LIVING WATER

(I wrote this 9 February 2003)

Today I had a special experience during the passing of the Sacrament.  As I sat there, thinking about the Savior, and of His shedding His blood for us, great waves of gratitude filled my soul.

Then I thought of his conversation with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, when he told her that He could give her Living Water so that she would never thirst again.  I pondered about the Savior’s use of symbols, and started thinking about the significance of water as a symbol.

My mind was flooded with thoughts like: We are about 65% water and every cell in our bodies must have water to function or it dies.  A hot shower or bath brings such soothing comfort, as does a cold glass of water on a hot day.  Water has power to cleanse, whether it is the simple washing of our hands, or the profound cleansing of our sins by baptism.

  Water has sound—from the sweet burble of ripples in a stream to the thundering roar of Niagara Falls.

Beautiful reflections on water are a feast to our eyes—whether from a sunset, a sunrise, or the color turquoise in a rain puddle.  A feeling of thanksgiving washes over me as I bring a glass of sparkling pure water to my lips.   Without it nothing grows, lives.

Without water there is parched ground and famine in the land.  Without the Savior’s Living Water there is a parched spirit and famine in our hearts.  But there is His promise—a never-ending supply of this Living Water!

To my wonder, Bishop Poston got up to speak right after the Sacrament, and began talking about the symbolism in water!  He spoke of a recent experience on the Salt Lake City Temple block, when he heard and watched the water from the upper fountain flowing in a noisy, zig-zag course toward the Temple.

He likened our lives to that erratic course—ebbing and flowing, sometimes noisy and confused, taking lots of twists and turns as we work our way through life, ever closer to partaking of the symbol of eternal life, the temple.

Then there is the great, calm, oval reflecting pool in front of the temple, symbolizing the temple experience itself.  But he found as he got closer, the water, although calm, was actually moving, flowing over the edges in fluid peacefulness, just as temple work is constantly revitalizing the lives of others.

There would be stagnation if there was no movement.  So too, in our lives.

I have decided to include on this blog some of my musings, insights, etc. from the past.  Here is something I wrote on February 14, 2013:

The Blessings the Gospel Has Brought into My Life

Daily I thank the Lord for the blessing of the Gospel in my life.  It IS my life.  Of course, there are the basics.  Because of the Gospel I know Who I am, Why I am here, Where I am going, and How to get there. What reassurances!

To be living in a time when the Key of Knowledge has been restored is a great blessing.  I know who Heavenly Father is and understand His great Plan of Happiness.  I have a very personal relationship with my Lord Jesus Christ.  I understand what His marvelous sacrifice has done for us - for me - and I seek daily to become more like Him. 

Perhaps the greatest blessing in my life, other than God’s gift of redemption and salvation, is the priceless Gift of the Holy Ghost.  Through the Spirit I have learned to fully TRUST God and His promises, for the Spirit has witnessed to me the divine natures of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  The gifts of the spirit have blessed me beyond measure.  Through sacred experiences, I have learned for myself that I am never alone.  I have greatly benefited from the spiritual gifts of faith, hope, and especially charity; also included are the gifts of knowledge, wisdom and understanding.

The blessings of the restored priesthood, ordinances and covenants make my life worthwhile and have bonded me to my God and my family, including my ancestors.  To be led by prophets of God, who speak the mind and will of the Lord is a great comfort and additional source of peace and instruction.  As the years roll by, I have gained a deeper gratitude and appreciation for the words of light found in the Scriptures.  How very blessed I am to have access to these words of truth.

Through sacred experiences I have learned to listen and have been rescued from danger - both physical and spiritual.  The more I seek, the more I receive, especially gifts of the Spirit.  I have tasted peace beyond expression, and love beyond comprehension.

Mingling with my fellow Saints has given me opportunities to serve, to stretch beyond my own perceived abilities, discovering that God makes up the difference if I just try to do my best.  The Gospel is life expanding, life giving.

In a world where confusion reigns and calls of “lo, here, lo, there” abound, it is a superlative blessing to be able to recognize the real truths in this world and feel safe in the arms of my Savior.

              Obedience brings Freedom

Many years ago, as I was reading in John, Chapter eight, I came across the Lord’s statement that if we obey Him, then we are His disciples indeed, and we shall know the truth and the truth shall make us free.  At that moment I experienced an opening of the heavens, so to speak,  for it was made known to me that absolute obedience brings absolute freedom.  All these subsequent years I have pondered upon that.  I have even saved some quotes about this blessing. (See below)  In short, as I obey, the Spirit reveals truths to me and sets me free - free from the bondage of sin, free from ignorance of God and His purposes, free to reach my highest potential in the Kingdom of God, and free from worldly distractions/temptations that lead me nowhere.

Brigham Young: “In rendering that strict obedience, are we made slaves?  No, it is the only way on the face of the earth for you and me to become free. . . . Now to say that I do not enjoy the volition of my own will just as much when I pray as I would to swear, is a false principle. . . .  The man who yields strict obedience to the requirements of Heaven, acts upon the volition of his own will and exercises his freedom just as much as when he was a slave to passion. . . .  All that the Lord requires of us is strict obedience to the laws of life.  All the sacrifice that the Lord asks of his people is strict obedience to our own covenants that we have made with our God, and that is to serve him with an undivided heart." Discourses of Brigham Young, p 225

Brigham Young:  "A man can dispose of his agency or of his birthright, as did Esau of old, but when disposed of, he cannot again obtain it; consequently, it behooves us to be careful, and not forfeit that agency that is given to us.  The difference between the righteous and the sinner, eternal life or death, happiness or misery, is this, to those who are exalted there are no bounds or limits to their privileges, their blessings have a continuation, and to their kingdoms, thrones, and dominions, principalities, and powers there is no end, but they increase through all eternity; whereas, those who reject the offer, who despise the proffered mercies of the Lord, and prepare themselves to be banished from his presence, and to become companions of the devils, have their agency abridged immediately; and bounds and limits are put to their operations."  Discourses of Brigham Young, p 63-64

D. Todd Christofferson: “License is not liberty. Self-absorption and self-indulgence are not freedom. It is yielding to the discipline of God's will and His love that brings true freedom--the freedom to excel, to create, to bless. 'The gospel,' said President Gordon B. Hinckley, ‘is a plan of freedom that gives discipline to appetite and direction to behavior’  (Gordon B. Hinckley, ‘A Principle with Promise,’ Improvement Era, June 1965, 521). This path is one of increasing knowledge and capacity, increasing grace and light. It is the freedom to become what you can and ought to be. But for your freedom to be complete, you must be willing to give away all your sins (see Alma 22:18), your willfulness, your cherished but unsound habits, perhaps even some good things that interfere with what God sees is essential for you.” D. Todd Christofferson, “Allegiance to God,” Ensign, Jan 2005, 8–13

Darla Isackson: “Mother Teresa said, ‘All will be well if we surrender ourselves to God. Turn to the Father with Christlike confidence and love ... Acceptance, surrender and the fruits that stem from it fill us with his love for us ... We cannot be free except by being able to renounce our will in favor of God's will.’ (Mother Teresa, No Greater Love)
    “There is bondage in pride, bondage in resisting the Spirit, bondage in falling prey to the adversary's temptations to contend, to prove our ‘rightness,’ to put anyone down. Alma's people were eventually delivered from their bondage. We are told, ‘Yea, and in the valley of Alma they poured our their thanks to God because he had been merciful unto them, and eased their burdens and had delivered them out of bondage; for they were in bondage and none could deliver them except it were the Lord their God’ (Mosiah 24:21).
    “And so it is with us. No matter what the burden, no matter what kind of bondage, there is no other real deliverance except in the Lord. Ironically, the way to glorious freedom is submitting to the Lord's yoke, learning to think as He thinks, feel as he feels, be immersed in the Spirit. When in tune we can learn from hard experiences and go on.
    “Being yoked with Him opens the door to spirituality, inspiration and personal revelation, to acceptance, humility, honesty, charity, understanding, patience, wisdom and light. It means accepting that we don't need to fix or change anyone but ourselves. It means resigning from trying to control anyone but ourselves. It means turning our energies to our personal repentance. It means accepting that the very God of this earth wants to be intimately involved in our lives. When obedience is not an irritant but a quest, then we will be endowed with power from on high.”  Darla Isackson, Meridian Magazine, March 2007

Henry Eyring: "Some people stumble on the notion of obedience, but I think that obedience is the price of freedom.  That may sound paradoxical—if you are tied down by rules, how can you be free?  Long ago I learned how to win freedom from my regular responsibilities as a schoolteacher: by fulfilling those duties over and beyond what is required..  I've taught a full course load all four quarters every year since I arrived at the University of Utah in 1946.  You see, I don't even have to know the requirements because I'm already doing way more. …
    "The same is true of the law of the land.  If I live a higher standard than the law requires there is complete freedom from all legal strictures, and the law becomes a protecting shield against every illegal invasion of my rights by others. …
    "Natural laws require obedience, too.  If you fall off your moving bicycle, the laws of gravity, momentum, and friction take their toll.  Swallow poison and, unless you take the anti-dote, you'll suffer the consequences.  The aspiring scientist must comply strictly to every detail of natural law. 
    "In the spiritual realm, the attainment of any blessing is predicated upon obedience to the laws that govern that blessing. (See D&C 130:20-21.)  The Prophet Joseph Smith was surpassed by some in secular learning, but he was unsurpassed by anyone in his humble willingness to learn.  He was genuinely teachable and was always willing to yield obedience to the promptings of the Spirit.  Obedience to gospel principles can make a man master of himself, and thus of his own destiny.  There is no greater freedom than this. … There isn't a thing I'm expected to do in the Church that isn't the best thing for me.
    "When I obey good rules and wise laws, even a little better than I'm required to do, other people leave me alone, and I'm free to do those good and right things that the best part of me wants to do anyway."
    (Page 100: "8. The gospel is the truth.  All truth is part of the gospel regardless of how the truth has been learned. 9. The safest course is to work like the dickens and do even more than is required to be done.  That's the way I get the most freedom to maneuver.")    Henry Eyring, Reflections of a Scientist, pages 31-37 (Henry Eyring is the father of President Henry B. Eyring.)

Lucile Tate: "With a sure witness that Apostles are men of God, Elder Packer had consistently and obediently followed their counsel and teachings. Consistency is never burdensome to him; rather, it is the orderly way in which he thinks and works. And obedience to God and His appointed servants is never restrictive to him; instead, it is the highest expression of his independence. 
    "’Just think,’ he said, ‘of giving Him that one thing that He would never wrest from you.… Obedience-that which God will never take by force-He will accept when freely given. And He will then return to you freedom that you can hardly dream of-the freedom to feel and to know, the freedom to do, and the freedom to be, at least a thousandfold more than we offer Him. Strangely enough, the key to freedom is obedience.’" (That All May Be Edified, p. 256.)   Lucile C. Tate, Boyd K. Packer: A Watchman on the Tower , p.174