Friday, June 12, 2015

Thoughts on Trek Part II

Thoughts on Trek, Part II - Wait

The hardest trial on trek seemed to be waiting. Our children didn’t mind the dust, the cold, the lack of smartphones, the pulling, the heat, the food, the rain, the amateur acting. The only complaint was stopping once we had begun to roll. Or while waiting for our turn to join in line. Is standing still the greatest struggle? We stopped often, rarely knowing why or for how long. We would stop and start with little warning. Occasionally we knew the cause. For example, when the cart just ahead had to re-tie a rope that broke. One time a girl got hurt and we waited while she was treated. I tried to share what info I knew about the delays. But mostly we didn’t hear or see any reason for the traffic jam. We just stopped. And waited. Why was that hard?

Mostly I think it was because they were young and impatient, hoping to plow through and be done. Overcoming impatience seems to come easier with age.  I tried to think of some other lessons to be learned.

I think we must be careful about our trials of faith. Could we be like Naaman? Perhaps we need someone to remind us that humility is required. Naaman went to Elisha to be healed but when told that the cure was to wash in the Jordan he went away in a rage. His wise servant stopped him, saying “If the prophet had bid thee [to] do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?”  Naaman washed and was healed. Elder Faust gave this explanation in his Oct 2001 address.  https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2001/10/some-great-thing?lang=eng

He are two quotes from that talk,

“We do not prove our love for the Savior only by doing “some great thing.” If the prophet personally asked you to go on a mission to some strange and exotic place, would you go? You would probably make every effort to go. What about doing your home teaching?”

“May we all be faithful in doing the day-to-day, ordinary things that prove our worthiness, for they will lead us to and qualify us for great things.”

Everyone pulling the cart was pleased with their accomplishments of pulling up a hill and over rocks, through the mud. That was a great thing. We must also be prepared for day-to-day waiting. We must never be looking to do a great thing and over look daily scripture study and prayer.   

We must be also patient in our faith. This was a great talk about waiting upon the Lord from Elder Robert D Hales in the Oct 2011 conference.


He says that we must stand fast in our trials. To be immovable in our faith. To have hope and to trust. This is especially hard when we don’t understand the cause or the purpose of our trial. He concluded with this. “I bear my special witness that our Savior’s promise is true, for He says, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” May we wait upon Him by pressing forward in faith, that we may say in our prayers, “Thy will be done,” and return to Him with honor.”

 Those boys could surely run and not be weary. I am certain that patience will come.

Thoughts on Trek Part I

Thoughts on Trek, Part I - Go to Work
A few words I wanted to share with our group but couldn’t find the source while on the trail: I later found the quote from Elder Christofferson in 2014 General Conference that I had in mind. You may recall his funny story about the man who wouldn’t accept personal responsibility. When offered corn while on the way to his grave because he refused to feed himself, he turned it down because the husks were not removed. Right after that, Elder D. Todd Christofferson had this to say: “It is God’s will that we be free men and women enabled to rise to our full potential both temporally and spiritually, that we be free from the humiliating limitations of poverty and the bondage of sin, that we enjoy self-respect and independence, that we be prepared in all things to join Him in His celestial kingdom.
I am under no illusion that this can be achieved by our own efforts alone without His very substantial and constant help. “We know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” And we do not need to achieve some minimum level of capacity or goodness before God will help—divine aid can be ours every hour of every day, no matter where we are in the path of obedience. But I know that beyond desiring His help, we must exert ourselves, repent, and choose God for Him to be able to act in our lives consistent with justice and moral agency. My plea is simply to take responsibility and go to work so that there is something for God to help us with.”
https://www.lds.org/…/10/free-forever-to-act-for-themselves…

We have to do something if we wish for God to help us. We will never see miracles playing video games and bingewatching Netflix. Trek was something hard that required help and so the evidence of His assistance can be more evident. Our Father wants us to grow and to become. We have to learn to want the same thing.