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He Remembereth the Heathen

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Here’s a statement about Jesus Christ that has consistently resonated with me: “[The Lord] inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God…” (2 Nephi 26:33). What does this mean? First, it means that Jesus Christ is always inviting you to have a strong, personal connection with him--and will never turn you away when you try to get closer to him. That is true regardless of your race, gender, faith, or any other characteristic. It also means that whatever your personality, profession, or prominence in life, His love for you and enthusiasm to help you are never less than His love for and enthusiasm to help any other person that you know or can imagine. That is certainly true for those who are striving to follow Christ and come unto him. But what about the heathen? A common definition of the word “heathen” is “relating to people...
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Suffer the Little Children to Come unto Me

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  "Suffer the little children to come unto me.” One of the qualities I most admire in others (and strive for myself) is the ability to see something awkward, unlearned, or undeveloped in another person–and then to have the immediate instinct to love that person with a pure love, look past whatever might be imperfect, and let that person come close to learn, develop, and just be blessed. This quality is strongly evident in the following two-verse biblical story: “And they brought young children to [Jesus], that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:13-14). I greatly admire how Christ’s immediate reaction (different from the initial response of his disciples in this case) was not to worry about how spending time with children might tarnish his reputation–what other people thi...
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Advice for a Missionary in the Middle of a Mission

 A former MTC student whom I dearly love responded to an email, said that he was ten months out on his mission, and asked what advice I might have. After thinking for a minute, an answer clearly came to me. I wrote it up, and as I did so, I realized it applies so much to my life now and really to everyone, each day we are still here in mortality: I love your drive to work hard! The advice I would have given myself at 10 months (or really any time in the middle of the mission) is to not wait. In the back of my mind I had thoughts like, "Well, once I become a senior companion I'll start doing this" or "Once I get a new companion, then I'll really be able to work the way I want" or "Once I get transferred out of this dang area, then I'll start to teach more." Unfortunately, there's always going to be something less than ideal about your circumstances, and if you play this waiting game, it really holds you back from what you might have done. So...
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Embrace Your Position

  I wrote this as an email to all of the English-speaking missionaries I taught at the MTC from May 2022-April 2023. A couple of years ago, I was working as a Korean teacher at the MTC when my supervisor left. I actually was one of the people who had worked in the area the longest and my Korean was really, really good. In addition, I had really strong relationships with the other teachers. My supervisor who was leaving said he recommended me to his boss as a replacement and felt pretty sure I would do well. I thought for sure I would be chosen and I think a lot of the other teachers thought so as well, but the manager who was relatively new actually didn't even hold interviews and called another teacher and offered her the job. I was a little surprised, but I figured it just wasn't my time yet and was grateful to keep teaching. In the middle of last summer, the new supervisor also announced she was leaving. This time, they actually had a thorough interview process. At the time,...
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Sufficiently Retaining in Remembrance

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  Sometimes I get to the end of a church meeting or a scripture study session and don't feel like I learned anything profound. Even if I felt the Spirit, when I ask myself (or am asked) what I learned, I either can't remember (more likely) or realize that it was something I already knew (for example, "Trust in the Lord" or "Try to be like Jesus"). That often makes me wonder if I really got anything out of the experience. But today in my scripture study, something clicked for me. I read where Alma talks to a people who are struggling because they've forgotten what they used to feel and know about the gospel of Christ. As I thought about how hard it is to always remember God and what I can do better to "sufficiently retain in remembrance" the Lord and what he has done for me, I realized that much of the purpose of praying, studying the scriptures, actively participating in church meetings, and so forth is exactly this--to remember. While I may no...
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Wielding the Sword in Defense of Others

March 21, 2023   "The people having loved Nephi exceedingly, he having been a great protector for them, having wielded the sword of Laban in their defence, and having labored in all his days for their welfare" (Jacob 1:10). In the time of Nephi, one of the main threats to the people's welfare were the attacking Lamanites. These days, while physical assaults by our enemies are comparatively rare, many people are being attacked by forces such as depression, anxiety, loneliness, discouragement, perfectionism, comparison, self-criticism, heavy demands, unrealized hopes, physical challenges, life setbacks, the chains of sin, spiritual famines, and attacks on faith. While these forces and the damage they cause could make us sad or weigh us down, we can also choose to find joy in the opportunity they give us to labor for the welfare of others by running to their defense.
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"Trust no one to be your teacher... except he be a man of God" - Mosiah 23:14

I read this verse (Mosiah 23:14) today: "And also trust no one to be your teacher nor your minister, except he be a man of God, walking in his ways and keeping his commandments." As I thought about how to apply this, I realized that while I don't typically sign up for Sunday School with anti-Christs, I often allow the world and its opinions influence what I do. We might not think of Google or ChatGPT as people (yet), but everything we find there to some extent originates from men or women around the world, not all of whom are men and women of God, walking in his ways and keeping his commandments. After pondering this verse, I decided I want to examine my life and see if there is any place I am letting someone or something be my teacher that  probably shouldn't be.
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