{"id":706,"date":"2018-05-02T14:24:04","date_gmt":"2018-05-02T14:24:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.walkhispath.org\/wp\/?p=706"},"modified":"2020-11-06T16:04:26","modified_gmt":"2020-11-06T16:04:26","slug":"pause-and-look-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walkhispath.org\/wp\/2018\/05\/02\/pause-and-look-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Pause…and Look Up!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In Sunday School the other day we were talking about the fiery serpents that
\ncame to the children of Israel.  These serpents were everywhere.<\/p>\n

They were biting people.<\/p>\n

People were dying.<\/p>\n

The frantic people went to Moses and begged him to tell God to get rid of the snakes.<\/p>\n

Make. It. Go. Away. (Have you ever said that?)<\/p>\n

God didn’t do that.<\/p>\n

BUT, He did give them a solution to their challenge. It just wasn’t the one they wanted.<\/p>\n

And we’re told in the Book of Mormon that some people didn’t act on the solution they were given.
\nI’ve always wondered why they didn’t.<\/p>\n

I know that sometimes we think things need to be bigger to be impactful.
\nThat could be part of it.<\/p>\n

But yesterday a woman in our class shared another reason I hadn’t
\nthought about. She said, if she had been there with poisonous snakes
\nslithering everywhere, she would not take her eyes off the ground! She
\nwould be constantly looking around for the snakes trying to make sure
\nshe was safe.<\/p>\n

Of course you would!<\/p>\n

We do that often with our challenges and concerns.<\/p>\n

We’re so busy or so worried about something that it is difficult to stop
\nthinking about it and focus on something else instead.<\/p>\n

But that is what we are asked to do.<\/p>\n

We are asked to lift our eyes from the problems and concerns we have and
\nlook to the solution, to the Savior.<\/p>\n

It would have taken a lot of courage and faith for the children of Israel to stop
\nlooking around for the snakes and look up to see Moses holding the
\nbronze serpent on a pole. BUT IF THEY WOULD HAVE, they would have been
\nhealed.<\/p>\n

Their concerns would have been taken care of.<\/p>\n

The same goes for us.<\/p>\n

If we would pause for a moment, if we would take a deep breath, if we
\nwould remember what the Savior is offering, we would look up to Him. We
\nwould find answers.<\/p>\n

We would find comfort, peace, healing, strength.<\/p>\n

In ALL of our challenges.<\/p>\n

But that requires us to give up a little of our control which is hard
\nsometimes because we think we have to handle it or hold everything
\ntogether.<\/p>\n

But really, when we look to the Savior we have more power to do that
\nthan we ever have alone.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

From Dallin H. Oaks (4\/2018):<\/p>\n

“After reciting a seemingly small event that had great consequences, Nephi wrote, \u201cAnd thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things\u201d (1 Nephi 16:29<\/a>). The Old Testament includes a memorable example of this. There we read how the Israelites were plagued by fiery serpents. Many people died from their bites (see Numbers 21:6<\/a>). When Moses prayed for relief, he was inspired to make \u201ca serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole.\u201d Then, \u201cif a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived\u201d (verse 9<\/a>). Such a small thing for such a miraculous result! Yet, as Nephi explained when he taught this example to those who were rebelling against the Lord, even when the Lord had prepared a simple way by which they could be healed, \u201cbecause of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished\u201d (1 Nephi 17:41<\/a>).<\/p>\n

That example and that teaching remind us that the simplicity of the way or the easiness of the commanded task cannot mean that it is unimportant to achieve our righteous desire.”<\/p>\n

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