31 – Finding Life’s Unexpected Easter Eggsfeatured

I HAVE SEEN A FEW THINGS IN 55 YEARS

My cub leader from my youth was on my mind a little while back.  When I think about that man, I know he was an awesome Cub Scout leader, but I don’t remember why. What was it about him that I appreciated so much?

On my tenth birthday, we were driving from Saskatchewan to Alberta and saw an elephant in the back of what I can best describe as a large grain truck. One of the two back doors was swinging open and closed and we could see its backside swaying side to side as the truck rambled along to the next circus. It seemed the chain between the two side panels was the only thing keeping them up. That might have been the year we drove to Halifax and some of the Church history sites for a family vacation. I remember only a handful of details from the 4-week vacation, but I do remember the elephant on my birthday.

My high school years, like most people, were full of both awesome and awkward experiences. They shaped much of who I am. I was fortunate to have a few close friends and a girlfriend to help me live Gospel teachings while having a lot of fun. My buddy is great at remembering many of those experiences, but so many of them have faded away for me now. I know I am grateful for those high school years, but I wish I could remember more of the events that shaped me. 

As a bishop, I helped prepare young men for their missions. I would encourage them to write in their journals regularly. As they returned, I would counsel them to open that journal from time to time as life goes on to remember the experiences. Too often we come home and check “mission” off the To-Do list, put the journal in that box in Mom’s basement and move on to the next thing. During those 18 or 24 months of gathering experiences, we think we learn all there is to learn from them. However, it is in reflecting on them later that those experiences can teach us additional lessons we were not quite ready for at the time. There are so many more “aha” moments to have as we remember how the “Prillers in Pensacola” faced their trial when we are in a similar one decades later. I would tell my missionaries that their mission journal can become a personal scripture for which they have paid a significant cost in time, money and emotions. But only IF they wrote it, and IF they refer back to it.

EASTER EGG HUNTS

As DVDs replaced VHS tapes for watching movies at home a new concept was included – Easter Eggs. Easter eggs were bonus content that had material such as alternate scenes or additional information. It took an effort to find them, and many people did not even know they existed. A rewarding surprise can be found in looking back in life and seeing the hand of the Lord in ways we did not recognize at the time. “Spiritual Easter Eggs” are hidden in all our lives; they are faith-affirming and empowering when the Spirit helps us find them.

As I went through the darker days of losing my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I reflected much on my history as a member of the Church. I reflected on the experiences I could remember from my youth that helped initially build my faith. I went back to examples from my mission where I saw people use the Gospel of Jesus Christ to elevate their lives or conquer their trials. I thought of the individuals I had watched as a Bishop who overcame problems big and small that impressed me then and inspired me now. There were also the personal interactions I had with the Spirit of God as I served Him in my callings.

I valued those examples and experiences.  I wasn’t going to deny they happened, I was going to find strength and courage in them. 

FINDING PERSPECTIVE

I heard years later that my awesome Cub Akela had lost his membership somewhere along the way. Now I wonder what that was like for him and feel bad that, back at that time, I had likely judged him when I really did not know the story – or how he handled his excommunication. Having now experienced something similar to him, I regret that I was judgmental and feel more acutely how damaging that condemnation was on me, while probably having an insignificant effect on him. Now that I have recognized that lesson and written it down, I hope I can use that to remind me to be less judgemental the next time I hear of another’s “sin”.

Perspective makes all the difference in unpacking past experiences. Done incorrectly, one can find themselves focusing on the negative and completely overlooking the things that can inspire and motivate. For some, all they see when reading scripture is a record of people who are being manipulated by others just to please an unseen God who causes pain and suffering. Others read the same scripture and can see how “All things work together for good to them that love God” Romans 8:28 and if they “Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another” D&C 90:24

THE LAW OF THE HARVEST

What do you currently see as you reflect on your past? Do you focus on the hard parts or the fun? Do you look for the things you have learned – or still could? I recall reading in the biography of President James E. Faust that he referred to people who focus on the negative as pickle-suckers. I have known a few of those in my days. No matter what good or bad is going on in their lives, they will zero in on the most pessimistic view. 

In Galatians 6:7 we read “For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”. That principle is known as the Law of the Harvest. The Law of the Harvest teaches us that whatever feelings we focus on will be what grows in our hearts and minds. Applying this principle or law when reflecting on our past or current life experiences puts us in greater control of what we learn and how we will move forward. 

This can be seen in the record of Lehi’s family found in 1st and 2nd Nephi. Laman and Lemuel perpetuated the pickle sucker persona while Nephi and Sam used the same opportunities to look for the Lord’s hand in their lives. Both pairs saw what they wanted to see and both pairs built very different lives from the same initial opportunity. Both pairs exemplify the Law of the Harvest and our individual responsibility for what our lives become.

As you and I find ourselves at our own individual crossroads in life, what we pull from our past can be used to help us slog through our present with a focus on building what we want for our future. It can also determine whether we do it with a puckered face or a smile.

IS IT WRITTEN DOWN?

While many people are motivated to write a journal so their children have a record of them, I am encouraging you to write your journal – and reflect on any previous journals you have written – primarily for your own benefit; at least for now. Reflecting on your past through a Nephi point of view can help you pull through this and other difficult times in your life. It can help you find resilience and build more of it too!

As Laman reflected on his past difficulties he grumbled that his life had been hard. He saw his hardships and blamed his dad and brother for the tough times – which he then used to double down on his anger. As Nephi reflected on his tough times – seemingly more than Laman had – he recognized and appreciated that he had made it through them. Rather than focusing on who to blame for the problems, he focused on who to thank for the solutions. 

The result for Nephi is he developed resiliency to trials that provided him more peace and confidence when the next trial came – and the next trial always does. Because he turned to God in those tough times, his trust in God grew. While trials will still test us, and sadness can still be a part of our day, we become less overwhelmed – and develop that resilience – as we build our trust in God.

WE CAN ALSO SEE THE HAND OF THE LORD

Elder Bednar gave a talk at the MTC in 2009 that I believe is called “Quit Worrying About It”.

 He addresses the question “How do I know if what I am feeling is the Holy Ghost? He shared a few experiences from his past. One of these is an interaction with Elder Boyd K. Packer. While serving his mission, Elder Bednar helped Elder Packer and his wife deal with a cancelled flight and got them on a train that was going through East Germany. He also gave them 20 Marks so they would have German currency for food. The Packers ended up using that money to get out of a sticky situation with Communist authorities and on to their destination. 

It was 20 years later that Elder Bednar heard that those 20 Marks served such a valuable purpose. In fact, he did not even remember giving them the money in the first place. Elder Bednar’s purpose in sharing the story was to point out that the Spirit was guiding him even though there were no profound feelings or memorable impressions that prompted him. He was trying to do his best and the Lord used him. Seeing the outcome of his actions 20 years later became a confidence builder for the then Stake President Bednar. My purpose in sharing the story is to show that, when we look back on our lives, we provide the Lord with an opportunity to show us ways we have walked with the Spirit, been helped by God, or been valuable to God.  These opportunities build our confidence in moving forward today.

FINDING THOSE EASTER EGGS

There are challenges to seeing the Lord’s hand as we look to the past.

1. We can forget the experiences we have had.
2. We may remember experiences but forget the details or order of events that matter.
3. Even if we do remember the event, we don’t often take the time to reflect and ponder on these experiences, prayerfully allowing Heavenly Father to show us His perspective.

All 3 of those obstacles impeding our understanding of the purpose in our path, can be overcome by writing down our experiences and prayerfully reviewing them later.

No matter how long you’ve had the Gospel in your life, I have no doubt that God has been involved in it all along. You didn’t have my Cub leader or my youth, but you have your own experiences that can reveal your journey with God if you are willing to search those out. So far you have a 100% success rate for survival of difficult things. Somehow you have faced trial after trial and overcome them sufficiently to still be trying. If you unpucker your face when you reflect on the hardest times, I propose that you will find God was there with you in your challenges – even when His being there did not mean the challenges were taken from you.  Perhaps that help came through other people who did not even recognize they were being guided.  Perhaps He helped you be strong enough to bear up through the experience. Or it’s possible that He gave you the means to flat-out change your circumstances.  Those are the Spiritual Easter Eggs I encourage you to look for and learn from.

IT’S NOT A LIMITED-TIME OFFER, BUT WHY NOT TRY IT TODAY?

It is never too late to start benefitting from the process of keeping your own personal record.  Do you have some time today where you could look at an old journal or reflect on your past experiences? You can make regular journaling simple by taking a few minutes before bed to dictate your day on your phone. I recommend that you also consider including a short list of the people, moments and thoughts you are grateful for that day. Even if you have to search to find one thing, that one thing matters. God is found in that gratitude list.

In the Priesthood session of the April 2021 Conference, President Russell M. Nelson gave a talk entitled “What We Are Learning and Will Never Forget”

In it, he listed 4 of the things “the Lord wants us to learn from our experiences” with the Covid-19 pandemic. He made it clear the list was not complete and went on to invite us to make our own list of things we learned from the pandemic. Why didn’t he have a complete list generated and have it sent out to us all? Most of us men heard that conference talk, but did you take time to reflect on the additional things you learned and write them down? Are there things you and I have yet to learn from that pandemic that can better prepare us for the next “last days” event? Or for something else unanticipated? 

Have you had experiences in the past that you can benefit from today? Are you willing to look for that egg with the help of the Spirit? Are there things you are experiencing today that can give you more courage and strength tomorrow? Can you take a few minutes to write the experience down? Will you?

This process of journaling was a refreshingly healthy experience for me as I went through my darkest days. It helped me not overreact. It helped me see the Lord was still there helping me. It helped me smile again. I have no doubt it can be helpful for you as well!