Post # 26 -- Becoming a Prepared People

Dear Family and Friends

We all know that it is important to exercise and eat healthy so that we can help keep our bodies is good physical shape, right? We try hard to keep ourselves emotionally healthy by thinking positively and finding the good in others as well as in ourselves – this one is something that I have struggled with all my life. I can see the good in others, but it has always been really difficult for me to see it in myself.

I want to be healthier physically, but for many years first with my back giving out on me so often that it became a way of life to be in pain. Until I went to a chiropractor and he fixed my back. Then for the last eight years I have been in terrible pain because of my knees. Guess what? I went in for my check up with my orthopedic surgeon who replaced both of my knees and I have been cleared so I don’t need to go back for a year.

I want to tell you it is so good to be able to walk without pain. I do still have the neuropathy in my hands and my feet, which makes it painful to walk too far or for too long, but my knees don’t bother me, and I no longer walk with a limp to one side or the other and I no longer need to use a walker. All I’m saying is that it is hard sometimes to get into good physical health even when you really would like to do so.

We have always heard about different ways we can prepare our bodies for good health, physically, and emotionally. How to prepare for a natural disaster, for emergencies, and for other threats against our families, ourselves, and others.  How to prepare financially. Something that is not spoken of as often is how do we prepare ourselves spiritually? I was reading an article on preparedness that I would like to share with all of you. It is from The Women’s Meeting of the Church September 1988. I think the information is still very important and relative for us now. This talk was given to the women of the Church, but it really applies to us all, male or female, married or single.

Becoming a Prepared People

President Barbara W. Winder          Relief Society General President

“Make me an instrument of thy peace.” What meaningful words for the women of the Church!

Others, too, teach us of women. In Proverbs we read, “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.” (Prov. 31:10; Prov. 31:10–31.) The virtuous woman described in Proverbs was a woman who was prepared. She worked willingly, stretched out her hand to the poor, saw to the physical needs of her household, sought after knowledge. She had profound reverence for the Lord. While many of her tasks may appear to be temporal in nature, her blessings were eternal ones.

When we speak of preparedness, often our first thoughts center on temporal or physical preparations—food, clothing, shelter. While these preparations are important and necessary, they are not all-inclusive.

There is a crucial balance between the temporal and the spiritual aspects of this principle. The Lord has said, “All things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal.” (D&C 29:34.)

The Lord taught us a very important lesson when he visited the home of his friends Mary and Martha. While Martha attended to the needs of her guest, Mary sat and listened to the words of the Savior.

We read: “But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me.

“And Jesus answered … , Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

"Prayer is a gift from God. We need never feel lost or alone. I testify that every moment of precious prayer can be holy time spent with our Father, in the name of the Son, by the power of the Holy Ghost."

—Carol F. McConkie, "The Soul’s Sincere Desire"

“But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:40–42.)

In his counsel, “but one thing is needful,” could the Lord have been referring to one thing lacking in Martha’s preparation? Probably. There is need for balance. Our physical preparation—including a clean, orderly home—makes it possible for the Spirit to be present. Likewise, the Spirit of the Lord brings an atmosphere of peace and contentment to our orderly home.

One sister told of her preparation to receive a General Authority guest in her home for stake conference. Everything was to be perfect. Extensive cleaning and cooking were done. Her ten children were prepped as to what their roles should be. She worked hard! By the time he arrived she was exhausted and couldn’t enjoy his visit. Too late, she realized that spiritual preparation was “needful” also.

"It is soul-satisfying to know that God is at the helm, that He is mindful of His children, and that we can with full confidence place our trust in Him. Prayer—persistent prayer—can put us in touch with God, our greatest source of comfort and counsel."

—Ezra Taft Benson, "Living Joyfully in Troubled Times"

She stated, “It is because of our spiritual preparation that we can find answers to our everyday challenges. It is because of our spiritual preparation that we can find joy in enduring and overcoming our trials. It is because of our spiritual preparation that we can feel the greatest joy of all, a nearness and closeness to our Savior and Father in Heaven.”

"We must not imagine that any kind of prayer, no matter how sincere, will be very effective if all we do is to say the prayer. We must not only say our prayers; we must also live them. The Lord is much more pleased with the person who prays and then goes to work than with the person who only prays. Much like medicine, prayer works only when we use it as directed."

—J. Devn Cornish, "The Privilege of Prayer"seness to our Savior and Father in Heaven.”

How, then, do we prepare?

We prepare by developing a strong relationship with our Heavenly Father through prayer, scripture study, and obedience to the commandments; by knowing our own worth; and by sustaining the priesthood.

"When you pray with faith, you will feel God’s love as His Spirit speaks to your soul. No matter how alone or uncertain you may feel at times, you are not alone in this world. God knows you, personally. As you pray, you will come to know Him. As you study the scriptures, you not only learn about the Savior, but you can actually come to know the Savior."

—C. Scott Grow, "And This is Life Eternal"

Qualities of spirituality do not come without effort. Like any other talent with which we are blessed, they must be constantly practiced. A famous pianist once said, “If I fail to practice for one day, I can tell the difference in my playing. If I fail to practice for two days, my family can tell the difference. If I fail for three days, the whole world can tell the difference.” This same principle applies to us in our quest for exaltation.

In applying the parable of the ten virgins to our lives, our modern prophets have explained that the oil of preparation is accumulated drop by drop through daily righteous living.

Consistently attending sacrament meetings adds oil to our lamps. So too will fasting, praying individually and as a family, visiting teaching, controlling our bodily appetites, teaching gospel principles, nourishing and nurturing, watching over one another, studying the scriptures, keeping the commandments. Each act of dedication and obedience is a drop of oil with which we can refuel our lamps. Keeping the commandments and following the words of the prophet may be the greatest preparation we can make for any eventuality to come.

A few years ago while we were serving in the mission field, a minister who was investigating the Church said, “I hear you talk about the benefit of a living prophet. What sort of pronouncements has he made lately?” We replied, “The prophet has taught us that we need to live frugally. We need to stay out of debt, fix up our homes, and plant gardens that we may enjoy the fruit of our labor.” The minister thought for a moment and then said, “That is not what I would have imagined a prophet to say, but as I consider it, what better advice could be given?”

Often the advice that is given by our prophets is so simple and practical that we overlook it and fail to heed it.

We are taught that we have great worth in the eyes of our Heavenly Father. The Primary children sing, “I am a child of God.” The Young Women recite their theme which begins, “We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us,” and the prophets have declared that virtuous women are more priceless than rubies.

We are all children of our loving Heavenly Father – He love each of us, no matter what we have done or where we are at in our life. 

Listen to this simple direction from our prophet to the young women of the Church, which applies to all of us: “Live up to your divine potential. Remember who you are and the divine heritage that is yours—you are literally the royal daughters of our Father in Heaven.” (Ensign, Nov. 1986, p. 85.)

“Don’t settle for less than what the Lord wants you to be.” (Ensign, Nov. 1986, p. 84.)

Unfortunately, many of us fail to recognize what the Lord wants us to be. A sister wrote to me recently, telling of some events that led her to realize how much her Heavenly Father loved her and had blessed her. She said:

“I have had very low self-esteem and have not felt ‘good enough’ to have a close relationship with [my Father in Heaven]. This has kept me self-centered and unable to serve as effectively as I could. During the last few months I have felt a yearning desire within me, an urgency, if you will, to draw nearer to my Father in Heaven. Lately I have felt his arm around me and his great love extending to me—a beautiful feeling of acceptance. With this have come many gifts: more patience, more self-control, [more understanding]. I know this is the Holy Ghost teaching me.

"The most important thing you can do is to learn to talk to God. Talk to Him as you would talk to your father, for He is your Father, and He wants you to talk to Him. He wants you to cultivate ears to listen, when He gives you the impressions of the Spirit to tell you what to do. If you learn to give heed to the sudden ideas which come to your minds, you will find those things coming through in the very hour of your need. If you will cultivate an ear to hear these promptings, you will have learned to walk by the spirit of revelation."

—Harold B. Lee, "Chapter 6: To Hear the Voice of the Lord"

I can really relate to this Sister as I have never had a good self-esteem or thought that I was anyone special or that I had anything worth sharing with anyone. I am sure that some of you have felt this way about yourselves too, as some point in your lives. And I am sure that all of you are not as healthy – physically as you would like to be, if you are as healthy as you need to be – good for you!!!

“I have learned when priorities are in order and I prepare personally each day with prayer, scripture study, and physical care, I am happier and a more profitable servant.”

We learn from this that we also prepare by serving, teaching, nurturing, and helping others prepare. As we work daily to attain righteousness and a spiritual way of life, we have a responsibility to elevate others, to help them realize their divine potential, and to be an instrument in the hands of God.

Yes, being a woman brings blessings and responsibilities. Often there are tasks which, when filled, are without visibility, acclaim, or attendant worldly power. Nonetheless they are vital to the progress of humankind. When we are diverted from our course, serious weaknesses may appear in our lives and in the lives of family members, as well as in society.

Because of “the subtle craftiness of men [who] lie in wait to deceive” (D&C 123:12), many, even of the very elect, are being deceived. How diligently, sisters, we must strive to reach out to those who “know not where to find [the truth” (D&C 123:12) and bring them home again unto the fold. No effort is too great, no endeavor too much.

I am reaching out to all of you, so that we all can become a prepared people – all over the world! I know that when we set a goal to do what the Lord has asked us to do, it is then that the adversary rears up his ugly head in many different ways in order to make us change our plans to follow our Heavenly Father’s counsel through our prophets and other leaders of the Church. So if the adversary gets you down – follow “POPPY’S” advice from the movie Trolls and GET BACK UP AGAIN!!! Begin again to do what you know your Heavenly Father would want you to do. No matter how many times we get off track for one reason or another, we need to get back up again and begin again.

Our preparation does not always proceed just as we had planned it. My own mother has shared with me some of her goals and aspirations. Often as she began a project, something would happen to change her course of action: a mother-in-law in her waning years needed a home and special care, a younger sister needed help to complete her schooling. There were those with whom she worked who also desperately needed help. She was always there to serve. She gave this service graciously, and though not all her own personal plans were accomplished, she looks back on her life and says that if she had it to do all over again, she wouldn’t change anything. Service to others brings that kind of satisfaction.

It is according to our natures, sisters, to have feelings of charity and benevolence. It isn’t always easy to put these feelings into action. But as women, we should pray for charitable desires and opportunities and then work to foster these godlike attributes.

I suppose that Emma Smith had more than her share of frustration and disappointment. Her life couldn’t have been easy as she suffered persecution along with her husband, the Prophet. It is reported that shortly before his martyrdom, Joseph sent a message to Emma in answer to her request for a blessing. He was not able to give her a blessing, but told her to write one, and when he saw her again he would sign it. I am impressed with the faith and the righteous intent revealed in her words:

“I desire the Spirit of God to know and understand myself. … I desire a fruitful, active mind, that I may be able to comprehend the designs of God, when revealed through His servants … I particularly desire wisdom to bring up all the children that are, or may be committed to my charge, in such a manner that they will be useful … in the Kingdom of God … I desire … that I may wear a cheerful countenance … and be a blessing to all. …

"I have had prayers answered. Those answers were most clear when what I wanted was silenced by an overpowering need to know what God wanted. It is then that the answer from a loving Heavenly Father can be spoken to the mind by the still, small voice and can be written on the heart."

—Henry B. Eyring, "Write upon My Heart"

“I desire with all my heart to honor and respect my husband.” (Ms., Historical Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)

President Ezra Taft Benson has declared, “When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities.” (Ensign, May 1988, p. 4.)

We need to put God first and balance our spiritual and temporal preparations, that we might become virtuous women, righteous daughters, instruments in his hands to help prepare the way for his coming. 

"When I say that prayer is a sweet privilege, it is not just because I am grateful to be able to talk to Heavenly Father and to feel His Spirit when I pray. It is also because He actually answers and speaks to us. Of course, the way He speaks to us is usually not with a voice we hear. President Boyd K. Packer explained: “That sweet, quiet voice of inspiration comes more as a feeling than it does as a sound. Pure intelligence can be spoken into the mind. … This guidance comes as thoughts, as feelings through promptings and impressions”."

—J. Devn Cornish, "The Privilege of Prayer"

Sisters, “shall we not go on in so great a cause?” as we read in the Doctrine and Covenants. “Go forward and not backward. Courage … and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad.” (D&C 128:22.)

I pray, sisters, that we will rejoice and go on to victory as we prepare for the second coming of our Savior. I pray that we will not be led away by the subtle enticings of the world that sometimes come to us even from those near and dear to us—the enticings that say to us, “Seek for visibility; seek for power and influence; be sure your own needs are being met.” These are not the teachings of him whose coming we await. He says to us, rather, be the servant of all (see Mark 9:35; Matt. 20:26–27); “let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:16.)

I pray that we will not be discouraged and not be led away, not be deceived—but “cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God.” (D&C 123:17.)

I know our Father lives and that Jesus is the Christ. We are engaged in his work. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

I want to add my prayer to hers that none of us will be discouraged or led away, that none of us may be deceived – but that we will cheerfully do all the things that are in our power to do, “and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God.’ It is very important for each of us to be prepared for all things that may happen in our lives and when we are making our preparations to be prepared, remember that we will never be fully prepared to meet life challenges without being Spiritually Prepared. I don’t know about any of you, but I am going to begin again and do a better job this time in my preparations by beginning with my Spiritual preparedness first!! May the Lord bless you in all your endeavors to become spiritually prepared. Until my next post, stay safe, renew your relationship with your Heavenly Father and continue or begin your own spiritual preparation.