0 x 0 -- The Lord's Math

Have you ever asked Siri what 0 divided by 0 equals?

Siri answers something really smart alecky about dividing zero cookies amongst zero friends and cookie monster being sad and whatever. It always made the kids giggle when they were little and usually made me want to make cookies!   :)

But have you ever asked Siri what 0 x 0 =

The answer is not silly at all. The answer is simply just zero. 

But maybe Siri could use an update. Here’s what I propose she says:

“When we put zero effort into something, we get zero blessings from it.”

We have powerful promises given to us by modern apostles that when we engage in sacrificing to center our lives on Christ our entire families will be blessed. These promised blessings range from increased protection from the adversary, strengthened testimonies, and greater light and knowledge from the Holy Ghost. These are blessings that we all could use….no matter what season of life we are in.

By definition, sacrifice means to give up something of value for the sake of something else even more important or more worthy. Sometimes I think we think of sacrifice and we think of big things--like donating lots of money or spending hours and hours on a church calling, but I think that the sacrifices that really matter are the day-to-day ones. The little things we give up to bless our families and to keep Christ in our daily lives.

A perfect example of this is the sacrifice mothers and fathers make to raise their children in faith. That may mean waking up a little earlier than you want to say a prayer with the kids that leave the house first. That may mean not watching that show on Saturday night, so you can finish reading the Come, Follow Me reading for that week.  Or it may mean following a prompting to do something you'd rather not do.

If you will sacrifice what the Lord has asked you to sacrifice, he will make more out of your life than you can.

There are many examples of people all over the world that sacrifice huge things in the name of following Christ. I read an example about members of the church in Sub-Saharan Africa not working their farms on Sunday and somehow finding that their fields are yielding more crops than neighboring farms that are much larger.

In my own family, my parents have given up 2-years of their retirement to serve the people of Paris, France on a senior mission. It is a sacrifice not only of comfort, but also of money, and time away from family and friends. Us kids honestly wondered if they would even be able to get their house ready to rent out for two years, let alone have the stamina to do what needed to be done on a mission. Yet they are thriving. They are being stretched in ways that are blessing their lives as much as the people they’re serving. Their blessings far outweigh the sacrifice they’ve made.

This quote illustrates this point perfectly:
“The Lord’s ways are higher than our ways—and so is His arithmetic. It is different than ours.” (Chad Webb, S&I Broadcast, August 2015)

Yes, it’s true that 0 x 0 = 0 and that if we don’t put any effort to studying Come, Follow Me with our families, we’ll receive zero blessings for it. BUT 1 + 1 in the Lord’s arithmetic is much greater than 2. Christ takes us where we are and makes us more. Makes us enough. He blesses us in beautiful and multitudinous ways that we can barely fathom. CHRIST + ME = ENOUGH

Elder Richard G Scott has said, “Are there so many fascinating, exciting things to do, or so many challenges pressing upon you, that it is hard to keep focused on that which is essential? Satan has a powerful tool to use against good people, those who are committed to a worthy, righteous life, who want to do good and intend to make the most of this life. His tool is distraction. He would have good people fill life with "good things" so there is no room for the "essential ones." Have you unconsciously been caught in that trap?” (Finding Peace, Happiness, and Joy [2007])

What is distracting us? For me it’s often my phone.  It’s a blessing to be able to communicate so easily with my family that live scattered all over the world, but how often do I let myself get sucked into social media or other pursuits that have no lasting value? It’s all about balance.

Sacrifice is a matter of the heart.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell said: “The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. The many other things we ‘give’…are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us.” We can surrender our will to His, and dedicate our lives to building up His kingdom and serving His children.”

And in D&C 64:33 we read, "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.”

Let us not be weary in making room for Christ in our lives. It is worth every sacrifice--large or small--to allow those great blessings to come our way.

How Can Temples Bless My Life? (YW and Aaronic Priesthood lesson)

I'm teaching the lesson, "How Can Temples Bless My Life?" this Sunday, along with a brand new young woman who has never taught a lesson before.  We met today and discussed how we would like to teach the lesson.  I think long videos are too much for the short lesson time we have now, but we decided that we would like  to send out the link to the video of Elder Bednar and Elder Rasband leading a tour of the Rome Temple before the weekend.  I think there's a lot of good information in there that will set the stage for a better discussion time during the lesson.  Here's a FHE lesson all about temples you could incorporate too. 

When I talk about temples in a lesson, I like to start with my own family's experience with the temple.   If your family doesn't have a similar story, you could share my story about people who lived in the midwest or the video, "Temples are a Beacon" from the lesson.



OUR FAMILY'S STORY
I grew up in the great state of Minnesota.    It was a great place to grow up, but when I was a child, the closest temples were over 1000 miles away.  Idaho Falls, Cardston, Washington DC, and the Utah temples were all right about the same distance away, which meant that going to the temple was quite an ordeal for the people in our area.    Our family didn't have much money, but my parents always did love a good road trip, so they'd build visiting temples into our family trips. 

That distance meant that they generally only went to the temple once a year or so, but my parents would usually set aside a day or two out of our vacation  and attend as many sessions as they could during that time.  I learned first-hand from their example,  that the temple  was important to my parents. 

This is what visiting the temple looked like when I was a child:

Then, in the year I turned 12, the temple in Chicago, Illinois was dedicated and that is where I went on all of our youth temple trips.  Chicago is about 400 miles away from where I grew up, so significantly closer than driving to Utah, Cardston, Idaho, or DC, but still an event.  We generally went with the youth a couple times per year and my parents would do babysitting exchanges with other families, so they could be away for 20+ hours at a time while they did a session.

This is what traveling to the temple looked like when I was a teen: 
 

When I was a college student, I worked at a store that sold glass temples at the University Mall in Provo.    As part of that job, I had the opportunity to get asked a lot of questions about temples.   I got asked design questions--why don't all temple have an angel Moroni statue?   And a lot of questions about where temples were and why?   I was quite the temple trivia whiz in my time and I enjoyed learning more about temples in a time when the internet wasn't really a widespread thing yet.  haha. 😂

 At the time I worked there in the early 1990's, there were about 50 temples in operation around the world.  It was sometime in that time period that Gordon B. Hinckley announced his plan to have 100 temples built by the year 2000.   As someone who grew up so far away from a temple, that announcement blew me away.   What a blessing it was going to be for so many people around the world and I wondered if Minnesota would ever get one. 

Sure enough, in 1998, plans to build one in Minnesota were announced and in January of the year 2000 it was completed--the 69th temple.   There were 102 dedicated by the end of that year.  The year 2000 was a great year for temples in the latter-days! 

Though I no longer lived in Minnesota, I rejoiced with the people of Minnesota and with all the people in the upper-midwest who now had a temple in their backyards after having sacrificed so much money and so many hours  of their time to go to the temple for so many years.     Today there are 182 functioning temples with another 40 or so somewhere in the process of being built (source).   Think of all the people in the world who are blessed for their closer proximity to the temple. 

WHY DO TEMPLES MATTER? 
So I've spent all this time telling you about how great it is that temples are more accessible to the people, but why does that matter? 

#1. I think the first thing people think of when they think of blessings of the temple is that when couples are married and/or families are sealed in the temple, those families are sealed together forever. 

"The full realization of the blessings of a temple marriage is almost beyond our mortal comprehension. Such a marriage will continue to grow in the celestial realm. There we can become perfected."  Russell M. Nelson

The ability to be sealed to our families is a wonderful blessing and should be a goal for all to strive for, but you don't have to wait until you're married or sealed to enjoy the blessings of the temple. 

President Russell M. Nelson told us that “Building and maintaining temples may not change your life, but spending your time in the temple surely will.”

Why is that?  

Elder Quentin L. Cook answers it well:   

“The temple is also a place of refuge, thanksgiving, instruction, and understanding, “that [we] may be perfected … in all things pertaining to the kingdom of God on the earth.” Throughout my life it has been a place of tranquility and peace in a world that is literally in commotion. It is wonderful to leave the cares of the world behind in that sacred setting.”(source)

#2.  The temple is a haven from the world. 

I'll be totally honest here.   The temple is often not easy for me to go to.  Not only does the horrible traffic make the 20-25 miles to get there exceedingly long and painful, but I'm often exhausted and struggle to stay awake during sessions.   BUT, when I do make the effort to go,  and though I'm often a little irritable and fight nodding off the entire way through the session, I STILL AM BLESSED WITH PEACE.    The world is more fast-paced than it's ever been and we literally need...yes, need...this time for our minds, spirits, and bodies to take a break from the freneticism of the world.  Now,  more than ever,  we need to give ourselves that quiet time to commune with God without the distractions that beset us almost everywhere else we could otherwise be.  

So those are some nice blessings for us when we go to the temple, but what about the actual work you do while you're there?

“After we receive our own temple ordinances and make sacred covenants with God, each one of us needs the ongoing spiritual strengthening and tutoring that is possible only in the house of the Lord. And our ancestors need us to serve as proxy for them."  Russell M. Nelson

#3.  Our ancestors are relying on us to perform important saving ordinances for them. 

“This work is all about people. It’s about giving every one of our Heavenly Father’s sons and daughters the chance to make covenants and receive saving, exalting ordinances. It’s all about helping his children return home to him.”-- Sheri Dew 

I love that when we walk in the doors of the temple all people are equal. We walk in the doors to do a selfless work of saving our ancestors, and there are no distinctions of wealth, status, or position. We all wear the same clothing, missionaries don't wear their tags, and general authorities sit in the same seats with the rest of us. It's actually a beautiful thing to behold....people from all walks of life gathering together to do an important work that can't be done anywhere else. And it doesn't matter to our ancestors whether a farmer, grocery store clerk, or CEO is the one doing their work. They're just happy it's being done. Think of the joy we facilitate on the other side of the veil when we participate in temple work.

IDEAS FOR THE LESSON
Because I am working with a young woman who will be preparing her own part of the lesson, it is my plan to have these ideas, quotes and stories tucked away.   I'm also reviewing this lesson for more ideas.   We'll see where she takes the lesson and go from there.  I feel strongly though, that I need to end with this quote:

“Those who understand the eternal blessings which come from the temple know that no sacrifice is too great, no price too heavy, no struggle too difficult in order to receive those blessings.”  Thomas S. Monson (source