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Monday · 12 min
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
Your Own Wickedness Will Correct You by Autumn Dickson My family watched Treasure Planet last night. It was one of my favorite movies as a kid, and it was awesome sharing it with my kids last night. In the movie, we see Jim, a rebellious and angry teenager. His mom is trying to take care of him on her own because his father abandoned them, but Jim makes it pretty difficult. He is remarkably intelligent, but in the beginning, the image is formed that he has repeatedly gotten into trouble. His mother has no idea how to handle the situation because she can’t protect him by forcing him to choose a life that’s good for him. I don’t know about Jim’s mom, but I feel like I would be yelling at my child, “Why can’t you see?! Why can’t you see that there is a whole life out there worth building? There is so much happiness to take hold of! Please don’t do this. Please don’t throw away your life and enter a cycle that is very difficult to crawl out of.” The movie goes on and Jim has an awesome character arc and figures out his life and ends up taking care of his mother, but I can’t help but think about beginning-of-the-movie Jim. It doesn’t matter that he’s smart. It doesn’t matter that he has a home and food. It doesn’t matter that his mom loves him. It doesn’t matter that he has everything he needs to build a life worth living. Jim is headed towards his own destruction. He’s a step away from Juvenile Hall, and that doesn’t bother him. He’s too angry to make the kinds of choices that will build a worthwhile life. And in real life, we often find that kids who are choosing trouble have a hard time getting out of it later. Their life becomes plagued with addiction or past legal records that prevent them from moving on even when they want to. Needless to say, it was a very different experience watching this movie as a child in comparison to watching it as an adult. As a child, I empathized with Jim. As an adult, I obviously empathize with the mother. As I read the chapters for this week, my mind circled back to Jim and his mom again. I realized that Heavenly Father empathizes with Jim’s mother as well. In many ways, Israel is a rebellious teenager. They’re bent on choosing a path towards their own destruction, and Heavenly Father won’t force them to choose what’s right. Rather, He gets to sit and watch while His children reject the home, food, love, and blessings He has offered to them. Here is something He asks Jeremiah to tell them. Jeremiah 2:19 Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord God of hosts. Your wickedness will correct you. My fear is not in you. Let’s talk about those phrases in reverse order. The fact that they don’t have the fear of God in them once again reminds me of Jim’s mother. Jim did not see the wisdom of his mother’s words. He didn’t see her sacrifices. He didn’t see how hard she was working to take care of him and how his choices were deeply affecting her. He didn’t fear her. In modern language, he didn’t respect her. I think he loved his mom, but that awe and attunement to her wisdom was absent. And because he didn’t respect her, he didn’t listen. Movies are movies, and they often turn out differently than real life and so I will probably stop using Jim as an example at this point. In real life, that lack of respect means that we ignore God and His warnings, and eventually, that lack of respect is going to lead us into choices that will punish us. It will lead us to choices that will bring about our own destruction. Our wickedness will teach those difficult lessons. We see this with Israel, and more relevantly, we see this in our own society. There are a million examples of how ignoring the words of the Lord can lead to heartbreak, and yet, we don’t fear Him. We think we know what we’re doing. We think we can handle it. Everyone who is pushing for the Lord’s words is just judgy, and the world suffers for it. I give one example. I went to a wedding that had alcohol a few years ago. The wedding was nice. Everything was fine. The reception started afterwards. And at first, it was still all fine. I absolutely LOVE dancing, and I got to dance like crazy. It was a ton of fun. But by the end of the night, I started to see some weird things happening. Married spouses were dancing a little too friendly with each other. One of those married spouses tried dancing a little too close to me, and I dipped out. I didn’t see anything happen that would likely break up a marriage in a night. But I did see very skewed boundaries. I saw a lot of people making decisions that they wouldn’t make otherwise. I saw behaviors that would breed worry and distrust. I honestly haven’t been around alcohol much in my life despite growing up in Texas, and so this was really the first time that I saw how alcohol can affect a person firsthand. I understand that there are a million marriages out there that are fine despite two adults drinking alcohol. I also know that a majority of my personal friends (I suppose I can’t speak for every single one of those friends) have had at least one deeply difficult experience happen to them under the influence of alcohol. And dare I say it… they were destructive experiences. There were stupid situations that would have never happened without alcohol. Despite the fact that they didn’t enter their evening with malicious intent and despite the fact that they’re wonderful, incredible human beings, and despite the fact that those experiences shouldn’t have happened, those destructive experiences did happen. Surely we should be able to go out into the world 100% vulnerable, but that is not the world that we live in. The Lord is wise. He knows this. He knows the danger. He tries to protect us. When we don’t recognize His love and omnipotence, when we don’t respect Him and all that He has to offer in our lives, when we ignore His warnings and protective barriers, then it is more likely that we will find difficult and destructive experiences. That is not to victim-blame. If you’ve had alcohol and found yourself in that kind of destructive experience, you didn’t deserve what was coming to you. I sincerely believe that. You’re not morally abhorrent. You didn’t ask for it. Rather, I use these principles to warn those who come after. Listen to the Lord. He knows what He’s talking about. You can do everything right, and bad things can still happen, but those protective barriers keep out much of the harm. I will preach what could potentially prevent harm. Listen to Him! He’s not trying to boss you around for fun. He’s not bossing you around because He’s a narcissist. He doesn’t punish you because you offended His ego by not listening. He is trying to protect you against very real, negative influences in the world. He’s trying to prevent pain that isn’t necessary to your growth. I testify that the Lord loves you. He is watching you. He is watching the situation of the world around you. He seeks to protect you. Following Him has been nothing but a blessing in my life. I am so, so grateful for His wise counsel. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.
Friday · 12 min
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 58–66 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
What is the “acceptable year of the Lord?” by Autumn Dickson In Isaiah 61, we find a mission statement for Jesus Christ. In those verses, Christ talks about the reason His Father sent Him here to the earth. There are many prophecies about Jesus Christ, but He chose this prophecy specifically when the time came for Him to announce His divine Sonship and mission during His mortal life. Isaiah 61:1-2 1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; There is one phrase in particular that I want to talk about: “to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” I did not understand what this specific phrase meant until this study. The year is not a calendar 365 day year. Rather it is a word to describe a season of God’s grace, redemption, and favor. It is acceptable because it aligns with God’s merciful will for His children. Christ’s life was that season of grace. It also holds allusions to a very specific ritual in the Law of Moses: the year of Jubilee. This was a radical social and economic practice that is detailed in Leviticus 25. Essentially, every 7th year was a Sabbath year where the land would rest and not be farmed, and debts and slaves were given relief. After 7 cycles of 7 years (the 50th year) on the 10th day of the 7th month, a ram’s horn would blow. With that blow of the ram’s horn, some incredible things would happen. Any land that had been sold or leased or lost due to debt or poverty would revert back to the original family owners. The land belonged to God, not individuals. This prevented permanent loss of family inheritance and cycles of generational poverty. Individuals could not actually sell their land permanently because they believed the land belonged to God; they could only lease the land and the right to harvest the crops. The year of Jubilee would end all leases so when people were leasing out the land to cover financial hardship, they would agree on a price depending on how many harvests were left before the Jubilee. Going along with the land debt reversion, Hebrew indentured servants (people who had to sell themselves in order to service to pay debts) were set free and returned to families and ancestral lands. You couldn’t lose your inheritance or yourself. There was also a land reset. The land would rest for a second year (the normal 7th year cycle and then the 50th year); there was no sowing, reaping, or harvesting. This signalled deep trust in God’s provision. People ate what naturally grew from the fields, and there was a promise of bountiful harvest in the sixth year to cover the needs of the people. First of all, what a cool concept. What incredible protections for His people. They could work hard and keep their dignity and take care of their debts, but they couldn’t permanently lose everything. That is definitely a year of Jubilee, an acceptable year of the Lord. Unfortunately, the people didn’t really follow this part of the Law of Moses. It was never regularly or successfully implemented in ancient Israel. However, Jubilee can be applied on the most important level whenever we desire. It can happen spiritually. When we observe the mortal life and mission of Jesus Christ, we can see why the announcement of the beginning of the Lord’s ministry would also be called an acceptable year of the Lord. Because of Jesus Christ, we do not have to permanently lose our ancestral inheritance for ourselves or for future family members. We are given new opportunities to live lives that are as rich as anyone else’s. Permanent loss was completely prevented even if there were seasons of hardship and servitude and repentance; you can’t permanently lose everything. And because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, our families are protected as well. We see spiritual poverty amongst families all the time. The children suffer because of what their parents lost. In a world without Christ’s atonement, justice would still take everything from these children despite the fact that they were set up for failure. The atonement allows Christ to judge mercifully and circumstances into account rather than holding hard, fast lines of justice. Indentured servants were freed. Not only could you not lose your inheritance, you didn’t have to lose yourself. You could be your own steward again. No one could keep racking up debts against and keep you indentured forever. Think about what that meant for a person who went through these celebrations of Jubilee. You walk away from that indentured servitude, hopefully grateful to God for setting up a society that prevented you from being a slave forever. Hopefully, you walked away with the understanding that God’s foresight and planning allowed for you to come home. Hopefully, you recognize His grace, rejoice in His goodness, and work to be a good steward. You look at your freedom compared with your servitude, and you choose to do something worthwhile with that freedom. And then, of course, the land reset. We rejoice in the freedom offered to us. Every Jubilee year, the poor would theoretically (since it wasn’t really fully implemented) be given this deep sense of awe and gratitude at the Lord’s mercy. However, it’s not just the poor who rely on the Lord. Even the rich need the Lord, and the land reset would have given them an opportunity to learn that same lesson: their deep dependence on the mercy of the Lord. In a year of no sowing, reaping, or harvesting, they had to trust that the Lord would do exactly as He promised. He would provide for them. I testify that the acceptable year of the Lord has come. Because of Christ’s mortal ministry, servants are freed, inheritances are restored, and none of us need be in permanent poverty. We have a deep dependence on the Lord regardless of whether we spend entire sabbatical Sabbath years allowing the land to rest. Recognizing that deep dependence is a blessing for us. It gives a safety net in a world that can take everything. I am so grateful for what Christ paid to bring about this Jubilee. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 58–66 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.
October 12 · 11 min
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 58–66 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
Fasting is Not Just About Food by Autumn Dickson Do you feel like you’re doing everything right but find yourself overwhelmed with your own burdens? Do you feel like you’re doing everything the Lord wants you to do, but He is silent and not noticing? Because the Lord has a response for you chapter 58. There are many ways that the Lord responds to these kinds of questions and feelings, so internalize this message with wisdom. He may be speaking to you, or maybe He sent this message to me this week because it was exactly what I needed to hear. So the Lord starts out Isaiah chapter 58 with a plea to Isaiah. He asks His prophet to call the people to repentance. They “seek (Him) daily” and “forsook not the ordinance of their God.” In other words, they do what the gospel tells them to do. They go through the motions and ordinances of the gospel. But despite this, the Lord had commanded Isaiah to preach repentance to them. The people don’t like that very much so in verse 3, we find a response from them and then another response from the Lord. Isaiah 58:3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. The people are like, “Hey! We fast! Why don’t you notice that? We suffered, and you refuse to see it.” And the Lord responds with, “On your fasting day, you’re still seeking after your own pleasure.” The chapter continues on calling them out for fasting and purposefully suffering or for seeking themselves. That is not the fast the Lord has chosen. He didn’t ask us to fast so that we could afflict our souls. He asks us to fast to change us. Isaiah 58:6-7 6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? The Lord didn’t ask the Israelites to fast for funsies. It’s not about making His people suffer. As always, the Lord’s commandments are FOR us, not to punish us or make us appear righteous. The Lord asked them to fast to inspire them to be better. He wants them to see what it’s like to be hungry and take care of other people. When we fast correctly, the Lord is proud of us, but it’s more than that. We don’t go through the motions and look up for a pat on the head. The idea is to fast, let it change us and help us see the world through an entirely different perspective, and then gratitude springs up spontaneously for the opportunity to see through His eyes. It’s not about suffering enough so He can tell us we can finally go play. It’s about soul-deep satisfaction coming from more important aspects of life. This message is not just about fasting. It is an example of a bigger problem for the Israelites. I’ve gotten really caught up in my own problems lately. I am hyper-focused on the stressors we’re facing, and my worries have definitely been dragging down. I keep trying to have faith, and while I think the Lord is pleased with me for that, it hasn’t always been effective. I still end up worried again after my mini-spiritual breakthroughs where the Lord assures me. On Sunday, the Spirit whispered to me thatI was doing it wrong. Instead of focusing on trying to be okay with my own stress, I simply need to focus on someone else. My eyes should be looking for others who need encouragement. One of the most effective ways to free myself from carrying the burden of my own problems is to focus on helping someone else carry theirs. I know this but seem to forget it often. So I pleaded with the Lord to send someone for me to serve. I didn’t want to focus on me anymore. I wanted to change and turn outwards because I wanted to be like Him. Despite everything on my plate that already feels like it’s swallowing me whole, I asked for more service. That’s when the Lord opened my eyes a second time. I didn’t need new service opportunities. To be perfectly honest, a majority of my life is spent in service right now between mothering, being a wife, sharing my testimony online, and regular church service. I have plenty of service opportunities already. I have plenty of people who need me already. Like the Israelites, I was seeking Him daily, and I wasn’t forsaking the ordinances. Unfortunately, I was simultaneously fixated on myself. I was still seeking after my own pleasure in the midst of “fasting” and doing everything I was supposed to be doing. I feel like He sends me this message a lot. You would think I’d learn my lesson, but I take comfort in the fact that He repeated this lesson to Israel and they struggled with it too. This is not the fast that He chose for me. He chose a fast where I am legitimately investing myself into others, not just checking off a list. I find it especially powerful that the Lord states at the end of those verses, “hide not thyself from thine own flesh.” Heaven knows I’ve been doing everything required of me, but I’ve also been sneaking away and hiding in my room to try and get a grip on my own stress and worries. I was literally hiding from my own flesh to try and get a break! That’s not to say it’s not appropriate to take breaks or that we should completely lose ourselves. The true difference is that we need to stop seeking after ourselves. That path gets us nowhere. It doesn’t help anyone. Nobody feels better including yourself! My kids can feel that I’m distracted and trying to hide from them, and I get wrapped up in my own problems. This is not the fast that He chose for me. It could be easy to say, “He wanted so much more FROM me,” and to feel more overwhelmed. I think it is just as accurate to say, “He wanted so much more FOR me.” I testify that Christ wants us to invest our hearts. He gave us commandments and fasting and ordinances, but not as an end-product. He gave us those things so we could change and find joy. I testify that everything Christ gives is to bring about His ultimate purpose of our eternal joy. Follow Him! Lose yourself in service to Him and others. It is so joyful. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 58–66 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.
October 9 · 10 min
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 50–57 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
He Has Done Much More With Much Less by Autumn Dickson Are you feeling completely torn down? Are you feeling discouraged about what you have to offer? Do you feel hollowed out after a time of refining fire? Isaiah includes many warnings to Israel. The Lord allowed them to be smitten and scattered and left without anchor for a while in order to turn them back to Him. These warnings are good reminders for us in our day as they can contribute to our desire to repent. We can observe patterns and try to avoid the same traps. But Isaiah also includes many words of comfort about the Savior. Isaiah reminds Israel of the promises that were made to them so long ago. These words of comfort and promises are equally applicable in our lives. Isaiah 51 is one of these chapters filled with promises and encouragement from the Lord. Israel is finding itself completely torn down, discouraged, and hollowed out. They are not a mighty people any longer. They have been scorned and trampled on. Here is where the Lord starts to lift them up again. Isaiah 51:1 Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. The rock in scripture often refers to the Savior, but in this particular chapter, the Lord is referring to someone else. Isaiah 51:2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him. The rock and hole of the pit are Abraham and Sarah. Why is the Lord telling Israel to look unto Abraham and Sarah at this particular point in the timeline? Surely they were good examples of righteousness, but the Lord’s encouragement is a bit more purposeful than that. He is essentially telling Israel, “You feel hopeless about Israel? Look at where you came from! Abraham and Sarah were one couple, just one! They were completely alone, separated from family and any society they had known, but I chose them. They were childless, but I turned them into a great nation. If I can work with them, scorned and downtrodden and alone, then I can work with you. If I can multiply them into a mighty nation, then I can multiply whatever I need to with you.” Isaiah wants Israel to remember that their entire nation came from something that the world would have labelled as “nothing.” How can we take Isaiah’s advice? How can we look unto the rock from whence we have been hewn? We can look directly at Abraham and Sarah, but there have been many mighty miracles performed on behalf of the Lord’s fallen, bereft people. There are examples all throughout the scriptures of the Lord taking care of His people and making something from nothing, but there are also stories in our personal and family histories that we can look to for comfort, encouragement, and hope. There was a time when Conner and I found ourselves in some financial trouble. We had just made a significant investment and within a couple of weeks of that investment, found ourselves with some unexpected bills. We were in a rather large deficit every month, and we had no idea how we were going to make it work. We explored all of the options we could think of with little success. I talked to my sister during that time period, and she told me some of those miraculous tithing stories from our own family. My parents couldn’t afford their electric bill and a clerical error meant that they didn’t get an electrical bill for several months; the gigantic bill hit right when my father got a commission. My sister couldn’t pay one of her bills until someone felt a huge prompting to hand her an envelope of money with almost exactly how much she needed. My sister told me something profound alongside these miraculous stories, “The Lord’s math is not our math.” He calculates things very differently and has an abundance from which to bless us. Just look at what the Lord can do with so little. Now, I used financial examples, but this goes for anything you feel lost on. There have been times in my life where I swear the Lord has paused the clock, and I have found myself with extra pockets of desperately needed time. I have found this to be true in terms of my abilities, strength, endurance, and faith. His math has not been my math. He can make a mighty nation from a forlorn, childless, lost couple. He can make me whatever I need to be. 1 Nephi 17:50 And I said unto them: If God had commanded me to do all things I could do them. If he should command me that I should say unto this water, be thou earth, it should be earth; and if I should say it, it would be done. If God commanded me to do ALL things, I could do them. Don’t look at your lack. Look at God’s abundance. This is all very easy for Him. That doesn’t mean He’s going to make it easy on you because that would take away from His eternal purposes of turning you into something glorious, but don’t be afraid of having nothing to offer. He can work with nothing but humility and a desire to follow Him. What is wonderful about the specific example of Abraham and Sarah is that the Lord blessed them according to their desires. They wanted posterity so desperately. This wasn’t just about multiplying them for His own purposes. He multiplied them and gave them according to their deepest hopes and dreams. He started with a rejected husband and a barren wife and gave them enough posterity to fill the entire world. I testify that it doesn’t matter what kind of deficit or fragility or brokenness you bring to the table. The Lord can turn it into a mighty nation. He can turn you into a “mighty nation.” He can multiply and multiply and multiply and fulfill your deepest desires and hopes and dreams. You don’t need to fear having nothing. He can work with that if you turn to Him. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 50–57 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.
October 5 · 12 min
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 50–57 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
As If He Nailed Himself to the Cross by Autumn Dickson In Isaiah 50, we find a profound message of Christ’s voluntary suffering. Not only does He suffer for us, but He does so completely willingly. There is a very careful message being given. The words are meticulously chosen so that we can understand the exact nature of what Christ truly did for us. In the beginning, Christ rebukes Israel and declares that He never sold them out. He has only ever been loyal to them. He demands that they show Him the proof that He supposedly left them. He then goes on to talk about His majesty and power. His hand is not shortened. He can redeem and deliver. He can dry up the sea and rivers. He clothes the heavens. He is God. After declaring how powerful He is, He declares the following. Isaiah 50:6-7 6 I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. 7 For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. Here, the Lord says He gives his back to the smiters. He gave His cheeks to those who pulled out the hair. He didn’t turn away from shame or spitting. This is significant placement. The Lord is literally telling us, “I am so incredibly powerful, but I gave myself over to this humiliation and torture. I gave it, and only I could give it because I am so powerful. It could not be taken from me.” In verse 7, the Lord knows He is not alone or confused; He knows exactly what has been asked of Him. This phrase also clues us in: “I set my face like a flint.” In other words He is saying, “I’m not a victim. They attack me, but I am not a victim. I have power, and I am resolute. I insist on doing this.” This is the very definition of voluntary suffering. For all intents and purposes, He basically walked into the hands of the Jewish temple authorities and put the cuffs on by Himself. He whipped Himself. He put the crown of thorns on His own head. Everyone was so weak and powerless against Him that it was as if He nailed Himself to the cross. I do not say this to excuse the guilty parties; I merely point out the fact that Christ’s suffering and death were voluntary. Think about what that means for a moment in terms of Judas. Judas betrayed Him, but Christ wasn’t tortured and killed because of Judas. Imagine for a moment, what is truly going on in Christ’s heart. I can’t be sure because His mind is not my own, but I wonder if some of His thoughts included, “Why are you doing this Judas? I am choosing to suffer and die on behalf of the world. This is not because you actually held any power. But despite my own insistence on suffering on behalf of the children of God, it hurts that you would betray me. I loved you. You were my friend. You betrayed me.” Judas had no true power to hurt Jesus other than the emotional damage he caused by his betrayal. Now we’re going to change course here, and it may feel abrupt but stick with me. In Christian traditions, Isaiah 50 is a prophecy about Jesus Christ. This makes sense, and this is how we study this chapter. However, in Jewish tradition, it is believed to be a prophecy about the Israelites. The Israelites are the servants of the Lord who have access to His power but fall under oppression anyway. Because Isaiah’s words often have dual meanings, we can explore both traditions. This prophecy is about Christ, and yet, can it also be about us as a type of Christ? There are three parts of this sacrifice that I want to talk about in relation to our following Christ’s example: willingness, love, and salvation. The first aspect is willingness. Are we willing to suffer on behalf of another person? Are we willing to let go of our selfishness? I think there are many forms this can take. If the world looked at the relationship between the Savior and any of us individually, they would describe the relationship as toxic. Christ would be encouraged to cut us off, to not put up with that kind of disloyalty anymore. But what if the world were a bit more patient with each other? Obviously there are appropriate times to step away from a toxic relationship. Christ would temporarily step away from Israel when they refused Him. Christ encouraged Nephi to leave his brothers. However, I think that line has been brought over too far in our modern society. The world has refused to tolerate flaws and mistakes in the name of fairness and self care. We mock and belittle instead of reaching out with love to try and reach someone who is capable of changing. I think the willingness to suffer a bit in the name of helping somebody change has greatly diminished. Sometimes that suffering comes in the form of patience when you have your own stuff to worry about. Sometimes that suffering comes in the form of continuing forgiveness while the other person figures things out. Christ was willing to suffer for us despite our not deserving it. Are we willing to follow Him and offer others the same grace even at the expense of ourselves? The second one is love. This one is actually critical because suffering at the expense of another person is not about developing a martyr complex. Sometimes love looks like turning the other cheek, letting go of demanded progress, or continually forgiving. Sometimes love looks like pointing out things that are not right. Love can help determine how to react in any given situation, and it can also prevent and heal bitterness. When we think we’re constantly sacrificing ourselves, it can lead to resentment. I have found that love, not martyrdom, is the answer to that resentment. True love that you feel in your bones, not just acting like you love someone. Love is key. The last one is salvation. The definition of salvation can mean different things. It can be expanded or narrowed down. Traditionally, we think of salvation as Christ offering us grace and living with Him again. I tend to expand that definition. Salvation is all of the joy that Christ offers. Christ is the only One who earned salvation, and yet, would salvation be salvation without His family? If He had refused to suffer on our behalf, would He have gotten lonely and missed us? When we choose to be selfless and truly loving (not just going through loving motions), we are offering others salvation and we are also offering that salvation to ourselves. Not in the sense that we can pay for our own salvation but in the sense that we find an enlightened life full of the things that Christ wants for us. This way of life, following Christ’s example, helps us receive the joy and peace that Christ has always tried to offer us. I testify that Christ was willing to suffer. I testify that His willingness to suffer saved us and brought Him joy in the sense that He got His loved ones back. I testify that He is all-powerful, not a victim. I testify that following His example can help to save others by offering them the grace of Christ, and I also testify that following His example can bring us joy. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 50–57 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.
October 2 · 12 min
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 40–49 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
Become Living Evidence by Autumn Dickson In the last post for this week, we talked about the Lord calling out idols for being useless. He challenges them to prophesy or explain past things as He does. He invites Israel to come and judge with Him. He tells them to come and see whether these manmade idols have any worth, to discern for themselves that the Lord is the only God. He does that in Isaiah 43 again, but there is a little addition that I want to cover. Isaiah 43:9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth. So the Lord is telling the nations to gather together and his people to assemble and observe. He then asks the nations, “Which of you can declare the future or show us the past? Bring your witnesses.” Then He adds this: Isaiah 43:10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. So in the previous chapter, the Lord is like, “Israel come and judge and see if these idols are worth anything.” They are the observers, the jury. In this chapter, He is calling upon Israel as His witness to stand before the world and testify. They are no longer the jury, listening and observing and trying to discern truth. They have been called to be witnesses and share the truth. I love the transition from jury to witness. I think observing the differences between jury duty and the call to be a witness can help us understand our responsibilities. As part of the jury, you are largely silent. You’re listening and observing. You’re showing up to see, paying close attention, observing patterns, and seeking the truth, but no one is asking for your opinion immediately. The Lord asks you to be the jury first. Have you done this part? Did you show up to see? Did you come with impartiality? Did you take your role seriously or are you caught up in other responsibilities? Do we understand the gravity of what we’ve been asked to observe? Being a part of the jury is an essential first step, but it’s not the end. You’re not just here on earth to observe. You’re here to become. I’m going to repeat that because it comes into play later. You’re here to become. If you have fulfilled your role as jury, do you feel prepared to step into your new role as witness? There are two definitions of “witness.” The first definition is, “a person who sees an event.” As a witness in a court room, it’s your job to tell the truth about what you’ve observed. Do you know what you’re talking about? Do you present yourself well? Can they feel the truthfulness of your words? When you really think about a scenario in the courtroom, the jury is trying to discover the truth of the matter. In this case, they’re trying to determine whether God truly is the only God. When you share your testimony, they’re not just collecting information. People will be listening to your testimony, but what they are truly judging is your credibility. They are making judgment calls about who you are. Which actually leads me to the second definition of “witness.” The second definition (a definition I didn’t originally think of) is more interesting to me. A witness is also “evidence, proof.” A witness is not just someone who gives evidence; a witness can be the evidence. Standing as a witness means talking about our observations of Jesus Christ, but standing as a witness also means being the evidence or proof of Jesus Christ. There are a few interesting ideas surrounding this idea of being the evidence. Let’s talk about two of them. Idea one: What does it look like to be evidence of Jesus Christ? Honestly, I think it looks like being filled with joy. We live our lives in a certain way. We are a peculiar people, but more importantly, we feel confident in His promises and that brings joy and peace. That means on some days, I’m waking up and praying and feeling joyful for all I’ve been given. On other days, I wake up and lean on Him for comfort in the dark times. It doesn’t mean persistent, fake happiness. It means a fulfilling, hopeful, peaceful life. It also means a life of integrity. People can trust you. You’re consistent in doing good and loving others. And honestly, this is really where I found my own “evidence” of Christ: in becoming the evidence. I have collected plenty of spiritual experiences throughout my life. I had heard little whispers of the spirit, and I used to cling to those to try and prove my testimony. Unfortunately, I still found myself with doubts. That changed significantly when I became the evidence instead of trying to collect it. I have this relationship with Him that is very real. He has changed my life for the better. Idea two: Becoming the witness (evidence) came from sharing my witness. I found my relationship with Christ by sharing what I did know. I knew of Him before. I had experiences with Him. I had beliefs and misconceptions and internalizations surrounding Him. But choosing to invest time and energy into sharing what I knew about Him invited Him into my life, and now He’s my Friend. It turned me into a more active participant in our relationships and therefore, strengthened our relationship. He is already the active party in your relationship. He is fully committed regardless of what you’re currently choosing. If you want to reap the benefits, you simply have to engage. So stand up from being the jury and choose to be a witness. It will change you into the evidence of Christ, and it is the most satisfying experience. I testify of Christ. I testify that my life has become evidence of who He is. Look at how He has changed me. Where I was miserable and distraught before, I am now full of gratitude and joy. Where I was uncertain and scared, I am now full of hope for the future. It is a joyous experience. It has filled my life with light and given me purpose and confidence. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 40–49 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.
September 28 · 14 min
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 40–49 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
The Lord Invites Us to Discern by Autumn Dickson Isaiah 41 has a couple of different messages from the Lord to Israel, but there is one in particular that I want to focus on. In order to do that, I want to squish a couple of verses together. Isaiah 41:1 Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment. The Lord is telling the pagans to remain quiet. He is calling upon His own people to come to Him, renew their strength, and come together to judge. Rather than declaring His role as Ultimate Judge, this verse is inviting Israel to come discern with Him. He wants to work with Israel and help them see more clearly. As the chapter continues on past this verse, the Lord says that He will take care of Israel. He won’t forsake them. He will uphold them and nurture them, and He wants Israel to recognize Him as their Savior. Then He calls upon the pagan idols to defend themselves. Perhaps this is what the Lord wants Israel to judge. Isaiah 41:21-23 21 Produce your cause, saith the Lord; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob. 22 Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come. 23 Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together. He is telling the idols to prove themselves. He wants the idols to prophecy or explain things that have already happened. When I picture these verses together, I picture the Lord setting His people down beside Him. He is telling His people, “Come and make a judgment call with me. Come see what you think.” Then He turns to the silent idols that have been created by mankind and asks them to prove themselves. He wants to see if those idols can do what He can, namely prophecy of things to come or explain history. He mockingly tells the idols to prove that they are gods so that He and His people can be dismayed and see things clearly, that the idols are worthless. One of God’s great gifts is the ability to discern. He can look at a person or thing and recognize the value or lack of value therein. We came here to become like Him which means developing the ability to discern. In this chapter, the Lord is calling upon His people to come and discern with Him. Surely there have been times where the Lord has been like, “Israel! What are you doing?! These idols are so worthless!” But in this particular instance, He is calling upon Israel to come and sit with Him so they can all discern together. If Israel were to truly come to the table and work with the Lord, I’m sure they would come to the same conclusion as Him. It’s an effective way of teaching, and it is often the kind of teaching the Lord operates under when it comes to the Plan of Salvation. He gives us an opportunity to judge for ourselves. He sent us here to earth to learn the good from the bad and learn to recognize the difference. He lets us stumble and fall so we can (hopefully) develop good judgment. When Israel turned to idols, He allowed them to be smitten by their enemies so they wouldn’t wrongfully attribute their protection to those idols. This strategy has caused Him a lot of pain. It means that we will make mistakes that the Lord has to pay for. It means that we will hurt ourselves and others, and though He has an eternal perspective, it can hurt to watch your children hurt. It means that He has to watch us choose others over Him despite His undying loyalty and payment. It means that despite His eternal, omnipotent life being centered on us and our well-being, He often gets called the bad guy. He allows us to choose so that we can truly learn despite all that it costs Him. How often do we emulate that when we’re called to be an example or teach our loved ones? Lately, I’ve gotten over being a constant referee to my kids. When I solve one problem for them, they come to me for every problem. It’s ineffective and inefficient. They want me to solve everything. It eats away at all of my time, and they are never quite satisfied with my choices in disciplining their siblings who have treated them wrong. They also don’t learn to solve their own problems. So I’ve switched tactics. Like the Lord, I want my kids to mature and be able to choose well in the situations they’re given. As they grow older, they’re going to find themselves in situations where other people don’t treat them well. Will they be prepared to face those situations if I’m solving everything at home? Maybe I’m crazy for approaching things this way, but constantly breaking up fights wasn’t working before so I’ve switched tactics. I’ll let you know later if my methods result in my kids going to jail or becoming peacemakers. Anyway, my new method involves letting them learn the hard way, and I allow them to fight for a while. I obviously don’t let it escalate too badly, but I don’t stop things immediately anymore. I try to ignore the pressure to directly respond to every bad choice my kids make. We often think of idols as the things that Israelites worshiped, or we think of money or power. However, idols can be something as simple as anger. Humans will resort to anger in hopes that it will protect them, comfort them, and fix their problems. Humans turn anger into their ineffective savior, their idol. So now instead of stopping the situation and removing the option of anger, I give them an opportunity to see that anger is a pathetic idol. Did their anger work? Are they feeling happy now? The answer is never yes. This principle, this idea of looking at the idols in your life and judging whether they work, is a powerful one. There are many directions I could have chosen for this principle, and there are many ways that you can apply this principle. Are there idols in your life that could use some discerning? Are you removing opportunities for your loved ones to discern their own idols? Have you helped them walk through the process of discerning their idols instead of immediately condemning them? I testify that agency is a gift. It’s an essential gift that can be used as a powerful tool for growth. I testify that the Lord works hard to protect that agency because He knows that constantly telling us isn’t nearly as effective as learning the truth for ourselves. I testify that He is wise and that idols are pathetic compared to Him and the happiness He has to offer. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 40–49 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.
September 26 · 11 min
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 13–14; 22; 24–30; 35 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
Choosing Faith Beforehand by Autumn Dickson Have you ever felt quiet confidence in the Lord? What did that look like? What were you doing in your life that you felt that way? Do you still feel it? Isaiah 30 warns Israel that they will be scattered for rejecting the prophets and trusting in Egypt. The children of Israel want the prophets to “prophecy not” and to “speak unto us smooth things.” They want the seers to “see not,” and they want prophets to “prophesy deceits.” They want lies from the prophets so they can hold on to their wickedness a bit longer without any annoyances or interruptions. They prefer their temporary wickedness to hard truths that will ultimately benefit them. They’d rather roll over in the mud where they will rot rather than getting up and getting cleaned off. And the Lord is distraught over it. Isaiah 30:15 For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not. Ye would not. You refused the returning, rest, quietness, and confidence. Have you ever refused the happy ending He wanted to give? Have you ever refused to put stock in the happy ending that He promised to give? Perhaps you were too afraid to put weight on it, but ironically, it just robbed you of more positive feelings. Did you ever think about choosing faith and confidence before He sends the answer or fixes the problem? It is a powerful thing to choose faith beforehand. It is a powerful thing to voluntarily shove your fear away, dig deep, and stand still, waiting for the Lord’s arm to be revealed. It is a powerful thing to say, “The Lord has not personally assured me yet, but I’m assuring me because I believe in the Lord.” It was powerful when David laid everything on the line to go and fight Goliath despite the fact that he didn’t pray about it beforehand. It was powerful when the widow of Zarephath made a little cake for Elijah before she received any kind of confirmation that she would get unending supplies of food for the duration of the famine. It was powerful when Nephi walked into Jerusalem to get the plates without knowing what the plan was. It was powerful to watch Hezekiah hold still inside Jerusalem before he knew an angel would show up and destroy the Assyrian army. Choosing faith without knowing the plan is powerful. Some of the biggest miracles in the scriptures came when people showed faith before the Lord showed up directly. And many of these miracles are loud and impressive and we love to read about them. But there are also quiet miracles that come when we’ve chosen to put our trust in God. It is the miracle of return, rest, quietness, and confidence. These feelings really are miracles in a day and age when peace shall be taken from the earth. It is miraculous when we feel calm and content when all evidence points to the contrary. That is true power. It is powerful when Satan can’t touch our peace because it is firmly planted in the Lord where it is safe. It is powerful when opposition and uncertainty can’t break it because the trust has already been chosen. One of my oft-repeated, favorite stories is when my daughter showed her faith in my husband. I am rather convinced that Conner can fix anything. Apparently, my children have adopted the same attitude. I was standing in our kitchen one day, very pregnant, and I turned to Conner and said, “I think my water may have just broken.” From the other room, Evelyn yelled, “It’s okay, mom! Dad can fix it!” Evelyn obviously didn’t know what had just broken, but it didn’t matter to her. She believed her dad could fix it. Imagine the power that could come if we had that faith in the Lord. If anything bad happens, our immediate, knee-jerk reaction is, “It’s okay. Father can fix that.” When we reach the point where our knee-jerk reaction is that Heavenly Father can fix anything, we find what the Lord is trying to offer: returning, rest, quietness, and confidence. He has offered those gifts. He has fixed things and proved Himself. He continually tries to convince us to trust these promises, but only we can make the decision whether to choose the faith ahead of time. So what are you facing right now? What is eating at you? What keeps you up at night? What holds up a huge portion of your mental energy? Write it down at the top of a piece of paper and underline it. Then, underneath it, write down every adjacent promise to that problem. Write down everything He has covenanted to deliver to you. Write down all of His characteristics that are relevant. Have you had any similar problems before? What happened? How did He help take care of them? Sometimes finding returning, rest, quietness, and confidence doesn’t come from clinging desperately until your muscles ache and the problem blows over and you feel like you can breathe again. Returning, rest, quietness, and confidence can come in the middle of the storm when you choose to believe in the end of the storm. Sure, you’ll still feel the blowing but your heart and mind are at rest. I testify that the Savior can fix it. I testify that you don’t have to hold on for dear life because He is holding on to you, and He is stronger than any storm. You just have to choose to trust in that strength and you will find the quiet. I testify that it is possible to choose faith when evidence points to the contrary. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 13–14; 22; 24–30; 35 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.
September 21 · 15 min
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 13–14; 22; 24–30; 35 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
You Have Forgotten Him by Autumn Dickson We’re going to talk about Isaiah 22 for this particular post. Isaiah is prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem. He wrote it during the time of Hezekiah; during Hezekiah’s reign, the people are miraculously saved by an angel coming forth and destroying the Assyrian army. They were saved at that critical moment, and yet, Isaiah’s writings often simultaneously point to the future. Isaiah’s prophecies did not come true during Hezekiah’s time period, but they did come true later on. So destruction of Jerusalem: The leaders of the city were already taken or fled, leaving the people to fend for themselves. The people fortified the walls, patched up breaches, and stored water; these were all preparations done for an oncoming siege. During and after their preparations, there was one critical element that contributed (if not caused) their downfall. Isaiah 22:11 Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago. They have not looked unto their Maker. Isaiah loves to share prophecies that stretch across time and hold true for different time periods. This prophecy held true for Jerusalem in 586 BC under Zedekiah when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and scattered the people, but it also holds true for our day. It can hold true for society, and it can hold true for us as individuals. It is the individual application that I want to focus on. As I read about the Jews trying to save themselves against their enemies, I thought about an experience I had the night before last. We recently moved into a new place, and as life goes, we’re getting a bit tested right now. Satan is really fighting us which leads me to believe we’re headed in the right direction, but that doesn’t always make it easier. Sometimes I just wonder if we made a horrible mistake. I woke up about 3:00 am with my thoughts swirling around in my head. We’re facing some unforeseen financial burdens and some potential health problems. I kept trying to go back to sleep because I knew I had a long day ahead of me, but those thoughts just kept rolling and rolling and rolling around. No matter how many times I tried to resolve these thoughts in my head, they would appear all over again, keeping me awake. I thought of some costs we could cut. I thought of the very low odds that our health problems would turn into something significant. I came up with strategy after strategy of how we could make things come together and work. In other words, I fortified the walls, patched up breaches, and stored water. I also made the same fatal mistake as the Jews; I didn’t turn to the Lord. Now the Jews didn’t turn to the Lord because they had turned away from Him altogether. I believe in the Lord. I know better. I know that everything is going to be okay. I know that the Lord has this. I know that even if we reach the worst case scenario, the Lord can still walk us through it. I know that we have already won. And though I trust the Lord and see His hand in my life frequently, I seem to have forgotten that I could turn to Him. 5:00 am rolls around and I finally sit up in my bed to write a prayer. I wrote down everything I was concerned about; this included my deeper worries about health and my surface level fears about being exhausted the next day. Usually when I dump everything, I try to include moments of faith where I walk through my concerns with Him. I was too exhausted this time so I essentially told the Lord, “Here you go. I can’t deal with this anymore. And I fell asleep! Unfortunately, when I woke up, it started as a rough day. The thoughts came back, but then the Lord started whispering to me (probably because I opened the conversation the night before). I told one of my new friends about how we moved to the house we ended up in, and the spirit reminded me of all the feelings I had about moving to this house. My sister caught me at a particularly vulnerable time, and she shared some of her stories about how the Lord took care of her family in similar situations. She also reminded me of times when the Lord did it for my parents. I opened up my journal again and started writing some of those tender mercies. Three pages later, I recognized many other tender mercies that I had not originally recognized. Just little things that lined up perfectly and set me up to see what I had not seen before. Nothing was miraculously fixed or changed, but the Lord reminded me that He’s with me and that’s all I really needed. And all because I turned to Him. How long had I carried some of those stressors on my own for no reason? So pause for a minute. What are some of the “enemies” surrounding you right now? Have you remembered to talk to the Lord about it? Perhaps there are some obvious enemies that you’ve taken to the Lord, but are there some more subtle enemies that you could have a conversation about? Perhaps you’ve spoken about some of the enemies but missed other critical ones. For example, sometimes I will remember to pray and ask for help in getting stuff done, but I will forget to ask for help in bringing peace into my home. Sometimes I remember to pray for help with finances, but I forget to pray for faith during any and all circumstances. Sometimes I remember to pray for help with temporal things and completely forget to pray for the spiritual gifts and blessings that would make all the difference in the world. Sometimes we pray and work and we love the Lord and obey Him, but we forget to turn to Him. Even when we love the Lord and have a testimony, sometimes we just forget to bring the issues to Him. Sometimes we worry that we brought our issues on ourselves and need to handle it ourselves because of that. The truth of the matter is that the Lord wants to love and support us. He wants us to fortify our walls, breach the patches, and save water. He doesn’t want us to make ourselves useless and whiny, but He also wants us to lean on Him. I testify of that. I testify that we weren’t supposed to do this alone. I testify that we don’t have to fix things ourselves even when we’re the problem. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 13–14; 22; 24–30; 35 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.
September 18 · 11 min
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 1–12 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
Isaiah Called Out the Daughters of Zion by Autumn Dickson There is a passage in Isaiah about the daughters of Zion. Not gonna lie…it can be a hard one to read. It calls out the women in Zion for their pride in the form of outward ornamentation, and it prophesies of their downfall. And though it’s a difficult topic, I want to talk about this passage and its insights into modesty. Isaiah 3:16-18 16 Moreover the Lord saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet: 17 Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover their secret parts. 18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon, There are a couple of things in there that we’re going to talk about, but let’s start with the beginning. They are haughty, walking with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet. In other words, these girls are working the room. Their stretched forth necks make them taller, more noticeable. Their wanton eyes were flirtatious and inviting. Their “mincing” means that they were taking these tiny steps that were fashionable. In fact, some even had chains around their ankles that would limit their gait so they would have to take tinier steps. Their tinkling feet announced they were coming and invited everyone to pay attention to their status and wealth. So let’s talk about immodesty. Traditionally (at least since the 1900’s onward), modesty has an association of covering yourself up with clothes, and these verses don’t necessarily say anything about whether these women were wearing revealing clothing. It mainly talks about their ornamentation and purposes. The word modesty has been reduced to talking about how much skin you’re showing; it used to mean so much more. Modesty is an attitude. It can be reflected in one’s dress, but one could be wearing a plethora of different styles and find themselves modest or immodest depending on their heart. If an immodest heart were to speak aloud, it would say, “Look at me. Pay attention to my looks, status, wealth. You don’t really have to even consider anything else about me. Just look at me. I want your attention.” A modest heart would say, “How can I do good?” Completely uninhibited by the opinions of others or the need for someone to notice them. Outwardly, you can wear a great many things. You can make yourself look nice and have fun expressing yourself, and this goes for both men and women. Modesty is an attitude, not clothing. There have been plenty of times in my life that I’ve walked around with an immodest attitude. Especially growing up, I remember trying to draw attention to myself even though my clothes were considered perfectly modest. I craved attention. It made me feel better, but it never lasted. Focusing yourself on drawing attention is a vastly empty endeavor; it doesn’t feel good for very long. It also affected how I felt about myself. I reduced the entirety of myself to how much attention I could attract rather than focusing on what I could truly give to the world. When you’re only feeling rewarded for being noticed for how you look, you sometimes lose the best parts of yourself. This attitude wasn’t constant in my life, but it was present enough to cause problems. And while I think that clothing can affect your attitude, I don’t think it’s an end-all. I wore perfectly “modest” clothes, and yet, I was plenty immodest in my heart. There are a great many curses that follow after this attitude, but one of the phrases in these verses that really caught my attention in these verses was the idea that the Lord would take away the BRAVERY of their ornamentation. We see that plenty. It is hard to feel beautiful, even with ornamentation, when we’re competing with an illusion on the internet. It is hard to be brave and defend yourself when you’re merely arming yourself with beauty. Even when you do well, you still get attacked. And so we change. Instead of walking into a room and trying to impress everyone so that we can make friends, we forget about ourselves and really try to think about others. When we’re having a conversation, sometimes we talk in a certain way or say certain things because we have this great desire to be loved. Sometimes it’s not just about being admired; we are truly seeking love. Ironically, if you really want to be loved, your most effective strategy is a focus on making the other person feel special. I have found deeper relationships, more acceptance, and more fulfillment with this strategy than my previously desperate attempts to be liked. We don’t know exactly what the last days will look like, but if we get to the end and find ourselves without the ornamentation, we won’t feel bereft and have to go through the process of completely redefining ourselves. We will still have a basis for loving ourselves. One last thought. Reading these verses can cause some inward reflection about whether we’re personally seeking attention. This is a good reflection and reminder. It can also cause us to reflect on others we know who are seeking attention. Refrain from making ultimate judgments or removing yourself from them. I would tell you to stop making judgments completely, but I don’t think that’s necessarily wise either. Humans are given judgment to protect ourselves and help us make better decisions. We just can’t take that judgment beyond its proper bounds and write a person off. In this chapter, Isaiah was warning against pride. It would be rather ironic to dress the opposite of the daughters of Zion and find yourself with pride over the idea that you are not like them. Instead, when you notice signs that someone may be seeking attention, recognize they are probably seeking love but don’t know how to do it in a way that’s healthy. Make a friend and try to help them see themselves as so much more than ornamentation. Consistently draw attention to qualities that matter more than how they look. Love them enough that eventually they don’t feel a need to seek love in ways that won’t fill them. I testify that an attitude of modesty is a blessing. Focusing on others can inoculate us against emptiness and despair. It can shield us when the world pronounces unfair judgment. There are much happier ways to live, and I’m grateful the Lord seeks to teach us of His ways. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 1–12 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.
September 14 · 12 min
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 1–12 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
He Doesn’t Want Your Sacrifices; He Wants You by Autumn Dickson The Lord, Himself, encourages us to study the words of Isaiah. Therein, we will find messages for our day and more specifically, for ourselves. Isaiah is full of hope for the righteous and warnings for the sinner. Both types of messages are filled with love for His children. Here is one of the warnings for His children who have gone astray. This is the Lord’s voice we’re listening to. Isaiah 1:6, 11, 13-14 6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. The children of Israel are wounded from sin, and their wounds aren’t healing because they aren’t repenting. The word “ointment” in this verse has references to the temple. Whatever apostate practices were occurring in the temple were ineffective in healing them. From the wording in the verse, it seems as though the ointment was applied. However, it did not mollify. 11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. The Lord is still receiving sacrifices, and He is full of them. He doesn’t love these kinds of things, and it’s not blessing the people either. 13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. 14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. An oblation is a solemn offering. Incense was offered up twice a day in the temple to represent the prayers of the people reaching up to God. New moons, sabbaths, and assemblies were religious festivals that were celebrated. It has reached the point where these things no longer please God. They simply make it worse. I usually don’t share this many verses, but I wanted to point out a major theme throughout Isaiah. It is the idea of empty religious worship. It doesn’t please the Lord, and it doesn’t help you. It is vain. It is empty. It is worthless. I want to draw your attention to one phrase: I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. Perhaps there are layers of meaning to this phrase, but there is one layer that stuck out to me. Christ doesn’t enjoy blood sacrifices. He doesn’t enjoy watching it. He doesn’t feast on it. It’s not doing anything for Him. When you make sacrifices, it doesn’t bless the Lord. The only way that we can “bless” the Lord back is to give Him of ourselves. A more accurate phrasing is this: the only way we can please the Lord is to give ourselves to Him. Think of it in this way. You live in a perfect home that’s always clean. It never gets dirty. Your child comes and sacrifices their time to vacuum the carpet. Even though you don’t need your house cleaned, you’re still teaching your child to vacuum because you want your child to grow to be good. So you watch your child vacuum like they’re supposed to. Unfortunately, then your child goes to the homes of other people and trashes them disrespectfully. Would you be pleased with your child? Would you feel so happy over the fact that your never-dirty carpet got vacuumed? No, you’d be mad at your kid. The Lord doesn’t need our sacrifices. He doesn’t actually care much about the sacrifice itself. He doesn’t need us to do it. He’s got all of that covered. The only reason He gives us tasks at all is so that we change. So when we vacuum the carpet but don’t learn anything, He is not receiving any joy. He just wants a child who loves Him, loves others, and acts like a child of God. The Israelites paraded their supposed righteousness around, celebrating festivals and giving sacrifices. But in the end, the Lord still didn’t have His children back. Watching them pretend to worship Him was a slap in the face because they would turn around and hurt the world around them. The Israelites would give the impression that the God of Israel delights in sacrifice, hypocrisy, and unloving societies. They shamed themselves, and misrepresented Him. It is not enough to sacrifice. It is not enough to go through action of serving without an attitude of worship. I have seen this in my own life as a mother. There have been times when I have loved being a mother, and there have been times when I have found myself in utter despair over my life choices. How much I was sacrificing was irrelevant to my happiness. What truly makes the difference between the times I’m miserable and the times I’m happy is when I choose to actually lose myself. I don’t know how that mechanism works, but it does. When I’m caught up in myself and making sure I have enough, I’m miserable and exhausted. When I finally just let go and stop thinking about myself, I find this deep sense of fulfillment that changes everything. So yes. Give the sacrifices. Obey His will. Celebrate the festivals, but let it change you. Otherwise, it is all for naught. I testify that the Lord delights in us doing what’s right. He just wants us to be happy and choose goodness and see eternity for what it offers. All of the structure and commandments and offerings are simply meant to point us to Christ. They will not serve you if you can’t find Christ in them and change accordingly. I testify that repentance is such a gift. I testify that the Lord has set us up for success and then paid for our success. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 1–12 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.
September 11 · 13 min
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Proverbs 1–4; 15–16; 22; 31; Ecclesiastes 1–3; 11–12 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
The Only Success You Can Guarantee by Autumn Dickson I really like Ecclesiastes. It’s like the Eeyore of books of wisdom in the bible. Where Proverbs encourages man to follow after wisdom and do well; Ecclesiastes starts its lecture on wisdom by pointing out futility and vanity of life. Where Proverbs expresses the idea that it’s worth following wisdom; Ecclesiastes likes to show us how useless it is to follow anything else. Proverbs liked to show how good patterns of living often bring good results. Ecclesiastes likes to point out that this is not always the case; sometimes you live well but find bad ends. While Proverbs holds a lot of truth, Ecclesiastes likes to question the oversimplification found therein. And though Ecclesiastes often takes a more pragmatic (and sometimes, bitter) route to get there, it teaches the same great truth: purpose in life is found in following after God no matter what happens. After going through the rounds of discussing the nothingness of man (even when does follow after wisdom), it comes to this great conclusion. Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. As members of the church, we are taught to do good. We are taught to be leaders but then get released and follow after someone else’s leadership. We are taught to keep spiritual records that may never be enjoyed by posterity after us (or, in the very least, never be read past the first one or two generations). We are taught to try and make the world a better place, even though we know the end of the world is not known for being righteous. We are taught to show up day after day, year after year, contributing and giving and striving, without any guarantee of visible progress. The only guarantee is God’s. Conner and I recently had a conversation about this. We were discussing what it looks like to be truly successful. At the end of our lives, what is going to really matter to us? At what point, do we look at our lives and feel that we’ve “made it?” This conversation was a result of my husband working really hard on projects only for them to completely fall apart and amount to nothing. I’ve watched him build incredible things and spend countless hours developing machines that could be a blessing to people, only to hit a dead end and watch those hours fade away into a resounding halt. This has happened more than once despite his incredible inventions. Even great products need more than just good engineering and material. A lot of these projects were starting to eat away at him. Despite his great success in the most important parts of life and despite his success in being able to provide for our family, I could see the feelings of futility. Why even bother anymore? He constantly jokes of being jaded. He often encourages entrepreneurs to turn back and try a different path; he does this as a joke but also with some truthfulness. You can work forever on something only for it to completely fall apart because of random bad luck. We often love to espouse that working hard can bring success, and I do believe that in a lot of ways. However, it’s never guaranteed. So after watching these feelings of futility spring up in Conner, I wanted to try and get him to see where he had done well. I wanted to try and shift his perspective to a goal that he could be successful in regardless of anyone else in the world making decisions. I wanted him to see the work he had put in and celebrate how much he had learned and grown instead of only viewing failure. In the midst of this conversation, I learned that success in life meant two things: an actual ability to make something happen and joy. Let’s look at a couple of different measures of success that Conner and I talked about. Having a product take off and do well: Even with the best tools and materials, there is no guarantee that we can force this kind of success to happen. Even if this kind of success happens, it doesn’t automatically turn on joy. Being able to provide for the family: There is no guarantee of this. Everything could explode tomorrow. No matter how we save or prepare or build, we cannot guarantee the ability to provide for our families. Not to mention, it doesn’t automatically turn on joy. Having a happy, healthy, whole family: There is no guarantee of a happy family. You can’t force others to do what’s right or find happiness. Heavenly Father was a perfect parent, and yet, a good portion of His children decided to follow Satan instead. You can’t force this outcome. However, despite the fact that you can’t force this measure of success, we are getting closer to the overall principle of Ecclesiastes. We may not be able to guarantee a happy family, but having a happy family is much closer to ensuring joy. I suppose there are exceptions, but I know of no other lot in life that brings more five star reviews. A happy family really does bring joy. Talking through each of these success measurements led us to the same conclusion as Ecclesiastes. Nothing is guaranteed in life. We can work hard to build something good, and we may find it, but there are no promises in that regard. This led us to finally discuss our true measure of success. We simply try to follow God, love Him, and change. Interestingly enough, part of the Plan of Salvation was that we didn’t even have to be perfect at it. We just had to try. We had to be diligent in our days at trying to build something worthwhile, but at the end of the day, the true measure of success is whether we let that diligence change us into something worthwhile. We are our end product. Our character is the final project that we turn in. The great conclusion is to follow God; this is the whole duty of man. It’s the only way we can have a goal that is 100% within our ability to reach. Our ability to follow and love God rests on us alone regardless of circumstances. We can reach that goal with opposition, but no absolute roadblocks that stop our progress forever. That goal is completely in our hands. This goal of following God is also the only way we can guarantee a happy ending, even if not in this mortal life. He has promised joy, and He can deliver. Learning to find happiness in Him is not a fruitless endeavor. I testify that Ecclesiastes knows what it’s talking about. The philosophy found therein is sound and true. Life passes away. The things we build will one day crumble. The work we put in can get undone so quickly in the next generation. The bellies we fill become empty again. The fields we sow will need to be sown again. It can be argued that it all comes to naught. Even immense fame and legacy doesn’t benefit the person who died. It doesn’t even necessarily dramatically affect tons of people from here on out. I testify that following God is worth it no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. I testify that joy is found therein even when everything else is falling apart miserably. I testify that the gospel of Jesus Christ takes all of your earthly success and failures and turns it into something eternal. When it comes together or when it falls apart, it has the ability to change you if you turn to Christ and therein, you find true success. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Proverbs 1–4; 15–16; 22; 31; Ecclesiastes 1–3; 11–12 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.
September 8 · 11 min
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Proverbs 1–4; 15–16; 22; 31; Ecclesiastes 1–3; 11–12 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
Soft Answers Start With Soft Hearts by Autumn Dickson Proverbs is full of little bits of wisdom that push us on to paths that can make life easier. Mortal life was never meant to be externally easy, but taking heed of some of these proverbs can help you to escape more difficulty than you would otherwise meet. It likewise puts your heart in a state where you recognize the reality of both your mortality and the eternities ahead. One of those bits of wisdom is found here. Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. When you respond with a soft answer, it can turn away the wrath that approached you. There is wisdom here, but I want to discuss what it truly means to have a soft answer. I think sometimes people get mixed up in what it means to be Christlike. So before I delve into the definition of a soft answer, I want to give a disclaimer. There is truth in the promises offered by this verse, but it is not absolute. Sometimes we give soft answers and are still scorned and treated poorly. One needs only look at Christ to realize that the wisdom here does not always hold true. Sometimes, even when we’re perfect in our attitude and response, others will still give back hatred. That doesn’t mean we failed. I give this disclaimer because the soft answer that I want to talk about really only functions within a healthy relationship. Sometimes the righteous answer is to walk away from a relationship especially when it’s abusive, but only God can give you the answer as to whether that is your situation. So when we discuss these principles, it’s important to weigh them against your own situation and act accordingly. These are words of wisdom, not absolutes. So what is a soft answer? I want to look at a soft answer in the same light as a soft heart. The Lord asks us to have a soft heart. This means that He wants us to be teachable, humble, willing to hear Him and learn about His choices. He wants us to be vulnerable with Him and lean on Him and trust Him and reach out to Him. He wants us to be willing to change. A hard heart is closed off, bitter, prideful, and insensitive to sin and others. There are many applications for this. There are so many ways that we could look at examples of how to react when we’re in the heat of the moment. However, I rather teach a guiding principle that can be applied wisely rather than hard fast rules. Soft answers begin with soft hearts. When you are faced with an opportunity to give an answer, it’s not about artfully crafting the right response. It’s not about choosing positive words or putting a criticism in the middle of two compliments. It’s not about blunting the edge of correction. It’s about stepping back and asking yourself where your heart is. Do you really love this person you’re about to respond to? Do you recognize them as a child of God? Do you want them to have a happy life? Do you recognize that you would potentially make the same choices and have the same values if you grew up in their position? If you can answer those questions correctly, you are much more prepared to give a soft answer even if that soft answer includes correction or standing by your beliefs. Soft answers are not necessarily manifested in a specific volume; it’s manifested in your attitude towards another person who may be wrongfully accusing you, attacking your character, or spreading misinformation about you. It’s manifested in how you feel about someone you love when you feel betrayed or unloved by them in return. It’s manifested in your generosity with someone who makes your life harder. I did not understand this when I was younger. I felt like I gave “nice” responses, but I often found myself in broken relationships or with frustrated friends. I remember getting older and going on my mission. Missions are interesting for a lot of reasons but one of those reasons is the fact that you get put into leadership positions very young and are expected to help people reach their full potential. Sometimes that includes correcting others. I remember watching a couple of elders on my mission who could correct other elders without repercussion for the most part. People liked them and listened to them and could be corrected by them without growing defensive. I remember thinking that I would never be able to do that. These principles changed that. When you change your focus, you can often turn away wrath. It’s not about changing your words; it’s about changing your focus. You stop focusing on how you are being perceived. You stop focusing on how to convince them to do better. You stop focusing on how much they’re making your life harder. And you focus on them. It’s that simple. People can feel when you’re just tolerating them and being polite to their face. They can feel your intentions. They can feel when you’re simply focused on yourself. Even if it’s not consciously recognized, they will still feel it and start putting up defenses. It’s easy to get hyperfocused on handling your conversations well. It’s easy to hyperfocus on trying to get it right. But honestly, in the end, all that really does is signal to the other person that you’re focused on yourself and it starts you off on the wrong foot immediately. If you can train yourself to focus on the good of the other person (as Christ teaches), it goes a lot farther in turning away wrath than any artfully crafted words you can possibly string together. I love Proverbs because they’re full of the wisdom that stems from the teachings of Christ. Christ teaches us to love our fellow brothers and sisters. He is the One who teaches us to focus outward and forget ourselves. The exact application of these teachings brings results, and Proverbs often highlight those results and wisdom. I testify that Christ knows what He’s talking about when He instructs us on how to build happy lives. I testify that forgetting yourself softens others in turn and brings more joy, connection, and happiness into your life. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Proverbs 1–4; 15–16; 22; 31; Ecclesiastes 1–3; 11–12 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.
September 4 · 10 min
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 102–103; 110; 116–119; 127–128; 135–139; 146–150 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
Where do I find peace? by Autumn Dickson Mortal life is not for the faint of heart. Though it can have breaks in the difficulty where the sun shines for a while, we often get thrown back into the waves so that we can achieve our purpose of growing. It’s a necessary exercise. It was the purpose of mortal life. However, despite opposition being one of the main tools of the Plan of Salvation, it can be exhausting. Here is a verse in Psalms that helped me to reflect on this concept. Psalms 116:7 Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. In all the craziness that runs rampant in our world, the Lord can offer peace and rest. He doesn’t offer it as the world gives it; He offers it differently. Doesn’t that sound nice? I spent a lot of time growing up not understanding how to actually harvest the peace out of the gospel. I did the work, but I couldn’t close the gap between following the commandments and actually receiving a calmness in my soul. I went to church and read scriptures and did programs and attended the temple, and I still had a significant amount of turmoil in my life. So what are some of our barriers to peace? I think there can be many barriers to peace including opposition, spiritual challenges, and challenges for our loved ones. However, I think the biggest barrier is a misunderstanding of where peace comes from. Let’s talk about some of those misunderstandings first. The world teaches us that removing the opposition will help us find peace. I don’t think that’s 100% false. I definitely find peace when I take care of some of my issues. However, this is not a consistent enough resolution. Even when my life is relatively serene, I have a bad habit of finding problems. There was an experiment performed by John B. Calhoun in the late 1960’s where he created a mouse utopia with plenty of space, food, and water. The temperature was always ideal. There were no predators. The mice flourished initially. As time moved on, despite ideal conditions and plentiful resources, the society of mice dissolved. Males started fighting aggressively with no true purpose. Females abandoned their young. Many mice withdrew socially and wouldn’t participate. In a world filled to the brim with external peace, the mice created their own problems and sabotaged their own society. I can’t help but notice parallels in our own world. There is such a thing as external peace, but it actually plays a relatively inconsequential role in our internal peace. The world would tell you to remove external pressures and responsibilities. This is relatively ineffective. But beyond what the world teaches, I think sometimes we, as Latter-day Saints, misunderstand where peace comes from even within the gospel. At least I misunderstood it. I thought that if I did what I was supposed to, the peace would just descend upon me. It would just start springing up as I made the correct decisions. I missed a critical step. Following the commandments → get to know Christ → peace in Christ Following the commandments does not automatically bring peace. It can remove some of the barriers to peace. It can prevent barriers from rising up. For example, following the Word of Wisdom helps prevent addictions which can upend your life. However, we have already discussed the fact that removing external barriers is insufficient. Peace is a byproduct of belief. I believe that Christ can fulfill His promises to me, and those promises are so incredible. I love them. When difficult things happen, I can hold to those promises. When life is easy, I still can find purpose rather than emptiness. True belief brings peace. Commandments can help us find belief. Perhaps that seems like a silly nuance, but it made a world of difference for me. I kept doing what I was supposed to do in the church, but I was still finding turmoil. True belief was missing. Interestingly enough, I believe in the church. I believed that God led it. I believed that Joseph Smith had restored it. I believed The Book of Mormon came from God. But it wasn’t until I started actively believing that Christ had died for me, paid for my sins, and promised to personally take care of me that things clicked into place and I felt safe. I’m grateful that the commandments helped me find that belief that brought peace. Which brings us back to our verse. Let’s put it into modern words this time. Psalms 116:7 Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. Rest. Because the Lord has blessed you. Because He will bless you. Sometimes He really does calm the sea and remove external barriers. Those are nice times. Those are times where we get to practice finding purpose to ground us. But other times, He can help us walk on water instead. In the New Testament, Peter walks on water and stays there as long as he keeps his eyes on Christ. It doesn’t matter how tall the waves are. It doesn’t matter how much the water rises. It doesn’t matter when keeping your eye on Christ keeps you on top of all that water. In fact, the rising water just brings you higher. You’re not swimming desperately or drowning. You’re keeping your eyes on Christ, and He is enabling you to walk on top of it all. Your soul can rest because He is dealing with you bountifully. I testify that peace comes internally. External peace is nice sometimes, but inner peace is truly what matters. I testify that the most powerful kind of peace stems from keeping your eye on Christ. I testify that keeping the commandments brings peace because keeping commandments helps you keep your eye on Christ. I testify that peace is possible even in our world filled with turmoil. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 102–103; 110; 116–119; 127–128; 135–139; 146–150 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.
August 31 · 9 min
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 102–103; 110; 116–119; 127–128; 135–139; 146–150 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
God Sits With You in the Dark by Autumn Dickson Psalm 102 is a chapter that reminds me a bit of one of the chapters we already discussed in psalms. The psalmist feels weary and broken, but despite the hardship the psalmist still praises the Lord. When we discussed the similar psalm last time, we spoke about the faith-building activity of praising the Lord after pouring our hearts out to Him. I want to approach it from a different angle this time. We know that the psalmist has a testimony of the Lord from verses like this. Psalms 102:24-27 24 I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations. 25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. 26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: 27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end. Despite all that the psalmist is feeling, he recognizes that the Lord’s power endures beyond it all. He is strong and unending, omniscient, omnipotent. The psalmist also has a testimony that the Lord listens to those who are weak. Psalms 102:17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer. This psalmist has some very important testimonies. He knows the power of God, and He knows that God is on his side. What more could you ask for in this mortal life? Surely the Lord allows difficulty in mortality for a reason, but when everything boils down, you have already won everything because of the merits of the Savior. We have every reason to rejoice. We have every reason to see the happy ending on the horizon. We have every reason to be at peace because the Lord is our God, and He has promised to make everything right. And yet, despite this testimony of God’s omnipotence and willingness to uphold His children, this psalmist also spends half the psalm crying out to God over his pain. It’s easy to think of the psalmist as complaining in the beginning. It would be easy to assume he simply doesn’t have enough faith and grows into that faith by the end of the psalm. He had to grow through a process in which his faith was building enough to comfort him. And in some ways, this viewpoint is accurate. I’m sure he did grow when he praised the Lord in pain. I’ve watched it occur many times in my own life. There have been many times where the Lord has helped me walk through faith-building activities. I’ve started at a low point only to end in a place where I sincerely feel like rejoicing because He has given me glimpses of how my story ends. And yet, as I read this psalm this morning, the Lord gave me a different viewpoint. Yes, I’m sure the psalmist grew in faith as he wrote about his testimony. However, the psalmist didn’t start from a point of faithlessness. It takes faith to praise the Lord in a time of need, but it also takes faith to be vulnerable and turn to the Lord in a time of need. I have a testimony of the Lord. I know Him. I know His character, and I often feel reason to rejoice. When things are hard, I don’t often have to force myself into gratitude. I know that He will carry me. He has proved it time and again. And yet despite the many testimonies that He has given me of Him and despite the many times that He has proved Himself, mortal life still feels heavy sometimes. So, so heavy. Faith can be a remedy to some of that heaviness, but it is not accurate to say that heaviness comes because of a lack of faith. It takes faith to find comfort when surrounded by the heaviness of mortal life. But it also takes faith to keep holding on when the Lord is silent. It takes faith to remember Him enough to wait it out when you don’t feel like rejoicing. It takes faith to turn to Him in despair even when it doesn’t feel as though He is responding much. Heaviness and difficulty in mortal life aren’t signs that your faith is weak; heaviness and difficulty are simply facts of mortal life. And sometimes sitting in that heaviness is what you need. Sometimes you don’t need to find the bright light yet. Sometimes you just need Someone to sit with you in the heaviness for a while before it’s time to find the lightness again. I remember being in a dark place on my mission. Everything felt heavy and hopeless. I didn’t want to love anyone anymore because I was so tired of all the pain that came with loving people. Maybe I didn’t actually feel that way long-term, but at that moment, I was too tired to keep loving all of these people. It had weight, especially when people didn’t choose the things that could bring hope or even when people were simply going through their own heaviness. I was just tired. As my companion took a shower, I went out to our living area and prayed in that darkness. He came. He didn’t directly comfort me. He didn’t whisper a happy ending or try to lift my sights. I actually distinctly remember feeling like He was just sitting with me in that heaviness and darkness. It was precisely what I needed. Faith can take on many forms. It can look like rejoicing, and I am so grateful to have found that powerful aspect of faith. But I also know that sitting in darkness is not an indication of a lack of faith. I testify that mortal life is supposed to be heavy and dark sometimes. It was part of His divine plan. It was supposed to happen. We were supposed to be taken to our limits so that we could expand our limits. I testify that faith often comforts and uplifts and rejoices in the midst of difficulty, but I also that sometimes faith manifests in a slightly more subtle feeling. It’s the feeling that you want to keep holding on even when the rejoicing is absent. It’s a feeling that you can be open and vulnerable with Him, and He will not scorn you for it. I testify that He will hear the prayer of the destitute and not despise them for it. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 102–103; 110; 116–119; 127–128; 135–139; 146–150 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.
August 28 · 11 min
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 49–51; 61–66; 69–72; 77–78; 85–86 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
Keeping Silent by Autumn Dickson David was a good king who loved the Lord but fell. He chose to engage in very serious sin and commit adultery with Bathsheba. The real problem came when he chose to cover it up. When David brought Uriah home to be with his wife, Uriah refused in loyalty to his fellow soldiers. In response, David got even more nervous and sent Uriah to a dangerous part of the battle to have him killed. David spends a lot of time suppressing his own guilt until Nathan confronts him after the child is born. The fact that David doesn’t confess until after the child is born suggests that he was holding on to that guilt for 9-12 months. Psalm 51 was written after David is confronted by Nathan’s parable. I want to talk about 51, but I think that covering Psalm 32 as well will add to the conversation. Both psalms occurred after David was called out. Psalm 32:3-4 3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. 4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. David describes pain and groaning all day when he kept silent about his sins. He felt God’s presence as a condemnation during this time (heavy hand), and his strength was dried up like a drought. David kept on ruling as king, married to Bathsheba with no one the wiser, and it ate him up because he knew better and had loved God. If you continue reading in 32, it talks about how David feels so much better after confessing. Now here is a verse in 51. Psalm 51:6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. The Lord desires truth in the inward parts because He knows what that does for us. He knows what a release it is. He knows that it releases a lot of suffering. I’ve seen this in a lot of different ways in my life, but a couple come to mind specifically. I grew up in a very good home. All of my siblings are active and as far as I know, all of their kids are active too. My parents are good people who choose to love each other and their children. This made it very easy for me to live the gospel. I didn’t have to ask difficult questions about how my family would fit on the other side. It never occurred to me that this might present very real problems. And because of my naivety, I believe I was rather insensitive for a long time. I thought I was just really good at the gospel, not recognizing the fact that I had never faced obstacles and been forced to build strength as a result. I think this made me self-righteous in a lot of ways. My mission helped with that a lot. I grew up a bit. One of the indirect consequences of having my eyes opened was the fact that I got to look back at my choices with new eyes. And oh my goodness…cringe. I see why I lost a lot of friends growing up. I see how I was out of line. I’ve reached the point where I give myself grace now because I recognize that I was young and simply didn’t know better. There was no way that I could have built the depth necessary for compassion because depth hadn’t been required for me in a lot of ways. But that grace was hard to grow into. It took me a long time to make peace with my younger self and feel okay with her. I often found myself sleepless at night because of ridiculous ways that I had acted while growing up. I felt the same way when I looked back on parts of my mission before some of that maturing had occurred. It ate at me. It ate at me so much that I finally started reaching out to people. Logistics made it so that I couldn’t reach out to everyone, but I reached out to some. I apologized for my part in whatever issues we had. I told them I was sorry for being young and immature and likely hurting them because of it. Sometimes it felt weird reaching out to people after years of no contact, but I was sick of sitting with my discomfort. The result was overwhelmingly positive. I connected with a lot of people who had also matured over the years. I received thanks from people who also struggled with their younger years just like I had. Despite the initial awkwardness I felt, I found kinship with many people that I thought I would never feel close to. I still have moments where I cringe about things I did or said, but now there is mostly just freedom and peace. It doesn’t eat at me anymore. In fact, I liked the feeling so much that I do it often and immediately now. Whenever I say something dumb or worry that I offended someone, I don’t hesitate. I simply reach out and explain myself or apologize as warranted. I’m not perfect at it, and sometimes delicate situations don’t allow for directness or freedom. But I try to do it as much as possible. It’s awesome. I think sometimes people sin and then blame God when they feel guilty and torn up about it. I believe that what’s actually occurring is the fact that they’re good people, and sin eats at them. They’re trying to find some relief from it, and so they distance themselves from God and become angry with Him. It’s so much easier to lean into it and try to fix it instead of living with it. So much easier. I testify that God wants truth in the inward parts for own sake. A simple acknowledgment is going to take us a long way. I testify that the fear of facing those sins and mistakes and flaws comes from Satan because he wants us to keep living with that misery. I testify that the lightness and freedom are on the other side. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 49–51; 61–66; 69–72; 77–78; 85–86 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.
August 25 · 12 min
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 49–51; 61–66; 69–72; 77–78; 85–86 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
Pain and Praise by Autumn Dickson One of the most emotional psalms found in the Old Testament was written by David. He was a king who worshipped and loved the Lord. He rejoiced in the Lord, and because of that, he sometimes found himself with enemies. His enemies were not just foreigners but within his own kingdom. This chapter often speaks of them. Though David pours out his heart over his suffering, it shifts towards the end of the psalm towards praise of the Lord. Psalms 69:30-31 30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. 31 This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs. Before these verses, David is emotionally suffering. He is in deep need. He is flooded by difficulty, overwhelmed by it. It shifts to asking the Lord to protect him from his enemies, but then it takes an interesting detour. Despite his turmoil, David starts to praise God. There are two parts that I want to talk about. Part one: Truly pour out your heart to God, but then try ending it with sincere, heartfelt praise. Do this on purpose. The Lord is not afraid of your strong feelings. Tell Him exactly where you’re at. Tell Him how afraid you are, uncertain, angry, exhausted, depressed. We do not have to muffle our despair to please Him. But after we’ve been open with Him, can I recommend praising Him? During your prayers, make the same shift that David does. Start to praise the God who has showed up for you a million times before. No matter how much despair you’re holding, it’s not going to change the fact that the Lord has already won and will provide for your eternal happiness. He’s going to do that regardless. Praising Him doesn’t change anything except you; it changes you. When you start to praise Him, you remember. Your eyes are opened. Your problems start to seem small and pathetic because you suddenly remember the character of the God who is on your side. The tricky part about this recommendation is that it has to be heartfelt. Otherwise, it does more harm than good. If you’re just trying to swallow your pain and “force” yourself into faith, you’re not going to find the peace. That’s not how you arrive at peace. So tell Him how you feel and then remind yourself of Who is on your side by praising Him on purpose. Part two: There is a reason David says the Lord appreciates praise more than an extra sacrifice. In verse 31, he declares that this specific attitude (praising God despite turmoil) will please the Lord more than the ox or bullock that has horns and hoofs. This description is important. It is describing the highest quality sacrifice that one could make. It was a fully-developed, prime animal. It was costly and ritually perfect, but according to David, thanksgiving was more pleasing. It is important to note that David participated in sacrifice. He believed in obedience. This verse describing the Lord’s approval of thanksgiving doesn’t diminish our need to do what the Lord asks. However, doing what He asks without letting it change you is just a fruitless exercise for everyone involved. This verse is emphasizing the entire purpose of sacrifice in the first place. It’s meant to turn our hearts to the Lord. David understands why he makes sacrifices. This is very pleasing to the Lord. When I think about what is pleasing to the Lord, I often think about what would please me as a parent. Would I love it if my daughter came to me randomly and said that she had vacuumed downstairs? Absolutely. I would be grateful if I asked her to do it, and she complied. I would be even more grateful if she did it before I even asked. But I think there’s another experience that would mean more to me. If my daughter felt overwhelmed with persecution and trials, I would be honored if she came to me about it. David’s heart cries out to God in the beginning. This psalm isn’t just about thanksgiving. David also lays out every reason he has that would argue against gratitude. I imagine any of my children coming to me, talking about painful circumstances, but then ending with, “I know things are hard, but thanks for being my mom. Thanks for taking care of me at home and making sure I have what I need. I know I can trust you.” I can understand why David believes that the Lord appreciates David’s trust and praise more than another sacrifice. Not only does it please the Lord to have His children love Him for all He’s done for them, this attitude of praise also pleases Him because He gets to watch us find happiness from the practice of praise. I love when my kids recognize what I do and are grateful. I love it because it feels good on a personal level, but I also love it because I know that attitude of praise and gratitude and trust are going to lead to happy lives. That’s how you get there, and I get so excited when my kids find it. It is so cleansing and cathartic to do as David does. It feels so good to pour out your heart to God but then step back and truly believe that you’re going to be okay, not because of your own merit but because of the Lord’s. If I could watch my children (or any of my loved ones) find what I’ve found, what David has found, my soul would be satisfied. Do it. Pour your heart out and then end it with praising Him. I testify that the Lord has your best interest at heart, and He has all the power and wisdom in the world to bring it about. I testify that praising Him pleases Him because it enables you to be happy. He loves watching you be happy. I testify that as we consciously take time to praise Him, we find peace and joy. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 49–51; 61–66; 69–72; 77–78; 85–86 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.
August 20 · 11 min
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 1–2; 8; 19–33; 40; 46 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
Some Trust in Chariots by Autumn Dickson There are different kinds of scripture that reach us through different means. The Book of Mormon is filled with stories that teach us about the dealings of God with His children; it is also filled with sermons that teach doctrine. The Old Testament is likewise filled with stories that highlight our relationship with Christ. The New Testament teaches us about the character of Christ by helping us read about His mortal life. The Doctrine and Covenants show the voice of the Lord as He speaks to His children; He answers questions that they have. There are obviously other kinds of scripture in each book, but there are some general “types” of scripture that teach us in different ways. The Psalms are different entirely; they are poems set to music. Oftentimes, they are simply filled with praise and worship. When I think of Psalms, I think of the times when I feel very close to God. When I write in my journal about ways that God has shown up for me or saved me, it often evolves into psalms. I tell whatever story has happened in life at that point, but then I shift a bit and simply start to rejoice in Him and praise Him and love Him for helping me. The principle I want to talk about today was taught to me a few weeks ago as I listened during Relief Society. The Lord whispered a principle to me, and today I saw that principle again in the verses that I read. Here is that verse. Psalms 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. Upon first reading this verse, we learn that the Lord is more powerful than human technology and resources. Chariots and horses were the epitome of military technology when this psalm was written. Many leaders measured their power by how many chariots they had. Even the most advanced of mankind was negligible compared to the glory of God and the safety that He could offer to us. There is so much comfort and peace to be had when we shift our trust from earthly protections to the Lord. But as I read this verse, a different principle jumped to mind. Chariots and horses were tools of war. In our day, we do not use chariots and horses to go into battle. In fact, many of us aren’t going into battle at all. Or are we? There is spiritual warfare being waged right and left of course, but this specific verse doesn’t suggest that the Lord is fighting. There is plenty of scripture that teaches how the Lord will fight our battles, but this particular verse doesn’t say that. It specifically teaches that instead of trusting in war, we remember the Lord. Instead of trusting in anger and defensiveness, we remember the Lord. Perhaps you will not find yourself on a chariot, but you may find yourself in battle against someone who has hurt you. You feel a deep need to defend yourself and hold desperately to your anger. You are possibly presented with opportunities to fight back with sophisticated technology. Or you can choose to remember the Lord. I have heard forgiveness mocked in our day and age. I have heard anger praised and upheld as the savior of victims. There are appropriate times to be firm and even “battle” for what’s right, but righteous anger and firmness is always accompanied by forgiveness. Forgiveness is what will really save you when you feel that war has been waged against you. Forgiveness may include pursuing justice and standing up for what’s right, but forgiveness is required if we want to truly find healing and be at peace once again. As mentioned previously, rather than emphasizing the fact that the Lord will fight your battles, this verse simply implores you to remember Him. As I sat in Relief Society a couple of weeks ago, the Lord whispered to me one of the purposes of a specific part of His atonement. This is a very specific example, but it can be extended to countless examples. I have never been assaulted. So I would imagine that giving a TED Talk and starting a speaking circuit about forgiveness addressed to assault victims wouldn’t go far. These women are extremely vulnerable. Their trust has been shattered. Why would they give their trust to me about how to heal? I’ve never been where they’ve been. I have no personal experience in that kind of healing. I have no personal idea of what’s going to make them feel safe again. Honestly, the audacity of me to set myself up as an example to follow would be arrogant. But then imagine an assault survivor starting a speaking circuit about healing and peace. It’s going to hit really different. If these vulnerable women can look to this speaker who has been where they’ve been and can show them the way out of darkness, they’re going to trust this speaker. This is part of the reason Christ suffered what we suffered. He wanted to be able to teach us with power. He wanted to be able to stand before us, healed and whole, and show us the way out. He wanted to be able to say, “I know exactly how you feel. You can trust Me and what I teach about healing.” When Christ asks us to forgive, it’s because He knows the peace that it brings firsthand. When we are faced with any kind of battle or war or violence against us, it helps to remember the Lord. It helps to approach the situation with the Lord as our teacher and our guide out of darkness. He knows what He’s talking about. When He asks us to forgive and love, it’s because He personally knows what that will do for us. I testify that the scriptures can teach us how to survive mortality. I testify that they are full of the teachings of Christ that can enable us to come out on top. I testify that remembering Christ and what He went through can help us to trust Him and allow Him to lead us out of whatever pain we may be experiencing. I testify that He suffered on our behalf because He loves us and wanted that extra relatability and power to reach us. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 1–2; 8; 19–33; 40; 46 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.
August 14 · 9 min
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Job 1–3; 12–14; 19; 21–24; 38–40; 42 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
A Double Portion Promise by Autumn Dickson I love the tangible. I love when Christ takes vast, spiritual concepts and puts them into human parables that help us better understand. Even if those earthly parables are imperfect in comparison to God’s plans for His children, they help me grasp things more solidly. Biblical scholars argue whether Job was a real man or whether he is a piece of literature simply meant to teach us. Job may be a person who truly lived upon the earth, or he may be a parable. I have no idea whether Job was real, but I do know that the Lord uses physical things to help us better understand. All things are spiritual unto the Lord. The book of Job is no different. There are beautiful spiritual parallels to be drawn from Job. Here is one of those spiritual parallels. Job’s story begins with abundance. He has 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke (1,000 oxen), and 500 female donkeys. He has 7 sons and 3 daughters. His life implodes with a series of horrible trials, and he loses everything including his children. Job remains faithful, and this is the end of his story: Job 42:12-13 12 So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. 13 He had also seven sons and three daughters. His material blessings from the Lord are doubled by the end. He also ends up with the same amount of children that he had before, 7 sons and 3 daughters. I found myself asking, “If I knew the end from the beginning, would I voluntarily choose to experience what he experienced to double what I had?” My knee-jerk reaction is “HECK NO.” Not only would I never give up my current children, but I’m also a total wuss when it comes to pain. So no thank you. I’m happy with half of my potential riches. Seems plenty sufficient to me. I don’t know what to do with 1 sheep let alone 7,000, but I digress. Interestingly enough, all things are spiritual to the Lord, and that’s actually exactly what we volunteered to do. Before we came to earth, we lived in a beautiful place with a loving family. We were safe. It was wonderful, but Heavenly Father wanted to give us more. In order to give us more, we would need to choose to go down to earth and experience opposition. We would have to walk away from all of that goodness, but Heavenly Father also had some promises for us. He would give us a double portion, and we wouldn’t have to actually lose anything important (i.e. children) because we had a perfect older Brother who would take care of us. And so we volunteered to experience pain in order to receive that double portion, and we held on to the promises that the most important things would be restored to us. It is significant that Job had the same number of children. I don’t know if Job was real and if he truly lost 10 children, but the spiritual lesson is poignant. Heavenly Father can double all of these other wonderful resources, AND we don’t need to truly lose anything valuable. He didn’t double Job’s children like the first round was unimportant; the Lord restored what Job originally had. A double portion of resources was likewise significant. It describes the Lord’s generosity and His willingness to overcompensate for anything we might have lost during our period of opposition. I truly believe that. I believe that anything I suffer here will pale in comparison to what He plans on giving me there, and I hold tightly to those promises. They fill me with peace. Honestly, part of that double portion is peace, but it’s so much more than that as well. Sure, the Lord is going to give us a heavenly place with all that we need. We will have resurrected bodies that never grow old and die, but we will have more than that. Job was given double the resources, but he was given something much better as well. He became the blessing. He levelled up. He became more like his Savior. This is a parable for us. We can be someone worth being. We can be resilient, wise, and strong. We can be powerful. We can know the truth deeply because we were given an opportunity to live the truth. We can be prepared to serve as our Heavenly Father serves, which actually leads to another insight surrounding the idea of “double portions.” A biblical double portion refers back to inheritance laws and traditions. The firstborn son always received a double portion. This was both an honor and a responsibility. That double portion was given so that the firstborn son could take care of the vulnerable members of the family. When I picture heaven, I see a beautiful place with everything we could possibly ask for. I also see good people who take care of each other. It feels heavenly because we’re all friends and build a community. Heavenly Father is actually trying to give us more than a beautiful place. He is trying to give us eternal purpose so that our forever doesn’t feel meaningless and empty. He wants to give us responsibilities to serve the vulnerable who come after us. He wants to give us a double portion to serve, but He needs to know that He can trust us to stay strong through opposition just as He does. There are far more layers and parallels to study in the book of Job, but one of those layers echoes the Plan of Salvation itself. Job began with abundance. He experienced opposition. He had his abundance restored and doubled, and he likewise came out of the experience as a better man. I testify of a Heavenly Father who has a plan. I testify that He teaches His plans over and over and over throughout His word. We just have to find the patterns. I testify that He loves each of us and has the power to restore what’s most important as well as offering a double portion. He is good and wise and powerful, and He adores us. We can trust Him as we wait to get to the other side of the opposition. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Job 1–3; 12–14; 19; 21–24; 38–40; 42 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.
August 10 · 9 min
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Job 1–3; 12–14; 19; 21–24; 38–40; 42 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
Integrity Under Pressure by Autumn Dickson Job is a profound biblical exploration of faith and loyalty to God. Job loved the Lord, and he stayed true to Him. In the midst of great tribulation as well as riches, Job kept himself close to the Lord. Here is a verse that tells us a bit about Job. Job 2:3 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. By this point in time, Job has lost all of his property and riches. Worse than that, he has also lost his children. Despite this being the case, Job remained an upright man. There is one phrase in particular that I want to talk about, namely, “he holdeth fast his integrity.” What does it really mean to have the Christlike attribute of integrity? The more I try to write about integrity, the more difficult it becomes. Integrity is a mixture of things. Preach My Gospel gives us a great definition that I want to paraphrase. Integrity is when you love God and stay true to Him because of that love. Integrity means that you know there are absolute truths and you align your life with those absolute truths no matter what comes along. It includes deep honesty, and what you choose to do when you’re alone is a good measure of your integrity. In order to develop integrity, you need two ingredients: a knowledge of absolute truth and then alignment with that knowledge. Ingredient one: a knowledge of absolute truth. There are different types of integrity. There is a general sense of integrity where you hold fast to your principles, and then there is a religious integrity where you hold fast to God’s principles. It doesn’t matter how much general integrity you have if your principles are weak. Creating a house entirely made of straw may be consistent. It may be honest in the sense that you’re not pretending your house is anything other than what it is, but at the end of the day, it’s still straw. It won’t be able to withstand load or protect you. We have to start with strong principles, God’s principles, in order to build something that will protect us and stand strong under the weight of adversity. It is worth starting with the right materials if you’re going to build something. Starting with the right materials means understanding reality. If you understand that you’re a child of God and that there is an eternity waiting for you on the other side, it’s (hopefully) going to change your choices. Ingredient two: aligning with that knowledge. You would think that if you’ve got a solid foundation of truth, you would want to stay true to it. You would assume that if you could see that there are eternal realities, you would see the long game and hold on. Unfortunately, it’s simply not always true. For example, King Zedekiah knew Jeremiah was a prophet. He protected and consulted Jeremiah. He even admits that he believes Jeremiah, and yet, he ignored Jeremiah’s warnings. He didn’t align himself with the truth that he knew, and tragedy struck because of it. In the face of fear and rejection, Zedekiah crumbled. And because he crumbled, his kingdom fell and the Jews were scattered. So in order to reach integrity (the ability to withstand pressure), we need knowledge of truth and we have to align ourselves with that truth. It’s not enough to have one ingredient or the other; they have to come together in order to stand strong. Action without knowledge of eternal realities stops when pressure builds. Knowledge without aligning yourself is moot; it doesn’t affect you or save you or bring you joy. I’m going to make up a ridiculous parable, but it teaches my point. A stranger comes to you, sets down a stool, and convinces you to step onto it. The stranger warns you that if you get down, you’ll die. It’s easy enough to stay standing on the stool for a little while, but then your legs get tired. You need to go to the bathroom. You’re hungry and cold. Why on earth are you standing on a stool because a stranger told you to do so? Now imagine someone you deeply love and trust doing the same exercise. They warn you. You know they have your best interest at heart. You trust their wisdom and knowledge of reality. Despite mounting discomfort, you choose to hold on because you trust your loved one. Integrity is what you find when you keep standing on the stool even when it’s difficult. It’s a mixture of trust in eternal principles and resilience. And then there is the happy ending. Job is blessed with even more than he had previously. Even beyond the physical blessings, Job comes out a stronger man with a deeper appreciation of salvation and heaven. Integrity allowed him to conquer and come through on the other side. Recap. Ingredient one. Knowledge of God and eternal principles. Integrity is powerful because it takes our acts of faith and turns them meaningful. No longer are we reading scriptures because a stranger asked us to. We read them to get closer to our Father in Heaven. And because we know Him, we seek Him out in times of trouble and need. Rather than turning our back on Him in anger, we find all the solace we need. It helps us to escape bitterness. Ingredient two. Aligning ourselves with that knowledge. Resilience gives us personal power as we grow into what our Father would have us become. It forges strength of character. We come out refined on the other end, seeing more clearly and that much more convinced of the truthfulness of gospel principles. Integrity is powerful. It makes the gospel pathway worth it. We can see the blessings, and we stay on track to receive them. I testify that Heavenly Father is seeking to teach you truth. He wants you to see things as they are, and He wants you to choose to change your life according to that truth so you can experience the same joy He has experienced. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Job 1–3; 12–14; 19; 21–24; 38–40; 42 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

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