Physical Preparedness

Now that we have covered spiritual and temporal preparations, it is time to move on to physical preparedness. This concerns the literal preparation of your body and the church as a whole for the Second Coming and the events that will precede it. Remember that in our story, Mary was physically at the feet of the Savior while Martha hurried around the house. Part of physical preparation is knowing that there is a time to be busy and a time to be still, or a time to be up and doing and a time to watch and wait- and to know which is which.

There are certain things you must do with and to your body to prepare for the Second Coming. Some of these are spiritually driven actions, but they are in this section because there are things that physically have to happen before Jesus can come, and we have to work to bring them to pass. Let's get to it!

Missionary work- The gospel has to be preached to all the earth before His coming. President Monson recently asked church members to pray for the leaders of countries who will not allow the missionaries in, that their hearts will be softened and that missionary efforts in those areas of the world can move forward. So we need to pray.

Ordinances of the Gospel- Be baptized and renew your baptismal covenants each Sunday by partaking of the sacrament. Receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost and live in tune with the Spirit. Receive your endowments in the temple; keep and use a current temple recommend. Be sealed to your spouse, children, parents and ancestors through temple work.

Fasting- Going without food for 24 hours once a month not only provides for the needs of others through fast offerings, but it provides us with an opportunity to teach our bodies that our spirit is in charge. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. We need to learn to function while all of our physical needs aren't being met. We need to learn to be patient and cheerful while hungry and thirsty. We need to learn to put others above ourselves.

Make your home a holy place- In Doctrine & Covenants section 45 the Lord tells us that when all these horrific events foretold in the scriptures are happening, that His "disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved" (v. 32). Since we cannot be at the temple all day every day, we need to make our homes a safe haven and a refuge from the literal storms of life. We are told in the Bible dictionary that "Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness." (pg. 781) and if we want to abide the day, we need a place to stay! Each family prayer said, each Family Home Evening held, each scripture read and each song sung invites the Spirit of the Lord into our home. If the Lord can create the world by speaking the right words, the words we sing and say in our homes can build a holy place if we so choose.

Eat Right- I say "right" instead of just "healthy" because physical preparation for an emergency is different from a good diet. It takes time for our bodies to learn to digest whole grains if we're not already used to them. Oatmeal and beans and rice every day is a bleak prospect for pop-tart and pizza type people. You don't need to cut those things out entirely, just add the right things in! In most cases (including in our family) sweets are a part of our daily lives; we need to learn self restraint in that area too. Try going without any sugar for a week, and you'll be surprised how your body reacts (I was!). And if you are a caffeine junkie, you might consider kicking the habit now. It's not just that soda is bad for you, but that the last thing you want in an emergency is to have to deal with a crisis while also feeling the physical effects of needing an addiction fix! The current recommendations for caloric intake and food sources specific to your body type and stage in life can be calculated at http://www.mypyramid.gov/ .

Exercise- Our bodies are temples. We need to keep them in order. The Word of Wisdom promises us that we can run and not be weary and walk and not faint (D&C 89:20). But did you ever stop to think that maybe that is the result of the healthy lifestyle choice we commit to, not an over-the-counter-blessing? We need to give the Lord something to work with, and if we don't put forth the effort by being healthy He can't bless us with the effects of strong physical abilities. Be fit and condition your body to know how to work hard. The current exercise recommendations for the average healthy adult under 65 years of age is 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise daily (except the Sabbath for us of course!), and weight bearing exercise twice a week. For weight loss programs and other physical activity information see http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/. 

Sleep Right- We are counseled in the Doctrine and Covenants to "cease to sleep longer than is needful" and also to "retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated." (D&C 88:124) Brigham Young is also attributed with the idea that the day should be divided into thirds: eight hours for work, eight hours for play, and eight hours for sleep. Our bodies need rest to perform optimally so make this a priority. The current recommendation for the average adult is seven to nine hours a night. For more information and recommendations for infants, children, and teens see http://www.cdc.gov/features/sleep/ .

Practice makes perfect; get experience! - We need to not only have the equipment to survive any emergency, but we need to know how to use it. Having first aid supplies and having first aid experience are worlds apart in value. Find recipes and try them out. Buy patterns and make clothes for gifts. Plant a garden and learn from trial and error how to produce the best food while you can still mosey over to the market and get whatever your heart desires. And remember, any intelligence we gain in this life will be retained for the eternities so gain experience now and no matter what it won't go to waste.

Have plans and practice them. - Research shows that it is not enough to have read information about disaster response--we need to physically go through the motions. Especially where children are involved, we need to practice what to do in an emergency. Experts also say that you need to update information and rehearse your plans twice a year.

The best part about all these things is that there is no cost directly linked to any of them, so don't delay!

Merry Christmas!!

Temporal Preparedness

Once the patterns of spiritual preparation are set in motion, we are ready to also begin to prepare temporally. Remember, Martha couldn't make dinner and listen to the Savior at the same time, so we have to be prepared before He is supposed to arrive.

In the foregoing posts, we have read admonishments and statements from our current prophet, other church leaders, and the scriptures urging us to prepare ourselves now- for when disaster strikes, for when the unknown comes, or for when we are faced with difficulty and challenge. The scripture in Doctrine & Covenants 88 perhaps sums it up best as it simply states: “Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing” (v. 119).

As much as we hate to admit it, the world is on a slippery slope that will continue to decline until the end. From devastating natural disasters to corrupted political systems at home and abroad, we are experiencing many prophecies of the Second Coming being fulfilled. As the world continues to erode we must do all that we can now in order to prepare ourselves temporally to be able to survive the calamities that will come our way. However, not everything is just about storing wheat and water, but truly being temporally prepared to face the world today.

We have a basic understanding that the most important area of preparation is spiritual, but we also understand why we need to be temporally prepared. Temporal preparation is action-based and thus requires lots to do and learn, not necessarily parables and quotes to inspire internal transformation. It will take time and should be treated as a process. There are few of us lucky enough to simply be able to go out and buy our preparedness. And even then, many lessons are lost in doing so, for there is wisdom to be gained and lessons to be learned in the actual doing and process of preparing. Half of preparedness itself is the knowledge and learning of what to do with everything once you have it. With that said, roll up your sleeves; it’s time to go to work!

Give you family the best gift you can give this year: peace of mind through preparation!

At the Feet of the Prophet

I love this man! Here are some quotes from President Thomas Monson about preparedness:

“We encourage members world-wide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings.”

“We ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings. Do not go to extremes; it is not prudent, for example, to go into debt to establish your food storage all at once. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve.”

“Preparation is hard work but absolutely essential for our progress.”

“Have discipline in your preparations. Have checkpoints where you can determine if you’re on course.”

“Many more people could ride out the storm-tossed waves in their economic lives if they had their year's supply of food…and were debt free. Today we find that many have this counsel in reverse: they have at least a year's supply of debt and are food free.”

“Make certain as you prepare that you do not procrastinate.”

Have a great week everyone and Merry Christmas!

Spiritual Preparedness

Last night i got online to post and i saw that the senate passed SB 510- the "farm bill", so i spent the rest of the time until i went to bed reading about what people are saying that will mean for America. Family and friends, the time to act is NOW. I almost switched and posted about food storage today, but i know that our spiritual preparation has a more far reaching affect than buckets of rice and wheat. Plus last week i posted about terrorism and i don't want to be reactionary two weeks in a row. =o]

Spiritual Preparedness

We know that the Savior walked on this earth 2,000 years ago, and just as surely we know that He is coming back. A lot has to happen in the world before He returns, but many of the prophecies in the scriptures have already come to pass or are happening right now. We need the guidance of the Spirit to know how to best use our limited time and resources so that we can be prepared at His coming. Fortunately, the most important preparation we can do is our spiritual preparation, which is free. We need to be faithful or it won't matter how much rice and wheat we have stored.

The scriptures state the Lord will not do anything without first revealing it to His servants the prophets. (Amos 3:7) The prophets have spoken clearly and repeatedly that now is the time to prepare and that we are in the latter-days. Although their messages are urgent and powerful, none of them are alarming or imposing; they highlight our need to be prudent in our preparations. 

Doctrine and Covenants 38:30 tells us that if we are prepared we shall not fear. "Shall not" is the same language used in the Ten Commandments. This suggests that preparation and being at peace go hand in hand because they are things we choose to be, not necessarily because they are consequences of each other. In other words, it is not an if-then statement. It does not say if ye are prepared, then ye shall not fear, but rather, "if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear." Our worries and fears drown out the whisperings of the Spirit, and since we can't afford to miss His help, we need to choose to follow the commandment to be prepared and to not fear once we have done all we can do. Fear is the opposite of faith, so in reality, we could interpret the scripture as saying, if ye are prepared, ye shall have faith. As we prepare, our faith in the Lord will grow. We will be able to trust in His promises because preparation is an enabler of faith. We must believe that our preparations have a purpose and are more than just the means to an end. We will be blessed both now as we prepare, and then if we have done our part to be ready to listen to Him. Both Mary and Martha knew Jesus was coming, but Martha wasn't able to be with Him because she was stuck still preparing (Alma 34:32-33). Meanwhile Mary's choices enabled peace of mind and readiness of heart while at the feet of the Savior, and thus, she was able to receive her part of the spiritual blessings He had to offer.

We have been instructed to put on the "whole armour of God." Part of that armor is preparation (Ephesians 6:15, D&C 27:16): "And your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace." Feet represent movement, direction, and purpose. If we are not prepared with the Gospel, we will not know the direction we should go, or whom to follow. Our spiritual preparation has a direct correlation with our temporal lives. We are promised that as we strive to be spiritually worthy --keeping the commandments and pointing our feet in the correct direction --we are blessed in all things, including temporal blessings.

Perhaps the best preparedness story we have in all of scripture is the parable of the ten virgins found in Matthew 25. This is a story about "the kingdom of heaven at that day, before the Son of Man comes". Everyone is waiting for the bridegroom to walk by so they can follow him to the wedding party. It is midnight before he arrives, and by that time not only has everyone fallen asleep and has to be roused, but some people's lamps have burnt out so they can't light the way for him. They go run to buy oil, but by the time they catch up to the group, the door has shut and the bridegroom says he doesn't know them when they ask to be let in. Verse two states that five of the virgins were wise and five were foolish. The parable ends by saying "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." 

Elder Dallin H Oaks likened this parable to our day in this way: "The arithmetic of this parable is chilling. The ten virgins obviously represent members of Christ’s Church, for all were invited to the wedding feast and all knew what was required to be admitted when the bridegroom came. But only half were ready when he came…. Brothers and sisters… Are we preparing? We need to make both temporal and spiritual preparation for the events prophesied at the time of the Second Coming. And the preparation most likely to be neglected is the one less visible and more difficult—the spiritual. A 72-hour kit of temporal supplies may prove valuable for earthly challenges, but, as the foolish virgins learned to their sorrow, a 24-hour kit of spiritual preparation is of greater and more enduring value."

We as members of the church are all looking forward with faith to the day the Savior returns, but to only watch and wait is not wise. This parable is as much or more about spiritual preparation than temporal preparation because when the time came the people with oil couldn't share with the people who didn't have any. Spiritual readiness takes time and effort and no one else can do it for us. Since we know He is coming we have to prepare ourselves to meet Him so He will know us when we knock at the door. We can have our year's supply of food and still miss the feast if we are not spiritually prepared.

President Henry B Eyring once said, “The greatest test of life is to see whether we will hearken to and obey God’s commands in the midst of the storms of life. What we will need in this day of testing is a spiritual preparation. It is to have developed faith in Jesus Christ so powerful that we can pass the test of life upon which everything for us in eternity depends. That test is part of the purpose God had for us in the Creation.” So, the great test of life is to see whether we will hearken to and obey God’s commands in the midst of the storms of life. It is not to endure storms, but to choose the right while they rage. And the tragedy of life is to fail in that test and so fail to qualify to return in glory to our heavenly home. The storms will rage, trials will come, and temptations will besiege us. We must choose to have faith, to be strong and of a good courage, for truly the Lord God is with us. He has promised us that as we go and do those things He requires of us, that He will prepare a way for us to do them. That through faith we can do all things. Preparedness is a commandment, and as such, part of our spiritual worthiness is to do just that- prepare. We read in Doctrine & Covenants 78:13-14, “Behold, this is the preparation wherewith I prepare you, and the foundation, and the ensample which I give unto you, whereby you may accomplish the commandments which are given you; That through my providence, notwithstanding the tribulation which shall descend upon you, that the church may stand independent above all other creatures beneath the celestial world.” As the Lord commands, so must we obey. He has prepared the tools necessary for us to accomplish this commandment. We have been reminded time and time again by church leaders the things we can do to prepare ourselves spiritually:

Read the scriptures daily

Have daily personal and family prayer

Attend church and partake of the sacrament weekly

Hold regular Family Home Evenings

Attend the temple as often as possible

Pay an honest tithing and fast offering

Keep the commandments

Follow the counsel of the prophets, apostles, and other church leaders

Follow the standards set forth in For the Strength of Youth

As we do these things we will find ourselves clothed in the “whole armour of God” and our feet prepared with the Gospel of Peace. We will find ourselves ready to meet our Savior when He comes again on that great day.