Spiritual Sunday: Surrendering to the Atonement

A week ago we had Stake Conference where our Stake Presidency was released and a new Stake Presidency was called. We had two General Authorities attend conference. The Saturday Evening session was unlike any adult session I have ever attended.

The two General Authorities, Stake Presidency members, and a couple other speakers spoke briefly--no more than 5 minutes. Then after each speaker, one of the General Authorities would stand up and have a dialogue about the remarks and ask what impressions we had received and asked us to share. It was an incredible way of teaching and a powerful way of engaging the audience in a dynamic experience where they are part of the teaching and learning process.

One speaker shared his experience of being diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy and how he has received help and comfort through the power of the Atonement. He said that sometimes you have to have the faith not to be healed, which struck me deeply.

As I have pondered the atonement, I realize that we often want to limit the atonement to being forgiven of our sins. I don't want to devalue that because that is certainly one of the most important aspects of the atonement. But we limit Christ's influence and power in our lives when we say that He only atoned for our sins. The atonement is vast, infinite, and eternal.

Surrender to the atonement. Surrender every aspect of your life to the healing touch of the Savior's love. Allow your sorrows, disappointments, pains, and challenges to be healed. Allow peace and joy to come into your life from the atonement.

I've been able to observe a dear friend experience transformation through the Atonement. She taught me that the crucial aspect of receiving that transformation is accepting the gift that Christ gave. For awhile, my friend thought she wasn't worthy or capable of receiving the Atonement. It took a lot of work and letting go, but she was finally able to open herself up to Christ's redeeming love. I have never seen something so dramatic or wonderful in my life.

I want to experience that in my life in the little and big moments. That means opening myself up in a way that I haven't been able to do. I had an experience a few weeks ago that gave me a glimpse of what that feels like in my life. I still have a lot of work to do, but it is worth it.

What experiences have you had with the atonement? Do you think we (unintentionally) limit the power of the atonement in our lives? How do you open yourself up to the Savior?

© 2007-2016 TIFFANY WACASER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Spiritual Sunday: Feasting on the Scriptures

In January, I decided to establish some meaningful habits in my life. In particular, I wanted to exercise daily, read my scriptures daily, and study Swedish. For the most part, I have managed to consistently do these three things on a daily basis. It is changing my life and makes me feel happy and accomplished when I complete these tasks each day.

For my scripture study, I am doing a few things. First, I try to study my scriptures before my kids get up for school. It doesn't always work out and I study later in the day. But I concentrate better in the early morning without interruptions. Second, I have two specific reading assignments I do each day. I read a few verses in the New Testament and then I study Isaiah, using the BYU Religious Studies textbook by Victor Ludlow, Isaiah: Prophet, Seer, and Poet. Third, I mark verses and important words with some scripture markers. Fourth, I use sticky notes to make notes in my scriptures. Fifth, I write thoughts and commentary about my Isaiah study on lined notebook paper that I keep in a simply three-ring binder.

I usually enjoy studying my scriptures, but I'm reaping some new benefits with my more consistent and regular study. In the past when I studied I would get caught up in trying to study it all at once. Now that I have a schedule, I set a timer for 30 minutes and just relax into my study. I know I will pick it up again tomorrow and that my study builds on the daily practice.

By choosing to focus on just a small section at a time, I am getting so much more out of my study. I have a tendency to read very fast. So focusing on a few verses at a time forces me to slow down, re-read, ponder, and really digest what I'm reading. The story of the Savior in the gospels is coming alive for me in a way it never has before. I feel like I am there, experiencing and watching the Savior in his ministry. It's real and powerful in a way that I never knew before. I can feel my testimony of Jesus Christ growing and expanding. I plan to continue studying in just this way and working my way through all the standard works: The New Testament, The Old Testament, The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price.

My Isaiah study is so exciting to me.  Reading the textbook linked above has been so helpful. Victor Ludlow provides historical and social context for the time period. Studying this way appeals to me on a intellectual, historical, and spiritual level, combining all the things I love and enjoy. I can't believe how much I am learning and digesting. Studying Isaiah is deeply satisfying in so many ways.

The best part about this scripture study is how I feel inside. I feel my testimony growing. I feel my heart and mind drawing closer to God. I feel myself craving to read the scriptures. I feel the influence of the Holy Spirit more in my life. I am getting better at recognizing small promptings. I feel like I am orienting myself more toward righteousness and God.

How does your life change when you implement scripture study consistently? What have you experienced spiritually?

© 2007-2016 TIFFANY WACASER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Spiritual Sunday: Fighting the Green Briars

A few weeks ago, inspired by the gorgeous warm weather, I decided to tackle the flower beds in my back yard. The past few years I haven't had the time or energy to work on these areas and so they have been vulnerable to the vagaries of the wild and nature.

One patch was particularly bad, totally overgrown with briars and invasive plants. My hands, despite wearing heavy gloves, were full of stickers after digging and raking put the briars. As I worked, I was appalled to discover that these green briar bushes had invaded our back woods and have been stealthy encroaching on our grass and flower beds. 

My friend came over and helped me tackle a bunch of the briars. We made some good progress, but I still have a lot of work to do. My boys and husband need to help me because I need their strength and energy to successfully fight this threat. You may laugh and wonder why it matters, but if I am not diligent, it will overtake my yard. 

Garden analogies work so well when applied to the gospel. I think there are many things that encroach upon the foundation of our testimony. It seems I haven't properly appreciated the amount of effort it takes to guard and grow a testimony. As I have focused my efforts on my testimony in the past year, I have seen how my neglect has hurt me and how I unintentionally allowed briars to grow. The only way I can adequately protect my testimony is through daily, focused effort. It is truly satisfying and joyful work.


© 2007-2016 TIFFANY WACASER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Spiritual Sunday: Developing Faith in Jesus Christ and a Testimony of Him.

We had ward conference today and I was asked to speak. Here is the talk that I gave.

A few years ago my husband and I purchased a home with a wonderful garden plot. We made big plans about our garden, envisioning baskets full of delicious vegetables. Near mid-summer, our enthusiasm dwindled; we neglected our garden and harvested a small crop of vegetables. Our second year was even worse. This was frustrating, but we had not put in the effort to receive the reward and blessing of a bounteous garden.

Developing faith in and growing a testimony of Jesus Christ is much like gardening. It is a dynamic process requiring effort, diligence, time, and patience. When one is wholly engaged in developing faith in and a testimony of Jesus Christ, the fruits are bounteous and rich. Half-hearted approaches yield a half-hearted faith and testimony. Neglect is the most damaging of all and can lead to a shriveled and fragile testimony.

In order for my family to cultivate a successful and thriving garden we needed to do the following: cultivate healthy soil, plant seeds in a sunny area, maintain proper moisture, protect the garden, and weed fanatically.  I think this applies so well to building faith and testimony.  In order to cultivate strong faith and a thriving testimony of Jesus Christ, we need to have a healthy foundation, feed our testimony, protect our testimony, and weed out sin and doubt.

In gardening you need to start with good soil to grow good plants. You can test your soil to understand the acidity and alkaline levels.  By tilling the ground, mixing in fertilizer, and adding certain nutrients, you can put your soil back into balance. How does one get good soil for one’s testimony and faith? I love Alma chapter 5 because the prophet, Alma, asks a series of penetrating and discerning questions about one’s spiritual foundation. Answering Alma’s questions will give you the answers on how you need to tweak your foundation.

Once you have cultivated good soil, you plant seeds. Seeds need sun and water in careful doses to thrive. I believe that consistent scripture study and prayer are as essential to our testimonies as sun and water are to plants. I invite you to try an experiment. Does your faith in Christ feel a little anemic? Go to the Book of Mormon and start marking every reference to Jesus Christ. As you do so, ponder and pray about what the Book of Mormon teaches about the character and message of Jesus Christ. I know your faith will perk up just as thirsty plants do after they have been watered. The best way to maintain faith is to read and pray a little every day.

It isn’t enough to provide sun and water for your garden, you must protect it from pests that can attack and destroy fragile plants. Insects must be managed carefully.  We build high fences to protect our gardens from hungry deer. Likewise, we must protect our faith and testimonies from pests that would destroy us. We can set up barriers to protect our faith, like avoiding inappropriate media content. We can choose to avoid debates with others and instead share testimonies and love. We can also ask for protection and strength. When we make covenants at baptism and in the temple, we are promised blessings of protection as we are obedient to those covenants. Attending the temple regularly and partaking of the Sacrament weekly helps us remember and renew our covenants, giving us constant protection throughout our lives.

Weeds are the bane of my existence, and I suspect, almost every gardener. If you aren’t diligent about removing weeds, they can quickly overrun a garden. When a garden is overrun by weeds, you have to take drastic measures to undo the damage. Similarly, we must consistently weed out the problems that threaten to overwhelm our testimonies. Sin can quickly overrun a testimony because it becomes harder and harder to feel the Spirit and the love of Heavenly Father. It is much easier to weed sin out consistently than let it take root. Sometimes, we do let little sins take root and they grow and deepen. In our garden, we found one particular type of weed to be quite obnoxious. When small, you could uproot it. But when it grew big, it was almost impossible to remove without serious help from a good sharp shovel. Sometimes there are sins in our lives that are simply too big to uproot without help. This is where our Bishop comes in. He will help you uproot those deep sins which are threatening to overcome your testimony. Another pernicious weed that threatens our testimonies is doubt. We all have doubts at one time or another.  We can’t allow those doubts to grow—we mustn’t cultivate our doubts at the expense of our testimonies. The only way I know to really address doubt is to take it to Heavenly Father, to plead earnestly for help in prayer and to search the scriptures with diligence and care.

The biggest lesson I have learned about my gardening failures is that growing a garden requires consistent good habits. This is also true for growing our faith and testimonies. We need to cultivate the habit of growing our faith and testimony through keeping a strong and balanced foundation, feeding our testimonies with scripture study and prayer, protecting our testimonies from pests and attacks, and constantly weeding sin and doubt from our hearts.  

The whole purpose of gardening is to produce food that will nourish and sustain our bodies. We need that nourishment and sustenance for strength to live, thrive, and sometimes, to simply endure.  We need faith and a testimony of Jesus Christ to nourish and sustain our souls.

Matthew recounts a story in Matthew 14. After feeding a large multitude with just a bit of bread and fish, the Savior sends his apostles on a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee, while he spent some time praying.  In the evening, strong winds came, tossing the ship with great waves. “And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. “ The disciples were scared but Jesus Christ called out to them. Peter, impetuous and wonderful Peter, says, “And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.  And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”  Peter walked on water, in the middle of the crashing waves and fierce wind, when he focused on the Savior. He sank when he began allowed doubt and fear to overtake him.

The truth is that every single one of you sitting in this chapel today will face challenges, storms, loss, pain, sorrow, and grief of the highest magnitude. Strong faith in Jesus Christ and a testimony of Him will allow us to walk through the storms of life with hope, courage, and even joy.

I testify that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. I testify that God loves us and is watching over us. 

© 2007-2016 TIFFANY WACASER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED