I Know What I Did This Summer

I have the great opportunity of working at Camp Kostopulos in Salt Lake City. It's a summer camp that serves individuals with disabilities. It is a rewarding experience (and the reason for sparse amounts of posts lately). While working there over the last few months, I have learned things about myself, life, and God's plan for His children. I'd like to share some of them with you.

First, I have learned that, generally speaking, there are more experiences to laugh about than there are negative experiences to lament. Laughter has a great power to it. Last week at work was really difficult for me, and yet as I look back on it, I find myself laughing more often than groaning. Cracking the corners of your mouth every once in a while does the body good. Laugh. I dare you.

Second, I have gained a greater understanding of the love of God. I get to work with some of the greatest people on earth. If you've never had the chance to work with people with disabilities really closely, I advise you to find the opportunity. They can teach you so much. Many live in group homes, which hurts my soul. Everyone deserves the opportunity to be loved completely, and often God is the only one who offers such love. I am grateful to know that the Atonement can fix those things that are unfair about life. The Atonement enables us to feel infinitely loved when there is no other source.

The third lesson I have learned deals with me as an individual. My job allows me to unleash my inner child and enjoy life. It's okay to have fun, to be sporadic, and to do things that are out of the ordinary. It feels as though I'm beginning to lose the societal idea that "when you do weird things, people look at you funny;" replacing it instead with commanding the attention of the world for the good I do in a different, but effective way. I do good things for work. I help people with disabilities improve their self esteem and hope in life. That's what we all want. Why should we think those who aren't "like us" want anything different?

The greatest part about my job is that I have the opportunity to make a difference. It's an incredibly powerful experience when lives are changed because of the things that you do. Most people look at my job and think, "Oh, I could never do that," and I wonder why they think they could not make a difference. I sound like an obnoxious optimist, but it is nonetheless true. There is power in human interaction. We, out of necessity, need to interact with others. It helps our cognitive development and it helps our spirit.

This summer, I made a difference. What did you do?

...And I'm a Mormon.

The title of my blog is "Deep Thinkings," which leaves the content pretty open. It becomes whatever I am thinking deeply about as I type. Today, those thinkings are on what my faith means to me.

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. People sometimes call us Mormons because of our belief in the Book of Mormon. I am Christian. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world -- and my personal Savior -- with my whole being. The Atonement -- made up of His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, His suffering and death on the cross, and His triumphant ressurrection -- allowed Christ to take upon himself every sin, pain, sickness, and trial that we experience in this life. By so doing, He is able to reach out and comfort us in our time of suffering.

The Book of Mormon is a record of God's dealings with the people in the Americas. I know that it and the Bible are the word of God. The Book of Mormon testifies of Christ. One Book of Mormon prophet wrote, "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission on their sins" (2 Nephi 25:26). The Book of Mormon teaches us plainly about God's plan for us, His children. It teaches us what we must do to return to live with Him. The Book of Mormon draws us closer to Christ.

For me, that's what being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints means. It means that I can come closer to my Savior and my Heavenly Father. My faith in God increases when I read His word from the scriptures and as I listen to modern prophets. God always calls prophets and apostles. He did in the Old and New Testaments, the Book of Mormon, and He continues to call prophets today. I believe in prophets. Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. He recieved power and authority from God, that same authority Christ gave His Apostles when He was on the earth. Prophets speak the word of God for us in our day.

Many will say that the Church places too many restrictions on individual freedom. We don't drink alcohol or use tobacco. We don't believe that it's okay to have premarital sex. To most, even that short list will seem like heavy, even antiquated, restrictions. To me, however, they are evidence of God's love for me. God gives us commandments -- don't steal, don't bear false witness, honor thy father and mother, don't commit adultry -- because He wants us to be happy. He knows better than any of us that wickedness never is complete, lasting happiness. Commandments are for our benefit. When I don't understand a commandment that Heavenly Father has given, I do my best to keep it. I accept on faith that this is what Heavenly Father wants me to do, even if it seems out of touch with the times.

My faith means everything to me. It is because of my faith and beliefs that I am going into my chosen career field. It is because of my faith that I left my family for two years to teach others about the Church and how they could come closer to their Lord and Savior. I am a Mormon because it gives me direction and purpose in my life. I know that I am a child of God, that He has a plan for me, and that I can live with my Heavenly Father, my Savior, and my family forever if I continue faithful. That brings me peace. That's what it means to me to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My name is Bryce, and I'm a Mormon.

Do You Ever Wonder if He Asks Too Much?

One of the questions I have struggled with for a long time is why God allows bad things to happen to good people. It's my question of the soul that I ponder on and ask God about often. I remember meeting a guy on my mission who had stopped believing in God because "if there was a God, why did he allow the Holocaust or Rwanda?" He continued by saying he had seen a lot of bad things happen in his lifetime and these things had caused him to disbelieve the existence of God.

I am still working on understanding the answer to this question. I know that God loves all His children. He gave us agency so that we could choose for ourselves. Sometimes, the consequences of those choices lead to bad things in our lives. Other times, the trials and suffering come seemingly unprovoked. Either way, God still loves us. Think of the Old Testament story of Job. God says, "There is none like him in all the land." The Lord loves and trusts Job, and yet allows him to be tried beyond anything I could bear. He loses his children and his wealth. His friends turn against him. His wife turns against him. Why? His friends tell him that it was because he had sinned and displeased God. We know that isn't the case. Job did good things, was a righteous person. Why, then, did these things happen to him? God sought to bless him. The scriptures teach us that "whom the Lord loveth, he chaseneth." Sometimes that's the reason these things happen.

The Lord seeks to help us grow and that involves stretching us. Remember what it felt like in junior high when you were shooting up like a sprout? You had growing pains. That's the closest analogy I can think of to explain why bad things happen. Sometimes, God is helping us grow and it hurts, but we pull through and are better for it. (For a good analogy of this, click HERE)

Sometimes I think to myself, "Heavenly Father, I'm not quite sure what you are doing. I don't think I can handle what I'm going through." Do you ever find yourself wondering if God ever asks too much of you in your trials? Sometimes I do. True story. At one point on my mission, there was about three weeks where terrible things were happening in the lives of people I love. Worst part of my mission. I don't think I had a sincere prayer with Heavenly Father during that time. Most of the time it was just anger that I spouted at Him.  I kept asking, "Why are you doing this to them? Why are you making me experience this? What's your problem?" To this day, I don't entirely understand those three weeks.

A BYU professor, John Tanner, wrote, "[The Book of Job] does not answer the question, 'Why does God permit suffering to come to his children.' But it does answer the question, 'How shall we respond.'" He continues by saying the one sure way we come to find answers and peace in our suffering is to seek revelation from God. We have to commune with him. "Apart from what the Lord says," John Tanner continues, "the fact that he speaks to Job at all fulfills Job's deepest need -- to be reassured that God has not forsaken him."

In times of trial and suffering, go to God and seek His voice. It will come. It will reassure. It will comfort. I love the words to the hymn What a Friend We Have in Jesus: "What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear; What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!" The third verse is my favorite: "Are we weak and heavy laden, Cumbered with a load of care? Still the Savior is our refuge; Take it to the Lord in prayer! Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In his arms he'll take and shield thee; Thou wilt find a solace there."

The man who wrote that hymn, Joseph Scriven, knew a lot about enduring suffering. Twice, he was engaged to be married, and twice right before the wedding, his fiancée died either from sickness or an accident. Driven to grief, he penned those words. He understood where to turn for peace.

I'm sorry that I couldn't provide more answers to the great question of the soul. I wish I knew the answer to every question, but I don't. The Lord does. Go to him. Thou wilt find a solace there.

PS -- I wrote most of this post before General Conference. This was one of the questions I had on my mind. Two of the talks that were given addressed this topic. They were given by Elder Kent F. Richards and Elder D. Todd Christofferson. They were literally answers to prayer.  

The Secret of Solitude

I went on a date recently and realized just how frequently I do things on my own. My date asked me about activities I do in school, my job, etc. and I realized that pretty much everything I do, I do by myself. I go to campus, class, the store, running, to the gym, pretty much everywhere on my own. Why? That is a good question.

Sometimes, I think that the ability to be content being alone is a gift. Solitude gives one time to think, ponder, and reflect. Sometimes, being an island is what man needs. I think of Henry David Thoreau and his time spent at Walden Pond so that he might be able to face life. He said, "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."

We cannot, of course, live our entire lives in solitude. Interaction, relationships, communication are all a part of what it is to be human. Antoine de Saint Exupery wrote, "Happiness! It is useless to seek it elsewhere than in this warmth of human relations." I think, however, that some quality alone time is necessary to keep one's sanity. It is for me. When there are things on your mind, a big group of people doesn't usually help alleviate those thoughts. During times like these, one must take leave of the world and go into a private solitude, whether physical or mental.

Even when one is surrounded by people, they can be in solitude. I find that some of my best thinking and pondering occurs as I walk from class to class in the great shuffling migration of students. This sacred solitude is a treasure and a blessing.

The desire to be alone doesn't stem entirely from being somewhat anti-social. Some of you were probably thinking, "This kid is crazy! Does he not have friends?" Your thinking is wrong. Trust me. Most of the time, the desire to be alone comes from being around people who are challenging, close minded, and/or frustrating. It gives one time to reflect on what they hold dear, even when those around them feel otherwise.

The secret of solitude has not yet been discovered by many. Too often, we prefer to be plugged in rather than face ourselves in a moment of introspection. Solitude is sometimes frightening. It is then that we evaluate our lives, our shortcomings, our upcoming tasks, our responsibilities, obligations, hopes, fears, and aspirations. One can get lost very easily. One can also get discouraged.

In John 6, after feeding the multitude, Jesus Christ leaves when he perceives that the multitude wish to make him a king and "he departed again into a mountain himself alone." The Son of God took time to be away from people, to meditate, ponder, and be with his Father. Why don't we do the same? Think of the power we can gain, the understanding, and revelation that can come when we seek the Lord in solitude.

 

Why I Believe: The Scriptures

If you're new to the blog, you should know that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly called Mormons. The first weekend in April and October are special times for Mormons. It's the opportunity to listen to a prophet of God speak to us. We call it General Conference. Leading up to Conference, I'll be posting some of my beliefs and why I belief the way I do. I hope it helps you understand Mormonism and Mormons a little bit more.

 Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe in the Bible. I love the Bible. I've been studying the New Testament lately, and I feel even closer to my Savior each time I study it. The Bible is the word of God, given to prophets who taught the people how to return to live with God again.

Similarly, Mormons also believe in the Book of Mormon (hence, the nickname). The Book of Mormon is also the word of God given to prophets. The Bible takes place in the Middle East and the Holy Land. The Book of Mormon was written by ancient prophets in the Americas. They knew of the coming of Christ and prophesied about it just like the prophets in the Bible. The Book of Mormon's purpose is to "convince Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST." The Bible tells out that "out of the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established." The Book of Mormon is a second witness to the divinity of Jesus Christ.

A Book of Mormon prophet wrote, "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins."

The Book of Mormon was translated by Joseph Smith, a modern prophet. God has always used prophets to teach and declare his word. We still need prophets to teach us. As we read the words of prophets as found in the scriptures, we will come closer to our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. We will feel the Holy Spirit in our lives.

I love the Book of Mormon and the Bible. They help me come closer to Christ. They bring me hope in times of need. They are the words of God and we will know the way to return to live with God if we abide by the principles that are taught therein.

Thoughts on Changing the World

You may call me an overly optimistic optimist. You may call me crazy. Nonetheless, these are some thoughts that have been accumulating in my mind over the last several days since BYU's Hunger Banquet.

Too many people want change but do nothing to bring it about. Too often, we just throw money at a problem and leave feeling justified that we have done our part. I can't do that. My conscience doesn't allow me to. I have every intention of making a difference in the world.

This is not a post about how I'm going to change the world. I'm still figuring that out. Rather, it's about how we can do our part individually to change things around us.

At the Hunger Banquet, Steven Dorsey, director of the Peace Corps in Costa Rica, spoke about the theme -- Peace by Piece. He said that each of us must be willing to put our piece into bringing an end to conflict, hunger, and oppression. How does one do that? Mr. Dorsey offered four suggestions.

1) You must be at peace with yourself.
2) The Love of God must pervade your heart.
3) The love of our neighbors must be evident in all our interactions.
4) Action -- You cannot just feel. You have to act.

Too often, we think that we cannot change anything because of our limitations. It's not enough to feel pity. It's not enough to be saddened by the situations in Africa, Japan, or Haiti. It's not enough to just throw money at the problems hoping that they disappear. You can't ignore the problem until it goes away.

I can't be content when I think about problems in the world and problems in my own backyard. Not only is Africa a mess, but education in America is falling behind, kids in foster care are falling through the cracks, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, child soldiers, despotic dictators, tsunamis, hunger, famine, AIDS, and a million other issues surround us.

That's why there has to be change. That's why I have to do something about it and will do something about it. No longer will I sit apathetically by while there are things that I can do to make a difference. There's too much to do to just wait for opportunities to help. It's not enough to want change. You have to change. You have to be the point at which the status quo is no longer acceptable. The status quo is unacceptable. It's time to change.

Forks in the Road

I love this picture. It makes me laugh hysterically. It also gives a new meaning to the title of today's post.

Choices are everywhere in our lives. Do I really want to wake up? Should I shave? What should I wear? How badly do I want to do my homework right now? The list goes on and on. Some choices we make are of little consequence. Others make a whole lot of difference in the long run. We can't avoid choice. It attacks us even at the grocery store.

Sometimes, our choices are like forks in the road. I can make the choice to wake up on time or not. Two different forks; either one will take me in opposite directions. When we come to these, we often don't know which one to take. Both seem appealing and/or right. We are like Alice in Wonderland. We don't know where we're going. Every once in a while we get some helpful advice like that given to Alice by the Cheshire Cat, "If you do not know where you want to go, it does not matter which path you take." 

What we choose has implications in our lives. Thomas S. Monson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gave a talk entitled, "The Three R's of Choice," in which he laid out three aspects of choice: Right, Responsibility, and Results. We will, President Monson says, always have the right of choice. We are never limited in that aspect. We are not, however free from the results of consequences of choice.

Sometimes, the choices we make are stupid, we know that going into them, and we make the choice anyway. We don't make a whole lot of sense sometimes. In times like these, decisions become like the picture -- literal blocks in the road. Our choices can obstruct our path and halt our progress. Giant roadblocks. 

It's in times like these when I find myself frustrated and rent with indecision. I find myself wondering why I make such decisions; I beat myself over the head for those decisions, and then I make the same one a few days later.

Sometimes the choices we make in life don't make sense to others. My career path baffles much of my extended family. Some choices sadden those who love us the most. It is especially painful to be the observer to such choices. We all have the ability to choose, but not the ability to choose the results.