It has been a month of poor weather, and superb lessons in church, most especially in Sunday School. I have had the privilege of teaching some of them. The material was sublime to begin with, and we seem to have been both moved and inspired by it in such a way that the comments from the class were really outstanding.

Because of where we are in the story of the Saviour’s life, we have a number of the finest parables, ones that we probably all know well, and therefore have given much thought, some prayer, and a consideration to the deeper layers of meaning.

In one lesson alone we had the parables of the talents, the wise and foolish virgins, and the separation of the sheep from the goats.

The wise and foolish virgins always made me wonder why the oil could not be shared. Surely that would have been the loving thing to do? But on closer reading of the story, with understanding that weddings then took place in the evening and although it is known when darkness will come, it is not known when the bridegroom’s party will pass by. This makes for a far better grasp of the reasons.

Imagine we are all waiting in the street for Him to come, and when He does, we will need our lamps to see the way to go with Him. Without oil we have no light. Spiritual understanding, wisdom of the soul, is something that when there is plenty of time we can do all we may to share with others, and to learn also from them.

But when the bridegroom’s party comes and there is no time left; it is too late. We have no supply but our own. In the time of judgement we are all alone, accountable for everything we have done, or failed to do, perhaps especially failed to do. Chances not taken. Now is the time for helping, and being helped.

Of course we spoke of all the ways in which we may gain more “oil” and share it with others — prayer, study, attendance at Sacrament and any other church meetings, all we can do to understand and obey the commandments. But we also touched on the faith to seek more, the practice of kindness, compassion, forgiveness, and many other qualities. No one knows when their own personal time will run out, and they will have to make the journey with whatever oil is in their lamps at that moment.

A sobering thought? Somewhere in Proverbs, I believe, there is a quote — “with all thy getting, get understanding.” A little quiet time for reflection, a little chance to put into action the resolutions, opportunities to practise the kindness thought of; the forgiveness decided upon, wished for; the generosity of thought and of word intended; and a little more gratitude expressed — and so on.

There is so much in the world that is beautiful to appreciate and thank God for, to use well, and to share. And there is so much that is hurt and needs healing, that is discouraged and needs praise and faith to strengthen, that is lost and needs a few signposts to find the way again. We have no need to wonder where chances are, only where to find the time to do all that there is without feeling swamped.

Harvesting Our Talents

The parable of the talents has always been one of my favourites. I’m not really sure why. I know of some people who read it to mean that the Lord takes from those who have little and gives it to those who already have much, a sort of taxing the poor to give to the rich.

It is nothing of the sort. It is the stating of a natural law that if you have a gift, an ability, and you bury it instead of using it, like any muscle, it will atrophy and after a while there will be nothing left of it. Lie in bed for six months, and then try to get up and run!

That is not God taking your strength; it is simply wasting away because you have ignored it.

I believe that every person who comes to the earth has at least one talent, and probably many, simply that we do not always recognize them. It does not have to be something spectacular, although it may be. And we should recognize that spectacular talents will almost certainly have required great sacrifice to nourish, and if the possessors had not been willing to pay, we would be unable to reap the joy of them, or the healing, or any other benefit there is.

How much poorer we should all be if there were no composers, no musicians, no scientists, no inventors, discoverers, creators of that which is beautiful, uplifting, healing or makes life easier, safer, better in any way.

Creation is not painless! Those who make anything new dig deep into their own souls to do it, and the cost is often high. For that gain other things may have to be set aside and gone without, at least for this life. But we are here to learn, to prosper, not merely to be comfortable, although we all need a little of that.

But there are talents of some sort within the reach of everyone, and they also may cost dearly before they are at their best. What of the talent to encourage, even when hurt yourself? The talent to believe and keep faith when life is at its darkest? To see the beauty in others and praise and nurture it? The talent to ease pain, to nourish the hungry and lonely and awkward?

One could fill pages with those gifts of the spirit that lie within reach for most of us, if we will make the effort, and it can cost time and emotion, the setting aside of your own needs. To play the piano brilliantly takes endless practice! So does the exercise of patience, generosity, courage, and other traits of character.

Of course there are times and seasons for different talents, according to the varying lives of different people. Some talents have to wait a long time before they can be paid the attention required to polish them to their best. One might begin when the greater part of life is already past. It is no less real if it has to mature slowly.

The only absolute is that it should not remain buried. That is damnation — “depart from me, thou wicked and slothful servant”!

But if it is confusing, if we do not know what talents we have, or could and should develop at any given time, there is always one who does. We need to get on our knees and ask God, perhaps many times. But He will tell us everything we need to know, even if not all we would like (that is a given). He wants us to succeed. He is not trying to trick us in the “fine point.”

How often is that the answer? Pray. If you are confused, uncertain, can’t find something or decide between courses, remember that God does know, and if it is right that you know, He will help. Sometimes we don’t need to know, other times we do.

Loving One Another

A later lesson was on loving one another, as Christ loves us. If we get that right, we will have just almost everything else in hand as well. But it is a large subject, and, like a thousand-mile journey, made up of a lot of steps. Set out, and take it a bit at a time. Thank goodness it is a walk, and not a swim! We won’t drown if we have to stop for a breather now and then.

I have thought a lot about what loving might be, in the sense that we can and should love everyone. We cannot know everyone, and certainly we can’t like even all those we do know. Let’s face it, some people are extraordinarily difficult and there seems to be no chance of real communication, and no common ground we can see. We misunderstand and mean different things with the same words.

But we can realistically aim to hope for them that they reach the full measure of their creation, achieve every good and beautiful thing possible for them. We may even have the chance to help them in that, even by so small a thing as a word of encouragement, an appreciation of a gift, something done well, even something endured with grace.

The smallest thing can turn the tide to run the other way. Then as we get to know them better, good feeling increases, other virtues become clearer. We may never find pleasure in their company, or we may! But we can genuinely wish them joy.

Which brings me easily to the third parable — one of the most moving of all to me, and one of the most frightening. “If ye did it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye did it unto Me.”

One needs to think of only the slightest thing — letting a door swing back in the face of an elderly person carrying bags — how would we feel if that person suddenly changed appearance and was Christ?

If on the other hand you had held the door open for her, smiled, and offered to carry something — then how would you feel?

A tiny example, but it makes me wish to be better, not to treat anyone at all in a way I would not like to look back on and own. It is so easy to be busy, tired, headachy, worried or frightened, any of a dozen things, and be less than we would afterwards think of with happiness.

It is a towering thought, to spread small seeds that could grow, just a smile, a word of thanks, the dignity of caring.

A Lesson from the Garden

Which brings me to another idea. This Saturday just past the current missionaries in the Branch came to visit me in the afternoon. We had a conversation I enjoyed profoundly, about many things, mostly as to what we would consider the basics of the gospel. I went back again and again to the Plan of Salvation. One of the missionaries began with “God is a loving Father.” You can’t improve on that! I should have it written in letters of light and fire somewhere that I can see whenever I look!

In enthusing about the Plan of Salvation, one of them remarked on how God had given Adam and Eve their choice in the Garden of Eden, which we now all take for granted. Then he mentioned the respect God had shown for them. He gave no command — “you will”, but said “you may choose — these are the consequences.” Even then He treated the innocent, unknowing couple with the dignity of people, children, not servants.

I had never looked at it quite that way before, and it amazed me. So many faiths teach that we are God’s creations rather than His children, infinitely beneath Him and destined to be so forever. They say that to think otherwise is to blaspheme.

But we know something infinitely more beautiful than that, glorious beyond compare, we are the children, not made but begotten in the spirit, and born of human man and woman in the flesh, with infinite possibilities. We are not treated with disdain but with dignity, and so should we treat each other.

How inconceivably arrogant to speak demeaningly to those whom God has treated as worthy of respect! That struck me with a power of goodness that I had never seen in quite that light before.

If we have been given this great gift, does it not require that we revere it, use it with care, hold it up for others to see and to share?

Lesson from Gethsemane

This Sunday the lesson was on Gethsemane. It was one of the best I can ever recall. So many of the class members exhibited profound and very enlightening and beautiful thoughts on the subject of Christ’s sacrifice, His nature and even such deep, deep subjects as our contribution to Christ’s agony then, and the possibility that every good or gentle thing we do now might in some way lessen that pain, even though to us it lies in the past. But then He suffered for our sin and loss, which for Him was in the future.

I don’t know if it can be true. Several people have seen the whole history of the world past and future — Moses, Enoch and the Brother of Jared that we know of. Time is clearly not as simply linear as our present grasp of it supposes. We are all foreordained to something, great or small, but no one is predestined.

God’s greatest gift to us is our agency, our ability to decide for ourselves. Even Christ could have chosen to escape Gethsemane, but He did not. We can choose whether to accept the blessing of the Atonement, or not. Perhaps we can choose to lessen the burden we place on Him individually, by an act of mercy or honour now.

Whether we can or not, I find I am greatly strengthened and more urgently driven to try. And anything that makes me better, not from fear of punishment or hope of reward, but simply because I want to be better, has to be right.

So it has been a good month.

I pray that you will all have a good year ahead, rich with understanding and hope.

                 

 

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