Considering ... High Mountain, Mon/Tue 8/29-30/2016

The following is extracted from the final address by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in the April, 2016 LDS general conference. This is from the lesson presented in our priesthood group today:

Remember that when Moses came down from his singular experience on Mount Sinai, he found that his people had “corrupted themselves” and had “turned aside quickly.”2 There they were at the foot of the mountain, busily fashioning a golden calf to worship, in the very hour that Jehovah, at the summit of the mountain, had been telling Moses, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” and “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.”3 Moses was not happy with his flock of wandering Israelites that day!

During His earthly ministry, Jesus took Peter, James, and John to the Mount of Transfiguration, where, the scriptures say, “his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.”4 The heavens opened, ancient prophets came, and God the Father spoke.

After such a celestial experience, what does Jesus come down the mountain to find? Well, first He found an argument between His disciples and their antagonists over a failed blessing administered to a young boy. Then He tried to convince the Twelve—unsuccessfully, it turns out—that He would soon be delivered up to local rulers who would kill Him. Then someone mentioned that a tax was due, which was forthrightly paid. Then He had to rebuke some of the brethren because they were arguing about who would be the greatest in His kingdom. All of this led Him at one point to say, “O faithless generation, … how long shall I suffer you?”5 He had occasion to ask that question more than once during His ministry. No wonder He longed for the prayerful solitude of mountaintops!

Realizing that we all have to come down from peak experiences to deal with the regular vicissitudes of life, may I offer this encouragement as general conference concludes.

First of all, if in the days ahead you not only see limitations in those around you but also find elements in your own life that don’t yet measure up to the messages you have heard this weekend, please don’t be cast down in spirit and don’t give up. The gospel, the Church, and these wonderful semiannual gatherings are intended to give hope and inspiration. They are not intended to discourage you. Only the adversary, the enemy of us all, would try to convince us that the ideals outlined in general conference are depressing and unrealistic, that people don’t really improve, that no one really progresses. And why does Lucifer give that speech? Because he knows he can’t improve, he can’t progress, that worlds without end he will never have a bright tomorrow. He is a miserable man bound by eternal limitations, and he wants you to be miserable too. Well, don’t fall for that. With the gift of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the strength of heaven to help us, we can improve, and the great thing about the gospel is we get credit for trying, even if we don’t always succeed.

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I could not easily eliminate or modify the references to Jesus Christ, Holly. Please substitute terms you are comfortable with.

Today's q/q: This message references what we in the church call "high mountain" experiences. Before temples were built, the Lord often appeared to His prophets on mountain tops for privacy in delivering the messages. Do you have "high mountain" experiences in which your spirituality is enhanced only to "come down" from this experience to the humdrum of everyday living? How can you maintain a "spiritual high" and still live everyday life?

Holly, my question wasn't necessarily about the "high mountain" experiences we have but how you handle coming down from the spiritual "high" back to "real life"?

I've had what I would call transformational experiences. And when you come back down to earth, it's a huge adjustment and sometimes even a let down. But the truth is that the experience is the launching pad. It' for you to know what it can be like and to work towards making that experience the norm rather than the occasional awesome moment. Our marriage isn't all about the wedding day and the honeymoon. Our marriage is everything after that. Spiritual living is the same. We draw strength from the experience to carry us through the "normal" things that make life life. It can't all be mountain tops or we would not value the experience. Still, the adjustment is tough at least for me. Everything that was once important, seems trivial and I look to focus my life force energy towards things of better value.