I've been thinking a lot about Mosiah 18:8-9, lately. It likely has to do, in part, with the fact that I was asked to give a talk in sacrament meeting this Sunday about ministering. I think it's the perfect scripture to explain how we are supposed to minister as Christ ministered.
"...and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light;
"Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in..."
If we truly desire to become disciples of Christ, these are the things that we will do; if we truly want to come closer to God and do His work, this is what we will be doing. This is how we become closer to Christ. This is how we repent. This is how we become better. We cannot create Zion by thinking only of what we need and what we want. We cannot make it back to live with God if we are only concerned about ourselves and our own salvation. Sure, we may do a lot of good, but we will miss the whole purpose of, well, everything.
Ok, so I'm going to shift topics really quick, and it may seem really random, but I promise everything will come together.
In the beginning of the Book of Mormon, Nephi was commanded to build a boat. Nephi was not a carpenter, but he did not hesitate to do as the Lord commanded, and he built a successful boat. What intrigues me with this story is what is mentioned in 1 Nephi 18:1-2.
"...we did work timbers of curious workmanship. And the Lord did show me from time to time after what manner I should work the timbers of the ship.
"Now I, Nephi, did not work the timbers after the manner which was learned by men, neither did I build the ship after the manner of men; but I did build it after the manner which the Lord had shown unto me; wherefore, it was not after the manner of men."
Nephi built a boat unlike any other boat, and that boat - built by a man who was not a carpenter and not well versed in the ways of boat building or probably even wood working - carried his family across the ocean. He acted according to the directions of the Lord, specific and inspired directions. Each one was meaningful and purposeful.
I once had a bishop mention this story and then mention that we all have ships in our lives: relationships, friendships, discipleship. And the question I want to pose to you is: Do you want your ships to be after the manner of men or to be of a curious workmanship?
Me? I want mine to be of a curious workmanship, because I want my ships to be inspired. I want them to carry people. This is probably going to require me to do things that are unusual to the rest of the world, things that may make me feel awkward or uncomfortable because they go against the grain (and because I tend to always feel awkward and uncomfortable...). But, it's something that is worth doing, because when we build ships after the manner that God directs us, our ships carry other people, not just ourselves.
Which brings us back full circle, to Mosiah 18:8-9. If we are going to call ourselves followers of Christ and His disciples, we need to be thinking of others, carrying others. And, honestly, it's not that hard. Like, it is, because it's a total shift in thinking for a lot of us. We have to learn to think outside of ourselves and be willing to act on any prompting we get to help another person, no matter how bizarre that prompting may be. I want to show you, though, how easy and simple it can be to build these ships and to live by the covenants we make, as discussed in Mosiah 18:8-9.
"willing to bear one another's burdens that they may be light"
The first instance I think of with this concept dealt with me coming to terms with the fact that I was attracted to women. I don't even think I have words to express the burden that felt like. It was so heavy, and I literally didn't know what to do with it. I was terrified by it and that just made it all the heavier. So, after prayer and trying to figure out what to do, I decided I needed to tell someone, but it needed to be someone non-threatening - someone I didn't interact with a whole lot, but still knew me. Someone who, if they freaked out, I wouldn't be required to speak to them again. So, I turned to a sister on my mission. I never served with her, but we knew of each other, had a few conversations, and were at the same Mission Leadership Councils. I wrote her a letter, pouring out my soul, just seeking for relief. Her simple response literally changed my life, because the weight I was bearing all alone suddenly was being shared. She kept my secret, she comforted me, and she told me I was not alone. When she responded to my letter, again, I cannot express in words the relief I felt. My burden became lighter, and I will forever be grateful to that sister missionary and friend for being my confidant and my secret-keeper at that time.
"mourn with those that mourn."
Being a part of a large family just invited family drama. It makes things more exciting that way. So, one day, while family drama was going on, I decided to step in and try to do something helpful. Well, it wasn't helpful, and it ended up in me and a few other people being even more hurt, and it felt like my heart was shattering. My sister came in, and in her wonderful way, didn't say any words, but just held me as I sobbed. There are two reasons why this is significant: we rarely touch each other in my family, but back then, it was even less so. Also, I don't know if I can think of any other instance where someone witnessed me just outright sobbing. In that moment, though, I felt my sister mourn with me. She was mourning the fact that my innocent intentions caused pain and that I felt so helpless. There probably wasn't anything else that I needed in that moment than to just have someone hold me and mourn with me.
"comfort those that stand in need of comfort"
School is always rough. Last semester, which was THE last semester of my undergraduate degree, had a few extra rough moments. There was one day where it all just kind of hit a peak, and I was done. I was stressed about my calling, several final papers and projects, social life drama, and then on top of it all, my dad ended up in the emergency room and because it was insanely busy, it was taking forever to get results. The moment my friend found out I was pretty much at my emotional limit, she came to my apartment, with a balloon, hot chocolate, fruit snacks, and a hug. She listened to me, distracted me, had her fiance come over to give me a blessing, and, essentially, gave me the comfort that I needed to make it through that evening and the next few days.
"stand as witnesses of God"
From my very first semester of college, I have been incredibly fortunate with the roommates I ended up with. Some of them have ended up becoming life long friends. My freshman year, I became roommates with someone who exemplified, to me, what it means to stand as a witness of God in any circumstance. She had family drama and boy drama throughout the almost 2 years we lived together, and whenever anything happened, she always turned towards God. She would try to figure out what God wanted her to do, what He intended for her to learn. Even now, when I visit her and her husband when I'm in Arizona, our conversations often turn towards God, faith, and following His plan for us - and keep in mind, we were roommates before I attended BYU-Idaho, so it wasn't a Church institution. It simply is the way she leads her life: never cursing God, but rather always turning towards Him and trying to help others do the same.
These four people are excellent examples to me of what it means to build ships, not after the manner of men, but after the workmanship of God. They upkeep their covenants by building up others, and I think there is nothing more beautiful than that.
My invitation for you reading this blog is to find out how you can build the ships in your life, more after the manner of God. You have friendships and relationships, and you should strive to make those special and sacred, rather than selfish and isolated. Following God's instructions and the pattern He has laid down before you, your ships will be stronger than those of the natural man.
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