The Teaching Of A Slothful Son

TheDiscipleMD

I grew up in a loving home where my parents gave us children enough chores around the house to learn about the benefits of hard work. My personal chores consisted of the typical duties of most children. I was required to make my bed, keep my shared bedroom relatively clean, and do the dishes once in a while. The two dreaded assignments I had were to clean the bathroom located next to my room and mow the lawn during the summer months. I shared the mowing duties with my brother. We both hated to mow the lawn and dreaded so doing. Oft times, as my Dad would leave for work he would remind us that we needed to mow the lawn that day. My brother and I would promise him we would. However, summertime being what it is, there were just too many other things to occupy the time and attention of a young boy. Consequently, on more than one occasion, mowing the lawn took a backseat on my agenda. I had intentions to do it, but many times in the morning I would rationalize that I would do it later that afternoon. In the afternoon, the television beckoned with exciting shows of places I’d never seen before. Lost in the five-year mission of the Starship Enterprise, time would elude me until I would hear the distant roar of an engine. I would then leap off the comfortable couch and run to our home’s big picture window. There I would behold my Father, in his suit, pushing the lawn mower around the back yard. He had arrived from work and had seen that the lawn wasn’t mowed by his slothful sons. My guilt was intense and I would quickly run to grab a pair of sneakers and head out the door. I would hustle to where my Dad was mowing and he would smile as he took not one but two trips around the edge of the lawn as I waited. It was the second swatch he took that was so agonizing. The pain of my guilt-racked soul was almost more than I could take, and I have often thought since then, that my Dad took that extra trip around the yard to torture me with the “pains of a condemned man.” That extra trip around the yard intensified my desire to mow so that when he would hand me the mower I was in a bit of an internal frenzy. He always did it with a smile and never with a word of rebuke. It’s a funny thing about life’s great lessons; often they are learned in the most peculiar and simple situations.

I learned something from how my Dad handled a slothful son. I think he knew my heart was right, even if  my actions were not. He never got mad at me or yelled at me, or told me I was a worthless son. In fact, I don’t recall ever feeling “put down” by my Dad, then, or now. Perhaps that is why I have no problem in understanding why my Heavenly Father loves me, despite…!

“Oh, it is wonderful to know that our Heavenly Father loves us—even with all our flaws! His love is such that even should we give up on ourselves, He never will. We see ourselves in terms of yesterday and today. Our Heavenly Father sees us in terms of forever. Although we might settle for less, Heavenly Father won’t, for He sees us as the glorious beings we are capable of becoming. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of transformation. It takes us as men and women of the earth and refines us into men and women for the eternities.” (Joseph B. Wirthlin, “The Great Commandment,” Liahona, Nov 2007, 28–31).

Heavenly Father does love each of us. He is patient, kind and generous! Sometimes He takes us the extra trip around the yard much like my Dad did with me, because He knows that it will enhance our learning and appreciation for life. He has great hope that, in time, we will come around. In the end, I never mowed the lawn because I was afraid of my Father. It was because I loved and respected him. It was because I knew he loved me and wanted the best for me. Likewise, following the commandments of our Heavenly Father out of fear is not the best way to live our lives. It’s so much more enjoyable and productive to do so out of love and respect.

 

May We Allow Our Eyes To “Bloom” So We Can Take In All The Beauty Of This World!

TheDisicpleMD

It’s been a number of years since the birth of our last grandchild. Each of their births has been a testimony to me of the role of God in bringing forth life into this world. I don’t know how anyone can be present at the birth of a baby and not think about the supernal nature of its conception and birth. By its first cry, you sense that the newborn is wailing out to be recognized as a testament of the divine nature of its existence. The marvel of it all!

At the birth of one of our granddaughters, my son and I happened to get Chinese take-out while we waited for his new daughter to arrive, which happened a few hours later. As I opened a fortune cookie, I said, “This one is for the new baby!” It read, “Your eyes will soon be opened to a world full of beauty, charm, and adventure.” I’m certainly not a believer in fortune cookies, but that message is one my little granddaughter should remember. This world really is full of beauty, charm, and adventure. But too often, we allow our problems and worries to cloud our vision and ruin our view, thus causing us to lose the charm of life and miss the adventure.

So, the advice I wrote down that day to her was, “Life is an adventure! Keep your eyes wide open because there is beauty all around. Always remember that Heavenly Father is the creator of it all. In so doing you can live a ‘charmed’ life!”

May we allow our eyes to bloom so that we take in all the beauty of this world. That’s the best advice I could give to anyone, including a little girl that day!

When You Lose A Loved One!

TheDiscipleMD

My wife and I visited her brother this past week, who is suffering from the ravages of cancer. It has been a very painful time for both of us.  Witnessing a loved one suffering brings out the deepest emotions of love and compassion.  I was reminded of the last time I sat with a family member,  my brother, who, on October 16, 2007, died of pancreatic cancer. Not long before he died at the age of 59, I wrote a letter to him. I quote a few lines.

“When I think of you I always smile…I guess it’s because every memory I have of you is a positive one…Memories come to mind when I think of our brotherhood over the years. From my earliest memories to now, it has been a great honor and joy to be called your brother.”

I then went on to say:

“I guess more than anything else I can honestly say that I love you…I have memories that will live forever in my mind but, most importantly, in my heart. I have a strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and know you feel the same. We are brothers forever!

God be with you till we meet again; By his counsels guide, uphold you; With his sheep securely fold you. God be with you till we meet again.

Till we meet, till we meet, Till we meet at Jesus’ feet, Till we meet, till we meet, God be with you till we meet again.  (Hymn 152)

It will be a grand reunion in the hereafter! Till we meet again I will do my best to stay on the straight and narrow so that when my day comes, I will be ready. I love you, always your brother!”

I share these most private of my thoughts with you regarding such feelings because, like most of you, I have experienced the pain of losing a loved one. But I have hope and a strong belief that Jesus is the Christ and that by him, all mankind can be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of his gospel. That through Him and by Him, our Savior, we can be reunited with our loved ones who have passed through the veil. ‘God Be With You Till We Meet Again’ is not just a hymn we sing. It is an anthem to our faith! We sing it because we believe it!  We sing it as tears fill our eyes!  We sing it because we have hope in a grand reunion! We will continue to sing it till we meet again in our Father’s kingdom!

Crossing “The Delawares” Of Our Lives

TheDiscipleMD

A few years ago my brother, father and I, visited the reported spot of ground where George Washington and his army crossed the Delaware River at the outset of the Revolutionary War. This historical event is made famous by a painting that portrays General Washington standing majestically at the bow, as his small boat makes its way across the semi-frozen river. It was a pivotal moment in the history of our nation. In a logistically challenging and dangerous operation, the Continental Army crossed the river on Christmas night in 1776. In extreme weather conditions they crossed and were able to surprise Hessian forces, (allies of England), in Trenton, New Jersey, where they defeated and captured over 1000 enemy troops. Up until that point in the war, the Continental Army had been on the run after being defeated at every turn. With morale at an all-time low, Washington went against traditional wisdom and instead of continuing a retreat, turned and attracted his surprised pursuers. While the surprise attack itself did minimal damage to the “Redcoat” army, the moral victory infused his troops, and the Colonials, with confidence that would carry them for years to come. Years that eventually culminated in independence for our country.

This life is full of small personal battles that each of us deal with on a daily basis. Most of them are small “skirmishes” but when added up tend to drag our spirits down. The car breaks down, the washing machine needs repair, we get a speeding ticket (always undeserved in our minds), or someone in the family is sick. A bill is overdue, the dog messes in the house, or a store clerk sells us the wrong item. Of major annoyance is getting your fast food order filled incorrectly but you don’t discover it till you get home. The daily battles in life can be exhausting at times. Sometimes we are left to lament, “Why can’t I catch a break!” I recall that as a younger man, I seemed to be fighting a daily battle over some perceived “injustice” that was in my life. Sometimes it really was injustice but retrospectively, more times than not, it was just life.  I noticed that after a few years of small “skirmishes” that I began to let go of things that were just not that important. Holding on to so much baggage was affecting my morale. And morale is very important in fighting, not only the mundane issues of this life, but the more important issues of the  eternities.

As we all have to “traverse” the temporal in this life, let us not let ourselves become discouraged. The temporal really does have an effect on our spiritual welfare.  If this life has us on the run, let us turn about, like the Continental Army, and face our challenges one battle at a time. Small victories can culminate in winning the war. Setting short-term goals, and then accomplishing them, can do wonders for our souls. A small victory could be refraining from breaking some commandment that we are struggling with for a day, or week.  We are taught to read in the scriptures and pray daily. If we are struggling to do that, perhaps setting a goal of reading and praying for just one week is the best approach. Most of us can accomplish that. Not only will we gain the blessings that naturally come with doing it, we will also feel our hearts rejoice as we accomplish our goal.I really do believe that there is power gained by opening the scriptures on a daily basis.  In so doing we acknowledge the hand of God in our lives.

Some of us face major battles in life each day due to health, financial, or strained families relationships that will not soon go away.   Others face small skirmishes that slowly beat down their souls.  A few of us are in respite, but rest only to fight another day. All of us are battling with changes that need to be made in our private lives. Let us summon the courage to stop running from them. Let us gird up our loins and stop retreating! Let today be the day we turn and cross our private “Delaware”. By so doing our hearts and spirits will be lifted towards victory over our foes!

 

 

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