Week 3

Today in lecture, Brother Griffin explained the significance of Eve being (symbolically) created from Adam’s rib. God could have fashioned Eve from Adam’s cranium, his calf, or any other part of his body, but taken from the rib seems to signify a sense of partnership as in equals side by side. Women and men are meant to be equal partners in a relationship and anything else is contrary to the plan of happiness. As Brother Griffin began talking about his wife, my heart swelled as he recounted how he was “married to an absolute angel and a daughter of God who [he loves] with all [his] heart.”

Culturally, Satan has done all he can to convince us that dads are misogynistic or dense, kids get in the way of self-fulfillment and achieving dreams, or moms are strict and don’t listen to their children. This way, we degrade our partners or downgrade our spouses, but when Brother Griffin remarked about his wife, I felt the truth in his words. I realize that this is the way I want to feel about someone and the way I want someone to feel about me. Men and women are given divine roles that compliment eachother. Without each part, the whole system wouldn’t flow together perfectly, but because each has their own responsibilities, it creates a balanced mechanism. God never intended for us to go through life alone, nor did he intend for us to feel inferior to our spouses. He gave women to man as a “help meat”, but also gave men to women for a “help meat” for women (Genesis 2:18). In this way, each is helping each other to fill in the gaps of responsibility. This is exactly the kind of team God had in mind to raise the future generations of His beloved children.

Week 2

I was studying in Moses 1 verse 18 which reads “And again Moses said: I will not cease to call upon God, I have other things to inquire of him: for his glory has been upon me, wherefore I can judge between him and thee. Depart hence, Satan”. In one of the lectures this week, we were talking about the first vision and how intensely spiritual experiences are either preceded or followed by extreme temptations. For example, when Joseph Smith was kneeling in the Sacred Grove following the instructions of James 1:5, he was accosted by a dark spirit and was about to be utterly destroyed when a ray of light similar to the brightness of the sun descended upon him and he was delivered. I always felt strange about this phenomenon because I didn’t understand how God could let something like this befall young Joseph, but when Joseph related his story to a preacher, he was told this mighty vision was of the devil. Joseph was surprised and pondered this possibility, but ultimately decided it was of God because he could distinguish between the feeling of utter despair from the devil and the joy from the godhead. It was necessary to go through this process so he could refute such claims. Likewise, I need to remember that hardships and challenges that I have been given are to better me as a person or to help me understand something. Trials are not punishments. They are meant to teach us something and we do not go through them alone. He will give us the power to overcome them so long as we trust in his mercy and love.

Week 1

This week, we were studying in Moses 7 and Enoch came face to face with God. The Lord showed unto him many things which were to come like the restoration, the coming of the Son of Man, the Second Coming and Satan. Moses 7:26 reads: “And he beheld Satan; and he had a great chain in his hand, and it veiled the whole face of the earth with darkness; and he looked up and laughed, and his angels rejoiced.” The despair and fear felt after reading this verse is almost tangible, until you see verse 27: “And Enoch beheld angels descending out of heaven, bearing testimony of the Father and Son; and the Holy Ghost fell on many, and they were caught up by the powers of heaven into Zion.” Professor Griffin clarified that verse 27 was about missionary work and that when Moses had been foreordained and beheld the utter wickedness encompassing the entirety of the earth, he probably pointed to the Earth and said “please send me there. These people need me. I need to go there.” Moses did not quake and tremble at beholding the gruesome sight, but instead looked forward with faith which is the exact opposite of the fear one could expect. Professor Griffin said that we were up there too looking down and probably had the same response: “Please send me there. These people need me. I need to go there.” I’ve never felt the desire to serve a mission more than I did in that moment. I’ve always been afraid of getting rejected on a mission or that I won’t be an obedient and dependable missionary, but reading verses like this reminds me that missions are for service and hopefully helping people escape the bands of misery and destruction. I imagine what my life would be like if the gospel wasn’t a part of it and I can see myself giving into temptations and bending to what the world wants me to be. Instead, I know that God loves me and He weeps when His children are led away because “they are the workmanship of mine own hands…”. This more than anything else makes me want to save others who are struggling just as I have and bring them to know of their loving Heavenly Father and loving Heavenly Brother.