What About the Saving Ordinances?

Baptisms have always been one of my favorite things to witness because of the beautiful spirit about them. When I was about 7 or 8 my family lived in Puerto Rico. Baptisms were at the beach, with usually not more than a dozen people present. The father of a girl in my school class was baptized. My Dad and a few of us children were there because Dad had a leadership assignment. The missionaries asked this father what song he would like to sing. He asked for "More Holiness Give Me."

"More holiness give me, more strivings within, More patience in suffering, more sorrow for sin. More faith in my Savior, more sense of His care. More joy in His service, more purpose in prayer. More gratitude give me, more trust in the Lord. More zeal for his glory, more hope in His Word. More tears for His sorrows, more pain at His grief. More meekness in trial, more praise for relief. More purity give me, more strength to overcome, More freedom from earth stains, more longings for home. More fit for the kingdom, more useful I'd be, More blessed and holy, more Savior like Thee." 

When we sing that song I always remember the simple humility of wanting to follow Jesus better from that moment on the beach. When I was a missionary in the Dominican Republic, I remember congratulating a newly baptized sister. She was overwhelmed with happiness and the Spirit, she gave me the biggest hug, wet clothes and all. When my daughter was baptized, I received another big, happy, wet hug from my daughter, also happy for her decision to follow Jesus. When I served in Primary, I attended many baptisms, and loved each one of them because of the special spirit present at baptisms. I follow a special needs orphanage in India on social media, because one of the girls had a medical condition like my daughter. They had a Bible study class for the older girls in the orphanage, held on the rooftop. After a few months of Bible study, several of the girls were baptized. Seeing the girls huge grins against the blue sky, and their happiness at knowing they were following Jesus through baptism made me cry. Surely the Lord was happy with these orphan girls in their public declaration to follow Jesus. Jesus is our example. "And now if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfill all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy to be baptized, yea, even by water!" 2 Nephi 31:5

One of the questions I've been asked a few times since writing my first blog post goes something like this "What about the ordinances and covenants we make in the church and in the temples? Do you no longer believe these ordinances are essential to our salvation? Where else would you go for these saving ordinances?"

To answer this, let's consider a few more things. According to the scriptures, what actually are the saving ordinances? What does Christ Himself say about this? 

"And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things. And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. Verily, verily, I say unto you that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them. And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them." 3 Nephi 11:37-40

What does He say you have to do? What do these ordinances represent?

Ordinances are a physical representation of what you're supposed to experience in the heavenly, or spiritual realm. The ordinances performed in the church are a symbolic representation of what God expects us to literally do and to receive, which is to seek God's face and to return to God's presence, even in this life. The ordinances are an invitation to seek the Lord more fully, more deeply.  The ordinances of the church extend an invitation for us to seek and receive the Lord's greater blessings. The actual, for real, receiving and sealing of these blessings is between us and our Father in Heaven. They are an invitation to find wholeness in the Lord, in Him alone.

Baptism

Baptism is a sign of a change of heart, of repentance, of our sinful nature dying and being born again and becoming new in Christ. What happens to us spiritually is just as important as what happens in the physical baptism of being immersed in the water. The water baptism is an outward declaration that inwardly we are following the Lord more earnestly. When people are baptized in our church, they are afterward blessed by the laying on of hands and told to receive the Holy Ghost. It is an invitation for the person to receive the Holy Ghost. 

In the marriage ceremony, the word receive is also used, "receive him/her to be your husband/wife." So much is involved in that one small word "receive." We have to learn the way our spouse defines and understands love. Is it washing the dishes? Or time together? Or kind words in a note or card for them to read over and over? In receiving our spouse there is much to learn. We learn to get along when we are tired, hungry and stressed, how to listen better when it doesn't seem that important, how to speak more carefully so that love is communicated, how to avoid the things that offend them, how to give of ourselves and freely forgive each other without expecting anything in return.  We learn through much error. I am thankful to Edward for staying with me as we learn to love each other.

The things we do to receive our spouse are similar to what we do to receive the Holy Ghost or the companionship of the Lord's Spirit. We can ask ourselves, How does the Lord define love, how does he know we love Him? Can we follow Jesus even when we are at our wits end, stressed, hungry and tired?  Who do we turn to for comfort? Do we turn to the Lord when we are in need of comfort, or something else- food, addictions, screen time? Have we learned to listen to the whispering of the Lord's Spirit when it doesn't seem to be the most important thing at the moment? Do we speak with a desire to communicate love for our Lord and for others? What do we do that offends the Lord's Spirit, how can we avoid those things? This is all part of receiving the companionship of the Holy Ghost, or the Lord's Spirit. This is learning to have the Lord's Spirit with us, on a more permanent level. We make many mistakes, but our Lord likes working with broken people, and is amazing in His willingness to work with us when we feel so unworthy of His help. Like a gardener that loves to make his plants fruitful and beautiful, working with the dirt and mud that we live in is part of tending His garden. I am so grateful that the Lord is willing to forgive us and help us, and that He paid the price of our sins with His blood.

In marriage we learn to drop our expectations of what this relationship should look like and to simply be grateful for each other. Have we dropped the expectations of how God can speak to us, and love us, and just be grateful for his unique way of loving us? How does God speak to you? I have a friend that finds heart shaped rocks wherever she goes, a reminder of God's love to her. I see God's love to me in the hugs of my toddler that whispers in my ear "I love you. I'll always be proud of you." God's ways of speaking to and reaching his children are unique like we are.

Our baptism of water is intended to be accompanied with a baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost.  A baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost is something only God can bestow according to His will and timing, it is a purification of our hearts in preparation for Him to dwell with us. What we receive in the church is an invitation to work towards a closer relationship with the Lord. The developing of a relationship with the Lord is up to us, and how deeply we seek the Lord's companionship.

In the church, after people are baptized, they become members of the church and start moving towards priesthood ordinations, temple covenants, like the endowment and then temple marriage. We are taught that these ordinances are essential to our salvation.   But we often neglect a far more important matter- have we come to know Jesus? Have we really been born again of Christ? Have we become sons and daughters of God? Or have we just gone through the motions? Do we really know Him, as a friend and someone we talk with every day? Are we living the things he taught like- forgiving freely? Praying for our enemies? Loving those who are hard to love? If we aren't first sure of being sealed to Jesus, then no other ordinance or sealing will hold any weight in heaven. 

Temple Endowment

In the temple we learn that Adam and Eve's journey represents our journey. We are taught that as Adam and Eve did, we are to seek the Lord through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, repentance, sacrifice, and prayer. As part of our journey we can experience ministering of angels. We seek to speak with the Lord through the veil and enter his presence. We can seek to speak with the Lord through the veil of mortality, and enter his presence in this life. All that is done in the temple is symbolic of greater blessings available to us. It is about ascension. What happens in the temple is supposed to be an invitation to show you what you can actually experience in receiving the Lord. Faith, prayer, repentance, sacrifice are part of the ascension process of receiving the Lord face to face. Most of us assume that we are a lot farther along than we really are in our journey to Christ. We assume that because we have made a promise, like baptism, or going through the temple, that we are sealed and are now celestial kingdom material.  We have only received the invitation to seek greater experiences with the Lord, to seek greater light and truth from Him directly. The "working out our salvation" is still before us, still to be done. Have we kept the promises we made with the Lord?

"O then despise not, and wonder not, but hearken unto the words of the Lord, and ask the Father in the name of Jesus for what things soever ye shall stand in need. Doubt not, but be believing, and begin as in times of old, and come unto the Lord with all your heart, and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling before him." Mormon 9:27

Are we ready to give up everything in our pursuit to know Christ? Our family? Our children? Our reputation? If we had to choose between being a member of our church and actually coming to know Jesus, which one would we choose? Do we love the Lord more than we love our church membership?

Receiving Answers to Prayer in the Temple- The place answers are received is not as important as the sincerity and faith we seek the Lord with. 

It is great that many members of the church go to the temple to receive answers to prayer. They come with sincere hearts, earnestly seeking the Lord in prayer, and the Lord answers them. Is it the place, the temple, or is it because they came with a sincere, humble heart, seeking the Lord? What does the Lord say about those who seek Him with a humble heart and ask in faith? He answers, he sees and hears their prayers. Hannah received answers to her prayers in the temple, even when the priests at the temple were wicked. The Lord answered her prayers, as he does today to any who seek him earnestly. 

For a long time when I really needed answers to prayer I went to the temple. It is a quiet, beautiful place that lends itself to prayer and communing with God. Hopefully we progress to the point where we can talk with the Lord and hear his voice not only in a temple, but anywhere. My favorite place to pray is in my closet, or on walks. Learning to still my mind enough to hear His voice and receive answers from Him is a challenge and a struggle at times. I really cherish the times when I do hear the Lord's voice clearly. Some examples in the scriptures of prayer are: Adam, Moses, Hannah, Daniel, Enos, Nephi and of course, Jesus. He taught us to pray to our Father in heaven, always asking for God's will and not our own.

I like to go on walks. Praying while I am walking helps me. Sometimes my neighbors see me walking, and ask if I am OK. I jokingly reply that walking helps me to keep my sanity. They don't see that my favorite walking companion, the Lord, is with me.  After talking with the Lord, I feel at peace, centered, refreshed and ready to face my trials again. Speaking with God and hearing his voice is better than going on a vacation, because I get little glimpses of heaven. How precious the Lord's words to us are. How I love Jesus for being willing to walk and talk with me! The Lord truly wants to have a relationship with us that is like a bridegroom and his bride- intimate, close and rewarding. 

Several years ago, when we lived in Pleasant Grove, a pair of robins built their nest outside our bedroom window. The robins were amazing parents. They kept their chicks dry through snow and rain storms, using their own bodies as a covering for the little birds from nature's storms. They helped me understand the Lord's analogy of gathering us under his wings (3 Nephi 10:4-6). His body and life was given, as a covering, a protection from the consequences of our sins. I love how the Lord puts testimonies of His love around us in nature! The chicks left the nest and began to fly in short spurts. Their parents still fed and protected them for some time after they left the nest. After a few days the robin chicks were flying. Watching them fly was an exhilarating feeling. They had been confined to a tiny nest the size of my hand, and now the open sky was theirs. I wished I could join them and fly. That exhilarating feeling is what it feels like to me to walk and talk with the Lord. Freedom from worldly cares. Realizing He is all I need. Knowing that He is my salvation, Him alone. 

One day I was walking alone in the hospital hallway to visit our baby in the newborn intensive care unit. We'd come so far since being admitted to the hospital, with me pregnant and several surgeries ahead for the baby. One surgery was over and we were close to going home now. The sun shone through a huge hallway window onto me, and the question came into my mind "What have you learned?"  I thought about it and my answer was "I have learned that God loves and takes care of his children." Worry, fear and uncertainty had been replaced with a peaceful assurance that things would work out according to the Lord's will.

With the continued need for medical care for our daughter, I have found that simple truth to continue to be true.  Jesus loves us, takes care of us and gives us our daily sustenance. His love and care is all we need. The Lord can show us the freedom in his love for us. There is freedom in knowing that He will take care of us and give us our daily bread through whatever may come. He is enough. He wants to walk with us and talk with us every day. What an amazing gift that is! He can show us that His understanding, wisdom and strength are more than enough to see us through all the challenges of life. To God be all of our praise and honor!

Sealing of families 

The temple ordinance of sealing families is an invitation to live in such a way, living as Christ showed us, that the Lord deems our relationships worth preserving for eternity. This is trying to achieve Zion, a condition of love and unity, in our own family.  One of the scripture definitions of Zion is "there were no poor among them." We hope no one feels poor or unloved in our family, we hope each person feels appreciated, loved, respected.  We have 8 children, each with a healthy sense of independence and ability to choose for themselves. That is a nice way of saying  that conflicts happen, multiple times a day, and it can get difficult. Working towards Zion in our own home is a marathon effort! I see families using manipulation, shame, guilt, peer pressure, force, threats and bribery, to achieve desired behaviors. If a member of the family chooses to live their life differently, they blame the person that left the family or the church for breaking up their eternal family. Was it ever an eternal family, to be preserved in heaven, if they treated each other this way? Whose methods were they using, God's or the devil's? As we learn in D&C 121, love, gentleness, persuasion, long suffering, kindness, meekness, love unfeigned, pure knowledge- these are God's methods. We take this far too lightly as parents and spouses. We assume we are a lot farther along than we really are when we say we have an eternal family. Receiving a temple sealing or marriage is a good beginning, but the true sealing is in the daily work of loving each other through our differences so that the Lord approves of our relationship. I am so thankful for the love and patience that our extended family has shown Edward and I as we have stepped away from full church activity. This has not been easy for them.

Focusing on our relationship with Christ, will help everything else fall into the right place- our relationship with our spouse, our children, our parents. Christ taught that we must be willing to give up everything, even our family to follow Him.  That was what it cost Jesus to bridge the divide between us and Him, a sacrifice of everything, even his own life. In following Him, we must be willing to give everything up. To sacrifice it all for Him as He did for us. He is our example to follow. In the LDS church, eternal families are such a huge focus and selling point, that following Jesus sometimes takes a back seat to families being together. Christ has to be at the center if the relationships are going to last. Putting Jesus first means that our family relationships may be strained and broken at times because we have chosen to follow Him above all else. Jesus told us it would be that  way. He taught his disciples, "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth; 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 a man's foes will be they of his own household. He who loveth father and mother more than me, is not worthy of me; and he who loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me" (Matt 10:28-34) Jesus's grace, His love and His walk with us are enough to fill our hearts' longing for close relationships. He is enough. What a loving and wonderful God we worship! 

Are church ordinances necessary to know the Lord?

If the goal is to fly, I compare what we receive in the church to receiving a feather. The feather is a symbol of something greater, a symbol of what we were created to do- to fly. A feather is beautiful, smooth, light weight, air tight- an amazing creation. It is simple, meaningful, and a good start, as long as we are humble enough to continue to search for more light directly from the Lord. Hopefully we realize that our goal is much greater than church membership or progression as it is measured in the church.  The goal is to fly- to break free from the pull this fallen earth has on us, to hear his voice, to learn to speak with Him, to walk with Him, to hear his words for us individually, to pierce the veil and come into the Lord's presence. To seek His face, in this life.  A feather is not flying any more than the ordinances received at church are saving. A lot more effort and a lot more reliance on the Lord is required to reach our goal. Symbols, like the temple, can point us to coming to Christ, but they are not the end goal. Christ himself is our goal, truly knowing Him and being with Him.

Do we need to go to the temple and receive the ordinances there, to fully receive the Lord? Some of the Lord's children feel so deeply their complete reliance on God, that they have sought and received the Lord personally, without being members of our church or going through a temple. The main point of church activity is to come to know the Lord, and that is between us and the Lord. I had a friend with a terrible illness tell me that Jesus was with her. "What else is there? . . .  I am His, and He is mine!" she said. When she first said that, I thought "Well . . . there's temples, eternal  families, serving missions, following a prophet, ministering, serving in the church, doing the temple work for your dead, genealogy, tithing and all kinds of things!" With time I see that she was right, the only thing that really matters is to know the Lord. All those other things can keep us so busy that we never come to know the Lord, personally. My friend didn't belong to any denomination, she only belonged to Jesus. She had a surety in her relationship with Jesus, and spoke of Him every time I spoke with her, like she was talking about her best friend. She knew her relationship with the Lord was the only thing in her life that was really hers. The Lord can call, speak to, have His angels minister to, and show himself to anyone, with or without them having gone through the temple. He does not require a beautiful building to do His work, to save his children. He can do His own work of saving his children. 

A few years ago, Edward had a conversation with a homeless man. It took a little time for this man to open up, but on this very unusual day Edward was alone and had time to talk. This man told Edward, "My mother raised me right. I don't do drugs or steal or lie." He shared how hard it was to always be cold at night, sleep on the cement, to not be able to set his bag down without it getting stolen, and how invisible he felt, sleeping under bridges and forgotten spaces. No one even notices him or the other homeless people as they speed by in their nice cars.  I happened to call Edward as he was with this homeless man, his name was Tyrell. After I called, Tyrell told Edward "Now, that's something I've never had . . . A cell phone. Even if I did have one, I wouldn't have anybody to call!" Edward asked Tyrell "What gets you through it? " Tyrell answered "God. I talk to God, and He gets me through it." That complete reliance on God to get us through our challenges is what it's about. What gets you through your difficulties? Is it God? His help is real.

 In the hearts of some of God's children, God may have unbeknown already bestowed a purifying baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost in response to the prayers heard only by Him. The Lord may have sent angels to minister and bless one of his children. God may have visited one of his children personally in prison, or in their illness unknown to anyone but them alone. 

Many of God's children have already sought and received the Lord to much greater degrees than those of us in the LDS church have. A book that opened my eyes to God's workings among his children was "The Heavenly Man: The Remarkable True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun." Another book (later made into a movie) along the same lines was "Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand." Both of these are true accounts of men and their families who were imprisoned for their testimonies of the Lord. They tell about Jesus being with them as they were tortured, and how Jesus saved them miraculously. There are many other people who have sought and received the Lord in person. 

God is no respecter of people. Any of God's children can receive his help- the Christian jailed and tortured for refusing to deny their belief in Jesus that wonders if their family is also persecuted, the orphan that wonders if they are really worthy of love and why no mom or dad has come for them, the homeless man that feels invisible, alone and forgotten under a bridge. 

There are many examples in the scriptures of people who have come to know God and see Him without belonging to a religious organization. They received directly from God, just as we can. Abraham sought for greater knowledge, for the greater happiness that is found in following the Lord. He left everything to seek the Lord more fully. And the Lord gave him directly the knowledge he was seeking. Adam, Noah, Moses, Isaiah, Peter, John, James, Enoch, Nephi, Alma, Abinadi, Moroni. God taught them individually and they received from Him what was necessary for their progression and their mission in life. We can receive directly from God as they did. That is the whole point of the promises we make in the church- to invite us to go directly to God and receive more light and truth from Him, the source of all light and truth. 

We hear leaders of the church say that the focus of our worship should be the temple. Members feel that once they have been through the temple they have received the greatest blessings attainable. This is misleading, the Lord should be the focus of our worship. I hope we are not like a person that holds a feather and says they need no more. God is eternal, endless, and his amazing works are never ending. We should always want more and more of Him! It is the Lord that will save us, and our relationship with Him. 

Do we know Him? Are we familiar with His voice, do we recognize when He calls us? Can we say "I am his, and He is mine" and know that He is all we need? What experiences with the Lord have you had that have confirmed the covenants made in the temple? If you haven't had any of these experiences, where do you really stand in relation to the Lord? Do you really believe in the ministering of angels? Have you had angels minister to you? Do you really believe the Lord's words when He said that if you receive him, he will come and make his abode with you? Do you really believe that? 

If you don't really believe in these things can happen to you, you're practicing religion, but not exercising faith. Most people are content with practicing religion. Maybe you are satisfied with where you are, or maybe you haven't been taught that more is available to you. The temple ordinances are symbolic of a literal journey to Christ. The culmination of this is not in the temple, but in the actual experience of receiving Christ personally as the Second Comforter. The baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost is the First Comforter. 

As beautiful as temple buildings are, the Lord doesn't need us to be in a temple building to teach us how to come to Him. This is about you coming to Christ. Wherever you are- on a rooftop, in a hospital, in your closet, forgotten by all except God, under a bridge, it doesn't matter to God where you are. So many of God's children live in challenges that only God and his angels see- the refugees, the orphans, those enslaved by human trafficking, the homeless, those with physical or mental illness, those who are imprisoned. To think that the ability God has to save his children in their extremity is dependent on each of us receiving ordinances in temples or at church, is to underestimate severely the depth of God's love for his children. He will walk with us wherever we are, and give us each the manna in our wilderness. He has earned the name of Savior. 

You are the temple God wants to dwell in

Of all the beautiful temples and sacred buildings created for worship in the world, of all the amazing places on Earth or heaven he could be, he wants to dwell in the hearts of his children. "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away." Revelations 21:3-4. Our Lord is humble in his desire to dwell with us.  When the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was burning, on the very week that Christianity remembers Jesus sacrifice, it felt unreal. I prayed and asked why the Lord would allow that to happen, on this week, of all weeks. My answer was: our hearts are to become the sanctuary and temple of God's spirit, instead of expecting God to reside in the elaborate, beautiful buildings of world religions. How humble and willing to walk with us and work with us our magnificent God is. We are the temple he would like to dwell in! That is incredible to me, given our fallen nature and constant backslidings.

Let us seek God more earnestly, more deeply, more sincerely, more humbly, and receive His invitation to come and see Him. Let us put aside whatever it is that is keeping us from seeking the Lord more fully. Let us invite him more fully into our lives, our conversation, our thoughts, and our hearts.

El Señor Cuida a Sus Pajaritos

Pajarito en plantas de menta afuera de nuestra casa

Cuando estaba esperando a nuestra bebé, y su vida balanceaba frágilmente, observe a un pequeño pajarito afuera de mi ventana. Era época de invierno, había medio metro de nieve, y este pajarito tan chiquito estaba vivo, comiendo, y aparecía estar muy bien. Al mirar a este pequeño pajarito sobrevivir condiciones tan congeladas y ásperas, era como observar un milagro. Me sentí asombrada que las piernas del pajarito podían estar circulando sangre caliente, y que podía encontrar comida y sobrevivir los inviernos tan frígidos por tantos meses. ¿Cómo pudieron un millón de milagros juntarse tan perfectamente para sostener la vida de este pajarito? Pensé en todos los milagros que este pajarito tenía dentro de él- el latir de su corazón, el respirar de sus pulmones, un cerebro y columna espinal, intestinos y muchas otras partes. La vida misma lo sentía más un milagro, por la situación frágil de mi bebé.  Las palabras del Señor vinieron a mi mente "¿No se venden dos pajarillos por un cuarto? Con todo, ni uno de ellos cae a tierra sin vuestro Padre. Pues aun vuestros cabellos están todos contados. Asi que, no temaís: más valeís vosotros que muchos pajarillos." Mateo 10:29-31.

Yo sabía que el Señor nos cuidaría, como Él cuida los pajaritos. En verdad, Él nos ha cuidado siempre. El nacimiento de nuestra hija y sus primeros años fueron un tiempo de ver con más claridad el amor del Señor y los milagros que Él pone en nuestras vidas. Mis palabras no son suficientes para describir la gratitud que siento al ver la ayuda del Señor. ¡Cuanto nos cuida y nos ama el Señor! 

Cuando salgo a caminar, a veces le pido al Señor que Él camine conmigo, y hable conmigo, que me ayude a comprender las muchas cosas con las cuales yo necesito ayuda. Es maravilloso y asombroso que Él en verdad camina y habla con nosotros si le pedimos. Yo soy nadie especial, tengos muchas fallas y problemas, pero he sentido al Señor caminando conmigo, y dándome consejo y entendimiento.

En estas caminatas, el Señor me mostró un poquito mas acerca de como Él cuida los pajaritos. En los meses del verano el Señor prepara alimento para los pajaritos en el invierno. Las plantas y flores crecen con semillas en la parte más alta de la planta. Las plantas son suficiente fuertes que no se quiebran con las muchas tempestades del invierno. Si pudieras ver a estas plantas en el verano, pensarías que son demasiadas débiles para mantenerse firmes en medio metro de nieve. Pero estas plantas si se mantienen firmes, sin quebrarse con la nieve pesada. Las cabezas de las plantas y sus semillas alimentan a los pajaritos el invierno. Vemos la mano del Señor alimentando a sus pajaritos.

Las plantas se mantienen firmes en medio metro de nieve para alimentar a los pajaritos

Los árboles pierden todas sus hojas en el otoño, pero si tienen frutas o semillas, las ramas saben que no hay que soltar a la fruta ni tampoco hay que soltar a las semillas. ¿Cómo saben las ramas de los árboles a soltar a las hojas, pero no soltar a las semillas y frutas? Vemos la mano del Señor, asegurándose que sus pajaritos tienen alimento en el invierno en las semillas y frutas de los árboles. 

Árbol en pleno invierno, sin hojas pero con semillas rojas

A los pajaritos les encanta comer esas frutas o semillas en los árboles, especialmente en el invierno, cuando todo ha estado congelado en hielo y nieve por meses. Las frutas son altas en vitamina C, lo cual es difícil de encontrar en el invierno. Después que las hojas se han caído de los árboles en el otoño y las ramas de los árboles están desolados, el Señor ha dado árboles de hoja perenne como albergue para los pajaritos. El Señor prepara una solución para cada necesidad, aun antes de que sepamos pedir la ayuda de Dios. El Señor ya tiene un milagro en etapa de desarrollo para nosotros. Me siento tan agradecida que el Señor nos cuida en todas las estaciones de nuestras vidas. El Señor cuida a sus hijos, más que a los pajaritos. ¡Qué grande es el amor de Dios por nosotros!

Una vez estaba caminando en el parque en el otoño . Las hojas ya se habían caído de los árboles. Me sentía frustrada con un problema con mis hijos. No me acuerdo de los detalles, pero me sentía enojada y desanimada.  Le pedí al Señor que me ayudara. El Señor me contestó, pidiéndome que mirara a los árboles alrededor de mi, los árboles de hoja perenne y los árboles sin hojas. "¿Dónde están los pajaritos?" el Señor me preguntó. Vi que los pajaritos solamente estaban en los árboles de hoja perenne. Los árboles sin hojas no tenían ni un pajarito en sus ramas. Entendí lo que el Señor me estaba diciendo: si quiero que mis hijos regresen a mi, como los pajaritos regresan a los árboles de hoja perenne, mi amor necesita ser constante, no puede cambiar con las estaciones del tiempo. Mis sentimientos de enojo se desaparecieron, con el entendimiento que me dió el Señor. Hice la resolución de amar mejor a mis hijos. Muchas veces cuando vengo al Señor con un problema, su respuesta es corregirme. Él cambia mi manera de pensar, haciendome enfocarme más en seguirlo a Él, en amar a otros como Él nos ama, en vez de cambiar mi situación. Me siento tan agradecida por el Maravilloso Consejero que tenemos en Jesús. Solamente necesitaba mostrar más amor y compasión a mis hijos. Hay situaciones en que tenemos que enfrentar temas difíciles, pero por ahora, solo necesitaba relajarme y mostrar más amor. 

  

¿Has visto en tu vida como el Señor ha preparado un milagro para ti, antes de que necesitarías ese milagro? ¿Cuándo has visto la mano del Señor dándote precísamente lo que necesitabas, en maneras que solo el Señor podría haber hecho? ¿Apreciamos cómo el Señor interviene en nuestras vidas para bendecirnos? ¿Veo el amor abundante que Jesús me está mostrando? Espero que podamos abrir nuestros ojos a los muchos milagros, pequeños y grandes, los muchos mensajes de amor que el Señor nos da. 

Sparrows and the Lord's care

Bird on mint plants in winter outside our kitchen window

When I was pregnant with our 7th child, and her survival looked challenging, I watched a tiny little bird outside my window. It was winter, snowy, and somehow this tiny bird was alive, and eating food, and doing well. Watching this little bird survive harsh conditions felt miraculous. I was amazed that this tiny little bird with toothpick legs could stay warm, that it could find food and survive through long snowy winters. How did a million miracles come together to sustain life- a heartbeat, lungs, a brain and spinal cord, intestines, and everything else?  Life itself felt like a miracle, because of the precarious situation of our baby. The Lord's words about sparrows came to mind "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall to the ground without your Father knoweth it. And the very hairs of you head are all numbered. Fear ye not, therefore; ye are of more value than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:29-31) I knew the Lord would take care of us as he takes care of the sparrows. And He did take care of us. Her birth and first couple years was a time of seeing the Lord's love and miracles.  Words cannot express how thankful I am for the Lord's help. 

When I go on walks, I often ask the Lord to walk and talk with me, to help me understand the many things I need help with.  It is wonderful and amazing that He really does walk and talk with us if we ask. I am no one special, I am so flawed and prone to sin, but I've felt the Lord walking with me, giving me counsel and understanding.

On walks, the Lord showed me more about little birds. In the summer months the Lord is preparing food for the little birds in the winter. The plants and flowers grow tall stalks with seeds at the tops of the stalks. The plant stalks are strong enough to not crumple or wilt in the many winter storms. If you saw these plants in the summer, you'd think them too soft and bendable to withstand 2 feet of snow. But they do stand strong, holding their seeds up out of the snow for the little birds who land on them and eat the seeds. That is the Lord working, providing for the little birds. 

Mint plants outside kitchen window with 2 feet of snow and a little bird

Trees lose all their leaves in the fall, but if they have little fruit or berries, the branches know to hold on to the berries through the winter.  How do the tree branches know to let go of the leaves but hang on to the berries? That is the Lord providing for the birds.

Ornamental cherry tree in the middle of winter, branches have red berries and no leaves

The birds love those little red berries in the deep of winter, after everything has been frozen for months. The berries are rich in vitamin C, which is hard to find in the winter. When the leaves have fallen and the trees are bare, evergreen trees provide constant shelter from the snow and rain for the little birds. The Lord prepares in advance a solution for every need, no need goes unnoticed by the Lord. I am so thankful that the Lord provides for us in all seasons of our lives. Our God is more mindful of his children than the little birds, and loves to care for us. How great is our God!

One time I walked at the park in the late fall, the leaves were gone from the trees. Something was frustrating me with my children, I don't remember the specifics, just that I felt angry and discouraged and asked the Lord for help. The Lord told me to look at the trees around me- the evergreens and the trees with bare branches, and to see where the birds were. I saw the birds were only in the evergreen trees. He asked me which type of tree I wanted to be like- the evergreen or the trees with bare branches and no birds in them. I understood that if I want my children to return to me often like the birds return to the evergreen tree, my love for them needs to be like the evergreen tree, constant, unchanging in the seasons. My frustration disappeared to nothing, I felt new understanding, and a resolve to love my children better. Often when I come to the Lord with a problem, His answer is to correct me. He changes my perspective, focusing me more on Him and loving like He does, instead of changing the difficult situation.  I am so thankful for the Wonderful Counselor we have in Jesus. Of course there are situations when loving someone is being honest about a difficult concern and not glossing over it, but this time I just needed to relax and be more loving.

When has the Lord set in motion a miracle for you, before you even knew you'd need that miracle? When have you seen the Lord providing for you in ways that only He could? Do you and I remember the Lord's many interventions in our lives? Do I see Jesus' love for me?  I hope we can open our eyes to the many miracles, the many small and big evidences of Jesus love for each of us us. 

Porque No he Asistido a la Iglesia Últimamente

"Aun en la Oscuridad de Nuestro Sufrimiento Jesús Está con Nosotros" por Elizabeth Wang

En los últimos meses, muchos de mis amigos en el barrio de la iglesia me han preguntado: “¿Dónde has estado?”, “¿Por qué no han venido últimamente a la iglesia?”, “¿Te hemos ofendido de alguna manera?”. Una persona hasta pensó que nos habíamos mudado de nuestra casa. Estas preguntas de amistad y cariño me han llegado al corazón. Mis amistades en la iglesia no me han ofendido, ellos han sido como familia. He evadido una respuesta directa por miedo a ofender a mi familia y amigos. Mis padres también nos han preguntado mucho acerca de nuestra asistencia a la iglesia. En esta carta trataré de contestar sus preguntas con honestidad, pero también con amor. Por favor perdónenme si algo en esta carta les ofende, porque esa no es mi intención. Cuando lean mi carta, recuerden que yo tengo muchas fallas, muchas imperfecciones y cosas que debo corregir en mi vida. Todavía amamos a Dios, creemos en las escrituras y queremos a nuestros hermanos en Cristo. Nuestro entendimiento de cómo seguir a Dios ha cambiado, con algunas experiencias que hemos tenido.

Me siento tan agradecida por el testimonio del Señor que mis padres sembraron en mi corazón. Ellos me enseñaron a  orar, a leer y querer las escrituras; me enseñaron a amar y servir a otros. Nos llevaron a la iglesia, nuestra familia de 8 hermanos, en cualquier país en que nos encontrábamos. Ahora puedo apreciar un poquito más el gran trabajo que era preparar 8 hijos para la iglesia y tratar que se portaran bien durante las 3 horas. Yo también tengo 8 hijos ahora. ¡Gracias por sus esfuerzos tan grandes, Mamá y Papá! Durante mi juventud, muchas de las experiencias espirituales que viví tuvieron que ver con la iglesia, la cual ha sido una bendición en mi vida. Estos últimos años, el Señor me ha dado una experiencia que ha cambiado mi perspectiva en todo sentido. Es una bendición muy grande que el Señor me ha dado.

En el otoño del año 2013, Edward, mi esposo, y yo estábamos esperando nuestro bebé número siete. Un día en el templo, ofrecí una oración y le pedí al Señor que me enseñara. El pensamiento vino a mi mente: “¿Estas dispuesta a aprender por medio de experiencia?”. Respondí que estaba dispuesta a aprender de cualquiera manera que el Señor dispusiera. Esa próxima semana, teníamos una consulta con los doctores para monitorear a la bebé. Los doctores vieron algunos problemas por medio de la ecografía, y con caras serias nos recomendaron ver a médicos especialistas. Tuvimos consultas con estos especialistas en embarazos de alto riesgo durante el resto del embarazo. En cada consulta descubrían más problemas en nuestra bebé. Los doctores nos dijeron que la bebé quizás no podría  sobrevivir. Nuestros hijos oraban todos los días por su hermanita en mi vientre “Por favor, Dios, ayuda a que la bebé pueda vivir,” era su oración. Nuestra bebé me mostró lo que verdaderamente importa en la vida. Me di cuenta cuán grande era mi dependencia en el Señor, y que verdaderamente necesito su ayuda en todas las áreas de mi vida. La mayoría de mis preocupaciones ahora parecían insignificantes; había escuchado antes la frase “Dios me guarda en la palma de su mano”, y así veía nuestra situación.

Cuando íbamos al hospital para las citas médicas, el escuchar latir con fuerza el corazón de mi bebé me daba fortaleza. Para mí, representaba una señal que estaba luchando por vivir. Nuestra hija nació, y sentí que Dios nos tenía de la mano, haciendo muchos milagros durante su nacimiento. En su primer año y medio, tuvo 3 cirugías grandes, y muchas intervenciones médicas. Oré como nunca antes lo había hecho pidiéndole al Señor que la bebé no tuviera complicaciones serias, y que Él me ayudara en cuidarla. Edward y yo oramos mucho, y el Señor nos ayudó a saber cómo cuidarla en casa. Mientras yo realizaba los cuidados médicos de la bebé, oraba por ella, y aún seguimos orando diariamente que el Señor la sanara completamente. Un día estaba al frente de la mesa para cambiar pañales, cuidando a mí bebé, cuando le pedí al Señor que el poder sanador y el amor de Jesucristo se manifestaran en mi bebé. Fue en ese instante que sentí que Jesús estaba cerca, que nunca nos había dejado, que Él había estado siempre con nosotros. Empecé a sentir más cerca a nuestro Padre Celestial y a Jesucristo, por siempre estar orando por nuestra bebé. Vimos muchos milagros y como el Señor contestaba nuestras oraciones. Fue un tiempo de pruebas difíciles, pero también un tiempo de sentir el gran amor que el Señor tiene por nosotros. No sabía antes que el Señor está perfectamente pendiente de nosotros, que Él sabe cada pensamiento, cada preocupación y que nos quiere tanto.

Yo sentía que había estado corriendo una carrera, y El Señor me hizo dejar la carrera y permanecer quieta para cuidar a esta bebe.  Es como si Él me hubiera dicho: “Necesitas estar quieta, para aprender lo que te quiero enseñar”. Para cuidar de mi hija, tuve que dejar de trabajar como enfermera, dejar mi llamamiento en la iglesia, dejar de ayudar en la escuela de mis hijos, hasta tuvimos que minimizar las actividades fuera de la casa de nuestros otros niños. Cada vez que contraíamos alguna enfermedad, le afectaba más severamente a la bebé, y ella necesitaba más de mi tiempo. Al cuidar de mi hija, empecé a sentir más la dirección del Señor en mi vida y su ayuda en todos los detalles con mis hijos. No soy nadie especial, ni tengo ninguna habilidad especial. Simplemente que ahora estaba buscando más al Señor porque lo necesitaba más.

Nuestra familia y amigos en la iglesia oraron y ayunaron con nosotros. Hicieron tanto con amor para ayudarnos, y nos sentimos tan agradecidos por ellos. La condición de nuestra bebé mejoró, y empezamos a regresar a la iglesia. Mi perspectiva había cambiado, y las cosas que antes veía como normal, ahora veía diferente. Como no he asistido mucho a la iglesia últimamente, nuestros amigos se han preguntado por qué hemos estado ausentes.

Parte de la razón es que el cuidado de nuestra bebé todavía requiere de mucho trabajo todos los días. Ella está muy bien, todavía necesita cuidado médico todos los días. Al verla tan sonriente y bonita, no se imaginarían por todo lo que tiene que pasar diariamente. Después de una hora y media de cuidado médico, o a veces hasta mucho más tiempo cuando le cuesta cooperar, no espero que ella se quede quieta, sentada sin moverse en la iglesia. Cuando ella pasa varias horas sin actividad física, a veces le dan infecciones serias. Nos sentimos agradecidos por lo bien que está. Ella tiene un espíritu muy especial, fuerte y alegre, que la ha ayudado a superar muchas pruebas. Estamos agradecidos al Señor por su ayuda y por su amor que nos ha apoyado a través de los desafíos. Me siento agradecida porque ahora veo muchas personas a mi alrededor con desafíos físicos. Reconozco que antes no estaba pendiente de estas personas, cuántos sufren físicamente durante todas sus vidas.

Esto me ha hecho reflexionar qué regalo más precioso es nuestro tiempo. Cuando planeamos salir como familia a cualquiera parte, me pregunto si el esfuerzo tan grande de energía y tiempo nos está llevando en la dirección que queremos como familia. Cuando vamos a la iglesia, muchas veces nos sentimos tristes y desilusionados, porque el enfoque en la iglesia no está en Jesucristo, sino que el enfoque está en los líderes de la iglesia, los programas de la iglesia y las tradiciones de la iglesia. Todas estas cosas no llenan el espíritu. Nos gustaría que se enfocaran más en venir a Cristo y que enseñaran más acerca de la oración, la fe, el arrepentimiento, el bautismo, el Espíritu de Dios y seguir la vida de Jesucristo. Cuánto me llenaría el corazón si hablaran de los milagros que Jesús hizo. Quisiéramos de todo corazón que hablaran más sobre las palabras de Cristo y menos de las palabras de los líderes de la iglesia. Cuando diariamente el cuidado médico de nuestra hija nos hace recordar que frágil es la vida, hace que la vida tome una perspectiva diferente. Uno se da cuenta más fácilmente de las cosas que no alimentan el espíritu, que no vienen del Señor. Esta experiencia me ha hecho ver con más claridad las distracciones y las cosas que me impiden venir al Señor. Este desafío me ha dejado el deseo de saber solamente la verdad y buscar más la luz que sólo viene del Señor; me ha dejado con más deseos de conocer al Señor.

La bendición más grande del Evangelio es llegar a conocer personalmente al Señor Jesucristo. En Doctrinas y Convenios 93:1 leemos: “Toda alma que deseche sus pecados y venga a mí, invoque mi nombre, obedezca mi voz y guarde mis mandamientos, verá mi faz y sabrá que yo soy”. Esto describe una promesa que puede ser realidad en nuestra vida, no solamente después de morir. El ver al Señor en esta vida es posible, no sólo para un pequeño grupo, pero para toda persona que sea humilde y haga lo que el Señor pide. Las escrituras están llenas de ejemplos de personas que han visto al Señor. Al pensar en la bondad del Señor, quiero proclamar: “¡Aleluya!” Y “¡Gracias Jesucristo!”, “¡Gracias por tu amor, por tu cuidado!”. Me siento tan agradecida que el Señor siempre nos ha cuidado. Me siento agradecida por las pruebas que nos traen a Él y nos hacen conocer su amor. Cuánto quisiéramos escuchar más alabanzas a Dios y verdadero regocijo en la iglesia.

Sentí que el Señor me había dado una oportunidad  de venir a Él, de poner a un lado todas las distracciones que ocupaban tanto tiempo, y me prevenían venir a Él. Me dio una razón muy grande para orar con mucho esfuerzo para recibir una bendición tan deseada… la vida de mi hija y su completa sanación. El tomar tiempo para orar y añorar que el Señor me contestara, me llevaron a escuchar al Señor con más claridad. Jesús se siente muy feliz cuando usamos nuestro tiempo para venir a Él. Dios nos muestra su amor todos los días, hablándonos en nuestro idioma, usando cosas que nos llegan al corazón, ya sea la música, naturaleza o caminatas en el parque, Jesús nos habla de la manera que mejor podamos entender. Él tiene un sentido de humor al ver los desafíos de este mundo, y a veces se ríe con nosotros. Jesús quiere que demos de nosotros mismos, así como El ofreció su vida por nosotros. ¡Qué maravilloso es que el Señor hable y camine con nosotros, y conteste nuestras oraciones! El verdaderamente es un Consejero Maravilloso, una Torre de Fortaleza que nunca fallará, la única Roca Segura.

Cuanto más conozco al Señor Jesucristo, más quiero saber sobre Él. ¿Cómo dio su vida con tanto amor y misericordia, perdonando a otros hasta en sus momentos finales?, ¿Por qué hizo eso por nosotros?, ¿Cómo tuvo la fuerza para hacer lo que hizo?, ¿Qué es lo que le hace feliz?, ¿Qué es lo que rompe su corazón?, ¿Cómo ve Jesús a los desafíos que me dejan frustrada?, ¿Que hay en mí que me impide conocer más al Señor?

Como preguntó el joven rico a Jesús: “¿Qué más me falta?. Jesús le dijo: “Si quieres ser perfecto, anda vende lo que tienes, y dalo a los pobres, y tendrás tesoro en el cielo; y ven y sígueme”. Mateo 19:20-21. Todo lo que enseñamos debería acercarnos a Jesús, a su gran sacrificio por nosotros, a tener nuestros pecados perdonados por medio de su sangre y nuestros corazones cambiados y hechos nuevos en Cristo.

El pensar en nuestro Dios me llena de asombro, qué maravilloso es el Dios que adoramos. Cuanto más aprendo de Él, más siento que el hombre no es nada ante Dios, que somos imperfectos y llenos de pecados como humanos. Es muy terrible verse a uno mismo en su estado imperfecto, lleno de pecados, pero también maravilloso saber que Dios trabaja con nosotros así como estamos, dondequiera que nos encontremos.

Ha sido difícil regresar a la iglesia y sentirnos desilusionados al ver que el enfoque no está en Cristo, y en adorarlo a Él. En nuestro barrio y en nuestra estaca, algunas situaciones han engrandecido el enfoque en seguir a los líderes y seguir los manuales de la iglesia. Esta enseñanza errónea es más predominante de lo que he visto antes. También hemos escuchado la misma enseñanza de “seguir a los líderes” de boca de las autoridades generales muchas veces. Sentimos que los líderes no quieren que hablemos del amor y los milagros de Cristo. El hablar acerca de Cristo se considera salirse de la lección si no está en la lección asignada para ese día. Por ahora, pasamos los domingos en casa enseñando a nuestros hijos, es nuestra manera de adorar al Señor.

Para muchas personas, la iglesia satisface sus necesidades espirituales y sociales, y nos alegramos por ellos. No queremos que dejen algo que para ellos tiene tanto valor e importancia. Estamos agradecidos por lo bueno que hace la iglesia en crear una comunidad de apoyo y servicio. Todavía asistimos de vez en cuando porque tenemos amigos que queremos en la iglesia. Nos gustaría si otros respetaran “nuestra libertad de adorar a Dios Todopoderoso conforme a los dictados de nuestra conciencia” (Artículo de Fe Número 11).

Cuando voy a la iglesia, regreso a casa con profundo pesar y dolor en mi corazón, deseando haber escuchado las palabras del Señor, y escuchado un testimonio de Él. Siento tristeza porque la adoración del Jesús que yo quiero tanto ha sido reemplazada con la adoración a una organización y sus líderes. ¿No sería increíble si más personas contaran sus propios relatos sobre cómo Jesús los rescató, y cómo Él los salvó?, ¿Sobre cómo el Señor contestó sus oraciones cuando sintieron la boca del infierno abrirse ante ellos? Les pregunto: ¿Qué experiencia fue que tornó su corazón hacia Jesús? ¿Recuerdan cuándo Jesús convirtió una situación terrible en algo hermoso?, ¿Cuándo sintieron el amor de Jesús por ustedes y supieron que Él estaba con ustedes? ¿Desean el amor y la presencia de Jesús ahora, como en ese tiempo de dificultad?, ¿Hemos vuelto nuestros corazones a Dios? ¿O esta nuestro corazón en otra parte? El conocer a Jesús es lo único que importa, y es posible en esta vida para cada uno de nosotros.

Algunos de los aspectos negativos de la cultura de la iglesia nos son más evidentes ahora. El énfasis en las apariencias y en la obediencia externa nos desilusionan. El Señor mira nuestros corazones, mientras que las personas se juzgan de acuerdo a las apariencias (I Samuel 16:7). El énfasis en la apariencia externa, obediencia externa y el juzgar a otros en la iglesia me rompe el corazón.

En los días de Jesús, los líderes religiosos judíos tenían muchas costumbres y reglas que debían seguir. Estas tradiciones hicieron que los líderes fueran ciegos a la majestad y divinidad de Jesús, ya que veían en Jesús una contradicción. ¿Cómo podía hacer milagros si no seguía las costumbres y reglas judías? ¿Cómo era posible que viniera de Dios? Perdieron el evento más grande de sus vidas enteras, la venida de Jesucristo, porque estaban demasiados enfocados en sus costumbres y reglas.

Nuestra iglesia está llena de tradiciones y reglas hechas por hombres, muy similar a lo que era la cultura en el tiempo de Jesús. El tratar de seguir todos los programas de la iglesia y todas las reglas nos mantiene tan ocupados que no tenemos tiempo para escuchar y seguir al Espíritu del Señor. Perdimos lo más importante, el llegar a conocer a Jesucristo y seguir la voz de su Espíritu. En la iglesia hay un sentimiento de que todo está bien, estamos siguiendo a nuestros líderes y ellos no son capaces de fallar. Se espera que todo lo que sea de Dios venga directamente del profeta. Se piensa que con escuchar y seguir la voz del profeta, todo está bien, no hay posibilidad de estar equivocados. Esta enseñanza errónea, de que los líderes son incapaces de pecar o fallar, o guiarnos por sendas equivocadas, se escucha frecuentemente en la iglesia, pero contradice lo que encontramos en las escrituras. En las escrituras, cada profeta mostró su capacidad de fallar, de pecar, de caer en algún momento de su vida. Solamente Jesucristo vivió una vida perfecta, sin cometer pecado. El pensar que los líderes de la iglesia nunca nos fallarán, o que son incapaces de cometer errores o pecados es una enseñanza muy equivocada y peligrosa.

No podemos sustituir el conocer la voz del Señor y seguirlo a Él con conocer y seguir a los líderes de la iglesia. En Juan 10:27 dice: “Mis ovejas oyen mi voz, y yo las conozco, y me siguen, y yo les doy vida eterna”. Tenemos que diferenciar lo que viene de Dios y lo que viene del hombre. No todo lo que viene de un hombre en una posición de liderazgo en la iglesia viene de Dios. Algunas cosas que dicen sí son de Dios, y por eso damos gracias a Dios; pero algunas de las cosas que dicen los líderes no son de Dios. Tenemos que buscar la ayuda del Espíritu para saber si las palabras que hablan los líderes son de Dios. Deberíamos mirar al Señor para que el guíe nuestras decisiones, no a los líderes de la iglesia.

Las abundantes expresiones de admiración y los elogios que reciben los líderes de la iglesia son como poner la fe y la confianza en un hombre, o confiar en el brazo de carne, en vez de confiar en Dios. En mi opinión es idolatría, los líderes de la iglesia y la organización de la iglesia siendo los ídolos. El Señor es el que contesta nuestras oraciones, hace milagros y tiene el poder de perdonarnos y salvarnos. Solamente Dios merece nuestras alabanzas y elogios. Un verdadero profeta o discípulo de Jesús nunca aceptaría dinero, elogios o que lo siguieran a él en vez de seguir al Señor Jesucristo. Alguien que verdaderamente ama al Señor no usaría el sacrificio que dio Jesús, con un precio tan terrible y doloroso, para beneficiarse. Un verdadero profeta enseñaría que sólo Cristo puede salvarnos. Al llegar a conocer un poco más al Señor, se siente el gran peso de nuestra condición mortal, de nuestros pecados y que vulnerable y pequeños somos ante Dios. Solamente el Señor es verdaderamente merecedor de elogios y admiración. No hay persona que llegue cerca a la grandeza de Jesús.

En la iglesia vemos como los líderes cuentan historias de sus propias vidas o de la vida de otros líderes como ejemplos para seguir, en vez de señalar a la vida del Señor como nuestro único ejemplo perfecto. Nuestras reuniones sacramentales y otras clases se basan en mensajes que los líderes dieron en las conferencias. Hasta los manuales de la iglesia durante varios años se han enfocado en la vida de los presidentes de la iglesia, en vez de enfocarse en la vida de Jesucristo o sus palabras. El Espíritu debería guiar todas las clases y las reuniones de la iglesia, tomando en cuenta las necesidades de los miembros, pero nuestras clases son controladas por un manual o un programa de las oficinas generales de la iglesia. Moroni 6:9 dice: “Y los de la iglesia dirigían sus reuniones de acuerdo con las manifestaciones del Espíritu, y por el poder del Espíritu Santo; bien fuese predicar, o exhortar, orar, suplicar o cantar, así se hacía”.

Todo no está bien en la iglesia. Cada uno de nosotros necesitamos buscar y desarrollar una relación personal con Jesucristo. La salvación viene por medio de Cristo, no por medio de asistir a la iglesia. El Señor mismo es el que perdona nuestros pecados, los líderes de la iglesia no pueden perdonar ningún pecado. No necesitamos más tiempo en la iglesia o en el templo, sino que necesitamos más tiempo conversando con el Señor. Si la iglesia llega a ser un obstáculo que nos impide usar nuestro tiempo para venir al Señor, entonces necesitamos pensar por qué estamos allí.

Algunos de nuestros amigos nos han dicho que se preocupan por nosotros espiritualmente cuando no asistimos a la iglesia. Yo también tenía esta duda, y le pregunté al Señor en oración que podía hacer. Él me dijo que Él puede estar conmigo y enseñarme en cualquier lugar que me encuentre, a la medida en que mi corazón y pensamientos están en Cristo. He sentido tanta cercanía al Señor en cuidar a mi hija, sé que asistir a la iglesia no es un requisito para recibir la ayuda del Señor o para llegar a conocer al Señor. Él está presente en cualquier lugar que estemos. El amor de nuestro Señor es el mayor regalo en nuestras vidas. El dio su vida por nosotros, Él es el regalo. Solamente necesitamos volvernos humildes, tornar nuestra vida a Él, arrepentirnos y recibirlo a Él. Como Alma explicó en Alma 33:4-11, el Señor es misericordioso y escucha nuestras peticiones donde quiera que estemos.

¿Después de haber sentido el amor del Señor y su dirección en mi vida, ¿cómo puedo mirar a cualquier otra persona para recibir dirección espiritual? Es Jesús quien nos ha guiado por las tormentas de la vida; y ningún hombre ni líder de la iglesia podría haber hecho eso. Jesús dice: “Yo soy la puerta; el que por mí entrare, será salvo; entrará, y saldrá, y hallará pastos” (Juan 10:9). Él es nuestro pastor, Él es el pasto, Él es nuestro descanso.

En los días de Moisés, unos cuantos Israelitas vinieron a Moisés, quejándose que algunos en el campamento estaban profetizando, ya que pensaban que sólo Moisés podía recibir el don de profecía. “Y Moisés le respondió: ¿Tienes tú celos por mí? Ojalá todo el pueblo de Jehová fuese profeta, y que Jehová pusiera su Espíritu sobre ellos”. La Biblia habla de un tiempo venidero donde el Espíritu del Señor estará más presente entre los hijos. “Derramaré mi Espíritu sobre toda carne, y profetizarán vuestros hijos y vuestras hijas; vuestros ancianos soñarán sueños, y vuestros jóvenes verán  visiones. Y también sobre los siervos y sobre las siervas derramaré mi Espíritu en aquellos días . . . Y todo aquel que invocare el nombre de Jehová será salvo”( Joel 2:28). “Y conoceréis que en medio de Israel estoy yo, y que yo soy Jehová vuestro Dios, y no hay otro; y mi pueblo nunca jamás será avergonzado” (Joel 2:27). El Señor está haciendo su obra entre sus hijos de manera que sólo se puede atribuir a la mano del Señor. La obra del Señor no está limitada a una sola organización o religión. Dios quiere a todos sus hijos, y todos tienen la oportunidad de recibir su Espíritu y dirección. ¡Gracias a Dios por su amor! ¡Gracias a Dios por el regalo tan grande de su hijo, Jesucristo! ¡Toda la gloria y el honor sean dados a Dios!

Espero que nuestros amigos y familia sepan que en verdad los queremos. Mi intención en escribir estas palabras es ofrecer una respuesta a las muchas preguntas que nos han hecho acerca de nuestra asistencia a la iglesia. Mis amigos merecen saber dónde estamos, ya que siempre han estado con nosotros, ayudándonos y mostrándonos amor a través de los años. Nuestra fe en el Señor está creciendo. Nuestra familia e hijos están bien. Queremos a nuestros hermanos en la iglesia. Estamos agradecidos por su amistad. Esperamos continuar en amor, amistad, servicio y en seguir al Señor donde sea que el Señor nos guíe. Nos sentimos agradecidos por la bendición que la iglesia ha sido en nuestras vidas. Disfrutamos de ver a nuestras amistades de la iglesia cuando los vemos. Dios nos bendiga a todos en nuestros esfuerzos en seguirlo a Él.

Why I haven't been to church much lately

"Even in the Darkness of our Suffering Jesus is With Us" by Elizabeth Wang

In the last few months, many of my friends at church have asked me where we've been. They've asked if they have offended me in any way because they haven't seen me as often at church. That touched my heart. One person even thought we'd moved away! I appreciate the love and concern of friends. Our friends have not offended me, I love our friends at church, they have been like family. I have avoided a direct answer to this question out of fear of offending my friends and my parents, who also ask about our church attendance. This letter is an attempt to answer their questions with love and yet honesty. Our family and friends have been tremendously loving and kind to us through so many years, I feel they deserve an honest answer. Please forgive me if I offend you. That is not my intent. Read my letter knowing I am very imperfect, flawed and could do better in a ton of ways. We still love God, we believe the scriptures, and we love our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our definition of following the Lord has changed as our life experiences have changed.

I am so grateful for the testimony of the Savior that was planted in my heart by my parents. They taught me to pray, to read and love the scriptures. They taught me to love and serve others. They took us to church almost every Sunday- wherever we lived as a family, and that was a lot of places! Now with 8 children of my own, I know better how much work preparing 8 children for church and then trying to make them behave for 3 hours was. Thank you for doing that, Mom and Dad!  Many of the spiritual experiences I had in my youth, had to do with the church. The church has been a blessing in my life, it is a big part of who I am today. The Lord gave me an experience that taught me to rely more on Him, and has brought us closer as a family. This experience changed my perspective on everything. I count it as a great blessing from the Lord.

In the fall of 2013 Edward and I were expecting our 7th child. One evening in the temple, I prayed and asked the Lord to teach me, whatever he needed me to know. The thought came “Are you willing to learn even through experience?” I agreed to learn in whatever way the Lord would teach me. A few days later we were in the doctor’s office for the routine ultrasound, around 20 weeks. They saw some concerns on ultrasound and with serious faces referred us to specialists. We saw the specialists weekly, and towards the end of the pregnancy twice a week.  The doctors told us our baby might not live. Every time we visited the doctors they saw more problems. Our children's daily prayer to Heavenly Father was, "Please help the baby to live." Our baby humbled me, making me realize what mattered.  I realized how completely dependent I am on God, and how much I need His help. Most of what I had worried about before now seemed meaningless. "Held in the palm of God's hand" was a phrase I'd heard before, now it described how I felt.

When I would go into the hospital for them to monitor the baby in my womb, her heartbeat was strong and reassuring. Her heartbeat let me know she was fighting to live. She was born and I felt God holding our hand, and giving us many miracles in her birth. The first year and a half she had 3 major surgeries, and many medical interventions. I prayed more fervently than I have ever prayed before- not knowing how to take care of her, pleading for her to be spared from serious complications. As Edward and I prayed, the Lord directed us in what to do to help her at home. I prayed for her when I took care of her medical needs, and we still pray for her healing daily. One day I was at the changing table caring for our baby, pleading for the Lord's love and healing power to be made manifest. I felt that the Savior was close by, that He had never left us, He had been with us the entire time. I began to feel more close to our Heavenly Father and the Savior because of the constant prayers for her and seeing the Lord answer our prayers so clearly. It was a time of trials and yet miracles and seeing the Lord's amazing love. I didn’t know the Lord was so mindful of us, and that He knew every thought, every worry, and cared so much.

I felt that the Lord took me out of the busy race I had been in, and made me sit out for a while, to take care of this baby girl. It was as if he was saying, "I need you to be still to learn what I want to teach you" To care for my daughter, I had to quit many of the activities I had been part of- working as a nurse, having a church calling, volunteering at school, even extra activities for our older children were pared down to a minimum. When illnesses came, they affected her more severely, she needed more of my time. I began to feel more of the Lord's direction and close involvement in my life and in the care of each of my children. I am definitely not special or gifted.  I was just searching for God's help more because I needed more help.

Our family and our friends at church loved us, fasted and prayed for us. They did so very many things with love to help us care for our daughter, we are so grateful to them. As our baby's condition became stable, I came back to church. Things that before had been normal looked different to me, my perspective had changed. I haven't been to church as much lately. Our friends wonder why I am not as active, and have asked many times.

 Part of the answer is that our child's care is still a lot of work every day. She is doing really well but needs significant medical care daily. You wouldn't guess by her beautiful smile what she goes through every day. After an hour and a half of daily medical care (or longer if she isn't cooperating), I don't expect her to sit still for church. Sitting still for too long has caused her to develop infections. She has already run a marathon just to get outside the home.  I am grateful for how well she is doing, and for the determined spirit in her that has helped her overcome many challenges. I am thankful for the Lord's help, His grace, His love that has helped us through her challenges. I am thankful my eyes have been opened to many people around me with physical challenges, many with greater challenges. Now I see people with special needs everywhere I look, I had not been aware of special needs as much before.

Taking care of our child's medical needs has made me realize how precious and short time is. When I consider taking my family somewhere, I ask myself, "Is this big expense of time and energy taking my family in a direction that we want to go?" When we do get to church, I am often disappointed that the focus is not on Jesus, but instead on church leaders, church programs and church traditions. The focus is on form but not substance. These things do not feed the spirit. Coming to the Lord individually is the substance I wish was taught. Prayer, repentance, faith, baptism, learning more about Jesus' life and miracles. How I long for them to teach of the miracles Jesus and his disciples performed! My heart needs the life giving words of Christ, I wish Jesus words were taught more than the words of the church leaders. When you are reminded every day of how fragile life is, and how quickly it can be taken away, it puts things in a different perspective. It strips the fluffy unimportant things out of your life. It makes me see more clearly the untruths and the distractions that keep me from coming to God. It makes me hungry for pure truth, for the light that only comes from God. It makes me hungry to know the Lord. 

The most important blessing of the gospel is coming to know Jesus personally. I believe the Lord is speaking literally to each of us when he says "Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am (D&C 93:1).  These verses describe a promise not intended only for the next life, but for this life. Seeing the Lord, is possible in this life- not only for a small group of people, but any willing to humble themselves and do what the Lord asks. The scriptures are full of examples of this. In thinking of the amazing goodness of Christ, I feel to say "Hallelujah!" and "Thank you Jesus!" for his love, his care and even for the trials that bring us to know His love better. I wish that joyful, happy praise of our God, our Savior was a common occurrence at church.

I felt that the Lord was giving me an opportunity to come to Him, to put aside all the distractions that had kept me too busy to really come to Him. He has given me a big reason to pray, to pray with deep yearning for a much desired blessing- the life of my daughter, and her complete healing.  Taking time to pray and praying with deep yearning were part of hearing the Lord more clearly. He feels honored when we use our time to come to Him. He shows his love to us every day, speaking to us in our own language- in whatever it is that would touch our heart, whether it is music, nature, walks in the park or anything that we love. Jesus has a sense of humor about the challenges of mortality, and laughs with us at times. He wants us to give ourselves for Him, as he gave himself, his life for us. I am amazed that the Lord I worship would walk and talk with me, and answer my prayers. He truly is a Wonderful Counselor, a Tower of Strength Unfailing, my One Sure Rock.

The more I know about the Lord Jesus, the more I want to know. How did he give his life with so much love and forgiveness, even in his last moments? Why did he do that for us? How did he have the strength to do what he did? What is it that makes him happy? What breaks his heart? How does Jesus see the challenges that frustrate me?  What in me keeps me from knowing Him more fully?

As the young rich man asked Jesus "What lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go, sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come and follow me." Matthew 19:20-21. Everything we teach should bring us to Jesus, to his great sacrifice for us, to having our sins washed clean through his blood, to having our hearts changed and becoming new in Christ.  

I am in awe of our God, what a wonderful God we worship! The more I come to know Him, the more I sense the nothingness of man, how fallen I am as a mortal. It is a fearful thing to see yourself in your sinful, fallen state, yet it is so wonderful to know that the Lord would work with us as we are, wherever we are.

It has been hard to go back to church and feel disappointed that the focus is not on worshipping Christ. Because of some experiences in our particular ward and stake, the focus on following the brethren and following the manuals exactly- is more prevalent than I’ve ever seen. We have heard the same teaching of “follow the brethren” from general authorities as well multiple times. We feel that leaders do not want us to speak up and share Christ’s love and miracles. Teaching about Christ is considered straying from the lesson if it is not in the assigned manual lesson. We have begun to spend Sundays at home having our own lessons with our family, worshipping the Lord in the way we would like to.

For many, attending the LDS church meets their needs, and that is wonderful. I am happy for them. That is where I was for a long time. I would not want to take away something that is meaningful in their life. There is so much good in the community of support and service at church that I am thankful for. We may still go to church once in a while because of the friends we have there. We would like others to respect our “privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience,” 11th Article of Faith.

When I do attend church, I leave with deep grief and sorrow in my heart, still hungry to hear His words, and hungry to hear a testimony of Him. The worship of the Jesus that I love has been replaced by the worship of men and the worship of an organization. Wouldn't it be amazing if more people shared their stories of how Jesus rescued them, and saved them? How the Lord answered their prayers when they felt the jaws of hell opening before them? I ask you: What experience was it that turned your heart to Jesus? Do you remember when Jesus turned a terrible, awful situation for you into something beautiful, when you felt Jesus' love for you, and knew that He was with you? When your tears were turned to joy? Do you yearn for Jesus' love, for his comforting presence now, like you did at the time of that trial? Are our hearts turned to God? Or are our hearts somewhere else? Only knowing Jesus matters, and it is possible in this life for each of us.

Some of the unintended negative aspects of church culture feel more glaring to me now- like the emphasis on outward appearance and outward obedience. The Lord looks at our hearts while we judge each other based on appearances (I Samuel 16:7). Appearance, nice clothing and position are given way, way, way too much credibility. The emphasis on outward appearance and outward obedience, and the judgement of others breaks my heart.

In Jesus' day, the Jewish church leaders had a long list of traditions and observances to follow. These traditions blinded the people to Jesus' majesty and divinity.  In Jesus and the many miracles he performed, the Jewish leaders saw a contradiction that was unthinkable to their mindset. How could Jesus be of God if he didn't follow their rules? They missed the most important event in their lifetime- Jesus' coming- because of their traditions.

Like the people of Jesus' day, our church culture has become full of man's traditions and rules. Trying to follow all of the church programs and traditions can keep us so busy we don't have time to listen to and follow the Lord's Spirit. We miss the point of it all- coming to know Jesus and following His Spirit. At church I sense a feeling of satisfaction that all is well, we are safely following our leaders and that they can't, and won't lead us astray. We expect anything that is of God to come from the prophet first, so as long as you listen to the prophet, all is well. This teaching is often repeated over the pulpit, but it is not found in the scriptures. In fact, it is contrary to what we see in the scriptures. In the scriptures, every prophet showed their propensity to make mistakes, to fall or falter greatly at some point in their life. Only Jesus was perfect, without sin. The infallibility of church leaders is an incorrect and dangerous teaching. 

We cannot substitute knowing the voice of the Lord and following Him with knowing our mortal church leaders and following them. John 10:27 says “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” One of the teachings of the temple is to be able to differentiate between God’s messengers and others who claim to be messengers of truth. We have to be able to tell the difference between what comes from God and what is of man or of the devil. Not everything that is spoken by a man in church leadership comes from God. Some of it is of God, and for that we are thankful to God, but some of it isn't from God. We have to seek the Spirit so that we can know if the words of our leaders are of God. We should look to the Lord for guidance in decisions, not to the leaders of the church.

The abundant praise and admiration heaped on church leaders is putting faith and trust in man, in flesh, instead of God. It feels like idolatry to me, with the church leaders and church organization being the idols. The Lord is the one that answers prayers, performs amazing miracles, and has power to forgive sins and save. Only the Lord is truly worthy of praise.  A true prophet or true follower of Jesus would never accept money, praise, or allow others to follow him instead of following Jesus. Anyone who truly loves the Lord would never profit personally from what the Lord Jesus gave freely at such terrible cost and great sacrifice to himself. A true prophet would put down adoration (Mark 10:18) and point people to Christ as our only Savior, our Salvation. Once you begin to know the Savior, you sense how fallen we all are in comparison to the Savior, how sinful we are, and how small we are before God. No one else comes even close to the Savior.

At church I see too much of church leaders telling stories about their own lives or the lives of other church leaders as the examples to follow, instead of pointing to Christ as our only perfect example. Our sacrament meetings and other meetings are based on conference talks. Even the church manuals for the last several years have focused on the lives of church presidents instead of the life of the Savior, or his words. I believe that our meetings at home or at church should be led by the Spirit, led by the needs of those we are teaching, not dictated by a manual or schedule from church headquarters. The manual should never take the place of the Spirit.  Moroni 6:9 says "And their meetings were conducted by the church after the manner of the workings of the Spirit, and by the power of the Holy Ghost; for as the power of the Holy Ghost led them whether to preach, or to exhort, or to pray, or to supplicate, or to sing, even so it was done."

  

All is not well with the church. We each need to seek and develop a personal relationship with Christ on our own. Salvation comes through Christ, not through church attendance. The Lord himself is the one that forgives our sins, the church leaders cannot forgive sin. It is not more time at church or in the temple that we need. We need more time conversing with the Lord, getting to know Him and His will for us. If the church becomes an obstacle to spending time with the Lord, and coming to Him then we need to think about why we are there.

Some of our friends have told us they worry about us spiritually when they don't see us in church as often. I also had this concern at first, and asked the Lord about it. He told me he could teach me anywhere, as long as my heart is turned to Him. I've felt such closeness from the Lord in taking care of my daughter, I no longer believe church attendance is a prerequisite for receiving the Lord's help or for coming to know the Lord. He is available anywhere, His amazing love is the gift, He is the gift. We just have to be humble enough to turn our life to Him, repent and receive Him.  Like Alma said in Alma 33:4-11, the Lord is merciful and hears our heartfelt pleadings wherever we are. 

  

After having tasted of the Lord's love and guidance in such a real way, how can I ever look to anyone else for spiritual guidance? Jesus has been the one to lead us through the storms safely, no mortal man, or church leader could have done that. Jesus said "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture"(John 10:9). He is our pasture, He is our rest.

In the days of Moses, some of the Israelites came to Moses complaining that some were prophesying in the camp. They expected only Moses to have the gift of prophecy. “And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? Would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them.” Numbers 11:29. In the Bible it talks of the coming time when the Lord's Spirit will be more present among his children, as Moses said. They will each individually receive the Lord’s guidance and an outpouring of his Spirit. It says "I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy and your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit . . . Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered" Joel 2:28. The Lord is speaking to many of his children- inside and outside of the church. He says to His people in Joel 2:27 "And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed." The Lord is doing His work with His children in such a way that it can only be attributed to His hand. The Lord's work is not confined to any earthly organization or religion. All people are alike and loved of God, all his children are given the same opportunity to receive his guidance and Spirit. Praise God for his love! Praise God for the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. All praise be to God!

I hope that even after reading this our family and friends know that we really do love them. My intent in writing this is to give an honest answer to the many questions asked of my family about church attendance. My friends deserve to know where I am, they have been with us, loving and helping us through the years. Our faith in the Lord is growing. Our family and children are doing well. We love our brothers and sisters at church. We are thankful for their friendships and love. We hope to continue in love, friendship, service and worship of God wherever the Lord leads us. We are grateful for the blessing the church has been in our lives. We enjoy seeing fellow church members when we do. God bless us all as we seek to follow Him.