someone carried His cross

I thought a lot about Simon over Easter weekend, and into this week.  Simon, the one who carried Jesus’ cross to the top of Golgotha.  We don’t know a lot about Simon , only that as he was passing by, the soldiers “…laid hold upon one Simon… and on him they laid cross, that he might bear it after Jesus” (Luke 23:26). 

I’m a curious woman, so I did a little research.  Simon was a common name among both Jews and Greeks, and it is unknown whether he was Jew or Gentile.  He was “..a man of Cyrene…” (Matthew 27: 32); Cyrene was a city in North Africa just off the coast in today’s northeastern Libya.  Mark recorded that Simon was a father to Alexander and Rufus (Mark 15:21).  He was a visitor to Jerusalem.  “…coming in from the country…” (Luke 23:26).  But I don’t think these facts are important, as they don’t add anything of relevance to the experience. 

The accounts in Matthew, Mark and Luke do not mention why Simon was “compelled to bear His cross” (Matthew 27:32).  The assumption is that after a night of torture by Roman soldiers, Christ was too weak to carry the cross beam himself.  The soldiers, recognizing His weakness, found a bystander to carry the cross for Him up to Golgotha. 

As I pondered on all this, I was struck by the realization that Christ needed to know what it was like to have another person bear His cross.  He needed to experience the feeling of being unable to bear His own cross, and of having someone bear it for Him.  He needed to know the difficulty, pain, and even the humiliation of letting another person in, during a moment of absolute and utter weakness, to help him, to bear His cross. 

And that's where we are every day.  We feel that weakness, that pain, that humiliation.  We don’t want to let Him bear it for us.  We are compelled to humble ourselves when we allow Him bear it for us, when we give it to Him.  Christ needed to feel all we feel to truthfully say He personally knows how we feel and can succor us. 

There is so much of significance to be explored here.  But for me this Easter weekend, the importance of Simon following Jesus up the hill of Golgotha bearing His cross took on greater meaning for me.  Jesus Christ knows how I feel when I need Him to carry my burdens, because He needed Simon’s help carrying His.  This means He really does know how I feel when I need help.  He knows my pain and humiliation.  He knows my weakness.  He knows how I feel when He picks up my cross and bears it for me.  Christ knows all this for you too. 

I’m grateful for both Simon’s and Christ’s examples.  It helps me know I can call on Jesus in my weakness and He will know how to help me.  I’m grateful for the pondering and learning through the Spirit that led me to this deeper understanding of Christ’s Atonement and suffering for me, for all of us. 

Increasing Spiritual Capacity to "Hear Him"

I was asked to teach the Relief Society lesson in March from Sister Michelle Craig’s talk from the October 2019 called Spiritual Capacity (Link:  https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/10/15craig?lang=eng). I wanted to share it on my blog, because I wanted to follow the prompting. 

What an interesting time we are living in!  Sister Craig’s conference address seems so timely right now.  She reiterated President Nelson’s powerful invitation from two years ago: “My beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation. … Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly” (Russell M. Nelson, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 96; emphasis added.  Link:  https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2018/04/revelation-for-the-church-revelation-for-our-lives?lang=eng). 

Sister Craig’s talk builds on President Nelson’s invitation to increase our ability or capacity to recognize and receive personal revelation from our Heavenly Father.  A young woman recently asked her, “How can I tell when God is trying to tell me something?”  We all struggle with this.  I recently questioned if a repeated thought to do something was because of worldly hype or the Holy Spirit’s prompting.  It was hard to tell the difference, but as I checked in with myself, and said a prayer I felt a quiet feeling that I was listening to the right voice.  I began to act, and later my husband confirmed he had also received similar guidance.  Between these two experiences, I felt confident I was hearing Him tell me to do something.

Elder David A. Bednar held a recent devotional for the Church Education System (CES) teachers where he shared many thoughts about how we can tell when God is trying to communicate with us, along with tips for teaching this to youth.  If I were teaching this lesson in person, I would have us watch the first part of his remarks as part of our Sunday Relief Society meeting.  I invite you to watch the first 15-20 minutes of this devotional linked below.  As you watch, pay close attention to Elder Bednar’s explanation of the gift of the Holy Ghost and how he truly is our constant companion, and to his descriptions of Nephi and Oliver Cowdrey’s experiences in recognizing and receiving revelation.  We can apply these lessons to our own lives.  We are all teachers, and this whole devotional is a spiritual treasure box in helping us to learn and teach these important lessons.  The apostolic blessing he gives at the end of the devotional is for “wherever you may be, anywhere in the world,” and will impart much strength and hope to you.  (An Evening With a General Authority – Elder Bednar Discussion, February 2020.  Link:  https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/broadcasts/watch/evening-with-a-general-authority/2020/02?lang=eng&vid=6129806906001)  

           

Sister Craig shares four ways to increase our spiritual capacity to receive revelation.

1.  Be Intentional about Creating Time and Space to Hear God’s Voice.  “…use your agency to carve out time every day to draw close to God’s voice, especially in the Book of Mormon, over time His voice will become clearer and more familiar to you.”  You can choose to start now to do this.  God will bless your efforts, no matter how small or where you are in this process.  Keep going and trying, and you will blessed with increased spiritual capacity to hear His voice more clearly.

2.  Act Without Delay.  “When you receive promptings and then act with intention, the Lord can use you. The more you act, the more familiar the voice of the Spirit becomes.”  Some of my greatest regrets are times when I know I received distinct revelation and then did not act.  I am grateful for the gift of repentance and being able to start again to act on the revelation I am given.  I know you will be blessed as you do the same. 

3.  Get Your Errand From the Lord.  “You can pray and ask the Lord for an errand. As you do, He can use your ordinary skills to accomplish His extraordinary work…. The Lord sends revelation to those seeking to help others.”  I love Sister Craig’s story of how her grandfather responded to promptings to help a brother he was assigned to home teach.  He left church on a Sunday, and went to help him finish roofing his house all while dressed in his suit.  The brother responded by putting down his hammer, and returning to church.  We too may receive unexpected guidance on how to serve our family and neighbors, and we must be ready to act on what the Lord wants us to do.  We are His hands, and He knows the needs of others better than we do. 

4.  Believe and Trust.  “… each of us has a different mission to perform, and at times the Spirit may call us in ‘another way.’ There are many ways to build the kingdom of God as covenant-making, covenant-keeping disciples of Jesus Christ. As His faithful disciple, you can receive personal inspiration and revelation, consistent with His commandments, that is tailored to you. You have unique missions and roles to perform in life and will be given unique guidance to fulfill them.”  Because we are each different, Heavenly Father can and will speak to us in ways we can understand, and at times that may seem surprising.  I often listen to scriptures and conference talks from the Gospel Library app on my commute.  On my way home one day, as I listened, I received an answer to a question I had struggled with for years.  I was not in a quiet place--I was on a metro escalator.  I believe that because I was making an effort to keep my heart focused on Christ and making my own quiet place, the Spirit was able to speak to me even in the midst of a rush hour commute on a metro escalator.  I learned an important lesson from that experience.  God meets us where we are and gives us what we need, sometimes when we least expect it.  He wants to tell us what we need to know!  Our task is to be as ready and open as we can to recognize and receive it on His timetable. 

           

By applying the principles taught in the lessons from both Sister Craig and Elder Bednar, I believe each of us can increase our capacity to recognize the Spirit and act on the revelation we receive.  We need revelation more than ever for our family, our friends and our neighbors.  I’m sure many of you over the past week or so have been praying for help from heaven to navigate your families safely through the unsettling events happening right now.  I pray the thoughts I shared with you will help to spark confidence in your own spiritual capacity as well as help identify areas of improvement.  I know we are daughters of Heavenly Parents who love us.  I know Jesus Christ lives and He is our Savior; His atonement is real.  I know Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers.  I know He will bless us to increase our ability to “Hear Him” and recognize the still small voice of the Holy Ghost, who is our promised constant companion.  This is my testimony of the principles taught here.  (#HearHim: President Nelson Invites Us to Hear the Voice of the Lord, link: https://youtu.be/sGhQym_vhFU)

Sister Craig ends her talk with her own testimony:  “Each one of us, regardless of age or circumstance, can strive to seek, receive, and act.  As you follow this eternal pattern… you will draw nearer to Jesus Christ—His love, His light, His direction, His peace, and His healing and enabling power.  And you will increase your spiritual capacity to become an everyday instrument of His hands in accomplishing His great work. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.” 

Questions to consider:

1.  How can I create a time and space to increase my ability to hear God?

2.  Who does Heavenly Father want me to help and what does He want me to do?

3.  Who can I teach these principles to solidify my understanding of them?