This is a 15 minute talk/sermon I was asked to give in Church today. Some of you requested copies of it, so here it is.
Growing up in Switzerland I didn't watch the news much. There is however one news report that I remember vividly. It was the images of utter desolation in Southern Florida, after hurricane Andrew hit Miami. Switzerland is safely landlocked and cushioned between mountains. I couldn't imagine why someone would possibly be crazy enough to want to live in flat place, that was below ocean level, and known to have such severe storms. At the time, I believe I hadn't heard the saying "Never say Never."
Years past without me thinking of hurricanes until I left my mountains in 1999 to serve a mission in the North of France. On December 26, an extra-tropical Cyclone called Lothar hit right over our area. Thousands of trees were damaged, and many homes remained without power for six weeks. Yet, with the fatigue only a missionary knows, I slept right through it and remained safe.
A few years later I ended up living as a newly wed in downtown Baltimore, when in 2003 one of the deadliest storms ever to hit the Midatlantic East coast, Hurricane Isabel, flooded Baltimore and left thousands without power. Again, we were lucky, and were spared.
Just six months later, I followed my love to Tampa, Florida where Aaron's family lives. The year was 2004. According to Wikipedia the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season...[had]...one of the highest Accumulated Cyclone Energy totals ever observed. The season was notable as one of the deadliest and most costly Atlantic hurricane seasons on record. This was the only time in recorded history that four hurricanes made landfall on Florida (Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne, and TS Bonnie). Aaron helped clean up a community that was worst hit by the hurricane and told me the destruction was truly devastating. I wouldn't be surprised if at the time there was a girl in Switzerland watching the news, thinking what kind of crazy person moves willingly to a below sea-level country in a hurricane prone area. Miraculously we were spared every single time. The most interesting thing I can tell you about hurricanes in Florida is that even though Floridians know that they could hit, many of them never seem prepared, and go into a panic. They made a mad dash to the stores to buy water, and gas up their cars every time another one was announced.
There are several lessons we can take from these experiences.
First: clearly, severe weather follows me everywhere, and we are probably due an extra tropical cyclone in the Netherlands soon.
Second: no matter what hits, as long as God sees fit, it won't matter what comes at me because He will protect me.
Third: the one thing everyone knows they need when bad weather hits is water.
Now before I bore you all silly by talking about the weather for 15 minutes, let me get to spiritual storms. What are spiritual storms and how can we prepare for them?
While we were engaged, Aaron and I took a marriage prep class at BYU. Our teacher handed out a list of about 30 different spiritual storms that could hit during a life time, and cause serious damage to a family. He explained that statistically speaking everyone lives through about five of these during a life time.
You will recognize many of these storms from the general conference talks. They include grave transgressions, natural disasters, health issues, financial troubles and so on. Here is just an excerpt:
And yet here I am, a little worse for wear, but still here I am. As I reflect on what we have been through and what helped us through these storms, I can see that the reason I'm still here, is because I had the one thing everyone needs to survive, and the first thing the unprepared buy up, when they hear of an impending storm: I had WATER. Spiritual Water.
In the famous scripture of Christ at a well, teaching a Samarian woman he says:
...whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. John 4:14
I think I survived these trials because I had drunk deeply from that well. That scripture was actually always a bit of a mystery to me, until I read in 1 Ne 11: 25, where Nephi explains what this water is that we can partake of.
And it came to pass that I beheld that the arod of iron, which my father had seen, was the bword of God, which cled to the fountain of dliving waters, or to the etree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God; and I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God. 1 Ne 11: 15
The water represents the love of God, and the way we get to God's love is by learning about him through his scriptures. If we have a firm knowledge of the love that GOD has for us, we can weather any storm. Having gone through what I did, I more fully understand that the years I spent getting to know GOD as a young single adult, as a missionary, as a faithful single adult, and later as a newly wed, prepared me for what was to come.
I admit that while the storms were raging I didn't have much energy to go search the scriptures. In fact, sometimes I was just plain angry at God for allowing me to suffer through such things. I thought it unfair. However, when the waves of emotion threatened to drown me, I clung to two testimonies I had gained during my years. I knew: God is faithful, and he will not give me anything I can't bear.
Growing up in Switzerland I didn't watch the news much. There is however one news report that I remember vividly. It was the images of utter desolation in Southern Florida, after hurricane Andrew hit Miami. Switzerland is safely landlocked and cushioned between mountains. I couldn't imagine why someone would possibly be crazy enough to want to live in flat place, that was below ocean level, and known to have such severe storms. At the time, I believe I hadn't heard the saying "Never say Never."
Years past without me thinking of hurricanes until I left my mountains in 1999 to serve a mission in the North of France. On December 26, an extra-tropical Cyclone called Lothar hit right over our area. Thousands of trees were damaged, and many homes remained without power for six weeks. Yet, with the fatigue only a missionary knows, I slept right through it and remained safe.
A few years later I ended up living as a newly wed in downtown Baltimore, when in 2003 one of the deadliest storms ever to hit the Midatlantic East coast, Hurricane Isabel, flooded Baltimore and left thousands without power. Again, we were lucky, and were spared.
Just six months later, I followed my love to Tampa, Florida where Aaron's family lives. The year was 2004. According to Wikipedia the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season...[had]...one of the highest Accumulated Cyclone Energy totals ever observed. The season was notable as one of the deadliest and most costly Atlantic hurricane seasons on record. This was the only time in recorded history that four hurricanes made landfall on Florida (Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne, and TS Bonnie). Aaron helped clean up a community that was worst hit by the hurricane and told me the destruction was truly devastating. I wouldn't be surprised if at the time there was a girl in Switzerland watching the news, thinking what kind of crazy person moves willingly to a below sea-level country in a hurricane prone area. Miraculously we were spared every single time. The most interesting thing I can tell you about hurricanes in Florida is that even though Floridians know that they could hit, many of them never seem prepared, and go into a panic. They made a mad dash to the stores to buy water, and gas up their cars every time another one was announced.
There are several lessons we can take from these experiences.
First: clearly, severe weather follows me everywhere, and we are probably due an extra tropical cyclone in the Netherlands soon.
Second: no matter what hits, as long as God sees fit, it won't matter what comes at me because He will protect me.
Third: the one thing everyone knows they need when bad weather hits is water.
Now before I bore you all silly by talking about the weather for 15 minutes, let me get to spiritual storms. What are spiritual storms and how can we prepare for them?
While we were engaged, Aaron and I took a marriage prep class at BYU. Our teacher handed out a list of about 30 different spiritual storms that could hit during a life time, and cause serious damage to a family. He explained that statistically speaking everyone lives through about five of these during a life time.
You will recognize many of these storms from the general conference talks. They include grave transgressions, natural disasters, health issues, financial troubles and so on. Here is just an excerpt:
- any type of addiction such as porn, gambling, drugs, alcohol, food, shopping
- verbal or physical abuse
- spouse falling away from the gospel
- committing crime
- adultery
- chronic illnesses like diabetes, Alzheimer, depression, cancer, mental illnesses
- death in the family,
- infertility, miscarriage, having a handicapped child
- job loss
- losing your home
- poor communication
- having an in-law move in with you (not kidding, it was on the list)
- moving to a different country
- natural disasters
- change of career
And yet here I am, a little worse for wear, but still here I am. As I reflect on what we have been through and what helped us through these storms, I can see that the reason I'm still here, is because I had the one thing everyone needs to survive, and the first thing the unprepared buy up, when they hear of an impending storm: I had WATER. Spiritual Water.
In the famous scripture of Christ at a well, teaching a Samarian woman he says:
...whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. John 4:14
I think I survived these trials because I had drunk deeply from that well. That scripture was actually always a bit of a mystery to me, until I read in 1 Ne 11: 25, where Nephi explains what this water is that we can partake of.
And it came to pass that I beheld that the arod of iron, which my father had seen, was the bword of God, which cled to the fountain of dliving waters, or to the etree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God; and I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God. 1 Ne 11: 15
The water represents the love of God, and the way we get to God's love is by learning about him through his scriptures. If we have a firm knowledge of the love that GOD has for us, we can weather any storm. Having gone through what I did, I more fully understand that the years I spent getting to know GOD as a young single adult, as a missionary, as a faithful single adult, and later as a newly wed, prepared me for what was to come.
I admit that while the storms were raging I didn't have much energy to go search the scriptures. In fact, sometimes I was just plain angry at God for allowing me to suffer through such things. I thought it unfair. However, when the waves of emotion threatened to drown me, I clung to two testimonies I had gained during my years. I knew: God is faithful, and he will not give me anything I can't bear.
Elder Eyring said this concerning spiritual storms:
The Prophet Joseph Smith gave us the Lord’s description of the test we face... We have these words to tell us about the purpose of the Creation: “We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them.” 1
So, the great test of life is to see whether we will hearken to and obey God’s commands in the midst of the storms of life. It is not to endure storms, but to choose the right while they rage. And the tragedy of life is to fail in that test and so fail to qualify to return in glory to our heavenly home. Henry B. Eyring
We will need to have developed and nurtured faith in Jesus Christ long before Satan hits us, as he will, with doubts and appeals to our carnal desires and with lying voices saying that good is bad and that there is no sin. Those spiritual storms are already raging. We can expect that they will worsen until the Savior returns.
However much faith to obey God we now have, we will need to strengthen it continually and keep it refreshed constantly. We can do that by deciding now to be more quick to obey and more determined to endure. Learning to start early and to be steady are the keys to spiritual preparation. Procrastination and inconsistency are its mortal enemies. (Elder Eyring, General Conference October 2005 "Spiritual Preparedness: Start Early and Be Steady")
From Elder Eyring's words I take that a spiritual storm is simply when something happens to us that tests our commitment to God and his commandments.
So let me suggest a simple formula to remember to keep our water stocked at all time.
W: Worship. Come to church, no matter how you feel about yourself, about God, and about life. This one act will keep you steady, because it puts you in a place where you are likely to feel the Spirit.
A: Attitude. Elder Holland once said: there is no misfortune in life so great, that complaining won't make it worse. Your attitude can make your trial seem short, or unbearably long, or in fact, with the right attitude you might see that what you’re going through might not even be a trial, but an opportunity to grow. And sometimes, a sucky attitude is what causes your spiritual storms.
T: Testimony. What is a testimony? In short it is something you know for sure to be true. If you want a testimony to grow stronger, pray and read your scriptures with the burning intent to get to know GOD, versus just so He can't say you weren't keeping that commandment.
E: Endurance. In the words of one of my favorite movie characters of all time, Dory: just keep swimming, just keep swimming
R: Repent. You may have done nothing wrong, but if the point of a test is to test our humility, then it won't hurt to humble ourselves and ask for forgiveness. If you have done something wrong, then all the more reason to repent. Many spiritual storms are caused or made worse by carrying around unnecessary burdens of guilt.
S: Serve in your callings. If you want to understand the love that Christ and God have for you, act as Christ did. When you act as his servant, and feel the love He has for others, you will come to believe the love He has for you. And serving others helps you think less of your own problems.
In a sense we are all like those crazy people who chose to live in a below sea level country, prone to severe storms. We came to earth, willingly, knowing full well what we were getting ourselves into. So why did we come? Because we followed the person we loved, our big brother Jesus Christ, and because in the grand scheme of things, we knew that just like in Florida, hurricanes last only a few days, while 9-10 months out of the year the weather is warm, sunny, and absolutely fabulous.
excellent talk... but did it take 15 mintues... i read it pretty quickly :)
ReplyDeletei'm supposed to speak this weekend on Pioneers :)
i haven't really prepared anything yet, just reading up on different pioneer stories, luckily there are a lot this month in the Ensign/Liahona!
Reading it in your head always is faster. Yes. It took exactly 15 minutes. I time these things. I really appreciate when people talk the amount of time they're assigned to, and the only way to do that is to write it out and time yourself. There are some excellent speakers that can just ad lib it but the danger is to ramble on and go overtime. Plus it's always nice for the translator to have the talk in advance.
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