Glacier Chinook Deception

 While in Glacier National Park last weekend, we went on a boat ride on Two Medicine Lake.

One of the things that the boat driver/guide pointed out was that on one side of the lake, many of the trees were dead and the other side, very few trees were dead.  Why?

*It wasn't due to fire.

*It wasn't due to disease.

*Insects didn't cause this.

So what caused it?

In the winter, it can get down to -40 degrees Fahrenheit in Glacier.  But sometimes a chinook wind will blow in from the west coast.  These winds can raise the temperature 100 degrees in 24 hours.  This tricks the trees into thinking that spring has arrived.  They send sap and water into their trunks. Then a day or two later, the temperatures plummet again.  The water in the trunks freezes, expands and the trees explode.  Apparently it sounds like a gunshot when it happens.  One side of the lake is mostly protected from these winds by the mountains so few of the trees have died, but the other side is exposed and many trees die due to this deceptively warm chinook wind.

I have been thinking about these winds for the past week.  The deceptive wind is devastating to the trees. This year as we have been studying the Doctrine and Covenants, there have been many warnings to avoid deception.  

A few examples:

D&C 10 discusses the methods the adversary uses to destroy us.  In verse 25 it explains that he tries to get us to deceive others and try to catch them in their errors.  He gets us to justify our own lies/sins because we are using them to catch another in their mistakes.  How can we avoid this trap?  In verse 5, we read "Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Stan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work."

D&C 43 warns of those who receive false revelations with the intent to deceive.

D&C 46 tells us to seek the best gifts, the gifts of the spirit which are given for the benefit of man, so that we won't be deceived.

D&C section 50 says:  "And also Satan hath sought to deceive you, that he might overthrow you." (verse 3) and "But wo unto them that are deceivers and hypocrites, for, thus saith the Lord, I will bring them to judgment." (verse 6)

And in D&C 52:14 we are told that "Satan is abroad in the land, and he goeth forth deceiving the nations."

Deception is clearly something we need to learn to detect.  In Real Talk Come Follow Me podcast, Ganel-lyn Condie and Scott Sorensen said that it isn't so much that we need to avoid deception--as humans there will be times when we are deceived--but that we need to learn how to recognize the deception quickly and change course when needed.  Thankfully, we aren't exactly like these trees--once they begin to respond to the deception and send water into their trunks, they are in trouble.  For us, if we begin to be deceived and we recognize it, we can make course corrections and avoid the results of the deception.  But we do need to be aware so that we don't continue to be deceived into believing something that is untrue and acting in ways that will bring harm or destruction to ourselves and our family.

So how do we avoid deception or recognize deception?  I don't have all the answers but from my study of the Doctrine and Covenants, it seems clear that we need to be praying.  We need to be living so that we have the guidance of the Holy Ghost because the Holy Ghost helps us to know the truth of all things (and therefore can help us recognize when something isn't true).  We need to develop spiritual gifts, including the gift of discernment.  I think we need to consider where information is coming from--the scriptures, the prophets and apostles, and the Spirit are sources we can trust.  Often, friends and family are also sources we can trust (but not always).  Things we read on the internet, hear in the news, view on social media posts or things discussed in the office or on the playground may be much less trustworthy.  Finally, I know that deception and half truths and falsehoods are all around and I'm going to be exposed to them.  But if I'm immersing myself in things that feed my Spirit--service, temple attendance, prayer, scripture study, studying the words of prophets and apostles--then I'm better able to discern what is true and what is not and make necessary course corrections.

LESSONS LEARNED:

It's important to avoid and detect deception as it can lead to harm and even destruction.