A Powerful Letter...

This is a little personal, but it has been on my mind a lot lately, so I feel like I should share. "Sam" has been facing some challenges lately, and a few weeks ago, wrote Bryan a letter asking for his advice on how to deal with what is going on in his life. Bryan has spent the time since then pondering how to respond. It was a very heavy, very sad letter. In my ignorance, I thought Bryan was putting him off so I kept nagging him to hurry and write him back. I should have known better.

Yesterday, Bryan sent me a rough draft of his response to Sam. I couldn't help but think as I read, that as awesome as my husband is, there was no way he could have come up with those words on his own. I know my own first impulses on what to say to Sam, and this letter is so much more in tune than anything I could have come up with. I am so grateful for a Father in Heaven that can make weak things strong, and shore us up to handle the missions he sent us here to fulfill. Here is a portion of the letter...

I have been pondering and praying over what to write in response to your past letter. I am by no means qualified to give you a great answer, but I can share with you what I know to be true. Through years of schooling, experience and extensive reading I have come to a conclusion about life: life’s purpose is simple. If I remember that life and its purpose are simple my life runs fairly smoothly. In contrast, when I start focusing on all of my shortcomings, and things that I have to do, my life gets chaotic and lacks meaning. Life’s purpose is this: to become like Christ. We accomplish this goal on a daily basis, by living each day so that we can have the Spirit. [Sam], live one day at a time, do not look too far into the future and worry about what you will be like then. Live one day and live it well. I have realized that all I have to do is have the Spirit with me each day. If I have the Spirit as a companion, I cannot go wrong, each day will be meaningful and I will accomplish things that I am not able to do on my own. In short the answer to all of you questions is actually quite simple; live your life each day so that the Holy Ghost can influence you at any moment.

We accomplish the goal of becoming like Christ on a daily basis, by living each day so that we can have the Spirit. This goal of becoming Christ like is so huge that we cannot accomplish it by always worrying about what we are not. We all have a past, but it is a past for a reason, it is to be left behind. Yes, we must always remember our past and learn from it, but dwelling on it can only bog us down. Each morning my prayer is short, but sincere. I ask my Heavenly Father to enable me to keep each of His commandments, because I know that I cannot do it on my own. At the end of the day I return to my knees and report to my Heavenly Father what I have done throughout the day. Knowing that I will kneel before my maker at the end of the day motivates me to keep the Spirit so that I am worthy to be in his presence. [Sam], I cannot stress enough the importance of living in the “holy present,” for it is in the present that we build our future. President Kimball put it this way,

In the parable, oil can be purchased at the market. In our lives, the oil of preparedness is accumulated drop by drop in righteous living. Attendance at sacrament meetings adds oil to our lamps, drop by drop over the years. Fasting, family prayer, home teaching, control of bodily appetites, preaching the gospel, studying the scriptures- each act of dedication and obedience is a drop added to our store. Deeds of kindness, payment of offerings and tithes, chaste thoughts and actions, marriage in the covenant for eternity-these, too, contribute importantly to the oil with which we can, at midnight, refuel our exhausted lamps. (Faith Precedes the Miracle, pp. 255-256)

It is through the little things that we do that we build up a reservoir of spiritual oil. Focus on the simple things, reading the scriptures, prayer, church, and being kind to all men. It is through these small things that you will grow “stronger and stronger in humility and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ.” This last General Conference Elder Scott spoke about the importance of using the Spirit on a daily basis, he shared this warning:

I share a warning. Satan is extremely good at blocking spiritual communication by inducing individuals, through temptation, to violate the laws upon which spiritual communication is founded. With some, he is able to convince them that they are not able to receive such guidance from the Lord.

Satan has become a master at using the addictive power of pornography to limit individual capacity to be led by the Spirit. The onslaught of pornography in all of its vicious, corroding, destructive forms has caused great grief, suffering, heartache, and destroyed marriages. It is one of the most damning influences on earth. Whether it be through the printed page, movies, television, obscene lyrics, vulgarities on the telephone, or flickering personal computer screen, pornography is overpoweringly addictive and severely damaging. This potent tool of Lucifer degrades the mind and the heart and the soul of any who use it. All who are caught in its seductive, tantalizing web and remain so will become addicted to its immoral, destructive influence. For many, that addiction cannot be overcome without help. The tragic pattern is so familiar. It begins with curiosity that is fueled by its stimulation and is justified by the false premise that when done privately, it does no harm to anyone else. For those lulled by this lie, the experimentation goes deeper, with more powerful stimulations, until the trap closes and a terribly immoral, addictive habit exercises its vicious control.

Participation in pornography in any of its lurid forms is a manifestation of unbridled selfishness. How can a man, particularly a priesthood bearer, not think of the emotional and spiritual damage caused to women, especially his wife, by such abhorrent activity?

Well did inspired Nephi declare, “And [the devil] will . . . pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, . . . and thus [he] cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.”

If you are ensnarled in pornography, make a total commitment to overcome it now. Find a quiet place; pray urgently for help and support. Be patient and obedient. Don’t give up.

How do we invite the Spirit into our lives on a daily basis? There is another simple answer to this question, by being completely obedient to the commandments of God. Even though the answer is simple, it is not always easy to be obedient in those quiet moments when nobody is watching. Here are some ways I have found to help me obey the commandments on a daily basis.

1. Exercise and Healthy Eating. There is something about taking care of our body and treating it as a temple that helps us to keep the Spirit. The Word of Wisdom provides us with a promise: “And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, ^ashall receive ^bhealth in their navel and marrow to their bones; And shall ^afind ^bwisdom and great ^ctreasures of ^dknowledge, even hidden treasures; And shall ^arun and not be ^bweary, and shall walk and not faint. And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the ^adestroying angel shall ^bpass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen. “

2. Work. “Idleness is not in itself a vice, but a rust that attacks all virtues.” Work not only keeps us busy, but provides us with a sense of meaning and worth. Work is a principal of the Celestial Kingdom.

3. Hope. Mormon wrote to his son, “How is it that ye can attain unto faith, save ye shall have hope? And what is it that ye shall ^ahope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have ^bhope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life ^ceternal, If you don’t have hope that you can be “raised unto life eternal,” then you will not have the strength to change. If you don’t have faith in the morning that when you lie down that night you will still be clean, then you will not be inviting the Spirit to accompany you throughout the day.

Becoming like Christ takes a lifetime, but it can only be done line upon line, day after day. Focus on making each day be perfect, remind yourself that you can be worthy for one day. Don’t make goals to be worthy for a month, it is too far away. Each morning make a goal to be worthy for a day, and dedicate that day to the Lord through prayer. Be consistent, work hard and have hope that you too can rise to your potential each day as a Son of God.

Love,

Bryan