Enduring to the End

We have the charge to keep the commandment to endure to the end.  From dictionary.com, endure means, “to bear without resistance or with patience”.  When I was a child, enduring to the end meant to me trying to pay attention to the talks in sacrament meeting and not on what I wanted to do when I got home.  Until I studied more about it, I thought it meant to pay my tithes and go to church every week until the day I die.  I now know that it means to remain faithful to the laws and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout my life. 

President Dieter F Uchtdorf has stated that, “This belief distinguishes Latter-day Saints from many other Christian denominations that teach that salvation is given to all who simply believe and confess that Jesus is the Christ.”

D&C 14:7 And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.

President Uchtdorf further declared, “Ours is an active religion, helping God's children along the straight and narrow path to develop their full potential during this life and return to Him one day. Viewed from this perspective, enduring to the end is exalting and glorious, not grim and gloomy. This is a joyful religion, one of hope, strength, and deliverance. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.”

So enduring to the end is more than my just hanging in there through life’s difficulties.  It’s doing my best to keep the commandments of the Lord, including but not limited to keeping my oaths and covenants, honoring my priesthood, being a good husband and father, paying my tithes, service and charity towards others, faithful church attendance, accepting and magnifying my callings in the church, ministering to others through home teaching and sharing the gospel to bring others unto Christ.

“We tend to think only in terms of our endurance, but it is God’s patient long-suffering which provides us with our chances to improve, affording us urgently needed developmental space or time.  Paul observed, “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness.” Such “peaceable fruit” comes only in the appointed season thereof, after the blossoms and the buds.  Otherwise, if certain mortal experiences were cut short, it would be like pulling up a flower to see how the roots are doing. Put another way, too many anxious openings of the oven door, and the cake falls instead of rising. Moreover, enforced change usually does not last, while productive enduring can ingrain permanent improvement. 

Patient endurance is to be distinguished from merely being “acted upon.” Endurance is more than pacing up and down within the cell of our circumstance; it is not only acceptance of the things allotted to us, but to “act for ourselves” by magnifying what is allotted to us.”

--Elder Neal A Maxwell, “Endure It Well”

More Meaningful Prayer

There is no limit on where, how often or what I pray about.  I want to become better at praying.  I would like to make it more personal, like a conversation.   I want to remember to pray for protection against the adversary.  I want to be more prayerful in my decision making.  I want to avoid being repetitive from prayer to prayer, putting more thought into what I want to say.  I want to express more gratitude, realizing more of my blessings.  I want to do better at praying for others, following through with impressions to pray for others more often.  I want to pray for my welfare and for those around me.  I want to set time aside each day to pray in my ‘secret places’, pouring my soul out to the Lord.  I want to invest more of my time praying and getting closer to my Father in Heaven.

Alma 34

18 Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save.

19 Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him.

20 Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks.

21 Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening.

22 Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies.

23 Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness.

24 Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them.

25 Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase.

26 But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness.

27 Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you.

Our Heavenly Father's Love

I must admit that before I became a father, I did not fully understand the depth of love that my parents have for my brothers and me, even less that which my Heavenly Father has for me.  I want my children to be happy, learning to love the gospel and God.  I want them to make wise choices, getting up and trying again when they stumble.  I want so badly for them to succeed in this life and live worthy to receive the rewards of heaven.  I want them to be with my wife and me throughout the eternities.  This all stems from my unconditional love for them, similar to the Lord’s love for me.  My Heavenly Father’s love for me is perfect though.  I know He has confidence in my abilities and wants me to choose the right.  I know He wants me to keep the commandments and to try again when I stumble.   I know He wants me to return to His presence to partake in His promised blessings.  I know He wants me to be happy and I am so grateful for His Plan of Happiness.  Being a father, I now have a better understanding of my Heavenly Father’s love for me.

 

"Only as we feel God’s love and fill our hearts with His love can we be truly happy." 

--Elder John H. Groberg of the Presidency of the Seventy, Liahona - November 2004-The Power of God's Love

 

Though Born in the Covenant, I Was Finally Converted at the Age of 29.

My name is James Crawford.  I was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1972.  When I turned 3, my family moved to Southern California, where I grew up.  My parents were married in the Los Angeles temple, but divorced when I was 7.  My mom married my step-dad, divorced him and remarried my father just before I turned 9.  At this point, my mom, two older brothers and I were the only members of the church in our family. 

I scored above average in school and ended up being accepted at a college prep middle school.  I was in honors in my freshman year of high school.  When I turned 14, I was ordained a teacher.  It wasn’t long before I made some choices that led me away from the straight and narrow path.  I got my first job the summer after my sophomore year at Dominos pizza.  I bought my first car and paid insurance on my own.  A year later, I changed jobs to Little Caesars Pizza.  I learned the ropes and was promoted to store manager by the time I turned 17, finishing high school in alternative home study.

 I switched jobs when I was almost 21, supervising a cleaning crew at a FHP Hospital and that lasted six months before I was laid off. Following 6 months of unemployment, I was blessed with a job working for a contractor at the BNSF Railway.  I started as a gate inspector, checking trailers and containers in and out of the facility.  I was thirsty; I wanted to learn all I could possibly learn.  Within 2 years, I advanced to an operations manager where I was in charge of loading and unloading the trailers and containers I used to check in and out of the gate.  I continued to veer further from the narrow way, getting wrapped up in worldly things and rationalizing my iniquities. 

After I wandered in my desert for 15 years, I started dating and got engaged to a non-member.  I knew I wanted to marry in the temple and I knew I had to change the direction of my life to accomplish it.  I made a choice and I was fully committed.  I read the Book of Mormon for the first time ever; I now knew for myself that it was true.  Though born in the covenant, I was finally converted at the age of 29.  I started paying a full tithe and attend church every week with my fiancé.  She began missionary discussions.  I was soon ordained a priest and baptized my fiancé.  It turned out she had only been baptized because she thought it was what I wanted and she broke off our engagement shortly after. 

I pressed forward with great resolve to live the commandments and was called into the young men’s presidency.  I began temple-prep classes and was able to go through the Los Angeles temple.  It must have been the following Sunday that I was asked to see the stake president and was called to be elders quorum president. 

Three years back into the fold, I went on a blind date.  I knew she was one described in my patriarchal blessing.  We dated for a few months and I proposed to her on May 24, 2005 at 6:50pm.  My sweet Stephanie said yes and made me the happiest man ever.  I courted her and we married on September 9, 2006 in the San Diego temple.  We tried to have children, but soon found that Stephanie could not take a baby to term due to health challenges.  We chose adoption to grow our eternal family and started a long process.  We were blessed with our Liam in August 2011, our Grayson in April 2013 and our Topanga Ann in August 2013.  

I was literally scared to relocate when my wife and I first talked about the possibility of relocating 7 years earlier.  I was faithful and obedient in my calling in my ward and my wife and I had been talking more seriously about leaving California September 2013, but we felt stuck in a slightly upside down mortgage.  In March 2014, I was inspired to ask my boss about our company’s start-up in Seattle that we had just acquired two weeks previous.  I hadn’t been considered or shown any real interest in helping with the start-up, but suddenly inspired, I told him I may be interested in relocating.  He indicated he would pass my interest on to our regional manager.  The regional manager called me the next morning and three days later I was on a plane to Seattle to train people.  Within a week was offered a promotion and transfer. 

I accepted their offer and continued to work away from home.  Stephanie stayed behind to finalize the pending adoptions of our two youngest children and put our house up for sale.  Our house sold 2 months later, breaking even on what we owed.  It was not easy to be away from my wife and children.  It took much prayer and supplication for me to make it through.  As a result of my prayers, my fears had been dispelled and I was comforted through the whole process.  My family and I were reunited in August after the adoptions being finalized and being sealed in the Redlands temple.  I grew spiritually, learning so much about myself and my capabilities.  I am now in a better position to continue my education and have started BYU-I Pathway.  My wife and I are still amazed at this huge blessing in our lives.

"...by the power and word of God, they had been converted unto the Lord."
Alma 53:10

Seeking Truth

About a year after we were married, my wife and I found out that she could not safely carry a baby to term due to health challenges.  We sought adoption through the State of California and we wanted a baby to start growing our family.  Our social worker told us we were couple 121 out there that wanted a newborn.  She said we weren’t going to get a newborn and we needed to change what age range we were open to.  Reluctantly, we updated our profile to accept older children.  Two and a half years went by and we fervently prayed for answers and direction.  We were prompted to change our profile back to newborns only and our social worker changed it, stressing we were lowering our chances.  We were applying through two other agencies and informed our current social worker we wanted to sever ties.  A week later we got a call from that social worker, explaining one of our profiles failed to be pulled and a mother chose us and would not consider any other family.  We were beside ourselves at such a blessing.  This brought us our first child, Liam, who we were sealed to immediately after the adoption.  Our social worker told us we were lucky and wouldn’t get another newborn.  We told her we appreciated her input, but we would let God decide that.  She transferred to a new position and we updated our profile to get another newborn.  To make a long story short, we adopted and were sealed to two more newborns.  The truth about our being able to adopt newborns was that we needed to have faith and trust in God and his timing.  Now four and quarter years later, we are so blessed to have a family of five, consisting of our two boys and our little princess.  We have learned to rely on the Lord for the truth and have faith to follow His promptings.

“Different though our lives may be, there can come to each of us the same sure anchor—the truth from God. It is absolute, infinite, and available”, Keith B. McMullin, “Ye May Know” – General Conference, April 1996