Their plan was to catch Daniel in prayer and turn him in to the king. His fate would be final—he would land in the lions’ den to be eaten by the ferocious beasts. But Daniel was not afraid. He knew Heavenly Father would protect him with a miracle. And He did! He sent an angel who shut the lions’ mouths. The next morning, the king was so grateful to find Daniel still alive, he too began to worship Heavenly Father.

Normally it is a story that teaches children to have faith and to pray, and that their prayers will be answered. But as an adult I can revisit the lions’ den, exploring crevices I may have missed as a child, and find deeper meaning for my life today.

Daniel Was Not Afraid

Anyone else would be afraid of being thrown in a den of hungry lions. Daniel was not. He had a relationship with his Father in Heaven. He knew he was a child of God. He knew his life had meaning and purpose. He knew that no matter what happened to him, he would live with his Father in Heaven again because he was faithful in keeping all of God’s commandments, including repentance. Daniel had a testimony of God’s love for him. He kept that testimony at the forefront of his existence, which made him a target for the evil servants.

Our understanding of who we are in relation to God’s plan puts us in the same position as Daniel. We have a peace about ourselves because of this knowledge. Evil people will try their best to take this away from us, to condemn us because of it, and to keep us from telling anyone the good news. We don’t need to be afraid when we are surrounded by spiritual lions ready to destroy our testimony.

When the Lions Growled, Daniel Prayed

Daniel did not growl back. He did not try to fight the lions with his bare hands. He did not try to run nor outsmart them. He prayed. He turned his heart to God. This may have made him feel vulnerable at first, but he kept his mind and heart single to the glory of God. When we are surrounded by the growling of spiritual lions who mock us for our testimony, who tempt us to let down or standards or who try to snuff us out of existence, we can turn to our Heavenly Father. Sometimes this means a silent prayer. Other times it may mean keeping Him at the forefront of our mind and remembering who we are in relation to Him, thus walking in silent confidence away from the gaping jaws surrounding us.

The Lions Shut Their Mouths

I have often faced spiritual lions trying to tear down my testimony. I have said silent prayers for protection. I have kept my standards, bore testimony when necessary, and stood as a daughter at the side of my Heavenly Father. I have witnessed the miracle many times of God’s hand in silencing the people who have tried to tear me down. But there have also been times when the growling seemed to be endless, despite the prayers. Could it be that Heavenly Father had left me? He didn’t leave Daniel, so why me?

To read more of Nanette’s devotionals, click the picture.

When I fear the roaring is mounting faster than the miracles seem to come, I look to the Atonement. Jesus, by taking on the sins and afflictions of the entire world, made it possible for me to be clean and worthy to live in heaven again. His Atonement acts almost as a spiritual shield between me and the ravenous lions of life. While their growls may seem deafening and endless, Christ’s Atonement tells me there is an end to them—and that it ends well. The persecution that surrounds me now will be silenced forever.

While the scriptures teach us the stories, they do not follow the same timeline as our own lives. In the story, Daniel had great faith and though it doesn’t completely detail Daniel’s time in the lion’s den, I think that he likely prayed all night. The next morning, he climbed out of the lions’ den and met his king with loving arms. Our walk through life may have spiritual lions hiding in the shadows, and people attempting to silence our testimony may try for the rest of our lives. But in the next life we will ascend from this cruel den and into the arms of a loving king—our Heavenly King. The promise of this blessing makes our devotion sweeter, our prayers more meaningful, and the connection to our Heavenly Father more sacred and real.

This post was originally published in February 2014. Minor changes have been made.

Nanette ONeal

Nanette O’Neal loves the gospel and is very happy to share her testimony on LDS Blogs. She is a convert to the church and still feels the spirit burn strong within her heart. She graduated from Mason Gross School of the Arts with a degree in music education and has taught children and adults in the private and public sphere for over twenty years. Nanette continues to study the gospel and the art of writing. She writes weekly inspirational articles on her blog and is currently working on an LDS fantasy novel series, A Doorway Back to Forever. You can find her at NanetteONeal.blogspot.com. Nanette has a wonderful husband, talented son, and three beautiful dogs.

One night King Nebuchadnezzar had a troublesome dream and awoke in fright. Early the next morning he called all his wise men to come and stand before their king, and he said to them, “I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.”

“Tell us your dream, O king,” they answered, “and we will tell you what it means.”

“The dream is gone from me,” the king explained. “If you tell me the dream and its meaning, you shall receive gifts and rewards and great honor.”

When they could not do what the king requested, Nebuchadnezzar was angry with them and ordered that all the wise men of Babylon be put to death.

Daniel and his friends had not gone before the king, and they were surprised when a servant of the king came to carry out the order. Daniel persuaded the servant to spare their lives until he could talk with the king.

Then Daniel and his friends prayed that Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and its interpretation might be given to them. And that night the secret of the king’s dream was revealed to Daniel in a vision, and Daniel blessed the God of heaven, saying,

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. I thank thee and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast made known unto us the king’s matter.”

Then Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that no man, however wise, could have learned the forgotten dream and given its meaning, but that both had been revealed to Daniel so that he might tell the king and so that the king would know the one true God.

After Daniel repeated the dream and explained its meaning, the king fell upon his face and said to Daniel,

“Of a truth, it is that your God is the true God and a revealer of secrets. His works are truth.”

Nebuchadnezzar later made Daniel ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.

After the death of Nebuchadnezzar, the city of Babylon was captured by King Darius, who appointed a hundred and twenty princes over the whole kingdom. Over the princes were three presidents, and because of Daniel’s wisdom and kindness, he was named as the first of the presidents.

This made the other princes jealous and angry, and they plotted together in an effort to remove Daniel from his trusted position.

“Surely he has some fault,” said one prince, “that we can point out to King Darius.” But they could find no fault, nor could they find any error in his work.

Then some of the princes suggested that they look for a way to blame Daniel because of the law of his God.

So the princes went to King Darius and said, “O king, there is no one as great as you. No one should ask a favor of any man or god except you.” Then they persuaded him to sign a decree that anyone found giving thanks or praise during the next thirty days to any god or man other than the king should be cast into a den of lions. King Darius, thinking this was being done to honor him, signed the decree.

Early the next morning as Daniel knelt in his house in prayer, which he did three times each day, the jealous princes came and seized him and took him before the king. They told King Darius that they had found Daniel asking help and offering praise to his God. “Remember the decree you signed,” they urged.

And the king sorrowfully remembered. Although he loved Daniel and was displeased with himself that he had let the princes talk him into signing the decree, he could not change a law that he had made and signed.

As Daniel was being taken away, the king spoke to him and said, “Thy God, whom thou servest continually, will deliver thee.”

To read more of Walter’s articles, click the picture.

Then a stone was brought and laid at the opening of the den of lions in which Daniel had been placed, and the king sealed it.

After he had done so, King Darius returned to his palace and ordered that no music be played and that no food be served to him. He spent an anxious sleepless night, and when morning finally came, he hurried to the lion’s den and called out to Daniel.

Daniel calmly answered, “My God hath sent His angel and hath shut the lions’ mouths that they have not hurt me.”

Then King Darius rejoiced, and he wrote to all the people upon the earth proclaiming the God of Daniel to be “the living God and steadfast forever; He delivereth and rescueth and He worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth.”

Walter Penning

In 1989, Walter Penning formed a consultancy based in Salt Lake City and empowered his clients by streamlining processes and building a loyal, lifetime customer base with great customer service. His true passion is found in his family. He says the best decision he ever made was to marry his sweetheart and have children. The wonderful family she has given him and her constant love, support, and patience amid life’s challenges is his panacea.

Rather than just humor, I think the lesson he was teaching is that we rely on the Lord for the direction of our lives. And that is a normal course of action and happens to all those that follow him. For me, this phenomenon happens when I write. Frequently, I know a topic I want to address, but the specifics of that message don’t make themselves known until I am deep into the topic already.

Now instead of this being unique, I believe this is a principle of revelation and trust. This is much like the discussion of whether faith or works is most important. Both are critical and either alone is incomplete. We develop our testimonies as we use them and bearing our testimonies, they are developed and strengthened in the very hour they are needed.

This is not to say that it is easy. On the contrary, I believe it takes great effort and faith. Elder D. Todd Christofferson shares the story of …navy seals,,, today’s treatment… We are not able to reach the stature of Christ as Paul described it, we can do it because we receive our daily bread.

Elder David A Bednar shares the following analogy:

“ In my office is a beautiful painting of a wheat field. The painting is a vast collection of individual brushstrokes—none of which in isolation is very interesting or impressive. In fact, if you stand close to the canvas, all you can see is a mass of seemingly unrelated and unattractive streaks of yellow and gold and brown paint. However, as you gradually move away from the canvas, all of the individual brushstrokes combine together and produce a magnificent landscape of a wheat field. Many ordinary, individual brushstrokes work together to create a captivating and beautiful painting.

 

“Each family prayer, each episode of family scripture study, and each family home evening is a brushstroke on the canvas of our souls. No one event may appear to be very impressive or memorable. But just as the yellow and gold and brown strokes of paint complement each other and produce an impressive masterpiece, so our consistency in doing seemingly small things can lead to significant spiritual results.

 

“Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (D&C 64:33). Consistency is a key principle as we lay the foundation of a great work in our individual lives and as we become more diligent and concerned in our own homes.”

The scriptures and touching, inspirational stories from the life of Jesus Christ provide us part of those brushstrokes in life that give us hope and strength to work together to create a captivating and beautiful experience here on earthly sojourn. Now, we have the opportunity to see these precious stories come to life in the newly-disseminated Bible Video

Details of the movie set creation are available from many other sources and websites.

“This is long-term,” said Elder Lynn G. Robbins of the Seventy, Executive Director of the Media Services Department. “[The set] is being built with materials which can be used for decades to come, not just years to come.” Projections for this movie set estimate as much as a 30-year lifespan.

Electronic scripture stories are available online for individual and family edification, use in church classes and seminary, approved for missionary work and made available for the greater good throughout the world. I remember back when the first few were released. A new video was introduced every so often and over time, the select digital witnesses became an army of digital recordings and testaments of the life of Jesus Christ for the first time ever.

These Bible videos are now available with more than 100 of the videos depicting the life of Christ and many more sharing stories and experiences from New Testament times. According to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “The Life of Jesus Christ Bible Videos will inspire you to strengthen your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” That’s their purpose.

Former articles in 2011 about the creation of the Jerusalem movie set for Bible videos

• Jerusalem movie set ready for dedication and filming  
• Bible videos and the Jerusalem movie set  

Just as you have favorite scripture stories, you will develop favorite Bible videos. I already have so many favorites that shed further light and understanding on topics I knew little about. And those parables and scripture stories I knew and loved, the Bible videos have helped me to appreciate them even more. Stand with Christ the day he is condemned before Pilate, pain with Peter as he realizes his error and weeps, bear witness with Paul of your commitment to Christ’s mission and rejoice in his atonement.

Somehow, the Bible videos bring to life the stories we have heard throughout our lives and makes them relevant and pertinent in our own lives today. The actors are impeccable, the sets believable, and the experiences formidable. As you come to know these stories through the video and audio of digital testimonies, your life will change. Just as reading the scripture influences your choices and impacts your life, experiencing the same has a tendency to an even deeper influence.

I cannot recount all the Bible videos. They have changed my life, but I can include a few of my favorites.

There are dozens more.

To read more of Walter’s articles, click the picture.

I can tell you all about these gems, but whatever I say won’t do justice to the powerful message and medium through which the videos portray and witness of the divinity of Christ and the life-changing lessons that he taught. You know them. They are familiar to you.

And the messages conveyed are just waiting to be received, learned, and enjoyed.

I invite you to begin or continue watching these treasures today and every day.

Laborers in the Vinyard

Feeding the 5000

Parable of the Lost Sheep

Reconciled to God

Walter Penning

In 1989, Walter Penning formed a consultancy based in Salt Lake City and empowered his clients by streamlining processes and building a loyal, lifetime customer base with great customer service. His true passion is found in his family. He says the best decision he ever made was to marry his sweetheart and have children. The wonderful family she has given him and her constant love, support, and patience amid life’s challenges is his panacea.

Regardless of its actual authenticity, I loved being at that spot, in a cave under a cathedral whose bells witnessed of Christ’s birth and resurrection. It felt glorious.

I’m drawn to caves—horizontal or vertical. I love the mystery, adventure, and discovery a cave promises. I remember listening to a dramatization of the Old Testament on tape and imagining David hiding from King Saul in a cave. David approached Saul while the king slept and snipped a bit of Saul’s clothing. I don’t think I’d ever even been in a cave at that point and my imagination was wild with possibilities.

The day before our adventure to Bethlehem, on Easter Sabbath in Jerusalem, we passed through Damascus Gate, walking a few blocks to the Garden Tomb. The scene was drastically different than in Bethlehem. Only a few other pilgrims quietly made their way through the garden to the tomb.

We turned right to the overlook of Golgotha first. The hillside’s distinct facial structure (Golgotha is shaped like a skull) is evident even after so many years have passed. We wound through the top of the garden, enjoying the beautiful flowers and trees. And suddenly, I spotted it through the foliage. The Garden tomb.  I felt the same anticipation I’d experienced 25 years earlier when I first visited the spot. The little hillside stone wall stood there with two openings—a door and a window.

We ducked through the doorway into the small cave. We looked at the stone burial bed carved out of the cave wall. We could see out the window, made available for the soul to escape its tomb.

Regardless of its actual authenticity, I loved being at that spot, in a cave in a hillside whose emptiness testified of Christ’s birth and resurrection. It felt profound.

Cave Births and Tombs

I love looking for scriptural patterns. Everything testifying of Jesus has multiple examples and witnesses. Even caves testify of His personal birth, death, and resurrection, and the refuge and deliverance available to all mankind.

After Sodom’s destruction, Lot and his daughters lived in a cave. “And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.”  The daughters gave birth to their sons Moab and Ben-Ammi there.

Lazarus’ tomb was a cave. “Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.” Foreshadowing His own awakening, Jesus asked people to move the stone covering the doorway. After they moved it, Jesus “cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.” And Lazarus did.

Caves of Refuge and Deliverance or Terror

I already mentioned David seeking refuge in caves. Obadiah hid 100 prophets in two caves and fed them bread and water during Jezebel’s prophet purge.

Ether “hid himself in the cavity of a rock by day, and by night he went forth viewing the things which should come upon the people. And as he dwelt in the cavity of a rock he made the remainder of this record, viewing the destruction which came upon the people….”

After tossing Daniel into the lion’s den, the frantic king ran to the den the next morning and cried, “Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?” The Lord delivered Daniel from the lions in the cave.

The Three Nephites “twice were…cast into a den of wild beasts; and behold they did play with the beasts as a child with a suckling lamb, and received no harm.”

But for all the refuge and deliverance the righteous find in caves, the wicked use caves attempting to hide themselves and their wickedness. From the five Amorite kings Joshua found hiding in a cave to the kings of the last day, caves cannot hide them from God’s all knowing eye.

“And the kings of the earth and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”

In the cave, every man faces death and judgment and is delivered or damned.

Stand Before the Lord

My favorite cave refuge story is Elijah’s because it really demonstrates the metaphor’s significance. Fearless in defending the Lord, Elijah fled when Jezebel signed his death sentence. At Beer-sheba, a despondent Elijah asked the Lord to let him die since the people refused to repent. An angel woke Elijah with some food and instruction. Elijah walked 40 days and 40 nights to Mount Horeb.

“And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?

 

And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

 

And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

 

And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?”

With renewed purpose and vision, Elijah left the cave and renewed his ministry full of the power of God.

The Three Nephites, also valiant servants of the Most High God, “were cast down into the earth; but they did smite the earth with the word of God, insomuch that by his power they were delivered out of the depths of the earth.” It’s fascinating that as translated beings they delivered themselves out of cave depths by the power of God.

For me, the cave is a transitory place where one goes or comes to get or to lose one’s bearings. The righteous find deliverance and refuge. They exit the cave through the power of God. The wicked perish within.

Providence or Peril?

To read more of Delisa’s articles, click here.

Bethlehem’s church bells invite me still to look in faith to current and future caves. Do I see power in providence or peril? That is up to me.

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,

With peace on earth, good will to men.”

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.

Lessons of implication

Fortunately the scriptures are vague enough about what was really going on with Judas Iscariot that we cannot point our finger to any one sin and declare it to be his downfall. The pattern of sin, however, is common enough. The ability for Satan to snare even the elect is real enough. Our own willingness to disobey and entertain thoughts and emotions that are damning are all too close to home. These are lessons we can draw from the fall of this apostle of the Lord.

The odd thing about the story of Judas Iscariot is that we have talked about and heard about his betrayal to the point that we feel we really know the story and the man. But there are precious few verses that actually talk about him except when he disagrees with what the Lord is doing or allowing to happen, and when he actually performs his betrayal of Christ. What a mercy it is to us that we don’t have to wallow in the details of his downfall. Following are five lessons we can learn from the tragic story of Judas Iscariot.

1 – Be not quick to judge

In Matthew 26:7 – 9 we read about a woman who came to Jesus with an alabaster box of expensive ointment. She poured it on the Savior’s head during His meal. His disciples were indignant at what they considered to be a waste of expensive ointment. That ointment could have been sold for a great deal of money and given to the poor.

There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.

But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?

For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.

Even though multiple apostles were indignant over the apparent wastefulness of this act of reverence, it appears to have been the last straw for Judas. It was after Jesus defended the woman’s behavior that Judas left the room and went to perform his betrayal.

Being quick to judge, to lay blame, to want to execute immediate judgment is a trait that can get us all in trouble. The Lord tried to teach His apostles that their priorities were in the wrong place. They were thinking only of the value of the oil. They were ignoring the value of their Lord and Master. They would always have the poor around them, but their Master would soon be gone from among them.

Jesus told them this act of piety would be treated as a memorial to this woman forever after. He treated this anointing of the oil as a precursor to His own burial that was now only a day away.

We can all learn to be more patient, slow to anger, slow to judge, and more quick to forgive and more tolerant of other’s actions.

2 – Be willing to take direction

Even though it appears that all the apostles were indignant over this incident, it was only Judas who saw it as a point of separation from the group. His leaving signaled the end of his willingness to follow the Son of God and be led by Him.

The lesson here is in the end result. When we begin to question our priesthood leaders, second guess their decisions, make pronouncements about how it should have been done, and so forth, we start walking down that road of apostasy. In this case, Judas wasn’t criticizing his bishop, he was condemning the decisions of God.

3 – Don’t think you know better

A big part of being unwilling to take direction is that we become unwilling to submit to someone else’s guidance because we think we know better than they do. It becomes a matter of pride or arrogance. When we convince ourselves that we are more intelligent than those God has called to direct us, we come out in open rebellion to God.

The interesting thing is that you may actually know more than your church leader. You may be more educated or wise in the ways of the world. But that is not the point. The lesson we need to learn in mortality is that we must all learn to become submissive, humble, teachable, and patient one with another. We must be forgiving of the shortcomings of others, and pray that they will extend the same kindness to us.

4 – Don’t allowing bitterness to take root

When Judas betrayed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, the kiss he used to identify the Savior was one of more than normal affection. The verb used in the Greek (kataphilein) translates to a firm or passionate (intense non-sexual), or warm kiss. This was the kind of kiss someone would give to a friend publicly, who is now viewed as the enemy. It was false through and through, like a sarcastic kiss.

You have probably heard someone make reference to a Judas kiss. This is a betrayal of the deepest kind. Judas allowed his own issues to be worked on by Satan until he was willing to put an end to whatever it was he thought Jesus was doing, at any cost. We don’t know what his rationale might have been, but we know from the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) that Judas had been warned by Jesus that Judas needed to “beware of innocent blood.” (JST for Mark 14:30 – 31) Whatever was going on with Judas, “he turned away from him, and was offended because of his words.”

How often are we hurt over something our leaders tell us? What do we do about it? According to the Joseph Smith Translation for Mark 14: 36 – 38 the disciples who went with Jesus to Gethsemane were deeply affected by what happened that night. It says, “the disciples began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy, and to complain in their hearts, wondering if this be the Messiah.”

One of the big differences between the other disciples and Judas, is that Judas allowed his own doubts and fears to fester into full-fledged resentment and bitterness. The other apostles may have fled the garden, leaving Jesus alone in His hour of need, but they had not allowed their personal doubts to turn into anger and resentment.

It isn’t difficult to be offended. It is more difficult to seek reconciliation. When we feel the Lord has “done us wrong” do we seek to make peace with Him, or do we allow ourselves to become bitter in our soul to the point that we want paybacks?

5 – Don’t Be Stingy

This is something new to me. I hadn’t thought of this before. When the woman used the ointment on Jesus and everyone became indignant over the apparent waste of the expensive oil, they were, in essence telling Jesus that He was not as important as the faceless poor they could have helped with the sale of that ointment. They were telling Him that he was not worth that kind of expense, luxury, nor honor the woman was offering Him.

Judas is often painted as being a stingy man. I think this is partly because he was the keeper of the purse for the apostles, and we have all probably experienced those conversations that inevitably come up with the “keeper of the bag” at home or at work when the money gets low.

Though we might think of Judas as being stingy with the money, I think the more important lesson is about our own level of tight fistedness. When I was younger and had precious little money I found that I was far more giving than when I began to earn more money. It seemed the more I earned the less I gave to others. That was a revelation when I realized that I was actually becoming stingier as I became more prosperous. When I was truly poor I understood the depths of poverty better, and had a more open heart for the pain of others.

Are we willing to inconvenience ourselves and give to others? Are we anxious to participate in the many service projects that present themselves to the Latter-day Saints? Are we seeking service or hiding from service? Are we stingy in any way with what we have been given from the Lord, be it in money, time, service, or attitude?

Conclusion

To read more of Kelly’s articles, click here.

In many ways it appears that human emotions and relationships have changed little since the days our Savior walked the earth. We are just as susceptible to the weaknesses of the mind and heart as Judas and even the other apostles were. Our task is to learn from the tragic lesson of Judas Iscariot and keep constant vigilance over our own souls to make sure we don’t fall into the same traps he did.

Kelly P. Merrill

Kelly Merrill is semi retired and writes for https://gospelstudy.us. He lives with his wife in Idaho. His strength is being able to take difficult to understand subjects and break them down into understandable parts. He delights in writing about the gospel of Christ. Writing about the gospel is his personal missionary work to the members of the Church and to those of other faiths who are wanting to know more about Christ’s gospel and His Church.

gospelstudy.us

Building Strong Families
To read more of Valerie’s articles, click the picture.

We are studying the Old Testament this year and we were reading in the book of Judges. Many times, thinking about reading the book of Judges creates that glassy-eyed look in most people, but the way it was presented in class was a wonderful lesson to remember.

From four different stories taken from Judges, chapters 2, 4, 6 to 7, and 13 to 16 we can learn how to keep a balance in family life. Like a young tree in a hurricane, using these four suggestions can be used as stakes to ground your life.

1. Strength in Righteous Parents: From the story of Judges, chapter 2, we learn that the righteous generation after Joshua passed away did not remain in righteousness. They had been taught by righteous parents but the next generation chose to follow the false gods of Baal and Ashtaroth. After that, the Israelites were “delivered into the hands of spoilers.” In other words their enemies won battle over them. They did not hearken unto the Judges or the Lord. As a pattern for our modern society, we must not forsake the righteous example and truths taught to us by our parents. The Israelites teach us this.

2. Strength of a Righteous Friend: We can all use the positive encouragement from a good friend and the story in Judges is not different. Deborah was a prophetess who also sat as a judge in Israel at this time. Deborah was asked by Barak, who was commanded by the Lord to take 20,000 of the children of Israel to fight against the enemy army. Barak would not go unless Deborah went too, even though Barak knew it was commanded of the Lord. Without question, Deborah went and they were successful against their enemy.

How many of us would be successful in all our endeavors with a righteous friend by our side to help us? True friends inspire us to keep the commandments in the face of difficult challenges. By the same token, we can be true friends in helping to inspire others to make righteous choices.

3. Strength in Faith in God: How strong is our faith in God? We have the example of Gideon who was asked by the Lord to save Israel against the hand of the Midianites. Being from a poor family and not well educated, Gideon felt apprehensive in taking on this task. But with his faith, he went forth and won the battle against the great army of Midianites.

Sometimes, it takes a leap of faith to accomplish a task we know we must do. Sometimes it takes the faith of the whole family to accomplish something difficult we know we must do. We strengthen each other when we show our faith in God.

4. Strength in Keeping Covenants: Samson was born to a covenant keeping mother. He was raised to be righteous and keep himself separate from those who weren’t which gave him great physical strength as well as spiritual strength. Unfortunately, Samson broke those covenants in marrying outside his religion and doing immoral acts with a harlot. He lost his physical strength and became a slave to the enemy in these poor choices.

We too must remember to keep the covenants we made in marriage and taking on the name of Jesus Christ. These covenants are a source of strength, guidance and commitment in our life and we can overcome the temptations of the evil one.

With these four strengths in our lives, we can have a balance in our family. These four strengths will keep us on the straight and narrow.

Valerie Steimle

Valerie Steimle has been writing as a family advocate for over 25 years. As a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she promotes Christian living in her writings and is the mother of nine children and grandmother to twelve. Mrs. Steimle authored six books and is a contributing writer to several online websites. To her, time is the most precious commodity we have and knows we should spend it wisely.
To read more of Valerie’s work, visit her at her website, The Blessings of Family Life.

This group of children is especially bright. They love learning the stories of Jesus and they really think about the topics we discuss. They ask difficult questions that dispel the myth that teaching religion to preschoolers is a good job for beginners.

We noted that the men Jesus called were usually busy at the moment Jesus arrived to issue His call. In Matthew 4:18, we learn that Jesus found two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew, casting their nets for fish. He called out to them and said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew then reports: “And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.”

He then goes on to find James and John, also brothers. They are in a ship mending nets with their father. He issued his call to the ministry, and in verse 22, we learn, “And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.”

This process continued and each man, issued the call to follow Christ, did so without hesitation. They left “straightway” and “immediately.” The children were discussing the importance of the work some of the men were doing at the time of the call. One girl, however, asked, “But were they really doing something important or did they just think it was important because they didn’t know about Jesus yet?”

This was one of those moments when you understand why God tells us to become like children. Certainly, earning their livelihood seemed important enough at the moment. Without a doubt, they were where they thought they were supposed to be, doing the most important thing they could be doing at that moment. But then Jesus came along and offered them a more important job—but one that didn’t’ pay anything. They instinctively understood that the eternal blessings they could help the Savior to bring about were more important than any number of fish they might catch or the money they might earn.

In comparison to saving eternal lives, catching fish must have seemed incredibly unimportant, no matter how important it had seemed just ten minutes ago. They saw the offer through an eternal lens and everything changed in that moment.

I tried to help the children see this from their own perspective, but it turned out they didn’t need any help. I asked, “Imagine Jesus walked into our room right now and said He needed all of us to follow Him because He had important work to do. Would we go?”

They didn’t hesitate for a moment. “Yes, we’d go with Jesus.”

“But what if you were coloring? Would you tell him you needed to finish your picture first?”

“No, being with Jesus is better than coloring.”

“Better than a snack?”

“Yes.”

“Would you ask Him to wait even a minute while you did something?”

“No, we wouldn’t make Jesus wait.”

And that is why I teach little children. They have their priorities straight. Jesus said, “Come follow me.” My students accept that call willingly and enthusiastically. They don’t need to get their affairs in order first, or fit it in when there is nothing more fun to do. If Jesus walked into our classroom and issued a call, they would accept.

“And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:2-4).

 

Terrie Lynn Bittner

The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.

As I see it, these two behaviors have much in common, but they also have a vast difference. Merriam-Webster describes compassion as having a sympathetic consciousness of another’s distress along with a desire to alleviate it. The definition for empathy is much more detailed, but the point that stands out strongly to me is that it means to vicariously experience the thoughts and feelings of another. Empathy, therefore, takes compassion a step further. Some people believe that you can’t have empathy unless you have actually experienced what another person is going through. There’s no doubting that having actually gone through and survived something gives a person a great deal of empathy. That’s why we have support groups. That’s why a cancer survivor can offer a deeper level of compassion to a cancer patient than someone who has never been there.

Empathy, however, is something that I believe we can acquire given the use of the enormous capacity of the human brain to simply imagine. We do it all the time when we read, watch movies, daydream. Who among us with the smallest degree of humanity cannot read a news story about some horrific event and not imagine what it might have been like if it had happened to us? Therefore, is it not possible to encounter the struggles and suffering of another human being and simply offer compassion at a deeper, more sensitive level that creates a human connection—if only for a moment—that helps lift the burdens of another in a productive and charitable way.

How Friends and Family Treated Job in the Bible

Mormon beliefs define what a Mormon is.

Going back to the story of Job, his friends make an interesting study of what helps and what definitely hinders the grieving process of one who is suffering. After Job has ten children killed in the same event, and loses all of his wealth and belongings, can we even imagine the weight of grief and sorrow he must have been experiencing? Then his wife tells him to “curse God and die.” Given that Job never lost his convictions regarding His belief in God, and he was earnestly striving to seek God’s help in understanding his trials, we can assume the marriage wasn’t giving him much support in that regard. When Job’s friends first come on the scene, they sit with him for seven days in silence. Amazing! Only a truly devoted friend would simply be with you and share your grief in such a way. But as Job’s problems worsened and he was afflicted with horrific health challenges, his friends began to show signs of their own weaknesses coming forward. Job is lectured by each of them about how he must have done something wrong to bring this kind of suffering upon himself; surely there must be something he could do to fix it. Talk about adding insult to injury! The thing is, I don’t know if any person has read this story with true intent and not wondered the same thing. As human beings, perhaps we want so desperately to find the reason for the suffering, because we can’t imagine how it would be so bad if someone wasn’t responsible. Perhaps we feel better when we can find a place to lay blame, or when we can find a solution that will fix it. When the suffering of others starts to make us squirm with discomfort, how do we respond? Can we continue to offer compassion—even empathy—or do we start digging for answers to questions that will make us feel better? Do we want a reason to be able to look away because our helplessness and sorrow on their behalf is too much to bear? Are we afraid that it could happen to us, therefore we need to dissect the problem in order to figure out what could be done to prevent such suffering?

Suffering is all around us. We all experience it in varying degrees, but we can all look around and see someone who has trials that we would never want to take upon ourselves, even if it meant being able to give up our own. There is obviously no measurement of what’s “fair” in this life. Fair is something that gets balanced out in the life to come. I think Job knew that, and with his faith in God, he was able to endure with that fact intact, even though he struggled to understand why this had happened to him.

My own life has been an especially interesting case of suffering and struggling. I don’t declare that to seek out pity or attention. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. I prefer to keep my pain to myself, but I have often felt compelled to use my particular gifts to make others aware that the hardships of life are no respecter of persons. My health challenges have gone on for many years, and they are brutally complicated to a point that it’s impossible to explain to someone what’s going on inside of my body without taking an hour or two and perhaps using a PowerPoint demonstration. I could sum it up briefly by saying that I have Celiac Disease which went undiagnosed for so many years that it wreaked havoc on several body systems, and then a number of different doctors didn’t catch—or even look for—the long-term results of those damages, therefore it all just kept getting worse instead of better. Breast cancer was thrown into the mix as an added bonus, and it’s all topped off by my tendency to have chronic migraines as a manifestation of my poor health. The insidious and mysterious headaches seem to be my body’s way of screaming, “I’m not doing well! Help me!” But solutions are difficult, complicated, and it could take years to undo the damage. I have finally found a great doctor who is on top of every facet of what’s going on and I have hope of getting better. Still, the headaches remain somewhat of a mystery to him, even though he’s actively trying many different avenues of getting them to stop. While they are likely a result of all of the other problems, the other problems are slower improving because of the headaches. I’m a catch twenty-two of enormous proportions. My doctor has called my body a “perfect storm.” Since health problems have made it difficult to work, financial challenges have been on the heels of my continual struggles with pain, weakness, and extreme fatigue. It has also impacted the state of my home, every relationship in my life, and it has slowly eaten away at my identity as a wife, mother, homemaker, public speaker, writer, and author. Hence, Job is one of my dearest friends.

Again, my point in stating all of this is not to solicit pity. It is rather a very personal case study on the value of compassion and empathy. And I’m not just talking about the kindness offered to me by others, but also the kindness I offer to others. Being in pain does not give me any excuse to be unkind to any person I encounter—especially not the ones who live under the same roof with me and have to put up with my being glued to my bed month after month. It’s vital for me to muster up compassion—and even empathy—for what it must be like for them. I’ve never lived with someone who has suffered so much for so long, so I can’t really know what that’s like, but I can imagine it, and I know it can’t be easy.

How Can You Help a Person Through a Trial?

As for the way that other people behave toward me, I’ve seen it all. I found it interesting that when I had six surgeries in one year (with an enormous house flood and required reconstruction right in the middle) the people around me were more forthcoming with kindness and efforts to help. These were very black and white challenges that people could understand. But when my suffering went on and on with no way to grasp the reasons, people began to distance themselves more from me, become awkward in talking to me, and many, many people have given me well-intended advice and solutions that were in reality based in ignorance and an obvious attempt to ease their own discomfort; some things have been said to me that were downright cruel—wolf words delivered in lamb’s wool, so to speak. I can’t count how many times people have boldly shared with me their solution to my problem, certain if I would just take their advice it would solve everything. I wish sometimes that I could go back and redo more than a hundred conversations by asking these well-meaning individuals to explain exactly how my disease works and what it means, and if they could do that I would be happy to listen to their suggestions.

Since Celiac Disease requires an intensely strict diet that completely eliminates gluten, I’ve had more than one person tell me something like, “I know just how you feel. I once went without carbs for months.” In such conversations I have bitten my tongue from telling these people that I can’t eat a salad if the vegetables were rinsed in the same plastic colander used for rinsing pasta, even if it’s been through the dishwasher, because gluten molecules can make me sick, and they can hide in plastic pores, even with thorough cleaning. The point being that I’ve come to learn that there are moments when you can share information with someone that will help them gain some perspective on their own lives, but there are times when it’s better left unsaid, because they simply aren’t interested in hearing what I might desperately want to say. I tend to talk too much when I feel nervous or put on the spot, and I’ve come away from many conversations feeling like I’ve over-explained myself to the point of coming off as a fool, and then I regret it. Sometimes silence truly is golden. We all wish we could go back and redo conversations that were full of misunderstanding and caused potential hurt feelings. But we can’t go back; we can only learn and move forward. And move forward we must.

I’ve realized through these many experiences that it’s not my place to be angry or offended in response. If I feel that way, then I need to deal with it appropriately and move on. In most cases, I have no way of knowing if their words were motivated in genuine kindness, or if they came from some kind of selfish agenda. That’s not for me to decide, because I couldn’t possibly. Sometimes it requires a followup conversation to clarify and to help them understand; and sometimes it requires just letting it go. While I often feel desperately in need of compassion and empathy from others, I have come to learn more and more how much others need compassion and empathy from me, even if it’s only the way I think and feel toward my fellow human beings. I could lay here in this bed and rot away in anger and bitterness if I chose to focus on all the negatives of what’s happened to my life and how people behave toward me because of it. Or I can focus on my own spiritual and emotional growth and learn to live in a place of peace.

Obviously I could create a very long list of all the things you should not say to someone who is dealing with chronic suffering, for whatever reason. I prefer instead to share a good example that happened just a few days ago. I had scraped myself out of bed and managed to make myself look presentable in order to get to the orientation meeting to prepare for high school registration for my daughter. Since she’s my youngest and my children are spread out over many years, I’m already one of the older junior high moms, and I don’t want to show up looking like frump mom. As if she doesn’t already have enough to overcome in living with a mother who hardly gets out of bed and is rarely an active participant in her teenaged life. So, I got through the meeting and was looking forward to getting back to my bed, when a woman in my neighborhood approached me, gave me a hug, and said that it was good to see me. She told me I looked good, then said simply, “I hear you’ve been really sick.” In contrast, if she had done what most people normally do and asked me what’s been going on, I would have been stammering some kind of explanation that cannot be explained in two minutes and only leaves me feeling somewhat freakish. I was able to answer very comfortably, “Yes, it’s been rough, but I am very blessed.” She expressed hope that I would get feeling better, and I felt an openness and genuine concern from her that gave me the unspoken option to share more if I wished, but didn’t make me feel like I had to explain in order to make her feel more comfortable. We walked out of the building together, talking about our daughters going to high school, our grandchildren, and the things we had to be grateful for. She walked me to my car and gave me another hug, and I went home feeling like I’d actually had some human interaction without being defined by my illness.

I pray every day for healing miracles, and for my “captivity” to be turned, as it was for Job. I know God has a plan for me, and these experiences are not random, nor are they any kind of punishment. Someday I will understand, and in the meantime I will strive to gain more compassion and empathy for others—as well as for myself. Being patient with oneself can be a great learning experience all on its own.

In the end of Job’s story, there are no obvious answers of what changed to release him from his captivity. He repents, but of what exactly? He acknowledges God’s power and presence more fully than he had before. We could all do with more of that. But I believe Job’s true change of heart is personal to Job, and that’s why the story is slightly cryptic over what happened exactly. The bottom line was that he realized he needed to trust God completely because God knew what He was doing, even though Job in his weak state of humanity couldn’t possibly understand. We as human beings don’t need to understand the suffering of another person in order to offer genuine compassion and sincere empathy. It just takes a little effort, a little bit of reaching beyond the outward appearance of a situation, and the limited facts that we might have. Even with those people we know well, no other human being can fully know the heart and mind of another. But we can still be charitable and kind. Even if a person has made choices to bring some degree—or all—of their suffering upon themselves, we can still be compassionate. Charity doesn’t mean condoning; compassion doesn’t mean approval. Humanity would be a much better race if we as individuals could learn to distinguish that difference and act on it appropriately.

Through Mormon Eyes
To read more of Anita Stansfield’s articles, click the picture.

Anita Stansfield

Anita Stansfield began writing at the age of sixteen, and her first novel was published sixteen years later. For more than fifteen years she has been the number-one best-selling author of women’s fiction in the LDS market. Her novels range from historical to contemporary and cover a wide gamut of social and emotional issues that explore the human experience through memorable characters and unpredictable plots. She has received many awards, including a special award for pioneering new ground in LDS fiction, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Whitney Academy for LDS Literature, and also a Lifetime Achievement Award from her publisher, Covenant Communications. She has fifty-six published books. Anita is the mother of five, and has three grandchildren.

The blind man is at the center of the painting. While we know the atonement of Jesus Christ has the all-encompassing power of making our imperfect bodies into perfect ones through the resurrection, we need not wait for the Second Coming of our Savior to reap the benefits of spiritual healing. If we submit to our Savior, trust in his power to heal our hearts, he can ease the burden of our suffering every day. I don’t know how this happens, but I know it does. I have cast my burdens on the Lord and trusted him to carry them for me. Sometimes he even carries me too. But he has never let me down. There may have been times when I didn’t feel his love at first, but that was because I did not fully trust him. I may have held my hands up in defiance—unwilling to accept his healing power. But the blind man in the painting is submissive. That is the way we must be when our Savior is ready to heal our hearts and open our spiritual eyes again.

Notice the families in the picture. They are willing observers of the event. I think about them to, wondering what they must be thinking. They are focused on the action of the Savior, their faces concentrating on the miracle. They believe what they are seeing. They support him in his ministry. The families in the painting represent us when we watch miracles happen around us—at least they represent the times when we are in tune with the Savior’s teachings and supportive of his mission. It reminds me of when I witness a baptism, a confirmation, a baby’s blessing, or any other act of Priesthood authority. It reminds me of when I witness a beautiful sunrise over a mountain range, the budding daffodils in spring, the crisp autumn air, and a beautiful fresh coating of snow covering the ground, the streets, and the sidewalks like a fluffy blanket. Whether the miracles are from nature or from the hand of one given the authority, they are from God. Do I watch them with reverent awe and can I appreciate the messenger who allows them to happen?

The last group of people in the picture is the most important. We don’t often like to look at ourselves in a negative light, but doing so helps us change for the better. The two men scoffing represent us when we see miracles and show the down side of our character. If you have ever prayed for the desires of your heart and felt the Lord’s answer was “not now”, then watched as others obtain freely and abundantly the miracles you ache to receive, you may have harbored negative feelings in the depth of your heart. “How could the Lord bless her with such richness when I stand in such need?” you might think. Or you may say, “He gives freely to everyone else, except me. What kind of a Savior is he?”  And worse yet, you might think, “I guess I’m not loved enough to receive a miracle.” Anger, sorrow, envy, and pride are some of the most damaging emotions that separate us from the Savior and his miracles. When we act on our own painful emotions and forget the Savior’s love, our view of his power is skewed. We live in the moment, the moment of pain, rather than see the eternal perspective, the perspective of everlasting joy.

Morning Devotional
To read more of Nanette’s devotionals, click the picture.

Christ blesses all of his children with miracles daily. Some miracles are small and unseen. Others are enormous. They fall like rain from the sky, drenching some while only misting others. But his atonement promises us we will receive all of his blessings through the resurrection. No one who is faithful will be denied this gift. The struggle then is to see ourselves in the painting and decide who we want to be—the blind man receiving the blessing, the faithful who watch and wait with real commitment, or the jealous ones who are more blind than the first.

It’s safe to say everyone goes through the cycle. That’s part of overcoming human nature. But if we can spend less time scoffing at other people’s blessings, we will realize the miracles right in front of us every day. And our Father in Heaven will be grateful too, for then he can trust us to help him in his plan to bring to pass the eternal life of all mankind. Then we too can be healers of a sort, as we help others see the miracles the Savior has helped us to see.

http://youtu.be/BuMEMGy1djE

Nanette ONeal

Nanette O’Neal loves the gospel and is very happy to share her testimony on LDS Blogs. She is a convert to the church and still feels the spirit burn strong within her heart. She graduated from Mason Gross School of the Arts with a degree in music education and has taught children and adults in the private and public sphere for over twenty years. Nanette continues to study the gospel and the art of writing. She writes weekly inspirational articles on her blog and is currently working on an LDS fantasy novel series, A Doorway Back to Forever. You can find her at NanetteONeal.blogspot.com. Nanette has a wonderful husband, talented son, and three beautiful dogs.

I love the Mormon take on Adam and Eve and the events that caused them to leave the Garden of Eden. Mormon is a nickname sometimes used for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mormons consider Eve a hero, believing she was an intelligent and unselfish woman who chose to make life harder for herself in order to bring about God’s plan.

Mormons believe that Adam and Eve were real people and the first of all God’s children to come to Earth. In order to understand the Mormon view of this critical part of history, you’ll need a little background information.

For Mormons, Earth life is not the beginning of our lives. We believe that we lived with God as spirits for a time before coming to Earth. During that time, we learned the gospel, developed a relationship with God, and were taught the purpose of mortality. We learned that mortality would be a time of learning and testing—a final exam, so to speak. We’d have to find and commit to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We’d have trials and have to learn how to manage them. We’d have temptations and would need to learn how to overcome them. We wouldn’t remember our time in Heaven, since that would eliminate the need for faith and the ability to use prayer as a way to discover eternal truths. However, we’d have the Spirit of Christ and the Holy Ghost to help us if we allowed them to do so.

With that in mind, the story of the Fall makes more sense. It’s only confusing because the world has tuned out the scriptures referenced in the above link that tell us we lived premortal lives.

It’s clear that if we lived in Heaven, we had to be able to come to Earth. You’ll note that Adam and Eve did not have children when they lived in the Garden of Eden. They needed fully mortal bodies for the creation of children. This means that if they had not partaken of the fruit, they would never have had children. They had the right to stay in the Garden as long as they wanted to stay there—but until they left, we could not have our turn on Earth.

Since we shouted for joy at the thought of coming to Earth, (Job 38:4-7), you can imagine we were watching anxiously for the moment they felt ready to leave the safety of a childhood-like existence and move on to the full mortal experience. I suspect we shouted for joy again when this happened.

Why Did God Give Conflicting Instructions?

You may have realized that if Adam and Eve were instructed to go forth and multiply, but couldn’t do so until they disobeyed a commission to avoid the tree. It would be impossible for them to keep all the commandments given so far. Why did God set it up that way?

Agency is a critical part of our life on Earth. We are here to learn how to make wise decisions. Sometimes the decisions are obvious, but sometimes they are not. Sometimes commandments conflict. For instance, the Ten Commandments say we are to honor our mothers and fathers, and they also say to keep the Sabbath Day holy. When I first became a Mormon as a teenager, this was a problem for me. My parents often wanted me to do things Mormons don’t do on the Sabbath. I couldn’t keep both commandments and so I had to choose which one was the most important for my specific circumstances. (For others, a different decision might have been the better choice.) The Ten Commandments also say we are not to kill, but many times in the Bible, we discover that killing is commanded. Sometimes God wants us to think the choices through intelligently and pray for help in deciding what the best choice is.

This is the situation Adam and Eve found themselves in. They had agency, and God wanted them to make the decision for themselves and their future family as to what was best. In the Book of Mormon, which Mormons use with the Bible, a prophet named Lehi explains:

And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.

And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men care, that they might have joy (2 Nephi 2:22-25).

Adam and Eve understood exactly what they were doing when they made their choice. In another book of Mormon scripture, the Pearl of Great Price, they said:

And in that day Adam blessed God and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God.

And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient (Moses 5:10-11).

God knew Adam and Eve were intelligent and unselfish enough to eventually give up their perfect life in order to introduce the full measure of mortality. He planned for it even before the world was created, by providing Jesus Christ as the Savior who would atone for our sins. Because it was essential for the fall to happen—but also essential for them to allow it to happen by their own choice—Mormons consider Eve’s choice a transgression, not a sin. Joseph Smith, along with two other men, had a vision which showed Adam and Eve holding places of honor in God’s kingdom in Heaven. This demonstrates that Eve did not do something awful—instead, she did something very brave.

If Eve Had Not Partaken of the Fruit

If Eve had not partaken of the fruit, we would not be here at all. No one would have the opportunity to experience mortality and God’s plan would have been destroyed. Imagine how carefully God chose those first parents. They had to be righteous so they could start the family with wise parents who would teach the gospel. They had to be unselfish enough to make sacrifices for the benefit of their future children—a trait that has been passed on to all good parents. They had to be intelligent enough to understand the consequences of their choices.

If our lives had somehow been able to be carried out in the perfect world of the Garden, mortality would have no real purpose. Why not just remain in Heaven if you want everything perfect all the time?

We are here to learn and to grow. In order for growth to occur, we have to face trials. The Garden provided no real opportunity to make choices, since there were no contrasts. Adam and Eve never really understood joy while in the Garden because they had never been sad, lonely, or afraid. Only when they had experienced negative emotions and trials could they really appreciate the times they were happy. They didn’t need faith because God was in the Garden with them. They didn’t need to make decisions, to grow, or to become all God wanted them to be.

Mortality isn’t always easy, but it’s meaningful and wonderful. Most people enjoy being alive, even with all the trials of life. Most take satisfaction in their personal growth. Without the courage and unselfishness of our first parents, none of the joys of life—including parenthood—would be possible.

Mormons are grateful to Adam and Eve and honor them as heroes. Anyone who loves life should do the same. After all, it was all part of God’s plan for us.

LDSBlogs needs a volunteer to write a weekly column on Mormon scriptures, with articles like this one that are suitable for both Mormons and those of other faiths. Learn more about being a volunteer gospel blogger.

Terrie Lynn Bittner

The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.