This is the beginning of my Week of Spiritual Boosts. If you are a lurker who is not a member of my faith, may I recommend the most uplifting thing in my life, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I can honestly say that everything good that has happened in my life has been a product (however directly or indirectly) of my faith, testimony, and church membership.A couple of months ago, a Relief Society lesson began with a statement and a question. “The pioneer women gave up everything to go across the plains. Would you be willing to do that?” The room was quiet. In classic Biffy-style (groan), I tried to say what I thought everyone was thinking. I piped up, “Honestly, I would have a really hard time doing that. I mean, they didn’t have a clue where they were going, there were no warm cars or anything and those women were taking their babies. I mean, I guess I’d do it, but boy, it would be HARD!” Evidently, that wasn’t what everyone else was thinking. I was the pariah hellion in the room because my comment was quickly buried by, “Oh, I’d go,” “Of course I’d go.” “I wouldn’t hesitate, I’d do what the prophet said.”
I comforted myself by thinking I was the only one in the room that was being truly honest. I mentioned this incident to my sister Debbie and then I felt like even more of an ingrate as she compassionately talked about the persecution of the saints and how they were probably happy to escape that horrible violence and grateful that the Lord was moving them elsewhere. This experience has left me wondering about those pioneer women. Of course their testimonies took them across the plains. That is the obvious, primary answer. But the older I’ve gotten and the longer I’ve been a mother, the more I wonder. Why did they do this? Having babies, burying babies, making your children walk all that way, camping, cooking, and cleaning up across America? I have often berated myself thinking that I couldn’t have been that strong.
Julie B. Beck answered the question for me at the Relief Society Broadcast on Saturday night. She talked about those pioneer women, about how many women lost husbands, buried children, and struggled day by day. And then she posed the question that has been on my shelf of “questions that haven’t quite been put to rest.” Why did they do this? She answered it perfectly in a way that brought tears to my eyes and peace to my heart. They did it because the fire of their faith burned in their souls. They were not seeking luxuries, they had conviction and a testimony that the restored gospel was true and that the Lord needed them. This is why. And this fire of faith the pioneer women had is a fire that I can have too. Maybe we have more in common than I ever thought. The fire of faith can reach across all differences. Some days my fire of faith is a 5 alarm. Some days my fire just keeps me nice and toasty. But I never want my fire to go out. My conviction that the gospel is true and that the Lord needs me is just as important as the pioneer women’s convictions. I am not asked to travel across the plains, but I am asked to serve in my own sphere and to that end I will use the fire of my faith to help me accomplish my goals. Bring on the heat!
6 comments:
LOVE it!
Ok, so it is interesting that you bring up this topic, because this week, I was reading the new Ensign and there is an article talking about peoples in the B of M and how they went into the wilderness, etc...
I had this thought that we read about people in the scriptures and our own ancestors leaving everything they've ever known to start a new life. I've never really been able to fully empathize with this, as I've always had it pretty cushy. Well, in that moment, I had a little epiphany that we are in some crazy last days. This could easily be me. What if our economy crashed, the country elected Obama and we became a socialist state? Would we need to leave and start again? Now, I know this sounds totally dramatic, but I did feel in that moment what a true sacrifice it was for all these people I've read about and that they did it because they believed and they wanted the best for their family.
As for wondering about the pioneers and how did they do that... In recent years, I've been more convinced that they probably wonder how we are doing it now. How do we stay faithful and raise strong children amidst the pornography and over-indulgence that surrounds us.
I hope that all made sense. Just a bit of stream-of-consciousness ala Virginia Wolff. :-)
Biffy I would have said the same thing you did, The thought of leaving all of the comforts that they had to go to who knows where? The advantage that we have from our viewpoint is that we know what happened, we know how many of them had to bury children and husbands and walk through snow etc. I can't imagine that they knew upfront that all of those things were going to happen. I am sure that they all thought that moving to Nauvoo would be the end of all of their problems. Like us, we don't know what challenges may come, and they don't usually come all at once, but we take them and do our best with the testimonies we have knowing that we will learn and be blessed.
Imagine pioneer women sitting in Relief Society having the same lesson but using our day as an example, alot of them would say they wouldn't or couldn't have the testimony to carry on, it's all perception. :)
thanks for this. i realized on sunday that i had completely spaced the broadcast! i was SO indescribably bummed because i look forward to it every year and always feel so fulfilled after i have gone. i don't know how i forgot about it, but it's a good thing for the church website so i can listen to all of the talks. still, it's not the same.
i'm with you, i doubt everyone in the room was being completely real. what you were saying is that of course you'd go, too, if that's what the prophet was telling you to do, but it would have been extremely hard. it sounds like you were feeling like everyone else was saying that all of the hardship wouldn't have been as big a deal to them. i'm sure the pioneer women had moments when they reached up to Heaven and asked, "why me?" and "this is too hard" but plugged along anyway because deep, deep down, they had that testimony (or fire, as you called it).
lastly, i always think it's hard to compare the hardships of the early saints to those in our day. the Lord always gives us trials he knows we can endure. but one thing i do think is interesting is that it seems like the pioneers had to deal with a lot of physical death in their lives. they had the comfort of knowing that they would see again those whose lives were lost. now it seems like the trials of our day threaten to snatch souls into spiritual death, which is a much more frightening idea.
Loved your thoughts, I've thought the same thing at times. I've wondered at times how it would have been. I've even thought about pioneers and babies a lot lately. I'm not sure I could have done what they did, but I'm sure if they were asked to trade places with us, they'd say the same thing. You've always been an inspiration...keep on blogging, I'm uplifted by just reading.
Biffy you are such a deep thinker! I love it. I love to read the thoughts you have. I think it is really easy to say we would do something when we are not in that situation. I think we don't really know what we would do until we are actually there. I think you are wise!
Hey, call me some time when your girls are playing outside and I'll bring Kaela over to play... if that's ok. She would love playing with a bunch of girls after being surrounded with all of these boys every day.
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