Mothers Day Lesson

 Gospel Doctrine May 8^th 2022

Good afternoon Brothers and Sisters. Thank you for coming to Gospel Doctrine today.

By raise of hands, who had the opportunity to visit the tabernacle experience here in bountiful over the last few weeks?

That is so wonderful.

Today our brilliant Heidi Smith has been kind enough to bring a model she has built and walk us through the tabernacle and go through some of the symbolism. So I will turn the time over to her now.

 

Heidi-thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us on the tabernacle.

Was there anyone that had any additional comments on things they have learned from come follow me these past weeks they would like to share, or that they have enjoyed or learned from visiting the tabernacle experience in bountiful?

 

Brothers and Sisters. I am grateful for the opportunity today to talk of Christ and rejoice in Christ today.

I have redone this lesson several times. This is probably the least organized I have been and I think it has been for good reason.

As I prepared for this lesson over the past weeks, my mind kept coming to the question.

How can I inspire these wonderful brothers and sisters to want to spend more time in our modern day temples?

The Holy Ghost answered this question in my mind.

“Help inspire them to strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ and everything else will fall into place. “

So I am going to attempt to do just that.

The first question I want to ask, is what does the phrase “Come Follow Me” mean to you?

“An invitation to Change, an opportunity to change”

I know it is slightly different phrasing, but I think of the scripture:

Matthew 11:28-30

SLIDE

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

There is not one in this room that does not labour with family, with friends, with employment, with callings, with housework,

I have always loved that phrase heavy laden-because life can truly feel that way.

What are some things that we are heavy laden with? Sin, sorrow, regret, remorse, overwhelming trials, chronic pain, lack of self confidence, poor mental health, poor physical health, poor emotional health, the list goes on forever.

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

Rest-I believe that word resonates with all of us, who doesn’t want to find rest in this life. Who among us is not physically, mentally, emotionally exhausted at one point or another every week and maybe even every day in this mortal existence?

 The place I find rest more than anywhere else is in the temple.

“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

How is it easy? How is his burden light? I believe because at the end of the day he asks for us to Love God, Love each other, and Love ourselves and by doing those three things, all that is asked of us no longer feels like a burden.

SLIDE

This brings me to the next phrase the Holy Ghost impressed on me. He said tell them to Just Let Go

Let go of hate

Anger

Conflict in our lives

Grudges

Judgements

Time spent on things unnecessary

These are burdens we carry we don’t even realize we carry

 

And I am not saying you are not completely justified for feeling them

 

But be justified for a day or week or month but not years

 

Just Let Go of your past, your mistakes, they don’t define you. They are no longer apart of who you are. Do not give them the power to hold you back.

 

Slide- your future needs you, your past doesn’t.

For myself after being inactive for 4 years, when I came back to church, I went into the bishops office, opened up my closet of skeletons and laid them all out, as embarrassing and humiliating as it felt. And believe when I picture my closet of skeletons it reminds me of my overpacked luggage whenever I go on a trip. With the door barely closing because of the amount of skeletons crammed in there.

I won’t be airing my dirty laundry out with you today, but believe me when I say your jaws would drop if you knew the things I told my bishop that day.

In fact after he met with me, he probably needed a stiff drink after.

 

I think it is so easy for us to hold ourselves back because of current sins and past sins. Because there are so many commandments, and it takes time for us to conquer each one, it is hard to ever feel truly worthy. But I think that is why the Holy Ghost inspired me to say.

Just let go.

If you have things to share with the bishop, just go to him. He is not there to condemn you, he is there to help you, and I promise with every part of my being, that he along with our Savior and our Heavenly Father can and will help you to overcome whatever weakness you are battling.

-Slide it is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of…

I absolutely love the talk by Brad Wilcox titled Worthiness is not Flawlessness and I have brought a few copies with me, if anyone would like to take one after.

Could share two quotes from that talk.

If we can let go, we will make more room in our hearts for faith in Jesus Christ

 

Let us push out all the unnecessary clutter and fill it with things of the Spirit.

Scripture study, conference talks, spiritual music, temple attendance.

 

A month or so ago I attended a youth activity with my niece where they were learning about family search. Near the end she asked me where to find the names she would take to the temple one day and how she could go to the temple.

 

I told her she would need to have an interview with her bishop to get a recommend. I said to her he will ask you some questions. She said what kinds of questions. So I pulled up the list-

1.    Do you have faith in and a testimony of God, the Eternal Father; His Son, Jesus Christ; and the Holy Ghost?

2.     

She seemed sad and looked at me and said what’s a testimony, I don’t think I have that.

I said do you believe that they are real? Do you believe Jesus died for your sins? Do you believe in the Holy Ghost? She had a big smile on her face and said yes! I said, see, you do have a testimony!

 

I think sometimes we really overcomplicate things. If we can answer yes to that first question with all of our hearts, everything else will come in time and fall into place.

 

The other phrase that I love that has been introduced to many of the recommend questions is “Strive”. Do we strive?

 

The definition for Strive is- make great efforts to achieve or obtain something.

Also Struggle or fight vigorously.

 

I love all of those definitions. Let us ask ourselves are we making great efforts to strengthen our faith in our Savior Jesus Christ?

 

Are we struggling and fighting vigorously against the adversary to develop and keep our testimonies close to our heart so that we don’t lose the progress we have made?

 

-Slide chariot of horses

 

One of the sisters I was speaking with at the temple yesterday during my shift said this to me, that every day at the end of her day she asks herself, “what have I done today that is eternal?”

 

I have feeling it that will stick with me for a while.

 

Which by the way, Endowment sessions now allow up to 90 patrons and they just announced that they are making available baptism appointments starting at 6 am tues-Saturday starting June 1^st.

 

I just want to say that I love the temple. It has almost been a year since I starting working there on Saturdays. And when Pres Nelson talks about momentum, I can truly relate. The changes and progress that have come about in my life and testimony in that short time has been more than the 37 years of my life prior. I hardly recognize myself from years ago.

 

I know I have not gotten here on my own.

 

Slide-I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13

 

I want to close by sharing a piece of a talk from President Ezra Taft Benson titled Jesus Christ- Gifts and Expectations. It was from December 10, 1974 when he was the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Link to Pres Benson Talk

" Each week we make a solemn covenant to be like him and take him for our leader, to always remember him in everything and keep all of his commandments. In return he promises to give us his Spirit.

A few years ago, we knew our Elder Brother and his and our Father in heaven well. We rejoiced at the upcoming opportunity for earthly life that could make it possible for us to have a fullness of joy as they had. We could hardly wait to demonstrate to our Father and our Brother, the Lord, how much we loved them and how we would be obedient to them in spite of the earthly opposition of the evil one. And now we’re here—our memories are veiled—and we’re showing God and ourselves what we can do. Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar his face is to us. And then, President Young said, we’re going to wonder why we were so stupid in the flesh.

God loves us, he’s watching us, he wants us to succeed, and we’ll know someday that he has not left one thing undone for the eternal welfare of each of us. If we only knew that there are heavenly hosts pulling for us—friends in heaven, whom we can’t remember now, who yearn for our victory. This is our day to show what we can do—what life and sacrifice we can daily, hourly, instantly bring to God. If we give our all, we will get his all from the greatest of all."