Refinement is an interesting word. In society, when some one is "high class" they may be boast this quality of refinement (ok "refined lady" may be a little old-fashioned, but bear with me). They are in essence,getting rid of all that is not acceptable in such a society. They are not coarse or vulgar. They are genteel, elegant, and polite. They are subtle and discriminate (according to the dictionary). This could also mean that they are discriminate in what traits they should adopt. So, through their discrimination they are free from impurities, and they are purified.
Though, in the scriptures, refinement is symbolically represented by a purging of precious metals, the concept is the same. In the Bible, Book of Mormon and D&C, the refiner's fie is purging and making pure. As we are being purged, we are also setting at naught all those things that re not of God. We are being discriminate. But there is a process by which we do this. To be refined, it seems that we have to go through a lot of heat. In Isaiah 48:10, the scripture indicates that refinement may be brought about by affliction.
God knows that by trials we grow stronger. He wants us to return to him, so he sometimes allows trials to come upon us. Trials can do 1 of 2 things:They can bring us closer to God, or they can repel us further away. What distinguishes between the two is not the nature of the trial, but our own nature. We are the deciding factor. It is my hope that through our tribulation we would be brought closer to Christ. Through our trials, we may become stronger. This is illustrated in John 15:2. The branch that brings forth (good) fruit will be purged so that it may bring forth more fruit. There is a purpose in our afflictions. James E. Faust said, "There is a divine purpose in the adversities we encounter every day. They prepare, they purge they purify, and thus they bless." Through our trials we can bring forth more good fruit - more good qualities and refinement.
In this I do not meant to say that God will show forth his wrath in the attempt to purge us. No, He is not an afflicting God. President Joseph F. Smith taught that, "It is a feeble thought to believe that the illness and affliction that come to us are attributable either to the mercy or the displeasure of God." We see this illustrated int he story of Job int he Bible. Satan comes before the Lord and says that God has prospered Job for his obedience, but he suspects that if God did not "hedge about him" (shelter him from affliction) he would curse God. He proposes a plan: "But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face." Now read closely the Lord's reply: "Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand." See how the Lord did not curse Job? He merely granted permission to the dragon to -well- basically create havoc.
So it is with us. At times, the Lord will simply lift his arm of protection. But it will all work together for our good (D&C 122:7). Again, it is not the nature of the trial that brings us closer to God, but out nature. One great example of this is one of my favorite stories. One Sunday meeting, a group of people were criticizing the Martin and Willie Handcart companies because they left too late in the season. They seemed to think that because they left so late, they were responsible for the many deaths along the trail. One man in the back was quiet. Then he arose calmly, but with emotion in his face revealed that he had been a member of the Martin Handcart company. He proceeded to explain that through the hard times he had been a recipient of help from the angels. He had learned how to be stalwart. Then he said this: "Was I sorry that I chose to come by handcart? No. Neither then nor any minute of my life since. The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay, and I am thankful that I was privileged to come in the Martin Handcart Company." Wow. He just said that the price he paid was worth what he gained: to become acquainted with God. It reminds me of the King of the Lamanites that the missionary, Aaron taught. He said, "I will give all my sins to know thee. This brings me to my next point.
I personally think that the refiners fire is something internal, rather than external. I will explain further. Alma the younger had an experience with an angel and was "touched by an angel" (he he). He was unconscious for three days! But while he was still unresponsive to the world around him, his mother and father were rejoicing that their prayers were being answered! Why? Because his heart was being changed. He went through and internal battle. He saw the bitterness of his own sins. He realized he would rather cease to exist than to face God with all his impurities. But then he called on the name of Jesus. His heart was changed and he was forgiven. He had been through the refiner's fire. (see the story of Paul, Acts 22)
Take another example, Enos. In Enos 1:2, Enos explains that his experience was a "wrestle" that he had before God. He said his soul "hungered" (Enos 1:4) as he knelt down to pray. He prayed all day! a good 12 hours perhaps! And then his prayer was answered with a forgiveness of sins. And why did he receive a forgiveness of sins? Because of his faith on the Savior (Enos 1:8), he was purified.
I think we all have to go through our own internal struggles. This change may be invoked by our trials as we try to draw strength from them, but I believe the true refinement takes place in the deep chambers of our hearts. As we strive to know our Savior, we tend to become more like him, and we bring forth good fruit. Then we discover more impurities and allow God to purify us again. This pattern is a cycle we encounter until all of our dross is removed and all that is left is a pure metal. What happens at this point? The metal is so pure that the Goldsmith's face is reflected in us. We become so pure, that his continence shines in us. Our visage resembles his, so that the people who don't know Christ can know Him because they know us. It is an extraordinary thing. And all the while, the Goldsmith and master is keeping diligent watch over us and our progress. We are Never Alone in our refinement.
"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:2). Let us seek to develop in us the gold that does not perish through the trial of our faith within ourselves so that we may be found pure at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Don't Let Virtues Be A Vice
This semester I have been sufficiently humbled. I struggled in my degree, I struggled in my relationship with God, I struggled in my marriage, I struggled in about every aspect of life. I do not say these things on an extreme level, as the connotation denotes, but in the sense that I have not met my own goals or ambitions to the extent that I would wish. By saying this I do not wish to discount everything I said in my last post, but only to say that I am capable of better, and I have not wholly done my best.
This semester I had to come to grips with reality. I can't do everything I want to do simultaneously. I need to focus on one thing at a time, line upon line. This is something I have had to relearn. Isn't it interesting that through our mortal probation and essentially, our "test in life" we constantly have to review what we have studied, or learned. At least this is the case with me. I suppose I am human enough that I need constant, repeated lessons.
This past semester I was focusing on many things at once, which is expected, since at the university we are supposed to be learning many things at once. I was focussing on being a good wife, trying to fit time into my schedule for my husband, trying to learn to be a good singer, trying to be a good student, good member of the church, good friend, good family member, and god intellectual. I was trying to capture the spirit of learning, maintaining a good spirit in our home, being on good terms with my teachers, trying to not get sick, and show my love for my husband. All these little things add up! And these things are good things, but I have come to conclude that I need to focus on one or two things in all these categories, not every aspect of every category all at once. This would only slow down the learning process.
This past General Conference President Uchtdorf spoke on this matter. He said that it is easy to get busy, and when tough times come, it is easy to speed up as opposed to slowing down. It is as if an increase of pace will fix the problem, or in more palpable terms, it will speed up the time or event to make it that much more bearable. What happens happens. But this simply is not the case, we will be more benefitted if we slow down to attend to our problems then running away from them. We will learn so much more if we slow down and wholly learn concept than if we are cramming for a test or lesson we have to pump out.
This is especially applicable to me as a student. Welcome to the life of a music major. Everyone wants to finish on time, but hardly any music major does because unless things are planned out perfectly and everything goes perfectly, it won't be the case. So every music major is trying to finish school as fast as they can. I can't debate with that. I understand the motives of trying to finish fast. In my case, I want to start a family, I want to finish around the same time as my husband, I don't want to be an eternal student (well, sorta, I still want to be learning eternally). Also, a music major's schedule consists of a lot of classes, all about 2 or 1 credits each. This is not simply because the classes are easy. No sir. They are challenging and time consuming. It is because a music major has to take so X number of classes and there is a credit limit for the degree. I typical music major will be taking 6-10 classes per semester, that is, if they want to graduate as soon as possible. A music major is well aware of their surrounding peers. We are a tight-knit group of sorts. Everyone knows everyone and everyone's story. We know that so-and-so has a full schedule. Wow. That is admirable that they can do so much! President Uchtdorf said something that was really significant, "Some might even think that their self-worth depends on the length of their to-do list. They flood the open spaces in their time with lists of meetings and minutia - even during times of stress and fatigue." The truth is that we should not be running faster than we have strength (Mosiah 4:27)
True, we should be anxiously engaged in good causes (D&C 58:27), but not to the point of fatigue. If we fatigue our bodies, we fatigue our mind and spirit. The three go hand in hand.
Some might think that it is a sacrifice that will be rewarded if they just keep going on the way they are for a period of time and then slow down at a later date. Sacrifice is the giving up of something for something better. The consequences of an unhealthily-busy schedule are not worth the end. It is not a true sacrifice, but a self-pillage of our resources: our time, energy, and capabilities.
This is not to say that we should slow down to the point of idleness. But only until we can substitute out anxiety with enthusiasm. In this life we have assignments. We may be a teacher, mother, father, student, employer, employee. Think about your assignment at this time. " Our assignments are varied and they change from time to time. Don't take them lightly. Give them your full heart and energy. Do them with enthusiasm. ..To do less than this will leave you with an empty feeling " (Marjorie Pay Hinckley). Please whatever you are doing in life, do it in wisdom. I know I am trying to do the same. And I am Not Alone. I know that I can turn to my God to direct my path and help me accomplish my goals, for they are His. I hope to accomplish what He would have me. I encourage the same.
This semester I had to come to grips with reality. I can't do everything I want to do simultaneously. I need to focus on one thing at a time, line upon line. This is something I have had to relearn. Isn't it interesting that through our mortal probation and essentially, our "test in life" we constantly have to review what we have studied, or learned. At least this is the case with me. I suppose I am human enough that I need constant, repeated lessons.
This past semester I was focusing on many things at once, which is expected, since at the university we are supposed to be learning many things at once. I was focussing on being a good wife, trying to fit time into my schedule for my husband, trying to learn to be a good singer, trying to be a good student, good member of the church, good friend, good family member, and god intellectual. I was trying to capture the spirit of learning, maintaining a good spirit in our home, being on good terms with my teachers, trying to not get sick, and show my love for my husband. All these little things add up! And these things are good things, but I have come to conclude that I need to focus on one or two things in all these categories, not every aspect of every category all at once. This would only slow down the learning process.
This past General Conference President Uchtdorf spoke on this matter. He said that it is easy to get busy, and when tough times come, it is easy to speed up as opposed to slowing down. It is as if an increase of pace will fix the problem, or in more palpable terms, it will speed up the time or event to make it that much more bearable. What happens happens. But this simply is not the case, we will be more benefitted if we slow down to attend to our problems then running away from them. We will learn so much more if we slow down and wholly learn concept than if we are cramming for a test or lesson we have to pump out.
This is especially applicable to me as a student. Welcome to the life of a music major. Everyone wants to finish on time, but hardly any music major does because unless things are planned out perfectly and everything goes perfectly, it won't be the case. So every music major is trying to finish school as fast as they can. I can't debate with that. I understand the motives of trying to finish fast. In my case, I want to start a family, I want to finish around the same time as my husband, I don't want to be an eternal student (well, sorta, I still want to be learning eternally). Also, a music major's schedule consists of a lot of classes, all about 2 or 1 credits each. This is not simply because the classes are easy. No sir. They are challenging and time consuming. It is because a music major has to take so X number of classes and there is a credit limit for the degree. I typical music major will be taking 6-10 classes per semester, that is, if they want to graduate as soon as possible. A music major is well aware of their surrounding peers. We are a tight-knit group of sorts. Everyone knows everyone and everyone's story. We know that so-and-so has a full schedule. Wow. That is admirable that they can do so much! President Uchtdorf said something that was really significant, "Some might even think that their self-worth depends on the length of their to-do list. They flood the open spaces in their time with lists of meetings and minutia - even during times of stress and fatigue." The truth is that we should not be running faster than we have strength (Mosiah 4:27)
True, we should be anxiously engaged in good causes (D&C 58:27), but not to the point of fatigue. If we fatigue our bodies, we fatigue our mind and spirit. The three go hand in hand.
Some might think that it is a sacrifice that will be rewarded if they just keep going on the way they are for a period of time and then slow down at a later date. Sacrifice is the giving up of something for something better. The consequences of an unhealthily-busy schedule are not worth the end. It is not a true sacrifice, but a self-pillage of our resources: our time, energy, and capabilities.
This is not to say that we should slow down to the point of idleness. But only until we can substitute out anxiety with enthusiasm. In this life we have assignments. We may be a teacher, mother, father, student, employer, employee. Think about your assignment at this time. " Our assignments are varied and they change from time to time. Don't take them lightly. Give them your full heart and energy. Do them with enthusiasm. ..To do less than this will leave you with an empty feeling " (Marjorie Pay Hinckley). Please whatever you are doing in life, do it in wisdom. I know I am trying to do the same. And I am Not Alone. I know that I can turn to my God to direct my path and help me accomplish my goals, for they are His. I hope to accomplish what He would have me. I encourage the same.
Semester's Events in Five Minutes
It is a new semester, and a long time since I have last written, I admit. My husband and I are at the beginning of a new semester. So I will focus on catching up on this last past semester.
A lot has happened. First off, and most importantly, my husband and I can't help but notice that over the semester we have grown more in love and understand each other more. Of course, we have had our share of miscommunication, disagreements, etc. But we have always grown closer for them - not further apart. Indeed, we are very happy and our love for each other grows daily.
I suppose the reason why I haven't written until now is that classes have been very busy. I was taking about 14 credits and was teaching at the university again. It was all a very enjoyable experience, just very eventful. Both my husband and I did well in our classes. I was taking seven classes and got A's in all save two. I would say that it was a successful semester for me. I rarely got anything but an A on my tests and I knew my material. I just love to learn!
It was also successful because I got better at teaching. I was more confident in front of my students and used the strategies I had experimented with the previous semester.
My husband's and my temple attendance was also good and we made time for each other. Life was great!
I also made choir again and sang at a few concerts. In one concert I was given a "half" solo, as I like to call it. It wasn't anything big, but it was a good experience and good practice for me.
I also have been blessed with a very good voice instructor. He is extremely interested in the individual. What I mean by that is, he will cater to their needs, he is encouraging (most of the time, as a music major, you only hear what you did wrong, rarely what you actually did right), and he personally advocated for me at least twice. He'll pull you into his office to talk to you if there is a concern. Keep in mind that this guy is busy all the time - but he takes the time to help the individual. Very Christ-like man. He was a good example for me in my teaching. I have always tried to cater to the individual in my class, but if it meant taking time out of my personal time, I was a little more reluctant to help, as I was very busy.
Even through all the stresses of the semester we have been carefully cared for by God. All our needs have been provided as we have been doing our best to live within our means and frugally. We have been well-provided for and cared for. Especially me because I have such a great husband!
Also this semester my husband and I were called into the nursery, but then released after a few weeks, so my husband could serve in the elders quorum presidency. Our had so many children that it actually took two nurseries to maintain an orderly class. Whenever the two were combined, it was very hard to control the kids. But all in all, it was a fun experience! I learned that my husband is very good with kids, even though he still doesn't think he is.
Consistently through the semester, we have held family/friend get-togethers on Sundays. We have held desert parties, dinner dates, and an appetizer social. These were just ways to get family and friends together that we hadn't seen for a while. We didn't do them every Sunday, but most Sundays we would try. It is kind of our way of carrying on the tradition of my brother-in-law and his wife before they left the university. We are excited to continue the tradition, especially since we have more family up here with us now!
Also, this year we passed our first date anniversary: Halloween day. We didn't get very many trick-or-treaters, and my husband and I didn't get to do much thanks to homework, but we did try to celebrate it a little. More than anything it was fun for us to share what has happened since then. We really have come a long way since then. As went over our favorite memories together, we concluded that there were many more to make.
I am so grateful that my husband and I have so much time left together. Even if something should happen to one of us, we take great peace and happiness in knowing that we have an eternity to live together. We are so happy for eternal families. It is good to know that we will Never be Alone in our endeavors. We have a partner and friend that will accompany us through eternity. I am grateful for my best friend who can sing me back our song when I have forgotten the words.
A lot has happened. First off, and most importantly, my husband and I can't help but notice that over the semester we have grown more in love and understand each other more. Of course, we have had our share of miscommunication, disagreements, etc. But we have always grown closer for them - not further apart. Indeed, we are very happy and our love for each other grows daily.
I suppose the reason why I haven't written until now is that classes have been very busy. I was taking about 14 credits and was teaching at the university again. It was all a very enjoyable experience, just very eventful. Both my husband and I did well in our classes. I was taking seven classes and got A's in all save two. I would say that it was a successful semester for me. I rarely got anything but an A on my tests and I knew my material. I just love to learn!
It was also successful because I got better at teaching. I was more confident in front of my students and used the strategies I had experimented with the previous semester.
My husband's and my temple attendance was also good and we made time for each other. Life was great!
I also made choir again and sang at a few concerts. In one concert I was given a "half" solo, as I like to call it. It wasn't anything big, but it was a good experience and good practice for me.
I also have been blessed with a very good voice instructor. He is extremely interested in the individual. What I mean by that is, he will cater to their needs, he is encouraging (most of the time, as a music major, you only hear what you did wrong, rarely what you actually did right), and he personally advocated for me at least twice. He'll pull you into his office to talk to you if there is a concern. Keep in mind that this guy is busy all the time - but he takes the time to help the individual. Very Christ-like man. He was a good example for me in my teaching. I have always tried to cater to the individual in my class, but if it meant taking time out of my personal time, I was a little more reluctant to help, as I was very busy.
Even through all the stresses of the semester we have been carefully cared for by God. All our needs have been provided as we have been doing our best to live within our means and frugally. We have been well-provided for and cared for. Especially me because I have such a great husband!
Also this semester my husband and I were called into the nursery, but then released after a few weeks, so my husband could serve in the elders quorum presidency. Our had so many children that it actually took two nurseries to maintain an orderly class. Whenever the two were combined, it was very hard to control the kids. But all in all, it was a fun experience! I learned that my husband is very good with kids, even though he still doesn't think he is.
Consistently through the semester, we have held family/friend get-togethers on Sundays. We have held desert parties, dinner dates, and an appetizer social. These were just ways to get family and friends together that we hadn't seen for a while. We didn't do them every Sunday, but most Sundays we would try. It is kind of our way of carrying on the tradition of my brother-in-law and his wife before they left the university. We are excited to continue the tradition, especially since we have more family up here with us now!
Also, this year we passed our first date anniversary: Halloween day. We didn't get very many trick-or-treaters, and my husband and I didn't get to do much thanks to homework, but we did try to celebrate it a little. More than anything it was fun for us to share what has happened since then. We really have come a long way since then. As went over our favorite memories together, we concluded that there were many more to make.
I am so grateful that my husband and I have so much time left together. Even if something should happen to one of us, we take great peace and happiness in knowing that we have an eternity to live together. We are so happy for eternal families. It is good to know that we will Never be Alone in our endeavors. We have a partner and friend that will accompany us through eternity. I am grateful for my best friend who can sing me back our song when I have forgotten the words.
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