9/13/2018 - Section 110:1-3

September 13, 2018

Section 110:1-3

Kirtland temple dedication, Temples, Personal Revelation My Most Treasured Experience, Prayers Answered, Veil Seeing Through It, Another Child?, Family History, Memories

This section was written in the days just after the dedication of the Kirtland Temple. The saints had been holding meetings in the temple daily since the dedication. This revelation was received Sunday, April 3 1836. There was a large congregation of 1000 members in the church. After hearing several speakers, the Twelve passed the sacrament. After that Joseph states: “I retired to the pulpit, the veils being dropped, and bowed myself, with Oliver Cowdery, in solemn and silent prayer. After rising rom the prayer, the following vision was opened to both of us.”

V 1: “The veil was taken from our minds, and the eyes of our understanding were opened.” I love this verse, for that is what I felt long ago when I had long prayed for months, along with reading the scriptures and the words of the latter day prophets without ever finding a sure answer to my question as to whether or not Bob and I should have a 6^th child. It was a Sunday. Bob was bishop in the St Louis 1^st Ward and was still at church. I had brought the kids home and we had eaten lunch. I put Todd down for a nap, and then told the other children that I had been fasting that day, and that I needed time to pray and to talk with Heavenly Father by myself. They could read or sleep, but they could not make any noise as I needed quiet to talk with Heavenly Father. I then went into my room, and knelt by my bed. I had my scriptures out and open on the bed, as well as my journal, and I had a piece of paper on which I had listed all the Pros and the Cons of having another child. My biggest worry was that there was a heavenly cattle shoot that was labeled ‘WAITS’, and I didn’t want to decide to stop having children only to find later that I had left spirits still standing in that cattle shoot. And the other thing I worried so about was that I didn’t want to have another child and find out that I was simply unable to step up and handle one more person in our household—mostly I was worried that one more child might be take enough time away from the 5 children we then had pull me so thin that I would neglect part of their essential training. I had struggled with these decision for probably a year, and I was finally pleading with the Lord to give me an answer just for me. I knew we were to multiply and replenish the earth---but we were doing that. But I didn’t know if there were children assigned to us that my decision might block out. I started praying and repeating these worries to Heavenly Father, and suddenly my mind was opened up. At that time I realized that my Pro and Con list was like the list of a kindergartener—I realized that those deep worries and concerns I had written down were so silly. I didn’t feel stupid for writing those, I simply realized I had been looking at this decision with such youthful understanding. And the other thing I KNEW was that for us there was no cattle shoot. There were other wonderful things that flooded through my mind during that time. I have no idea how long I prayed, but I learned amazing and wonderful things. I closed my prayer with tears and thanks, and the first thing I did was to pull my journal close to me so I could record all those amazing things I had learned. I opened to the next blank page, I put my pen on the page, and I realized I could not remember a thing I had learned. BUT I vividly remembered that I need not worry about leaving a child behind. And I remembered that my earthly worries were so sweetly small and not important at all. I went over and sat on the window seat. As I sat there I prayed again and thanked the Lord for the answers to my prayers, I expressed my understanding of what had happened, and then I told Him that I WOULD have one more child because what could be more important than bringing one more child into the world and raising that child up to be a strong and positive force in the Lord’s kingdom. At that point there was a little flutter that went through me and very gently reminded me that this might bring some hard and difficult times—and I consciously repeated to Him what I was going to do and why and asking again for His help. And now, decades later, I can assure you that His help was there—but only when I consistently sought for that help with desire, and hope, and faith.