Choosing to Leave Egypt

Christ at the Pool of Bethesda, Carl Bloch

Maybe it is just the fact that it is springtime with temperatures in the 80s and flowers appearing, but this was a really good week.  Of course it didn't exactly start that way when my car battery died when I was at the airport picking up my roommate at 11:00 pm Sunday night, but it got much better after I returned home around 1 am Monday morning.  (Honestly I think there is some sort of curse on me when it comes to DFW airport...) I got to teach about Moses and the Passover today, which was awesome.  And my dissertation adviser liked the rough draft of the chapter I submitted.  So it was a good week.

As I was preparing my lesson for Gospel Doctrine this week, I was struck by a verse in Exodus 12.  As the Lord instructed Moses and Israel about the Passover, he told them, "And thus shall yet eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's passover" (Exodus 12:11).

This is an interesting commandment.  On the night of the passover, the children of Israel were to partake of the lamb that they had sacrificed and with whose blood they had marked their homes for protection.  But this was not just any meal.  They weren't supposed to be casual about it.  This wasn't the kind of family meal where you take your shoes off and get comfortable, ready for a good nap after the meal.  They were to keep their shoes on, their loins girded, and have their staff in their hand.  In short, it wasn't enough for them to just be protected that night by the blood of the lamb, they were supposed to be ready to leave at a moment's notice in the morning.

After a long period of bondage, you would think that the chance to leave Egypt would be a relatively simple matter.  You'd certainly think that there wouldn't be any fond memories of the place, or at least of their captivity there.  But before the children of Israel had even made it out of Egypt, before they had even crossed the Red Sea, they were telling Moses, "Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?  Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians?  For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness" (Exodus 14:11-12).

We read those statements and think to ourselves, "Could you have possibly said anything more ridiculous?  What in the world is the matter with you?"  But in our own way, we all do the same thing.  Ridiculous as it sounds, we often willingly perpetuate the very problems that we complain about and pray for help out of.  In doing so, we are like the man at the pool of Bethesda, who when the Savior asked him, "Wilt thou be made whole?" answered "Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool" (John 5:6-7).  This man was looking at the very source of the healing he desired, but he didn't recognize either Him or His invitation to be healed.  Still, the Savior said to him, "Rise, take up thy bed, and walk" (John 5:8) immediately healing the man.  What happened next was so illogical that it would be laughable if it wasn't so tragic.  Jewish leaders approached this man and said, "It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed" (John 5:10).  The man then blamed Jesus, who upon seeing him again said, "Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee" (John 5:14).  Knowing that the Jewish leaders were seeking to persecute Jesus, the man then went "and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole" (John 5:15), leading to further persecution of the Savior.

Like the children of Israel, this man had been given a gift.  But he wanted to fit in with the great ones of his day.  He wanted to be recognized, and didn't want to be seen as someone who rocked the boat.  The children of Israel had been delivered from Egypt.  This man had been healed from his afflictions that left him lame.  And both were offered the opportunity to truly be freed from their greater malady by following the Savior, which was the true gift.

May we not be like the children of Israel and the man at Bethesda's pool.  May we be healed, not only from the visible outward afflictions, but also from the worldly desires that keep us in Egypt and prevent us from leaving all to follow the Savior.

Brett

Charity Preventeth A Multitude of Sins

Francois Pascal Simon, Baron Gerard, Joseph Recognized by His Brothers, 1789

This has been an interesting week.  The end of Spring Break is almost as disappointing as the end of Christmas because the beginning of the Winter/Spring semester is usually so long and dreary.  Cold temperatures, trees without leaves, a lack of bright flowers and sunshine all seem to make those first eight weeks of this semester seem like an entire year.  And then the break comes and is over in the flash of an eye and you remember that the semester is still in progress.  Anyhow, this week I had a lot of moments where I was just wishing for it to be May because May means being close to home and family again.

This week I was preparing my Sunday School lesson on Genesis 40-45 and Joseph's time in Egypt, who knew a lot about what it meant to be away from home--and his absence, of course, was not of his own choosing.  It is a familiar story.  We all know about Joseph's brothers, Potiphar's wife, the dreams, etc.  But perhaps lost in the familiarity of this story is a powerful message about how the Savior can and will fix broken families.

If you read Genesis carefully, it is quite easy to ask how Jacob's family ever managed to become the family of the faithful.  There is rampant and egregious immorality, there is murder and violence, there are hurt feelings, there is jealousy.  The truth is that the House of Israel--the original House of Israel--was a very dysfunctional family.  This dysfunction was so deep that ten of the brothers sold their younger brother into slavery and then lied to their father about what had happened, pocketing their meager profits along the way.  How could such an offense ever be repented of?  How could such an offense ever be forgiven?  How could the wounds resulting from that action ever possibly be healed and the relationships involved be mended?

But that such offenses could be repented of and forgiven and the relationships and wounds associated with this story could indeed be healed.  And more than that, this very family could claim the highest blessings our Father has to bestow upon His children.  It is the message of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  As President Howard W. Hunter put it, "Whatever Jesus lays his hands upon lives.  If Jesus lays his hands upon a marriage, it lives.  If he is allowed to lay his hand upon [a] family, it lives" (Howard W. Hunter, "Reading the Scriptures").

The story of how that family is healed is well known.  But one aspect of it stood out to me in a new way yesterday as I read it.  It is the instance where Judah--the very brother who had once proposed the idea of selling Joseph into slavery--offered himself to Joseph (whom he still did not know) in the stead of Benjamin for the proposed offense of stealing Joseph's silver cup.  Judah said, "Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren.  For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me?" (Genesis 44:33-34).  Up to that point, Joseph had been hiding himself, disguising himself from his brethren.  Even though he had been assisting them to obtain the needed food, he still did not trust them and was testing them because of how they had once treated him.  But upon hearing Judah's words, "Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me.  And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.  And he wept aloud. . . . And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live?"  (Genesis 45:1-3).

We speak of how Judah saved Benjamin in this instance.  But yesterday as I read these words it occurred to me that Judah also saved Joseph here.  He did not save him from slavery or bondage, of course.  Rather, he saved Joseph from any potential bitterness that a lesser action might have caused.  He saved Joseph from the very fears that had caused Joseph to keep from revealing himself to his brothers the very instant he first saw them.  He saved Joseph from his past by showing him that the men who stood before him were no longer the same men who had sold him into slavery.  With that act of charity, Judah tore down the barriers that had prevented Joseph from fully embracing and forgiving his brothers.

Peter declared, "And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:7).  The Prophet Joseph changed the words "shall cover" to "preventeth" so that it read "for charity preventeth a multitude of sins" (JST 1 Peter 4:7).  In this story of Judah and Joseph, I believe we see both effects.  Charity had covered up the sins of the past, had freed Joseph from any lingering feelings of resentment about what had once happened to him, allowing him to see God's grander purpose in having sent him to Egypt as a slave.  But charity also prevented a multitude of sins.  It prevented bitterness and resentment from moving into the future.  Judah's loving act for his brother Benjamin allowed Joseph to give full sway to the charity within his heart for his brethren.

From time to time in our lives, we are confronted with our past.  If we are not careful, past hurts and pains can well up in us like a backed up sink, bringing back the waste and refuse of the past.  In such moments, a simple act of charity, our own or--as is most often the case--someone else's, can save us from ourselves and the bitterness within us.  I thank the Lord for good friends and family, who in moments of need have shown forth charity, the power of which overwhelmed the bitterness within me, allowing me to move forward in faith.

Brett

Trek

The Hurst Texas Stake Youth Pioneer Trek

 This last week was spring break.  On Thursday, I drove up to the Lyndon B. Johnson Grasslands, a national reserve close to Decatur Texas, for my stake's Pioneer Trek.  Now you should probably understand that I have been skeptical and even a little critical of the pioneer trek in the past.  I have always struggled with the fact that at times this activity has jeopardized the health of some of the youth through heat exhaustion and other potential dangers.  But being a part of my stake's trek committee has changed my mind about this activity in a lot of ways.  I'm still not comfortable with courses and challenges that put people in danger, but on Thursday I got to experience some of the blessings that can come from this activity.

My Pioneer Costume (if there is ever a production of Fiddler on the Roof, or
an activity commemorating Communist Revolutionaries, I can use the same costume)

My role in the Youth Trek was to tell stories about the Sweetwater river.  I was the very last experience that the kids had before they were able to pull their carts the last half mile and set up camp.  So by the time they got to me, they were tired and worn out and ready to set up camp and have some dinner.  I think we all know how hard the pioneer experience was, particularly for those who pulled handcarts, but this gave me a new understanding of just how exhausting the pioneer trail was.  There were hills to climb and, perhaps even more dangerously, hills to descend.  And it was day after day.

When the kids arrived at my station, I had ten minutes to tell them about the Sweetwater.  I had prepared journal entries and a lot of information.  But as the first company was approaching, I had the impression that I should just talk to them and shouldn't read a single journal entry.  I knew enough that I could tell the story without needing to read it.  So that's what I did.  I asked them to imagine that the lake in the background was a river, about 50 feet wide and 3 to 4 feet deep.  I asked them to imagine that there was 18 inches of snow on the ground and slush and ice in the river.  I reminded them that there were no boats and no bridges and they had to cross that river.  I then spoke of Brigham Young, who in 1848 waited at the river all day until each and every wagon in his company had made it safely across.  I told them about the Martin crossing of the Platte River on October 19, 1856, where mothers crossed several times with their children, and some men made 75 trips across the river to help those who were weak.  I then told them that two weeks later, those same pioneers wept as they looked at the Sweetwater, knowing they would have to cross it, and again rescuers and other pioneers stepped forward to help others across.

After sharing these details, I asked them to think about the question "Why?"  "Why would they do this?"  I shared a brief testimony of the Savior and of the covenants we make when we are baptized into this Church and then sent them on their way.

Each of the four times I shared this message, I was overcome with the feeling that it was a far better message than I was capable of preparing on my own.  The kids were worn out and tired and dirty, but I could tell they felt the spirit during this message and I knew that I felt it myself and learned from it myself.  It was one of those precious occasions where I knew that the right words had been spoken and that they had had nothing to do with my abilities as a speaker, a teacher, or a historian.  The Lord wanted those kids to know those things, and I was blessed to be a part of how He taught them.  It was a special experience and one that taught me more than I could have imagined.

Brett

Reasons to Believe

Perhaps it is the fact that flowers are starting to pop up again and the trees are beginning to blossom--or perhaps it the fact that Spring Break is this week--but things feel really good today.  I've been alive long enough to know that these moments will inevitably be replaced by stressful challenges, which will, in turn, be replaced by more happy moments.  In order to help us progress and grow, our Heavenly Father has wisely allowed us to experience a wide range of emotions and experiences, each allowing us opportunities to grow closer to Him.  One thing that made a difference for me this week was a short day trip on Friday down to Austin.  The chance to see a new place and have new experiences was exciting, even if it was just for the day.  It was nice to get out and drive through country that I hadn't seen before.  For a person who seldom travels, I realized there is a lot of value in going someplace new and trying something new, even if it is just for a day.

Since September, I had the privilege of teaching the 14-15 year olds in Sunday School (until two weeks ago I was asked to move over to the adult gospel doctrine class).  One of the things that I realized in teaching the teens was just how useful the story of the First Vision was in teaching them.  As a missionary I loved sharing that story because the Spirit testified so deeply of its truth every single time we shared it.  And He did so with the teens.  But the more I taught them, I came to understand another reason why that story was so powerful with them.  They relate to it in a very profound way because Joseph was their age when he had that experience.  He asked questions that they have asked.  He struggled and studied and finally prayed, just as they have done.  While the visionary experiences that resulted from his efforts were unique to Joseph, the story of how he arrived at those experiences is everyone's story.

The more I have grown in the gospel, the more that story has come to resonate with me.  One of my favorite accounts of the First Vision is the 1832 account, particularly the way that he described his efforts to find the truth.  Joseph wrote (with some changes in spelling):

"At about the age of twelve years my mind became seriously impressed with regard to the all important concerns for the welfare of my immortal soul which led me to searching the scriptures, believing as I was taught, that they contained the word of God. . . . I pondered many things in my heart concerning the situation of the world of mankind, the contentions and divisions, the wickedness and abominations and the darkness which pervaded the minds of mankind.  My mind became exceedingly distressed for I became convicted of my sins . . . and I felt to mourn for my own sins and for the sins of the world for I learned in the scriptures that God was the same yesterday today and forever, that he was no respecter of persons, for he was God, for I looked upon the sun the glorious luminary of the earth and also the moon rolling in their majesty through the heavens and also the stars shining in their courses and the earth upon which I stood and the beast of the field and the fowls of heaven and the fish of the waters and also man walking upon the face of the earth in majesty and in the strength of beauty whose power and intelligence in governing the things which are so exceedingly great and marvelous even in the likeness of Him who created them, and when I considered upon these things my heart exclaimed well hath the wise man said it is a fool that saith in his heart there is no God.  My heart exclaimed all these things bear testimony and bespeak an omnipotent and omnipresent power, a being who maketh laws and decreeth and bindeth all things in their bounds, who filleth Eternity who was and is and will be from all eternity to eternity and when I considered all these things and that that being seeketh such to worship him . . . therefore I cried unto the Lord for mercy for there was none else to whom I could go . . . and the Lord heard my cry."  (Joseph Smith, History Circa Summer 1832)

For one thing, this account reminds me that Joseph could be a little wordy and loved flowery descriptions--something I understand.  But much more importantly, I love the way that the Prophet approached the questions and doubts that he had as a young boy.  Not all, but a few, who experience doubts seem ready to abandon everything that they know the second a question or doubt arises that they are unable to answer.  Joseph had doubts and questions for at least a couple of years, but he approached them in a way that strengthened rather than undermined his faith.

First, Joseph went to the scriptures and began studying.  He was no scholar, and particularly not at this point in his life.  But no matter how challenging the task of study may have been for Joseph, he studied and he studied with the faith that he would learn and then obey truth.  Second, Joseph was honest with himself not only about the conditions in the world around him, but far more importantly, he was honest about his own life and his own sins and his own need for mercy.  That kind of honesty is seldom easy, but it is the only way to find real answers because it is the only way for us to ask the real questions.  Third, Joseph found reasons to continue believing and to have faith.  If for a moment or two we struggle with this principle or that commandment, we need to do what Joseph did and find those things that we do believe, allowing those beliefs to give us reasons to believe further.  Finally, Joseph approached the Lord in mighty prayer and found answers.

What a blessing this story of the Prophet's First Vision is.  Such sacred experiences are seldom things that we share in public.  But I am grateful beyond belief that the Prophet shared this sacred vision and his efforts to discover the truth with us because his story is our story.  We can follow his example and we can receive revelations and have experiences that will change history, not only for ourselves, but for those who will come after us.

Brett

The Hands of Fathers

Dad with Rob and Maxwell

The past week was great.  Even though it was filled with grading midterms (yuck!) I had a great opportunity to prepare and teach seminary lessons on Helaman 1-2 and Helaman 5, as well as a gospel doctrine lesson on Abraham 1 and Genesis 15-17, and 21-22.  There is something unique about teaching that I love.  You learn a subject, and particularly the gospel, in a way that you can't replicate in any other manner by teaching it.  I noticed this during the summer when I was teaching at BYU.  The fact that 38 students in that classroom were expecting me to be an expert and to have some answers made to learn more quickly than I otherwise might have learned.  It made me study harder and ask better questions.  The opportunity to teach, more than anything, is the opportunity to be taught from on high.  It is a blessing.

I've been blessed to have examples of many superb teachers in my life.  Each of my mentors throughout my undergraduate and graduate degrees has been a gifted teacher. I've spent hours sitting captivated as men like Robert Millet and Terry Warner have taught me.  I've been blessed with wonderful bishops and stake presidents who have taught me.  In their own ways, each of my grandparents was a superb teacher.  My Grandpa Dowdle, who died 29 years ago today, was an English teacher, while my Grandma Dowdle taught elementary school.  My Mom, my sister Stephanie, and my sister Jeni have each been teachers by profession.  And then there is my Dad, a master teacher and principal by profession.  There aren't many lessons I remember vividly after two decades, but I remember lessons he taught me.

I thought about one of these lessons today as I took the sacrament.  When I was a boy, I remember being quite restless when it came to sacrament meeting.  With two parents who were anxious to teach their children reverence and respect, I'm sure this was a challenge.  But my Dad had a way of teaching me during the sacrament that I have always remembered.  As I normally sat next to him when I was a boy, he would lean over and whisper in my ear while the sacrament was being passed.  He would tell me about how the Savior had died for me, and he would point out the places in my hands and wrist where the soldiers had driven nails through the body of the Savior at Golgotha.  He would tell me about how he loved the Savior and how the sacrament reminded us of Him and what He had done for us.  I don't remember anything that any speaker ever said in any of those meetings, but I remember that.

In the most critical moments of their lives, Enos and Alma the Younger both remembered the words and testimonies of their fathers about the Savior.  At a crossroads when it was possible to give up, Nephi and Lehi remembered the words of their father Helaman, as set out to preach the gospel with power amongst both Nephites and Lamanites.  At a time when young Joseph Smith needed someone to believe him, Moroni instructed him to "go to [his] father and tell him of the vision and commandments which [he] had received" (JS-H 1:50), and there he found a worthy confidant who believed him and encouraged him in his ministry.  The not yet spiritually mature Gordon B. Hinckley found faith and the ability to press forward in a letter from his believing father.  And, in the most challenging, painful, and sacred event of human history, our Savior "sought Him whom He had always sought—His Father. 'Abba' (Mark 14:36) He cried, 'Papa,' or from the lips of a younger child, 'Daddy'" (Jeffrey R. Holland, "The Hands of Fathers").  With a knowledge of His Father's love and His Father's plan, and with desires for His Father's glory, the Savior was able to endure and secure the blessings of His Father's children who were willing to believe and obey Him.

In a world where fatherhood is sometimes deemed optional, the Lord declares that "great things [are] required at the hand[s] of . . . fathers" (D&C 29:48).  I know that many have not been as blessed as I have been, but I take great joy in the fact that I have been blessed with a father who takes this calling seriously.  I am blessed with a father who is a patriarch in very deed.  I am grateful beyond measure for him.

Happy birthday Dad!  I love you!

Brett