Old Eyes See Best

When Grandpa Robison was a little boy in third grade, he lived in Billings, Montana. Several times a year his parents would take him to his visit his grandparents in Lovell, Wyoming. Lovell was 90 miles south of Billings. Grandpa and Grandma Adams had a farm and Grandpa Robison, who was called "Robbie" loved to go with his Grandpa Adams to change the water in the irrigation ditches. The family often tells the story about one of their first visits to Lovell, when Robbie's little brother, Brad was two years old and barely talking. As they left Lovell after one of their visits, Brad pointed to a cow and said "look mommy, the damn cows are out." When Grandpa Adams was confronted about the story, he said if a cow is out, there is no other name for it. Brad thought all cows were called damn cows until a very embarrassed mother corrected him.

One of the things that Grandpa Adams taught Robbie was to never walk behind a horse because you could get hurt. Not imagining how you could get hurt, Robbie with visions of Wyatt Earp, the movie star cowboy floating in his head, walked up to one of Grandpa's horses and smacked him on the behind. The horse gave him a swift kick in the thigh and he flew back 10 yards against a tree and bumped his head. For the next week in school, he limped around with a big bruise on his leg and a big bump on his head.

What did Grandpa Robison (Robbie as a little boy) learn from this lesson? He learned this very valuable lesson - "Old Eyes See Best."

In Moses 6:27,35-38, we read valuable lessons about "old eyes".

27 And he heard a voice from heaven, saying: Enoch, my son, prophesy unto this people, and say unto them—Repent, for thus saith the Lord: I am angry with this people, and my fierce anger is kindled against them; for their hearts have waxed hard, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes cannot see afar off;

35 And the Lord spake unto Enoch, and said unto him: Anoint thine eyes with clay, and wash them, and thou shalt see. And he did so.

36 And he beheld the spirits that God had created; and he beheld also things which were not visible to the natural eye; and from thenceforth came the saying abroad in the land: A seer hath the Lord raised up unto his people. (Shouldn't we say See-er to really understand this word?)

37 And it came to pass that Enoch went forth in the land, among the people, standing upon the hills and the high places, and cried with a loud voice, testifying against their works; and all men were offended because of him. (Aren't most men offended by what prophets announce?)

38 And they came forth to hear him, upon the high places, saying unto the tent-keepers: Tarry ye here and keep the tents, while we go yonder to behold the seer, for he prophesieth, and there is a strange thing in the land; a wild man hath come among us. (Is President Hinckley, a wild man come amongst us? - No, but the worldly might think so because he announces God's will and not man's.)

When we think about the experience of the early Saints in Missouri, we often think about how the Missourians were not nice to the early Saints. But what do we have in Missouri right now as a memory? Nothing. That is the lesson of Missouri. There is nothing there.

Joseph Smith sawthe enemy far off...the people did not listen. He told them to start laying a foundation for the temple in Independence. They did not obey.

There is a great parable about this in the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 101: 43-53

43 And now, I will show unto you a parable, that you may know my will concerning the redemption of Zion.

44 A certain nobleman had a spot of land, very choice; and he said unto his servants: Go ye unto my vineyard, even upon this very choice piece of land, and plant twelve olive-trees;

45 And set watchmen round about them, and build a tower, that one may overlook the land round about, to be a watchman upon the tower, that mine olive-trees may not be broken down when the enemy shall come to spoil and take upon themselves the fruit of my vineyard. (Now the tower may be compared to the temple and the watchmen to the Priesthood - the watchman, of course is our living prophet, President Hinckley.)

46 Now, the servants of the nobleman went and did as their lord commanded them, and planted the olive-trees, and built a hedge round about, and set watchmen, and began to build a tower.

47 And while they were yet laying the foundation thereof, they began to say among themselves: And what need hath my lord of this tower? (Now this is a very bad question. What they should be asking and what we should ask when we hear President Hinckley is "what does the prophet see from the top of the tower?)

48 And consulted for a long time, saying among themselves: What need hath my lord of this tower, seeing this is a time of peace?

49 Might not this money be given to the exchangers? For there is no need of these things.

50 And while they were at variance one with another they became very slothful, and they hearkened not unto the commandments of their lord.

51 And the enemy came by night, and broke down the hedge; and the servants of the nobleman arose and were affrighted, and fled; and the enemy destroyed their works, and broke down the olive-trees.

52 Now, behold, the nobleman, the lord of the vineyard, called upon his servants, and said unto them, Why! what is the cause of this great evil?

53 Ought ye not to have done even as I commanded you, and—after ye had planted the vineyard, and built the hedge round about, and set watchmen upon the walls thereof—built the tower also, and set a watchman upon the tower, and watched for my vineyard, and not have fallen asleep, lest the enemy should come upon you?

I hope that you will learn the valuable lesson my grandfather taught me "old eyes see best." Listen to your parents and grandparents. Listen to the Lord's chosen servants his prophets and you will see that "old eyes see best."

Fishermen Casting Their Nets

Lesson on Fishermen Casting Their Net

Have you ever wondered about the practical application of the Savior's teaching regarding fishermen casting their net? This terrific series of photos was taken in St. Lucia on our most recent mission tour. Note how strong the bodies of these men become as day by day they go about their work. Also note the fabulous catch they made as they pulled in their net. We watched them try and second time and come up with only a handful.

Let's look at the actual teaching from the bible:

Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

Do these photos help you imagine what was involved in casting a net into the sea?

“And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
“And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.”

Don't you love the word "straightway." When we are asked to serve, do we go "straightway?" (Which is immediately.)

After the Savior’s Resurrection, Peter and other disciples went “a fishing.” However, “that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.”

He told them to “cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.”

Doesn't the last picture help you imagine what a full net of fishes would look like?

When we study the life of the prophet Joseph Smith, we find similar faith-developing obedience.
Early the next morning after the angel Moroni’s all-night-long visits with him in September 1823, Joseph went to work with his father. Because he had been awake nearly all night, he “found [his] strength so exhausted as to render [him] entirely unable” to perform “the necessary labors of the day.”

Joseph's father told him to return home, and he “started with the intention of going to the house; but … [his] strength entirely failed [him], and [he] fell helpless on the ground, and for a time was quite unconscious of anything.” When he awoke, he “looked up, and beheld the same messenger standing over [his] head, surrounded by light as before.” Joseph was commanded to “go to [his] father and tell him of the vision and commandments which [he] had received.”

Although understandably weary, he obediently “returned (straightway) to [his] father in the field, and rehearsed the whole matter to him.” His father replied “that it was of God, and told [him] to go and do as commanded.” Exhausted but obedient, Joseph then “left the field, and went to the place where the messenger had told [him] the plates were deposited, a journey of several miles.”

Each day we decide what we will do and what we will not do, among myriad of choices. When we choose to obey the commandments (straightway) and cheerfully as our top priority, neither murmuring about nor measuring the things He commands, we become fishers of men (and handmaids of the Lord) and cast our nets on the right side of our own ships. We simply go and do the things the Lord has commanded, even when we are weary, trusting that He will help us to do exactly as He asks. As we do so, the Lord helps our unbelief, and our faith becomes powerful, unshakable, and vibrant much like the picture of the muscles on the fishermen in the second picture.

While in the Liberty Jail, the Prophet Joseph wrote: “Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance [or faith], to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.”

No matter where we live, who we are or what we are doing presently in the Church, there is much about our daily lives that is repetitive and even routine. As we go about this day to day work, we must remain focused and go about doing the things that matter most.

The "must-do" priorities include making room in our lives for the minimum daily requirements of faithful behavior: true obedience, humble prayer, serious scripture study, and service to those around us. No other daily vitamins strengthen the muscles of our faith as fast as these actions. We also must remember that sincere fasting fosters strong faith. Fasting is especially important as we faithfully seek to correct deeply embedded character flaws which go “not out but by prayer and fasting.”

Just as the fishermen developed muscles in day by day work casting and reclaiming their nets, so too is the process of developing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a step-by-step, line-upon-line, and precept-upon-precept process. We promote strengthen our faith when we do what is right. As we do this, increased faith will always follows as a consequence.

If we exercise our faith daily with prayer, study, and obedience, the Savior helps us overcome our unbelief, and our faith becomes a shield to “quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”

Alma taught that we may “withstand every temptation of the devil, with faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Just as the fishermen of the photo can not expect to gather successful piles of gathered fish, we can neither ignore nor reject the essential ingredients of faith and then expect to reap a rich harvest.

The Savior taught us so much about life by His parables and illustrations. The example of casting our nets is rich with lessons of obedience, diligence, and steady work to gain the blessings of not only a rich harvest of fish but strong physical bodies. Steady persistance in obedience and diligence in following Heavenly Father's will yields strong spiritual bodies.

Jill - The Celestial Dog

Nineteen years ago, in the Millcroft subdivision in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, there was a very special event in the home of one of our neighbors. Their Golden Retriever was expecting a litter of puppies and the pleas of the 5 J's prevailed....we got a puppy.

In that litter, there were 6 little puppies -- one of them was very active, energtic and outgoing. One of the puppies was more reserved and seemed the perfect match for the 5 J's. One of our neighbors purchased the active puppy and we took home the puppy that the 5 J's had picked. The neighbors quickly discovered they had a dog that just wouldn't behave. They called the puppy Keena and did they ever have their work cut out for them. This dog became the trial of their lives. Keena would jump on the kitchen counter and eat the food that was being prepared, she would jump up on the kitchen table, she would sneak into rooms where she was not allowed to go and just refused to behave. Her owners soon claimed they did not have any fun with Keena and had to always keep Keena locked up in an outdoor kennel behind the house.

Jill, however was the celestial dog. She was obedient in every way. She would never do anything that family or friends told her was a "no, Jilly!" In fact if your tone of voice was too stern, she would appear dejected. Jill would come up to Mom and Dad's open bedroom door and rest her nose on an imaginary line. She knew she should never go into that room.

Jill would dive for rocks in the swimming pool, in the pond behind the house, or in Lake Ontario and actually retrieve the same stone a person would toss for her. She loved chasing slimy tennis balls and when you would pet her, she would nudge your hand gently if you stopped. Jill would wag her tail and greet every visitor that came to the home. She would not have made a good watch dog, because she would roll over to have her stomach rubbed by even a robber.

Jill had a best friend named Bordeaux (a kitten the 5 J's got at the same time that Jill was a puppy). This patient, friendly dog would let the kitten curl up with her and even try to nurse her for long periods of time.

Now, what is the difference between Jill and Keena? Jill was obedient and because of this she was happy. Keena was disobedient and was a handful. Her owners did not like to have her around. Keena was kept locked up all the time and could not have been happy.

Why was Jill called a celestial dog?

Why was Jill treated like one of the family and allowed to live in the house?

At the end of Jamie's mission, he told us about his favorite missionary scripture for extending commitments.

3 Nephi 27:20 "Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day."

How do we stand spotless at the last day?

Verse 21: Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do."

What is it that we must do?

A prophet of God named Howard W. Hunter once asked this question? "What was one of the most important questions ever asked of mortals by the Savior?" He then referred to this same chapter of 3 Nephi (27) and read verse 27: "What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am."

Jesus taught us: "come follow me," "do the things ye have seen me do," "love one another," "drink of my water," "eat of my bread," and "look unto me and ye shall live," just to mention a few admonitions.

We should always ask this question of ourselves in every situation: "Lord, what would you have me do?" (Acts 9:6)

The scriptures give us the answers. It is why we take the Sacrament each week. We are to always "remember Him." (D&C 20:77,79). We are to look unto the Savior in every thought (D&C 6:36).

Remember, the most successful life is the life most closely aligned with His. What manner of men ought we to be? Even as He is.

How does this relate to the story about a celestial dog? Do you not see that "wickedness never was happiness" (Alma 41:10)?

If we are obedient, we will be happy. Jill was obedient and we called her the celestial dog. If we are disobedient then we will not be happy. Keena was not obedient and was not happy. She was kept locked up.