Trials, Testimony, Conversion, and Example

Here's my talk from 2-23-14:

Good afternoon brothers and sisters.  Lehi begins his account of his vision of the Tree of Life with this: 4 “…for behold, methought I saw in my dream, a dark and dreary wilderness.  5 And it came to pass that I saw a man, and he was dressed in a white robe; and he came and stood before me.”  That sounds to me as if it is a representative of the Lord, or the Lord, himself.  Lehi continues,  “6 And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him.  7 And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste.”  Now, I think, “Wha??  That can’t be!  He was following a HEAVENLY messenger!! 

I think there is a simple, but profound lesson here: even as we follow our Savior, and His representatives here on earth, we still encounter hardships and trials.  I know that, in a simple way, we learn about this in Primary as we answer the question: Why do we come to Earth?  The answer? To gain a body, AND TO BE TESTED.  But, I think that we are sometimes surprised when that testing comes EVEN AS WE ARE FOLLOWING the Lord’s Prophets and His commandments. 

Remember this testing is part of the Great Plan of Happiness.  And, I can personally testify that my trials have stimulated my growth and understanding, and have helped me to develop compassion.  But that is not to say that trials are either fun, or easy.  And, I have come to understand that facing trials requires both testimony AND conversion.

Elder Bednar teaches, “Testimony is the beginning of and a prerequisite to continuing conversion. Testimony is a point of departure; it is not an ultimate destination. Strong testimony is the foundation upon which conversion is established.”

 “Testimony alone is not and will not be enough to protect us in the latter-day storm of darkness and evil [the dark and dreary waste] in which we are living. Testimony is important and necessary but not sufficient to provide the spiritual strength and protection we need. Some members of the Church with testimonies have wavered and fallen away. Their spiritual knowledge and commitment did not measure up to the challenges they faced.”

Understanding that testimony and conversion are not synonymous helps me to understand the story of King Benjamin’s people in the Book of Mormon.

At the end of his life, King Benjamin gathers his people together, and teaches them powerfully about Jesus Christ.  Afterward, he asks his people if they believe what he has taught them.  Mosiah 5:2 records,  “And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually. 3 And we, ourselves, also, through the infinite goodness of God, and the manifestations of his Spirit, have great views of that which is to come; and were it expedient, we could prophesy of all things.

Elder Bednar explains, “A testimony is spiritual knowledge of truth obtained by the power of the Holy Ghost.”  Certainly King Benjamin’s people have obtained a testimony!  They are on fire here, and in verse 5 they proclaim,  “we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days, …”

So, what happens between Mosiah chapter 5, and Mosiah chapter 26, where we have the account of their children: 1 “Now it came to pass that there were many of the rising generation that could not understand the words of king Benjamin, being little children at the time he spake unto his people; and they did not believe the tradition of their fathers. 2 They did not believe what had been said concerning the resurrection of the dead, neither did they believe concerning the coming of Christ. 3 And now because of their unbelief they could not understand the word of God; and their hearts were hardened. 4 And they would not be baptized; neither would they join the church. And they were a separate people as to their faith, and remained so ever after, even in their carnal and sinful state; for they would not call upon the Lord their God.”

How could this happen?  From parents with testimonies, to children who would not join the church or even call upon God?

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, in his talk, A Prayer for the Children, provides a possible answer.  He says, “I think some parents may not understand that even when they feel secure in their own minds regarding matters of personal testimony, they can nevertheless make that faith too difficult for their children to detect. We can be reasonably active, meeting-going Latter-day Saints, but if we do not live lives of gospel integrity and convey to our children powerful heartfelt convictions regarding the truthfulness of the Restoration and the divine guidance of the Church from the First Vision to this very hour, then those children may, to our regret but not surprise, turn out not to be visibly active, meeting-going Latter-day Saints or sometimes anything close to it.”

Elder Holland also says, “In this Church there is an enormous amount of room—and scriptural commandment—for studying and learning, for comparing and considering, for discussion and awaiting further revelation. We all learn “line upon line, precept upon precept,” with the goal being authentic religious faith informing genuine Christlike living. In this there is no place for coercion or manipulation, no place for intimidation or hypocrisy. But no child in this Church should be left with uncertainty about his or her parents’ devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Restoration of His Church, and the reality of living prophets and apostles who, now as in earlier days, lead that Church according to “the will of the Lord, … the mind of the Lord, … the word of the Lord, … and the power of God unto salvation.”  In such basic matters of faith, prophets do not apologize for requesting unity,…”

“Parents simply cannot flirt with skepticism or cynicism, then be surprised when their children expand that flirtation into full-blown romance. If in matters of faith and belief children are at risk of being swept downstream by this intellectual current or that cultural rapid, we as their parents must be more certain than ever to hold to anchored, unmistakable moorings clearly recognizable to those of our own household. It won’t help anyone if we go over the edge with them, explaining through the roar of the falls all the way down that we really did know the Church was true and that the keys of the priesthood really were lodged there but we just didn’t want to stifle anyone’s freedom to think otherwise. No, we can hardly expect the children to get to shore safely if the parents don’t seem to know where to anchor their own boat.”

Let’s contrast King Benjamin’s people with the people of Ammon.  You’ll remember that they had been a ferocious and blood-thirsty people, delighting in bloodshed.  But, after receiving the message of the gospel brought to them by Ammon and his brethren, the scriptures record: (Alma 24: 6) “Now there was not one soul among all the people who had been converted unto the Lord that would take up arms against their brethren; nay, they would not even make any preparations for war; yea, and also their king commanded them that they should not.

Elder Bednar teaches, ““Continuing conversion is constant devotion to the revealed truth we have received—with a heart that is willing and for righteous reasons. Knowing that the gospel is true is the essence of a testimony. Consistently being true to the gospel is the essence of conversion.”

Instead defending themselves, they buried their weapons of war or rebellion, (Alma 24: 18) “And this they did, it being in their view a testimony to God, and also to men, that they never would use weapons again for the shedding of man’s blood; and this they did, vouching and covenanting with God, that rather than shed the blood of their brethren they would give up their own lives; …19 And thus we see that, when these Lamanites were brought to believe and to know the truth, they were firm, and would suffer even unto death rather than commit sin; and thus we see that they buried their weapons of peace, or they buried the weapons of war, for peace.”

***

21 Now when the people [of Ammon] saw that [their enemies] were coming against them they went out to meet them, and prostrated themselves before them to the earth, and began to call on the name of the Lord; and thus they were in this attitude when the Lamanites began to fall upon them, and began to slay them with the sword.”

Thankfully they were not all killed.  But they all were willing to die rather than break their covenant.  I think these amazing parents showed their complete conversion as they exemplified this counsel from Elder Holland, “Live the gospel as conspicuously as you can. Keep the covenants your children know you have made. Give priesthood blessings. And bear your testimony!  Don’t just assume your children will somehow get the drift of your beliefs on their own.”

So, what became of the children of these people of Ammon?  Alma 53 reveals that the children were also covenant-making and covenant-keeping people.  “17 And [the sons of the people of Ammon] entered into a covenant to fight for the liberty of the Nephites, yea, to protect the land unto the laying down of their lives; yea, even they covenanted that they never would give up their liberty, but they would fight in all cases to protect the Nephites and themselves from bondage.

***

“20 And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all—they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.  21 Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him.”

Yes, they had been taught.  By word and by example.

Let’s return to Lehi’s account. Remember, he was following a heavenly messenger, but now he’s in a dark and dreary waste. Verse 8 says, “ And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies.”  Consider, how often do we, figuratively, “travel for the space of MANY HOURS in DARKNESS” before we think to pray?  Listen to what happens as soon as Lehi chooses to pray, “ 9 And it came to pass after I had prayed unto the Lord I beheld a large and spacious field. 10 And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy.”  You may remember that the Tree of Life in Lehi’s vision represents our Savior, and the fruit represents eternal life.  So, from a place of darkness, of testing, of trial, the power of prayer dispels the darkness, and brings our focus back to the One who has power over darkness, and to our ultimate goal of eternal life. 

As we know, Lehi goes forth and partakes of the fruit of the Tree of Life, and is filled with joy.  He wants to share it.  After looking around and spotting his family, Lehi says, in verse 15, “And it came to pass that I beckoned unto them; and I also did say unto them with a loud voice that they should come unto me, and partake of the fruit, which was desirable above all other fruit.” Lehi’s example makes me wonder, with regard to my experiences with and feelings toward my Savior, “What are my actions and my words communicating to my family?”  Do they know by the things that I say, and the things that I do, that I know that my Savior lives, that He loves me, and them; and that He is ever aware of us, and is truly guiding His Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; do they know that I know that the power of the Priesthood is real, and that the covenants we make here on earth are a strength and a protection to us? Do they know that I love and sustain our living Prophet and Apostles?

Or, do I get a little lazy, or maybe afraid that I might sound like a fanatic in this day and age?

Elder Richard L. Evans once gave this warning:

“Sometimes some parents mistakenly feel that they can relax a little as to conduct and conformity or take perhaps a so called liberal view of basic and fundamental things—thinking that a little laxness or indulgence won’t matter—or they may fail to teach or to attend Church, or may voice critical views. Some parents … seem to feel that they can ease up a little on the fundamentals without affecting their family or their family’s future. But,” he observed, “if a parent goes a little off course, the children are likely to exceed the parent’s example.”

And Elder Holland gave this warning:

“To lead a child (or anyone else!), even inadvertently, away from faithfulness, away from loyalty and bedrock belief simply because we want to be clever or independent is license no parent nor any other person has ever been given. In matters of religion a skeptical mind is not a higher manifestation of virtue than is a believing heart,…”

Elder Holland continues with this counsel, and this comfort:

“When erecting their sacred tabernacle in the wilderness of Sinai [another dreary waste], the ancient children of Israel were commanded to make firm their supporting cords and strengthen the stakes which held them.  The reason? Storms arise in life—regularly. So fix it, fasten it, then fix and fasten it again. Even then we know that some children will make choices that break their parents’ hearts. Moms and dads can do everything right and yet have children who stray. Moral agency still obtains. But even in such painful hours it will be comforting for you to know that your children knew of your abiding faith in Christ, in His true Church, in the keys of the priesthood and in those who hold them. It will be comforting then for you to know that if your children choose to leave the straight and narrow way, they leave it very conscious that their parents were firmly in it. Furthermore, they will be much more likely to return to that path when they come to themselves  and recall the loving example and gentle teachings you offered them there.

I would like to close with this quote from Elder Holland, “Brothers and sisters, our children take their flight into the future with our thrust and with our aim. And even as we anxiously watch that arrow in flight and know all the evils that can deflect its course after it has left our hand, nevertheless we take courage in remembering that the most important mortal factor in determining that arrow’s destination will be the stability, strength, and unwavering certainty of the holder of the bow.” End quote. 

If you watch or read the news, or have kids in school, then you are probably aware that the world we live in is a dark and dreary waste.  So, let us pray, that the darkness may be dispersed, and that our focus may be on our Savior, and then, let us strengthen our testimonies and deepen our conversion, let us make and keep sacred covenants, and live the gospel as conspicuously as we can, that our children may know that we know. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

• April 2003, Jeffrey R. Holland, A Prayer for the Children
• October 2012, David A. Bednar, Converted Unto the Lord
• 1 Nephi 8:4-9, 15
• Mosiah 5:2-5
• Mosiah 26:1-4
• Alma 24:6, 18-19, 21
• Alma 53:17, 20-21