Maintaining Our Spiritual Fences

If you're my friend on Facebook you might know that I've spent the last few days chasing our horse because she keeps getting out of our field. After she escaped the first time, we put her in a neighbor's pasture--80 acres of alfalfa--so she could graze while we figured out where she got out of our fence. She wasn't satisfied to stay in that pasture and has escaped to the highway posing a danger to herself and to traffic. I've had to chase her up and down said highway, halter her with a rope, and lead her back to the field. Not a safe experience for either of us.

Needless to say I've been frustrated and even told her after our last escapade that I was going to sell her to a glue factory. I still don't understand why an animal with access to acres and acres of alfalfa would escape to run up and down a highway with less than ideal feed. Unless it's because she wants to date that stallion across the street.

In any case, I've been thinking about our fences and how we need to keep them strong to not only keep the horse in, but to also keep predators out. (Update on our coyote problem: either the coyote has moved on, been shot somewhere else, or the donkey struck such fear in him that he never came back. Whatever the reason, he hasn't been back and the goats, for the moment, have been safe.)

I think this is a great parallel for our lives. We've been told to build our testimonies on a solid foundation (think "Wise Man vs. Foolish Man"). Once we build on that rock, we also need to erect fences. Strong fences. Fences that are meant to keep the good stuff in and the bad stuff out. We can keep those fences in good shape when we read our scriptures, say our prayers, and keep the commandments. When we forget to say our prayers one day, the fence sags a bit. If we continually forget, or even lose the habit of daily prayer, we may even leave a gate open. Once that gate is open, there's no telling what can wander in. Rebellion. Murmuring. Speaking ill of our leaders. Loss of faith. Even loss of testimony.

Obviously, leaving a gate open would mean possible, even certain, death to my horse or goats. So will an open gate in our own spiritual fence. We need to continually keep our fences strong and able to withstand that which wants to get through to harm us. With a strong fence, we can keep out pornography, worldly philosophies, and other tools created by Satan to damage our foundation. Satan not only wants to damage our foundation, he wants to destroy it. We can stop him from even getting to our foundation by maintaining our fence. Daily prayer. Daily scripture study. Family Home Evening. Attending meetings. Fulfilling our callings. Attending the temple.

Just as I will reinforce the fences around my property to protect my horse, I will continue to reinforce my spiritual fence to protect me and my family.

Peace

I have been accused of not knowing what makes people happy. I have been told that happiness is relative and what makes one person happy doesn’t necessarily make another happy. I absolutely believe that true happiness only comes through living the gospel and keeping the commandments. Over the course of my life (a very long one according to my children), I’ve learned a simple truth: keeping the commandments makes me happy and breaking the commandments makes me sad. I’ve experimented enough to know this is true.

For the sake of argument, let’s assume that happiness is relative. After all, Satan is the great imitator and perhaps he can mimic happiness so effectively that it’s difficult to discern that some “happy” feelings are actually coming from Satan in his attempt to mislead us.

How do we know if we’re truly happy or merely lulled into thinking so? Perhaps, we need to consider our happiness as it relates to peace. In 1 Nephi 20:22 it says, “ . . . there is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked.” I think that sums it up.
Peace cannot come to those who are breaking the commandments. Maybe they are “happy” in their own definition of the term, but peace escapes those who choose to defy God and his laws.

A difference exists between satisfaction/pleasure/enjoyment and joy/peace. Imagine an enormous hot fudge sundae. Several of your favorite ice cream scoops swim in decadent hot fudge topped with whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry. As each bite glides across your tongue and slides down your throat your pleasure and enjoyment increase.

Now compare that to walking into the temple. As soon as you enter the front door, you can feel the peace. Sitting in the celestial room, you feel wrapped in love. Joy washes over you like a gentle wave while a calm that’s hard to duplicate outside of the temple settles on you. Do you feel the same way you did when you ate the hot fudge sundae?

One brings you pleasure and satisfaction, both superficial feelings. The other brings you a deep, soul-satisfying, spirit-quenching peace—a feeling that Satan cannot duplicate.

I’ve been asked if I’m always happy. Truthfully, I’ve experienced trials in my life, as has everyone. And, yes, I felt sadness when my sister-in-law passed away from cancer last year. However, through all the trials, I have still felt peace. I have felt that though the grief was immeasurable at times I’d get through it because the peace of the gospel never left me.

So, perhaps, I am wrong in my assessment of what determines happiness, but I am certain I’m not wrong when it comes to feeling the kind of peace that only the Savior can give us. Not the peace of the world, but the peace of God. And with that peace comes a happiness that cannot be replicated by Satan or any other worldly source. It is a peace that ignites my spirit and lights my soul. It’s the peace that comes from the gospel and a peace that I strive to have in my life, even during times of trial. It is a peace that’s worth every effort to obtain.

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Smack that Camel's Nose

In my previous post, I wrote that we usually don’t commit a serious sin without having first invited Satan into our lives one step at a time—just like the camel in the story.

Satan is so subtle and tricky. He knows that if he presents the idea of committing sin all at once we’d see it for what it is and we wouldn’t succumb. He tempts and tantalizes us with seemingly small indiscretions until, sometimes before we even realize it, we are neck deep in transgression.

I know of a primary president and bishop who began sharing rides to leadership meetings. They visited on the way to the meetings and struck up a close friendship. Soon they were confiding in each other and finding reasons to spend time together. Eventually, they both left their families and ran off together. The first step, sharing a ride to leadership meetings seemed innocent enough. After all, they were doing their callings. But, Satan knows how to reach us if we let him. Letting down our guard, even for a moment, can result in disastrous consequences.

How can we smack that camel on the nose and tell him to get the heck out of our tent?

Pray

Prayer is our opportunity to converse with Heavenly Father. We can pour out our hearts, ask for strength to overcome our weaknesses, and listen for his promptings.
We are counseled in the scriptures to always have a prayer in our hearts. If we are consistently praying each day, at least morning and night, we will be sensitive to the Spirit and will be able to hear the still small voice when it warns us of spiritual, or even physical, danger.

Study the Scriptures

We have been blessed with prophets’ words and direct counsel from the Lord in the scriptures. For most of life’s problems, we can find answers in the scriptures. The more we read and study them, the more we’ll rely on them to solve our problems and comfort us through trials. Regular, consistent, daily scripture study will bring us closer to God and strengthen our testimonies.

People who fall away from the gospel usually begin by neglecting their daily prayers and eliminating scripture study. The combination of praying and scripture study will do more to keep us close to the Lord on a daily basis than anything else.

Keep the Commandments

Of course, consistently trying to keep the commandments will keep Satan at bay. It won’t stop his attempts to thwart us on our journey back to Heavenly Father, but it will give us the ability to see his attempts more clearly and the strength to shun his temptations.

Attend the Temple

When we take the time to attend the temple and participate in temple work for the deceased, we are performing a service that is closest to what the Savior has done for us. He took upon him our sins and brought about the atonement because none of us has the power to do that for ourselves. We needed him to be our Savior. It is the same with temple work. Those that have died do not have the ability or power to participate in these saving ordinances, they need someone, a savior, who can do for them what they cannot do for themselves.

The service that we render in the temple combined with the peace that the world cannot duplicate, will give us added strength to turn from Satan and follow the only path that leads to God and eternal happiness.

It may take some strong muscles to smack that camel, but when we’re empowered with prayer, scripture study, keeping the commandments, and temple attendance we’ll flex our spiritual muscles and send that camel flying every time he sticks his nose inside our tent.

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Beware Your Tent

A traveler set up a tent in the wilderness. He snuggled under his covers for his night’s sleep. The night became cold and his camel poked his nose into the tent. The owner asked the camel what he was doing and the camel replied that it was cold outside and if he could only put his nose inside the tent, he would warm up and then spend the rest of the night outside. The owner agreed to allow the camel to place his nose inside the tent because, after all, the camel’s request made sense and it was only his nose inside the tent. There was still plenty of room for the traveler.

Soon the camel asked, “I’m still cold. Could I please place my head inside your tent? I will warm up soon and then spend the rest of the night outside.” The traveler considered the request. He didn’t want his camel to be cold so, once again, he granted the camel’s wish because, after all, it was only his head and there was still room for the traveler inside the tent.

After several minutes, the camel said, “May I please place my front feet inside your tent? They are so cold out here. If only I can warm my feet for a few minutes, then I promise I will spend the rest of the night outside.”

The traveler thought about it. There would be less room in the tent, but it was cold and he believed the camel’s promise to spend the rest of the night outside as long as he could warm his feet. The traveler allowed the camel to place his feet inside the tent.

Not long after, the camel asked, “Can I take just a few steps inside? I’m sure I’ll warm up and then I’ll definitely spend the rest of the night outside.”
By now the traveler was feeling crowded inside the tent, but he consented to the camel’s request.

After 30 minutes, the camel took a few more steps inside the tent. Before the traveler realized it, the camel had entered completely inside the tent and the traveler’s only option was to go outside and leave the camel inside the tent. So the owner spent the night outside in the cold, filled with regret that he had allowed the camel to first place his nose inside the tent.

And so it is with Satan. He doesn’t jump into our lives, we allow him in step-by-step, bit-by-bit. No one wakes up and decides to commit adultery that very day. It starts with impure thoughts. If we fan those thoughts by accessing pornography or frequenting online chat rooms, more likely than not, we’ll next begin an improper relationship, until we finally commit adultery. If we have an impure thought and immediately thrust it from our mind, we’ll probably not follow the path that leads to infidelity.

Satan isn’t satisfied with just a few followers. He’s greedy, he wants all of us.
And, he’s been practicing his game for so long he’s extremely good at it. He can deceive us into thinking that good is evil and evil is good. He can trick us into justifying our behavior. He can, and will, lead us carefully down to hell before he abandons us to live with the consequences of our actions. It only starts with a nose inside the tent .

In my next post, I’ll discuss ways to smack that nose and get it out of our tents. Stay tuned . . . .

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Weeding Our Lives

The other day I was weeding my garden. Keep in mind, I live on almost 40 acres surrounded by farmers who raise much of their own food. My little, tiny speck of a garden is barely noticeable compared to my neighbors' gardens. Many women in my ward raise gardens big enough to feed our community. They raise all sorts of vegetables, melons, and herbs. Some even raise carrots into the late fall. And, of course they can and store all of it (but that's a different subject).



Me? Well, I'm happy if I get a couple of tomatoes by the end of the summer. I grew up in the middle of a city. My grandfather grew tomatoes, citrus trees, and a few fruit trees. His mandarin oranges ripened in December and I can still smell them. But, I didn't inherit any of those tendencies. In fact, I have a "black thumb." Don't believe me? Just check out my houseplants or what used to be houseplants.



As I was dutifully weeding my garden (I do determine every year that this will be the year I actually accomplish growing a real garden), I let my mind wander. It takes so much work and effort to keep a garden weeded. Even letting it go for a few days will allow weeds to reproduce at an astronomical rate. You don't have to do anything to encourage the weeds, you just have to do nothing.



In order to encourage the desirable plants to grow, you have to be diligent in making sure the plants receive nourishment on a regular basis. It can't be hit and miss or the plant will suffer and, in turn, so will the harvest. If you want to harvest a bountiful garden, you have to dedicate time and energy and never give in to the weeds, no matter how daunting the weeding task seems to be or how attractive the idea is of doing something, anything, other than weeding.



And so it is with our lives. If we do nothing, weeds will grow. Satan will wrap himself around us and gently guide us down his path. He doesn't necessarily require that we do anything, he usually requires us to do nothing, and in doing nothing, we lose our harvest. He makes the job seem so huge and impossible to accomplish and he tempts us with other, easier things to do. He's a master at what he does because he's been doing it for so long.



If we want to harvest a bountiful life, we have to diligently work hard to remove those weeds that choke us and take away our nutrients. We have to keep at it, day after day, week after week, year after year. It will take us a lifetime to see our harvest, but what a harvest it will be if we've invested the time and energy into making it what the Lord wants it to be.



Now get out there and weed your gardens!