The Atonment and Trials

On Sunday we had a lesson on how the Atonement can help us during our trials. Here are a few of the quotes I shared in the lesson...


The Atonement is an Individual Experience - Chieko N. Okazaki

Well, my dear sisters, the gospel is the good news that can free us from guilt. We know that Jesus experienced the totality of mortal existence in Gethsemane. It's our faith that he experienced everything- absolutely everything. Sometimes we don't think through the implications of that belief. We talk in great generalities about the sins of all humankind, about the suffering of the entire human family. But we don't experience pain in generalities. We experience it individually. That means he knows what it felt like when your mother died of cancer- how it was for your mother, how it still is for you. He knows what it felt like to lose the student body election. He knows that moment when the brakes locked and the car started to skid. He experienced the slave ship sailing from Ghana toward Virginia. He experienced the gas chambers at Dachau. He experienced Napalm in Vietnam. He knows about drug addiction and alcoholism.
 
Let me go further. There is nothing you have experienced as a woman that he does not also know and recognize. On a profound level, he understands the hunger to hold your baby that sustains you through pregnancy. He understands both the physical pain of giving birth and the immense joy. He knows about PMS and cramps and menopause. He understands about rape and infertility and abortion. His last recorded words to his disciples were, "And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." (Matthew 28:20) He understands your mother-pain when your five-year-old leaves for kindergarten, when a bully picks on your fifth-grader, when your daughter calls to say that the new baby has Down syndrome. He knows your mother-rage when a trusted babysitter sexually abuses your two-year-old, when someone gives your thirteen-year-old drugs, when someone seduces your seventeen-year-old. He knows the pain you live with when you come home to a quiet apartment where the only children are visitors, when you hear that your former husband and his new wife were sealed in the temple last week, when your fiftieth wedding anniversary rolls around and your husband has been dead for two years. He knows all that. He's been there. He's been lower than all that. He's not waiting for us to be perfect. Perfect people don't need a Savior. He came to save his people in their imperfections. He is the Lord of the living, and the living make mistakes. He's not embarrassed by us, angry at us, or shocked. He wants us in our brokenness, in our unhappiness, in our guilt and our grief."

(Chieko N. Okazaki, Lighten Up, Preface, p. 174)

That whole quote was a great reminder to me of how I need turn to the Lord more fully.  I LOVE the last part of the quote! I sometimes feel like I have to be perfect in order for the Lord to help me.  I need to remember that He is there for me in my weakest moment and is just waiting to strengthen me in my time of need. 

I asked everyone to write down some burdens or trails that they are facing right now.  Then to write down how you can turn to the Lord to help you in your struggles.  I hope you all are working on that.  I know that as we ask for the Lords help He will bring us the peace and strength that we seek.

 

Thoughts on the Atonement

What a great month of lessons we have had! All who have taught have done such a wonderful job and I have learned so much each Sunday and always felt buoyed up as I have left. 

Today during Sister Dutton's lesson I was reminded of a story Sheri Dew told. I have mentioned several times in young womens how much I admire Sheri Dew. I love to read her books, she speaks to me in ways that I understand and after listening to or reading her words I am always edified. I thought I would share a portion of something she shared.

In New York City for a work meeting, Sister Dew was sleeping in a hotel when she was woken up at 3:00 am by a fire alarm. As she sprung out of bed, she worried she might not be allowed back in her room and did not want to attend her meeting in sweats and no makeup and without her work. So she grabbed her suitcase and briefcase and ran out of the room to join the other guests as they made their way down the fire escape to safety. Sister Dew was on the 44th floor. She had recently had knee surgery and was still recovering, so her other knee took the brunt of the force as she carried 40 pounds of luggage and traveled straight down 1,232 steps. (Consequently her other knee needed surgery as well and the recovery was much slower...) Looking back on the experience she wondered why she hadn't just grabbed her laptop, phone and scriptures. She reflected on the experience and applied it to our mortal existence. 

"... on this jaunt through mortality we've simply got to leave our baggage behind, because our spiritual joints can't take the pounding. When I speak of baggage, I'm not talking about burdens. Burdens are part of the mortal experience- the burdens that come with unfulfilled expectations, with disappointment and heartache, with affliction and wavering faith. Loneliness can be a burden. Emotional wounds can be burdens. Heavy assignments from the Lord can feel like burdens. And certainly, sin creates burdens. But the Savior atoned precisely so we wouldn't have to carry our burdens alone. He knew they'd be too heavy for us. 

 Thus His entreaty, "Come unto me,  all ye that... are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."... When we cast our burdens upon the Lord, He sustains us either by helping us carry the burden or by ridding us of it entirely.  Alma's people experienced this when their burdens "were made light; yes, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease." ... Baggage, however, is another matter entirely. Burdens have the potential to exalt us, but baggage just weighs us down and wears us out. When we don't repent, sin becomes baggage. Natural man-behaviors that we aren't ready to give up become baggage. Worry, jealousy, and guilt are baggage. An unforgiving heart, anger, regret, and pride are baggage. Resentment, the desire to retaliate, fear, and insecurity create unbearable baggage. We choose whether or not to pick up the baggage, and Satan loves nothing more than loading us down like pack mules. ... The best manuals on baggage disposal, as well as on learning how to cast our burdens upon the Lord, are the scriptures, which are filled with truth and light. 

 "And he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day" (D&C 50:24). ... Indeed the scriptures are a magnificent conduit of light, or personal revelation- which is why they are the ultimate latter-day survival manual. ... The scriptures can help us with both our burdens and our baggage if we'll learn how to mine them for answers to every life situtation."

Excerpts taken from, "If Life Were Easy, It Wouldn't Be Hard" by Sheri Dew, pages 27-31.

I always appreciate the wonderful comments you girls share. I am reminded of the young woman who shared that during volleyball practice, while in the bathroom, her and another young woman who had been "fighting" for years made up and apologized to one another. Definitely that baggage was lifted from both of them.

I often think of Sheri Dew's advice about baggage and have thought, "Life is already difficult enough, why would I want to try to add more problems that are unnecessary?" I try to keep this in mind, but often I must be reminded by a loving Heavenly Father to get rid of my baggage.

 In these past lessons we have really had some great reminders about why we must pass through trials. And what a plethora of quotes to lift us up. Here is another, "All of us have problems. We face them every day. How grateful I am that we have difficult things to wrestle with. They keep us young, if that is possible. They keep us alive. They keep us going. They keep us humble. They pull us down to our knees to ask God in heaven for help in solving them. Be grateful for your problems, and know that somehow there will come a solution. Just do the very best you can, but be sure it is the very best. Then leave it in the hands of the Lord."

President Gordon B. Hinckley, February 7, 2003 

A personal testimony of Jesus Christ and an understanding of the power that lies within His gospel will make it possible for us to do our best.

 After the lesson today, Sister McDaniel remarked that often she doesn't know when other people are going through trials because so many people handle them gracefully. Perhaps the reason that they handle their trials "gracefully" is because:

1- They are seeking our Heavenly Father's guidance through personal prayer, scripture study, fasting, and church/temple attendance.

2- They are allowing our Savior to ease their burdens through his infinite atonement.

3- Their personal testimony of Jesus Christ and his gospel has burrowed deep within their hearts and they recognize that this trial has the potential to exalt them to godliness.

I have a testimony that trials are part of our Heavenly Father's plan for us and I am motivated after these lessons the past month to work harder to allow my Savior to ease my burdens and seek out my Heavenly Father for guidance and love.

How I love to learn from one another. Thank you all for sharing your faith-building experiences.  

Love, Sister Chambers

A Note of Thanks

Today in Young Women's opening exercises I read this note from Sister Allen-

"I would like to thank all of you for your thoughtfulness in taking the time to think of us older women of our ward. May the Lord Bless all of you! Love to all of you!"

I know that the other women, Sister Robinson and Sister Jensen were also very grateful for your visits and the opportunity to talk with you girls. Thank you for taking the time to spotlight them and make them feel special. Hopefully we will have another activity like this soon! There are many in our ward we could visit and uplift.
President David O. Mckay made this statement, "Man's greatest happiness comes from losing himself for the good of others."

Let us remember Sister Jensen in our prayers since she had some complications from her fall and will be having surgery tomorrow.

Love, Sister Chambers

Insight to share....

The other day in my personal scripture study I came across some passages that left an impression on me, and thought I would share them with you girls. 

I was reading in the book of  Alma chapter 16.  In this chapter it talks about Alma and Amulk teaching the people after a victory over the Lamanite people. I have read this chapter several times but I have never stop to liken this passage to my life.  I mean,  Alma and Amulek are missionaries right?  I am not, so I couldn't possible apply the principals taught in the next verses to  my life...or so I thought!

 Alma Chapter 16

13 And Alma and Amulek went forth preaching repentance to the people in their ^a
temples, and in their ^bsanctuaries, and also in their ^csynagogues, which were built after the manner of the Jews.

 14 And as many as would hear their words, unto them they did impart the word of God, without any ^arespect of persons, continually.

What stood out to me is how they taught the gospel...

 "without any respect of persons, continually"

What does "respect of persons" mean exactly? Well to me I think that it means that Alma and Amulek went and taught EVERYONE.  They didn't look and judge people by their actions, or appearance before they taught them.  They just taught them and trusted the Lord would do the rest! I know that can be very hard to do.  We sometimes tend to think that we know the "type" of people that will accept the gospel.  You know, those that look, act and think like us right?  Well not exactly, that is a lesson I learned over and over on my mission, sometime the people you think are the least prepared and ready to receive the gospel are the ones that the Lord has went before us and softened their hearts. 

So I know what you are thinking, "OK Sister Dutton, where are you going with this, how does it apply to our young women's group?" Well this is what the Spirit taught me after pondering these scriptures. 

We as a Young Women group have a strong desire to see all that are in our group become active and strong members. We talk about it, we pray about it, we are even fasting about it, its a VERY righteous desire.  I can tell you that nothing would make me happier than to see our classroom full every Sunday and I do think that it would make Heavenly Father very happy as well! So what am I doing to help that desire?  What actions am I taking to reach out to everyone in our group?  Am I doing as Alma and going forth "with out any  respecter of person"?  Or do I talk myself out of it by thinking "they are not ready yet, they don't seem like they want to come" I know that I am personally taking the challenge upon myself to be more like Alma and Amulk.  To try to see EVERYONE as Heavenly Father sees them, and to pour out love to them, not just once but CONTINUOUSLY!  I am going to trust the Lord more and go and do! 

I know that Heavenly Father will listen to our prays and knows the desires of our hearts.  It reminds me of my most all time favorite scripture Alma 5:7

"Behold, he changed their hearts;

          ...yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God"

Love, Sister Dutton