A couple of years ago a mission friend reached out to me with a question. We served in Santa Fe Argentina together and she asked me to clarify some details of an experience we shared while serving there. Not only could I not clarify ANY details-I had NO memory whatsoever of the experience she was asking about. I pulled out my mission journal, sure it must have been another companionship that was with her that night. Scouring my journal I found it:
Our land lady’s niece came in and started to cry-she never cries. She is one of the most high energy, sarcastic and funny people I have met in Argentina! Her kids, had been sick with digestive issues, stomach pains and fever. Her youngest, 5 years old, was really suffering. The doctors didn’t know what to do for her. She had been sick for awhile and hadn’t eaten or been able to keep in liquid for 2 long days. My companion and I thought maybe we could do some service, help with the house while this sweet mom cared for her family. Hermana Norwood had a better idea-a priesthood blessing for the sick. Although our friend was not a member of our faith, she agreed. We found brother Alvarez from the ward and he found another priesthood brother. When we got there her daughter was sleeping with a high fever. She didn’t move as they placed their hands on her head and administered the blessing. As soon as they finished the blessing she woke up, her fever was gone, she wanted a drink and was hungry. She was healed! It was a lesson to me. My thoughts started with what I could do but Sister Norwood’s thought was to REMEMBER GOD and HIS blessings first.
How is it that this answer to prayer and healing could have completely vanished from my memory?
In the scriptures Lehi shares a vision of the path of mortality and journey to the tree of life. In 1 Nephi 8 we read:
And it came to pass that there arose a mist of darkness; yea, even an exceedingly great mist of darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way, that they wandered off and were lost. 1 Nephi 8:23
Although we are not always lost-we can lose our way and our focus on what really matters and why we are here. Not only are we dealing with imperfect bodies and memories here in mortality-it is set up with mists of darkness and with the veil, between us and our Father in Heaven. This is one reason we have the reminder weekly-not just to hear during the sacrament but a covenant we make and remember weekly.
“that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have His Spirit to be with them”. D&C 20:79
ALWAYS REMEMBER HIM
My mom has clinical memory loss/dementia. Our spiritual weaknesses in this life remind me a lot of what my mom goes through with her memory loss. Things that happened yesterday or earlier in the same day are often difficult and sometimes impossible for her to recall. As an example, this past Christmas we gathered had a Christmas dinner did our traditional “grab bag” gift exchange that she and my dad started years before. She brought gifts, ate, helped clean up, opened gifts…it was a great day. The following day (December 26) she asked my sister what day we were going to celebrate Christmas. She had forgotten Christmas Day.
Does that happen to us spiritually?
Do we forget or not recognize at all the Lord’s hand in our lives?
Recently my mom stopped driving. This was hard. She didn’t feel ready, but the world around her saw it differently. She read a letter that stated that driving was no longer an option. At first she resisted but then when it was brought up that she could gift her car to her grandson she was on board. Her grandson is serving the last few months of his mission and recently lost his father to cancer. We cleaned up the car and she wanted to take it straight to my sister (the grandson’s mom). It was a sweet experience-filled with tears, but also love. I was so proud of my mom. My biggest worry was that she would wake up the next day wondering where her car was because of her memory loss. I wanted to avoid the panic for her! This was our strategy for remembering–
FIRST, DELIVERING THE CAR It would have been easier for Danny and I to take the car to my sister’s house-but it wouldn’t have had the impact my mom needed. Delivering it to my sister with us created an experience of service, warmth, love and emotion. Our brains store those memories in another part of the brain and those memories with emotion are easier for her (and many with dementia) to remember.
It is similar with us spiritually. When we REMEMBER JESUS in our service, interactions and love-we are more able to feel His Spirit. In a similar way-another part of our spirit, not just the logical or intellectual part of our lives, stores and remembers the experience.
Elder Soares said,
“I witness that when we put our trust in the Savior, in His love, and in His atoning sacrifice, that when we seek for His help, even in the things that are confusing us, Jehovah will be our strength and Jehovah will help us…I invite you to feel His love and to have faith that He will come to you. I promise in His name that He is near and that He will, indeed, come to you. He will always be with us. Let us always remember the Savior. Let us always remember His love.”
SECOND-we READ AND POSTED THE LETTER. My mom had a letter describing her driving situation. She read it when she first received it and keeps it posted in her kitchen to remind her of why she is no longer driving.
We have words from the prophets in scripture and conference. When we keep them before us and return to them over and over we are able to keep them in our remembrance.
Elder Neuenschwander taught:
Not only should we remember the word of the Lord, but we should remember His words as well. His words are without end (see Moses 1:38). They are sure and shall not fail. They are pure, they are true, they are faithful, they are eternal (see 2 Nephi 31:15). As we remember and ponder His words, we remember and ponder matters of eternal significance and meaning. On one occasion the Lord asked the Twelve if they, like the multitude, would also go away from Him. Their answer is the one that we should all wish to give: “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:68)
THIRD was WRITE AND RETELL- my mom retold the experience of giving my sister her car-to me, to our family and to her neighbors and friends.
Are we writing (like in my mission journal) and returning to our memories of answered prayers and miracles in our lives? I have begun this month to keep a note on my phone titled “ANSWERED PRAYERS” I have noted a simple phrase to remind me of prayers answered big and small with the hope of adding to it at least weekly.
Some that I have noted are early testimony answers to prayer, when I knew to go on a mission, when I knew that God hears my prayer quickly…others are times because of my prayers of asking how I can be of service that I have been able to help not knowing the need before hand. We have an infinite possibilities of prayers to offer and unlimited answers…
President Eyring talked about his daily journaling practice. He said,
“I wrote down a few lines every day for years. I never missed a day no matter how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day. Before I would write, I would ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?” As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done. More than gratitude began to grow in my heart. Testimony grew. I became ever more certain that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I felt more gratitude for the softening and refining that come because of the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ. And I grew more confident that the Holy Ghost can bring all things to our remembrance—even things we did not notice or pay attention to when they happened.
What a beautiful practice of devotion.
My mom has held the memory of her gift to her grandson-
Just as these 3 steps helped my mom in retaining a memory of her situation, I know similar steps will help us retain the spiritual gifts we have been given. This will bless us as we make efforts to keep our weekly promise to ALWAYS REMEMBER HIM–
- We will be blessed as we serve and love with our focus on HIM
- As we keep HIS words in our lives daily
- And as we journal and share the evidences of HIS hand in our lives
…we will see and recognize with more clarity HIS hand in our lives and as HE has promised us…we will have HIS SPIRIT TO ALWAYS BE WITH US-the greatest gift this life offers.
carin + danny 