"Prepare every needful thing"

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to speak in church.  I am not a natural speaker and often overwhelmed by the experience of it.  I was so nervous that just 10 minutes before speaking I had to run to the restroom, totally flustered I found myself right in the men's restroom!

I'm sharing my words here both for a record of the experience and also for insights gained...........

I am grateful for the opportunity I have had  over the past several weeks to ponder the assigned topic, “prepare every needful thing”.  Though this counsel naturally greets us upon the beginning of each new year, I was given the assignment way back in November. I carried it with me and pondered it from the beginning of the holiday season, it was a unique and eye opening experience- it was a gift to enjoy the Christmas season with the phrase “needful thing” guiding me.

For me, the expectations and preparations required during the Christmas season are both joyful and overwhelming.  The weeks of planning, purchasing, decorating, wrappings, makings, baking and social events can be both fun and distracting.  Each time I felt my heart race with the intensity of it all I practiced settling into my heart and questioning - “is this needful?”, “is this bringing me closer to the Savior?” is this “cultivating peace in my soul?”

In answer to these questions, there may have been a few less gifts exchanged, the Christmas dresses I had planned to sew never got cut out, the traditional pies were not baked and we did not read through the entire basket of collected Christmas books from over the years.  

I don’t think any of the children even noticed, at least not one complained or questioned it.  Daily I consciously tuned into what was “needed” - and for me that was, setting aside more time for quiet reflection and personal scripture study, deliberately looking into the eyes of my husband and children, listening to them with my heart and  being gentle and forgiving with myself and others.  

My experience this past month taught me that it was not needful to prepare a picture perfect Christmas but instead it was needful for me to prepare my heart to come closer to Christ and act on his teachings.    

The council to “prepare every needful thing” is found in the Doctorine and Covenants.  First in section 88 and later in section 119. It was given as a message of peace to the early saints after a previous revelation prophesied of the wars that would occur in the latter days.

The early leaders vocally and collectively prayed for direction for the saints in building zion.  This was a portion of the answer given to them:

119 aOrganize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a bhouse, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;

This verse specifically refers to the building of a temple.

In addition to establishing temples, this counsel also sets a pattern for our homes - which are to be holy places, this counsel applies to building righteous lives and righteous families.  This council applies to our individual bodies as houses to our souls.

This council is both spiritual and temporal.

"We become self-reliant through obtaining sufficient knowledge, education, and literacy; by managing money and resources wisely, being spiritually strong, preparing for emergencies and eventualities; and by having physical health and social and emotional well-being." (Julie B. Beck, The Welfare Responsibilities of the Relief Society President,” Basic Principles of Welfare and Self-Reliance (2009), 4–5)

I am grateful for the church organization in providing clear and accessible information on how to be temporally prepared.

There is an entire site providentliving.org devoted to useful information specifically on

-employment

-finances

-food storage

-Emergency preparedness

-gardening

-physical health

-and Education

I admit the lists of recommended action in the manuals and site are overwhelming - I’m not sure there is anyone in the church who has every recommended box checked.

These resources and recommendations are to be used with wisdom and not expected to happen over night.  It is through direction of the spirit that one may know what action is most needed for their individual circumstance.

A few years ago while we were living in Utah there was a relief society meeting about the importance of food storage and we enjoyed a wheat buffet.  There was a group order for bulk wheat and a hint that wheat prices were about to sky rocket, wanting to “check the box” and avoid the possibility of a higher price, I ordered a few hundred dollars worth of wheat, I did this before tuning into the spirit for personal direction and confirmation.  A few weeks after the arrival of our wheat and cooking every recipe in the Relief Society packet, myself and a few of our children began to become very ill.  It was soon discovered that we were intolerant to wheat. This was a good learning experience for me, I acted before turning inward and asking “ is this needed”? Since then I have often sought the direction of the spirit on how to feed my family. I have been able to find other substitutes for wheat and been given direction on how to both store and prepare those alternatives for my family.

Again, it is through the direction of the spirit that one may know what action is most needed for their individual circumstance. And in cases where there is further question of what temporal action should be taken local church leaders are available for inspired counsel.  

I am reminded of the scripture in Alma 37

36 Yea, and acry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thybdoings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy cthoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.

37 aCounsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for bgood;

I recently read a Deseret News article featuring the survival story of 10 young sister missionaries serving in Talcabon Phillipines in the wake of a deadly typhoon.  They had reported there were previous Typhoon warnings that only produced blue skies. They followed the mission president’s counsel to assemble a 72 - hour kit including the purchase of a rope, one they never thought they’d have to use.  The storm hit early in the morning and this group of sisters soon found themselves knee deep in water.  For security reasons the windows were all barred and they found themselves trapped on the second floor with water quickly rising to the ceiling.  They prayed for direction and were able to knock a hole through the wall, swim through and attach the rope to a neighboring roof where they prayed for a miracle, that the water would stop rising.  Their prayer was miraculously answered.  In a later interview one of the young sisters said, having grown up in Utah, she had never been prepared for a flood but she had been prepared both emotionally and spiritually to face whatever challenge may come her way.  They were sustained through blessing of being both spiritually and temporally prepared.

In pondering the topic of this talk I struggled with what needed most - to be spiritually or temporally prepared? I personally believe they are intertwined.  

President Monson stated:

“Self-reliance is a product of our work and undergirds all other welfare practices. It is an essential element in our spiritual as well as our temporal well-being.”

When our family decided to move to a farm it was initially to provide for our temporal needs, we hoped to be more self sufficient in feeding  our large family. Now, two years into it we have experienced both successes and failures and it has been more physically challenging that I could have ever imagined.Yet I am overwhelmed by the way these experiences have transformed us spiritually.

In the pursuit of these temporal endeavors I have never said more prayers in my life.  I will never forget my first experience with the bees, with my son William by my side and both of us dressed head to toe in bee suits, we prayed for direction when with no experience we opened a box of over 10,000 honey bees.  It was terrifying, and bees can smell and attack fear.  I prayed vocally and softly sung “oh how lovely was the morning” while I literally felt the spirit work through my arms and into my fingers guiding me on how to release the queen and set up the boxes.  

On another occasion we dropped to our knees right in the soiled straw over a weak lamb.  I heard the faith filled prayers of my children and our family exercised faith and witnessed what the vet declared “a miracle”.

I was touched when one fast Sunday one of the boys was especially focused.  When I inquired of the focus of the fast he said it was for the chickens - that they would assimilate more calcium because he noticed the eggs where not as hard as they should be.

We sang and bore testimony of the eternal life of all souls and creatures at the burial of our favorite barn cat.

In the garden, my youngest children asked questions of the earth and the creation and we sang many songs.  They rolled in the soil and proclaimed their love of the earth and all the worms and bugs that Heavenly Father created for them.

I am not suggesting that it is needful for every family to move to a farm - 

I only wish to share that the worthy pursuit of temporal goals will always manifest spiritual blessings when the intention is set in conjunction with the principles and practices of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In Matt. 6:33 Jesus spoke “ ‘Seek not the things of this world but seek ye first to build up the kingdom of God, and to establish his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you’

In Luke chapter 10 - we read the story of Mary and Martha, where the Lord himself answers Martha, Martha, thou art acareful and troubled about many things:

42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath achosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Often times I find myself on the side of Martha, careful and troubled about with many things,  even with eight arms I could never accomplish all that I wished in one day.

As I move forward into this new year however, I hope to find peace in sitting at the feet of the Savior in “choosing the good part”, that through the quiet whisperings of the spirit I may rise above distraction and “prepare every needful thing”.  That I may rest into my heart and practice asking - “what is needed in this moment” and have the courage to act on those promptings.

Elder Scott has offered the following recommendation:

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “Some places are sacred and holy where it seems easier to discern the direction of the Holy Spirit. The temple is such a place. Find a retreat of peace and quiet where periodically you can ponder and let the Lord establish the direction of your life. Each of us needs to periodically check our bearings and confirm that we are on course. Sometime soon you may benefit from taking this personal inventory:

“What are my highest priorities to be accomplished while on earth?

“How do I use my discretionary time? Is some of it consistently applied to my highest priorities?

“Is there anything I know I should not be doing? If so, I will repent and stop it now.

“In a quiet moment write down your responses. Analyze them. Make any necessary adjustments.

“Put first things first” (“First Things First,” Ensign, May 2001, 9).

And again reminds us -

3 Nephi 13:33 [3 Ne. 13:33]: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”

I am grateful for the direction of the Savior Jesus Christ in my life, I am grateful for the reminder at the beginning of this new year to recommit myself  to the studying, pondering, and practicing of his teachings. That through daily practice I may continually prepare myself for both the experiences of life on earth and eternal life to come.