Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - CFS

My wife has had chronic health problems for more than 20 years, including a case of CFS which went undiagnosed for years. The link I am including is a site that does a good job of explaining things and also sells products based on research. A part of their profits goes into further research.

The most important thing to know is that no two people are alike and this means, for example, that some of the products they sell work for my wife and others do not. But we have systematically tried the majority of these things to see how they can help.

One of the nice things about this site is that it contains articles from doctors on studies they have done on the treatments they propose. Based on who they tried to help (i.e. what their major symptoms were) and how well it worked, my wife and I have made the decisions on what thing(s) to spend money on.

You have to get the mindset that, for now, this is a long-term problem to deal with, but it is also something that you can come to grips with in a relatively short amount of time. The purpose of this post is to give a little hope to someone who is discouraged.

The ProHealth site can help because:

• It is a hub of activity related to symptomatic relief. 
• It contains a built-in support group.
• It can put you in contact with more resources.
• You can do your own research and get started on reducing the effect of symptoms on your life.

http://www.prohealth.com/me-cfs/index.cfm

And, no, I make no money from this referral. This is about service to others.

The Open Window

I have been amazed lately at the number of efforts being made to battle over the authenticity of the Bible message. I notice that people attempt to make Jesus of Nazareth out to be a “man of his time,” meaning someone who just happened to be reacting to his circumstances. The community of Christians grasps at anything to prove their interpretation of the Bible to be correct and complete. I was informed by a friend of mine that there is a web site that proves the nature and timing of the star of Bethlehem. I looked at the logical points that the site provided. Sadly, several mistakes were made. I see no point in refuting the arguments of the site since I am on the same side (that of believing in Christ). Other so-called evidences of dinosaur prints alongside human prints in stone that once was mud fails to excite me. I don't really care if there is proof or not. The true believer shouldn't need any such proofs. Signs follow them that believe, not the other way around.¹

There are, however, ways for the Christian to anchor his faith so that it is not blown about by “every wind of doctrine”² that comes his way. First of all, Christianity is not something that was invented in the first century A.D.³ I assert this boldly because the scriptures say that Christ was prepared from the foundation of the world⁴ to come as a mortal man and save all mankind. Jesus was a Jew. He taught in and around Jerusalem, declaring that the temple of Herod was His Father's house.⁵ This clearly indicates that the Jews had something that the rest of the world needed.⁶ What the Jews of His time failed to understand was that He, the promised Messiah, was the Something that they had.⁷

The modern “church,” as the various denominations of Christianity collectively call themselves, fails to appreciate that they stand on the shoulders of the Jews and the early “apostolic fathers.” They assume that they can hold in their hands a book that was delivered to them by the Jews, and consider themselves the only persons ever to fully understand the truths in that book. Some have even suggested that the King James Version (KJV), one of the early translations of the Bible into English, was inspired in every word and sentence structure by holy scholars who interpreted the will of God precisely. Never mind that these scholars continued to revise the translation as time went on. Will the modern “church” admit that there is a need for clarification or addition to God's word? No. And yet there are many modernized translations of the Bible up to and including one released in 2011. No text has been studied so closely and yet has so many opinions generated from it. I believe that in this sense the “church” has painted itself into a corner.

The title of this entry is based on an allegory which I have constructed to illustrate a point about the world we live in and about God's interest in helping the good people do better. It is about a young newlywed couple where the wife is more than a little smarter than her husband. The roles could have been reversed, but I know more about male stubbornness and ego. And I am deliberately leveraging what I know here.

The Allegory of the Open Window

Once there was a young, newly-married couple. The young man had inherited his parents home and brought his new bride to live there with him. As they reached the end of the honeymoon period and the little things started to bother this couple, they began to establish their own domains so that the one would not step on the toes of the other. The wife was ceded control of the kitchen and the husband would be the keeper of the study. The other areas were considered neutral territory and they began their lives together by asserting their beliefs about these other areas and how they should be run. The husband announced that he would take charge of the family room and its wonderful hardwood floor. His father had been its previous keeper, and he knew just what to do.

He went to the store and bought the special varnish that he had seen his Dad use, and he proposed to make their empty family room floor shine like it was new. The wife began to coach him about how it should be done: the wonderful floor must be completely covered in one session so that no streaks would show, and he must make sure to have plenty of ventilation so that the floor could dry quickly. Already, the spousal instructions began to rub this young man the wrong way. He knew what to do without her coaching; he had seen his father do this many times. He was so agitated that he began applying the varnish to the area closest to the door. His wife ran to open a window, and he scolded her saying that she would soon not be able to escape. She hopped across the threshold and was gone down the hall. She announced from the other end that she was going shopping and would be back after a couple of hours. He loved his wife very much, but was glad that she was going to leave him to this “man's work.” The open window was a help, but the husband knew what he was doing and he would finish painting the entry to the room so it would have the most time to dry.

No sooner had he made progress that took him away from the door when the draft from the window caused the door to slam shut. Now the drying time was going to be increased, and he was too far from the door to reach the knob. He planned a strategy that would allow him to methodically cover the remainder of the floor and end up at the open window where he would be able to sit in the opening and finish the remaining patch of floor, with no apparent flaws in the varnish. He had two hours before his wife's return, and he would pretend that there had been no difficulty.

The young man sat in the open window with his back to the outside. He admired his work and congratulated himself on avoiding any of his wife's overt help. As his eyes wandered the room they landed upon a small note that she had left him, taped to the window frame about midway up. It read, “Honey, I left this ladder propped up against the house so you could climb out the window if you got stuck. See you soon. Love, “the woman of your dreams.” This stung the young man's pride. He had no need for anyone's help. And he determined to ignore the note, pretending that he never saw it nor had use for the ladder.

After a little while the young couple's neighbor spotted him half in and half out of the window. And he called to the stubborn young man to ask if there were a problem. The answer was, “No, I was just about to come down the ladder. I have been checking on this varnish job I have been working on.” He demonstrated his ability to escape the room for his neighbor. But he was forced to put away the ladder rather than look foolish to the older man.

When the wife returned from shopping, she noticed that the ladder had been put away and was pleased that her thoughtfulness had made a contribution to their mutual cause. Her husband reluctantly admitted that the ladder had been useful, but he voiced disappointment that she had not trusted him to finish the chore without help. She explained that she was willing to let him do things his own way, but she had already noticed that he was painting himself into a corner and would have to wait for the whole thing to dry. “No one should have to wait out the results of a mistake when they have a 'help meet' to fall back on,” she replied. The discussion was over. The floor was just the way they had wanted and the couple walked happily into their home. The young man was wiser for the experience for he saw that, indeed, his wife was a treasure to him in the midst of his faults.

But what would have happened if the young man had stubbornly remaining sitting in his open window? What if he had ignored his neighbor calling to him at the other end of the ladder? What if the wife had returned early and the floor wasn't dry yet?

The wife would have returned to see the ladder was unused. And she would come to the room where she had left her foolish spouse, the door blown shut, and him sitting in the sill waiting for that floor to dry.

In the Bible, most parables were not explained except to the disciples of Jesus. They were meant to enlighten those who were ready. I provide the interpretation of my allegory because I dare not let the message be left in an incomplete state.

The House

The house is a representation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in its completeness. It belongs to the couple, not just the husband. And it is more than the one room that we have been interested in.

The Special Floor

This floor represents the parts of the Gospel that some are willing to embrace with all their hearts. They are so possessive of it that they reject all other suggestions on how it is to be taken care of, let alone used. Anything might be considered such an overemphasized part. For example, some have fastened upon the suffering of Christ, others have fastened upon His Love and forgiving nature. Still others have fastened on the strictness of the laws given. But all are stuck on re-varnishing that same piece of floor, ignoring the rest of the house.

The Young Man's Parents

These are a representation of the Jews and other groups who have had possession of the house previously. They too were overly concerned about the floor and left the rest of the house pretty much unappreciated.

The Young Man

The young man is the heir of all those who have owned the house before him. In this discussion he represents the modern “church” which, despite the warnings of scripture has done things exactly like its predecessors.

The Young Man's Wife

The young wife is a representation of God, who has done all she could to teach the young bridegroom what she knows about varnishing floors. But knowing that he was a stubborn young man, she has left him a note, an open window, and a ladder that would allow him to escape his situation. She knew at the start that all she would be able to do was set up the helps she was going to provide and await the result.

The Open Window

The open window represents the opportunity of the modern “church” to stop worrying about the floor and get back into the rest of the house, which remains empty and unused.

The Love Note

The note on the window is the clear message from God⁸ indicating that He knew the young man would find himself alone, at the wrong end of the floor. But it is of no use to the young man if he chooses to ignore its existence. He must abandon his pride and follow the note's intent, to use the ladder, if he is to return to the rest of the house.

The Ladder

The ladder is the Book of Mormon. It represents a bridge from the situation that the modern “church” finds itself in back into the rest of the Gospel and the house they own if they would but humble themselves.

The Neighbor

This neighbor is an interested party who lives next door to the young man. The predicament of the young man is clear, the neighbor can smell the fumes from the varnish. In fact this neighbor noticed the ladder before the young man, but it was his wife (God, Himself,) who placed the ladder, not the neighbor.

I am such a neighbor, asking the modern “church”, individually rather than collectively, “What are you doing in the window? Did you find the note? It is there in the Bible. It is well within reach. Perhaps you have read the note but are too stubborn to do what it suggests. The floor of that one room is not the only place to stand. The whole house of the Gospel is there for you to use if you will just acknowledge that God knows more than you. Will you come down from this foolish position of having painted yourself into a corner? Or must a neighbor point out how silly it is to not use the ladder that God has provided?”

But I am more than a neighbor. I was once among those I now describe collectively as the foolish young man. And I know that the Book of Mormon ladder is strong and sturdy and can carry the weight of the heaviest of us. If we don't use this ladder what will we say when God returns and opens the door to that room to find us sitting in the sill? Will we have a good answer for how we have been taking care of the house while He was away? Or will we try to explain away our situation because we didn't understand what the ladder was for?

The special floor is just one part of the Gospel that someone might emphasize, picking doctrines from the teachings of the prophets, apostles, and the Savior Himself, as if it were a cafeteria selection that was open to our freedom to choose. But the fact is that God's message is not a hodgepodge If there are parts of it that don't make sense with the other parts, it must be that we don't have a clear picture of the whole.⁹

The Book of Mormon itself is a demonstration of the love of God. And it was given by Him to us who love Him. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is more than the one room or emphasis. And sincere study of the Book of Mormon is the way to begin to walk more consistently in God's presence.¹⁰ He lives in the whole house of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we must avail ourselves of all that God has offered.

May we come to appreciate more fully He to Whom we would be bound. He knows our weaknesses and loves us anyway. If there is any way in which we might avoid disappointing Him, would we not choose it?

1 See Mark 16:17; see also Doctrine and Covenants 58:64.

2 See Ephesians 4:11-15 especially verse 14.

3 See Hebrews 11. The list of "elders" a.k.a. "ancients" introduced in verse 2 is Paul's list of those before Christ who also had faith in Him.

4 See John 17:24

5 See John 2:16

6 Matthew 15:24 indicates that Christ's personal mission was to the house of Israel and not to the Gentiles. The expansion of preaching was mandated by the revelation to Peter referred to in Acts 10:9-28

7 See Acts 2:22-23

8 There are many Biblical scriptures which refer to a coming time when the "church" would have strayed from the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I will take a little space to list a few: Amos 8:11-12; 2 Timothy 3:1-7; 2 Timothy 4:3-4; Acts 20:28-30; Isaiah 29:13-14 Additional scriptures and other web articles are found at lds.org.

9 Some have a hard time reconciling the harsh and complex laws given through Moses with the simplifications given by Christ. Do we therefor discard the God of Israel who strikes down the offender? This confusion exists only because modern Christendom has ignored the path to the answers which come not from logic and reason but from direct revelation from Deity.

10 Joseph Smith, a prophet of God and the translator of the Book of Mormon, said this, "I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”

Someone Else's Shoes

One of my favorite quotes is taken from four lines of a much larger poem by Adam Lindsay Gordon (1833-1870) called Finis Exoptatus, which I excerpt for you here:

"Life is mostly froth and bubble;
Two things stand like stone:
Kindness in another's trouble,
Courage in your own."

It zeroes in on something that could use improvement in our society today: being sensitive to the situations of others. One of the common tools of fiction writers these days is to have the protagonist say to the victim of a crime, “Listen, I know what you're going through, but ...” And the victim interrupts with, “Oh no you don't! You can't know how I feel! Nobody can!”

This is a common sentiment in our times, that we are all alone and when something goes wrong we are inconsolable. And the saying, “To understand a person, you must first walk in their shoes,” hangs in the air like a forbidding wall to keep anyone who wishes to sympathize from crossing the boundary of our trust.

To illustrate the point, we are often reminded that Marie Antoinette, when told that the peasants had no bread, said , “Let them eat cake.”¹ Some would tell us that she was oblivious of the problems of the peasants. How could she know how bad they had it? She was surrounded by incredible wealth and protected from a knowledge of their problems by the separation of the classes.²

While making an excuse for poor Marie in this manner, we are really echoing a false notion of personal isolation, and we are reinforcing the abdication of our responsibility to our fellow man.

In a recent Sacrament Meeting, the visiting High Council speaker made a profound observation. Citing the first of the Ten Commandments ³, he pointed out that to love God is a commandment, and therefor love is a choice!

We must choose to love God, and we must choose to love our fellowman. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.⁴ These two constitute the framework upon which is built the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are our brother's keepers.⁵

But how do we get in the other person's shoes? Our imaginations can only bring us close. We say, “I can only imagine what you must be feeling.” And sometimes we are bold and say, “I had a similar thing happen to me; I didn't enjoy it.” But we can't really get inside someone else's head and feel what they feel.

The remaining distance between where they are and where we are can only be covered by love. No two individuals' experiences are the same, and to walk in each other's shoes without love is an impossibility.

The kind of love we are talking about here is Charity, the pure love of God⁶. It has no strings. It knows no limits. And its focus is upon the betterment of someone else.⁷ And to distill our mortal feelings into the right kind of love requires a surrender of our own will and desires to that of God, Himself.

The accomplishment of such a thing has only happened once, in its most perfect sense. It was about A.D. 34, and the occasion was the Passover of the Jews in Jerusalem. The actual location was a small garden of olive trees on the side of the Mount of Olives. While his disciples attempted to keep watch⁸, their master, Jesus of Nazareth, went a little further on and prostrated himself to begin a process whereby he would apply his own teachings about loving his neighbor and would end up counting every soul that has or would ever live on the earth.⁹

Now this counting was not to obtain numbers in a ledger, but to transcend time and space and spend conscious effort to understand the situation of each person, to suffer with them ¹⁰, to suffer for them ¹¹, and to become a shield of mercy against that justice which would have destroyed their chances to be returned safely home to the Father of their spirits.¹²

In taking upon Himself the sins of all mankind, one at a time, Jesus of Nazareth became Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of Israel and the Savior of the world. By demonstrating Love in its purest form He was empowered to not only walk beside us, but also to walk in our shoes.

Those who understand this fact become aware that Christ is with them always.¹³ And He knows what they are going through when no one else does. And there is no way to push Him away as we do our other companions on the journey of life. And every time we think we are waiting on the Lord, it always turns out that He is waiting on us. He waits for us to notice He is there.¹⁴ He waits for us to experiment on His words.¹⁵ He waits for us to ask for help. He waits at the door and knocks.¹⁶

May we have the courage, in our troubles, to notice He is there, to answer the door, and to let Him comfort us in a way that only Love allows.

1 I acknowledge that this is mostly cliche'. I recommend the wikipedia article, on Marie Antoinette, see especially the final section entitled, "Historical legacy and popular culture" where the origin of this is explained.

2 This is probably a false view because Marie Antionette was aware of the rising bread prices due to a harsh winter in 1788-1789. (Search the above mentioned article for "bread prices".) But Marie was indeed a victim of rumor mongering which was partly responsible for her downfall.

3 See Exodus 20:2-6, see also Mark 12:28-30

4 See Matthew 22:37-40

5 See Genesis 4:9

6 See Moroni 7:47

7 See the Parable of the Good Samaritan – Luke 10:27-37

8 See Matthew 26:36-45

9 See Mosiah 15:10-11 for an explanation of the Messianic passage, Isaiah 53:10

10 See Mosiah 24:13-14 – God not only delivers his people but visits them in their afflictions. See also Alma 7:11-12

11 See Mosiah 3:7

12 See John 14:2-3

13 See 3 Nephi 18:11

14 See Doctrine and Covenants 88:62-68

15 See Alma 34:3-4

16 See Revelation 3:20

Search the Scriptures

Introduction

The title is simple enough. But the meaning can be profound when we consider what the different methodologies are. First, it is my opinion that everyone should read the Book of Mormon from front to back, a little bit each day. Second, the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would have us study the scriptures by topic. Third, there is great power in the scriptures to get straight to the heart of the matter if we open them randomly and look for the message there. Lastly, the study by topic and at random need to be tempered by study within context. All four approaches are valid, and each has its place. In fact, they must each have a place in our daily living.

The word of God has been likened to a rod of iron which leads to the tree of life.¹ And although it can arrive in our minds in many ways, the one over which we have the greatest control is the study of the scriptures.

The Book of Mormon - Keystone

The Book of Mormon was written by Mormon on plates that he made himself. He took the stories of his predecessors and copied them there. And he retold the stories that inspired him. Although he was guided by God, the foundation of what to put in and what to leave out had to do with what had impressed him over the years of his own study and what things, retold by his parents, made him the man of faith that he became.

The organization of the Book of Mormon is plainly chronological. But it is also leading the reader down the path that the people of Nephi followed as they prepared for the coming of the Savior, Jesus Christ. In our day, we, too, are preparing ourselves for Christ's return. The parallels must not be ignored. We read about the various cities which chose to move away from the Gospel and those which only sometimes strayed. And we see the power of being left in the dark long enough to treasure light when it is given.² And we are also transformed by the miracles as they come.

The greatest message of the Book of Mormon is that Jesus Christ is the God of Israel and has visited His lost sheep³ to make it possible for there to be one fold and one shepherd in our day. This is why the whole thing deserves to be consumed from front to back. Joseph Smith's definitive remark on its importance to the man or woman of God is the best argument for this method: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”⁴

Topical Study

All of the scriptures are given by the Holy Ghost for the profit of God's children⁵. But the prophets did not write in a vacuum. They were aware of other scriptures that touched on the same topic and leveraged the same language.⁶ There is a coloring of meaning to be had by studying the various passages of scripture which contain similar themes. Looking at scriptures that have similar words or phrases can enhance our understanding. As we study the scriptures topically we gain the benefit of clarifications that have been made when one prophet has spoken about the words of another.

Random, Inspired Searching

Sometimes, when I am troubled by a particular idea, or when the world seems to come down on me especially hard, the most important thing I can do is open the scriptures at random and see what I can glean from them. I have been led to some of the most profound lessons by this method. I have also been led to scriptures that do not in fact exist on paper.

What I mean by this last statement is that I have read a scripture, imagining that it said something only to find when I returned to the place that the scripture was something else. When I was first coming to know of the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I asked for a Bible for my birthday. In it I found a scripture which said, fools fold their hands and pray. I had been taught to fold my hands when I prayed. So I suddenly thought this was wrong. When the Mormon missionaries came to teach me, they asked me to offer a prayer and I refused because I “knew” my way was wrong. When I saw them fold their arms and bow their heads as they had been taught as little children I knew that God had sent them to be my teachers, even though they were only two or three years older than I was. I later returned to the Bible to look at the words of Ecclesiastes again.⁷ It doesn't mention prayer at all in that spot. I was led to see or imagine something that would make me teachable in the presence of the missionaries. Great is the value of scriptures that are meant just for you.

Contextual Clarification

When we look at an isolated scripture, it is important to maintain an understanding of context. When we read a verse of scripture without looking at where it comes from we can sometimes infer a meaning that is not true.

Someone I respect once said in a Gospel Doctrine class that the use of a semicolon was equivalent to the use of the conjunction, “but.” This is wrong. A semicolon is intended to link two related statements to each other. For example, “The gauge read Empty; the gas had been totally consumed.”is a correct usage of the semicolon without the two statements conveying opposite meanings.

This fact becomes important in the case of a misinterpretation of scripture which has been perpetuated into an English translation which is newer than the King James Version. In Hebrews 1:1-2 we find Paul's preamble to his epistle to have been mangled in the name of clarification. The New International Version of the Bible quotes Paul thus:

1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,

2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.⁸

But the King James Version says:

1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;⁹

Notice that the phrase, “in the past”, has been moved to the beginning of the sentence so as to imply that all communication from God through prophets is over. Instead of being an example of how God works among His children, it becomes only a history lesson.

This is not Paul's intent. He is attempting to persuade Jews, not alienate them. He is including the Son in the list of prophets as the greatest of them.

Notice that the word “but” has been introduced at the beginning of the second verse. The first verse has been reworded so that “but” could be insinuated into the text and reinforce a difference between ancient prophets and Christ, Himself.

The conjunction “but” should be used only to join two contradictory phrases of equal weight. .It does not belong in Paul's statement because Christ is the greatest Prophet.

So what gripes me is that someone intending to do the world a favor and to simplify Paul's words has changed the meaning of the phrases and thereby reinforced a heresy.

The heresy is that God sends no more prophets.

Sanity prevails because context is a tool to understanding. Context can come from knowing the author, the overall topic, the audience, and the train of thought which precedes a particular statement.

Getting the Message

The most important lesson to be learned from the scriptures is that Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah of the Jews and that he is the son of God and the promised Savior of all mankind.¹⁰ All scripture worthy of the name contains some testimony to that fact. Christ, when speaking to the Jews, used the phrase which is the title of this article, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”¹¹

1 See 1 Nephi 11:25

2 See Alma 23:6

3 See 3 Nephi 15:21

4 See The Book of Mormon, Introduction, sixth paragraph.

5 See 2 Timothy 3:16

6 See Matthew 27:46 notice that Matthew quotes Christ while on the cross, but Christ is quoting Psalm 22:1

7 See Ecclesiastes 4:5

8 See the New International Version (NIV) of Hebrews 1:1-2

9 See King James Version (KJV) of Hebrews 1:1-2

10 See the Book of Mormon title page

11 See John 5:39

Sixteen Stones, White and Clear

This particular blog entry is about the way that our lives are led by God into paths that we would not normally follow. But we find great treasures through obedience and focused effort. I have personal experience which convinces me that what I am about to describe is true for everyone. But I will restrict my examples to those found in the scriptures. (It's that pearls and swine thing¹; no offense intended.)

The first example that I would like to refer to is, perhaps, the most obscure with respect to the point I wish to make. Esther is a true follower of the God of Abraham, living in the time of the Babylonian captivity of the tribe of Judah. And she has been selected to replace Vashti as queen to Ahasuerus. Her “uncle”² Mordecai, a minister to the king and also a Jew, refuses to bow to Haman, someone of greater rank³. Being offended, Haman hatches a plot to kill all Jews⁴, not realizing that the queen, Esther, is also a Jew⁵. At the point of crisis Mordecai tells Esther that she must approach the king and foil Haman's scheme⁶. But to come into the king's presence without being summoned means death, unless he is in a good mood.

Mordecai's argument, persuading Esther to act, is interesting because he knows that God will save His people. And now is Esther's time to choose to be an instrument in God's hands or leave it to some other method that the Lord might devise.

13 Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews.

14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?⁷

Mordecai was pointing out that Esther could neither go forward nor backward with respect to other options. Her circumstances required that she go not around but through the problem. Her answer to Mordecai was to have all the Jews in the vicinity of the palace to fast and pray for her for three days⁸: not that she could make up her mind, but that she might survive and succeed. And she concluded with this phrase, “... and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.”⁹ Esther did survive and pointed out to the king that Haman was up to no good¹⁰. Haman's plot was foiled. He died instead¹¹, and Esther was the savior of her people.

The Lord puts us in situations that test our faith. And these things happen more often than we might think. He tests not only the leaders of the people but the rest of us as well. Mordecai's phrase, “who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”¹² haunts us because it implies that we are not always aware when we are the person intended to act at a particular time. We often rely on our circumstances to guide what happens next.

For the second example, I would like to refer to the story of Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. My story begins with the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Daniel, as you will recall, is the one who interprets the dream¹³, and Nebuchadnezzar offers him a cabinet post as his reward¹⁴. Daniel then suggests that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego receive appointments under him as governors over the province of Babylon¹⁵. This is done, and within only a few scripture verses the crisis is upon them: will they bow to the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar has set up?¹⁶ The answer, of course, is no, meaning they are going into the “fiery furnace.” More importantly, their answer is, “God will save us, but if not, we still won't do it.”¹⁷ Yes, they are saved by a miracle, but more than that, it is the Lord, Himself, who visits with them in the furnace¹⁸. And I submit that they were set up to go down that path to their potential destruction so that the Lord, already knowing their faith in Him, could perform the miracle in front of everyone else. Most miracles are not so public.

The last of my examples is the source of the title of this entry. It is the story of the man known only as the brother of Jared, a name-reference which was probably easier for Moroni to engrave in the small space he had¹⁹. Jared's brother was named Mahonri, but their last name, Moriancumer was probably too much to write. He was the one who was commanded to build barges capable of crossing the great deep²⁰. And because they were “tight like a dish”²¹ he was forced to go back to the Lord for clarification on his instructions. These barges were so tight that no light nor air could get in²². And the Lord's answer left him with a problem to solve:

23And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: 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.

24For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth.

25And 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?²³

Notice that the Lord asks Mahonri what He should prepare for him. As Mahonri studied the problem he turned it around and asked himself what he should prepare for the Lord. The answer was a set of sixteen stones. There would be required, two, one for either end, for each of the eight barges. And these stones would have to be made from the best rock, melted out of quartz, or something like it. And these stones were white and clear²⁴. He took them before the Lord, knowing that a being who lives in glory can make other things glorious as well²⁵.

The Lord knew the outcome of this conversation would be that Mahonri, he of so great faith²⁶, would see His finger and be permitted to see so much more that we can't begin to fathom it²⁷. Knowing then, that Mahonri would seek the Lord's help in this way, He led Mahonri down this path to the point of being allowed to enter His presence.

Each of us is on such a path. We may not recognize it, but we are being nudged into pondering our own problem of getting more light in our barge. And we are being told that windows are out, and fire is out. And the only path that will solve our problem takes us straight into the arms of the Lord.

Do we come prepared for the meeting, or are we going to be empty-handed? Paul, no doubt because of his experience on the road to Damascus, described the sensation of being unprepared by saying, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”²⁸

Let us, therefor, study and pray and prepare for ourselves, sixteen stones, white and clear, that we may be ready when we reach the end of the path that leads us into the hands of the living God. May our experience bring understanding. . . and joy.

1 See Matthew 7:6

2 See Esther 2:5-7

3 See Esther 3:1-2

4 See Esther 3:5-13

5 See Esther 2:10

6 See Esther 4:7-8

7 Esther 4:13-14

8 See Esther 4:16

9 Esther 4:16

10 See Esther 5:2-3, 7-8; 7:1-6

11 See Esther 7:9-10

12 Esther 4:14

13 See Daniel 2, especially v. 27-28

14 See Daniel 2:48

15 See Daniel 2:49

16 See Daniel 3:1-6 (the next six verses)

17 See Daniel 3:12-18

18 See Daniel 3:25

19 See Mormon 8:5

20 See Ether 2:16

21 Ether 2:17

22 See Ether 2:18-22

23 Ether 2:23-25

24 See Ether 3:1

25 See Ether 3:4

26 See Ether 3:15

27 See Ether 3:25-27

28 Hebrews 10:31

Let Down Your Bucket Where You Are

The title of this blog entry comes from a story that is probably more than 100 years old. And I am not the first one to use it to illustrate a point¹, but it makes the point so well, and the application today is one that goes along with the hard times we face. We need the help that God will provide to anyone who asks. And I draw upon my own experience here to explain how it comes to us.

In God's plan for us, we are supposed to come to this Earth to make choices for ourselves², and when we choose well we are rewarded. If we fail to choose well the consequences of the choice hold full sway in our lives. But God's plan included that we should be taught right from wrong. This is a good starting place. And we all feel it in the power of our conscience. This is also called the Light of Christ³. If we go against the light we feel darkened. If we follow the subtle prompting to do good it leads us on to additional promptings.⁴

I have learned that the purpose of the Light of Christ is to bring us to an even stronger source of truth. That source is the power of the Holy Ghost. I would explain the difference between the Light of Christ and the power of the Holy Ghost as one of degree rather than kind. Instead of the nice feeling when I choose well, the reward of the Holy Ghost has been to be led in a particular direction, toward the source of all truth. That source, of course, is God.

More specifically, it is Jesus Christ who is that source⁵. And the Holy Ghost has born witness of Him to me. As I have come to understand, I've realized that this slow and steady progression is described in the scriptures. The Lord gives us “line upon line, here a little and there a little”⁶, until we come to the bright day of full understanding of God's purpose for us as individuals.⁷

And now the promised story. In the days of the great sailing ships there was a ship traveling in the south Atlantic when it was becalmed and began to drift. After many days the fresh water ration was running out, and there were fears that all aboard would die of thirst. Then the wind picked up, but they were far from shore. There was no land in sight. Soon another ship appeared on the horizon. Using their flags, the first ship signaled, “Water! Send water!” The reply came, “Let down your bucket.” The second request attempted to clarify, “Water. We need fresh water.” The signaled reply was the same. As they drew closer, the ship's captain called to his counterpart, begging for water. The reply from the bridge of the second ship was, “Let down your bucket where you are. You are in the current of the great Amazon river.”

The thirsty ship's crew had no way to know that they were floating in fresh water from the mouth of the Amazon river, and yet it was all around them. I have been in their case, figuratively. I have been surrounded by the whispering of the Light of Christ, and not recognizing it as His influence, I have been adrift in this life hoping that an answer would come over the horizon.

One day my own opportunity to get a clearer message came in the form of such a sighting on the horizon. My brother brought home a book I had never seen, The Book of Mormon. When I saw it the Holy Ghost whispered, “This is the thing you've been looking for.”

My life's experiences over the 40 years since that day have led me to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and to have the privilege to hear His whispering every day of my life that I keep myself in tune to the messages. My wife and I study the scriptures and feel the calming presence of the Spirit in the midst of our troubles. We are guided to do things for the benefit of others and for ourselves that solve life’s daily problems and answer life's mysteries.

I know that if am lost in these troubled times I can pray for help. And because of the influence of the Light of Christ and the power of the Holy Ghost I have been led to a point where I know that I can let down my bucket right where I am. These principles apply to each of God's children. And I am a witness that these things are true.

Let down your bucket where you are.

1 See A. Theodore Tuttle, “Come Drink the Living Water,” Ensign, May 1975, p. 90;

President Hugh B. Brown, Conference Report, October 1962, General Priesthood Meeting p. 85;

Elder Charles A. Callis, Conference Report, October 1931, Second Day—Morning Meeting p. 67.

2 See Abraham 3:24-25

3 See Moroni 7:17-19

4 See Doctrine and Covenants 50:23-24

5 See Doctrine and Covenants 6:21

6 Isaiah 28:10

7 See Doctrine and Covenants 88:63-68

Hope

I have spent some time pondering on the nature of Hope. We can say, "I hope a letter from my friend arrives today." But what do we mean by that? Sometimes we wish for a letter with little hope of hearing from the friend. At other times we say, "I hope the letter from my friend arrives today," implying that we know the letter is on its way, and we are expecting it at any time. The letter and a letter are two different things. A letter means any letter. The letter is the one that the friend has promised to send and that we trust has been put in the mail already. Hope, it turns out, really only applies to the letter. And Hope, with a capital h, has its foundation in a promise from someone we trust.

One of the inherent qualities of Hope is that it is forward looking. Its power is an anchor in future events. By definition the future is the yet unexperienced. But Hope transforms things of the future into things which are to be desired.

In Spanish the word for Hope, esperanza, is related to the verb, esperar, to hope. But esperar is also to wait. And so we have a coloring of the meaning of Hope as anchored on something worth waiting for. In contrast, the Spanish, desperado, is to be without Hope or to be desperate. And hopeless describes the state of those who have nothing to look forward to..

Now I venture into the scriptural. The Hope we are studying is that of the Christian believer.

In the scripture, Paul refers to three things of great importance, they are Faith, Hope and Charity. (see 1 Corinthians 13:13) And yet he mentions them in such a way that their relationship to each other is only implied.

Faith is well explained as the belief in the power of Christⁱ to deliver us from our sins and from the power of death. One cannot repent unless Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is already present. We must be able to trust that Jesus Christ as God has atoned for the sins of all mankind and created for us an opportunity to be reconciled to God, if this is our desire.

Charity is also well explained as the pure loveⁱⁱ of Christ, that which motivates God to extend mercy to his children. We must learn to serve our fellowmen and love them as God does in order to achieve the beginning of Charity.

Hope, in contrast, is not so well explained because it is simply mentioned as the middle of the three, a trio which Paul says "abide" together. The relationship between them seems to have an order of progression. First mentioned is always Faith. Then comes Hopeⁱⁱⁱ, and last comes Charity. Paul makes clear that the greatest of these is Charity.

Each of these things is an attainment of the mind of the believer in Christ. They seem to symbolize a progression of attitudes, like doors that we must pass through. Each of these doors is a symbol of our progress toward that transformation wherein we become like God^iv.

Faith is a gift^v given to the person who seeks to know God's will concerning him. Hope is then the gift which follows faith. It is the realization that if one can be returned to God then he must be looking forward to the day with a desire to be fully prepared, to live life here after the manner of happiness. And once his feet are on the path then the Hope blossoms into the final gift,Charity, by turning the man or woman of God outward to the problems of others and to serving them first.

What are the things for which the Christian hopes? What are the things promised? The promise is of a life after this one where we are brought before God^vi, our Father. And we are brought with all the treasures that we have gathered from this life. The first treasure is a body like His own. The next treasure is different for each person, but the Christian brings with him his Hope of a resurrection that is more than a body^vii. It would be a resurrection in glory like unto the glorious body of the Son^viii. The last treasure gathered in this life is the gift of Charity, a love of all God's children. Those who are "possessed of it"^ix at the last day are those whose joy is full. And their joy is full because they can rejoice in the happiness of their fellows as well as their own^x.

In conclusion, for us Christians, the promised letter is already in the mail. To have Hope is to look forward to the day that all our treasures are declared to be ours forever^xi. We wait for the arrival of a time when our body is like that of the Son, and that we are indeed like Him^xii, and that we love as He does. Thus abide Faith, Hope and Charity, these three.

i See Articles of Faith 4

ii See Moroni 7:47

iii See Moroni 7:42

iv See Moroni 7:48

v See 1 Corinthians 12:9

vi See Alma 40:21

vii See Doctrine and Covenants 42:45

viii See Philipippians 3:21

ix Moroni 7:48

x See 2 Nephi 9:18

xi See Helaman 3:30

xii See 1 John 3:2-3, also Moroni 7:47-48