THANK THE LORD THY GOD IN ALL THINGS

Photograph given to all of the nurses in the heart unit at the hospital

 

In the New Testament of the Bible we are told that Heavenly Father gives good things to them that ask him (Matthew 7:11). It would then seem that a prayerful life is the key to possessing the desirable attribute of gratitude.

 

And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments. (Doctrine & Covenants 59:21)

 

Thomas S. Monson, President of the Church, suggests that a grateful heart, then, comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His blessings and to those around us for all that they bring into our lives. This requires conscious effort—at least until we have truly learned and cultivated an attitude of gratitude. Often we feel grateful and intend to express our thanks but forget to do so or just don’t get around to it. Someone has said that “feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

 

During my thirty-two and one half years as an employee of American Telephone & Telegraph Company, my work required that I do a considerable amount of travel around the country. As you might suppose, I was frequently in and out of airports and hotels often riding service buses between parking lots, transportation hubs, and my lodging. I observed that there were many people involved in helping business travelers like me move about but very few of those riders who were thus transported ever seemed to acknowledge the service provided. Very early in my career, I determined that I would always make sure that individuals who provided service to me, regardless of how small and insignificant it might seem to be, would always receive a word of thanks from my lips.

 

So for most of my life I have purposely expressed thanks to Heavenly Father and everyone that I meet along my journey here on earth. Those expressions of appreciation cheer me day by day and often lift the spirits of those who have helped me in some way with their acts of service in my behalf.

 

During my recent extended stay at Union Memorial Hospital where I underwent heart bypass surgery and the beginning days of my recovery, I was attended by the nurses and patient technicians with so many acts of love and kindness that it was difficult to remember that these were medical professionals and not angels dispatched from heaven to care for me.

 

Today, I was finally strong enough to return with my wife to the hospital with a large bouquet of beautiful yellow roses and a five by seven photograph (see picture above) with a personal message for each of these wonderful people who cared for me during my stay. The nurses and technicians were surprised and pleased that I came back to honor them with a small token of my appreciation, It felt so good just to see them smile.

 

In the Book of Luke (chapter 17:111-19), the Savior tells the parable of the ten lepers who were healed, but only one came back to give thanks. I give thanks to God and these compassionate people at the hospital for all that has been done for me that will enable Sister Lindsay and me to complete our mission for the Lord. Just as Jesus told the leper that his faith had made him whole. I feel the healing effect of having a grateful heart.

WHY DOES IT MATTER IF WE GO TO CHURCH?

Attending church services on Sunday

This month for the first time since my wife and I were baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in November 1967 (almost 45 years ago), I did not attend Sunday services for two consecutive weeks. My physical absence certainly wasn't in harmony with my sincere desire to be there, but I was in the hospital awaiting surgery on the first Sunday and home from the hospital less than twenty-four hours the second week.

So why does it matter if I'm in Church on Sunday morning or not? There are certainly enough people around who say that they can worship better chasing a little white ball on the golf course, hiking in the woods, or by going to the beach than being confined in a stuffy chapel on uncomfortable bench seats. The obvious question is, do they?

First and foremost is the fact that Heavenly Father Himself declared in the very first book of the Old Testament of the Bible that the seventh day is set apart for rest from our normal pursuits and labors that we perform during the other six days of the week.

And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. (Genesis 2:2-3)

Latter-day revelation from the Lord in this final dispensation given to His living prophet enlarges our understanding of what the children of men are expected to do with this sanctified day of worship:

And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day; for verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High; nevertheless thy vows shall be offered up in righteousness on all days and at all times;

 But remember that on this, the Lord's day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord. And on this day thou shalt do none other thing, only let thy food be prepared with singleness of heart that thy fasting may be perfect, or, in other words, that thy joy may be full. (D&C 59:9-13)

Neither scripture reference implies that on the Lord's day, we can choose to search for God on the golf course, hiking trail, or at the beach. John F. Heidenreich tells us that the sacrament meeting is the place God has especially appointed for our worship. In the sacrament meeting where our thoughts are with God and his Son, we are more likely to give our devotion to the Lord and consider his laws than if we are elsewhere, no matter how beautiful the surroundings. All worship begins with an awareness of God or it does not begin. The first step in worship is to perceive Him whom we worship. The soul must be awakened by the Spirit to see the glory of God.

To believe, even with all sincerity, that we can find and worship God in any part of His creation on a Sunday morning is to suggest that finding peace and joy in the creation is just as good as worshipping the Creator who made the earth and all that is in it. The true worship of God influences all aspects of life inside the Church building, our homes, our workplaces, and in the community.

It is possible to have attended Church meetings throughout our lives but not yet have learned how to worship. For latter-day saints, the most important part of our worship service is the partaking of the the sacrament each week in remembrance of the atoning sacrifice made by Our Savior in the Garden at Gethsemane and on the cross. Our services end with a closing prayer, but true worship never ends until those who worship go out into the world to bring souls to Christ while easing the burden and suffering of their fellowmen.

So why was it troublesome for me to "miss" worship services for two weeks in a row? As a member of the Church, I made a sacred covenant when I was baptized to do all things in the name of Christ. Each Sunday I renew that commitment in Church when I partake of the sacrament, so that I might have the promised companionship of the Holy Ghost in all of my endeavors during the coming week. I desire to be where God wants me to be when He wants me to be there.

A JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES



Each of us has more than one journey during mortality

Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu (604 BC - 521 BC) is credited with first having said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Actively engaged in my personal efforts to recover from quadruple heart by-pass surgery earlier this month, I am very much aware of every step that I must take each day in order to gain the strength necessary to resume my duties as a full time missionary. Today for the first time since surgery on August 6th, I left the confines of our apartment, climbed the seven steps to the main entrance door, and ventured outside for a walk with my wife at my side.

Not all "journeys" in this life are solely limited to physical footsteps. Indeed, mortality itself from birth until death is a spiritual journey with physical experiences along the way that have eternal consequences. Just as a young child must learn how to do things one step at a time, all of God's children born into this world must learn about the nature and personality of the three members of the Godhead (Heavenly Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost) line upon line and precept upon precept.

For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.  (2 Nephi 28: 30)

Of necessity, our lives are filled with choices; and just as our little ones often stumble and fall as they learn to walk, our journey on earth will also include many spiritual missteps that will need to be overcome. Heavenly Father knowing from the beginning that each of us would have weaknesses and shortcomings that would result in sinful behavior provided for us a Savior who could redeem us from our sins through His atoning sacrifice.

The Redeemer of mankind, ministering to us as He walked upon the face of the earth during the meridian of time, separated the behavior of the sons and daughters of men from the worth of their souls and did so with unconditional love.

And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them. (Ether 12;27)

Beyond knowing the nature and personality of the Godhead, the most essential thing that we can learn in this life is our relationship to them, for we have been created in the image and likeness of the Father and the Son. The object of our mortal journey is to walk by faith and safely arrive home after we have fulfilled the purpose for which we have been sent here.

IT'S A WONDERFUL OBJECTIVE, BUT IT'S A BAD IDEA

Once each week Church missionaries, including senior couples, are supposed to write a personal letter to their mission president summarizing their activities for the previous seven days. This is also the means by which they can express any concerns and problems  that they may have been experiencing in their relationships with other missionaries or local Church members. Can you imagine the level of effort and commitment required on the part of a mission president to read, reflect, and in some instances respond to such a huge volume of correspondence? In the Maryland Baltimore Mission where we serve, this communication involves more than 120 young elders and sisters plus a dozen or so senior missionary couples.



Essex elders reporting their efforts at District Meeting

As a result of major heart surgery on August 6th and subsequent stay in the hospital, my ability to do very much physically outside of our apartment is going to be quite limited during the next few weeks. Although I acknowledge that my body requires sufficient time to properly heal, it is still difficult to program my mind to accept the fact that it is all right to take that time to rest. There are plenty of people nearby, especially my wife, who are willing to remind me as often as necessary not to do too much too soon.

So in our weekly letter to Mission President Richards on Sunday night, I suggested that my primary missionary objective for this week was to be strong enough to physically go to the Church building on Tuesday morning and participate in the missionary district meeting. It seemed to be a reasonable enough goal when I included it in my correspondence.

On Monday morning, however, I received a telephone call from President Richards. "How are you feeling?" he wanted to know. I responded that I was doing pretty well and was looking forward to being able to attend district meeting. "Elder Lindsay," he replied, "That's a wonderful objective, but it is a bad idea!"

Disappointed but not defeated, I quickly  made a counter proposal by suggesting that if he didn't wish to have me leave the apartment to go to the meeting, then perhaps he might authorize the district leader to move the meeting from the Church to where we live. "Now that's a good idea," President Richards said. He then told me to contact our district leader to advise him to move the meeting to our apartment.

I felt  blessed that I could be a part of this training session with our beloved fellow missionaries while sitting in the ease and comfort of a reclining chair in our apartment living room. Now I find myself pondering about the mission president's initial reaction to my stated objective for the week. How many of our goals and objectives in life might seem to be wonderful  except for the fact that they could be based upon a bad idea? Is it possible to have the right answer without knowing the right question? Do we allow the treasures and priorities of the world overshadow the spiritual things that lead to eternal life?

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?               (Mark 8:35-37)

DOING MISSIONARY WORK FROM A HOSPITAL BED

The missionary bear on duty in my hospital room

Of the many things I have learned while Sister Lindsay and I have been on our mission, one of the most amazing is just how many different ways that the Lord provides unique opportunities for us to share the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ with other people. From August 3rd until August 11th, I had a number of opportunities to teach gospel principles (sometimes with my wife present and sometimes not) while confined to my bed or chair at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore.

Since wearing a missionary name tag on my hospital gown was not very practical due to the great collection of electronic monitoring wires and other paraphernalia that were attached to my body, I quickly discovered that the hugging bear provided by the hospital to all heart patients following surgery could conveniently be the keeper of my identify as a full time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He didn't seem to mind being assigned to wear my name tag and he served quietly and faithfully in that capacity until my hosptial release.

The hospital staff in the heart unit was readily accustomed to seeing hugging bears in patient rooms throughout the floor, but that bear in Room 404 who was wearing a special black and white name tag was a bit different and soon became a conversation piece among the staff members. Nurses and technicians coming into my room soon began asking questions about the Church and what my wife and I were doing as full time missionaries in Baltimore. Because my room was immediately adjacent to the nursing station, I could easily hear the verbal communictions emanating from staff members.

It wasn't long before nurses who personally knew why the hugging bear in Room 404 was wearing a special name tag were sharing that information with others. The uninformed were told that Elder Lindsay is serving with his wife as full time missionaries in Baltimore for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And so, the opportunty was available to the nurses and patient technicians to talk with me about gospel-related concerns. Not only did my new friends at the hospital encourage me to believe that everything would go well with my heart bypass surgery, but many of them also told me that they were praying for me. It was a great blessing and comfort for me to be able to talk about the Lord so freely and openly from a hospital bed.

HAVE MIRACLES CEASED?

When we moved to Greensboro, Norm’s favorite thing to do during a thunderstorm was to sit on our front porch in his rocking chair and watch the storm with his youngest daughter, Rachel. This activity has not changed in 25 years. Whenever there was a thunderstorm, he would call Rachel, wherever she was, and ask why she was not on the porch with him.

This past Monday, the day of his surgery, we were in the ICU recovery room with him as he was waking up. The nurse told us he would not remember her or what happened that day. Arminda, who drove up from NC to be with us, received a text from Rachel to give to their father. She said to tell him that there was a thunderstorm, and why wasn’t he on her porch? The message was delivered.

By the time we arrived at the hospital Tuesday morning, he had already been moved from ICU into a regular room in the cardiovascular unit. We started talking to him and telling him who called, who visited, etc. With a puzzled look, he asked, “Were you here yesterday?”

We assured him we were. He does not remember seeing us. He does not remember holding our hands and squeezing them. He does not remember telling me he loved me and was praying for me. He does not remember his nurses. However, he does remember that there was a thunderstorm and that Rachel wondered why he wasn’t on the porch with her.

And after that he came men also were saved by faith in his name; and by faith, they become the sons of God. And as surely as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men?

For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens.

And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men.       
(Moroni 7:26-29)

In spite of his memory lapse, he came through the surgery well. The doctor did four bypasses. As of today (Thursday) he is eating well, walking several times a day and doing all he is supposed to be doing. All but one of his tubes and wires are out! We are pleased with his progress and hope he will be coming home on Saturday.

There have been many miracles during the past week and a half. We have seen them.  We know that God lives and loves us. We have felt the love and prayers of all those who have been praying for him. Thank you so much!

WALK TO THE EDGE OF THE LIGHT

The challenging, sometimes difficult situations that we all experience in this life either humble and draw us closer to God or else we attempt to blame him for the troubles and setbacks we are are facing in this troubled world. The choice is clearly ours regarding how we respond to adversity when it comes our way.

. . . The light will appear and move ahead of you

For the past several months, I have been experiencing a health issue that has become progressively worse. The symptoms have, for all intents and purposes, pointed to a problem with my digestive system. Initially, the condition first appeared as acid indigestion when I was walking on a treadmill in the exercise room at our apartment complex. In spite of my conscious efforts to minimize this uncomfortable situation by walking more slowly, less frequently, and by adjusting my food intake prior to the start of my exercise program, nothing seemed to alter the condition for the better.

When I finally went to the doctor on Monday of this week for his professional diagnosis, he smiled and then kindly suggested that I didn't have a digestive problem. Instead, the physician determined that I was suffering with stable angina, a condition that makes it difficult for the heart to circulate blood when under stress such as during times when the body is engaged in vigorous exercise. He recommended that I see a heart specialist as soon as possible.

You can imagine the anxiety that I felt when we left the doctor's office. Not knowing what would happen next, I needed to deal with my own personal crisis with my faith. Then I remembered the words spoken by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, at our last General Church Conference in April: "If our hearts are pure, if we seek not our own glory but the glory of Almight God, if we seek to do His will, if we desire to bless the lives of our family and fellowmen - we will not be left alone."

I can honestly testify that during this past week we have have not been alone but have experienced one miracle after another as we have been guided by an unseen divine source to accomplish everything that needed to be done. We have been able to obtain an appointment with a highly recommended heart specialist, successfully complete a heart catheterization, and engage the services of a skilled heart surgeon who will perform bypass surgery on me next Monday at Union Memorial Hospital, which has the highest success rate for bypass surgery in Maryland

Concerning man's faith in receiving divine guidance when the path ahead is unknown and uncharted, Harold B. Lee, former president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, instructed believers, "Walk to the edge of the light, and perhaps a few steps into the darkness, and you will find that the light will appear and move ahead of you." I have had a personal opportunity to ponder and reflect these past few days upon what it really means to struggle with exercising your faith while overcoming your doubts.

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. (Mark 9:23-24)

We must choose faith over doubt, choose faith over fear, choose faith over the unknown and the unseen, and choose faith over pessimism. Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief!