#34 Faith in Every Footstep

D&C 136; Our Heritage p.71-77

Football-tis the season-let’s talk about life lessons you can learn from the game. Name them while I put them on the board.

I don’t pretend to know a whole lot about football, in fact I only watched it as a child when the Superbowl was on with my uncles; or in high school because I had a crush on a football player, and I wanted to watch him play. I now watch the Superbowl because Keith likes to and I love any excuse for good food. Other than that I’m not interested in it, I admit that, however I do know that there are lessons we can learn from all things. To make this lesson interesting I thought of this Football analogy.

One of the purposes of this lesson is they want us to see how the Pioneer’s trek across the plains parallels our journey back to our Heavenly Father.
To make this interesting I thought about section 136 as the game play our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ has set up for them and for us.
If Heavenly Father & Jesus Christ are the Coaches, who is the quarter back? Brigham Young was their quarter back, who is ours? President Monson!
We are the players right?

So the first thing the coaches and quarter back does is prepare us physically. 136:2 they were organized into companies, we are organized into special teams called wards.
136:2 we are also given pads and uniform called covenants, we make promises to fulfill for our part of being on this team.
136:4 1st covenant-that we will walk in all the ordinances of the Lord. Basically that we promise to do and go through all we are asked to go through.

So for a football game how does one prepare? Mentally-getting your head in the game, Physically-train hard, eat right

136:9 The Lord’s plan for them and us. That they should prepare their houses (not houses, meaning of brick, but ourselves) His plan-to have grain. Bread of life-right? Spiritually prepare ourselves for our journey or game.
This verse is also referring to the physical grain He wanted them to plant to help those who were staying behind at winter quarters and coming on behind them. So we prepare ourselves, but we also prepare for others who will take our place in our callings, or prepare our children to be adults and contributors in the gospel. Etc.

The pep talk before they commenced, as we commenced, is 136:11 IF ye get ready and do it with a pure heart, in all faithfulness ye SHALL be BLESSED! In all those things.
136:17 He tells us fear not the other team-our enemies. Whatever comes up against you we are ready for them. They will not stop the work you are meant to do.

A warning and advice-136:19 Don’t seek to build yourself up, (don’t be a ball hog)(Don’t be Prideful) This isn’t about just you- If this happens you don’t have any power (Lord’s power backing you up)

136:20 Keep all your pledges with each other. When you say you will do something do it!
136:21 Keep yourselves from evil (no drugs, no women) but for us in our game plan we need to insert different things all the time-whatever we are struggling with at the time. **Remember who you are, progenitors of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and most importantly Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

The Lord knew that throughout the game there are sometimes these little yellow flags thrown. What are those for? It means that a foul or someone tried to break the rules of the game. So He forewarns them about a couple of things. 136:23-27 Don’t fight with each other-work together, help each other through, cease to speak evil one with another or about each other-That kind of behavior tears a team apart. I can testify to that! He also asks us to edify each other, lift each other, cheer each other on when we make a great play. He tells us to be sure to return borrowed items, if you can’t return-repay. Also To be diligent in preserving what thou hast. (Wise Steward) It goes back to that saying “use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without. How are we doing on this? We live in a generation where we just want to throw broken things away and replace them instead of fix them, and we wonder why we are having financial problems.
Well Flags were thrown during the trek just as they are thrown in our game plays. In the Church History manual it was told (p332) that during the trek Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball expressed concern over the light mindedness and profanity of some camp members who were holding mock trials and elections, gambling, and playing cards. They discussed calling the camp to repentance. The next day Brigham Young spoke to the men plainly. He said, “Give me the man of prayers, give me the man of faith, give me the man of meditation, a sober-minded man, to trust myself with the whole of this camp with six or eight such men than to trust myself with the whole of this camp with the spirit they now possess…Do we suppose that we are going to look out a home for the Saints, a resting nations welcome, with a low, mean, dirty, trifling, covetous, wicked spirit dwelling in our bosoms? “It is vain!” He concluded with a call to repentance: “if they the brethren will not enter into a covenant to put away their iniquity and turn to the Lord and serve Him and acknowledge and honor His name, I want them to take their wagons and retreat back, for I shall go no farther under such a state of things. If we don’t repent and quit our wickedness we will have more hindrances than we have had, and worse storms to encounter.”

When our quarter back throws in a new play-or an old play but with new fervor-do we change the way we live?

As in all games there are points scored. Touchdowns made, crucial plays that develop to give the advantage; the Lord gives us a suggestion about these times as well. They give us a charge to be happy! Be grateful for all things-even small ones. When someone who hasn’t born their testimony for years, does! Or when an inactive member comes back, when we choose to take a calling and get something out of it, when we get 100% on our home/visit teaching. Etc. 136:28 If thou art merry, praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing, and with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving.

Just as there are plays that give the advantage there are also plays that are made that ruin any advantage, interceptions-a bad thing! A Fumble-again bad, these are the times when Satan gets a hold of our hearts, when we don’t plan our lessons til Sunday morning, when we “forget ward temple night” when we grumble over hard times. Etc.
He has advice for these as well. It’s called a recovery! 136:29 Call on the Lord thy God with supplication, that your souls may be joyful.
136:30 Fear not- Tell that enemy that He has no control over you and you will recover and continue advancing up the field even if you have to go one yard at a time.

As our Coaches, they tell us that they realize there may be times when we ask why? Why must we play anymore? I’m tired! I’m hot! I’m sick of being beaten. 136:31 My people must be tried in all things that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion; and he that will not bear chastisement is not worthy of my kingdom.

After the game here are some of the things we will end up with.
136:32 Let him that is ignorant learn wisdom by humbling himself and calling upon the Lord his God, that his eyes may be opened that he may see, and his ears opened that he may hear.

Finally the last pep talk before the game starts, or trek starts, or our life journey starts. 136:42 Be diligent in keeping all my commandments, lest judgments come upon you, and your faith fail you, and your enemies triumph over you! M. Russell Ballard, “Life isn’t always easy. At some point I our journey we may feel much as the pioneers did as they crossed Iowa-up to our knees in mud, forced to bury some of our dreams along the way. We all face rocky ridges, with the wind in our face and winter coming on too soon. Sometimes it seems as though there is no end to the dust that stings our eyes and clouds our vision. Sharp edges of despair and discouragement just out of the terrain to slow our passage…Occasionally we reach the top of one summit in life, as the pioneers did only to see more mountain peaks ahead, higher and more challenging that the one we have just traversed. Tapping unseen reservoirs of faith and endurance, we, as did our forebears, inch ever forward toward that day when our voices can join with those of all pioneers who have endured in faith, singing, ‘All is well! All is well!” (may 1997 Ensign, p61)
As we walk, or play the game, plays are made, some great ones, some not so great, no matter what, we continue playing the game with the best that we have. Winning or Losing some of those battles aren’t as important as what we learn and get out of it. If we get nothing out of it, then it was all for nothing. If we can come out of it like some of the pioneers did, with more faith, more love, more diligence, more knowledge about God, and more faith to make it through another battle, then we too have succeeded in winning our game.
I want to leave you with a pep talk from Elder M. Russell Ballard, “We are the inheritors of a tremendous heritage. Now it is our privilege and responsibility to be part of the Restoration’s continuing drama, and there are great and heroic stories of faith to be written in our day. It will require every bit of our strength, wisdom, and energy to overcome the obstacles that will confront us. But even that will not be enough. We will learn, as did our pioneer ancestors, that it is only in faith-real faith, whole-souled, tested and tried-that we will find safety and confidence as we walk our own perilous pathways through life” (Ensign May 1997p 61)In the name of Jesus Christ amen.