This semester our top chamber group was blessed t tour in Salt Lake. Our main purpose for going there was to sing with the Mormon Tabernacle choir in the Music and the Spoken word, but we were also privileged to sing at The President's Club in the Church Office Building. I wasn't exactly sure what this meant, but I only knew that President Eyring would be present and that we would be singing one of my favorite songs of the semester. This particular song is called "Mine Arm is Lengthened Out" (visit http://www.lanejmusic.com/mine_arm.mp3 It is only a sample of music and is broken up into little segments, so it does not carry the piece's majestic power that it has, or it's full purpose and meaning, but it will give you an idea of the kind of mood it will portray. It also was at least a few minutes long as well). It isn't commonly known, but through this semester I have discovered that it has touched my life in a way that only music can. The words are as follows:
Mine arm is lengthened out all the day long
And yet, they will deny me
Yet, they will not come unto me and partake.
How oft would I have gathered you
As a hen gathereth her brood?
How oft would I have gathered you together
But ye would not!
Incline your ear and come unto me:
Hear and your soul shall live.
I shall lengthen out mine arm from day to day
And I will be merciful to those that come unto me.
Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of mine hands.
I thought so much about the meaning behind this piece as we were learning it and performed it two times at the university. While I was first learning it, I twisted the meaning of the song to fit into my own life and circumstances. Towards the beginning of the semester I knew I was losing and eventually love my grandmother and where it says, "Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of mine hands," I would think of Christ welcoming and greeting my Grandma on the other side. Then I started to think about Christ pleading to those He suffered so much for. Christ is perhaps my favorite subject to write or talk about and for years I have marveled at his ability to love so many people and to love us so much and suffer for us so much, and the pain He must feel when those He loves and has paid the price for, reject Him and His gift. I thought of Christ pleading for us to come unto Him. It is really a powerful image when you think about it. In the book of Moses (chapter 7) we read of Enoch's experience where he sees God weep "[for those who] are without affection, and [those who] had their own blood (vs 33)." I suppose I am like Enoch who marvels that such a being who is holy and eternal can weep, and shed tears like rain upon the mountains (vs 28-29). But the truth of it is this: deity does love those children who are lost and would want more than anything to have them join the fold once more. The hymn comes to mind, "I Stand All Amazed", for I truly, do stand amazed at the love Jesus has for me.
This was the message I wanted to share with a room full of strangers in the Church Office Building that day in Salt Lake. Many of us felt the piece in a similar way and as we sang, tears streamed down our faces. It had touched all of our hearts and we wanted, in our way, to be the a voice for the Lord, pleading that all might remember Him and come unto Him, for He had not forgotten us; we are engraved upon the palms of His hands.
After we sang we were invited to stay to hear the president of our school speak and to hear a few words from President Eyring. While the President of our school spoke I listened and realized that the talk he was giving was very similar to the many talks he gives at the beginning of the semester when he addresses the students at the university. He spoke of how the spirit teaches and can give us a fuller understanding of the lessons we are being taught inside the classroom. I had experienced this many times, as it is part of our learning model.
Then President Eyring got up and said a few words. I was almost disappointed that we didn't make him cry with our song, though I saw many people take a napkin to their eyes. The whole room was touched, and though I expected him to cry, since he seems to cry every time I see him give a talk, for whatever reason, he did not. However, in his address he did speak of how he appreciated and recognized the students' love of the savior. He said you could plainly see they knew the meaning of the song they sang. We knew we didm but were looking to touch them.
It is so cool to see a general authority speak so freely. He told of his experience in school and how he had struggled with physics, but had had his own touching experience where he felt the Spirit testify of the truthfulness of an equation in his book. He emphasized the importance of the Spirit and then bore his testimony of the Savior as well. Then he shared something rather personal that touched me. I hope I get my facts strait, but I know that I know the message to be true. He said one day he was thanking God for the path he had taken in life and for the experiences he had had to get him to that point in his life. Then he said he felt a little chastened. He realized that Christ had actually been the one playing and active role in his life and putting him where he was supposed to be at the right time. It was interesting because we think of how much Christ honored His Father in Heaven and we are commanded to do the same, but still Christ is the one that knows us and our trials perhaps more than anyone because He performed the atonement for us. I think it is wonderful to know that he is playing a role in our life as long as we let him. Truly He is on our right hand and on our left (D&C 84:88). We are never alone, for He is in our midst (D&C 61:36).
At the end we were able and allowed to mingle in the crowd. I cannot say I met President Eyring or Elder Ballard, who was also present, but I did have the opportunity to meet Sister Dalton. Wow. She is such an amazing woman, and I have always looked up to her. She was in the Young Women's presidency the same time I was and now I get to continue to grow up with her in Relief Society. I was standing behind her with another group of women in the choir with me, and when she turned around she looked at us and gave me and my roommate a big hug and showed her love. She is very animated, just like she is when she speaks over broadcasts, but I could not have known that she could show so much love! She turned to us and thanked us for what we did, and she told us that we could have converted thousands with our testimonies, even if we had not opened our mouths. She was just impressed with how we looked and carried ourselves. Maybe we had the light of Christ in our eyes! But she asked us how many were young women when she served and most of us were. She exclaimed, "So you are my girls!" And she proceeded to meet and greet each one of us. She told us that she had been taking notes through the meeting on little placemat cards. She said that she had been taking notes not on what the speakers said, but on what she had felt. Again, she thanked us for what we had done.
Needless to say, at the end of the experience our heart were full. We were so ready to share our testimonies and share our light with the oil that we had been given for our lamps that day.
