The Lord Can Touch Us and Make Us Shine
In the Book of Mormon, in the chapter of Ether, the story is told of a people that lived in the time of the Tower of Babel. The Lord promised to lead them from there to a place where they could live without their language being confounded. When they had completed building ships according to the Lord’s instructions, their leader, the brother of Jared, realized that they would have no light in their ships or barges. So, he turned to the Lord and the account is in Ether 2 through 6 of the Book of Mormon.
The Lord asked the brother of Jared, “Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?
“And it came to pass that the brother of Jared . . . went forth unto the mount . . . and did molten out of a rock sixteen small stones; and they were white and clear, even as transparent glass; and he did carry them in his hands upon the top of the mount, and cried again unto the Lord . . .
“And I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man; therefore touch these stones, O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness . . .
“Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this. We know that thou art able to show forth great power, which looks small unto the understanding of men.
“And it came to pass that when the brother of Jared had said these words, behold, the Lord stretched forth his hand and touched the stones one by one with his finger. . .
“And thus the Lord caused stones to shine in darkness, to give light unto men, women, and children, that they might not cross the great waters in darkness.”
Here we have a good example of how the Lord asks us to come up with a way to help ourselves, rather than to just automatically do something for us.
But I see this story as an example of how the Lord can take ordinary things—us frail, weak human beings and turn us into something better.
In a stake conference recently one of the high councilmen talked of how when he was a Young Men’s president years ago, he had some difficult dealings with one of the young men he was supervising. This young man got into a fight with another young man, and the father of the young man called this high councilman and really swore at him and caused a problem.
Years later this high councilor was called to be a bishop and asked to choose his counselors. While pondering on who to call, the name of this gentleman who had caused such a problem came to the high councilor. He tried and tried to deny the prompting because he had bad feelings about this gentleman, but he finally gave into prompting and submitted the name of this man to be his counselor. He turned out to be a wonderful counselor and truly made a difference.
Years later he discovered that at the time he was pondering who to call as his counselor, this gentleman had been going through an extremely difficult time. He had back pain that was so debilitating that he had decided to take his life if nothing happened in the next 24 hours. And it was in those 24 hours he was called to be a counselor to this new bishop and his life completely changed. He was touched by the Lord and his life was changed just as dramatically as the ordinary clear stones of the brother of Jared had been changed into incandescent light by the touch of the Lord.
This story really touched my heart and I thought of my children, and how their lives have been touched by the Lord in perhaps not so dramatic a manner, but in a similar manner. I think of my one daughter who sang at a graveside service for my stepmother recently. A gifted vocalist who has trained to perfect her singing, she has a way of bringing the spirit whenever she sings. As she sang, “Consider the Lilies,” a common song, the spirit of the Lord was so strong that many of those present were brought to tears.
One said, “I didn’t even like that song, but when you sang it, it was completely different. It touched me and it meant something very beautiful and meaningful.” The last refrain from that is very potent, “He will heal those who trust Him, And make their hearts as gold.”
There are many ways the Lord can touch our hearts, some profoundly and others more indirectly. Another daughter of mine loves to serve others. Whether it is dinners for the sick, shoveling snow for the elderly, or just helping someone who needs help, she is always there! Her heart has been touched with service, and many benefit from her kindness.
A son of mine loves others unconditionally. He is interested in people and loves to talk to them. He never judges others, speaks disparaging about them, or gossips. He always looks for the best in others, and never criticizes. He is a natural leader who cares personally for each employee. He also is a wonderful father who has raised children who are responsible and caring.
Another son of mine has been gifted with the power of healing. I have seen him use it in ways that bless other’s lives. One example was when my husband Ed’s emphysema became very bad in the spring of 2009. This son flew out to visit us, and he gave Ed a priesthood blessing. He promised Ed that he had a lot more things that he had to do in this life. My first thought was, “How can he say that when we know Ed probably doesn’t have much time to live?” I really was afraid to hope that Ed could get well, because the doctors had insisted there was nothing more they could do.
My heart was softened as Marlowe continued the blessing and told Ed to persevere and keep after the doctors to find answers to his medical problems. Months later his doctor recommended a lung transplant in California (the local hospital wouldn’t consider him for a transplant because he was too old). He received a lung transplant and his life was extended for almost five years; it was good quality of life, too, with us being able to travel to many places and for Ed to teach my family many things. This is just one example of his gift of healing.
My third son always loves to help others and truly cares for the people he works with. He is always there to help when he is needed, and he always helps friends willingly. He has a unique and comic personality, and he uses it to perform and lighten people’s hearts. His patriarchal blessing says, “Your personality is from the Lord. It is your gift from God. These things can be used to bring success in spiritual ways, and also temporal ways.” He blesses others in many ways.
There are many ways I have seen others touched by the Lord’s hand, and use their talents to help others. I have two artistically talented sisters whose artwork can really touch your heart and bring you closer to the Lord. I have brothers whose lives are anthems of kindness and service. One has been trained in social work and uses his skills to evaluate and help those less fortunate; he does it with loving concern, never looking down on people or feeling he is better than them.
How grateful I am that the Lord can “touch our hearts with gold,” or in other words, transform us as certainly as the Lord touched the ordinary clear stones of the brother of Jared and turned them into light.
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