This time I was a bit worried that maybe I didn't have enough material. It was the first week of school and a busy weekend, and I wasn't as prepared as I like to be. Church starts at 11:30 and I finished my preparations at 11:15...and really felt like I could spend a bit longer. And also realized that I hadn't really prayed to have the Spirit with me as I should have. So I prayed as I drove to church and I prayed during the sacrament, asking both for forgiveness for not doing a better job involving the Lord in my preparations and also asking for help as I taught.
And just like every other time I have taught, I didn't get to cover all the things I wanted to talk about. And barely skimmed the surface of things we COULD have talked about. There's always so much more. But I hope that the Spirit was there, and that we were taught and edified together. I felt like I learned some things. I want to be better at trusting the Lord. I want to remember those incredibly faithful men and women who went before me, who gave so much and remained true, and I want to honor their sacrifices by remaining true to this gospel that they loved.
I also felt such great love for the men and women in my ward. I got teary eyed as I talked about Proverbs 31 and being a virtuous woman...which is all of us because we are covenant keepers. I am surrounded by men and women who love the Lord and who are striving to make this world a better place. My life is so incredibly blessed by their goodness, their faith, their service, the light that they share with me. I'm so grateful.
We didn't talk at all about chastening. We didn't talk about a few of my favorite verses. We primarily talked about wisdom, trust, fear of the Lord and the virtuous woman. And a little bit about Ecclesiastes. But I think it was a good meeting. I hope that others felt a little bit of what I felt.
Proverbs and Ecclesiastes
**Did your parents have any favorite sayings or phrases that taught you an important lesson? Something that reminds you of them?
*I had a friend in high school whose family would always say “Return with Honor” as they left the house. A much less important example is that Alfredo and I have always told our children at meal time that we try everything. You don’t have to like every food or eat a lot of it, but we try every food offered to us. And I think that consistent message has led our kids to be willing to try most foods and to eat a wide array of foods.
*A couple of people said things like "Remember who you are." "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
Ecclesiastes and Proverbs are two of the books of wisdom. *Brave Like Eve’s thoughts. I love what Melinda Brown says about wisdom literature. She wrote on IG: “Wisdom is sometimes thought of as some mystical blend of knowledge, intelligence and truth—but I’ve been feeling itas “the Way of Christ”, and I love how so much of it helps us recognize His Way in the natural order of the world around us. Theologians refer to this as general revelation, as opposed to special revelation. Special revelation is that kind we receive across a pulpit, from a trusted prophetic voice, vertically down from heaven. General revelation is quiet, more horizontal—the visible order that exists in the world around us, seen and felt as we interact observantly in the world. General revelation can be such an ideal teacher, subtly revealing God’s hand in the order that exists around us, and thereby helping us recognize Him working in other, less tangible realms, as well.”
This wisdom is wisdom often known by many of God’s children. Kerry Muhlestein points out that many of the Proverbs are similar to wisdom literature found in ancient Egyptian texts. Likely Solomon and other writers learned from the Egyptians and were familiar with some of their proverbs and also recorded them. They learned from the wisdom of other groups and likely also shared some of their wisdom with these people.
Do you have a favorite proverb that you want to point out before we launch into the parts I’m hoping to discuss? I’d love to hear some of your favorites.
I love that Proverbs 1:1-5 explain the purpose of these proverbs.
I looked up the definitions of each of these words...especially loved subtilty...refinement of thought or argument. The Proverbs are given to us to have knowledge, experienced and good judgment, to help us treat others more fairly, to help us make considered decisions, to help us be fair and impartial. To help refine our thoughts.
One of the definite themes of the book of Proverbs is wisdom. Listen to the descriptions of wisdom given in a few of these Proverbs (though there are many others that we won’t read).
Proverbs 4: 5-7 What is the difference between wisdom and understanding?
How have you been able to gain wisdom? How has wisdom blessed your life?
Another theme is fearing the Lord.
In Follow Him podcast, they talked about the fear that a young child has for their parent...it’s primarily respect and awe because their parent is able to do so many things that seem impossible for the child. The parent cares for and protects them. But there may be at least a little fear and trepidation mixed in there as well. Awesome and awful both come from the same root of awe...recognizing the greater power, wisdom, experience of God should leave us to feel deep love, devotion, awe, respect and reverence.
Fear of the Lord means....
#1 Elder Bednar said, ““The righteous fear I am attempting to describe encompasses a deep feeling of reverence, respect, and awe for the Lord Jesus Christ (see Psalm 33:8; 96:4), obedience to His commandments (see Deuteronomy 5:29; 8:6; 10:12; 13:4; Psalm 112:1), and anticipation of the Final Judgment and justice at His hand. Thus, godly fear grows out of a correct understanding of the divine nature and mission of the Lord Jesus Christ, a willingness to submit our will to His will, and a knowledge that every man and woman will be accountable for his or her own sins in the Day of Judgment (see D&C 101:78; Articles of Faith 1:2)”
An important theme in Proverbs is to trust the Lord:
#2 Sister Bonnie Cordon spoke about these verses in her talk “Trust in the Lord and Lean Not”. She said, “This scripture comes with two admonitions, a warning, and a glorious promise. The two admonitions: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart” and “in all thy ways acknowledge him.” The warning: “Lean not unto thine own understanding.” And the glorious promise: “He shall direct thy paths.”
Let’s first discuss the warning. The visual image gives us much to ponder. The warning comes in the words “lean not”—“lean not unto thine own understanding.” In English the word lean has a connotation of physically listing or moving to one side. When we physically lean toward one side or another, we move off center, we are out of balance, and we tip. When we spiritually lean to our own understanding, we lean away from our Savior. If we lean, we are not centered; we are not balanced; we are not focused on Christ.
Sisters, remember, in our premortal life we stood with the Savior. We trusted Him. We voiced our support, enthusiasm, and joy for the plan of happiness set forth by our Heavenly Father. We leaned not. We fought with our testimonies and “aligned ourselves with the forces of God, and those forces were victorious.”1 [Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Dawning of a Brighter Day,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 81.] This battle between good and evil has moved to earth. Once again we have the sacred responsibility to stand as a witness and put our trust in the Lord.
We must each ask: How do I keep centered and lean not unto my own understanding? How do I recognize and follow the Savior’s voice when the voices of the world are so compelling? How do I cultivate trust in the Savior?”
Sister Cordon gave three pieces of advice to trust and lean not. First, she encouraged us to read and ponder the scriptures, to feast upon them. One night her young grandson asked for “more scriptures, Nana.” So she read him more scriptures. She says, “More scriptures enlighten our minds, nourish our spirits, answer our questions, increase our trust in the Lord, and help us center our lives on Him.” Second, we come to know the Lord and increase our trust in Him when we pray sincerely and pour out our hearts to Him. Finally she explains that we can come to trust the Lord as we serve others. She tells the story of Amy Wright who was diagnosed with cancer. Amy was so sick as she underwent chemo and so discouraged. When she poured out her frustrations to her husband, he wisely replied that they needed to find someone to serve. So they did. They made kits for other chemo patients, Amy did family history research and wrote notes to cheer others. She says of this experience, ““Service,” Amy testifies, “saved my life. Where I ultimately found my strength to keep moving forward was the happiness I discovered in trying to relieve the suffering of those around me. I looked forward to our service projects with great joy and anticipation. Still to this day it seems like such a strange paradox. You would think that someone who was bald, poisoned, and fighting for [her] life was justified in thinking that ‘right now it is all about me.’ However, when I thought about myself, my situation, my suffering and pain, the world became very dark and depressing. When my focus turned to others, there was light, hope, strength, courage, and joy. I know that this is possible because of the sustaining, healing, and enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”
Quote #3 Elder Walter Gonzalez said, “A God we can trust emboldens our hope. We can trust Him because He loves us and wants what is best for us in every circumstance.
The leper came forward because of the power of hope. The world gave him no solutions, not even comfort. Thus, the Savior’s simple touch must have felt like a caress unto his entire soul. We can only imagine the deep feelings of gratitude the leper must have had at the Savior’s touch, especially when he heard the words “I will; be thou clean.”
The story states that “immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”7 Matthew 8:3
We too can feel the touch of the Savior’s loving, healing hand. What joy, hope, and gratefulness come to our souls in knowing that He wants to help us to be clean! As we come unto Him, God will come to our rescue, whether to heal us or to give us the strength to face any situation.
At any rate, accepting His will—not our own—will help us understand our circumstances. Nothing bad can come from God. He knows what is best for us. Perhaps He will not remove our burdens right away. Sometimes He can make those burdens feel lighter, as He did with Alma and his people.8 [See Mosiah 24:8–15 Ultimately, because of covenants, the burdens will be lifted,9 [See Mosiah 24:13–16 either in this life or at the holy Resurrection.”
**I love this reminder...a God we can trust emboldens our hope. We can trust Him because He loves us and wants what is best for us in every circumstance. Nothing bad can come from God. He knows what is best for us.
Why is it so important to trust the Lord? How can we demonstrate this trust? Can you think of experiences when you have trusted the Lord and how that blessed your life?
President Monson told a story of a family who lived in East Prussia. Their lives had been beautiful and full until WWII and her husband was killed. She had to leave her home and head to Germany with her four children...a journey over 1,000 miles. She had a small wagon with a few provisions and her faith in God. They began the journey in the summer. As she had no food or money, she had to gather food as they went. Weeks of travel turned into months and soon the temperatures dropped and snow fell. Her children, all age 7 and under and the youngest still a baby in arms, struggled. She wrapped burlap around their feet as their shoes disintegrated. One morning she awoke and her 3 year old daughter was frozen and dead. She dug a grave with a teaspoon and then continued her journey. Soon her 7 year old son died. By the time she reached her journey’s end, all four of her children were gone. I cannot begin to imagine the depths of her grief.
#4 President Monson continues the story:
“Her grief became unbearable. How could she possibly be kneeling in the snow at the graveside of her last child? She had lost her husband and all her children. She had given up her earthly goods, her home, and even her homeland.
In this moment of overwhelming sorrow and complete bewilderment, she felt her heart would literally break. In despair she contemplated how she might end her own life, as so many of her fellow countrymen were doing. How easy it would be to jump off a nearby bridge, she thought, or to throw herself in front of an oncoming train.
And then, as these thoughts assailed her, something within her said, “Get down on your knees and pray.” She ignored the prompting until she could resist it no longer. She knelt and prayed more fervently than she had in her entire life:
“Dear Heavenly Father, I do not know how I can go on. I have nothing left—except my faith in Thee. I feel, Father, amidst the desolation of my soul, an overwhelming gratitude for the atoning sacrifice of Thy Son, Jesus Christ. I cannot express adequately my love for Him. I know that because He suffered and died, I shall live again with my family; that because He broke the chains of death, I shall see my children again and will have the joy of raising them. Though I do not at this moment wish to live, I will do so, that we may be reunited as a family and return—together—to Thee.”
When she finally reached her destination of Karlsruhe, Germany, she was emaciated. Brother Babbel said that her face was a purple-gray, her eyes red and swollen, her joints protruding. She was literally in the advanced stages of starvation. In a Church meeting shortly thereafter, she bore a glorious testimony, stating that of all the ailing people in her saddened land, she was one of the happiest because she knew that God lived, that Jesus is the Christ, and that He died and was resurrected so that we might live again. She testified that she knew if she continued faithful and true to the end, she would be reunited with those she had lost and would be saved in the celestial kingdom of God.8
I hope and pray that I have the kind of trust and faith that this woman had. We’ll talk in a bit about the virtuous woman, and she exemplifies this woman.
((Lots more to cover in chapters 1-3... go back to these)
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*Didn't get to dicuss this at all.
Receiving instruction from parent/chastening:
Proverbs 4: 1-4
One of the things I have pondered a lot lately is the role of correction and expectations and boundaries and rules in love. Often the world wants to eliminate any form of expectations or rules or correction, but a truly loving person --God included and as the prime example--has rules and gives correction. I am not good at doing it as he does, but I'm trying to learn how.
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Also didn't get to discuss this part...and I wish we had!
Proverb 15: 1 Soft answer turneth away wrath....any tips for using soft answers when someone is not soft with you? I love this counsel...but sometimes I respond too quickly and don’t respond with a soft answer.
Also Proverbs 15: 18....these two verses are helpful in following President Nelson’s counsel to “end conflict in our personal lives”
Proverb 15: 13 “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance” (Being in the temple and the temple worker had the biggest smile...felt so much joy radiating from him. I want to be more like him!)
Proverbs 4: 18 “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”
Proverbs 31: written as an acrostic...begins with the first letter of the Jewish alphabet aleph and ends with the last letter...makes it easy to memorize and recite. It is sung each week by Jewish husbands to their wives to remind them how to become virtuous women. There is a lot of symbolism in this chapter, especially if you can read it in Hebrew. These notes are from Tammy Uzelac Hall and she says there is a lot more but here are a few highlights.
Vs. 10 Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.
Virtue: Hebrew: strength, power. Ous: Filled with or full of. So this is describing a woman filled with strength and power.
Vs. 11 The heart of her husband safely trusts in her. Throughout scripture, the husband is Jesus Christ. So married/unmarried, widowed, divorced...our marital status has nothing to do with whether we are virtuous. Christ is the husband and if he can trust us, if we have entered into covenant with him, then we are virtuous.
“The imagery of Jehovah as bridegroom and Israel as bride is among the most commonly used metaphors in scripture, being used by the Lord and his prophets to describe the relationship between Deity and the children of the covenant” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ And The New Covenant, p. 290).
*This chapter is describing the covenant keeping relationship between us and Christ. It is NOT a laundry list of all the things you should be doing or need to start doing to be of worth or to have strength. If you are keeping covenants, you are a virtuous woman!
And he tells us that this is enough. He doesn’t need anything more. We are enough...IF we are in relationship with Him and IF we are keeping covenant. (And like any book of scripture, I will add that while this is specifically written to women...it is applicable to men as well. Just as the stories of men are applicable to us as women.) It is only through covenants that we have access to POWER and STRENGTH.
Emily Freeman wrote of this proverb yesterday: “On Sabbath Eve in many Jewish homes, just after the Sabbath candles have been lit but before the meal is eaten, a beautiful tradition unfolds. For some, it is a way of giving honor to the women in the family.
It is called Eshet Chayil which is translated woman of valor or a woman of great strength. The tradition includes a weekly reading of Proverbs 31.
Some might get lost in the words that describe a social culture different than ours, but I can’t help but get caught up in the figurative words penned there. For me, Proverbs 31 is less of a standard of unrealistic perfection and more of an invitation to envision and prepare and become.
A figurative reading of this Proverb portrays a beautiful example of strength and wisdom at its fullest capacity. When I read, I consider the strong women in my life who surround me today.
The one whose daily work is to inspire growth. The one who provides guidance and navigation. Those who keep the night watch. Those whose great work is manifest by their worn hands. The one preparing for the storm, the one caring for the poor, the one bringing light in the dark moments.
I read about the one who gives strength, honor, wisdom and kindness, and it is the description of what I wish one day to become.
I particularly love the one who clothes her household in scarlet, for me it is such a descriptive image of grace. The covering of an entire household with the atonement of Christ.
I am in awe of this weekly tradition.
What if we bring honor to the women of great strength who surround us today? The ones in our homes. The ones in our communities.
What if we were continually reminded of the great strength and wisdom of God’s daughters every Sabbath Eve. Once a week. All of the year. All of the life. Who would we become?”
What are her priorities? vs. 20, 27- 28, 30
A few of her character traits: trustworthiness, consistency, high standards, industriousness, service, strength, honor, compassion, confidence, wise words, teaching/instruction, faith/trust in God
Vs. 21 Snow is symbol of death...she is not afraid of death because all her family is covered in scarlet...a symbol of the Atonement. So she is not afraid of death because her family is covered in the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
**Now I DON’T think this is meant to convey that a virtuous or covenant keeping person doesn’t experience grief. I think that our grief can still be deep and poignant. I think grief is one side of the coin of love...you can’t have love without experiencing heartache and grief. But I do think that our covenants can help us find peace and meaning despite the intensity of our grief. They can help us remember that death is not the end. I also think that if we are wise and compassionate, we will mourn with others when they are mourning and give them time to get to a place where they can feel comforted and remember the power of the Atonement to reunite families.
Ecclesiastes: Don’t know for sure the writer..possibly Solomon, but we don’t know for sure. but he spends this book pointing out what the world thinks is valuable...popularity/fame, wealth, power...
All of this is vanity...it’s fleeting and transitory. It doesn’t last and isn’t valuable. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do any of them...we do need to work, plant, etc. But don’t set your heart on them. Some of them are necessary and will take up some of our time...but don’t set your heart on them. Our MOTIVES and DESIRES matter.
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 To every thing there is a season.
Ecclesiastes 3: 11 He hath made everything beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world int heir heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
Eccelsiastes 11: 9-10 Give a portion to others....help...life is transitory...help others.
D&C 137:9 what we are judged on...D&C 46...and seeketh so to do
