The Icy Mountain

A couple of years ago I wrote a post about my husband being the sherpa of our family. It is something that I still talk about frequently, but you never know how much is sinking in to your children's brains. I just wrote about my fears and struggles regarding Jared. My husband always has much better eyesight than I do when it comes to our children- that's why he's the sherpa. I tend to get bogged down in the thick of the day to day struggles and lose sight of the big picture sometimes. That little snapshot into my worries was also not reflective of the changes that I have seen since general conference and him receiving an answer to a question that he had. We still have conversations daily that have me worried, but I've seen him hold on a little tighter to truth lately. He's in the middle of processing. Really trying to figure things out- making his way up the icy mountain while trying to figure out who he is and what he believes. I've never been an enjoy the journey kinda person-I want to be at the top of the mountain already- but I am trying my best to learn how to. It's days like today that I am reminded that all the efforts I've made have not been wasted and are worth it. I've still got a long way to go in the encourage without discouraging department. The patiently leading instead of arguing and fighting. The thing is that I'm on my own journey as well and some how the two of us will make it through this icy climb up the mountain- which will leave us better and stronger and more faithful than when we started.

Today is Father's day and Jared was asked to speak in sacrament meeting. I've been asking him all week how the talk was going. He would always say "fine, I've already got half of it written and lots of ideas." One day I came to him with a great story about Gandolf and told him how he could use it to relate to father's and the priesthood so I could get him to talk to me about what he was thinking about for his talk. We ended up having a great discussion about that and a lady that I had seen named Alice Hildebrand who had a great understanding of the sanctity of women and the family. We talked about her feelings about Adam being created from the dust and Eve not being created from the dust but from another human and how special that was. How Eve is a co-creater with God because her body grows the flesh and bones and Heavenly Father breathes life to it giving it it's soul. How special that is and how sacred. Adam doesn't get to participate in that. She also talked about how men have authority but that women have influence and how much more powerful influence is than authority. Jared agreed with everything and even added some of his own thoughts and acquired knowledge. He said; "yeah, the greeks understand that. They say that the men are the head but women are the neck that moves the head in whichever direction they want the head to go." We had a great discussion about women and the priesthood. We didn't have anything to fight and argue about and it was really nice. 

Last night I reminded him again and asked him to put everything down on paper and then we could sort out from there how to form his talk. He just needed to start typing. I had surgery on both of my legs this last week and am wearing compression hoes in the blazing hot temperatures. I have been pretty exhausted and fell asleep while waiting for him to bring something into me. Luckily Nate stayed awake - because he's the sherpa, and was able to go through it with him. I asked to hear what he had this morning. I was really impressed and thought that he just needed to add a scripture to give it more power. I asked him if he had any ideas and he came up with Alma the younger talking to his sons, and I told him that would work. We also had a nice conversation when he asked if he was Alma or Alma the younger. I told him it was the younger and that's why his council to Corianton was so perfect because he....." that's when Jared filled in "understood what it was like to be a bad kid because he was once one too." Yep, that's right! 

So, here's the talk:

"As Father's day is something we celebrate every year sort of unofficially we often forget its humble beginnings. In America at least, Father's day started out in a YMCA club in Spokane Washington to commemorate paternal bonds and their great importance to society. Their importance stems from the many roles in both the family and society. The first and most paramount of these is the priesthood power in which they hold. As I grow older I find myself thinking more and more about my role as a father. As I have done this I have thought about some of the things I think are most important for a father to be. I have comprised a small list of the responsibilities of a father and they are:

Firstly understanding, a father must always be there to make his children feel loved and accepted. In the book of Ama we read about how Alma the younger took the time to talk to each of his children individually and let them know he loved them and he gave advice tailored for them specifically.  Secondly, the father is a role model showing his children how to act and what kind of people to be. If it weren't for the example of my father I don't know if I would even be here today giving this talk. Thirdly, the father holds a role as protector of the family, always there when they need him. Fourthly, a father is a guide, my mother always likes to compare the role of a father to the role of a Sherpa of the Himalayan Mountains. They are the native people who are tasked with the treacherous journey of climbing the mountains before anyone else to lay the hooks and ropes, and find all of the weak spots in the icy mountain so that others may clim with safety. This is similar to a father in that a father is there to lay the ropes for his children and find all of the weak sports in the treacherous world so that his children may safely ascend to the top of the mountain. Due to all of these traits it is only reasonable that we give dads their own day to relax and have a day off. One of the biggest traditions on father's day is to get our dads gifts, but we often neglect our most important father. Father's day is not only about our earthly fathers but our Heavenly Father too. God plays an essential role as our first Father and creator. He represents a good example of fatherhood because he is the perfect father.  So I would like to close with a challenge and a testimony. To all of you I ask you to think of what we could give our Heavenly Father for fathers' day this year. I'd like to bear my testimony that I believe in the power of fatherhood and am so grateful to have not only a father in this world but a Heavenly Father as well and I testify of the power of the patriarchal priesthood. I say these in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

What a great kid I have! He just testified that he has a Father in Heaven. Yesterday, today and really all week long he has had a testimony that there is a God. I hope this seed of faith continues to be nourished and grows. He gets what I was saying about a sherpa. He totally gets it! That talk is 100 percent him and his words and his own understanding. 

In this climb up the treacherous icy mountain we need to keep our eyes focus on the destination and not on all the weak spots that set us back. We need to remember that we have been given Sherps to guide us. We have fathers, mothers, bishops, stake presidents, prophets, teachers, family, and friends. Once you have figured out a safe path, it's your obligation to help someone else so that we can all make it to the top of the mountain of the Lord where we may dwell with our Father in Heaven for eternity. We also have access to the ultimate sherpa, Jesus Christ, for whom the ascension would not even be possible were it not for the atonement. We have the power to keep going, keep getting back up after each set back. He knows every weak spot and can send the Holy Ghost to warn us. He's placed all the guide ropes along the way. He is also the very air in our oxygen mask that enables us to make the climb through the thinning atmosphere. With Jesus Christ as our sherpa there is no scenario in which we don't make it to the top.