Higher and Holier

In October at General Conference it was announced that we will be moving to two hour church blocks on Sunday. The purpose for the shift is to create a greater emphasis on home-centered learning. I am so excited about these changes and the greater purpose it has given me as mother. Of course, this has always been my call and my purpose, to create a home environment that promotes Gospel learning and light. However, it feels "higher and holier" now, to borrow a phrase that has been used in conference lately.

As I have pondered and prayed about what the Lord would have us do here in our own home, it has been thrilling to receive the needed revelation. President Eyring's talk was especially poignant to me.

• So you will take more time to pray, to ponder, and to meditate on spiritual matters. You will have knowledge of truth poured out upon you and grow in your power to nurture others in your family.

• You can know whom to nurture in your family. If you pray with real intent, a name or a face will come to your mind. If you pray to know what to do or what to say, you will feel an answer. Each time you obey, your power to nurture will grow. 

• You will bring your inherent feeling of charity into changes in activities and practices in your family. That will bring greater spiritual growth. When you pray with and for family members, you will feel your and the Savior’s love for them. That will become more and more your spiritual gift as you seek it. Your family members will feel it as you pray with greater faith.

• When the family gathers to read scriptures aloud, you will already have read them and prayed over them to prepare yourself. You will have found moments to pray for the Spirit to enlighten your mind. Then, when it is your turn to read, family members will feel your love for God and i for His word. They will be nurtured by Him and by His Spirit.

What stands out to me about these passages is the way that President Eyring guides us. He uses the statement, "You will" not "you should" or "you can". The phrase "you will" brings with it the confidence he is showing in us to be able to accomplish the task which is in front of us. And in turn, as he guides us in what we will do, he then shares with us the blessings that will come from our actions. I italicized the blessings above.

As I read these passages I can't help but feel the urgency of these tasks. I feel driven to accomplish them, as the blessings that are promised are ones that I cannot afford to live without. 

But then the task at hand starts feeling daunting. I begin to wonder if I am equal to it. That is when I am reminded of one of my favorite sections of the Book of Mormon. It is in Ether when the Brother of Jared is preparing boats for his people to cross over to the Promised Land. The Lord has given him direction on building the boats, but now he has a question. How will we have light? Instead of giving them the answer the Lord says, 

Ether 2:23. What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels? For behold, ye cannot have windows, for they will be dashed in pieces; neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by the light of fire.

Ether 2:25. And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come. Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?

He reiterates to the Brother of Jared that they are going to need light, but leave the task up to him to find the answer. I have a book called "Christ and the New Covenant" that Elder Holland wrote and I love the way he describes this moment.

After what was undoubtedly a great deal of soul-searching, the brother of Jared came before the Lord--perhaps hesitantly but not empty-handed. In a clearly apologetic tone, he said, "Now behold, O Lord, and do not be angry with they servant because of his weakness before thee; ... O Lord, look upon me in pity, and turn away anger from this thy people, and suffer not that they shall go forth across this raging deep in darkness; but behold these things which I have molten out of the rock. Things. The brother of Jared hardly knew what to call them. Rocks undoubtedly did not sound very inspiring. Here, standing next to the Lord's magnificent handiwork, the impeccably designed and marvelously unique seagoing barges, the brother of Jared offered his contribution of . As he eyed the sleek ships the Lord had provided, it was a moment of genuine humility.

The brother of Jared then proceeds to proclaim his faith that the Lord can touch the stones and make light out of them. And his faith is so complete that he sees the Lord. What I learn from this passage is that whatever we can present to the Lord in faith, he will sanctify. He will consecrate our actions and our efforts and the Atonement of Jesus Christ will make up for anything which we lack.  

These are just musings are perhaps just half-baked; but I am learning and I am ready with my stones to have the Lord touch them with light. I know I can and I must do this for my family.