"All these things shall give thee experience..."

Following the Haun's Mill Massacre on October, 30, 1838, approximately 50 Church leaders were arrested on false charges. Most of them were soon released, but some remained incarcerated for months, moving to Independence and then to Richmond. In December 1838, Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Sydney Rigdon, Lyman Wight, Alexander McRae, and Caleb Baldwin were moved from Richmond, Missouri to Liberty Jail. Joseph describes a situation of scanty food, dirty straw bedding, and few blankets. The roof of the dungeon in which the prisoners were kept was too short for several of them to stand upright. The room was only 14' x 14' in size. As these prisoners were suffering, more than 8,000 Saints were being forcefully driven from their homes in Missouri. Counterintuitively, this "loathsome," "lonesome, dark, dirty" prison became the setting for some of the most comforting, hopeful revelations now found in the Doctrine & Covenants. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith)

This Church website has some GREAT resources about the Liberty Jail experience. You can see pictures of the replica of the jail and find more historical information and primary sources.

This experience is a key example of how terrible adversity can become an opportunity for growth. Although Joseph experienced a slight crisis of faith, as any person placed in his circumstances could be expected to, he left the prison a changed man in April 1839.

In my typical fashion, I'll toss out a couple of my favorite talks on this subject.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland "Lessons from Liberty Jail"
President Henry B. Eyring "Adversity"

The effects of this experience on the Prophet shouldn't be underestimated. After several months of time to ponder and to come to terms with his own frustration, Joseph Smith grew into a more powerful leader. He departed this "prison temple" (as B.H. Roberts called it) better for the experience. In the words of Neal A. Maxwell, "During his stay in Liberty Jail, the Prophet Joseph Smith received some of the most sublime revelations ever received by any prophet in any dispensation... probably some of the most tender tutorials in all of holy writ now available" ("A Choice Seer").

What did Joseph learn? Some of the quotes contained in the compilation of his teachings (see link above) outline a few of the most important lessons.

"Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, we are the more ready and willing to lay claim to your fellowship and love. For our circumstances are calculated to awaken our spirit to a sacred remembrance of everything... nothing therefore can separate us from the love of God and fellowship one with another." Clearly this prison experienced deepened Joseph's tender feelings toward his fellow Saints and reminded him that God's love should be a paramount force in his life.

"My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes" (D&C 121:7-8). This trial gave Joseph hope that the Lord would support him in all of his situations of adversity. As we read just a few sections later, "God knoweth all these things, whether it be good or bad. But nevertheless, deep water is what I am wont to swim in. It all has become a second nature to me; and I feel, like Paul, to glory in tribulation" (D&C 127:2). Joseph Smith didn't expect his life to become easier, but he knew that the Lord would make him equal to the difficult tasks.

Finally, the Prophet received strength and comfort from the Holy Ghost that would guide him for the remainder of his life. He later wrote:

That still small voice, which has so often whispered consolation to my soul, in the depths of sorrow and distress, bade me be of good cheer, and promised deliverance, which gave me great comfort. And although the heavens raged, and the people imagined vain things, yet the Lord of Hosts, the God of Jacob was my refuge; and when I cried unto him in the day of trouble, He delivered me.

Following his incarceration he became a tremendous speaker and gospel teacher. He preached with great power and force; his confidence had "waxed strong in the presence of God" because of his righteousness (D&C 121:45).

Perhaps equally important to the changes this experience wrought in Joseph Smith are the changes it can provoke in each of our lives.

...when you have to, you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experience with the Lord in any situation you are in. Indeed, let me say that even a little stronger: You can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experience with the Lord in the most miserable experiences of your life—in the worst settings, while enduring the most painful injustices, when facing the most insurmountable odds and opposition you have ever faced. (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland)

The heavens were opened upon us, and I beheld the celestial kingdom of God, and the glory thereof, whether in the body or out I cannot tell.
I saw the transcendent beauty of the gate through which the heirs of that kingdom will enter, which was like unto circling flames of fire;
Also the blazing throne of God, whereon was seated the Father and the Son.
I saw the beautiful streets of that kingdom, which had the appearance of being paved with gold. I saw Father Adam and Abraham; and my father and my mother; my brother Alvin, that has long since slept;
And I marveled how it was that he had obtained an inheritance in that kingdom, seeing that he had departed this life before the Lord had set his hand to gather Israel the second time, and had not been baptized for the remission of sins.
Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me, saying: All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God;
Also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom;
For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts.
And I also beheld that all children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven.
D&C 137

This short revelation describes some the most important doctrines of the Gospel. In the end, the doctrines of salvation are grounded in Christ's Atonement for us. Without His sacrifice, Heavenly Father's Plan of Salvation would be impossible, and we would be left to suffer for our own sins without hope of redemption. Because of the Savior, we all have hope of being saved. God is a just and perfect God, and to exclude any of his children from this plan would preclude his commitment to justice. As Peter observed:

Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons. Acts 10:34

Through the revealed word of God in scripture, we understand the processes necessary for salvation and exaltation. But what about those who die before receiving ordinances (like Joseph's brother Alvin)? What about those who were born into countries where they would never learn of the Gospel? What about those who lived in times when proper Church authority hadn't been restored to the earth? What about the person who missed the missionaries' knock on the door while outside watering a garden?

How does God take care of all of His children? Doctrine and Covenants Section 137 teaches us that God's plan is flawless. As the Lord told Samuel:

... the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7

With our limited mortal perspective, we're constantly tempted to judge others based on outside appearances. From our confined viewpoint we might be inclined to assume that all those who fail to live up to God's outlined plan in this life must, of necessity, be damned. But God is also a God of mercy. His foresight far supersedes our pathetic attempts to figure things out.

Temples are, perhaps, one of the least understood parts of our religious worship to those who don't realize their purpose and role. I love this video; it briefly explains why temples are so important to us as a people, and also so essential to all of humanity.



Doctrines of salvation for the dead are particularly poignant because they apply to one of the most difficult aspects of our daily lives, namely coming to grips with the idea of mortality. It's inevitable that all of us will be forced to deal with death at some point in our lives. The beauty of the Gospel's message of hope, as seen in D&C 137, is that God has already provided a way for all of us children to be saved. To those unfamiliar with the bible, the idea of doing work by proxy might seem strange; however, Paul's epistle to the Corinthians clearly shows that proxy work has been part of God's plan since the beginning of the Church in Christ's day:

Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead? 1 Corinthians 15:29

The salvation of God's children is one of the most miraculous concepts in all of human history. It completely resolves Hamlet's dilemma, as found in his famous "To be or not to be" soliloquy:

But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered country from whose bourn
No traveler returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?

With the comforting doctrines of the restoration, death is no longer the great unknown. I know that God has provided a means for salvation, and that He loves each of his children, regardless of their circumstances. The Lord judges us "according to [our] works" and "according to the desire of [our] hearts" (D&C 137:9). Our best course of action is to leave the Final Judgment in His hands while doing our part to facilitate the saving ordinances for the entire earth through missionary work and vicarious temple work.

For a powerful example of the pertinence of this message, I turn to Elder Scott's talk from the April session of last year's General Conference. It's one of my all-time favorites.

Temple Worship: The Source of Strength and Power in Times of Need

Special Collections

This week in Doctrine and Covenants we got to visit the Special Collections department of the library. I actually learned some really awesome new things, even though I've worked there for more than a year.

Special Collections is an incredible place. I think it's probably one of the most overlooked resources for BYU students. The Church has obviously spent a substantial sum of money to obtain items that will help students and faculty members with their research. Plus, some of the stuff is just plain cool. In addition to the items we looked at related to the history of printing, Special Collections has an Oscar statue, the original film score to Gone With the Wind, two of Jimmy Stewart's accordions, a window from Hitler's hideout, a copy of the Book of Commandments, and so much more.

Despite the fact that I've worked with these materials for numerous hours, I'm still impressed by the miracle of printing technology. The thing that really struck me during the presentation was the fact that God always prepares a way for his purposes to be accomplished. Every step we traced up to nineteenth-century printing techniques was absolutely necessary in order for the Book of Mormon to be published.

The first item we saw was a 4,000-year-old cuneiform tablet, a beer merchant's receipt. We looked at replica metal plates, like those that would have been used in Roman times, as well as pieces of papyrus. We saw illuminated manuscripts made by monks and nuns during the Middle Ages. Without the development of the printing press, it would have been entirely impossible for the word of God in the Book of Mormon to be spread efficiently. Long before print technology finally came about, the Lord had begun to plan for the future needs of his church.

"For the eternal purposes of the Lord shall roll on, until all his promises shall be fulfilled." Mormon 8:22

I know that the Lord's purposes can't be frustrated. His perfect reliability makes it easy for us to place our trust in him. All of the material objects I saw in Special Collections were merely another testament to the fact that the Lord has all things prepared for us if we seek to know his will. He knows the end from the beginning, and his plans are perfect and will all be fulfilled. Even when we, without our limited perspective, can't see how things could possibly work out, God has always prepared a way. His foresight is one of the most incredible aspects of his omniscience, in my opinion.

"... from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth." D&C 65:2

Just for fun:
A video we watched at the beginning of the presentation.

L'Espiazione

I think we're sometimes guilty of holding misconceptions about the world before the Restoration. The gospel is simply a collection of all truth, but we certainly don't have a monopoly on it. I love this Italian sonnet penned in the 16th century, long before the gospel was restored. I won't commit the heresy of paraphrase by attempting to translate it, but it's possibly the most beautiful description of the Atonement I've ever read.

Mesta e pentita de' miei gravi errori
e del mio vaneggiar tanto e sì lieve,
e d'aver speso questo tempo breve
de la vita fugace in vani amori,

a te, Signor, ch'intenerisici i cori
e rendi calda la gelata neve,
a fai soave ogn aspro peso e greve
a chiunque accendi di tuoi santi ardori,

ricorro; e prego che mi porghi mano
a trarmi fuor del pèlago, ondo uscire,
s'io tentassi da me, sarebbe vano.

Tu volesti per noi, Signor, morire,
tu ricomprasti tutto il seme umano:
dolce Signor, non mi lasciar perire.

-Gaspara Stampa, Rime, 1554

"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death..."

And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.... and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. Alma 7:11-12

Suffering is, perhaps, one of the most difficult concepts for us to understand. Some ask "If there really is a God, why would he let his children suffer?" I can't pretend to always deal with trials as well as I ought to, but I often find solace in the words of Alma. Christ's Atonement not only redeems us from our sins but it also gives us comfort and strength in our time of need. It's mind boggling that Christ could have suffered for both the pain and the sins of every person to ever live on this earth. He chose to experience the pain and grief of mortality so that he would be able to have complete empathy for our struggles. When he says "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you," (John 14:18) we can have perfect faith in his dependability.

This talk by Elder Wirthlin really shows how the message of the Atonement can put hope back in our lives. I can't help but feel uplifted every time I watch it.



In Doctrine and Covenants class last week, Dr. Holzapfel addressed the causes of suffering in our lives. Sometimes our struggles are caused by our own mistakes; other times they come as a result of the agency of others, through no fault of our own. In other cases, the Lord allows struggles to come into our lives so that we can be tested. One of the insights I found most interesting is found in Hebrews chapter 12: "But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then ye are bastards, and not sons." If the Lord didn't see fit to humble and reprove us through suffering, it would mean that he didn't count us among his children. The real test lies in whether we choose to become bitter or better in the process.

When compared with the suffering of others, my own minor moments of suffering unfailingly pale in significance. From the Saints in Missouri being driven from their homes in the middle of winter to a colleague at work whose father recently died of cancer, life situations constantly remind me that suffering is inevitable.

Last Sunday in Relief Society the lesson included this story from President Henry B. Eyring:

Let me encourage you by telling you a story. It was told to me by my father. He told it with the intent to chuckle at himself. It was a story about his trying to do his duty, just the way you try to do your duty.

Now you have to know a little bit about my father. His name was Henry Eyring, like mine. He had done some of the things students of this university are preparing to be able to do. His work in chemistry was substantial enough to bring the honors some of you will someday have, but he was still a member of a ward of the Church with his duty to do. To appreciate this story, you have to realize that it occurred when he was nearly eighty and had bone cancer. He had bone cancer so badly in his hips that he could hardly move. The pain was great.

Dad was the senior high councilor in his stake with the responsibility for the welfare farm. An assignment was given to weed a field of onions, so Dad assigned himself to go work on the farm.

Dad never told me how hard it was, but I have met several people who were with him that day. I talked to one of them on the phone the other night to check the story. The one I talked to said that he was weeding in the row next to Dad through much of the day. He told me the same thing that others who were there that day have told me. He said that the pain was so great that Dad was pulling himself along on his stomach with his elbows. He couldn't kneel. The pain was too great for him to kneel. Everyone who has talked to me has remarked how Dad smiled, and laughed, and talked happily with them as they worked in that field of onions.

Now, this is the joke Dad told me on himself, afterward. He said he was there at the end of the day. After all the work was finished and the onions were all weeded, someone asked him, "Henry, good heavens! You didn't pull those weeds, did you? Those weeds were sprayed two days ago, and they were going to die anyway."

Dad just roared. He thought that was the funniest thing. He thought it was a great joke on himself. He had worked through the day in the wrong weeds. They had been sprayed and would have died anyway.

When Dad told me this story, I knew how tough it was. So I said to him, "Dad, how could you make a joke out of that? How could you take it so pleasantly?"

He said something to me that I will never forget, and I hope you won't. He said, "Hal, I wasn't there for the weeds."

Now, you'll be in an onion patch much of your life. So will I. It will be hard to see the powers of heaven magnifying us or our efforts. It may even be hard to see our work being of any value at all. And sometimes our work won't go well.

But you didn't come for the weeds. You came for the Savior. And if you pray, and if you choose to be clean, and if you choose to follow God's servants, you will be able to work and wait long enough to bring down the powers of heaven. (rest of the talk here)

I hope one day I'll learn to have a better attitude when I'm suffering instead of waiting to find the humor in retrospect. When I read stories like Job's or Joseph Smith's, I recognize that I've got a long way to go. I'd be the biggest hypocrite on earth if I tried I feign any sort of expertise in the suffering department; however, I can testify that God never leaves us alone when we're struggling. I've never been a big fan of the "Footprints in the Sand" story because it has become such a cliché, but the principle is certainly true.

Fear thou not: for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah 41:10