The End. (Or is it the Beginning?)

©Darrell Wyatt

My heart is full this morning, as I have just finished the journey that I began a little over six months ago. Words cannot describe the blessings that I have received in recording my thoughts as I have read the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ.  I have grown to know and love each of the authors and prophets.  I have felt of their pain and their joys, of their trials and their triumphs.  But most of all, I have felt the overwhelming love that each of them had for our Savior, even Jesus Christ.  Most of these men did not live to see Him, of whom they had spent many years testifying and prophesying.  They were shunned and tortured and even killed because of their belief in a Messiah who had not yet come.  I have been abundantly blessed to be a benefactor of their sacrifices.

Moroni spoke, in this last chapter, of the many gifts of God.  He explained that while the gifts may be different for each person, they all come from the same God.  Some will have the gift of wisdom, some knowledge.  Others will have the gift of faith or healing or the ability to work miracles.  Still others may be bestowed with the gift to prophesy or to have the gift of tongues, and some may be able to see angels.  Each and every one of these gifts comes by the power of the Holy Ghost. 

And again, I exhort you, my brethren, that ye deny not the gifts of God, for they are many; and they come from the same God.  And there are different ways that these gifts are administered; but it is the same God who worketh all in all; and they are given by the manifestations of the Spirit of God unto men, to profit them. (Moroni 10:8)

I believe that we have all been given at least one of these gifts, even if we do not realize it.  I know that my gift from God is the gift spoken of in verse 11:  exceedingly great faith.  And what an amazing blessing this has been.  I have never, ever had to struggle with my faith.  I know, beyond any doubt, that the church I belong to is Christ's church, restored to this earth with the same structure and keys as were on the earth during His mortal life.  I know, with every part of me, that the Book of Mormon is the word of God.  It is another testament of Jesus Christ.  I have been blessed to always know this.  I know that it does not come this easily for everyone, which is why I know that my faith is a gift from God.  For this I am eternally grateful. 

I suppose I decided to keep this record of my thoughts for kind of selfish reasons.  I wanted to be able to look back and to see how it has transformed my life, one day at a time, and it really has done that.  Although I have finished reading and writing, I am not done.  The lessons I have learned have given me the knowledge and perspective to start today as a changed and better person.  It's just the beginning.

Because I chose to use such a public forum in which to write, I know that there others who have been reading along with me.  My hope is that I have adequately conveyed the truthfulness of this book to them.  I have such a strong testimony of Jesus Christ, and of his visit to this continent after his crucifixion.  His teachings are real.  His love his pure.  I am grateful for the sacrifice that He made for me.  I love Him more than I could ever, ever put into words. 

I join with Moroni, in extending a challenge to all who may read this.  No matter what preconceived notions you have about this book, please read it for yourself.  I can say with much confidence that in doing so, with a prayer in your heart, your life will forever be changed.

And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.  (Moroni 10:4)

I know this promise to be true.  "And now I bid unto all, farewell." (Moroni 10:34)

Click here to read what I read today: Moroni 10

I'll Sure Try

"In today's chapter, Moroni was reading a letter sent from his father, in which Mormon detailed the wickedness of all of the people around him - both Lamanite and Nephite.  In parting, he tells his son to "be faithful in Christ" (Moroni 9:25).  This reminded me of an encounter I had with my little girls, just two days ago.

©Darrell Wyatt

Bye, mom!", yelled one of my daughters as she ran out the door for school. "Bye, honey!  Be good!  Choose the right!", I yelled from the other room.  Her response made me giggle. "Well, duh.  What else would I do? "  A few minutes later, her younger sister headed out the door.  "Bye, honey!  Be good!  Choose the right!", I called to her.  She let out a long sigh, followed by, "I'll sure try." 

The difference in responses gave me pause for a moment.  I had said the exact same words, with the exact same emotion to both girls, and got two completely opposite reactions.  Perhaps it's because of their distinct personalities.  The older daughter is fun-loving and loud and a little impulsive, while her little sister is quiet and thoughtful and a little scatter-brained.  Two different personalities, two different responses.  I loved the confidence in the first answer,  "What else would I do?", but I had the feeling that she wasn't really paying much attention.  While I sort of just threw the words "Choose the right" at them, with not a lot of thought, my younger daughter actually stopped to take them to heart.  In her deep sigh, I could feel the inner struggle she was having.  "I'll sure try." 

When the girls returned home from school, we entered into our usual routine of chores and homework and chaos.  Somewhere in the middle of it, my youngest daughter, as she most always does, began to tell me of some drama or other that unfolded at school that day.  This little girl is quite a detailed storyteller.  She includes everything - right down to what the people involved are wearing, and unfortunately I sometimes tune her out. I listened, but I was distracted by all of the other things happening around us.  I just sort of nodded and threw in an "uh huh" here and there so she would feel like I was listening.  Because of this, I don't remember much about the story.  What I do remember, though, is how it ended.  "And then, I remembered that you told me to choose the right, so I just turned around and walked away."

Wow.  I sometimes take for granted the influence that I have on my children.  I must remember to give them righteous advice, much like Mormon's parting words to Moroni to "be faithful in Christ".  Moroni knew the importance of being faithful, and my children know the importance of choosing the right.  As a mom, though, it's my job to make sure that it's always on their little minds.  We all need a little reinforcement from time to time.  Were it not so, we wouldn't need things like the scriptures.  They are our Father in Heaven's way of sending us on our way with a reminder to "be good" and "choose the right".  If we can just say to Him, in the words of my littlest girl, "I'll sure try", I know that He will be pleased. 

Click here to read what I read today: Moroni 9

Special Preparation

I have been abundantly blessed in being the mother of a special needs child.  I have learned much of patience and long-suffering, of meekness and humility.  I have also gained a greater appreciation for and understanding of the solemnity of the covenants that we, as members of Jesus Christ's church, make throughout our lives.

When our son turned eight, my husband and I really struggled with whether or not he should be baptized, as most children born into the gospel are.  We knew that the age was right, but neither of us felt that the time was right.  He did not have the understanding that we felt was necessary to participate in this important ordinance.  After expressing our concerns to the Bishop, he read to us from the handbook the section pertaining to baptizing those with special needs.  We all came to the conclusion that there was no concrete answer.  It was up to us as his parents to decide what we thought was right, and so we decided to hold off.

For behold that all little children are alive in Christ, and also all they that are without the law.  For the power of redemption cometh on all them that have no law; wherefore, he that is not condemned, or he that is under no condemnation, cannot repent; and unto such baptism availeth nothing - (Moroni 8:22)

Young children, and most especially special needs children, do not yet have an understanding of sin and repentance.  Because of this, baptism is reserved for an age at which they may be held more fully accountable for the choices that they make.  In my son's case, he still didn't have that understanding at the age of eight.  It wasn't until he was closer to thirteen years old that we felt that he possessed the level of awareness that we were comfortable with and decided that it was time.

It was a truly a blessed day, filled with family and friends.  I believe that because we waited until he was ready, our son will always be able to remember the feelings that he had on this, the most important of days.

I'm grateful for many things that my son brings to my life.  I'm grateful for his smile and his innocence.  I'm grateful for his sense of humor.  But most of all, I'm grateful for the important reminder that the ordinances performed within the boundaries of the gospel are not just rituals.  They aren't just something we do because we're members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  These ordinances are of deep importance and full of meaning, and it is up to each of us to make sure that we are prepared to make and keep the covenants that accompany each one.  

Click here to read what I read today: Moroni 8 

Charity Sometimes Faileth

A few years ago, not long after we moved into our current neighborhood, one of the women in our ward was diagnosed with cancer.  It was her second bout with this dreadful disease, and this time it was a tumor in her brain.  She went downhill very quickly, needing a surgery that ended up taking her hearing in one ear and severing the nerves on one side of her face.  Cancer is devastating, no matter who it attacks, but it was particularly tough in my friend's case.  She is the mother of seven children, the youngest of whom was five years old at the time of this latest diagnosis.  She was the perfect picture of a stay-at-home mom.  She gave her family only the healthiest of foods.  Everything she made was completely from scratch, and she was proud to say that they never ate store-bought bread.

It may sound strange to those who do not know her, but when I spoke to her at the beginning stages of her illness, this was one of her greatest concerns - "What are my kids going to eat?"  Well, this happened to be one area in which I could be of service.  I could not take her disease away.  I could not even make her physically feel better.  But I could bake wheat bread.  That very Sunday, I brought over four loaves of hot, whole-wheat bread.  She called me the next day, and with much gratitude in her voice, she told me that my bread was the closest to tasting like her own that she had ever had.  And so it began.  For the next year, I brought their family an average of four loaves of bread a week.  Sometimes it was more, depending on my schedule, and sometimes it was less.  No matter how many though, they were always appreciative.

I do not tell this story to brag about my service.  Quite the opposite, in fact.  You see, my friend is still very sick, more than three years after all of this started.  And for about a year and a half, I have literally done nothing for her.  I stopped making bread.  I stopped taking turns with the other women in the neighborhood driving her to chemotherapy appointments.  I have even stopped dropping by to check on her or just to chat.  Because I feel guilty about my lack of service, I even began avoiding her in the halls.  It was subconscious at first, but in the last few weeks, I have been kind of overwhelmed by guilt.  If she talks to me, I don't ignore her.  I am pleasant and friendly, but I keep the conversation short, hoping that it won't reach a point where I feel it necessary to apologize for my behavior.

©Darrell Wyatt

It's not just my friend that I stopped serving.  I have stopped doing just about anything for anybody.  I don't even volunteer at the school unless I get roped into it by a friend.  I'm not sure what happened to cause me to go from one extreme to another.  Perhaps I grew tired.  Maybe it was my depressed state.  Whatever it was, it was wrong, and I need to get back on the charity wagon.  But how?

But charity is the pure love of Christ...Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love....(Moroni 7:47,48)

Pray!  How is it that I can forget something so simple and so very important?  Of course Heavenly Father will help me be more charitable if I but ask him.  Of course!  And I do want to serve others, and I do know how to.  What I need Heavenly Father's help with is the motivation to get started and to keep going.  I know that if I ask Him, He will give me the boost that I need.  I will be charitable again, and I will be able to receive all the blessings that I've been promised will come with that service...namely that I "shall be like him" and that I "may be purified even as he is pure" (Moroni 7:48).  Talk about motivation!

Click here to read what I read today: Moroni 7

Remember and Nourish Them

©Darrell Wyatt

We had the opportunity yesterday to attend Sacrament Meeting in a ward we attended six years ago.  One of my husband's former deacons was giving his missionary farewell talk, and he had asked us to come.  He did such a fantastic job.  He spoke eloquently and from the heart, and it was incredible to see this young man, whom we had known as a thirteen year old boy, have such a strong testimony of the gospel.  He was taller and his voice was a little deeper, but he still had that mischievous, playful look in his eyes that we remembered. 

Every time we go to a missionary's farewell or homecoming, I am in awe of the maturity and dedication that these young men and women have toward spreading the gospel.  I look at my own kids, and other kids in the neighborhood, who are not much younger than these missionaries.  Many of them struggle with their testimonies, as I'm sure nearly every teenager does.  Some of them bounce back and forth between inactivity and activity, while some relish every opportunity to attend a church function.  I sometimes wonder if we, as adult members of the church, are doing everything we can to ensure that the youth feel welcome and loved as members of our ward families.

And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith. (Moroni 6:4)

We focus so much, in the church, on retaining new converts.  We strive to make them feel welcome.  We try to remember them and make sure that they are comfortable and involved.  When I read this verse, I didn't think of new converts - even though I'm sure that's what Moroni was speaking of.  I thought of my almost seventeen year old daughter and some of her friends, who are trying to figure out who they are and where they belong.  I think that sometimes I am so focused on people outside of my home that I forget to look inside.  I forget that my kids' testimonies need to also be "nourished by the good word of God".  They need my help to stay "in the right way", as do all of our youth.

There is a period of time, right around sixteen or seventeen, where I've noticed that kids really have a tough time knowing what their place is within the gospel.  I'm not a child psychologist by any means, but I have been that age myself, and I've been around enough kids to be able to see a little bit of wavering.  I think that these kids are just going through so very much.  They'll soon be done with school, out of the Mutual program, and there is kind of a feeling of being in "limbo".  They're not quite ready, in most cases, to assume all the responsibilities of being an adult, but when it comes to attending church, they move from their youth classes into the adult ones literally overnight.

I wrote of my experience with Relief Society, and I am so grateful that the women back then took me under their wings and made it good experience.  I know that it doesn't always happen that way.  Unfortunately, I must admit that I have probably not done my part as well as I could have when it comes to making young women feel welcome when they first move up into this inspired organization.

It is tragic to see any member of the church fall away into inactivity, but that tragedy is magnified when the loss could have been avoided.  If the other youth are anything like my daughter, and I'm convinced that they are, a simple hug or compliment can make all the difference in the decision to want to attend their church activities.  I love the youth of the church.  In them, I see so much promise and hope for the future.  We cannot afford to fail them.  We must do all that is within our power to make sure that not even one falls through the cracks.  We must, as Moroni said, remember and nourish them.

Click here to read what I read today: Moroni 6 

Always Be With Them

©Darrell Wyatt

I think one of the hardest things that I deal with as a mom is to see my kids unhappy.  I'm not talking about the unhappiness that comes from not getting everything they want or the unhappiness that comes from their favorite TV show being canceled.  I'm talking about real, true unhappiness.  My oldest daughter is going through that a little bit right now, trying to decide whether or not to keep some of her 'friends' in her life.  It has literally made her sick.  I remember the emotions that come along with these teenage 'life or death' decisions like it was yesterday.  We get through them, but when we're in the moment, it just seems like the world is crashing down around us.  I wouldn't go back to being a teenager for anything. 

It's not easy, as a mom, to watch my kids struggle.  If I could, I would just cushion them from all the hard things that come with growing up, but I can't.  I can guide them through these struggles.  I can help them back up when they fall.  I cannot take their sorrows away.  There is really only one thing that I can do - just be there.  Be there when they need to talk.  Be there when they need to cry.  Just be with them.

Sometimes I forget that my Heavenly Father feels the same way about all of his children.  He doesn't want to see us struggle, and he can't take those struggles away.  He guides us along, catches us when we fall, and most importantly, He has provided a way, through the Atonement, for us to always have the Spirit with us.

Every Sunday, as we renew our covenants with Him, we promise to take upon ourselves the name of Christ.  To always remember Him.  To keep His commandments.  And then, we are promised, if we keep those covenants, that His spirit will always be with us.  Always.  Not just on Sundays.  Not just while we're in church meetings.  Not just during Family Home Evening or scripture study or while we are praying.  Always.

All of us face different family circumstances and home situations.  All of us need strength in dealing with them.  This strength comes from faith in the Savior's love and in the power of his atonement.  If we trustingly put our hand in the Savior's, we can claim the promise of the sacramental prayer to always have his Spirit with us.  All problems are manageable with that strength, and all other problems are secondary in urgency to maintaining a strong spiritual life. (Chieko N. Okazaki, Ensign, Nov. 1993)

Sister Okazaki's wise counsel to maintain a strong spiritual life will not only help my daughter get through the struggles that she is going through right now, but it will help me, as her mom, stay close to the spirit and know the things that the Lord would have me say to her.  I'm about as imperfect a parent as there is.  I make mistakes and say and do the wrong things.  I have good intentions, of course, but there are times that I definitely can make a situation worse than it needs to be.  If I can just keep the three promises that I make every Sunday during the Sacrament - to take upon myself the name of Christ, to always remember Him, and to keep His commandments - the Lord will bless me with His spirit always.  Always!  What a huge blessing this is to me and to my family.  If He is with me always, I will be able to perform my duties as a parent with Him by my side.  How could I ever go wrong?

Click here to read what I read today: Moroni 4

Click here to read what I read today: Moroni 5

Called and Qualified

As I was watching the young priesthood holders administer the Sacrament on Sunday, I was overcome with the spirit.  We have very reverent young men in our ward, and it is evident that they understand and respect this sacred ordinance. 

In just a few days, my middle son will be ordained a deacon and will be standing alongside these fantastic young men, as a witness and holder of the Aaronic Priesthood.  My older son also holds the Aaronic Priesthood, but, as with everything we experience with him, it is different.  There is not really an understanding of the importance and responsibility that comes with holding the keys to the priesthood.  As such, there is usually at least a little bit (or a lot) of murmuring when he has to do something that he doesn't really feel like doing, like passing the Sacrament or collecting Fast Offerings.  With my younger son, however, I can already see that he is taking his new station very seriously.  He understands that he is growing in the gospel.  He knows the power that will be bestowed upon him, and he doesn't take it lightly.

From a mother's point of view, this is a very tender and emotional experience.  I have watched as my son's best friends pass the Sacrament for the first time.  I have seen a definite change in their countenances, as they perform one of the most sacred ordinances in the gospel.  They are growing up.  And it happens so very fast!

As my sons accept and perform this humble duty, as their mother, I also take on a new responsibility.  I must do all that is within my power to help them honor their priesthood callings. 

The priesthood is not really so much a gift as it is a commission to serve, a privilege to lift, and an opportunity to bless the lives of others. (Thomas S. Monson, April 2006 General Conference)

Although the ordinances performed in the church by worthy priesthood holders are of the utmost importance, they are far from the only responsibilities that come with this sacred calling.  It is my job, as the mother of two (and someday, three) worthy priesthood holders, to ensure that my boys are equipped with the knowledge and understanding they need to truly magnify their priesthood.  I cannot teach them how to perform the ordinances, but I can be a shining example of lifting and serving others.  I can provide them with the opportunities to, as President Monson said, "bless the lives of others".  My calling as a mother and wife goes hand in hand with the priesthood.  It is of equal, if not greater, importance in the sight of the Lord.  If I magnify my sacred calling, it will make it much easier for them to magnify theirs.

Miracles are everywhere to be found when priesthood callings are magnified.  When faith replaces doubt, when selfless service eliminates selfish striving, the power of God brings to pass his purposes. (Thomas S. Monson, April 2006 General Conference)

My responsibility is to teach all of my children of faith and service.  By doing so, I am preparing them to execute their adult responsibilities to the fullest and with honor.  Sometimes this seems like an insurmountable task, one that I get overwhelmed with at times.  But, to quote President Monson again, from that same conference talk, "whom God calls, God qualifies."  And I have been called of God to raise this next generation of priesthood holders.  With his grace and love, I will be qualified.

Click here to read what I read today: Moroni 2

Click here to read what I read today: Moroni 3

Our Sacred Priesthood Trust, Monson April 2006