Farewell

Rachel's Talk:

Sister Harris and I were asked to share our thoughts on Alma 12:9-11. I’d like to focus on verse 10, which says, “And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.”


The heart is a symbol of the mind and will of man and the figurative source of all emotions and feelings. In the scriptures we learn that revelation is closely linked to our heart.


I love what Elder Lund shared in the April 2008 conference:

“The heart is a tender place. It is sensitive to many influences, both positive and negative. It can be hurt by others, deadened by sin, and softened by love. Early in our lives, we learn to guard our hearts. It is like we erect a fence around our hearts with a gate in it. No one can enter that gate unless we allow [them] to.


In some cases the fence we erect around our hearts could be likened to a small picket fence with a Welcome sign on the gate. Other hearts have been so hurt or so deadened by sin that they have an eight-foot chain-link fence topped with razor wire around them. The gate is padlocked and has a large No Trespassing sign on it.”


Nephi taught, “When a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.” Elder David A. Bednar noted the use of the word unto: “Please notice how the power of the Spirit carries the message unto but not necessarily into the heart. … Ultimately, … the content of a message and the witness of the Holy Ghost penetrate into the heart only if a receiver allows them to enter.”


‘Individual agency is so sacred that Heavenly Father will never force the human heart, even with all His infinite power. God allows us to be the guardians, or the gatekeepers, of our own hearts. We must, of our own free will, open our hearts to the Spirit, for He will not force Himself upon us.’

So how do we open our hearts?


To me, opening our hearts really means turning our hearts to Christ. True disciples of Christ are teachable, diligent, and humble.


The best way I can think of to open our hearts to God is by praying to Him and letting him know the thoughts of our hearts. In Mosiah 24, the people of Alma were commanded by Amulon not to pray. There were guards keeping watch over them who would put them to death if they were found calling upon God. Verse 12 says, “And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him, and he did know the thoughts of their hearts.” This is when the Lord was able to help and comfort them.


I love this poem about a missionary who tells God the feelings of his heart, and then he is able to be taught:



The alarm rings at 6:30; I stumble to my feet. I grab my companion's bedding and pull off his sheet. A groan fills the room, is it already time to arise? It seems like just a second ago I was able to shut my eyes. The morning activities follow - study, prayer, and such. When it's time to leave the apartment, I feel I haven't accomplished much. "We have a super day planned," my comp says with a grin. I lowly utter a faithless breath, "Yeah, if anyone lets us in. "With the word of God and my faithful Schwinn, we ride off in the street Prepared to face another day of humidity and heat. It's 9:30 in the evening, the day is almost through; My companion and I are riding home, not accomplishing what we thought to do. We ride up to the mailbox, hoping to receive a lot. Only to look inside and hear my echo reverberate "Air Box." We go up to our apartment, the day is now complete. The only thing to show for our work is a case of blistery feet. It's past 10:30 PM, my companion is fast asleep. Silence engulfs me all about and I begin to weep. In the midst of sadness, I kneel down to pray; I need to talk to God, but I'm not sure what to say. "Oh, Father," I begin, "What happened to us today? I thought we'd teach somebody, but everyone was away. My hands, my aching hands - worn, hurt and beat; If our area was any smaller, we'd have knocked every street .." "Why on missions are the days so much alike? The only difference about today was the flat tire on my bike. Will you send some cooler weather? The heat is killing me. I sweat so bad, it gets in my eyes; It's very hard to see." "Why do I have to wear a helmet, isn't your protection enough? People always laugh at me and call me stupid stuff. Please send us investigators so I may give them what they lack; I want to give them Books of Mormon, the weight of them hurts my back." "And what about my family? They don't have much to say, I'm sick of not hearing from home, day after day after day. Oh Father, why am I here, am I just wasting time? Sometimes I just want to go home, I'm sorry that's on my mind." "My companion, Heavenly Father, what are you giving me? The way he rides his bicycle, I don't think he can see. Now you have it, I can't go on I don't know what to do; That, my Father in Heaven, is the prayer I have for You. "My prayer now finished I stand up, then jump right into bed. I need my rest for tomorrow; we have another long day ahead. Sleep starts to overtake me; I seem to drift away, Then it seems a vision takes me to another time and another day. I'm standing alone on the hill, the view is very nice; A man walks towards me and says, "My name is Jesus Christ." Tears of joy well up inside, I fall down to His feet, "Arise," He states, "Follow me to the shade - you and I need to speak.

"My attentions toward the Savior, total and complete. He says, "Your mission is similar of what happened to Me, I understand how you feel, I know what you're going through; In fact it would be fair to say I've felt the same as you." "I even know how you felt when no one listened to you. At times I felt not quite sure what else I could do. I know you don't like to ride a bicycle, for you a car would be sweet; Just remember the donkey I rode wasn't equipped with 21 speeds." "I understand you don't like sweating, in fact it's something you hate; I remember when I sweat blood from every pore, oh the agony was great! I see you don't like your companion - you'd rather have someone else. I once had a companion named Judas who sold my life for wealth." "It's hard to wear a helmet and have people make fun of you. I remember when they put thorns on my head and called me King of the Jews. So you feel burdened down by the weight of your pack. I recall how heavy the cross was when they slammed it on my back." "Your hands hurt from tracting and knocking on doors all day. I guess when they pounded nails into mine, I ached in a similar way. It's hard not to hear from home when your family's not there to see; I lost my communication on the cross and cried, "Father, why hast Thou forsaken Me." He embraced me with His arms, His light filled me with His love, With tears in my eyes I watched as He went back to the Father above. I stood with awe and wonder when a beep rang in my head, I listened and heard the alarm, then realized I was in my bed. My companion let out a groan, "6:30 already, no way!" I sat up and said, "Come on, I'll even carry your scriptures today!" No matter what you go through, when you feel we can’t take more; Just stop and think about Jesus Christ. He has been there before.


I love how this missionary poured out his heart to God and was then humble enough to be taught by the Master!


As we continually open our hearts by praying to our Heavenly Father, studying and pondering the scriptures, and remaining steadfast in the commandments, then the Lord teaches us and we are able to know the mysteries of God.


One of my favorite scriptures is Doctrine and Covenants 50:24 which says, “That which is of God is light and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light and that light growth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.”


I like this verse because it teaches us that God will reveal things to us line upon line. When I was deciding whether or not I should serve a mission, I prayed a lot and God didn’t tell me the answer all at once. I had lots of little experiences that led me to make the decision to serve; then I had several more experiences where God let me know that he was pleased with my decision.


My testimony has come the same way. Thousands of tender mercies from God have helped me to know that Jesus is the Christ. I know he lives and loves us. It is because of him that I can be sealed to my family. I am grateful for my Savior and His Atonement, which changes me.