15 July 2007 SWK #14 "Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before Me" by Sondra Soderborg

Our lesson Sunday was taught by Sondra Soderborg from the Spencer W. Kimball Manual Chapter 14: "Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before Me." Sondra still remembers the General Conference talk given by President Kimball "The False Gods We Worship" printed in the June 1976 Ensign. This was an important theme in his presidency. While preparing for this lesson, Sondra was impressed by a scripture in D&C 1:16. She felt that she needed to think about this verse during the youth conference trip to Palmyra. The phrase that jumped off the page when she read it was "walketh in his own way" and that this is equivalent to idolatry. She asked herself this question: "in what (small) ways am I interfering with my ability to worship God because of my willfulness?" She felt that with this question in mind, youth conference was a series of parables designed to answer that question for her.

First was the Parable of the Pants. Their youth conference "family" was assigned to go to the temple the first night. The youth were tired, and not particularly happy with dinner. One boys said "I'm not going." Sondra and Nathan wanted all of the youth in their group to go to the temple, so they sent him into the church with the others to change into temple-appropriate clothes. Minutes after the others had come out, this boy was still in the bathroom. Nathan went in after him, only to find him muttering to himself that he couldn't go to the temple because his church pants didn't fit. Somehow the wrong pair had been packed. Now that he was faced with the possibility of not being able to go to the temple, he realized that he wanted to go. He ended up wearing shorts with his church shoes, socks, shirt and tie, and was allowed to enter and participate in baptisms with the others. Sondra was struck by the realization that sometimes our willfulness gets in the way of what we actually want on a deeper level. She didn't particularly want to go to youth conference, but she knew that it was likely to be a good experience for her. When we stubbornly resist certain things, we can get in our own way of getting what we really want.

She didn't give a name to the second parable, but it could be the Parable of the Sacred Grove. Early on in the trip, they gathered their "family" to set goals together. Sondra had thought of some very concrete goals, such as taking responsibility for one's self, and keeping hands off others and their stuff. As she was explaining these goals to the group, a realization opened up in her mind that these temporal-seeming goals were in fact spiritual. She saw that without following principles of self-management, we limit our ability to feel the Spirit. As she tried to explain this to the youth, the Spirit was there, and led them to a discussion of more spiritual goals. One of the boys said that when they were in the Sacred Grove, they should have time alone, because it is a powerful spiritual place. Sondra felt herself clenching against this suggestion. When they go to the Grove, and they separated into small groups, she felt resistant. She had heard so many people talk about sacred experiences that increased their testimonies in the Grove, that having an experience like that seemed like a cliche, and she did not want to experience a cliche. But she did want to gain a stronger testimony of the restoration. Because she was thinking about this lesson during the trip, she was aware that her resistance to the Sacred Grove "experience" might be getting in her way. She was able to sense the temple-like atmosphere of that place, and was given a gift from the Spirit of a strengthened testimony of Joseph Smith that was very personal, not a cliche at all.

Being in Palmyra really helped her think about consecration and what it means to truly worship God. It struck her there that she is easily distracted by things that she spends time and energy on that really don't further the kingdom of God. She gives too much attention and respect to her own will [potato girl note: who doesn't?] She invited us to take a moment to think, what things are distracting you? Is there a false God in your life?

S.H. talked about how she read the lesson this week, and was struck by the story of President Kimball giving up his schooling to accept a calling in the Stake Presidency. She has recently decided to go back to school, and feels like this is the right decision for her, but worries about the time she spends away from her children. This week she's been really thinking about her true purpose and goals.

S.T. shared a story about her son-in-law, who was treated for cancer during the first year of his marriage. Shortly after the cancer went into remission, he and his wife decided to find a bigger house and start a family. Then he was called into the Bishopric. To accept the calling, he would have to give up his search for the new house he wanted. He decided that he could express his thanks to God for sparing his life by accepting the calling and staying in the tiny house.

Sondra told us that she has never been disappointed when she has made a choice that she thought the Lord wanted her to make. When we have chosen to serve the kingdom of God, we've been blessed so abundantly and miraculously. Trying to consecrate our lives is in fact an easier course. She referred us to this statement, which was on the board throughout the lesson:

"Because the exercise of faith has always appeared to be more difficult than relying on things immediately at hand, carnal man has tended to transfer his trust in God to material things."