I learned a hard lesson this fall on the importance of listening to the Spirit, no matter how much it conflicts with what I want.
Last year I received an extraordinary blessing from a close friend and spiritual mentor. It was comforting in many ways and promised future blessings I would receive. I thought this friend was a spiritual giant, so I was extremely confused when I did not feel the Spirit present at all during the blessing. I brushed it off by rationalizing that I must not have been spiritually sensitive enough to feel the Spirit during that extraordinary experience. I trusted this friend and desperately wanted the promised blessings to be true.
It wasn't till this fall that I learned this friend was not who I thought he was, and I could finally face the truth I had been avoiding head-on: this blessing was a fake. I don't know if he made it up to manipulate me, if he thought it was real due to some kind of mental illness, or if he was just tapping into an ungodly source.
I listened to the recording I had made of the blessing. No Spirit.
I read the transcription of the blessing. No Spirit.
I played the recording and showed the transcript to someone else who agreed: no Spirit.
Then I listened to the recording of a blessing someone else not as "spiritually advanced" had given me. Instant Spirit.
I had been deceived. I hadn't trusted my own feelings as I should have. I let my trust in this person override what I knew deep down every time I read it: this blessing was a fake.
Lessons learned:
1. Always, always listen to the Spirit (or lack thereof).
2. Don't assume something is true just because someone I consider more "spiritually advanced" than me says it.
3. The only one I can really trust is Jesus.
Giving my burdens to Jesus
Many times in my life I've heard people offer someone the advice "give it all to Jesus." "Give your problems to Him." "Give your worries to Him." I had no idea what that meant or how you did that. Google wasn't terribly helpful.
Eventually I tried to imagine how He would respond if I confessed I had no idea how to give Him my burdens. The response I came up with was, "You just ask Me. Ask Me to take it, and let go of it. Stop worrying. Trust Me." A scene came to mind. He was kneeling in front of me with an open backpack I had been carrying that was filled with stones. He handed me each one and asked what problem, worry or fear it represented. I told Him what it was and asked if He would take it from me. He said yes, and took each one from me until my backpack was empty.
So now when I have a burden, I imagine myself holding a stone with Jesus standing in front of me. I say, "Jesus, I'm worried about ________________. Will You take this burden from me?" He says yes and takes it from me. I demonstrate my trust in Him by not worrying about it anymore.
I made a list of burdens I've given to Him so I can remind myself what I'm not going to worry about, and so I can see the results as time goes by. I have been pretty good about not stressing over most of them, trusting them to His care - although on occasion I've tried to take one back, only to have to let go of it again!
My testimony of this concept has been greatly strengthened in the last few months. I was very worried about a certain confrontation happening. Twice now opportunities for that confrontation to happen have arisen. Both times I gave Him the burden and stopped worrying about it (though I did occasionally remind Him I was counting on Him!). The opportunities were averted both times. His solutions were far better than any ideas I had come up with own my own. (And He's probably the only one who could have averted them anyway!)
Now that I have had these experiences, I know for sure that giving Him my burdens is a much better solution than worrying, stressing, and trying to solve my problems myself! It's better to let go of the anxiety and stress and trust that everything is in His hands.
Eventually I tried to imagine how He would respond if I confessed I had no idea how to give Him my burdens. The response I came up with was, "You just ask Me. Ask Me to take it, and let go of it. Stop worrying. Trust Me." A scene came to mind. He was kneeling in front of me with an open backpack I had been carrying that was filled with stones. He handed me each one and asked what problem, worry or fear it represented. I told Him what it was and asked if He would take it from me. He said yes, and took each one from me until my backpack was empty.
So now when I have a burden, I imagine myself holding a stone with Jesus standing in front of me. I say, "Jesus, I'm worried about ________________. Will You take this burden from me?" He says yes and takes it from me. I demonstrate my trust in Him by not worrying about it anymore.
I made a list of burdens I've given to Him so I can remind myself what I'm not going to worry about, and so I can see the results as time goes by. I have been pretty good about not stressing over most of them, trusting them to His care - although on occasion I've tried to take one back, only to have to let go of it again!
My testimony of this concept has been greatly strengthened in the last few months. I was very worried about a certain confrontation happening. Twice now opportunities for that confrontation to happen have arisen. Both times I gave Him the burden and stopped worrying about it (though I did occasionally remind Him I was counting on Him!). The opportunities were averted both times. His solutions were far better than any ideas I had come up with own my own. (And He's probably the only one who could have averted them anyway!)
Now that I have had these experiences, I know for sure that giving Him my burdens is a much better solution than worrying, stressing, and trying to solve my problems myself! It's better to let go of the anxiety and stress and trust that everything is in His hands.
Taking Christ’s Name Upon Yourself
The concept of taking Christ's name upon oneself is mentioned all over the Book of Mormon. What exactly does this mean? I thought about times we "take" someone else's name upon us. For instance - when you adopt someone, s/he takes on your surname. When a woman marries, usually (but not always) she takes on her husband's surname. Taking on someone's surname can be seen as a symbol of linking or joining two people together.
Here are four ways you take Christ's name upon yourself.
Joining His Church
You take Christ's name upon yourself by becoming a member of His church - a Christian.
"...And it came to pass that whosoever were desirous to take upon them the name of Christ, or of God, they did join the churches of God." Mosiah 25:23
Becoming His Child
You take His name upon yourself when you become one of His children through spiritual rebirth (similar to the adoption example above - taking on your father's surname).
"And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters." Mosiah 5:7
Emulating His Character
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word "shm" is usually translated as "name," but in ancient Hebrew culture, it meant far more than just a way to identify someone. The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon (AHL) defines "ShM" as breath: "The breath of a man is character, what makes one what he is." (link) So another way you take Christ's name upon yourself is by emulating His "shm," or character. This involves doing what He would do, saying what He would say, and serving as He would serve.
Saving and Delivering Others
The AHL definition of "ShM" continues: "The name of an individual is more than an identifier but descriptive of his character or breath." So a name represented character, but the definition of the name also was supposed to describe that person's character. The meaning of Jesus's name, Yeshua, is "deliverer or savior." You also take His "shm" upon you when you submit your will and desires to His, uniting with Him to save and deliver others.
Here are four ways you take Christ's name upon yourself.
Joining His Church
You take Christ's name upon yourself by becoming a member of His church - a Christian.
"...And it came to pass that whosoever were desirous to take upon them the name of Christ, or of God, they did join the churches of God." Mosiah 25:23
Becoming His Child
You take His name upon yourself when you become one of His children through spiritual rebirth (similar to the adoption example above - taking on your father's surname).
"And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters." Mosiah 5:7
Emulating His Character
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word "shm" is usually translated as "name," but in ancient Hebrew culture, it meant far more than just a way to identify someone. The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon (AHL) defines "ShM" as breath: "The breath of a man is character, what makes one what he is." (link) So another way you take Christ's name upon yourself is by emulating His "shm," or character. This involves doing what He would do, saying what He would say, and serving as He would serve.
Saving and Delivering Others
The AHL definition of "ShM" continues: "The name of an individual is more than an identifier but descriptive of his character or breath." So a name represented character, but the definition of the name also was supposed to describe that person's character. The meaning of Jesus's name, Yeshua, is "deliverer or savior." You also take His "shm" upon you when you submit your will and desires to His, uniting with Him to save and deliver others.
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