"It Happens"

Today was the second time in less than a week that the water in our apartment just didn’t work.  It turns out this second time, that the pipes broke in another apartment and the service people couldn’t contact the owners of that particular unit.  Their solution was to turn off the water to the entire building until the people could be reached, which took more than 12 hours.  I’m sure this served to prevent further damage, but it certainly must have frustrated the many other inhabitants of the building.  I learned a new phrase in Russian, “it doesn’t work.”  It seems that phrase is a very useful one. 

I heard another common phrase as I explained our water situation to a Ukrainian friend.  She said, “It happens.”  It made me laugh because of the tone of resignation with which it was said.  Howard tells stories from his earlier mission here when he heard that phrase many, many times.  Yes, bad or frustrating, or even devastating things happen in life.  The people here appear to have learned that well. They seem to have adopted an attitude of, “Well, it’s something that can’t be helped, so endure it as best you can until things change.”  

The conversation with my friend not only helped me to wait a little more patiently for water, but to reflect upon life, its ups and downs and its purposes.  As every member of the human race can verify, less than optimal things “happen” in life.  Some of these things are far more than mere inconveniences. Very bad things often happen to even very good people.  Our Heavenly Father knew this would be the case when He sent us to experience mortality.  In fact, we knew it too!   So what do we do?  Do we wait passively until things change?  Do we allow circumstances to make us negative and bitter?  Or do we turn our hearts to the Lord as we allow circumstances to work within us to help us grow in character and spirit?

This prompted other thoughts about the way the natural world works.  It is a scientific principle (the Second Law of Thermodynamics) that when things are left alone, they deteriorate and disintegrate.  Old buildings crumble and fall; water pipes rust and break; organisms age and die.  It takes creative intelligence and effort to reverse this trend. This law seems to be universal in its effect.  What happens when we fail to do the things that helped us to gain a testimony in the beginning?  Our testimonies atrophy and die.

“Wherefore, ye must press forward with steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.” 2 Nephi 31:20.

Of course, we don’t seek just to retain the bright intensity of our testimonies, but to be granted eternal life – to be once again in the presence of our Heavenly Family and feel at home there. It takes creative intelligent diligent effort to move forward.  Happily, we are not alone in this quest.  Our Father has not only provided His Son to pay the price that we cannot pay, but He also helps and encourages us to do the part that we must do ourselves.  

We certainly received encouragement in the words of our living prophets this past weekend.  How we love General Conference!  In fact, Howard and I love it so much that we watched the sessions as they were being broadcast, which meant we began watching the afternoon sessions at 11:00 pm on both Saturday and Sunday.  As Elder Hales testified, through participation in Conference, “faith is fortified and testimonies deepened.”  It was interesting to me when Elder Ballard gave a talk on the very topic and using the very scripture that Howard used in a talk he prepared two weeks ago for a fireside we are giving this coming weekend.  “Will ye also go away?” “To whom shall we go?” (John 6: 67-68).  Great minds think alike – especially minds in tune with the greatest mind of all!

Of course, our Father doesn’t want us to endure to the end in the sense that we just hang on until we expire.  He wants us to expand our capacities, increase our joys and become like our Savior. This takes purposeful effort.  The most effective tools of all which our Father uses to help us to continually make the right kind of effort are the covenants which we make in the waters of baptism and in holy temples, all of which are renewed during the weekly Sacrament ordinance.  Does the fact that we are commanded to renew them weekly tell us anything of our natural man tendencies if not acted upon by intelligent, creative effort and power?  I am not sure any of us can completely comprehend the power of the temple ordinances and covenants in exalting mankind, but we received a heavenly glimpse in the blessings that were pronounced upon us as we were set apart as ordinance workers in the Kyiv Ukraine Temple.  We both enjoyed being with Colleen during these Priesthood blessings.

I observed a striking example of the transforming miracle of the power of God. While I was sitting near the temple recommend desk, I saw an older man enter the temple.  He was dressed in very humble clothing. I thought he was one of the many people who come in from the street asking if they can tour the temple. Instead of approaching the desk, however, he disappeared into a small room and emerged dressed in the white clothes of an ordinance worker.  Later that day, we participated in sealing ordinances and this humble man was the sealer.  What confidence and power he exuded!  He seemed full of light.  I’ve reflected upon this miraculous transformation again and again because he symbolizes to me what the Gospel of Jesus Christ can do for all of us if we continue to partake of the Lord’s marvelous power and do our part to come unto Him. 

This past week we were asked to head a project that will be designed to reach out to those of God’s children who, for whatever reason, have let the natural man tendency to succumb to the law of deterioration affect their testimonies and activity in the church.  We are excited about it and will probably later share more about what we are doing in this regard.  We are sure this is the reason we came to Ukraine in the way that we did, rather than as official missionaries.  Also, we hope many of you were able to read the Church News article which President Pohilko and I co-authored.  It was published last Saturday and described the Ukrainian 25 Year Anniversary Celebration.

Yes, “it happens.”  Life happens.  Rather than passively accepting the inevitability of deterioration and decay, let us press forward towards the prize we so covet.  Let us lay hold of the good gifts offered to us by a loving Father and Savior.  We love them with all of our hearts and are so very grateful for their bountiful blessings.