On my way to church this morning I was listening to one of my "sunday" music selections. I had just taken the kids over to an investigators house to pick her up for church. Listening to music is a good way to avoid awkward silence moments. Lots of things came to my mind as I pondered recent events. The song that got me thinking was:
"Israel, Israel, God is calling,
Calling thee from lands of woe.
Babylon the great is falling;
God shall all her tow’rs o’erthrow. …
Come to Zion, come to Zion,
And within her walls rejoice. …
Come to Zion, come to Zion!
Zion’s walls shall ring with praise"
I should go back a couple of hours and start with taking Jared to see the Stake Patriarch for his Patriarchal blessing. As I was sitting there listening to this blessing. All I could think about was how amazing it was that someone who had never met my son could know so much about him. He could address specific things about what concerns he has and what talents and struggles he has. Right then and there I knew. I knew that Heavenly Father knew my son and was speaking to him thru the patriarch.
It was kind of a weird experience for me. I'll explain. I have recently been pondering the 2 different teaching styles of my partner and I. She's a cryer. She relies on those emotions to let her know how her lesson went. Now, this may come as a shock, but I'm not a cryer. I do have crying tendencies though, but they are usually reserved for my family. This isn't to say that I haven't gotten emotional when teaching, but I try to keep it in check.
My style is to teach people how to learn. I want students in the scriptures, asking questions, learning how to use the references. I like to make sure people really understand what they are learning and not just glossing over difficult subjects. I like to dive into the application part -the principles. I'm not a warm squishy teacher. It's hard to gauge how well my lessons go if you are looking for warm squishy feelings.
Why do I bring this up? Because as I'm sitting there listening to my son's blessing, I wasn't getting the warm squishes, but my brain was processing. My brain knew what was happening. The impossibility of certain things being known. I was wondering why I wasn't receiving a confirming witness. My heart getting on board with my brain kinda feeling. I decided that it was ok though because it is easier to trust the brain than the heart. I was excited to get in the car and find out what my son thought. It was then, in that moment when I got to participate - act on impressions by discussing them - that my heart joined my brain and I knew with more surety that what I had just witnessed was from God. There was no other explanation. (and yes a couple of tears may have slipped out)
On Thursday night I got drug out of my house to a RS activity. I actually got a comment from a friend in front of everyone "is Heather actually at a RS activity?" Yes, but not for long now! Haha. I guess I have a reputation. Anyway we learned some stuff and then I decided to come home and achieve one of those things the very next day. I decided it was time to resurface my very expensive table that now looks like crap. I dove right in with no fear and experienced difficulty after difficulty. It was making me grumpy. It was a process I had used before, but everything I did wasn't coming out correctly......which is much the same that I am feeling towards my teaching abilities right now. Woe and despair were beginning to sink in and I was fearful that I had just ruined the table and there was no going back. I managed to calm myself down and realized that it could never be ruined as long as I had access to sandpaper. All could me made right again and I should just continue on. I sent my husband off to the home improvement store to look for an electrical buffer for me because I had decided to wax the table instead of using poly. He miraculously ran into someone who builds furniture and he told my husband that I needed to stick with what I was doing and he offered how to make it even better. It was a little miracle. So, there is my table.
So, how does this all tie into my car drive and a song. We are here to build Zion. In everything we do, everything we are and everything we are to become. God is calling. His work is being hastened. I look around and see it everywhere. My responsibility to help others along the path. The outer manifestation of an inner feeling towards what I'm willing to sacrifice to the Lord -by turning over my house to Him and His purposes. It reminds me of King Lamoni. The one that Aaron visits. Which I love that he got to have some cool experiences after suffering so much. In Alma 22: 15-18 he says:
15 And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king said: What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy.
16 But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest.
17 And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying:
18 O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day. And now when the king had said these words, he was struck as if he were dead.
Don't worry the King was alright and many were converted to the gospel because of his experience.
Like my little table project - we need to do all that we can to build zion -make ourselves new. Sometimes it doesn't look like how we think it should and we begin to doubt. We just need to have faith to continue on. There are people along the way to help and encourage us - patriarchs, teachers, bishops, apostles, friends, spouses, strangers at home improvement stores, etc.....If we need to make a correction the Lord is there with the sandpaper.
We just need to keep our head down and get to work. I need to stop worrying about checking my spiritual temperature. I need to remember that in our quest to become like the Savior, he's got to eventually take his hands off the back of the bicycle seat and let us pedal on alone because we've got it, we're doing it.
What now? What are we willing to give away to know God? How can we build unity- zion? It makes me think of the pioneers gathering together each night after a grueling day crossing the plains where they lost loved ones and they were starving from lack of food -they had given away all - but they had each other and they had God.....they also had music which unified them, reminded them of promised blessings, and brought them joy.
What now? What are we willing to give away to know God? How can we build unity- zion? It makes me think of the pioneers gathering together each night after a grueling day crossing the plains where they lost loved ones and they were starving from lack of food -they had given away all - but they had each other and they had God.....they also had music which unified them, reminded them of promised blessings, and brought them joy.
"Israel, Israel, God is speaking.
Hear your great Deliv'rer's voice!
Now a glorious morn is breaking
For the people of his choice.
Come to Zion, come to Zion,
And within her walls rejoice.
Come to Zion, come to Zion,
And within her walls rejoice"
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