He Kept His Promise - Go, Do, and Keep His Commandments

In 1 Nephi 17:50, Nephi told to his brothers that if God were to command him to do all things, he could do them. Nephi declared the following: “If he should command me that I should say unto this water, be thou earth, it should be earth; and if I should say it, it would be done.”

God had commanded Nephi to build a ship, which his brothers doubted in his ability to do and were unwilling to help with the labor toward such. In verse 51, Nephi profoundly asked them, “[…]if the Lord has such great power, and has wrought so many miracles among the children of men, how is it that he cannot instruct me, that I should build a ship?”

Perhaps we should start questioning ourselves similarly when we come upon life’s various happenings.

If the Lord has such great power, and has wrought so many miracles among the children of men, how is it that He cannot strengthen me, that I should withstand this trial? How is it that He cannot guide me, that I should find what I am seeking? How is it that He cannot heal my heart, that I might love once more?

Knowing the power of God, one answer we can turn to for every inquiry comes from Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

1 Nephi 3:7 offers another answer we can draw strength from - Nephi testified that “[…]the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.”

Reyna I. Aburto, Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, spoke in October 2019 General Conference (find her talk HERE). She discussed struggles that are very real for many people (more than most realize), life circumstances which bring folks to the edge of their tolerance limits, and how the refiner’s fire has great potential to make us better people. Addressing those of us who are struggling or supporting someone who is struggling, Sister Aburto reminded us that we need to have The Spirit with us always, and in order to ensure that, we need to follow God’s commandments. She echoes something I touched on in an earlier blog post, that it’s the small and simple things we do “that will give us spiritual strength.”

Sister Aburto then addressed the fact that Christ came here to earth in a mortal state and took upon himself every ailment, burden, challenge, trial, pain, loss, etc. that all humankind had and would be faced with. He did this so that He could know and understand how to help, comfort, heal, and guide us through this mortal experience. This very topic is something that I was again reminded of recently by the instructor of my religion course this semester, Brother Jeffrey Coleman (highly recommended if you’re taking online classes through BYU-Idaho).

Brother Coleman shared a passage with me from a book I read years ago by Chieko N. Okazaki called, “Lighten Up! Finding Real Joy in Life” (p. 175). The message shared was wonderfully timed and really hit home for me, much like Sister Aburto’s talk referenced earlier did. As a conclusion to this blog post and a point of thought for all who pass through (I refuse to distract from the gem below by writing anything further), here is what Sister Okazaki wrote:

We know that on some level Jesus experienced the totality of mortal existence in Gethsemane. It’s our faith that he experienced everything—absolutely everything. Sometimes we don’t think through the implications of that belief. We talk in great generalities about the sins of all humankind, about the suffering of the entire human family. But we don’t experience pain in generalities. We experience it individually. That means Jesus knows what it felt like when your mother died of cancer—how it was for your mother, how it still is for you. He knows what it felt like to lose the student-body election. He knows that moment when the brakes locked, and the car started to skid. He experienced the slave ship sailing from Ghana toward Virginia. He experienced the gas chambers at Dachau. He experienced napalm in Vietnam. He knows about drug addiction and alcoholism.

There is nothing you have experienced as a woman that he does not also know and recognize. On a profound level, he understands about pregnancy and giving birth. He knows about PMS and cramps and menopause. He understands about rape and infertility and abortion.

His last recorded words to his disciples were, “And, lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20) What does that mean? It means he understands your mother-pain when your five-year-old leaves for kindergarten, when a bully picks on your fifth-grader, when your daughter calls to say that the new baby has Down’s syndrome. He knows your mother-rage when a trusted babysitter sexually abuses your two-year-old, when someone gives your thirteen-year-old drugs, when someone seduces your seventeen-year-old. He knows the pain you live with when you come home to a quiet apartment where the only children who ever come are visitors, when you hear that your former husband and his new wife were sealed in the temple last week, when your fiftieth wedding anniversary rolls around and your husband has been dead for two years. He knows all that. He’s been there. He’s been lower than all that.

He’s not waiting for us to be perfect. Perfect people don’t need a Savior. He came to save us in our imperfections. He is the Lord of the living, and the living make mistakes. He’s not embarrassed by us, angry at us or shocked. He wants us in our brokenness, in our unhappiness, in our guilt and our grief.

Now That's Dedication.

This last week, we were asked to submit two inspired questions regarding the required reading in my “Teachings of the Book of Mormon” course.  One of the questions I turned in has been on my mind since I submitted it on Wednesday.

Is "the fall of Adam" a deceptive description for what took place after Adam ate of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?  If you could rename this event per your understanding of God's plan, what would you call it to help others really see its significance and worth?

First off, we need to talk about God’s plan.  Previous to eating fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam and Eve were innocent, pure, had ongoing communications with God, and were living in a paradisaical state within the Garden of Eden.  They were given two commandments: 1) don’t eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and 2) procreate and populate the earth.  These are two commandments they had to choose between as it was impossible to follow both.  Their innocence was maintained by not partaking of the fruit, but that prevented them from even knowing they were naked; a huge hindrance to the whole “get busy and make me grandchildren” request from Heavenly Father.  Right?  Logic, people… logic.  In order to enter into a state of understanding that would allow them to procreate, they had to have their eyes and minds opened to full knowledge.  The way to do that, was to eat of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 

Heavenly Father knew that Adam and Eve wouldn’t partake of the fruit on their own.  Without a push in the righ-… wron-… different direction, they would have lived forever in their innocent state and nothing would have come of the rest of us.  The serpent, or Satan, being in the garden wasn’t a fluke; if God didn’t want him there, He would have kept him out.  Perhaps the scriptural record describing Satan as a serpent was just a representation of him to illustrate his wiliness, trickery, manipulative nature, etc.  I wonder if Satan presented himself to Adam and Eve in the same way he presents himself to us – in a type of thought.  Picture the dialogue from the scriptures without the serpent, Adam and Eve deliberating with themselves, possibly in their own minds.  Here’s what I envision Eve’s self-dialogue might go:

Ah, the tree is very beautiful today, indeed.  I’m here hanging out with the new goat family and these cute bear cubs, but I just want another look at that tree.  Mmm, it really is a marvelous view.  I wonder what the fruit is like.  Since we were told not to eat it, it’s probably far less desirable than the fruit of the other trees we eat from.  Or maybe… it’s more desirable?  No, it couldn’t be.  Why would God make it so that desirable fruit grows on a tree that will cause us to die?  Well, we won’t surely die.  It’s probably not immediate.  Eventual death might be a worthy trade-off for the taste of that fruit, and the knowledge that comes with it.  Would a small bite hurt?  A nibble?  No, no, no, no, no!  We’ve been commanded not to.  Why am I even glancing at it?  It’s just so… beautiful.  And I want to know more!  Like how can we keep our second commandment?  The only things that are fruitful and replenishing anything around here are the plants and animals.  This is great, but what about us?  Perhaps a taste of the fruit will help me understand. 

[Eve walks up to the tree.]  Wow, it smells fantastic.  I just want to know more.  With more knowledge, I can navigate the disappointment Adam will have in me, and God… ooooh, He’ll be upset.  No, I shouldn’t do it.  [Looking back at the baby goats and bear cubs.]  Why am I drawn to the new little lives so much?  I’m missing something… I’m missing something big.  [Looks back at the tree.]  That’s it.  I won’t die, what will it hurt? [Takes a bite.]

I imagine Adam’s self-dialogue would be similar, ending with Eve (having full knowledge) helping him understand how breaking one commandment is necessary to fulfill the other.  If Adam wouldn’t eat of the fruit, Eve would be cast out of the garden, he’d be left in the garden, and they doubly wouldn’t be able to fulfill the commandment to procreate and replenish the earth.  Adam partook of the fruit in order to ensure our existence would come to be.  Now that’s dedication.

This also shows that Satan, be it him in a representative serpent or a influenced thought, played right into God’s plan all along.  God knew what needed to occur in order for mankind exist.