The Gift of Hope

We have been meeting with a man named Eugene for a while now. When we first met with Eugene, he was down-trodden and lonely, humble and broken. To put it lightly, Eugene had nothing going for him. He would sit at home and wallow in sorrow, finding excuses not to leave. He couldn't find it in himself to trust anyone, and thus separated himself from the world. I could feel the sadness inside of this man, I could feel how much he deeply wanted change. He needed hope.. for himself, for the world around him. It was such a blessing for me to be a part of helping Eugene find that hope he was looking for.

Good Times!

I love the story of Enos. Whether you are familiar with the story or not, there is one principle that I want to illustrate that came to me this morning that has never before dawned on me. To quickly summerize, Enos was the son of the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob, who, while out hunting one day, had an epiphany. Enos had heard his dad talk about the goodness of the gospel of Jesus Christ his entire life, but had failed to really grasp it and apply it into his life, so he decided to pray. In his own words (verses 2, 3 and 4 of his own book) he says,

Enos in "mighty prayer"

"And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins. Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart. And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens."

First, I want to point out that Enos describes this experience as a wrestle with God, and cried out to Him in mighty prayer... Everytime I read that, I think back to times that I truely wanted something and pleaded my guts out with the Lord through prayer that he might help me out. I dont think when Enos uses the word wrestle he is talking about the kind of wrestling I used to do with my brothers and beating the Lord into submission, forcing him to give us what we want. No, I'm pretty sure he is referring to the inward struggle when we truely confess and humble ourselves before the Lord. Those prayers are hard to say sometimes, because to make them count they really have to be from the heart. I believe the wrestle he is talking about is not so much with God, but more with himself, beating his own heart into submission so that he can recieve the will of the Lord. I've always felt that way about that scripture though..

The new insight I gained today is that he was out alone, probably doing what he loves most... Hunting! That really struck me. Possibly the most important realization of Enos's existance came when he was spending time getting to know himself doing what he loved in this beautiful world God gave to us. The real message I want to leave today is that we all need to take time to get to know ourselves.

Too often in today's world, people are on the go all the time. With TV, Radio, Cell Phones, Music, Sports, Movies, Games, and really everything else, it sometimes becomes difficult for us to really step back and listen. I know from experiences that when we do turn off the music or TV, we can hear whats really going on inside our heads, and hear what messages God has left for us. I think President Uchtdorf in a talk from last General Conference said it best,



"May I suggest that you reduce the rush and take a little extra time to get to know yourself better. Walk in nature, watch a sunrise, enjoy God’s creations, ponder the truths of the restored gospel, and find out what they mean for you personally. Learn to see yourself as Heavenly Father sees you—as His precious daughter or son with divine potential."





Ahh good times!



 My challange to each of you would be to take a little time to yourselves this week. For me that used to be a cruise down the canyon on my longboard. For you it could be a walk in the park or on the beach, maybe some time spent in your yard working, or at the gym exersizing. It could be as simple as a long drive without music playing. Be creative! Remember to be open to the thoughts and feelings that come...Because they will come. In my life, the most earth shattering thoughts that have changed who I am today have seldom come at times of excitement. Rather, they have come while I was enjoying my own company and doing something I love to do. Who knows, you could even end up having an experience like Enos that will change not only your life, but history as we know it!

I know that God is aware of all of us, and knows us personally. I know that he has a plan for us that will make us happier then any of us we could ever imagine. Trouble is, most of the time we are too busy to actually listen. We are literally His children, and each of us has a very special role to play in this wonderful world of ours. I know that as we take time to ponder to ourselves, He will let us know what we can do to become most happy through promptings of the Holy Ghost that come as a still and a small voice.

Save Yourself!

I just heard a story about a man in my ward here who collapsed at Wal Mart. Everyone started freaking out, and called 911. Fortunately there was a man in one of the lines who noticed, ran over and started preforming CPR. When the paramedics arrived, the man who collapsed was ok, and they attributed that to this stranger who had given him CPR... So, when were in danger of physical death, CPR can save our lives... but what about spiritual death?

CPR will save your life, your eternal life! Let me break this down for you. As a missionary, I have been called of God to bring others to Christ and I know of no better way then CPR.

C- Church. First and foremost, making it to church should be our number one goal when in danger of spiritual death. Church is a place where we can feel the Holy Ghost more abundantly, where we can show our commitment to God. I once heard that you can tell which God's he worships by how he spends his Sabbath. It is so important, the Lord gave it to Moses as one of the big ten! For me, church on Sunday is my spiritual recharge, essential for a successful week!

P- Prayer. "As you need the help of your father in Heaven, you must call upon Him through prayer" -Wendell Nix, Stake Patriarch. When brother Nix told me this, it didn't ring very true at the time. I figured I could cruise through life and God would grant me what He would. Let me tell you, I have learned otherwise. It says ask and ye shall receive in one form or another over 100 times in the Bible! That must mean it is pretty important. Much like any relationship on earth, to maintain and improve our relationship with God we have to talk to Him. Any parent knows how wonderful it is when kids call home, and how sad it is when they don't bother. When we pray, we call down blessings from heaven, and the spirit is able to touch our lives. Alma 37:36-37 reads,

"Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.

Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day."

How true that scripture is!

R- Read. As we read the scriptures we will feel an increase measure of spirit in our lives. I know as I read the scriptures every morning, the difference could be seen and felt in the day. Nephi says it best in 2 Nephi 32:3 when he says "Feast upon the words of Christ, for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do." The scriptures are the words of Christ, and as we read them, our testimony, faith, and desire to serve him increases. 

In conclusion, if you are dying, give yourself CPR! I know that as we do these 3 simple things, our lives become easier, and we have more spirit to guide and direct us where we should go and what we should do. Just as it says in Alma 37:6,

"By small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise." I leave with you my testimony that by doing those 3 simple things, our lives will improve, the Lord will be able to bless us more, and we will feel a closer and deeper relationship with our savior, Jesus Christ.