10/22/2014
No Tongue Can Speak
The past few weeks have been wonderful for my wife and me.
We made a trip to Utah and were able to have our newly adopted son sealed to us
for time and all eternity, and we also witnessed another of our sons receive
his endowments and make the sacred covenants of Salvation with God in the
temple. He will soon dedicate the next two years of his life to God's service
as he begins his service as a full-time missionary. We also shared some very tender moments and
feelings with my oldest son and his wife as they seek guidance and comfort from
God in the major medical decisions they face with their sweet little boy that
suffers from seizures and other complications of spina-bifida.
I have taken some time to reflect upon these events and I
must say, words cannot describe how I am feeling right now. My heart is full
and my gratitude for the blessings I have in my life is overflowing. My
feelings remind me in a small way of how the Nephites felt when the Savior
visited them and prayed for them: Nephi wrote, "And no tongue can speak,
neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive
so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one
can conceive of the joy which did fill our souls as the time we heard Him pray
for us to the Father."
In my own weak and fragile heart, the Lord is bearing
witness to me that I am blessed with a wonderful and beautiful family. He is
telling me this in words that I cannot speak, for it is impossible for words to
formulate the feelings in my heart. If even in a small way, if I could formulate
words in my mind, my tongue could not speak them, because it is witnessed to me
feelings that are being spoken spirit to spirit.
I am filled with gratitude for the loving, tender mercies of
my Father in Heaven that has blessed my life so greatly. I am grateful for a
wonderful and fabulous wife, who for over 30 years has never left my side, even
through all of my failures and faults. I have had much to repent of in my life
and continue daily trying to improve my standing with God. I have come such a
great distance from the wandering ignorance of my youth and weaknesses of my
soul, and I realize that I have a great distance still yet to travel before I am
ready to return home to God. I have
learned that I cannot make it on my own and I need the Lord's help.
As a youth, I thought that intellect was greater than experience.
I thought my intellect would guide me through this life and get me back home to
my Father in Heaven, not the experiences I would face. I was arrogant and
prideful and I pitied those who didn't see things my way. Don't get me wrong, I
know and understand that the "Glory of God is intelligence", but as I
have grown older, I have come to realize that through the atonement, weaknesses and life's trials are usually the
vehicles that God uses to elevate our intelligence that will ultimately purify
our hearts. That is why the Lord created the Plan of Salvation. It was the only
way we could gain the true intelligence we needed to become like him. I have
come to learn that intelligence is not the same as knowledge, Intelligence is
what we do with our knowledge in the service of others and to do good in this
world. Some of us are given incredible weaknesses, some are given trials of
various nature, some of us are placed in homes that are not centered around
Christ, while others are bound by customs and laws that do not let them
practice freely their religious beliefs. Many of us feel trapped and bound by the
chains of habits and vices that we have acquired and cannot seem to escape. The
trials each of us face in this life are endless, many are even unique, but all
are calculated to give us the opportunity to rise above them and become
perfected through the Atonement of Christ.
The Apostle Paul wrote, "Therefore
I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecution,
in distresses for Christ's sake: When I am weak, then I am strong."
Here is the
apostle Paul, one that is listed as being among the greatest apostles to ever walk the earth, who was a man of great faith, well educated, brilliant, spiritual, of high standing, knew the scriptures well, and frequently received powerful revelations; and yet the scriptures tell us he was given a thorn in his flesh. We don't know what that thorn was, but we know it must have tormented him greatly, for he wrote, "...there was given me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me". On at least three occasions it brought him to his knees, pleading with God to remove it. He later came to understand that it was the "thorn in his flesh" that transformed his ministry and made him who he was, by forcing him to rely on the Lord and seek the strength he needed to grow in intelligence and to develop in character. Because of this weakness that often plagued him, he learned to turn to the Lord in a way that he couldn't, if he had never been given a thorn in the flesh. Once when he was pleading with the Lord to remove the thorn, the Lord answered him and said, "My Grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness"
apostle Paul, one that is listed as being among the greatest apostles to ever walk the earth, who was a man of great faith, well educated, brilliant, spiritual, of high standing, knew the scriptures well, and frequently received powerful revelations; and yet the scriptures tell us he was given a thorn in his flesh. We don't know what that thorn was, but we know it must have tormented him greatly, for he wrote, "...there was given me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me". On at least three occasions it brought him to his knees, pleading with God to remove it. He later came to understand that it was the "thorn in his flesh" that transformed his ministry and made him who he was, by forcing him to rely on the Lord and seek the strength he needed to grow in intelligence and to develop in character. Because of this weakness that often plagued him, he learned to turn to the Lord in a way that he couldn't, if he had never been given a thorn in the flesh. Once when he was pleading with the Lord to remove the thorn, the Lord answered him and said, "My Grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness"
My testimony to each of you is that I know God lives, I know
he loves us in a way that I cannot comprehend. My simple mind and weak spirit do
not have the ability to comprehend or even scratch the surface of the magnitude
of His love for me. I do not claim to fully understand the atonement or
comprehend its extent or the limits of its reach, for it is eternal and my prideful
mind seems to always focus on here and now. However, from time to time, I catch
a glimpse of it when I visit the temple, look into the eyes of my wife, fall to
my knees in prayer, or hold a sleeping baby in my arms. I feel the effects of
the atonement when I repent, I long for it when I have sinned, I cherish it
when I am forgiven, I am strengthened by it when I partake of the sacrament,
and I sense the magnitude of it when I look at the billions of stars in the sky
and contemplate that God, our Great Redeemer, who created the world and universe, the
greatest of all, the very being by whose command, all these elements obey, suffered
and paid an infinite price for me, a price so great that no one can or ever
will be able to comprehend it, a price so great that it made Him, the greatest
of all, the creator of all things, fall to the earth, tremble, and bleed great
drops of blood from every pore. It was a suffering so intense that it made the
earth shake, the sky darken, the Sun hide its face, and the stars refuse to
shine. The price he paid for me was infinite and eternal. In that hour of his
suffering, he fought the greatest battle that has ever been fought and conquered
and subdued all things, including my soul, which he freely offers back to me in
a perfect form through my obedience. How can I ever formulate words to explain
how these feelings burn so deep into my heart. It can't be done. I know from
where I came and where I have been, I know why I am here; I know where I must
go and I don't want to return home alone. I know to whom I wish travel this path
with. It is my family. Words cannot
explain it, I just feel it and know it. I cannot and will not leave any one of them
behind. I have also come to realize that just as I am bound to my family and
posterity, so must I be bound to my ancestors. I love that the plan of
Salvation centers on this very principle. It awakens my soul to the ordinances
for the dead performed in the temples today. It burns within me and speaks to
me like an awakened memory from the past, cherished words from my Father in
Heaven that somehow faded as I passed through the veil into mortality.
Many years ago, I had a discussion with a young man about
the gospel. He stated to me that he believed in God and knew that God was good.
Our discussion turned to the Temple and about how families can be together
forever. He then told me, "I don't think I need to go to the temple. If
God is good, he will not take my family away from me when we die." I was
young then and perhaps didn't understand myself the very purpose of life. I
have had time to contemplate his statement and through the years have come to
realize just how far off the mark this young man was. My spirit screams inside
of me that God loves us and wants us to become like him so much that he created
the Plan of Salvation so that we could gain the knowledge, experience, and
intelligence we needed to elevate us to his level. Something we couldn't do as
spirits in his presence while living in the pre-existence. It required us to
fall from God's presence so that we could learn for ourselves through our free
agency to hate sin by experiencing the effects of it in our lives. All of us
will commit sins in one way or another and all of us will feel the effects of
sins committed by us and others. Coming to this earth gave us the opportunity
gain a body, exercise faith, and learn to trust God in ways we could not, while
in his presence. Above all else, the most important part of the plan is that through
the atonement, we will not be left in this fallen state. It gives us a way to
be brought back to stand in God's presence to live with him once again, but
this time as immortal and exalted beings, perfected in body and soul, not as
individuals, but as families, bound together by the covenants of the
priesthood. This is why we read in the Scriptures that "All the Sons of God shouted for joy"
when the plan of salvation was presented. It was a perfect plan to teach us
what we needed to know through the fall, and to redeem us to a higher level
through the atonement. Everything that God has done, every commandment, every
action, every word, every creation, every law of God, every scripture, every
word spoken by the mouth of His prophets, and especially the very atonement for
which our Savior paid such an infinite price, was done for us, so that we could
be together again as families. With all of this that he has done for us, is it
any wonder that he would require us to receive the greatest of all his
blessings under covenant. The very purpose of the temples are to provide a
sacred place where we can make those sacred, eternal covenants with God.
Covenants that cannot be broken by God. It is a place where heaven touches
earth and the veil is thin so that our minds can comprehend and receive the
intelligence and instruction we need to return to our Father in Heaven. It
isn't, as this young man explained that, "God is so good that he won't take our families away from us".
The real truth is that God is so good and loves us so much that everything he
has done, he has done so that we can live together forever as families. Families are meant to be together forever.
With that being said,
there is one thing that he cannot and will not do. He will not take away our
free agency. Our free agency trumps all other gifts given to us from God. It
was a gift so great that it caused a war in heaven by some who wished to take
it away. We know that 1/3 of the hosts of heaven were lost in that war. Oh, how
the heavens must have wept on that dreadful day. We also know that that war
continues on earth today. We must make our choices and choose the path we will
follow. He will prompt us, guide us, give us weaknesses to motivate us to stretch
and reach for something better. Through the Atonement he will be there to catch
us when we fall, heal our spirits when we are physically or spiritually ill, comfort
us when we are in need of comfort, and lead us to God if we are willing, obedient,
and seek the truth, but he will never force us.
There are so many ways in which I learn truth. I read it in
good books such as the scriptures, I learn of it from my parents and friends, I
am taught it by educators, I have even received pure revelation in direct
answers to my prayers, and have felt it through the promptings of the Holy
Ghost and in so many other ways. But, the
way that seems to impact me the most and seems to tie them all together, is
that I learn from my own experiences and trials. You see, it is then, while I
am struggling in my weakness that I realize that I can't do it alone and that I
need my Father in Heaven's help. It is while I am on my knees pleading for His
help that I feel closest to him. It is moments like these when that I realize
that God is in control of all things and that all things will ultimately work
for my benefit if I put my trust in him. It has been said that, "Sometimes
God calms the storm, other times He lets the storm rage and he calms us". I
know this, I have experienced it over and over in my life. I have had what I
consider (in my own pity party way) a hard life. An event that occurred nearly
30 years ago that involved falling from a ladder and crushing my ankle, kept me
from reaching my earthly desires. I lost my business and all that I owned and
went through many years of poverty. I wasn't able to give my children all that
I thought they should have. My aspirations of providing for my family was
crushed along with my pride that was dashed to pieces. So many people spend all
of their time climbing the ladder to success only to realize when we get to top
that they have climbed the wrong ladder.
Metaphorically speaking, I can truthfully say that I was climbing the
wrong ladder, when the Lord took it out from under me. I am so thankful that he
did. While I would never wish the bad experiences I have had in my life on
someone else and I do not wish to ever go through them again, I am truly
grateful for a loving Father in Heaven that I know is in control and has taught
me so much. He knew what experiences I
needed to go through. He gave me an eternal companion that stuck with me
through it all. He placed in my care my wonderful children that gave me a
reason to get out of bed each morning when all I wanted to do was give up. He
provided for me the opportunity to grow in faith and trust in him. He has given
me a love, a faith, and a hope that I never would have had, if I had not fallen
from the ladder and experience the hardships that I did. I have a beautiful
family to love and who loves me. I have wonderful grandchildren with good
hearts and loving noble parents, and I have the most wonderful in-laws in the
world. I now serve as a Bishop and can relate to others who are experiencing
trials and hardships in their lives. I can counsel with them in a
non-condemning way because I have learned so much when I was walking in similar
shoes. It allows me, in the office I hold and the calling I have been given, to
give them guidance and assistance that I could have never done before.
In Short, I feel my Savior's love and know where to find
him. I testify of Him, and am grateful for Him. My gratitude for Him, though
simple and weak compared to some, is profound in my eyes when I look at where I
was and how far the Lord has brought me. I cannot imagine a life without Him. I
am grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
I am grateful to hold the priesthood which blesses the lives of my family. I am
thankful for temple covenants, ordinances, sealing powers, and the restoration
of the Gospel. Most of all, I am thankful for my Savior and the infinite
sacrifice that He made for me.
My heart goes out to each of you. If you have not done so
lately, I admonish you to search your souls. Fast for a day if you need to, to
bring in the spirit. Set aside your education, media, friends, and even your
intellect, for a moment. Drop to your knees in humble prayer, exercise your
faith and petition God with a determined desire to follow the commandments and most
of all, listen to the witness and answers He will give you with a determination
to live by them, no matter what the cost. In doing so, you will have an even
greater experience than I have had this day and you will feel his love for you
in a way that words cannot explain and that the tongue cannot speak.
If you are a member of the church and have not attended in a
while, I invite you to come back. I invite you to feel and experience the
friendship and camaraderie of a wonderful church family. I invite you to have
the priesthood blessings in your life. If you are not a member, I invite you to
learn more. Seek out a friend in the church or contact the missionaries. They
will be glad to help.
I kneel in prayer on
your behalf and pray that the Lord is ever with you and that God's blessing will
be found in your life, in the name of our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Sincerely,
Bishop Charles Martineau
