I loved the YW and YM’s
scripture theme for 2016
“Wherefore, ye must press forward with a
steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God
and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of
Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have
eternal life” (2 Nephi 31:20).
I also love what Elder Neil A. Anderson says
about pressing forward.
“Press forward” implies something more than
simply going forward. Press implies
something is preventing your advancement, and you must push through it. To go
forward in this life, you must press temptations aside, press through
obstacles, press the doubt and the fear under your feet, and embrace the divine
qualities of faith, hope, and love.
Another word for something preventing our
advancement could be opposition!
I understand what Lehi says to his son Jacob
in 2 Nephi 2:11
For it must needs be,
that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the
wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness,
neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must
needs be a compound in one;
We truly would never fill joy or even know
what joy is unless there was sadness.
When talking about opposition the first person that always comes to my
mind is
I loved Elder Maxwell as a youth and young adult. I will always remember
the talk “From Whom All Blessings Flow” in April 1997 General Conference, when
he appeared bald because of the chemo therapy treatments he had undergone to
put his Leukemia in remission. I remember feeling and thinking “whoa when this
apostle speaks about tribulation/opposition he is speaking with authority.” From that time on I became a student of Elder
Maxwell and still am.
Some of you might know that as an 18 year old youth, Elder Maxwell
served in WWII. He was present at the Battle of Okinawa, this battle, which has
been referred to as the typhoon of steel, because of the intensity of the
fighting that happened there.
Elder Bruce C Haven, who wrote Elder Maxwell’s biography, told this
story.
“While researching for the biography he learned about the conditions at
this battle. Heavy rains had turned it into such a mud puddle that even tanks
disappeared into the ooze. Disease and dysentery plague the soldiers, what
little sleep they got was often while standing up in the mud. Supply trucks
couldn’t provide consistent food and ammunition. So the troops were always
hungry, and especially they were always thirsty. The water was often to foul
and oily to drink. One historian said the only thing that saved the solders was
coffee which having been boiled was at least drinkable
In reading the hurriedly written
letters home from Elder Maxwell one such letter said, “had a dream the other
night, you folks were holding up Carol (his sister) in the window and I was say
boo. Boy did that make me blue, it’s rough here, it will be wonderful to bathe
again still not smoking, drinking tea, or coffee. Nothing great, but the coffee
is tempting sometimes.”
It was at this place that Elder Maxwell had
a life-changing experience. Neal’s mortar position was under fire. Three shells
in a row had exploded, each closer to his foxhole than the previous one. He
realized the enemy had determined his position. The next shell would land on
top of him. He prayed “one of those selfish, honest prayers,” 3 asking for protection
from the next bomb.
AND here we find this years theme of ASK found in the
scripture James 1:5-6
If any
of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to
all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be
given him.
But
let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that
wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Can you imagine it? Can you picture it? An 18 year boy in
a mud bog all alone praying to his God to change his life?
Can you imagine or picture a 14 year old boy in a grove of
trees all alone praying to his God to change his life?
Both of the lacking wisdom but understanding the if they
ASK OF GOD that it will be given to them.
Both asking in FAITH nothing wavering. I hope that we can
ponder on that and listen to the spirit when we need to ask of God.
Now back to Elder Maxwell….
In his pocket he carried a copy of his patriarchal
blessing that said his life would not be shortened and that he would not be
deprived of fulfilling every assignment that was given to him in the pre-mortal
existence.
The shelling stopped. He later wrote: “I am sure the Lord
answered my prayers. … The following night they began to pour shells in, but
almost all of them were duds—either the ammunition had gotten wet or they were
not exploding in the very thick, oozing mud. … I felt preserved, and unworthily
so, but have tried to be somewhat faithful to that promise that was given at
the time.” 4
He always kept a picture with him of Flat Top Hill where the
battle had taken place.
When the leukemia came he often compared this experience to
Okinawa both in it’s terror and in it’s spiritual impact on him.
When Elder Maxwell first learned of his Leukemia and what the odds
against were about any remission at all he was inclined to just accept the
inevitable. After discussing with his wife Colleen she said something like this
that got his attention. “Neal I don’t think you have paid attention to the
first part of the scriptural account of the savior’s time in gethsemane it’s
true that he said nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt, but before that
he said if it be possible let this cup pass from me. He is our model in all
things don’t you think it would be ok if it were possible let this pass from
you.”
Here we have another perfect example of ASKING. An example of our
older brother asking our Heavenly Father for wisdom, and strength,
Mathew 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face,
and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let
this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but
as thou wilt.
I
would also like to share with you a poem from one of my favorite poets(my Dad) called
Gethsemane
GETHSEMANE
Our Saviour sweat great drops of
blood
There in Gethsemane.
He humbly asked His Father
“Please pass this cup from me.”
“Nevertheless not my will
But only thine be done.
You are my Father in Heaven,
I am just your humble Son.”
“I will do what I must do,
I understand the Plan.
I know that I must suffer much
As I Atone for Man.”
Our Saviour sweat great drops of
blood
There in Gethsemane.
Sometimes I pause and wonder,
How many drops for me?
Elder Maxwell did the
treatments and his cancer went into remission for a time.
I believe that all of us will as some point will have our own
gethsemane experience that we will all kneel and pray to our Father in Heaven
asking with every emotion in our body O my Father, if it be possible, let this
cup pass from me:
I feel impressed upon, to tell you one such experience I had over
14 yrs. ago. First some back ground well
pregnant with our 2nd child it was found in one last ultrasound before delivery
that our baby had a tumor in her right kidney. After a trip to Calgary and more
ultrasounds we were told the seriousness of the condition and what steps would
have to be taken to try to ensure the best help possible for our daughter.
Delivery came and we drove her up to the Children’s Hospital in Calgary where she
had her first ultra sound now being less than 24 hours old. It was then
confirmed that the tumor had taken over the right kidney and it needed to be
removed. The tumor was big enough that when you held her you could feel and see
the lump, a newborn’s kidney is about the size of the finger tip of the your
pinky. This tumor was 5 cm in diameter. We were blessed to be assigned a room that had
accessibility to a small green patch of grass. It there at 2am in the morning
before I handed my baby girl over to the surgeons that I had one of my
gethsemane moments. You see through the whole ordeal I had been praying “O
Father if it be possible, let this cup pass from me:” but it was not until that
night that my prayer had changed. It was on the green patch of grass that I was
finally able to utter the words that brought me a special kind of peace. Father
she is your daughter if you need her back I understand, or in other words,
“nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt”.
Hours later as Jesse and I handed our 3 day old daughter over to the
surgeons we were overcome with a feeling of being held in the hands of our
maker knowing that He was well aware of us and of our daughter.
I have been a witness of others in our ward who I am sure have had
Gethsemane moments. They have accepted the will of God although they would have
much preferred that the cup would be passed from them. I watch in awe as they continually,
faithfully, ASK of God in faith with nothing wavering but they ask for wisdom
and healing.
Elder Richard G. Scott said: “To exercise faith is to trust
that the Lord knows what He is doing with you and that He can accomplish it for
your eternal good even though you cannot understand how He can possibly do it.
We are like infants in our understanding of eternal matters and their impact on
us here in mortality. Yet at times we act as if we knew it all. When you pass
through trials for His purposes, as you trust Him, exercise faith in Him, He will
help you. That support will generally come step by step, a portion at a time.
While you are passing through each phase, the pain and difficulty that come
from being enlarged will continue. If all matters were immediately resolved at
your first petition, you could not grow. Your Father in Heaven and His Beloved
Son love you perfectly. They would not require you to experience a moment more
of difficulty than is absolutely needed for your personal benefit or for that
of those you love” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1995, 19; or Ensign, Nov. 1995, 17).
Yes I am sure that each one of us will go through our own "Gethsemanes" in our lives. I am equally sure that as we continue to Ask of God and Press Forward
through the opposition that comes personally, and to the church in coming years
that we will be upheld, taught, and especially loved by our Savior Jesus Christ.
Who I believe will meet with each one of us in Gethsemane, and will take those
sins we are willing to let go and repent of. Not only took them but in so doing
enable us with the power to overcome them. If we will only use it! The true key
to the power of opposition in our lives is the way that it draws us to our
Savior if we let it.
xoxoxo
Barb
