I would like to share with you today some thoughts about the importance of making spiritual connections and places where we can make connections with the Supreme Creator--He who made all things.[1]
The title of my talk--"Heavenly Connections"--is a phrase used by Elder Neil L. Andersen in a talk titled "Overcoming the World." Elder Andersen notes that one aspect of "overcoming the world is being less concerned with our online connections and more concerned with our heavenly connection to God."[2]
1. Heavenly connections in spiritual places
I will begin with heavenly connections in spiritual places--more specifically, in the sublime environment of the fulness of nature. In Moses we read, "For I, the Lord God, created all things ... spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth." [3] We sense the Spirit of the Lord in the grandeur of nature.
I was born on a beautiful spring day in the middle of May. Two weeks later, my mother bundled up me and my two older sisters, and we joined my father in Zion National Park, in picturesque southern Utah.
My parents worked at Zion for a total of about 10 summers. My father eventually became the manager of Zion Lodge for six years, and my mother was postmistress of the tiny US post office inside the lodge. My parents graduated together from BYU in 1949--the first in both their families to gain a college education. Subsequently, my father completed an MBA at the University of Utah in 1959. That same year, twin girls joined our family. Yes--five girls, all girls. Our parents lived the gospel and taught us, by example, of their love and dedication to the Lord, each other, and our family.
Our young family moved and traveled often, living in seven states during those formative years. We developed a deep gratitude, sense of wonder, and awe for the handiwork of the Great Creator.
Many thoughtful comments were posted on the discussion board for this devotional. Precious Msongweni, a BYU-Idaho online student in Pretoria, South Africa, shared the following:
"There are so many places where I have made spiritual connections. One ... is when my family and I visited my husband's grandparents' home in Swaziland, South Africa.
Swaziland is a rural place unharmed by the harsh changes of the environment. There are beautiful mountains, hills, and valleys.
One night, my eldest daughter and I were admiring the stars. The Milky Way was so clear and felt very close to us. We started admiring the Creation, and a thought came to my mind about a star that shined 2,000 years ago all over the world, declaring the good tidings of the newborn Savior."[4]
The first verse of the hymn "How Great Thou Art" begins with these words: "O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds Thy hands have made."[5]
"Awesome wonder" vocalizes our feelings of overwhelming inadequacy and reverence in these inspiring places. As Alma expressed to Korihor, God's creations bear "witness" of His existence, His power, and His love for us.[6]
I'm certain many of you were captivated by President Henry B. Eyring's small sketch books beautifully displayed in the recent art exhibit--"A Visual Journal"--in the Spori Art Gallery. The sketches were marvelous and expressive, but a few simple written words drew my attention. "Divine Design" was penned and underlined at the top of one small page, and below were the words "There should be a sense of awe."
BYU president Kevin J. Worthen, during commencement exercises at BYU in April of this year, likewise expressed the importance of awe. In fact, he surprisingly counseled the graduates to "be awful"! He noted the original meaning of the word "awful" was "awe-inspiring," "worthy of respect," and "profoundly respectful or reverential."[7]
We can connect with heaven when we are "awe"-ful and truly reverence the divine design of our Creator.
Another online student, Shauneen Washburn from Tucson, Arizona, shared the following on the devotional discussion board: "When I am out enjoying the magnificence of nature...I feel close to God. The Spirit testifies to me that God is the Creator and that He has a plan for His children...In the vastness of the endless ocean or the silence of the snow-covered mountains, or driving...through the desert, I am in awe of His power and majesty. I constantly have a prayer in my heart, and my heart feels full when I am part of nature."[8]
We can be distracted from making those spiritual connections if we, or others, fail to respect and care for God's creations. This concept was expressed in an Ensign article by Mark J. Nielsen: "The earth was...created for us and given into our care...Since it is God who entrusted it to us, it is to Him we shall answer for what we choose to do...All of our actions can display respect for the creations of God."[9]
My wonderful neighbor and visiting teacher shared the following experience with me: She and a long-time friend exercise daily by walking together early in the morning.
In the summer, they enjoy the beauty of a well-developed local nature trail--the Teton River Trail--that wanders pleasantly alongside the river.
At one point, they observed that their enjoyment of the trail was fading as the litter along the path was increasing. Their initial reaction was to question why the offenders wouldn't pick up their own trash. Their second reaction was "We ought to do something about this!"
They began to bring grocery bags on their morning walks and filled the bags with trash as they walked.
Eventually, they brought large trash bags with them to finish the task. Their pleasure and enjoyment of the beautiful trail resumed, as did the spiritual nature of the trail.
Last year, the National Park Service celebrated their 100th year of safeguarding some of our "nation's most treasured landscapes."[10]
Likewise, our charge from the Lord is to safeguard His beautiful creations by showing reverence and awe for the divinity of nature.
Perhaps simply gathering trash will allow us, and others, to more easily connect with heaven.
2. Heavenly connections in sacred places
Last December, my husband and I enjoyed a unique travel experience to Morocco with good friends.
In the midst of the colorful, chaotic medina (or old market) in Marrakech--complete with snake charmers!--were unique sacred places. One of the most memorable was a former theological college--Ali Ben Youssef Medersa. It was the largest and one of the most beautiful schools in North Africa.
As many as 900 students from Muslim countries all over the world studied the Koran there. The inscription over the unassuming entryway reads, "You who enter my door, may your highest hopes be exceeded."[11]
After traveling from the entrance through a long, narrow corridor, a magnificent view of the interior courtyard is suddenly revealed.
All those entering the courtyard literally gasp in wonder and awe. This spectacular space was richly decorated in the 16th century with carved cedar, plasterwork, marble, and geometric tile patterns.
The symmetry and repetition of intricate surface patterns is characteristic of Islamic design.
"The complex...patterns remind Muslims of infinity and the divine presence whose creation features eternal patterns."[12] This strong devotion to beautifying provides an undeniable sense of calm and peace and heavenly connection to the "source of creation."[13]
The most important buildings in Islamic architecture are mosques, sacred spaces where faithful Muslims gather to pray five times a day.
Similarly, our temples are sacred spaces dedicated to worshipping the Lord.
Additional dedicated sacred spaces include our meetinghouses, our campus buildings and grounds, our classroom spaces, and our homes in a wide variety of forms.
Elder David A. Bednar reminded us in his recent general conference talk of the sacred roles of the Sabbath day, the holy temple, and our homes in helping us to remember our "spiritual priorities":
"One of the great challenges each of us faces every day is to not allow the concerns of this world to so dominate our time and energy that we neglect the eternal things that matter most....
The Sabbath is God's time, a sacred time specifically set apart for worshipping Him and for receiving and remembering His great and precious promises....
A temple literally is the house of the Lord, a sacred space specifically set apart for worshipping God and for receiving and remembering His great and precious promises....
Importantly, a home should be the ultimate combination of time and space wherein individuals and families remember most effectively God's great and precious promises. Leaving our homes to spend time in Sunday meetings and to enter the sacred space of a temple is vital but insufficient. Only as we bring the spirit and strength derived from those holy activities back with us into our homes can we sustain our focus upon the great purposes of mortal life and overcome the corruption that is in the world."[14]
Temple attendance helps us to clear our minds and connect with the Spirit. Elder Boyd K. Packer teaches us:
In the temple we can receive spiritual perspective. There, during the time of the temple service, we are "out of the world."
Sometimes our minds are so beset with problems, and there are so many things clamoring for attention at once, that we just cannot think clearly and see clearly. At the temple the dust of distraction seems to settle out, the fog and the haze seem to lift, and we can "see" things that we were not able to see before and find a way through our troubles that we had not previously known.[15]
3. Heavenly connections in unexpected places
Sometimes heavenly connections can be made in places that may not seem to be either spiritual or sacred. The following portion of my father's history will illustrate this concept.
My father graduated from high school in the midst of WWII. He wanted to enlist in the navy, but he needed to have a hernia operation first. While he was in the hospital recovering from the surgery, someone left a pamphlet about BYU on his bedside table.
My father recorded: "It said, 'Come to BYU, a friendly school.' I had no idea what I was getting into--but was intrigued by 'a friendly school.' I told my mother that I wanted to go to BYU in Provo, Utah--and she asked what BYU was. I told her it was a Mormon University, and I can still see her face when she looked aghast and said, 'What! You want to go to BYU with those Mormons out there?'"
His mother was a staunch Methodist, and he had been raised in that faith. Nonetheless, he attended BYU for one quarter and then enlisted in the navy. 50 years later, at my father's high school reunion, my parents learned that Jeane Berthelson, a high school classmate and friend, was also a nurse's aide at the hospital who listened to the Spirit and left the pamphlet in his room.
During the war, my father was assigned to serve on LSM (Landing Ship Medium) #389 when they landed in Guam. He was a quartermaster second class. Their ship sailed from the east coast of the US through the Panama Canal, picked up munitions and tanks in California, and headed out to the Pacific to deliver them to the Marines. In my father's words:
I remember when we pulled into the harbor...on Guam. It was a Sunday morning.
I looked down the beach and there were some huge quonset huts there.
They used them as quarters for service men. I saw six sailors going into a quonset hut. They were in their dress whites. I thought: Gosh, in their dress whites? They should be in their standard uniforms. So, I asked the captain: "What do you think those guys are doing?" He said: "They are going to church." I said: "Well, who are they?" He said: "They are a small group of Mormons running their own church; they don't have a chaplain." I found that interesting, so I said: "Captain, could I have a leave to go ashore and join those six guys?"
I shaved and decided to go over to the beach and see what was going on. There were six elders having their own little church meeting, so I joined them and I felt at home. That was the second time I had rubbed shoulders with the Mormons other than [at] BYU.
We all corresponded for years...I think things were planned very carefully that I would end up in the Mormon Church...That's my story...just at the right [place] in the right moment.
Elder Ronald A. Rasband spoke about coincidence versus "divine design" in his recent general conference address. He quoted Elder Neal A. Maxwell, who explained, "Coincidence is not an appropriate word to describe the workings of an omniscient God. He does not do things by 'coincidence' but...by 'divine design.'"[16]
Elder Rasband continues: "Our lives are like a chessboard, and the Lord moves us from one place to another--if we are responsive to spiritual promptings. Looking back, we can see His hand in our lives."'[17]
I don't believe it was by coincidence that a pamphlet was left in my father's hospital room. I don't believe it was by coincidence that he arrived on Guam on a Sunday morning and saw six sailors dressed in whites on the beach. I also don't believe it was by coincidence that, following WWII, my father met my mother at BYU in a history class because they were seated alphabetically (my mother's maiden name is Hale, and my father's last name is Hansen). God was in the details; heavenly connections were made in the most unexpected places.
4. Heavenly connections matter more than online connections
If our desire is to connect with the Spirit of the Lord, we need to be present--we need to be focused and not distracted. Allow me to share two brief stories that illustrate this final point.
The first account is by Lynette Hendricks--a great friend and my other visiting teacher:
My first visit to the Sacred Grove was an incredible spiritual experience--absolutely everything I had hoped it would be! My husband wasn't able to be with me on that particular trip, so we saved our money and planned a short vacation to New York specifically to visit the Sacred Grove.
I was particularly excited the morning my husband and I would visit the grove together. I had looked forward to sharing this special place. The Spirit is strong there; you can feel it. I just knew he wouldn't be disappointed!
We entered the grove on a hot, humid day, and the cool shade from the trees overhead offered immediate relief.
I could feel the sweet wash of the Spirit that I had so counted on. We found one of the benches strategically placed along the pathways inside the grove and sat down to soak it all in--but it was not to last for long.
We had been followed into the grove that morning by another tourist. As he walked past us, his phone rang rather loudly. He answered and launched into conducting a lengthy business conversation over his phone. We moved to a different location, but it was to no avail. His voice carried well and followed us all over the grove. I hoped he would finish so that the peace of the place could return, but he did not.
Sometimes there is no way to mask or soften or make right an interruption on a sacred moment. We left the grove, his phone conversation following us.[18]
The second story is an experience I had a few months ago while I was serving in the temple. I was in the women's dressing room when a significant distraction occurred: a phone left in one of the lockers began to ring without relief. Patrons entered and exited the room with bewildered expressions and comments regarding the persistent phone noise. The "world" had entered the sacredness of that holy space and had distracted everyone within its audible reach. The world had entered the temple, and the Spirit had exited. When the phone was finally reached and silenced, the source of the distraction was discovered. The irony was clear: The insistent ring was a daily reminder to read the scriptures.
Do we spend too much time connecting online and too little time connecting with heaven? Is it time to consider regularly disconnecting with technology in order to reconnect with heaven?
Ryan Holmes addressed this problem in a BYU Devotional: "In today's connected world we are constantly interrupted by buzzing, beeping, and ringing notifications that we assume require an immediate reaction." Brother Holmes defines this as "[h]yper attention to digital noise."[19]
Bonnie L. Oscarson echoed this description in her recent general conference address: "We live in a culture where more and more we are focused on the small, little screen in our hands than we are on the people around us. We have substituted texting and tweeting for actually looking someone in the eye and smiling or, even rarer, having a face-to-face conversation."[20]
Brother Holmes recommends the following to counteract this distraction from the present: "Don't just ingest whatever comes your way via text, email, data feeds, streams, and notifications. Make a conscious choice. You decide what, when, and how you are going to interact digitally...Don't get trapped in a compulsion loop that keeps you from...important tasks and people right in front of you."[21]
To conclude my talk, please listen carefully to the counsel of Elder M. Russell Ballard in a trio of short video clips from a CES Devotional for Young Adults in which he addresses the topic of online connections.
As an Apostle, I now ask you a question: Do you have any personal quiet time? I have wondered if those who lived in the past had more opportunity than we do now to see, feel, and experience the presence of the Spirit in their lives.
Seemingly, as our world gets brighter, louder, and busier, we have a greater challenge feeling the Spirit in our lives. If your life is void of quiet time, would you begin tonight to seek for some?
I also worry that some of you check your email, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram accounts or send text messages during the most important gathering in the restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--our sacred sacrament meeting. In this important meeting we should be focusing on the Lord through praying, singing hymns, and partaking the emblems of His body and blood instead of hooking up to our multimedia devices. You cannot connect to the Spirit during the presentation of the sacrament while looking at or sending a message on your smartphone or your tablet. This connection requires the Light of Christ, settling from your minds into your hearts with burning love and devotion.
I invite you to go to the temple. Go as often as you can, and turn off your smartphones and put them away before you enter the temple grounds.
In all the ordinances in the house of the Lord, you will hear beautiful language, words, and promises given by the Lord to His children. It is the only place you can hear those beautiful, inspiring words.
If you do not qualify for a temple recommend right now, visit the temple grounds.Let me make a very important point in case you have never heard it before: Nothing prevents you or anyone else from visiting the temple grounds. The Lord wants you to prepare yourself to be worthy of a temple recommend and come to the temple as soon as you can.[22]
My dear young brothers and sisters, I pray that we will all take the time to consciously and prayerfully consider what matters most. In the sacred name of our Savior Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Alma 30:44
[2] Neil L. Andersen, "Overcoming the World," Ensign, May 2017
[3] Moses 3:5
[4] Precious Msongweni, "Place where I felt heavenly father connection," BYU-Idaho devotional discussion board; posted Oct. 19, 2017; edited
[5] "How Great Thou Art," Hymns, no. 86
[6] Alma 30:44
[7] Kevin J. Worthen, "Words to Live By," BYU Commencement Address, Apr. 27, 2017, https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/kevin-j-worthen_words-to-live-by/
[8] Shauneen Washburn, "When I am out enjoying the magnificence of nature," BYU-Idaho devotional discussion board; posted Oct. 17, 2017
[9] Mark J. Nielsen, "The Wonder of the Creation," Ensign, March 2004
[10] "Science in Your National Parks," US National Park Service, last modified Oct. 26, 2017, https://www.nps.gov/nature/index.htm
[11] "Ali ben Youssef Medersa," Lonely Planet, https://www.lonelyplanet.com/morocco/marrakesh/attractions/ali-ben-youssef-medersa/a/poi-sig/1144233/1341481
[12] Buie Harwood, Architecture and Interior Design through the 18th Century (2002), 123
[13] "Beauty and Belief: Islamic Art Exhibit," LDS Media Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2012-02-06-beauty-and-belief-islamic-art-exhibit?lang=eng#d
[14] David A. Bednar, "Exceeding Great and Precious Promises," Ensign, Nov. 2017
[15] Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple (2002)
[16] Neal A. Maxwell, "Brim with Joy," BYU Devotional, Jan. 1996, https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/neal-a-maxwell_brim-joy/
[17] Ronald A. Rasband, "By Divine Design," Ensign, Nov. 2017
[18] Lynette Hendricks, account given to speaker
[19] Ryan Holmes, "The Truth of All Things," BYU Devotional, May 7, 2013, https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/ryan-holmes_the-truth-of-all-things/
[20] Bonnie L. Oscarson, "The Needs Before Us," Ensign, Nov. 2017
[21] Holmes, "The Truth of All Things."
[22] M. Russell Ballard, "Be Still, and Know That I Am God," CES Devotional for Young Adults, May 4, 2014, https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/ces-devotionals/2014/01/be-still-and-know-that-i-am-god?lang=eng