"That We May Always Have His Spirit to Be with Us"

Today, Michelle Rackley taught a lesson based on Elder Bednar's April 2006 General Conference address: "That We May Always Have His Spirit to Be with Us." This was not the lesson scheduled for today, but Michelle explained that it was one of three lessons she had prepared over the past year and not been able to give, and it was the one she felt most strongly about sharing with us. To begin, Michelle asked if it is an overstatement to use the term always in reference to having the Spirit's presence with us. L. said that is exactly what we are promised when we are confirmed after our baptism. Michelle said that a bishop had told her that even members who have sinned seriously enough to be excommunicated from the church feel a loss of the Spirit at the time their blessings are revoked. L. said that for her, the key word in the phrase is not always but may--it is up to us to be worthy and willing to have the Spirit as our constant companion. S. said that even when she is not living right, she can still feel His guidance. J. said that the Spirit's presence can be like water. A person standing up to their neck in water in a swimming pool will not be as aware of the water as someone in a desert during a drought. Michelle said that the Spirit can be with us but we may not feel it or be aware of its presence.

Next, Michelle asked how we can ensure that the Spirit will always be with us. Here are her answers:

1) Ask for it, in prayer. We read Alma 34:18-27 aloud, noticing how many times we are instructed to pray in these verses. It helps if we can keep a prayer in our hearts.

2) Expect it, today. This has to do with exercising our faith. In Joseph Smith's History, he tells us that he had full confidence in obtaining divine manifestation. Do we have this kind of confidence when we pray? Are we praying but not expecting an answer?

3) Create it with our thoughts and actions through obedience. Are we expected to be perfect? G. said that perfection is expected, but not demanded. Michelle said that the scripture in Matthew when Jesus tells us to be perfect is hard for her to understand. Why would he say that when he knows that we are sinful? She shared a recent experience she had with prayer. After several very difficult weeks, she was praying for comfort and understanding. The thought came into her mind: "Do I expect you to be as perfect as President Hinckley?" Her answer was yes. The next thought was, "Do I expect you to be President Hinckley?" Her answer was no. Then, "Every day is a different day for you, and I expect different things on different days." She was left with a powerful awareness of God's love and mercy. He is so willing to tell us that we've done the best we could.

What gets in the way of us always having the Spirit? Michelle wrote her answer in bold letters in the middle of the board: LIFE. She told us that, honestly, when she thinks about life, sometimes all she can think of is negative things, such as fear, doubt, loneliness, heartache, illness, divorce, feeling overwhelmed, tiredness...in other words, pain and suffering. Our society, she said, teaches us to avoid pain at all costs. We've been taught that pain is bad. But is pain bad? L. said that at the time we are feeling the pain, it is bad, absolutely. A. said that it depends...she has learned from her husband, who is a doctor, that there are more than one kind of pain. Some kinds of pain are a warning. But there are other kinds of pain that do no harm to the body whatsoever. R. said that pain warns us that something does not work properly. It wears on us spiritually, and we have to learn to deal with it. Life is not the problem, she said, but how we react to it. M. said that she has experienced a great deal of emotional pain and suffering in her life, and that she used to wish that she could have someone else's life instead of her own. But now, realizing all that she has learned, and how far she has gotten because of those experiences, she would not trade them. If given the choice, she would choose her same life all over again.

Michelle had us read 2 Nephi 2:23, Lehi's final words to his children as he prepared for death. Referring to Adam and Eve he said, "...they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin." She asked us, can we feel joy without sadness? Can we know our Savior without trials?

Is there a difference between pain and suffering? R. answered yes, pain is physical; suffering is what we do with it. Michelle read us a dictionary definition of both. Pain is an unpleasant physical sensation. Suffering is distress and anguish. Is suffering a part of life? Sometimes. She asked K. to share her feelings during the time immediately after her husband's injury. K. said that we can turn pain into suffering. She spent a lot of time asking why, and agonizing about how life should have been for them. This caused her great suffering. When she was able to accept the reality of their new situation, the suffering was alleviated.

B. asked whether the suffering caused by mental or emotional illness is the same as what we were talking about. She explained that she has bipolar disorder, and that when she is depressed, she often asks, "why me?" She turns away from people, and she pushes away spiritual things. She is not sure when the suffering is caused by herself and her attitudes, or by her illness. K. responded that there is a difference between accepting what is in our life, and turning our backs on the promise of God's Spirit being with us always. Michelle told us that her own mother, like B., suffers from bipolar disorder, and does not take medication to treat it. Her illness gets in her way, and Michelle believes that God understands that.

Michelle agreed with what K. had said about acceptance affecting pain and suffering. God knew we would feel these trials, and gave us a way to heal. They have a purpose...to bring us closer to our Savior. Ask yourself: have you turned away from God, and thereby turned pain into suffering?

Michelle shared stories from the lives of three people that she has thought of repeatedly during her own struggles. The first is her brother. He experienced tremendous difficulty in a two-week period recently, including the return of his cancer, an unexpected emergency surgery, being evicted, moving in with his in-laws who do not approve of him, having his car break down, and breaking his foot. During this time, he was calling Michelle up to seven times a day for support. He was depressed, sad, and fearful. But at the same time, he acknowledged that God had provided every needful thing for him, and was able to list a number of specific blessings he had been given to help him get through this difficult time.

The second story is of a family that is close friends with Michelle's sister. Last year, the father lost his wife and three children in a car accident, leaving him all alone. He was praying one day, telling the Lord that he could not go on without his family, and that he wanted them back. The thought came into his mind, "you can have them back, but you would have to also give back all of the experiences you have had with the Savior since them, including his atonement, which will make it possible for you to be with them forever."

The third example is a family science professor at BYU. He used to be an atheist, and loved to make fun of Mormons. One day, he was prompted to read the Book of Mormon, and this led to his conversion and baptism. After that, he was inspired to get a Ph.D. from BYU. He left his job, sold his house in California, and moved his wife and children into a small apartment in family housing. Part way through his studies, he came to a point where he realized he had no job prospects whatsoever. He went to the temple and asked the Lord why he had guided him to this place. The answer he received was, "If you knew me, you would not ask why." This experience caused him to re-commit himself to knowing his Savior, and not shying away from experiences that would bring him closer to this goal.

In closing, Michelle shared her testimony with us. She told us how grateful she is for the promise that we can have the Spirit with us always. She hopes that through our trials we can get closer to the Savior, and eventually grow to be grateful for the pain we experience.