Go and Do Likewise, Like the Savior

I’ve been studying this profound notion that the Savior commanded us to do the things He did. “And I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall observe to do the things which ye have seen me do, and bear record of me even unto the end” (JST Matthew 26:25).  I feel amazed by what He did. And, wait, it’s a commandment? When I feel amazed and overwhelmed, I have to turn to the scriptures.  

If the commandment is that we do what He did, I figured I should find a lot of examples of people doing that in the scriptures.

I decided to randomly pick some of the things Christ “did” and see if I could think of other people in the scriptures who “did” the same/similar things.

I realized that the examples I thought of were specific to four basic categories—examples of miracles impacting earthly elements, miracles enhancing daily life, miracles protecting life, and miracles affecting spiritual life.

While listening to a great talk in stake conference on Sunday, I felt a nudge to remember personal miracles in these categories.  Admittedly, I was surprised at how many miracles have blessed my life.  

I realized that I could easily remember things the Savior “did” in my life.

I hope you will consider, and remember, the miracles in your life.

Miracles Impacting Elements

Jesus commanded and calmed the sea. Enroute to America, Nephi commanded and calmed the sea.  Moses also commanded the sea, initially to a chaotic state, and then commanded its natural state.

Jesus walked on water.  Until he doubted, Peter walked on water.    

Jesus cursed the fig tree.  Moses plagued Egypt. Elisha cursed Gehazi with Naaman’s leprosy.

Jesus fed multitudes of people. Moses fed Israel.

The miracle I’d like to share about impacted elements happened when I was a very young, and inexperienced, Relief Society president.  A sister passed away.  I’d never met her or any of her family. The bishop said they expected 30-35 people to attend a very short funeral service. My counselor and I thought we’d planned proactively by getting 4 lasagnas, salad, and rolls.

The kitchen smelled heavenly (reheating, not cooking, the lasagnas☺) and we finished setting up the room, so I walked to the chapel to pay my respects. The chapel was full. I panicked.

I ran back to the kitchen. We knew the situation was impossible. We kneeled on the floor of that room and poured out our souls to God. Most of the visitors had never been in the LDS church. We wanted to honor their mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. We prayed for a miracle.

And after the shortest funeral in history, they came. We kept setting up tables and furtively eyeing the pan to plate ratios.  Plates piled high with food left the line. We kept praying.

We’d set up tables and chairs in the Relief Society room to be a nicer setting since so few people were expected. As the crowd swelled, we set up as many tables and chairs as would reasonably fit. People stood, leaning against the walls.

And they continued to go through the food line because there was still food. We saw the miracle before our eyes.  

After the family left, I realized we still had an entire, untouched lasagna in the oven. The lasagna pan on the food table was half full. We knelt again and thanked the Lord for His mercy to us and this mother’s family. I’m still awestruck by this loaves and fishes miracle 20 years later.

Miracles that Enhanced Physical Life

Jesus turned water into wine. Elijah turned water into oil.

Jesus and His apostles caught a net full of fishes. Nephi fashioned a bow and caught enough food for his clan.

Jesus cleansed the lepers. Elisha cleansed Naaman the leper.

Jesus healed the wounded head of Malchus. Alma and Amulek healed the feverish head of Zeezoram.

I am 18 years older than my youngest sister. One day we took some of my sisters, and a friend, to the lake. With the daylight waning, I took my youngest sister and made a final pass across the lake on my jet ski.  I thought we’d throw in some fun, so punched the gas and turned into a 360.  

Somehow, she let go.   As the jet ski plunged nose-first into the water, she flew into the air and landed with her legs spread, on the propulsion mechanism, and then into the water.

I can still hear her screams. The rest of our family was already on the shore. They could hear her screams, too. Somehow she and I maneuvered her back onto the jet ski. She was covered in blood. I flew to shore.

My husband grabbed her off the ski and carried her to a nearby picnic table. As I mopped up blood, I could see that she was sliced open. I had horrible visions of her never having children and being forever maimed.  

My husband and friend grabbed consecrated oil. They laid their hands on her head. They commanded the blood to cease and her body to heal.

I knew I couldn’t take her to a hospital without a medical release from our parents. They lived in a town 100 miles away and didn’t have a cell phone. So, I called a ward member who was a physician. He said to bring her over. We made her as comfortable as possible and rushed back to town.

She started feeling peace and stopped crying.  [I, however, did not stop crying. And, I am crying now reliving this experience.]

We carried her into our friend’s home and described the events again. After he examined her, he confirmed that the bleeding had stopped and he could not see any mutilated flesh.

I collapsed on the couch overcome with gratitude and astonishment and relief. She felt a little tender for a couple of days, but with the pain of a bruise instead of gaping wounds.

I still praise God for that miracle, especially now. She’s getting married next month.

Miracles that Protected Life

When the people of Nazareth, filled with rage, attempted to throw Jesus over a cliff, he “passing through the midst of them, went his way.”  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego passed through a fiery furnace. Daniel passed through a lion’s den. David passed through Goliath. Omer and his family passed through to Ablom. Lehi and his family passed through to America.

Jesus raised the widow of Nain’s son from the dead. Elijah raised the widow of Zarephath’s son from the dead.

Jesus raised Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary from the dead. Nephi raised his brother Timothy from the dead.

Jesus cast out devils.  Philip cast out devils.

One of my goals is to go to every temple in the world. My mom, and my sisters, and one of my brothers, have done temple road trips with me.  I love it.

After the Nauvoo temple dedication, my mom, my sister (different sister than above ☺), and I decided to visit that temple for Thanksgiving, when I could get time off of work. We began our trip in Texas without any weather hazards. But, as our trip progressed, we ran into snow and sleet.  No big deal. I had a 4×4 vehicle and I’m a confident driver.

We drove into a blizzard late at night, about 30 miles from Nauvoo. We decided to say an additional prayer for safety. Mom prayed.

Soon after her prayer ended, we hit a vicious patch of black ice which sent us careening to the left side of the road, down the shoulder onto the median.  My steering efforts were futile. I had absolutely no control speeding along the plate of ice median, which gave me plenty of time to watch as we barreled directly towards the concrete pylons of the oncoming overpass.

I heard mom praying again. I shouted for my sister in the back seat to hunker down for impact and made sure everyone was in seatbelts, even though I knew we were dead if we hit the pylon head-on at that speed.

As mom continued to pray aloud, I prepared for the inevitable.

Then inexplicably, right before we crashed, the whole trajectory of the car shifted. We skidded to the right of the pylon! We continued another 100 feet down the median before plowing into a massive snowdrift.

We were stuck, but we were alive. Mom prayed again and within 10 minutes, some men who were looking for people, in the middle of nowhere and off the road like us, came by and helped us get back on the road.

During the interim, I went and looked at our very visible tracks in the snow. By the grace of God and His divine help, we passed by death because of prayer and a sudden 10 degree trajectory shift.

Miracles Affecting Spiritual Life

Jesus taught Samaritan enemies the Gospel. The woman at the well’s community converted. Ammon taught Lamanite enemies the Gospel. Lamoni’s community converted.

Jesus resisted and rebuffed Satan. Moses resisted and rebuffed Satan.

On the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus, Peter, James, and John were transfigured.  Abinadi was transfigured. Enoch was transfigured. Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon were transfigured.

Jesus went into the mount and prayed all night. Enos prayed all day and into the night.

My miracle reoccurs every day. The Savior’s Atonement brings peace, wholeness, hope, forgiveness—endless possibilities—every time I choose to apply it to my life. Because of Christ, my prayers are answered. I am, and can be more, converted. I can resist and rebuff Satan.

And because of Christ’s miraculous miracles, someday—my most fervent desire of all—is to stand with total confidence in God’s presence, in His glory, and see Him as He truly is.  

After this scripture study exercise, I can see that Christ’s commandment for us to do the things He did is not only amazing, it is doable!  Now, it seems more like an invitation to apply the divine manifestations to specific times of our lives and to believe they’re actually possible.

Sometimes I get hung up on the impossibility of things because I can’t see a possibility.  Jesus demonstrated all sorts of solutions to a myriad of impossibilities, and gave us the Priesthood which is power to act in His name according to His will.  All things are possible when we believe and act in His name.

Because He miraculously helped Mary at a wedding, I believe that the details of life matter to Him, and I can pray for help regardless of the situation—like help to find the house keys I lost during my walk today.

Because of the woman with an issue, I believe I can be healed. Because He provided the liahona, I believe He can direct my life. Because He had mercy on the adulteress, I believe He will give me mercy.

“Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”