I have spent the past few days working in our yard quite a bit. We have some large trees and although we enjoy the shade, they shed nine million sticks in the winter which leaves us with quite a bit of spring clean-up. As I was out working, I laughed a bit thinking back to last spring. It was so wet that I didn't get started on these jobs until late-May. This morning when I went for a run, I ran up the shoreline trail to the pass - something I couldn't do until June last year. My dad mentioned he planted a field yesterday that he didn't plant until July last year.
You might guess that I prefer this kind of spring. You are correct. I think I have uttered about 200 silent prayers for this year's spring to not be as wet as last year's.
As I was working in the garden I thought to myself, "I sure do love the weather today. Must be a compensation for last spring." And with that thought, my mind went back in time 15 or 20 years, back to a Young Women's lesson in the Newton 1st ward. We had a guest speaker that Sunday - my best friend's dad. A Seminary and Institute teacher by profession, he was the go-to gospel scholar in our ward. He was quiet by nature and never one to waste words - when he spoke, you listenend because you knew it must be important - still waters run deep. He was a great teacher with the ability to impress you with his knowledge without being imtimidated by your own lack thereof.
I don't remember a lot of specific lessons from Young Women's - not even the infamous chastity lesson. Probably because I spent most of the time talking and laughing with his daughter. Maybe that's why I remember the lesson from this Sunday - since her dad was talking, we probably tried to behave.
He spoke that day about "compensatory blessings." If my memory and interpretation of the lesson are correct, these are blessings that come to us to compensate for trials we may face. He taught it using a story teenage girls could relate to - being asked to the high school prom - and noted that there are many times in life when Heavenly Father gives us these blessings. I don't remember if he mentioned it in the lesson, but he had experienced his own share of sadness - his mother was killed by a drunk driver when he was just 16.
I've thought about this lesson a lot through the years. I guess it's somewhat of a comfort to me to know when I am facing a particular trial that there might be a specific blessing granted to me and to look forward to whatever that blessing might be. It's related to a principle we are frequently reminded of - we must taste the bitter to prize the good. As a parent, I understand that Heavenly Father probably wishes we did not have to experience sadness and trial, but knows they are essential to our progression. I can also relate to His desire to bless us with something in return, especially if we endure well what we are asked to face.
I thought about this a lot when I spent the summer working in Ecuadorean orphanages surrounded by children who faced innumerable trials. Believing that somehow they would be compensated was a great comfort. As I've thought about it, I realize that "compensation" might be a little misleading because it's not as if some things can ever be compensated. Would there ever be a way to truly compensate for losing a child or a spouse? Still, it's a teaching that comforts me and has blessed my life.
Since I was raised on a farm, my favorite scripture parables and lessons are those that come from nature. The wheat and the tares. Reaping what you sow. The olive tree. Nature has a powerful way of teaching us eternal gospel principles. I don't think this is coincidence.
So while I don't think that this spring is necessarily my compensation for last spring, it does help me reflect on important truths. After the winter comes the glorious spring. A little rain must fall to cherish the sun.
My Grandpa Max always said we should pray for trials and tribulations. I thought he was crazy. Now that I'm grown and reflect on some of the trials from his own life, I'm sure he was. Or maybe he was just more willing than I to learn the lessons Heavenly Father had planned for him. Either way, I know my own trials have taught me lessons I would never give up and probably brought me blessings I would never exchange either.
I'm grateful for a wise teacher who took the time to prepare a lesson that still teaches me this many years later.
And also, I'm grateful for the sun.
3 comments:
I wondered as soon as you mentioned your best friend's dad if you would talk about compensatory blessing talk. It also made a huge impression on me and have thought a lot about it since.
You are a fantastic writer, Katie. Thanks for this post...it gave me a little lift today!
I'm so glad you wrote this post. I also remember that talk and even where I was sitting in the room in our old Church! It also made a tremendous impact on me and I have thought about that concept often. I also think about your Grandpa Max saying to pray for trials. Greg and I often talk about all the lessons we learned while he was sick and during the long months it took him to recover. I'm not sure I would want to live through that again, but I'm also not sure I would want to miss out on the blessings we received and the changes we made in our hearts. I guess it's a good thing we're not in charge, huh?
P.S. He did talk about his mom getting killed. I remember. :)
Post a Comment