I keep discovering treasures of great knowledge.  This is the one for today:

Focus on positive things and avoid dwelling on problems.  Squeeze the most enjoyment out of every moment of life - affirming the present as part of eternity...no matter the current circumstances.

I also read: when problems arise, remember, it's not the event, but the thoughts about it that matter.  Put your thoughts to the Savior.  Suffering is only necessary for growth.  Even Christ learned by the things which He suffered.  (Hebrews 5:8)  And why?  So He could help us.  In turn, we can help others.

When your HOPE is strong you feel good about yourself and relate with others in a Christlike manner.

Remember: you act according to how you feel.

Oh, believe in yourself.  Believe!

And the Winner is....

There is so much emphasis on winning with sports and reality TV shows and etc.  But being "the" winner is not part of our Heavenly Father's plan for us.  He sent us here to learn and to help each other along the way.

I love these two thoughts from Garth Allred's book "Unlocking The Power of Faith."  He said,

"Winning is the loneliest place in existence."   And,
"Everyone wins who helps one another."

Why not cooperate instead of competing?  Coming unto Christ involves giving if we want to receive, and listening if we want to be heard.

Brother Allred also said,  "Whatever a man sets his heart and his trust on the most is his god.  The antedote is:  sharing, giving, extending ourselves to others.  The lie is: there isn't enough. The truth is: there is enough and to spare.  God will supply all our wants and needs."

The more we give to others, the more that comes back to us.  I reflected in this "giving" in a post in June of 2010.  Since that time I have really learned the blessing of giving more than ever before in my life.  The Lord makes the abundance for us and all we have to do is give it and share it.  It truly is a wonderful thing.

True Friends

We were sent to this earth to be tried and tested.  We knew it would not be easy before we came, but then the veil was put over our eyes and we don't remember the things that we were prepared to endure.  Life can seem so good for a while, and all can be going right and good, and then we turn a bend in the road of our life and find we have come upon a refiner's fire.  We are called upon to suffer and through that suffering our faith is tested.  The scriptures sometimes refer to it as a 'wilderness'....just like when the Savior went into the 'wilderness' to fast and pray and draw near to his Heavenly Father.  This is something we must do alone, because we each, individually must come to our Savior and accept His atonement.  We cannot return to our Heavenly Father on borrowed light.  We can't gain character or use our faith on someone else's testimony. 

Jesus Christ is our True Friend, and He will always be there to help us through our darkest times, and only He is able because He walked the same path we must walk.  He can help us, even though we may feel alone at times on that path.  He is able, and He can make us able, too.

Heavenly Father has also given us angels in many forms.  Some help us from the other side of the veil.  Others are here in mortality...our true friends.  They stand beside us.  They give us strength, even when there is nothing they can do.

One of my best friends is treading a very thorny path right now.  I feel so helpless because there is nothing I can do to help her get through this--except pray a lot, which I do.  I know only time and God will get her through it.

I got a card from her today with this poem that she read, and she said she knew she was supposed to read it, and when she read it, she knew it was me.  It was a tender mercy for her, and it was a tender mercy for me.  You see, I'd read a Women's Conference 2006  talk yesterday by Virginia H. Pearce....and she told us how precious we are to the Lord, and that if we are feeling less than adequate then we should pray to Heavenly Father and ask him to reveal to us how precious we are.  Well, I needed that, and I did that, and today I got this poem:

When trouble comes your soul to try,
You love the friend who just 'stands by.'
Perhaps there's nothing [she] can do--
The thing is so strictly up to you:
For these are troubles all your own,
And paths the soul must tread alone;
Times when love cannot smooth the road
Nor friendship lift the heavy load,
But just to know you have a friend
Who will 'stand by' until the end,
Who's sympathy through all endures
Who's warm hand clasp is always yours--
It helps someway to pull you through,
Although there's nothing [she] can do.
And so with fervent heart you cry,
"God bless the friend who just stands by!"

Such a tender mercy from the Lord to know I am not only precious to Him, but I am precious to such a dear friend.  I'm so glad that a loving and merciful Heavenly Father stationed me here at this time to be her friend.

What a wonderful gift it is to have friends.

How precious to have and to be a True Friend. 

Sleep in Peace; God is Awake

I just came across this quote again, and it's such a comforting thought, because who doesn't struggle in mortality on occassion?

"Have courage for the great sorrows of life, and patience for the small ones, and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace.  God is awake."  -Victor Hugo

Hope is born of knowing we are not alone.

Regardless of Life's Challenges

"Nothing can bring a sense of contentment like the knowledge that God is in heaven, that we owe everything to Him, that regardless of life's challenges, we are loved by a God whose confidence in us never ceases.  If God is our friend and we seek with heart and soul to do His will, we can face any challenge and conquer any fear."
Lloyd D. Newell "Let Him Ask Of God" pg. 191

Within You

"Your health is so tightly connected to how you think and feel about yourself.  The seeds of deity are within you.  Your thoughts about yourself need to be in accordance to your being a child of God.  You have a glorious destination.  Don't ever forget who you are.  As you ponder your heavenly origins and promised blessings your thought patterns are set in motion to enpower you with light, truth, peace and joy that affects your mental and physical health."
-Garth Allred "Unlocking the Powers of Faith" pg. 102

Reflected Light

The closer we get to God, the more we focus on His glory rather than our own progress.  Any radiance from us is truly reflected light.

I've recently read, and am re-reading, a book I picked up in Utah while at Women's Conference called "The Healer's Art."  It was one of my 'treasure finds'.  We had already shopped Seagull Book a couple days before, but on Friday we decided to go in the Seagull Book in Spanish Fork while we had a little time before our dinner reservations.  I was wandering up and down the isles just looking.  Sometimes I feel like I am guided or prompted to do something and I had a sense that I was going to find something and as I looked down at a bottom shelf I saw the book, because it had a red tag $4.99 sticker on it.  I was thrilled with the price, but the title was all I needed to know that I would love this book.  It's co-authored by Lloyd D. Newell, who is the author of my 'treasure find' from last year, a book called "Let Him Ask of God" that I have treasured and read each day of all last year and have started over again...it has a page of thoughts for each day about Joseph Smith.  I have treasured this authors words only to recently find out he is the voice of "Music and the Spoken Word!"  I had no idea.

Today I read from his book on page 49-50 some tender mercies from the Lord to calm the battle raging in my soul:
"When we have courage to believe and the strength to endure, pain and grief can give way to wisdom, spiritual maturity, and a greater capacity to love.  Heartache and suffering can bestow quiet confidence in divine purposes and a greater appreciation for life...The process of spiritual growth can be long and hard - yet it can also be joyful....we [can] have hope in the future and power in the present....No matter how tired we may be and how weary our efforts become, God is watching over us.  He is our loving Father, our Master Caretaker....We must not lose hope.  Hope is the anchor to [our souls]....President Ezra Taft Benson said, 'Satan would have us cast away that anchor.  In this way he can bring discouragement and surrender.  But we must not lose hope.  The Lord is pleased with every effort, even the tiny, daily ones in which we strive to be more like Him.  Though we may see that we have far to go on the road to perfection, we must not give up hope."  (A Mighty Change of Heart, Ensign Oct. 1989 pg 5)

Truly we bask in His reflected light.....