Personal Battles: Stand Strong for Christ

On a warm July day in 1861, two armies of a divided nation clashed for the first time at Manassas. Citizens from Washington came to watch the fighting, and the raw recruits were "thankful that they would not miss the only battle of what surely would be a short war" (Manassas National Battlefield Park brochure). Well, we all know that the Civil War was not short . . . and First Manassas would not be the only battle. It was here at Stone Bridge that the opening shots were fired.

 

In the Civil War, brothers fought against brothers. We are fighting similar battles in our own lives. Christ said, "I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law" (Matt 10:34-35). Christ adds later that "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me" (Matt. 10:37).

 

Scary! However, we are all going to face opposition if we follow Christ, and Christ is reminding us that we have to stay strong. I'm blessed that my family believes in Christ, but I've met many people who do not support what I'm doing here in the D.C. South Mission. Eighteen months is a long time to stand strong; the Civil War was a long and costly fight; the length of our lives is a privilege to fight for Christ.

 



Ice Cream & Self Control

In Arlington, there is an ice cream shop that sells delicious homemade dark chocolate ice cream called "Decadence." Amazing. However, when I got transferred out of the Arlington, I didn't get to revisit the shop. A month later, my companion and I were asked to go to Arlington on business. I suggested we take a lunch break at this ice cream shop.

They weren't selling "Decadence" that day! What impudence! I had to settle for regular chocolate, and while good, it was not the same.

There is no satisfactory substitute for true goodness. President Hinckley has said: “In all this world there is no substitute for personal integrity. . . It includes doing what is right regardless of the circumstances" (Integrity). Integrity is true goodness of the soul.

Now, if I were to do a true analogy between my experience at the ice cream shop and matters of character, I'd wish the regular chocolate has been titled "Decadence" and the dark chocolate "Decency."

A person with true integrity also has self-control. Prophets have always directed us to develop self-mastery; I love this quote by David O. McKay:

“Spirituality is the consciousness of victory over self, and of communion with the Infinite. Spirituality impels one to conquer difficulties and acquire more and more strength. To feel one’s faculties unfolding and truth expanding the soul is one of life’s sublimest experiences" (The Power of Self-Mastery).

I know that avoiding decadence and developing self-control can bring us happiness. And sometimes it starts with baby steps . . . like having a single scoop of chocolate ice cream instead of double :)

Jaws of Hell

Does anyone love sharks? These jaws (from the Smithsonian) belong to a prehistoric shark that could have swallowed me whole. Yikes!

All of us have demons swimming around in our deep, dark oceans . . . ones that could swallow us whole if we let them. However, the Lord gave this promise to His servant, Joseph Smith: "[A]bove all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good" (D&C 122:7, emphasis added).

What a promise! Everything we go through will be consecrated for the benefit of our souls. And Christ has promised that he will not leave us alone: "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest" (Joshua 1:9).

Who is afraid of the Jaws of Hell now?

Opposition in ALL Things, Rain or Shine!

Last night's rain soaked us through as effectively as a swimming pool.

"Are you ready?" my companion asked me. We'd parked three blocks from our appointment (the only available parking) and the rain was torrential. About half an inch had built up on the road, and I knew it would just pool itself into my flats as soon as stepped into that river.

"Yes," I said. "Let's run!" I pushed the car door open, stuck my head under the faucet of the sky, and started to run. My glasses were foggy with rain, and I followed Sister Tescher's footsteps blindly.

She decided to cut across the park to our member's house--a park that had become a mud pit. She turned around to head back out and around. "Too late!" I yelled. "Just go!" I waved her forward.

We arrived like two drowned puppies on our member's doorstep, and she laughed as she handed us towels. We dried ourselves off as best we could, but it was still two hours before I was dry again.

I realized I was dry again as I sat on a friend's couch, talking about the need for opposition. I explained how much I enjoyed being in her warm house--even more so for the time I'd spent wet and cold. It really does make a difference! We need black to understand white, cold to understand hot, happy to understand sad. Life's oppositions teach us gratitude.

I love what Lehi teaches his son: "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things" (2 Nephi 2:11). I am learning gratitude for life's "rainy days" so that I can love being warm and dry. And the greatest warmth and happiness comes from the divine love of Christ: "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee" (Jeremiah 31:3).

Becoming a Pressed Penny

In Haymarket--far into the wilderness of the D.C. South Mission--there is a trail that crosses the train tracks. If you bring a penny and leave it on the tracks, when you finish the hike you can search for your naturally pressed penny.

Our little excursion didn't go as planned. We left our pennies on the train tracks and proceeded to get lost in the Virginian jungle. Without a map, we took two hours to circle the peak, getting more frustrated by the moment. Instead of one trail, the mountain seemed to be crisscrossed by spaghetti noodles.

Eventually, we headed back down the mountain, giving up on reaching the summit; we'd completely forgotten about the pennies until we crossed over the tracks, and then we eagerly began to search among the rocks.

Soon, we found our pennies. While we'd been walking in circles, our pennies had flattened, becoming the perfect souvenier.

This is life. It's so easy to become frustrated with not attaining one goal that we forget about our success in another area. In a general confernce talk titled, "Our Goal is Perfection," the speaker makes this wise statement:

"The pursuit of excellence should be a major work of our lives . . . While it is true that we cannot attain perfection in a total sense in this life, it is also true taht we can attain perfection in many specific areas of activity. Furthermore, if we fail to do what we can and should do in this life, we may deprive ourselves forever of the opportunity to to do those things later on and thus lose great eternal blessings" (William H. Bennet). 

We have to do what we can when we can, and let the Lord take care of the rest. Over time, we too will become the pressed penny, our lives a witness of God's handiwork.

Taking Shelter

My friends and I found the perfect hiding place on a hike . . . right in the middle of an old tree. This reminded me of a story in the Book of Mormon, when Alma (a prophet) is hiding from a wicked king:

. . . Alma restorted thither, there being near the water a thicket of small trees, where he did hide himself in the daytime from the searches of the king (Mosiah 18:5). 

And Alma was safe! God protected him, just as he always promises to shelter us: "For thou has been a shelter for me . . . I will trust in the covert of thy wings" (Psalms 61:3). I know Christ has always been there for me in my life; he has covered me with His wings, and I have felt His love. I know that as we "resort thither" to Him, we will be safe.

Finding Strength in our Ancestors

In the hot and humid Virginia summer, my companion and I trudged up George Mason Drive (Arlington, VA). We were on our way to an appointment, and I did not have a good attitude. Part of me just wanted to lay under a tree and never move; heat has a way of taking your strength out of you.

However, I drew additional strength from this story of my pioneer ancestor, Agnes Birrell. On July 20, 1859, Thomas McIntyre recorded this in his journal:

At 7 a.m. we are again on the pull[.] I am assisted at my cart by 3 young girls 1 English 1 Welsh & the other Scotch[.] For pulling the Scotch lassie could beat the others and was a team of herself her name was Agnes Berrell [Birrell], the Welsh girl Ann Lewis was subject to fainting spells which was very ackward in travelling as I had occasionally to let go the cart to catch her from falling, the English girl Sarah Tuffley was quiet and did not care whether the cart came along or not. (Thomas McIntyre).

Of the three girls assisting Thomas McIntyre, my ancestor "could beat the others" and "was a team of herself." Of the three available legacies, I inherited one of hard work. Instead of being weak or apathetic, Agnes was dedicated to the work of the Lord. Now, here I am involved in the work of the same Lord, and I must go on.

The Lord's work is the work of salvation; it is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). It is an important work! As the Lord has said, "shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad" (D&C 18:22).

The Tricks and Empty Treats of Satan

One Halloween (years and years ago) I convinced my younger sisters that gum had greater value than chocolate. "Gum is the best," I lied. "A single stick of bubblegum is worth your Snickers candy bar. If you were smart, you'd trade."

My sisters were reticent, and I had to extoll the virtues of gum: it lasts longer, it freshens your breath, it has fewer calories. The more I talked, the more trades they'd make. Gradually I worked the value up. Soon, one piece of gum was worth four or five chocolate candies. By the end of the trading session, I had a huge pile of M&Ms, Milky Ways, Tootsie Rolls, Butterfingers . . . you name it. All they had to show for knocking doors was a pitiful pile of gum.

Of course, my mom understood what I'd done and quickly rectified the situation. We all ended up with exactly the same ratio of gum and chocolate, but my success lingered sweetly in my mind. I was a little Tom Sawyer.

However, this childhood experience taught me how Satan works. His propositions are outrageous: in no way is sin going to lead to happiness (i.e., smoking is not going to make you beautiful and healthy). However, as soon as you give him your ear, he'll start extolling the supposed virtues. Soon, if you aren't careful, you're handing him piles of chocolate for a piece of plastic.

The moral of the story? Don't listen to Satan; don't give him a second of your time. As Alma taught his son, "Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness" (Alma 41:10)

Good Music for Missionaries

Who doesn't love finding good music? Since my mission, I've been on a constant quest. We have certain guidelines as missionaries; here is what the Missionary Handbook says about music:

Listen only to music that is consistent with the sacred spirit of your calling. Music should invite the Spirit, help you focus on the work, and direct your thoughts and feelings to the Savior. Do not listen to music that pulls your thoughts away from your work, merely entertains, has romantic lyrics or overtones, or dulls your spiritual sensitivity by its tempo, beat, loudness, lyrics, or intensity.

I didn't even bring an iPod on my mission, I thought these rules were so restricting. I couldn't listen to anything I had at home, so I might as well forget about music for 18 months.

That philosophy worked for the MTC (Missionary Training Center). Then I got into the field, and I wanted music. The process of searching for music has opened my eyes to how much is available . . . and more than just renditions of hymns (as much as I love those) and EFY (which also has its place). There are musicians everywhere that have Christian songs. There is more uplifting music available than I thought.

I've even found some artists I'll still listen to when I go home. I've also learned the importance of being more selective of music. Uplifting music does have power to invite Christ into our life.

What uplifting music have you found in your life? What artists? Please post below.

Bunny Rabbits

My companion, Sister Taylor, loves to chase bunnies. On the right, I've included a picture of one of those incidents . . . our missionary work halted so that she could chase a furry distraction.

Elder Cook, an apostle of the Lord, taught about three distractions that we need to avoid to live a joyful life (Rejoice):

1. distractions which keep us from doing what we ought to do,
2. the magnification of small imperfections, and 
3. unfavorable comparisons with others.

Most--if not all--of these furry bunnies hop across our paths every day. Elder Cook's tools can help us recognize these little animals, but I'd like to add an additional tip: focus on your relationship with your Savior, and ignore everyone else. Easy? Nope. But if you have an end goal, you can appreciate the brown fur ball without chasing it into enemy territory.