RS Lesson - Two Perspectives
A Good Foundation against the Time to Come
By Gary E. Stevenson

Tia Linford - North Relief Society

The Salt Lake Temple was built 127 years ago and has mostly withstood the test of time. Now there is a renovation that will improve the temples ability to last through earthquakes and other natural disasters. Elder Gary E. Stevenson asks, "How could this extensive renewal of the Salt Lake Temple inspire us to undergo our own spiritual renewal,reconstruction, rebirth, revitalization, or restoration?" How can we renovate our own spiritual foundations and make them stronger?  

Elder Stevenson talks about a family friend that passed away who always said, "God is in the details." People would ask her how she could have faith when battling with cancer. I love her reply to this question, "Having faith doesn't mean nothing bad is going to happen. Having faith allows me to believe that there will be light again." She had a foundation of faith that helped her to see God in her life, even through her time of pain. Being members of Christ's church does not mean that nothing bad will happen to us. It does mean that we can call on Christ for help. It does mean that Christ is looking out for us. It does mean that if we hold out faithful to the end, we can be with him again.

We all know the primary song about "the wise man who built his house upon a rock". What is your rock? Is your house built on a rock or on the sand? The storms of life are going to keep on coming. We are here to be tested. We are here to have trials. If God just gave everything to us on a platter, there would be no room for growth and we would not be able to become like him. Part of that growth requires us to go through hard things. It's how we react and learn from those things that determine what the outcome will be. Benny Lewis said, "The difference between a stumbling block and a stepping stone is how high you raise your foot." Have our trials become stumbling blocks or stepping stones of growth?

How can we have a spiritual upgrade to our foundation? Elder Stevenson says we can start by asking ourselves the questions President Nelson read at General Conference. "1. Do you have faith in and a testimony of God, the Eternal Father; His Son, Jesus Christ; and the Holy Ghost? 2. Do you have a testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and of His role as your Savior and Redeemer? 3. Do you have a testimony of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ? and 4. Do you sustain the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the prophet, seer, and revelator and as the only person on the earth authorized to exercise all priesthood keys?" These questions can help us build the "cornerstones" of our foundations. I encourage you to ask yourselves these questions. If you cannot say yes to some of them, I encourage you to study the scriptures and pray for help in receiving a testimony about it. I know  that in order to stay strong through the tests and trials of life we have to have a strong foundation built on our testimony of Christ. I know we will not be tested above our ability to persevere with the help of Christ and His Atonement. I am going to leave you with this scripture from Philippians 4 verse 13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

Alicia Ballard - South Relief Society

This week’s talk was familiar wasn’t it?  Build a good foundation and you will have safety.  I don’t say this with bitterness.  I believe repetition is important in learning and in teaching.  

Elder Bednar, in an address given at BYU-I in 2016 said, “ Repetition is a vehicle through which the Holy Ghost can enlighten our minds, influence our hearts, and enlarge our understanding.”

While I have never complained about church lessons being repeated each year, I haven’t always used the repetition as a “vehicle” for the Holy Ghost.  To be completely honest, most of the time I just smile, nod, and say to myself, “Good lesson!”,”What a great talk!”, “I felt the Spirit, that’s for sure!”.  

Since last April, I have listened to this talk multiple times, and even more since preparing to share a thought with you.  It was only after the second or third time of listening that two phrases stood out to me.

“This technology (base isolation technology—seismic upgrade package for the SLC Temple), recent in its development, begins at the very foundation of the temple, providing a robust defense against damage from an earthquake.  In essence, it structurally strengthens the temple to stand steadfast, even as the earth and the environment around it undergo an earthshaking seismic event.”

Even more specifically, four words.  “recent in its development”.  

It just kept hitting me, over and over again, that until recently this technology wasn’t even invented!  How cool is that?  Even after so much research and effort has been made previously to strengthen the foundation of buildings/structures with great success, engineers continue to work towards creating a better way to defend against earthquakes and other tempests.  

Now that this new technology is available, it isn’t a wonder that the Church would immediately start work on ensuring the foundation of the Salt Lake Temple.  

We also must be diligent continually to revitalize (I love this word) our own spiritual foundations.  

Elder Stevenson gives us many examples of questions we can ask ourselves.  

“What does my foundation look like?

What comprises the thick walled, stable, strong cornerstones that are part of my personal foundation, upon which my testimony rests?

What are the foundational elements of my spiritual and emotional character that will allow me and my family to remain steadfast and immovable, even to withstand the earthshaking and tumultuous seismic events that will surely take place in our lives?”

In answering these questions, the Holy Ghost revealed to me areas in my personal foundation that need work and revitalization.  And now is the time to start the restoration.  It’s going to take effort, and it might painful at times but like the temple I have hope that the work will prepare me for the elements that come and the storms that will beat down.  

I am inspired by the words of Elder Holland, “If for a while the harder you try, the harder it gets, take heart.  So it has been with the best who ever lived.”

This isn’t the first time I’ve needed to reconstruct, and I dare say it won’t be the last.  Maybe it’s the same for you.  Like Elder Holland said, “take heart”.   Jesus Christ is the details.  He is the Master Builder, the Master Engineer, and the Master Healer.  If he can inspire men on how to reconstruct a buildings foundation, he can inspire each of us on how to reconstruct, revitalize, renew, and even rebirth our own personal foundations.  

I pray that we may all seek the Lord early, and often and that He will be found and that He will direct yours and my paths. 

RS Lesson: Two Perspectives
An Especially Noble Calling (Additional Material Link)
By Sister Joy D. Jones

Cynthia Stevenson - North Relief Society

 

In my pondering of the talk, An Especially Noble Calling, the interview between the children and our prophet stands out as the centerpiece of the talk. The question is asked, "Is being a prophet hard?" -- Could we ask ourselves that same question and reframe the word, "hard" into a different word, "challenge" --Are we choosing to go through challenges and humble ourselves willingly, rather than the alternative -- we are often compelled to be humble when the Lord wants to call us to repentance. If we choose an easy road, how much growth can we expect? Isn't it better to choose to change and take upon ourselves challenges? We don't have to reserve repentance for when we have committed sin. We can, instead, see the good that we are doing and then still change. Perhaps in doing so we are becoming more of who we truly are and who the Lord wants us to be.

One more thing to consider is how to handle overwhelm or discouragement. Some scriptures come to mind: Alma 37:6-7 says, "Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls." We can approach difficulties one small step at a time, breaking down a challenge into small manageable chunks. Another two scriptures, D&C 98:12, states "For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept; and I will try you and prove you herewith." And Ether 12:27, "...if men [and women] come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all...that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

When we are asked to be perfect, we are not expected to be so immediately, but instead to work to change day by day. Elder Bednar quotes President Oaks, "Elder Dallin H. Oaks has explained that in renewing our baptismal covenants by partaking of the emblems of the sacrament, “we do not witness that we take upon us the name of Jesus Christ. [Rather], we witness that we are willing to do so. (See D&C 20:77.) The fact that we only witness to our willingness suggests that something else must happen before we actually take that sacred name upon us in the [ultimate and] most important sense.” Elder Bednar goes on in saying, "These scriptures help us understand that the process of taking upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ that is commenced in the waters of baptism is continued and enlarged in the house of the Lord. As we stand in the waters of baptism, we look to the temple. As we partake of the sacrament, we look to the temple. We pledge to always remember the Savior and to keep His commandments as preparation to participate in the sacred ordinances of the temple and receive the highest blessings available through the name and by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, in the ordinances of the holy temple we more completely and fully take upon us the name of Jesus Christ." And finally, to quote Sister Jones,  "We access the power of the priesthood through covenants, made first in the waters of baptism and then within the walls of holy temples. President Nelson taught us, “Every woman and every man who makes covenants with God and keeps those covenants, and who participates worthily in priesthood ordinances, has direct access to the power of God.”

We can strive to follow promptings and Hear Him in all that we do by constant prayer, daily scripture study, pondering and participating in the covenants we have made and will continue to make. Let us all strive to be a little more challenged each day to live the life God wants to bless us with.

Berenice Ventura - South Relief Society

 

I have loved going over Sister Jones's talk again. So many of her words ring true to my heart.

Personal revelation is probably the one that sunk deeper this time.

I am so grateful that we live in a time when we are allowed, encouraged, and expected to look for answers to our questions without the need for intermediaries. In this Plan in which agency has an integral role, it gives me peace to know that I can ask questions to my Father in Heaven, I can ask Him for confirmation on any words pronounced by those acting under the name of the Lord, and I can receive additional light and knowledge on past events on my quest for truth.

At the end of last week, I brought my camping chair to the green area across from the Provo Temple, and sat there, looking towards that sacred and beloved structure, talking to my Father in my heart and in my mind. It's been a tough year, it had been a tumultuous week, and I needed some heavenly help discerning what was what. While there, an immense sense of peace came over me, and I had no doubt that Heavenly Father was listening, and telling me: "You're looking in the right direction; there's truth there, and there's truth in the covenants you've made with me."

As President Nelson said, “Every woman... who makes covenants with God and keeps those covenants, and who participates worthily in priesthood ordinances, has direct access to the power of God.”20   

Direct access to the power of God means direct access to the priesthood, through our covenants with God. This knowledge gives me peace, it gives me joy, and it gives me spiritual power. There is no problem that I can't solve, no question that I can't have answered, no task that I have to perform alone if I have direct access to the power of God.