Best Teachers

“And also trust no one to be your teacher nor your minister, except he be a man of God, walking in his ways and keeping his commandments. And it came to pass that none received authority to preach or to teach except it were by him from God. Therefore he consecrated all their priests and all their teachers; and none were consecrated except they were just men.” (Mosiah 23:14,17)

“There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:1-5)

"Yea, they have all gone out of the way; they have become corrupted. Because of pride, and because of false teachers, and false doctrine, their churches have become corrupted, and their churches are lifted up; because of pride they are puffed up." (2 Nephi 28:11-12)

“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no man that hath seen God. Because he showeth himself not unto us, therefore there is no God. Behold, they are corrupt; they have done abominable works, and none of them doeth good. For the Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, and by his voice said unto his servant, Seek ye among the children of men, to see if there are any that do understand God. And he opened his mouth unto the Lord, and said, Behold, all these who say they are thine. The Lord answered, and said, They are all gone aside, they are together become filthy, thou canst behold none of them that are doing good, no, not one. All they have for their teachers are workers of iniquity, and there is no knowledge in them. They are they who eat up my people. They eat bread and call not upon the Lord.” (JST Psalm 14:1-4)

C.S Lewis and Mark Twain left us some good sayings to enjoy:

God allows us to experience the low points of life in order to teach us lessons that we could learn no other way.

Experience is a brutal teacher. But you learn, my God do you learn.

It is noble to teach oneself. It is still nobler to teach others.

You can't no more teach what you ain't learned than you can come from where you ain't been.

To do right is wonderful. To teach others to do right is even more wonderful, and much easier.

Children are natural mimics, who act like their parents, despite every effort to teach them good manners.

I can teach anybody how to get what they want out of life. The problem is that I can't find anybody who can tell me what they want.

A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.

Never try to teach a pig to sing. You waste your time, and you annoy the pig.

Forgiveness and Trust

 I have thought about forgiveness and what it means to forgive. Our Lord said, 

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. For, if ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you; But if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

I believe forgiveness is more for the offended than the offender. When I choose to harbor ill will, resentment, and retaliation; it poisons my heart. Instead of enjoying the peace and beauty that surround me every day, my time is spent focusing on others distressing actions. I really do believe everyone is doing the best they can at any one moment. It might look kind of crazy and even criminal, but if I were in their shoes, with their intelligence, and life experience, I might be doing some of the very same things.

We are each in the process of learning and growing. I believe we will have many experiences over the eternities until we reach maturity and are like Jesus. Trust is gained over a long period of time as we gain knowledge and wisely implement that knowledge. We are gaining experience. I don't know why some learn faster than others, but it looks like everyone is learning one way or the other.

Currently I am in a place that I believe it is healthy to forgive everyone no matter what. I also believe that it is not healthy to trust everyone. Forgiveness is freely given; trust is earned. As I watch, observe, and interact with myself and others, I learn where I can trust myself, my loved ones, and those who are new in my life.

To be trusted by the Lord is one of the greatest compliments one could receive, “And again, verily I say unto you, my servant George Miller is without guile; he may be trusted because of the integrity of his heart; and for the love which he has to my testimony I, the Lord, love him.”

I believe there is always an open door with God to grow and become someone He can trust. I believe it wise to keep that same door open for others. Trust is not something that can be forced or rushed. It takes a consistent effort over a long period of time to know I can trust myself. As it is with myself, so it is with others.

As your friend I forgive you and give you the opportunity to gain trust.   

Communicating With God

Jonathan and Crystalynne were sitting at the kitchen table talking. We overheard their conversation.

Jonathan: “So, what do you want to learn today?”

Crystalynne: “Nothing.”

Jonathan: “Cool, you want to learn nothing today?”

So God asks us the same question, “What do you want to learn today?” What’s your answer?

I believe that our Father in Heaven wants to hear from his children on a regular and consistent basis. Prayer is such a wonderful and brilliant way to communicate with Heaven, to speak with God, and to hear his voice whisper to our souls. He wants us to ask questions, many questions, any questions we may have about anything or anybody. He cares about what we think, things that we are afraid of, and especially things that we cannot share with others.

We must talk to him about everything pressing upon our minds and hearts. Ask him what he would do, how he feels, what he thinks, and how he would handle situations. He has experienced it all and knows exactly how we feel. Why not talk to someone, even God himself, who knows the answers to such things. He is anxious to help everyone who comes to him. He certainly hears us when we pray with sincere hearts and with real intent. He can feel our sincerity when we really mean what we say and it comes from the heart.

Isn’t it exciting that we have a Father who likes to talk with us, enjoys hearing about our day, our problems, challenges, and misunderstandings? Isn’t it refreshing to have a Father in Heaven who can see the full picture, knows what he is doing, and somehow successfully answers any prayer or request from anyone anywhere correctly?

He always remembers what we ask for, what we sacrifice for, and the true desires of our heart. He has the eternal wisdom and power to set in motion a sequence of events that puts us and other people in the right places at the right times. He guides us to the path that fulfills our righteous desires, for which we asked. It’s amazing and humbling to witness how the Lord orchestrates circumstances, experiences, and timing so precisely right for everyone. He really does know what he is doing. I am confident that he hears my prayers, loves me, and looks out for my safety and well being.

He knows how to touch our hearts with love, speak words of wisdom or correction, and give heavenly peace and comfort to a sorrowing soul. He has a great sense of humor, knows how to laugh, and his supportive and reassuring words are the best. He knows just what we need and when we need it, but still expects us to ask. He also knows what we don’t need and when we don’t need it, even if we don’t know yet. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways, acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6