Enabling Power of Christ

For a long time now, I have been striving for spiritual growth by focusing on listening to the Spirit. However, this morning, I read an article by Elder David A. Bednar called “The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality.” As I read, my eyes began to be opened to a significant part of the gospel that I have been overlooking too often. I know the power that Jesus Christ has to cleanse me from sin, but what about the power He has to change me, to strengthen me, and to enable me to do much more than I am capable of on my own? I have experienced this second kind of power; I know it is real, but I am coming to understand that this power can literally carry me through every hour of the day when I call on Him. I am reminded of Laurel Christenson's admonishment in her talk at Time Out for Women to “pray with faith, live with faith, and think with faith.” She said we would do well to start living with the expectation that things will actually turn out the way we want them to. What a positive change that would bring to my daily struggles! Of course, for the times when the Lord does not see fit to bless us with what we have desired, he can strengthen us to bear up underneath the burdens that are laid upon us through trials and suffering. Even so, are there times when I have fallen short of the faith that could have brought me miracles and deliverance, had I been insightful enough to ask for the strength to overcome them? Elder Bednar recounts numerous times in the scriptures when men of great faith prayed specifically to have the strength to be able to change their circumstances. He notes that they did not pray to have their circumstances changed. They prayed to have the strength and wisdom and power to act, even unto deliverance. Nephi prayed for the strength to break the cords with which his brothers had bound him. Elder Bednar says, “I do not think the bands with which Nephi was bound just magically fell from his hands and wrists. Rather, I suspect he was blessed with both persistence and personal strength beyond his natural capacity, that he then, “in the strength of the Lord,” worked and twisted and tugged on the cords, and ultimately and literally was enabled to break the bands.” Sometimes I feel as though I have been working and twisting and tugging and just...failing. Yet over and over again, I have asked the Lord what task I am to eliminate from my busy life and over and over again, he says, “You can do all that I have commanded you to do.” Yet as I plan and work and do, still at times, things do not fall together as it seems they should. Elder Bednar said, “Individual willpower, personal determination and motivation, effective planning and goal setting are necessary but ultimately insufficient for us to triumphantly complete this mortal journey. Truly, we must come to rely upon “the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah” (2 Nephi 2:8). Elder Bednar also recounts the story of some Mormon pioneers who had nothing left to eat but the raw hides of starved cattle. They tried eating it, but it made everyone sick. Still, they prayed for a solution and one young man, Daniel W. Jones, was inspired with instruction from the Lord on how to cook it so that it would be edible and not make everyone sick. He followed the Lord's instruction carefully, later recording that, “We asked the Lord to bless our stomachs and adapt them to this food...On eating now all seemed to relish the feast.” They ate this for six weeks thereafter, enjoyably! This story brought to memory a comment made by Elder Hinds, a missionary from my church. He said that our bodies are not our own. They are tools given to us by the Lord. How often have I felt as though my spirit was a slave to this mortal body? Subject to its whims of desires, appetites, and fatigue? Have I ever prayed for the Lord to adapt my body so that I can better use it as a tool for serving the Lord on this earth? What great faith! I am excited to go forward with this new understanding and make sure that I make time daily (and at times even hourly!) to pray with faith for the enabling and strengthening power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Mike Campbell's Memorial Service

For those of you who may not know me, I am Mike Campbell's daughter-in-law, Tiffany Campbell. I married his second son, Heath. Although he is my father-in-law, ever since we were married, I have called him Dad. He is like a second father to me and I am ever grateful for the welcoming arms of acceptance that he held out to me. I am sure that many of you felt that same positive attitude of acceptance and understanding from him as well.

Near the end of his life, Dad was at peace and fully accepted the Lord's will that it was his time to die. He calmly reassured each of us that all would be well and that he had important work to do for the Lord on the other side. He ministered to his family, giving Father's blessings and spiritual counsel to each of us until the very end. One of the things he repeated frequently to us was the counsel to be sure that our children knew we loved them each and every day. As the end drew ever nearer, all his earthly cares melted away and his concerns were for the relationships that mattered. One of the last clearly audible things he spoke out loud was “I love my family so much.”

President George Albert Smith said, “The treasures that we will find when we go to the other side will be those that we have laid up there by ministering to our Father’s other sons and daughters with whom we have associated here. ... during our stay here we will be happier serving our fellow[man] than we could possibly be in any other way.” I've had so many people come up to me and say what a good friend Mike was, and what a good man. Truly, he was happiest when he was in the service of others and he has laid up many treasures in heaven.

Many of you may know he is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but perhaps you are not familiar with what exactly he believes. I'd like to share with you some of the core beliefs of our faith. I think it will bring Dad great joy to know that many of those whom he loves and has special relationships with, both in and out of the family, will hear these things on this day when we honor and celebrate his life.

Some people go through this life wondering if there is a God. They wonder why they are here and where they came from. They wonder where they are going after they die, or if there is anything at all after this life.

I am here to testify to you tonight, as boldly as I believe my father-in-law would have me to testify, that there is a God, and that God would have us call him “Father.” He loves each and every one of His children and is mindful of every triumph and trial. Indeed, we lived with our Heavenly Father as literal spirit sons and daughters before we came to live on this earth. We came from a heavenly home and it is to that heavenly home that our Father wishes us to return to live with Him one day. Our existence is eternal. This mortal life, though very crucial, is but one small part of the eternal life span that is truly ours.

We came to this earth with a purpose. We knew that living a mortal life would give us experiences to help us grow and become more like Him. We knew there were risks in coming here, that all would have their freedom to choose between good and evil and we knew that some would choose evil, and we might suffer as a result of the choices others made. We knew that we might have to say good-bye to loved ones early. Nevertheless, we shouted for joy when the time came for us to be born, for we knew that coming here would lead to our progression toward eternal happiness. We knew this life would test our faith, but we came ready and willing to face that test. We came, excited at the prospect of being the son or daughter of earthly parents, and then growing up to establish our own family. Our Heavenly Father has said, “This is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” and I testify to you that He wants you to receive eternal life with Him.
Part of accomplishing that work required that he send a Savior to die for us. Jesus suffered so that we could be cleansed of our sins if we repent. Not only that, but because of his Atoning Sacrifice, we can be healed of any pain that has ever been caused in our lives, even those caused by the sins of others. Because of Jesus Christ, we can feel joy again even after we have suffered greatly.

I am going to try to follow some of Dad's advice today when he told me to seek after simple wisdom. One of the simplest ways of teaching what we believe about eternity is through a children's song called “I lived in Heaven.”

I lived in heaven a long time ago, It is true.
Lived there and loved there with people I know, So did you.
Then Heavenly Father presented a beautiful plan,
All about earth and eternal salvation for man.

Father said he needed someone who had enough love
To give his life so we all could return there above.
There was another who sought for the honor divine.
Jesus said, “Father, send me, and the glory be thine.”

Jesus was chosen, and as the Messiah he came,
Conquering evil and death through his glorious name,
Giving us hope of a wonderful life yet to be—
Home in that heaven where Father is waiting for me.

It is because he knew these simple yet profound truths about the eternal nature of our existence and our relationships that Dad was able to feel such peace and joy at the end of his mortal life. He knew that this ending was yet another beginning, and that one day, we will each be resurrected and receive a body that is perfect and glorified. Like Dad, I did not grow up as a member of this church. Shortly after I met my husband, a dear friend of mine died suddenly in a car accident. I was devastated and utterly distressed. I daresay I was approaching a state of anger toward God. How could he allow this to happen?

Yet when I presented my concerns to the young man who would become my husband, I was at first surprised and then calmly soothed by his peaceful attitude toward death. He said to me that surely there must have been a purpose in the Lord's taking him so early from this earthly life. Perhaps he had a specific mission to fulfill on the other side of the Veil, or perhaps he was needed by someone there who had missed him dearly.

Now, fifteen years after that experience, I am again impressed with the way the Campbell family handles death. Especially with the way Dad handled it. Our hearts drew a measure of peace from the tranquility we saw in his own eyes each day.

The overriding message of my talk today is of the peace and joy that the gospel brings. I cannot speak of this without speaking of the family. Many people take notice of how much our church focuses on the family. Living prophets on the earth today have declared that “Family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of his children. …In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave.”

That means that our eternal destiny is meant to include our family. We may say that we have “lost” a loved one, but the reality is that they are not lost from us at all. We often say that someone who has died “looks down upon us from heaven,” but the reality is that they do much more than simply watch us. I believe that very often, thoughts of what we should do, and feelings of encouragement and strength, come to us as a result of the efforts and whisperings, even the very close presence of those we love, or who love us, who have gone on before us in death. They serve as instruments in the hands of the Lord from the other side of the Veil just as much as we can here on this side, if not more. Perhaps helping us here is part of the very work for which Dad was needed on the other side.

Spencer W. Kimball said, “If we live in such a way that the considerations of eternity press upon us, we will make better decisions.” The fact that Dad died so much earlier than any of us would have ever expected has most definitely turned our hearts toward him and toward the relationships of family. This is what matters in eternity. I know that Mike Campbell would have us all remember that what matters most is the way we treat others and that this life is meant to be filled with the joy that comes from accepting and serving others, the joy that comes from knowing and loving and just enjoying those simple, special moments with our family. He would have us remember that life can be calmed by the matchless peace that comes through the power that Jesus Christ has to change our hearts. It is because of His Atoning Sacrifice that we can live now with true joy and peace, even in the midst of what may seem like a tragedy. The Lord sees all. He knows all. We can trust His vision for our lives. 2 Nephi 2:25, a scripture from the Book of Mormon says, “Adam fell that man might be and men are that they might have joy.” Dad and Mom believe that, and even as he suffered through his cancer, they took note of the many tender mercies of the Lord as He watched over them and offered them comfort along the way.

When speaking at the funeral of a dear friend, President George Albert Smith said,
“To know that life is eternal is a wonderful blessing,—to know that throughout eternity the blessings that this good man has lived for will be his. ...He has laid the foundation deep and secure upon which he has built and will continue to build throughout eternity. The joy that he has experienced here upon earth will be added upon. …
When an occasion like this occurs it seems that [our loved ones] are [so] distant, but as a matter of fact they are not, … Instead of extending the condolence that sometimes might go to those who are bereaved, I feel more like rejoicing this day that I know that this is not the end.”

This is not the end of Dad's eternal life. It does not have to be the end of our relationship with him. Families can be together forever. Because of this understanding, Dad was and is at peace. Our Savior, Jesus Christ said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Elder Jeffrey R. Holland recently testified “of the renewing power of God’s love and the miracle of His grace. His concern is for the faith at which you finally arrive, not the hour of the day in which you got there...So if you have made covenants, keep them. If you haven’t made them, make them. If you have made them and broken them, repent and repair them. It is never too late so long as the Master of the vineyard says there is time. Please listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit telling you right now, this very moment, that you should accept the atoning gift of the Lord Jesus Christ and enjoy the fellowship of His labor.”

On behalf of my father-in-law, I invite each of you to “Come unto [Christ], all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and [He] will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”