I know my parents love me, and let me tell you why. It was the classic tale of the young child who spots the cookie or candy jar on the top shelf, and after a quick moment of logic, realizes that it is indeed an attainable goal. I start with the stool, but that obviously was not tall enough. I grab a chair to put under the stool. “So close…” I grab a small footstool and put it on top. “There we go!” Now I begin my ascent up the wooden tower and make it to the top. I stand up carefully and reach up as high as I can for the jar, grazing it with my fingertips. I stand on my toes, but it is still not enough, so I lean forward. A moment later I understand the error in my logic, and just at that moment I heard the loud gasp behind me. I suddenly feel the cradling arms of my mother wrap around me as my makeshift ladder collapses below. She slowly lowers me to the firm and stable kitchen floor, safe and sound.
I marvel at how well our earthly parents can compare to our heavenly parents when it comes to the love they show for their children. Our best interest is in their best interest, even when we ourselves fail to see it. They just want us to be happy, and to keep us happy they keep us out of trouble and danger by giving us support where we really need it. Just like my desire to reach the cookie jar, we all have goals which we strive for. Elder Russell M. Nelson quotes,
“But chief of all Thy wondrous works,
Supreme of all Thy plan,
Thou hast put an upward reach
In the heart of Man” [1]
But sometimes these goals seem so far out of reach, too high for one person alone to attain. In order to accomplish such an impossible task, we need support. However, the foundation must be firm, unlike the stack of furniture I used to reach the cookie jar. If we do not build ourselves upon a firm foundation, we put ourselves in danger of falling into that pit of endless misery and woe. So we must ask ourselves, “In order to attain exaltation, on what foundation should I anchor my faith?” Like the answer to all or life’s questions, the answer to this question can be found many times in the scriptures.
As men and women of the flesh, we are imperfect and require salvation if we are to receive eternal life. We often find that we have already fallen into that pit of misery before we even realize it, and then require a helping hand to pull us out and redeem us from our fallen state. Our Heavenly Father has blessed us with a way to redeem us from our sins. ”And the Messiah cometh in the fullness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall…” [2] Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, came to the earth to save us from our imperfections. “The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation…” [3] The Hebrew word for “salvation” is “y‰shû‘¡h” from the root “ysh” which means, “to be open, wide or free… to be safe; causatively to free or succor.” [4] To be free children of men, we must follow Christ and keep his commandments, for that is His promise to us. “..And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life through the great Mediator of all men...” [5] As children of God we have been given the greatest blessing of all, which is the ability to redeem ourselves from our fallen ways through the atonement of Jesus Christ, and be saved, “by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.” [6]
Christ is our salvation, and He had taught us that we must make Him and His teachings the foundation for our lives. “…flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven… and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” [7] The Greek word for “I will build” is “oi’kedome/w” meaning “to be a house-builder”. [4] Christ is teaching Peter that His house (His church) will be built upon the word of God, that is, the Holy Scriptures. This is the rock of our Redeemer, or the rock of salvation which we must build upon. “And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation… which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.” [7] Just as Helaman is teaching his sons, our loving heavenly parents and hopefully our earthly parents teach us that we must focus our lives on the Savior and follow in His footsteps. They teach us that to achieve exaltation and avoid misery we must anchor our faith to the word of God.
The more we build our testimonies on the rock of salvation, the word of God and his servants, the prophets, the closer we get to achieving the goal of exaltation. First, we must want exaltation. To want exaltation we must understand what it is and to do that we must obtain an eternal perspective. “The foundation of one’s individual faith, if anchored firmly to eternal truth, allows each of us to reach upward with an eternal perspective.” [9] By doing this we can get a taste of the happiness that exaltation has in store for us and have a desire to reach for it. Once we have that mindset, we can begin building our foundations, strengthening our testimonies, and receiving the blessings of eternal happiness. We continue to build upward until it is within our grasp. This is why our foundation must be firm and strong, like a rock. If we try to achieve happiness with our faith in worldly things which are weak, unstable and ever-changing, we will surely fall. But because of the blessings of the atonement, we have the opportunity to get back up and try again. Our Heavenly Father has laid a firm foundation for us upon which we can always build upon. He has laid the groundwork, and it is up to us to use it or not.
“How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
Who unto the savior for refuge have fled?” [10]
I know God loves His children, for He has given us all that we need to be happy. If we follow Him, we will ultimately find happiness and eternal life. If we follow Him and build our lives on the rock of His salvation, we will be set free.
1. Harry Kemp, “God the Architect,” in James Dalton Morrison, ed., Masterpieces of Religious Verse (1948), 46–47.
2. 2 Nephi 2:26
3. Exodus 15:2
4. LDS Scriptures CD-ROM
5. 2 Nephi 2:27
6. The 3rd Article of Faith
7. Matthew 16: 17-18
8. Helaman 5:12
9. Russell M. Nelson, “How Firm Our Foundation,” Liahona, Jul 2002, 83–86
10. “How Firm a Foundation,” LDS Hymnbook, 85
8 comments:
Spencer, I loved your introduction and metaphor for reaching our goals! I wasn't sure about the organization of your blog until I got to the end. It does relate, but maybe you could add some topic sentences/thesis sentences to your blog.
I like everything about this talk, especially the way you incorporated the underlying meanings of the words from other scripture languages. Well done! Will you submit it to a contest or conference?
This was an amazing blog. i thought that it was an excellent use of a picture. very fitting. youre first paragraph totally drew me in. good job.
good story with the cookie jar :) im glad you can achieve anything!
I have to agree with the above statements, the cookie jar story rocked! Sometimes we are so set on reaching a goal that we lose sight about how we are getting it, we always need a firm foundation or else we will fall. Luckily though, our Saviour will be there to catch us, just as your mom was there to catch you.
Spenser - Thank you for sharing your knowledge about how through the Lord we can do all things!!
I loved the cartoon and how you related the story of trying to reach the cookie jar to the importance of building a strong foundation. Well done!
How firm a foundation is my favorite hymn! i loved this blog!
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