The Groundhog Saw Something

Happy Groundhogs Day!!

51 years ago my parents got engaged on this day!

It is also the first day of the 12 Days of Valentines. A wonderful little tradition I no longer implement.

And it is also the birthday of an old missionary companion and friend. Happy Birthday David Holt!

February 2nd is a fun kind of day!

Unless you are a Bronco's fan.

Since groundhogs day was also on a Sunday, I had a lesson to prepare. I spent the early morning hours of the day pondering on my lesson. And, while preparing for my Sunday School lesson, I received from the Spirit an amazing insight for my lesson and for life. It was an "aha" truth of the day.

The first thing the Spirit posed was a question:
"Is there a plan?"

As I thought about this question I thought about my recent weekend in California with my family. For this trip, unlike some trips I have taken, there was a plan. In fact it was a very specific, time sensitive, secret plan. My girls and I had been planning it for months.

And we only had five days to complete the task. Lucky for us, in addition to Saturday and Sunday, the girls had Monday, January 20th off and Tuesday January 21st was Davis County teacher prep/career ladder day.

So we scheduled each stop and knew exactly where we needed to be and when we needed to be there. Of course traffic, weather and other factors would alter things a bit, still we stayed true to the schedule and everything worked without a hitch.

Speaking of hitch, it was the beginning of getting hitched!

Life isn't a random and chaotic fluke that is the result of a big bang or latent evolution. Life is a grand plan of Divine design, and we are the children of God and have been give a plan for our redemption. We just need to find and follow it.

The Spirit further guided my lesson with the following thoughts:

Like a scientist that proves things by testing and becomes an expert, learning things by text book isn't enough, we must experience and test for ourselves; to prove all things and hold fast to that which is true.(1 Thessalonians 5:21)

In fact life is a test. We are the experiment. We learn line upon line as much, if not more, by experiment as by study.

In Alma 32, Alma tells us to "experiment" on the word.

Another key word is "try".

From Alma we read:  "And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God." (Alma 31: 5)

"But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words." (Alma 32: 27)

"Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good." (Alma 32:36)

Note that experiment and experience have the same root word.

Again from Alma, but this time the words of Amulek:

"My brethren, I think that it is impossible that ye should be ignorant of the things which have been spoken concerning the coming of Christ, who is taught by us to be the Son of God; yea, I know that these things were taught unto you bountifully before your dissension from among us. And as ye have desired of my beloved brother that he should make known unto you what ye should do, because of your afflictions; and he hath spoken somewhat unto you to prepare your minds; yea, and he hath exhorted you unto faith and to patience Yea, even that ye would have so much faith as even to plant the word in your hearts, that ye may try the experiment of its goodness, And we have beheld that the great question which is in your minds is whether the word be in the Son of God, or whether there shall be no Christ. And ye also beheld that my brother has proved unto you, in many instances, that the word is in Christ unto salvation."  (Alma 34:2-6)

We learn in the temple that Adam and Eve sought further light and knowledge and learned by their own experience good from evil.

A testimony of God is more than what you think of Him, it is experiencing Him.

How important then is experience? Look to the following scriptures for the answer

"And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." (Roman 5:3)

"And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts? "(Alma 5:14)

"And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good." (D & C 122:7)

From the LDS Guide to the Scriptures comes instruction about wisdom: "A person gains wisdom through experience and study and by following God’s counsel. Without God’s help, man does not have true wisdom (2 Ne. 9:28; 27:26)."

Finally from Psalms:

"For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried." (Psalms 66:10)

Therefore life is a test, God will prove us to see if we are true and faithful. We will prove Him by Faith, His word, and by our own experience. Life is a proving period and a proving process. "We will prove them herewith" (Abraham 3:25) and "by their own experience" we will see if they choose light over darkness.

Perhaps the highlight of the day was that I was able to bear testimony today in church of the Lord's plan of happiness. I am grateful to a God for sharing so much of His wisdom. Today I had many "aha" "eureka" "lightbulb" epiphanies that literally moved paradigms and shifted my perspective.

The groundhog wasn't the only one who saw something today.