Spiritual Mole Crickets
In October 1999 General Conference, Elder Andersen spoke about a quote that the Prophet Joshua gave that is hanging by our front door: “Choose you this day whom ye will serve; … but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15).
He reminded us that the teachings of Joshua are as applicable to us today as they were in bible times. We demonstrate by our daily decisions how we serve Heavenly Father. Elder Andersen observed "Thirty-five hundred years ago as Joshua spoke, it meant leaving behind false gods, going to battle against the Canaanites, and following with sharp attention the words of the Prophet. We can almost hear the whining of the skeptics as Joshua announced his battle plans for taking the city of Jericho. First, he said, they would quietly, without any speaking, circle the city one time for each of six days. Then on the seventh day they would compass the city seven times. Following, the priests would blow the trumpets, and at that time all the people would shout with a great shout. Then, Joshua assured them, the walls would come down (see Josh. 6). When the walls came down, the skeptics were quiet."
Today as in the time of Joshua, we must listen carefully to the prophet and choose to follow his teachings. To teach us with a modern day story, Elder Andersen shared an experience their family had when they lived in Florida.
"Because Florida has a high concentration of sand, lawns there are planted with a large broadleaf grass we call Saint Augustine. A formidable enemy of a Florida lawn is a small, brown insect called a mole cricket.
One evening as my neighbor and I stood on the front steps, he noticed a little bug crossing my sidewalk. “You better spray your lawn,” he warned. “There goes a mole cricket.” I had sprayed the lawn with insecticide not too many weeks previously, and I hardly felt that I had the time or money to do it again so soon.
In the light of the next morning, I examined my lawn closely. It was lush and beautifully green. I looked down into the grass to see if I could see any of the little bugs. I could see none. I remember thinking, “Well, maybe that little mole cricket was just passing through my yard on the way to my neighbor’s yard.”
I watched my lawn for more than a week, looking for signs of invaders, but none was evident. I congratulated myself that I had not overreacted to my neighbor’s warning.
The story, however, has a sad ending. I came out the front door one morning, about 10 days after the conversation with my neighbor. Shockingly, as if it had happened overnight, brown spots covered my lawn. I ran to the garden store, bought the insecticide, and sprayed immediately, but it was too late. The lawn was ruined, and to return it to its former state required a new crop of sod, long hours of work, and large expense.
My neighbor’s warning was central to my lawn’s welfare. He saw things I could not see. He knew something I did not know. He knew that mole crickets live underground and are active only at night, making my daytime examinations ineffective. He knew that mole crickets did not eat the leaves of the grass but rather found nourishment in the roots. He knew that these little inch-long creatures could eat a lot of roots before I would ever see the effect above the ground. I paid a dear price for my smug independence."
Elder Andersen then summarized "We live in a wonderful day. The blessings of our generation are lush and beautifully green. With faith in the Savior and obedience to the commandments, our lives can be full of satisfaction and joy."
Beware of the Evil Behind the Smiling Eyes
In April 2005 General Conference during the Priesthood Session, Elder Andersen shared a story about withstanding evil. In his words, he said "I’d like to tell you of an experience of a faithful Latter-day Saint who is a good friend of mine. I’ll refer to him only as “my friend” for reasons you will understand.
Working as a special agent for the FBI, my friend investigated organized crime groups transporting illegal drugs into the United States.
On one occasion, he and another agent approached an apartment where they believed a known drug dealer was distributing cocaine. My friend describes what happened:
“We knocked on the door of the drug dealer. The suspect opened the door, and upon seeing us, tried to block our view. But it was too late; we could see the cocaine on his table.
“A man and a woman who were at the table immediately began removing the cocaine. We had to prevent them from destroying the evidence, so I quickly pushed the drug suspect who was blocking the door to the side. As I pushed him, my eyes met his. Strangely, he did not appear angry or afraid. He was smiling at me.
“His eyes and disarming smile gave me the impression that he was harmless, so I quickly left him and started to move toward the table. The suspect was now behind me. At that instant, I had the distinct, powerful impression come into my mind: ‘Beware of the evil behind the smiling eyes.’
“I immediately turned back toward the suspect. His hand was in his large front pocket. Instinctively I grabbed his hand and pulled it from his pocket. Only then did I see, clutched in his hand, the semiautomatic pistol ready to fire. A flurry of activity followed, and I disarmed the man.”
Later, in another case, the drug dealer was convicted of murder and boasted that he would have also killed my friend had he not turned around at that very moment.
I have often thought of the communication that came into his mind: “Beware of the evil behind the smiling eyes.” This is what I want to talk to you about tonight.
Let’s begin with what we know. Good comes from God; evil comes from the devil. (Moroni 7:12) They are not, however, equal forces that are fighting each other in the universe. At the head of all that is good is the Christ—He who is the Only Begotten of the Father, who created our world and numerous others. Our Redeemer is a resurrected and perfect being. (Luke 24:36-39) I know He lives.
The devil, on the other hand, “persuadeth men to do evil.” (Moroni 7:17) “He [has] fallen from heaven, … [has] become miserable forever,” (2 Nephi 2:18) and now works “that all men might be miserable like unto himself.” (2 Nephi 2:27) He is a liar and a loser. (D&C 93:25)
The power of the Savior and the power of the devil are not truly comparable. (Moses 1: 1-22) On this planet, however, evil has been allowed a position of influence to give us the chance to choose between good and evil. The scripture says: “God gave unto man that he should act for himself. [And] man could not act for himself … [unless] he was enticed by … one or the other.” (2 Nephi 2:16)
The choice between good and evil is at the very heart of our experience on earth. In the final review of our lives, it will not really matter if we were rich or poor, if we were athletic or not, if we had friends or were often forgotten.
We can work, study, laugh and have fun, dance, sing, and enjoy many different experiences. These are a wonderful part of life, but they are not central to why we are here. 11 The opportunity to choose good over evil is precisely why we are here. (2 Nephi 2:27)
Not one of us would say, “I want to choose evil.” We all want to choose the right. However, the choice of good over evil is not always easy, because evil frequently lurks behind smiling eyes. Listen to these warnings:
“Take heed … that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God.” (Moroni 7:14)
“Ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you.” (3 Ne. 18:18)
“Satan hath sought to deceive you, that he might overthrow you.” (D&C 50:3)
The message is: Beware of the evil behind the smiling eyes!
It's True Isn't It? Then What Else Matters?
In the April 2007 General Conference Elder Andersen shared an experience related a number of years ago by the then-Elder Gordon B. Hinckley, who spoke of meeting a young naval officer from Asia. The officer had not been a Christian, but during training in the United States, he had learned about the Church and was baptized. He was now preparing to return to his native land.
President Hinckley asked the officer: "Your people are not Christians. What will happen when you return home a Christian, and, more particularly, a Mormon Christian?"
The officer's face clouded, and he replied: "My family will be disappointed. . . . As for my future and my career, all opportunity may be foreclosed against me."
President Hinckley asked, "Are you willing to pay so great a price for the gospel?"
With his dark eyes moistened by tears, he answered with a question: "It's true, isn't it?"
President Hinckley responded, "Yes, it is true."
To which the officer replied, "Then what else matters?" (Ensign, July 1993, 2)
Elder Andersen said, "Through the years, I have reflected on these words: "It's true, isn't it? Then what else matters?"
Questions from these three stories:
1. Molecrickets - What are the molecrickets in our lives? What did President Monson and the other living prophets warn us about in this past General Conference?
2. Evil behind the smiling eyes - do you know of places where bad men are calling good evil? What are some examples today? What is Proposition 8 in California all about?
3. It's true isn't it? Do you remember the story in General Conference this past week about the woman who had to dig graves with a spoon. Did the gospel and her testimony matter? Why?
No comments:
Post a Comment