BEARING THE CROSS!

BEARING THE CROSS!

One of the more memorable experiences I had as a young man in my church was a canoe trip during the summer of 1971. That summer, the young men of the ward took a trip to the lakes of Minnesota. At the Charles L. Sommers Wilderness Canoe Base, a week of great beauty began. I still remember the still, crystal blue lakes, flying eagles, and beautiful lakeside stops. But what I remember most was a week of hard work and sparse food. The still lake waters are memorable,but with their stillness comes the challenge of canoeing across them. Because we were gone for an entire week, we had to carry all provisions. Food, tents, cooking supplies, and extra clothes were packedinto all the canoes. The real work was not packing all the supplies on the canoe, but “forging” from one lake to the other. Forging is a mightyundertaking. It involves landing at the edge of one lake, then hiking to thenext lake with the canoe on your back. Each time we forged, we had to climb asmall mountain, then descend the other side to reach another lake. Carrying thecanoes was hard enough but carrying all the supplies as well made for a slowand excruciating transition. In addition to the hard work, there was a limitedsupply of food. You can imagine that when you carry a week of food supply for20 men and boys, you take no more than is “needed.” For me, and the other youngmen, the rationing of food brought us close to rebellion. Never has food tastedso sweet as it did that week. Because of that experience, I have taken note of how often theLord has required great sacrifice in “crossing and forging” his people. Theexamples are many. Per the commandment of the Lord, Abraham had to forge andcross the mighty Euphrates to reach the land of Canaan. Moses led theIsraelites across the parted Red Sea, and Joshua was asked to lead the Lord’speople across the River Jordan. In our time, the mighty Mississippi River stoodin the way of our modern-day exodus to the west. And how can we forget theJaredites and the family of Lehi, who crossed an ocean to reach this continent? With such rich examples of “crossing and forging” in ourhistory, it makes you wonder why the Lord has required it so often of hispeople. One answer is found in the Scriptures: “My people must be tried inall things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have forthem, even the glory of Zion; and he that will not bear chastisement is notworthy of my kingdom” (D&C 136:31) I am convinced that the Lord presents us with opportunities to“cross and forge” so that we might stretch and reach our potential. It may notbe easy, but nothing that builds character ever is! I hated the hard work ofthat canoe trip in Minnesota, but the calluses were soon gone, while the sweetmemories and character-building lessons have endured. Bearing and crossing theeveryday challenges that are placed before us while maintaining a testimony ofJesus Christ are certainly an intricate part of who we are or who we would liketo become!

DO I BRING A SMILE?

A number of years ago I was reminded of an important principle when my wife and Ivisited a rural town in Pennsylvania.  We were sitting in an icecream shop in Strasburg on a Saturday night, enjoying good food and looking forward to an ice cream treat. My wife said to me, “Look at how everyone is smiling. That man over there just held up his big sundae to his wife and smiled.” It was true. We watched as person after person, young or old, smiled ateach other as they were handed their ice cream treat. It brought me back to the summer of 1978 when, just after being married, I worked for an ice cream company.  My job was to open new accounts in the Washington D.C. metro area in restaurants and small cafes. Inevitably, when I would enter aplace of business and present my card to the business owner, they wouldjoke by saying, “Do you have samples of your ice cream?” Not knowing that I wascarrying a bag of dry ice filled with samples, I would surprise them by saying“Yes, do you want some?” What do you think they said? Not one person everturned me down. If I didn’t get the sale, I left the person smiling. Ice Creamhas that kind of effect on people. Can people have the same impact on people as ice cream? Sure! Haven’t you ever met someone who seems to carry a smile? They havea way of making everyone else around them enjoy life.  I’ve never metanyone who doesn’t have any problems, but some choose to not wear it ontheir faces. In a talk entitled “A Reason to Smile”, by Joe J. Christensen,he said this: “Ask yourself, Am I really a happy person? If you are not and ifit is difficult for you to smile, then think about it. Some of it may come fromrecognizing that difficulties are part of life. There are ups and downs. Thatfact reminds me of a story shared by Marian D. Hanks. “A father is aboard an airplane on a short business trip. He haswith him his five-year-old son and is almost wishing his son were not therebecause it is a very rough trip. There are downdrafts and updrafts and headwinds alternating with tailwinds, and some passengers are feeling a bit queasy.Apprehensively, the father glances at his son and finds him grinning from earto ear. ‘Dad’, he says, ‘do they do this just to make it fun for thekids?'(Changing Channels, “Ensign, Nov.1990,38) Sometimes we just need to be more childlike in our perspectiveof life’s daily happenings. Let us try to be like Ice Cream, and make peoplesmile when they come into contact with us.  The wonderful thing aboutice cream and people is that they come in so many flavors.  It reallydoesn’t matter what flavor of a person we are because if we choose to bless thelives of others, like manna from heaven, the taste we offer is delicious forall.

MY FAVORITE HIGH SCHOOL READING ASSIGNMENT

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal.” (‘Animal Farm’, George Orwell) One of my favorite books of all time is Animal Farm, which Iread in High School. I was forced to read it as an English assignment, and it’sone of the few reading assignments that I ended up enjoying. I can’t say thesame for other tasks, such as “Waiting for Godot”! While “Animal Farm” waswritten as more of a political commentary on its time, I read it as a teenageron a more simplistic level. Just straightforward that power tends to corrupt! In Orwell’s famous book, a bunch of farm animals lament thatthey are treated as inferiors by their human masters, so they rebel and beginto develop their own version of equality on the farm where they live.  Butit doesn’t take long for a caste system to develop within the animal kingdom asthe pigs begin to believe they are ‘more equal’ than the rest of the animals.The farm animals soon find that the only thing that has changed is that theyhave a new master. The desire to be ‘more equal’ is not a Godly attribute butone that comes from the natural man. If you believe in a pre-mortal life, which I do, all of us comeprepackaged to a degree, so we aren’t entirely a blank slate when we arrivehere. We come from our Heavenly Home, where we have been developing for…whoknows how long. So we each come with specific attributes that were attainedlong before this earthly life. Life, however, presents different challenges forus. These challenges can alter or at least temporarily hide some of thoseattributes. Those who come with mental handicaps, for instance, have most, ifnot all, of their attributes hidden from the rest of us. And the day will comewhen all that was earned will be revealed and restored. All pre-life attributeswill come forth in individuals, and we will know everyone as they are, not justwho we see. Suppose we fully understand the doctrine of a pre-mortal life.In that case, we will never treat another as an inferior because…well, it isn’twithin the teachings of Christ, and second, we might turn out to be theinferior one once all is restored and revealed.  Once, after conversingwith a person I perceived to be of limited intelligence, I remember thinking,“How is this person going to be able to function in the hereafter, and what aretheir chances of living up to their royal heritage?”  Then the spiritreminded me that this person may not be who I think they are. Indeed, come theresurrection, when celestial bodies are bestowed, this person, with all theirrestored knowledge and intelligence, might be far superior to me. Afterpondering such, I was left with the burning question of, “How would I feel if Ifaced a person in the afterlife and they said with disappointment and hurt,‘Thanks a lot for treating me that way when I was trapped in that physicalbody!” Withour limited knowledge of the total picture, sometimes we might feel we are‘more’ than equal. But armed with the knowledge of the plan of salvation, weshould better understand how and why we should treat and see others as ourequals. As we do so, we will begin to treat all as we should—with dignity andrespect

WHEN THE CURVES OF LIFE BUCKLE YOUR KNEES

The summer after high school graduation I played on the local American LegionBaseball Team. It was a team composed of the best high school players in thearea. I was thrilled to make the team, and I gained a starting spot playingcenterfield for the team. I had one of the most outstanding seasons of my life.But interestingly enough, the most vivid memory I have of that season is notvery pleasant. We entered the last game of the season fighting for a playoffspot. We needed to win the final game in order to have a chance at postseasonplay. It ended up being not only my worst performance of the year, but of alifetime. I have been playing baseball (or softball as an adult) since I couldwalk. Throughout my life I always prided myself in being a “contact” hitter whoseldom struck out. In fact, I don’t know if I have ever struck out twice in anysingle game of my life. That memorable day I faced a hard-throwing right-handerwho ended up shutting down the entire team. We lost that game, and it ended ourseason. But what I remember most was my third at bat that day. Unbelievably, Ihad already struck out the first two times up. When I came up to the plate formy third at-bat, I told myself that no matter what, I wasn’t going to strikeout for a third time. I had never done so in my life, and I had no intention ofit happening that day.  I mean, who strikes out three times in a game! Asa right-handed hitter, I stepped into the box, and I quickly found myself withtwo strikes. The next pitch came straight at my head. My knees buckled, and Istarted to bail out of the batter’s box when I recognized the spin of the ball,which quickly dropped over the plate. Too late! I heard the umpire call strikethree, and I looked back at him unapprovingly. As I started out of the box, Iglanced at the catcher who had a smirk on his face. I’ll never forget thatsmirk, and I will never forget what he said. “It’s called a curve”, he quipped.Boy, that stung! I’ve wanted to wipe that smirk off that catcher’s face all mylife. Well, throughout my life, I have had plenty of “curves” come myway! Sometimes I have been caught off guard and the “curve” has left mereeling! But I know that with the help of the Lord, “all things are possible tohim that believeth”. (Mark 9:23) I struck out three times that day long ago.  It wasn’tbecause I had never seen a curve. I had seen plenty of them before that day.But I had never seen one quite like the one thrown at me that day.  Whenin the batter’s box of life, we know that a “curve” is going to be thrown atus. And even if we have stayed in the box against them before, sooner or laterone will come at us that will buckle our legs. It will be a “curve” we havenever seen! Maybe it’s the unexpected death of a loved one, or a major healthissue.  I have discovered that aging itself is constantly throwing curvesI’ve never seen before!  But we don’t need to strike out! With the help ofthe Lord, we can gain the confidence and strength to hold our feet steady inthe box and not bail out.  However, we need to be ready! Count on the“curve”! It’s coming! It’s thrown…at everyone! I mean “everyone”! It’s all partof the game.

MY LIFE DIDN'T TURN OUT THE WAY I EXPECTED!

“My lifedidn’t turn out the way I expected”- (Roy Hobbs from the movie: The Natural). All of us have things that come into our lives that we neverexpected. If they haven’t already visited us, they will in time. I remembergoing to the movie theater in 1984 to watch the move“The Natural”. You know the storyline! A young man with great natural talentgets sidetracked from his goal of becoming the greatest baseball player ever.Early in the movie, this young prodigy says: “You know what? Someday…l’ll break every record in the book. Iknow I got it in me. When I walk down the street, people will say, “There goesRoy Hobbs…the best there ever was.” Many of us get “sidetracked” along the path of life.Trials and life changing events happen. Some wonderful, some tragic! Whenfinally Roy Hobbs makes it to the majors, decades after a tragic event altershis plans... Roy Hobbs doesn’t let his age deter him, he continues followinghis dream, and although he will never be…”the best there ever was”, he gainsthe respect of all who know him by his persistence and courage. I have met a few “Roy Hobbs” over the years. Men and women Iknow who have been sidetracked from their dreams.  Some have come fromhomes that can only be described as “hell houses”, where abuse and abandonmentare commonplace.  Some have had marriages fall apart or have experiencedthe untimely death of a child or spouse. Their dreams have been shattered!Sometimes I wonder how they have gone on with life. But they have.  Stillothers have brought upon themselves pain and sorrow due to the consequences of livinga sinful life.  “My life didn’t turn out the way I expected” is notjust a line uttered by a character on-screen, it is a common refrain that mostof us say at one time or another in our lives. At times, finding joy can be aselusive as eating Jell-O with chopsticks! It’s there on the plate for thetaking, but not easily consumed.  But I find comfort in the words of theLord recorded in the scriptures: “And all they who suffer persecution for my name, and endure infaith, though they are called to lay down their lives for my sake yet shallthey partake of all this glory. Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for inthis world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full. Therefore, carenot for the body, neither the life of the body; but care for the soul, and forthe life of the soul. And seek the face of the Lord always, that in patience yemay possess your souls, and ye shall have eternal life.” Occasionally, I think all of us want to say, “Well that’s greatthat our joy will be full in the next life but I’m not living thatlife right now. I’m living this one and I don’t like it one bit!” When we findourselves feeling sorry and saying these types of things, it’s usually “thenatural” man poking his head out of our spiritual souls.  TheLord does tells us that in this life our joy will not be full, but we canstill find great joy in the challenges presented to us while on thisearth. The older I get, the more I see the great growth in my own lifethat has come through my trials.  There is something aboutovercoming adversity that builds godly characteristics. When you falldown, and then get back up, you become stronger. Your self-respect grows andyour appreciation for the small blessings of life increase. Like Roy Hobbs, some of our dreams may never come to fruitiondue to circumstances beyond our control. But we do control how we react totrials.  I think the promises of the Lord that “ye shall have eternallife” is worth fighting for! We need not go out quietly! Let us allow the Lord to be the“wind beneath our wings.”  When adversity knocks us down, let us lookto the Lord for strength so that we may get up again. While our mortal dreamscan often be taken from us, our eternal ones are completely in our controlbecause, with the help of the Lord’s mercy, we can get back up and claim them.