New Year's Resolution Tips

The other day a friend of mine asked me for advice in setting New Year’s goals. This post is what I wrote in response. I’m a big fan goals setting. I’ve done quite a bit of research on how to set and achieve goals. I thought my response might help other people, so here it is: Tips for setting New Year’s goals: 1) Before setting New Years goals, you have to clear yourself from all the baggage from the previous year. I went to a seminar about this years ago and found it very liberating. Write down a list of things you accomplished from 2016 and a list of things you wanted to have happen, but didn't accomplish. Also, write a list of people you need to thank for their love, commitment, and support as well as a list of people you need to forgive. If you can, communicate and express your gratitude or forgiveness to those individuals. I know this seems like an extra bunch of junk. But, I think that this is where a lot of people go wrong in setting New Year’s resolutions. They have so much baggage from the year before that they are carrying around, that it becomes a weight that keeps them from moving forward and creating the life they want. 2.) In order to create goals for the new year, you have to have a much bigger vision than the next few months. My favorite psalm is the one that says, "Without vision, people perish." Before I write my New Year’s goals, I write a vision of what the ideal life would look like ten years from now, five years from now, and one year from now. Dream big! I write my ten year, five year, and one year vision like a story that already happened. There's a scripture in the Book of Mormon that says, in summary, they lived as if Christ had already come. Therefore live as if your highest desires have already happened. I remember the first time I wrote long term visions for a New Year’s activity. I learned that the goals I was planning to set for the year were way off course from my bigger picture, and it helped me feel a greater sense of purpose in the goals I created for myself. 3.) Setting goals is more about the journey than it is about the outcome. Once again, don't be hesitant to dream big. I have been told you should be failing at about 50% of the goals you set. If not, you’re not stretching yourself enough. Goals are not about what you accomplish. It's about who you become along the way. I suggest writing goals the Stephen Covey way. I usual put my goals under 5 categories: physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual. I also write a character goal of an attribute I want to develop through the year. For example, compassion, faith, gratitude. Focusing on character growth helps me to feel accomplished in the goals I strive to achieve, regardless of the whether or not I achieve them. 4.) Before embarking a on new goal, it is important to analyze what sacrifices, risks, and challenges you might face when choosing that goal. I read an article most recently that counseled people instead of asking, “What do I want to achieve,” ask, “How much pain am I willing to suffer?” The sacrifice might come in terms of sleep, money, physical pain, or social/emotional risks. Stephen Covey calls this “counting the costs,” or in other words, analyzing the risks and challenges of setting goals to ensure it’s one you really want to set out to accomplish. Doing this helps me to stay in the zone of what I am capable and willing to accomplish, so that I am more likely to make my goals a reality. If you can say after counting the costs, “I want it,” then you are setting yourself up for success! 5.) Put your goals and visions somewhere where you can see them. I have a vision board in my room right next to my door. It's a quark board about 2'X4' that has pictures and slogans of the things I want to accomplish. As soon as I accomplish a goal, I take it down and replace it with a new goal. Some goals have been on there for years, like receiving master's degree or a picture of a couple with a list of qualities I want in the person I marry. Some only stay up for a month or two. I put the vision board next to my door because I can look at it every day and remind myself of who I want to become and what I hope to accomplish. I ask myself throughout the week, "What is one thing I can do today to help me work towards accomplishing one of the goals on my vision board?" Then, as I go through my day, I seek to accomplish that smaller goal. My vision board is my biggest helper at setting smaller daily goals and staying on coarse with the bigger picture of where I want to go and who I want to become. Well, that’s about it. Happy New Year! Thanks for reading!

The Parable of the Sower and Relationships

I've been studying the parable of the sower and relationships all week. I've written a little ditty about what I've learned. Humor me if you will. I know Heavenly Father gave this revelation to me because I needed it the most. But, I thought someone might benefit from it too. This comes from the Savior's parable of the sower and the seed as written in Luke Chapter 8. This is a long term scripture study that I had, where the spirit helped me to better understand building relationships--most in particular, dating relationships. The Sower and Relationships (Luke 8) 5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. (Luke 8:5) The wayside is a hardened, densely-packed, and crusted pathway that has been trodden upon by many people. I imagine that when our hearts feel like the wayside, we feel like soil, heavily packed with the feet of the world stomping on us, telling us that we aren't good enough or that we aren't lovable. Sometimes we can feel so downtrodden by "careless swine" (Matt 7:6) that when a seed of a potential relationship presents itself, our hearts and minds won't even allow the thought in. The wayside are those who have become "calloused" by negativity to the point that they do not "understand" who they are. In this particular condition, the relationship has no safe place in our hearts to take root and is immediately is taken away by Satan's minions (the fowls). Luke says "then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word (relationship) out of their hearts, lest they should believe (their true potential)." "He would never go for me. Why bother," is one statement I have been guilty of thinking when my heart has been hardened and crusted like the wayside (Luke 8:12). 6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. In this part of the parable, some seeds fell on "stony ground." Using our relationship analogy, we can see that these are those who initially receive the (relationship) with gladness, but when persecutions (i.e. trials in the relationship) arose, the seed, or relationship, withered because the heart of the person carrying for the relationship "lacked moisture." In relationships, hearts can have rocks such as fear, anxiety, pride, or an unwillingness to commit. This can create a condition in the hearts where it can become unemphatic, impatient, or blaming. In many cases, those who have "rocks" in their soil (hearts), will often blame the relationship itself as a "bad seed" for not taking root. These are the kinds of relationships that are superficially fertile, but on a deeper level, stony hearts are not able to create a lasting and abiding relationship. Even long term relationships can lose root if we are not careful to keep our hearts fertile. If we were to take this perspective on the sower of relationships to Elder Oaks talk on The Parable of the Sower, we would be wise not to have a "key hole" view of our relationships. A key hole view is when we look at a relationship from a very limited perspective. People with hearts in this condition, might be so fixated on what is ideal in a desired relationship that they miss the larger panoramic view that provides a myriad of possibility for any relationship (General Conference April 2014). 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. Note that just like the stony heart, the ground with thorns was a fertile soil. However, the seed was overgrown by weeds that crowded out more productive plants by depriving it of much needed water and nutrients. Christ says that the thorns that choked the seed/relationship were "the cares and riches and pleasures of this life." (Luke 8:`14) It isn't always easy to identify a thorny weed from a beautiful plant. Like roses, some planted thorns don't always look seemingly bad. It is easy to be distracted by what seems as good or better plant, instead of making room for the plant that matters most. When thinking of a plant being chocked out by other plants, I think of the story of Mary and Martha when the Savior went to visit their house. Martha was "encumbered about" by many good things that kept her from what was the "better part"--that is, her complete and undivided attention on the savior. Likewise, it would be easy to get carried away in unnecessary business, creating admirable talents, or having enough money to impress someone we hope to have a relationship with. But in doing so, we waist our valuable resource of time and energy (or our in the sower analogy, water and sunlight) forgetting that the better part would be to listen, love, and nurture the more important person (or plant) we are with. 8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. What creates a fertile ground? Honestly, I am still working on find that within my own heart. However, I know that as I turn to and rely on the atonement, that my heart has become more and more fertile. Alma 32 gives greater insight as to what we can do to nurture and grow a good seed once we have found one. In verse 41 we read, "But if ye will nourish the (relationship)....as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it will take root." Alma mentions faith, diligence, and patience 3 times in verses 41-43 as the means of being successful at nourishing a new plant. It takes faith in Jesus Christ to take out the unwanted stones in our hearts. It takes patience as we allow Him to turn over the soil of a crusted, downtrodden heart to become fertile. It takes turning to Him on a daily, diligent basis so that he can help us identify and weed out what is good but unnecessary in our daily lives in order to make room for the seeds that matter most. As it says in Alma 34:43 "Ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience...waiting for the tree to bring forth the fruit unto you." Moreover it is important to realize the crucial role that humility plays in changing the condition of our hearts. In Alma 32, Alma rejoices over the "penitent" hearts of the poor (Alma 32:7) He writes, "It is well that ye are cast out of your synagogues that ye may be humble, and that ye may learn wisdom." (32:12) Turning over soil, pulling out rocks embedded deep in our hearts, and weeding out amusing yet unimportant plants can be painful and difficult to do. I think that is one of the reasons Alma says blessed is he that believeth" and changes their hearts "without stubbornness of heart, yea, without being...compelled" to change. It is only when we are humble enough to see and recognize that our lot lacks the fruit of a bounteous or desirable relationship that we will be willing to change the condition or soil of our hearts. One last insight in this analogy as pertaining to the attitude of the sower. The sower was not particular about where the seeds were planted. He or she didn't try to predict in advance the conditions of the soil before the seed was planted. The sower was merely trying to do his part in spreading what seeds she/he had to all. I think of some of the greatest love stories in the Bible--Rebekah and Isaac, Ruth and Boaz, Esther and the king---all these women married great men while trying to sow seeds of goodness to all they met. Ruth wasn't looking for Boaz, she was trying to find food for her mother-in-law. Rebekah wasn't looking for Isaac, she was simply helping a thirsty traveler. As a sower of relationships, it would be wise to spend our efforts with the same mentality, that is, to sow good relationships to all we come in contact with and let their hearts, not ours, be the determining factor of a good relationship.

The Parable of the Sower and Relationships

I've been studying the parable of the sower and relationships all week. I've written a little ditty about what I've learned. Humor me if you will. I know Heavenly Father gave this revelation to me because I needed it the most. But, I thought someone might benefit from it too. This comes from the Parable of the Sower and the seed as written in Luke Chapter 8. This is a long term scripture study that I had, where the spirit helped me to better understand building relationships--most in particular, dating relationships. The Sower and Relationships (Luke 8) 5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. (Luke 8:5) The wayside is a hardened, densely-packed, and crusted pathway that has been trodden upon by many people. I imagine that when our hearts feel like the wayside, we feel like soil, heavily packed with the feet of the world stomping on us, telling us that we aren't good enough or that we aren't lovable. Sometimes we can feel so downtrodden by "careless swine" (Matt 7:6) that when a seed of a potential relationship presents itself, our hearts and minds won't even allow the thought in. The wayside are those who have become "calloused" by negativity to the point that they do not "understand" who they are. In this particular condition, the relationship has no safe place in our hearts to take root and is immediately is taken away by Satan's minions (the fowls). Luke says "then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word (relationship) out of their hearts, lest they should believe (their true potential)." "He would never go for me. Why bother," is one statement I have been guilty of thinking when my heart has been hardened and crusted like the wayside (Luke 8:12). 6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. In this part of the parable, some seeds fell on "stony ground." Using our relationship analogy, we can see that these are those who initially receive the (relationship) with gladness, but when persecutions (i.e. trials in the relationship) arose, the seed, or relationship, withered because the heart of the person carrying for the relationship "lacked moisture." In relationships, hearts can have rocks such as fear, anxiety, pride, or an unwillingness to commit. This can create a condition in the hearts where it can become unemphatic, impatient, or blaming. In many cases, those who have "rocks" in their soil (hearts), will often blame the relationship itself as a "bad seed" for not taking root. These are the kinds of relationships that are superficially fertile, but on a deeper level, stony hearts are not able to create a lasting and abiding relationship. Even long term relationships can lose root if we are not careful to keep our hearts fertile. If we were to take this perspective on the sower of relationships to Elder Oaks talk on The Parable of the Sower, we would be wise not to have a "key hole" view of our relationships. A key hole view is when we look at a relationship from a very limited perspective. People with hearts in this condition, might be so fixated on what is ideal in a desired relationship that they miss the larger panoramic view that provides a myriad of possibility for any relationship (General Conference April 2014). 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. Note that just like the stony heart, the ground with thorns was a fertile soil. However, the seed was overgrown by weeds that crowded out more productive plants by depriving it of much needed water and nutrients. Christ says that the thorns that choked the seed/relationship were "the cares and riches and pleasures of this life." (Luke 8:`14) It isn't always easy to identify a thorny weed from a beautiful plant. Like roses, some planted thorns don't always look seemingly bad. It is easy to be distracted by what seems as good or better plant, instead of making room for the plant that matters most. When thinking of a plant being chocked out by other plants, I think of the story of Mary and Martha when the Savior went to visit their house. Martha was "encumbered about" by many good things that kept her from what was the "better part"--that is, her complete and undivided attention on the savior. Likewise, it would be easy to get carried away in unnecessary business, creating admirable talents, or having enough money to impress someone we hope to have a relationship with. But in doing so, we waist our valuable resource of time and energy (or our in the sower analogy, water and sunlight) forgetting that the better part would be to listen, love, and nurture the more important person (or plant) we are with. 8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. What creates a fertile ground? Honestly, I am still working on find that within my own heart. However, I know that as I turn to and rely on the atonement, that my heart has become more and more fertile. Alma 32 gives greater insight as to what we can do to nurture and grow a good seed once we have found one. In verse 41 we read, "But if ye will nourish the (relationship)....as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it will take root." Alma mentions faith, diligence, and patience 3 times in verses 41-43 as the means of being successful at nourishing a new plant. It takes faith in Jesus Christ to take out the unwanted stones in our hearts. It takes patience as we allow Him to turn over the soil of a crusted, downtrodden heart to become fertile. It takes turning to Him on a daily, diligent basis so that he can help us identify and weed out what is good but unnecessary in our daily lives in order to make room for the seeds that matter most. As it says in Alma 34:43 "Ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience...waiting for the tree to bring forth the fruit unto you." Moreover it is important to realize the crucial role that humility plays in changing the condition of our hearts. In Alma 32, Alma rejoices over the "penitent" hearts of the poor (Alma 32:7) He writes, "It is well that ye are cast out of your synagogues that ye may be humble, and that ye may learn wisdom." (32:12) Turning over soil, pulling out rocks embedded deep in our hearts, and weeding out amusing yet unimportant plants can be painful and difficult to do. I think that is one of the reasons Alma says blessed is he that believeth" and changes their hearts "without stubbornness of heart, yea, without being...compelled" to change. It is only when we are humble enough to see and recognize that our lot lacks the fruit of a bounteous or desirable relationship that we will be willing to change the condition or soil of our hearts. One last insight in this analogy as pertaining to the attitude of the sower. The sower was not particular about where the seeds were planted. He or she didn't try to predict in advance the conditions of the soil before the seed was planted. The sower was merely trying to do his part in spreading what seeds she/he had to all. I think of some of the greatest love stories in the Bible--Rebekah and Isaac, Ruth and Boaz, Esther and the king---all these women married great men while trying to sow seeds of goodness to all they met. Ruth wasn't looking for Boaz, she was trying to find food for her mother-in-law. Rebekah wasn't looking for Isaac, she was simply helping a thirsty traveler. As a sower of relationships, it would be wise to spend our efforts with the same mentality, that is, to sow good relationships to all we come in contact with and let their hearts, not ours, be the determining factor of a good relationship.

You are worth more than you think

I am writing this in response to a friend's request. I shared the story with her last night, and she asked me to write it down. So here it is: It is amazing how trials can work together for our good when we turn to God, to the point that we might even say we would not want to go on in our lives without having experienced that trial. I went through a trial such as one of these while I was in school studying classical vocal music at BYU Idaho. Midway through my Junior year, I started experiencing trouble singing. I was misdiagnosed with a reflux disease called GERD. It wasn't until five years after this trial that I found out that I had a thyroid problem. Needless to say, I remember the trial became very emotional for me. Every day I would wake up in the morning and not know whether I would be able to sing or perform that night. I was constantly worried about refluxing what I ate onto my vocal chords, and despite a rigorous diet, medication, and numerous doctor visits, nothing seemed to get better. In a desperate attempt to save my failing voice, one doctor suggested for me to go on complete vocal rest for two weeks. Complete vocal rest meant that I could not talk at all to anyone for 14 days. Being as social as I am, not talking for two weeks was quite a feat. At the same time going on complete vocal rest taught me a lifelong lesson that I would never want to go on in my life without knowing. Not speaking at all for two weeks was like experiencing what life would be like without me in it. I felt like I was having a first-hand account of the movie "It's a Wonderful Life". I remember being in Sunday school and a person in the class asked a question that I knew the answer to. The teacher responded, "I don't know. Does anyone here know the answer to this question?" Being the active participator that I usually am, I wanted so badly to break the pregnant pause. But, no one answered the question, and the class moved on without knowing. I recall another day having dinner with a group of friends. By not participating and just listening, I felt like a flie on the wall watching what a conversation would be like with my friends if I wasn't there. I felt a void, knowing what I would say or how I would contribute to the conversation. A few days later I saw friend walking down the hallway in the music building. She looked very distraught. I remember wanting so badly to be able to reach out to her, but knowing that I had no way of giving her the words that would help her. This experience completely change the way I saw myself and the world around me. After two weeks of complete vocal rest, I realize that I, Holly Banfield, didn't need any other bells or whistles or talents to be of great value to those around me. I realized that I could deeply impact and uplift those around me, just by being me. Unfortunately, it was only days after I went off of vocal rest, that my voice began having issues again worse than what I had before. About a month later, the university was holding an audition for the upcoming opera. I was told by my voice teacher that I had a good chance at taking the lead,and that the director was already considering me as a candidate. A couple days later, I felt a very strong prompting that I needed to tell the director that although I wanted to be in the opera, I probably will need to be considered for a smaller role. I followed the impression, spoke to the opera conductor and then came back to my apartment to read my scriptures in order to find comfort in what I had done. As soon as I opened up the Scriptures and found myself reading D&C 18:10, "remember The word souls is great in the sight of God." I had read that scripture countless times, and even memorized it in seminary. But, that day, more than ever before, I felt as if heavenly father were saying that MY soul was of great worth in His sight. I began to cry. I felt as if so much of my life has been spent focusing mh worth on what was unimportant, as if my ladder had been leaning against the wrong wall. I felt a peaceful voice enter my mind and heart saying "and the more you turn to me the more you will know how I see you." Turning to the Lord didn't take away my trial, but it did bring me peace and lead me on the path that God wanted me to go. Fortunately, during the same time that these trials were going on, I was also teaching a Freshman music class, and assistant conducting the Women's Choir. I was amazed that every time I got done teaching, I would feel a great sense of joy and the spirit and I began to realize that Heavenly Father wanted me to pursue teaching music. I've been teaching now for six years, and I thank Heavenly Father for blessing my trials to work for my good. I love my students! And I love feeling that I am making a difference in their lives every day. Knowing and feeling Heavebly Father's worth for me allows me to be able to feel God's love and worth for his children. I feel joy in knowing that I can help his children feel of great worth by teaching them music. Years have passed since the struggles that I had singing at BYU Idaho, and many other trials have come and gone since then. But, the life long lesson I gained from my struggles to sing have given me confidence in God's love for me, my individual worth, and a confidence that every trial can become worthwhile by turning to the Lord.

Daily Bread

John 6:51 "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever:  and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." 

Three years ago, I came across this scripture during a hard time in my life.  It was the perfect scripture for me, because it taught me that God will always give me my daily bread.  In other words, he will always give me what I need to be happy and enjoy the day.  It is humbling to realize that during one of the hardest times of my life, I  learned how to wake up every day and exclaim, “God has given me everything I need to be happy today,”  and live to count the blessings and multitude of tender mercies that came in my life that day. 

Today, I was reminded of this scripture and that precious time in my life.  Maybe life still isn’t where I’d like it to be, but life is still happy, beautiful, and wonderful where it is.  It reminds me of some advice that a fellow educator and mentor, Jon Linford, once counseled me.  In regards to teaching students to sing, he said, “Always be pleased, never satisfied.” In other words, always be pleased with where your students are right now, but never satisfied that they have reached the best they possibly can become. 

Today, as I read this scripture, I realized that advice could be applied to life in general.  “Always pleased, never satisfied.”   I can always be pleased with what God has given me today, but that doesn't mean I have to ever be satisfied that this is as good as it's going to get.  With God, there is always hope of better things to come tomorrow.   (Heb 9:11)

"Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we  be clothed?...But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."  (Matt 6:31, 33)

It’s Sunday, and I’m excited to make it the best day ever!  Why?  Because, it’s today! J

Yada Part II: Dwelling with God

This was a talk I gave in Stake Conference a week ago.  A sister asked if she could have a copy, so I said I would put on my blog.  It actually goes very much in tandem with my last post about knowing God. 

Nearly 2000 years ago our Lord and Savior was crucified for the sins of the world.  The events preceding His crucifixion were both troubling and telling to both believers and non believers in Jerusalem.  There were many prophetic signs given, including thick darkness, earthquakes, the dead rising from their graves and appearing to others.  Among these signs we also read that the “veil of the temple was rent and twain from the top to the bottom”

Why was the veil “rent and twain” after the crucifixion of our Savior?

There are many ways to interpret this symbol.   But before I answer that question, I’d like to look back a few thousand more years to why the veil was put up in the temple in the first place--Back to the time when Moses led the people out of the land of Egypt. 

Shortly after Moses led the Israelites across the red sea and out of the grasp of the Egyptians, they came to the wilderness of Mount Sinai and pitched their tents.  There, the Lord spoke to Moses and told him to prepare his people for the Lord to come down and dwell with them.

Exodus 19:10-11 reads:

                “And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes,

“And be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.”

So, Moses went up to Mount Sinai for the first time and during this visit received the 10 commandments as well as other important instruction for his people.  As Moses came down from the mount, I’m sure he was predicting the people to be waiting with eager haste for the Lord to come and dwell with them.  Contrastingly, Moses was more than just surprised at the reaction he got from his people.  Exodus reads:

“And all the people saw the thundering, and the lightenings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.” (Exodus 20:18)

Then, Moses had a very different from expected conversation with his people.  It was as if the people said, “Um, Moses, we really appreciate the invite.  But we’d rather not see God right now.  We don’t think we’re ready for such a commitment.  We’d rather have God tell you and you can tell us what to do.” (Exodus 20:19-20)

So, Moses, after teaching the people what he learned from the first time visiting Mount Sinai, went a second time to speak with God.  There, Moses was instructed to build a tabernacle (Exodus 25-26).  The tabernacle was formatted so that the Israelites could be in the common area, the priests could come into what was called “the Holy place.”  But, between the “Holy place” and the “Holy of Holies” the place where God could dwell), were seven veils.   These seven separated man from God’s dwelling place, a place where only one priest could pass through, once a year, on the Day of Atonement. 

After Moses’ instruction, Moses went down from the mount a second time.  Startling, he found the very people who had the opportunity to dwell with God and worship him, chose instead to create their own idols of worship.   I’d like to note that so often in the scriptures we can see the pattern that people usually succumb to temptation only after their refusing an invitation to come unto, love, and know God.  So it was with the people of Israel, so it is with us.  Especially in these last days, when we choose not to stand in Holy places, by default we end up standing in Babylon.    

So, let’s go back to my original question, “Why was the veil rent and twain after the crucifixion?”

When Christ came to earth in his mortal body, he did everything He could to show us how much he loved us and wanted to dwell with us, even the point of bruising his body, tearing his own flesh, and bleeding from every pore.   It is no wonder that one of the first things that Christ did after his crucifixion and atonement was to rent the veil separating him from his people.  God wanted to dwell with his people.   His gospel was never meant to reach out to a select elitists on special occasions.   He wanted his people to understand his desire to do away with the lesser law therefore, He rent the veil symbolizing the separation from his people.

So, here we are now, in the fullness of times.  Never has there been a greater outpouring of the spirit as we know now.  We have access to all the revelations, covenants, and keys that we need to overcome Satan and enter into the presence of god.  Temples are dotting the earth to prove that God can dwell with man today, and all are invited to prepare themselves to come and dwell in His holy house. 

But we, like the Israelites, have a choice.  God is beckoning to us.  He wants to dwell with us.  He wants to be with us.  There is no question about it.  The question is do we want to dwell with him?  Or, do we choose to be more like the children of Israel, who would rather waste away our time with the modern gods and the vain imaginations put in front of us through social media and worldly pleasures and pursuits?  The choice is up to us. 

Nephi describes God’s desire for us to come unto him so eloquently:

“Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his salvation?  Behold I say unto you Nay; but he hath given it free for all men; and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to come to repentance. 

                “Behold hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness?  Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden.”

I’d like to end with promise made during the construction of the Kirtland temple given to all those who seek the Lord.  It reads,

D&C 93:1 “Verily thus saith the Lord:  It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am”

God loves us, knows us, and wants us to dwell with him.  Let us accept his invitation that he gives to come unto him by attending the temple often. 

Those blessings to see his face and to know him personally are for us now.  It was not meant for just prophets and apostles or other elitists.  We don’t need to worship God from afar off.  If we prepare and go to the temple and make sacred covenants we can dwell with God now.     

Yada: Knowing God

For the past few months I have been asking myself more intently than ever before, how do I come to know Christ?  I mean, really know him.  My quest for an answer put me on a path that led to a profound paradigm shift in my personal life. That journey began with one small verse in the book of Moses.

“…And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord; wherefore he may not reject his words.  But behold, Cain hearkened not, saying:  Who is the Lord that I should know him?” (Moses 5:16 Italics added)

For some reason while reading this verse, the words knew and know seemed to jump out of the page, and I felt impressed that I really did not understand the meaning of the verb to know as written in this verse.  So, I decided to do some research.  I found that the word “know” translates into the Hebrew verb, Yada.  This Hebrew verb is familiar in our every day conversation, such as when we say “Yada, yada, yada” to gloss over information or to skip to the main point.  (Yada Drop, A ohio Columbus Drupal Development Co., 2014)  However, the word Yada in Hebrew has a much deeper meaning. 

David J. Whittiker, a professor at BYU, expounded on the word yada in this way:

Yada. Ancient Israel claimed a divine relationship identified as a covenant between the people and God. This covenant relationship, making Israel separate from her neighbors, demanded that ancient Israelites have yada for their God, as he had for them. The Hebrew verb yada (or da’ath) is usually translated “to know” or “to be acquainted with.” But the covenant context adds both a mental and an emotional act. In Genesis 4:1, “Adam yada Eve” (King James: “Adam knew Eve his wife”); that is, in their covenant relationship they had mutual obligations and mutual concerns [Gen. 4:1]. Adam acted out of concern, inner engagement, dedication, and affection for Eve. The relationship summed up as yada was more than just physical….Yada describes the covenant relationship of mutual obligation and concern between God and Israel, his people.  (A Covenant People:  Old Testament Light on Modern Covenants.  Ensign August 1980)

In this definition of Yada, to know is something we use to describe a covenant or mutual obligation. Knowing someone requires concern, inner engagement, dedication, and affection.

 

One author described Yada in these three ways:

1.      Yada is engaging ourselves in such a way that we are investing ourselves with our love and affection. 

2.      Yada is understanding the needs of those around us and taking care of them.

3.      Yada is faithfully living out our covenant relationship with the LORD in every area of our lives. 

(Yada Drop, A Ohio Columbus Drupal Development Co., 2014) 

In our relationship with God, Yada is both empowering and humbling because it puts the obligation of knowing on the person who wants to know.  For example, if we look back on Cain’s statement, “Who is the Lord that I should know him,” it is not one of doubt, but of rebellion. Cain was not saying who is God that he would ever make himself known to me, or offer information about himself to me, but who is God that I should engage my love and affection in knowing him?  Who is God that I should enter a covenant relationship with him?   Looking down the road of Cain’s life, it wasn’t Cain’s decision to love Satan more than God that caused all the problems, but Cain’s decision first not to know, yada, God that created the domino effect leading to his perdition.  By default, Cain’s original choice not to love God led him to the choice to love Satan, and the story goes on from there. 

Learning this definition of Yada led to a long, deep investigation of what it really means to know God.  Or, in other words, what it really means to dedicate and connect with God by showing Him my love and affection.  I started looking up several scriptures and cross references to find deeper meanings for the scriptures that reference the word “know.”  Here are some examples:

John 17:3  “And this is life eternal that they might know (Yada) thee the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent.”

Hosea 2:20  “I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know (yada) the Lord.”

Mosiah 5:15 “For how knoweth (yada) a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and far from the thoughts and intents of his heart? “  How can we know God unless we are willing in a sense understand and take care of his needs by serving and taking care of the needs of those around us.  Or as it says in Matthew 25:40 “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

Alma 10:5-6 (In this scripture, Almulek is baring testimony about his personal conversion).  “Nevertheless after all this, I never have known much of the ways of the Lord, and his mysteries and marvelous power.  I said never had known much of these things; but behold, I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and marvelous power; yea, even in the preservation of the lives of this people. 

Neverthe less, I did harden my heart,…therefore, I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know (yada).”   

I’d like to stop and look particularly at Mosiah 26:26-28.  Here an angel is prophesying of the last days.  In verse 25, the angel prophecies about the second trump, referring to the resurrection for telestial candidates or “those who received not the gospel of Christ neither the testimony of Jesus” (D&C 76:82).  In Mosiah, the angel, speaking for Christ says,

“And then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, that I am their Redeemer; but they would not be redeemed.  And then I will confess unto them that I never knew them; and they shall depart into everlasting fire….Therefore I say unto you, that he that will not hear my voice, the same shall not receive into my church, for him I will not receive at the last day.”

This scripture holds a very different idea of the word “To know,” because it is Christ who says, I never knew them.  But, why would God say, “I never knew you?” 

Here is how I see it:

In a relationship, who has the greatest control over the success of the relationship?  It is the person who chooses to love the least.  In a relationship, who provides the greatest potential?  It is the person who chooses to love the most. 

In my relationship with God, who is always the person who loves the least?  It is me.  Therefore, who is in control of the relationship?  It is me.  In our relationship with God, who is always the person who loves the most?  It is God.  Therefore who always offers the greatest potential in the relationship? It is God.

I am the one who is in control of my relationship with God.  It is my choice whether I will turn to Him, know Him, and love Him, or turn away.  However, all to often, I seek to control my relationship with God by choosing to love less.  I do this when I choose not to submit my will to His.  I do this when I refuse to be vulnerable before the Lord, in fear of receiving more than I can bear.  I choose this when my pride and feelings of entitlement withhold me from loving God, because I feel that I deserve more than he has already offered.  And, by living in control, I end up with darkness, misery, and loneliness.  How selfish!  How foolish!

What I refuse to see in those moments is that when I give myself to God by giving up my control, and allowing the full potential of our relationship, I end up finding peace and happiness beyond all degree.  By sacrificing on the altar my broken heart and contrite spirit, I allow my relationship to become everything He would have it be: with powers, dominions, kingdoms and riches of eternity beyond what I can fathom.   How great is my God!

In the context of sacrifice, I’d like to end by contrasting the most recent scripture we discussed in Mosiah with the words of a humble convert spoken of in Alma to help us to understand better how we can come to know God personally and intimately.  Here the great King of the Lamanites asks Aaron what he must do to know God, to feel God’s love, and enter into his rest in the eternities.  Aaron explains that the king must bow before God and ask for forgiveness of his sins.  Note that what the Aaron’s instruction was the sacrifice of his heart.  He had to be willing to lay on the alter so to speak all of his sins, short comings, covetings and imperfections.  (As an aside, contrast this to what happened with Cain and his unwillingness to offer an acceptable sacrifice to the Lord.)

       

Then without hesitation the King drops to his knees and prays, “if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give up all my sins to know (yada) thee.” (Alma 22:17)  In essence, here the king was saying that he was willing to give up or sacrifice all that he had to enter a covenant with God. He had no desire for control or to love less, he wanted God’s full potential and fulfillment.  His desire to covenant with God outweighed any self righteousness, entitlement or lack of vulnerability.  He wanted to know God and he was willing to give everything to enter into that covenant, even his deepest sins. 

Sacrifice is one of the greatest ways we can come to know God personally and intimately.  We can do this by sacrificing our time each day to pray, read our scriptures, or serve in the Church.  We sacrifice when we choose to let go of unkind or unforgiving feelings towards others.  We sacrifice and thus mold our hearts to become more like Christ’s every time we sacrifice the one thing we that is really ours to offer him:  Our will. 

It is my hope that each day I can become more like the King of the Lamanites.  That I can drop to my knees each day and pray each day with a willingness to give all that I have to know Him, and then get on my feet and do all that I can to serve him.  I know that as I come to know God that I will receive the same reward that the King of the Lamanites sought, “even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come.” (D&C 59:23)