Even a Child Can Understand

Here is a talk I gave yesterday in Sacrament Meeting. I was asked to speak on Elder Causse's talk from the last General Conference, "Even a Child Can Understand". I'm not posting it because I think it is so great (everything in it can be found in the Ensign), but because of how I feel about Mama's stuff. Someone recently told me that they have copies of some of Mama's talks and other things she did for lessons at church. I would love to read some of her thoughts on doctrine. As I've said before, I used to love to talk to her about that kind of thing. One year we were both teaching Gospel Doctrine (her class was the adults and mine was the younger kids, but we taught from the same manual) and we had fun brainstorming about our lessons every week. Anyway, since I publish this into a book each year, this is for my kids (but you're welcome to read along ) =).

There is a story told of a young boy visiting Temple Square for the first time. In the Visitor’s Center, he bolted from his parents and ran up the ramp to the Christus shouting, “It’s Jesus. It’s Jesus.” As his mother attempted to restrain him, he said, “Don’t worry. He likes children.”
To quote the words of the Primary hymn,

“Tell me the stories of Jesus I love to hear,
Things I would ask him to tell me if he were here.
Scenes by the wayside, tales of the sea,
Stories of Jesus, tell them to me.
Oh let me hear how the children stood round his knee.
I shall imagine his blessings resting on me.
Words full of kindness, deeds full of grace.
All in the love light of Jesus’ face.”

Jesus does “like children.” In 3 Nephi 17, we read the touching passage of Jesus’ visit to this continent. Concluding the events that took place there, Jesus “wept… and he took their little children, one by one and blessed them and prayed unto the Father for them.”

Once, when he was told this story, Tyler’s younger brother asked, “How young do you think you had to be to be considered a child and be able to sit on Jesus’ knee?” What a wonderful thought. How young do you have to be to receive the privilege of sitting with Jesus? I think the answer lies in Mark 10:15 where we read, “Whosever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.” To enjoy the eternal company of Jesus Christ, we all must become as a child.

Elder Gerald Causse, in the last General Conference said, “Little children have a marvelous disposition to learn. They have total trust in their teacher, a pure spirit, and great humility- in other words, the same qualities which open the door to the Holy Spirit.”

Our knowledge of God does not depend on the amount of information we are able to accumulate. I think, in fact, it depends upon the way that we are able to understand His doctrine. And that again, requires that we become as a little child and listen, most specifically to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

We somehow find ways to obscure the things that are simple. People trying to find God often think that they have to look for Him in intellectually complicated concepts. But this is not the way of God. To again quote Elder Causse, “In His goodness He has ensured that the truths regarding God are understandable to all His children, whatever their level of education or intellectual faculty.”

Isn’t this further evidence of the divinity of the Savior? He often used simple parables to teach the masses. Although He was misunderstood by the intellects of the day, a child could listen and understand the basics of the doctrine that he taught. President John Taylor said, “It is true intelligence to take a subject that is mysterious and great in itself and to unfold and simplify it so that a child can understand it.”

Apostasies have resulted from simplicity and clarity being rejected. In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Jacob spoke of those who “despised the words of plainness, and killed the prophets, and sought for things that they could not understand. Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall; for God hath taken away his plainness from them, and delivered unto them many things which they cannot understand because they desired it.”

Amazing, isn’t it? They desired it to be more complicated. And don’t we all. Just like Naaman, the Syrian captain who almost did not obey the counsel of Elisha to cure his leprosy because it seemed too simple. His servant wisely said,
“My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?
“Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.”

In Mosiah 3 we read that the natural man is any enemy to God… unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit and becomes as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.”

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what the future holds for us. The media paints a pretty grim picture of the economy, government, and the outlook for our country. My calling as Primary Chorister is both a blessing and a curse. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, everything reminds me of a song. This reminds me of a verse in “Follow the Prophet.”

“Now we have a world where people are confused.
If you don’t believe it, go and watch the news.”

It is very confusing and scary to not know what the future holds and not know what actions we need to take to ensure our personal viability. Recently our family has experienced the monetary effects of the economic downturn and we have had to identify and focus on the things that are really important. How fitting it was that last month I was assigned to teach the children of the Primary the hymn, “How Firm a Foundation.” To quote the words, “How firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord. Is laid for your faith in his excellent word.” It has reminded me that the most important thing we can do right now is to build a firm foundation in Christ to prepare for the future- regardless of what it might bring.

But how does becoming like a child fit in with that? Most of us want to be strong. We might see becoming as a child as being weak. In fact, as parents, we might often tell our children that they need to be less “childish.” But let us go back to the ministry of Jesus. In the book of Matthew, the disciples said unto Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
“And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them,
“And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
“Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
“And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.”

There is a blessing in this uncertain time. Elder Eyring once said, “People have to believe that danger is real to want to find safety.” Let us take this opportunity of insecurity to establish a sure foundation. As Helaman counseled his young stripling warriors, “And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his might winds, yea his shafts in the whirlwind, yea when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation… whereon if men build they cannot fall.”

And now comes the point in my talk where I would usually give advice about how to incorporate these concepts into our lives. I would usually give some sort of list or guidelines about how to make use of the information. But this time, as I prepared my talk… I realized I was doing exactly the opposite of what I just suggested. I was complicating an otherwise simple notion.

You don’t need to be taught how to become like a child. We just need to remember what it is like. This isn’t a checklist that we can mark and forget about. It is a way of “becoming.” It is a process that is ongoing and it doesn’t require us to do something. We might more appropriately describe it as not doing something. It requires us to not lose our temper, but be patient. It requires us to not be hard-hearted, but teachable. It requires us to not be so sure of an answer that we are unwilling to listen to the promptings of the Spirit. As we do this, we will learn to hear His voice instead of the voice of the world, and we will do things His way instead of the ways of the world.

As Elder Causse says, “I pray that we will know how to open our hearts like a little child and take pleasure in hearing and practicing the word of God in all the power of its simplicity.” Only when our hearts are still and quiet, in submission like a child, can the Spirit be clearly audible to our mind and hearts. As we continually strive for this, I am sure we will have comfort and peace. I am sure as we learn to accept the help of the Holy Ghost our lives will become easier We will begin a process of becoming pure and strong like a little child. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.