An Easiness and Willingness to Believe

Here is a copy of the talk I gave on March 14th.  And now I don't have to speak for awhile!!! 

“An Easiness and Willingness to Believe”




Good morning, brothers and sisters. I have been asked to speak on Elder Ringwood’s talk, “An Easiness and Willingness to Believe”. Although I was a little apprehensive at first, and frankly tried to talk my way out of this assignment, I am thankful for the opportunity I have had to read and reflect on Elder Ringwood’s teachings this past week.






Elder Ringwood begins by sharing with us a story from the Book of Mormon. It was during the 62nd year of the reign of the judges when two of Helaman’s sons, named Nephi and Lehi, were teaching the Lamanites the gospel. Eight thousand Lamanites in Zarahemla were converted through their powerful teachings. And an additional 300 others were converted while, as they were preparing to do away with these missionaries, they were surrounded by a cloud of darkness and heard a voice from heaven saying, “Repent ye, repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand; and seek no more to destroy my servants.” Thankfully they listened to these words, and turned their hearts to the teachings of our Heavenly Father. These 300 then testified to other Lamanites who were also converted. The Lamanites turned away from their hatred for the Nephites, laid down their weapons of war, became firm and steadfast in their faith, kept the commandments and walked in truth and uprightness. In fact, they became much more righteous than the Nephites! In Helaman 6:36 we read, “And thus we see that the Lord began to pour out his Spirit upon the Lamanites, because of their easiness and willingness to believe in his words.”






So what caused this to happen? What brought around this “mighty change of heart”? Elder Ringwood suggests that this easiness and willingness to believe in the word of God comes from a softness of heart, a heart that is sensitive to the teachings of the Holy Ghost, and a heart that can love. This change comes from choosing to make and keep sacred covenants, and allowing oneself to feel the power of the Atonement.






There are many examples of those who have soft hearts in the scriptures. First of all, let’s look at the original Nephi, the son of Lehi. We are all very familiar with the story of Lehi and his four sons, Laman, Lemuel, Nephi, and Sam. When their father began prophesying about the impending destruction of Jerusalem, and calling the people to repentance, Nephi determined that he needed to know for himself if what his father was teaching was true. He tells us in 1 Nephi 2:16, “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of god, therefore, I did cry unto the Lord, and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father….” He continues on in verse 19 where we read that Lord spoke to him and said, “Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart.” Nephi is a wonderful example of somebody who humbled himself before the Lord, asked for confirmation of what he was being taught, and upon receiving that confirmation, went forth and did what was asked of him time and time again. In fact, Nephi’s closing words at the end of the book of Second Nephi speaks volumes about the softness of his heart, when he declares, “….for thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey.”






Enos teaches us how important it is to allow the words of God to sink deep into our hearts. He also wanted to know if what he had been taught was true, and tells us in Enos 1:4 that, “my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him: yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.” I love that phrase, “my soul hungered”. After fasting, our bodies can hunger so much for food…..but do we ever hunger that much for the teachings of the gospel? Do I ever hunger that much to read my scriptures? Or am I too easily distracted by the things of the world? And would I be willing to stay on my knees all day long and into the night to receive answers to prayers? And is my heart softened enough to receive those answers, whatever they might be? This kind of change happens when we allow the word of God to sink deep into our hearts.






I love the scripture, Jeremiah 31:33, where the Lord tells us, “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” By allowing Heavenly Father’s commandments to become part of us, to become part of what we are inside, we allow Him to have more effect on our lives, and, in turn, can truly become one of His disciples.






Another wonderful example is that of Lamoni’s father. We all remember the story of Ammon, who came to the land of Ishmael, saved the king’s flocks and became a servant of King Lamoni, and, in turn, met King Lamoni’s father who was king over all the land. Although King Lamoni’s father was initially opposed to his son’s conversion, he was so touched by Ammon’s desire that Lamoni be given the opportunity to worship as he desired, that his heart was softened. And when Ammon’s brother Aaron arrived to teach the king, his heart had so changed that he said to Aaron, “Behold I will believe”. He continues on in Alma 20:15 & 18…”What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold…I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy…. I will give away all my sins to know thee…..” His easiness and willingness to believe the word of God came from repentance and obedience.






Elder Ringwood points out that an examination of our lives will reveal periods when we found it easier to believe the word of God. This usually happens during a period of significant change, whether it be the birth or marriage of a child, facing personal trials, times of intense service in a new calling or mission, or having the opportunity to receive teachings from a wonderful bishop, seminary teacher, or youth leader. As many of you know, I faced some difficult medical problems as a teenager. Although it was a time of great struggle for both me and my parents, it led to me asking my father for a special blessing, something I didn’t do very often. As my father and brother placed their hands on my head, I was filled with the Comforter, and I knew everything was going to be okay, that I would be able to handle the challenges that I would face in the future. I also experienced a time of great spiritual growth in this ward, when I served as Young Women’s President. Now as the Bishop knows, this was not a calling that I had ever anticipated I would hold – after all, I have no daughters – but through this calling I had to learn to open my heart, trust in our Heavenly Father’s guidance, and listen to the counsel from our sweet bishop, his counselors, and yes, the young women themselves. Although I love my calling now, I can truly say that serving as Young Women’s President was the hardest, yet best calling I have ever held and I will be eternally grateful for the experiences that I had, and I hope that I am and will be a better mother-in-law and grandma because of it. All of us who have had the privilege of having a son or daughter serve a mission can testify to the great spirit it can bring into our homes as we pray for and worry about them, and and the wonderful experience of watching the incredible growth our children go through, through letters and phone calls home. As we had the opportunity to meet those whom Adam taught and served with in France, we were quite touched by those who loved and guided him while he was so far away from us, particularly Brother Mas who, during an especially difficult time during Adam’s mission, prayed for him all night. And now, as Logan prepares himself to be worthy to serve a mission, we as his parents are spiritually fed as we watch him grow into an incredible young man.






Elder Ringwood tells us, “If you are like me, you will find what really brought an easiness and willingness to believe were not the circumstances but the commitment to live the gospel during these periods of life. You were found more often on your knees and immersed in the scriptures during these periods. You found it easy to be in church and worship in the temple. Indeed, the daily living of the gospel brings a softness of heart needed to have an easiness and willingness to believe the word of God.” It is through following the counsel of the prophet and apostles on a daily basis, whether it is scripture study, paying our tithes and offerings, attending the temple, and living worthily that we allow our hearts to be softened and become more receptive to the promptings of the Spirit. Unfortunately, sometimes we are like Naaman, the Syrian leper who went to Israel to see the prophet in order to be cleansed. When Elisha simply sent a messenger to Naaman with the intructions to dip himself in the Jordan River seven times, Naaman was angry. Thankfully, he had a wise servant, who reminded him,”If the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?” Thankfully, Naaman humbled himself, did as the prophet counseled, and was healed.






Each week we have the opportunity to attend sacrament meeting, where we can renew our covenants by expressing our willingness to take upon ourselves the name of Christ, to always remember Him, and to keep His commandments. Three seemingly simple promises—take upon ourselves the name of Christ. Always remember Him. Keep his commandments. If we truly commit ourselves to these three things, how much more in tune with the spirit will we be?






Conversely, when we do not immerse ourselves in the gospel, our hearts can begin to harden and we can lose that constant companion of the Holy Spirit. Our testimonies, like a muscle, can become weakened. As you know, a couple of years ago, I damaged my knee pretty badly, which eventually led to me having knee surgery last July. As soon as I could, I went back to physical therapy, and my knee got to a point where I no longer felt any pain. At that point, my doctor, my physical therapist, and I determined that I was ready to move on to regular activity. I was given a list of exercises to do, and encouraged to keep going to the gym. Well, it was December, and I got really busy with Christmas, and stopped doing my exercises. And then it was January, and I was swamped at work with both closing the books and preparing for the audit. And, of course, in February we went to Arizona for my mother-in-law’s funeral. There were always plenty of reasons, perfectly good reasons, why I couldn’t do my exercises, but it seemed that I was still doing okay. Yeah, I was fine, until, when we were in Arizona in February, I was walking through a store with my nephew, who took a sudden turn to the right and, you guessed it, my knee didn’t follow. Through neglect my knee had become weakened. I am now following the counsel of my doctor, and working out with a physical trainer. And I have a lot of work to do to get back to where I was before. I am also not as spiritually strong as I once was. So now what? I need to exercise and strengthen my spirit, I need to give away all my sins, I need to sacrifice time I am spending on other less-worthy pursuits and focus more on the word of the Lord, so I too can be more in tune with the whisperings of the Holy Ghost.






Brothers and Sisters, during Stake Conference we were counseled to study the words from the prophet and apostles given to us during last General Conference as we prepare for the upcoming conference, I have been remiss until now in following this counsel. Thankfully having to prepare this talk has been a good place to start, and it is my goal to work my way through the Conference edition of the Ensign before April comes. I must do better at studying my scriptures, saying my prayers, and living the gospel teachings so my heart will be softened and so that I, too, like the Lamanites of old, will have more of an easiness and willingness to believe.