The
following is a lesson which I gave at a youth conference first, then modified
to give to our ward Relief Society, in July 2011.
Jim
Jackson, our Stake Young Men president, first asked me to present this after he
heard me report on Ben’s progress after his first year of seminary –he just completed
his third this year.
Before
being called as Ben’s seminary teacher, I was a Sunday school teacher for a
class of several 12-13 year olds. Leaving the ninety-nine, I went after the
one, my own son, to teach him seminary lessons.
“The
Worth of Souls is Great!”
Good afternoon,
Sisters. My name is Sophie Kingsbury, I thought it’d be good to introduce
myself since I am not a regular Relief Society teacher.
I am
French, I grew up in the South of France, Provence (in case any of you are
wondering about my accent!); my regular church calling is seminary teacher, but
I am in a bit of an exceptional situation since I only teach my son Benjamin,
who has full scale autism. I have also worked as an AVID tutor in the school
district for the past 3 years – 5 now. AVID is a high school college-prep
program where I work with somewhat disadvantaged kids.
I
originally gave this lesson as part of a priest-laurel conference. The theme
was “Be the One”, to encourage them to see the worth in each person. So maybe from
my background you are beginning to see why I might have been asked to give this
lesson on the worth of souls: between my own son, Ben, my French heritage – which
makes me different here in the USA-- and all the AVID kids I work with, I have
contact with a lot of exceptional souls!
Who
works outside the home here? Who knows what EOE stands for? Yes, Equal Opportunity Employment!
More specifically, what does
it mean?
No discrimination against age, sex, color, handicap, race or national
origin!
Have
you felt discriminated against in any way before? How did that feel? What
happened? What would you have liked to see happen instead?
I have sometimes felt “discriminated”
against because of my French accent, or some other times when Ben doesn’t act
as others deem he should, and they make disparaging remarks about him, it also
feels like discrimination. It doesn’t feel nice, to say the least.
In
Seminary this past year we studied Doctrine & Covenants. Who can recite
D&C 18:10?
10 Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;
D&C 18:11 is also
11 For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the
flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and
come unto him.
“All men”, and I would add “women”,
and not just some, not just the ones that look like us or that we’re friends
with, or that seem “whole”, ALL! The Lord Jesus Christ died for every single
one of us, if we repent and come unto him.
D&C 121:45 highlights that very point
also:
45 Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all
men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts
unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and
the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from
heaven.
Because the worth of all souls that
were created by our Father in Heaven is so great, Jesus Christ offered himself
as a sacrifice so we might return and live with him and God. What must we do to
do so? Yes, repent and move forward with a perfect brightness of hope, hope for
eternal life, which is life in the kingdom of God.
Today we are
going to study how Heavenly Father truly is an EOE, equal opportunity employer –
we are all qualified for the work he has for us to do -- and how the
Three Missions of the Church are designed to help us all, all men, “handicapped”
or not, towards our goal of eternal life. God loves us all, he truly does, and
desires all to return, but it is up to us to know how – he has taught us -- and
to help each other along the way.
What are the Three Missions of the
Church? Redeem the Dead
Proclaim
the Gospel
Perfect the Saints
Redeeming the Dead: (past)
The worth of souls is great in the
sight of God. But how great?
Isaiah 13:12 reads:
"I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man
than the golden wedge of Ophir."
Proverbs 31:10 says:
"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies."
Gold, rubies, that’s precious! That’s
of great value! Are the people that have passed on from earthly life any less
precious than, say, you!?
People whose names figure on temple cards represent
real people with past lives and real feelings, eager to learn and accept the
Gospel.
As I have taken some of my ancestors
to be baptized in our sacred temples, I have felt, at times, their excitement
at the work I was performing for them. As I stood as proxy for them, doing for
them what they could not do for themselves anymore, as they have moved on from
this mortal realm, I clearly felt their love for me and their acceptance of the
work performed for them. (Other times, I felt nothing at all, but that is to be
expected too!)
As I have looked
for my ancestors, I have felt their spirits give me strength so I could do
their temple work. As I have received the temple ordinances for them, I know
they were so grateful and I have felt them close. True to the Faith says: “You
become a savior on Mount Zion for them. Your effort approaches the spirit of
the Savior’s atoning sacrifice – you perform a saving work for them that they
cannot perform for themselves.” In essence, you tell them, you are worth my
time and efforts, you matter to me, because of you I am now here and I am who I
am. I love you.
Ben loooooves attending the temple and performing baptisms there. He can feel the special spirit which reigns there. Next week he will have the privilege of going on a special priest-laurel temple trip to the Nauvoo temple. I am so excited for him and Angelique (and Keith too!) to have this opportunity. We have been able to go up my family tree to the 1500s and find ancestors to baptize in the Nauvoo temple. I know Ben can do this work. His autism doesn't make a difference. He is qualified.
Proclaiming the
Gospel: (present and
future)
Whose presence
here in this room is the product of pure missionary work? I mean… Who is a
convert? Who has parents who are converts? Are you grateful to those missionaries? How do
you feel about this mission of the Church? How important is it?
I am a convert to the Church. I was baptized
when I was a tender twenty years of age.
I am grateful to the many people
involved in my conversion, Leigh Shelton, my American mom, Dianna Gilliam, another
American mom J, both
from North Carolina when I first visited when I was 15. Then the two great
missionaries who taught me there in North Carolina, Elder David Brenchley and
Elder Allen Tucker, and the countless missionaries who loved me in France when
I was deciding if joining was really what I should do: Marlon Steiner, Lisa
Peterson, Marina Steed, Mike Rogers and Andrew Wilson, and finally the missionaries who baptized
me, Kary Staples, and confirmed me, Allan Pyper.
Who has already
decided they are for sure going on a mission when they are able to go?
Mark 16:15 says:
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the
world, and preach the gospel to every creature."
How about
everyday missionary work? It’s the best!
I still go out the missionaries at my "advanced" age! J
And Ben talks
about serving a mission every chance he gets! And guess what? Because Heavenly
Father truly is an EOE, he can use both me and Ben; despite all of our
limitations, He can and will use us, as He already has! Ben can serve a service
mission...
...and I can continue to open my mouth whenever I can J
D&C 60:2:
"But with some I am not well pleased, for they
will not open their mouths, but they hide the talent which I have given unto
them, because of the fear of man. Wo
unto such, for mine anger is kindled against them."
Perfecting the Saints: (present)
Have you ever
worked with special needs children, or people with handicaps of any age for that matter? How did you
feel? Was it very natural for you to communicate with them? Or did you have to
sort of “brace” yourself before diving in?
This next passage refers to the pride
the people of Jacob had for their riches and beautiful clothes but it could
apply just as well to any pride we have for whatever sets us apart from the rest
of the world: our beautiful faces, our impeccable manners in society, our
advantaged positions, our skin color, etc…
Jacob 2:20-21 reads:
"And now, my brethren, I have spoken unto you
concerning pride; and those of you which have afflicted your neighbor, and
persecuted him because ye were proud in your hearts, of the things which God
hath given you, what say ye of it?
"Do ye not suppose that such things are
abominable unto him who created all flesh?
And the one being is as precious in his
sight as the other. And all flesh
is of the dust; and for the selfsame end hath he created them, that they should
keep his commandments and glorify him forever."
What do you think the Lord values in
each and every one of us, his children? Do you think he values that we are
white or black, poor or rich, skinny or heavier, beautiful or homely by the
world’s standards?
The Lord values us for reasons far
different than the world’s because he looks at the state of our heart when he
judges us. You’ve heard the expression “it’s the inside that counts”.
1 Sam 16:7: "But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on
his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him:
for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance,
but the LORD looketh on the heart."
So let’s revisit that concept of EOE.
What do you think of it now? Is it simply a politically correct thing to do and
say? Or is it truly an important concept to be aware of? How can we more
inclusive as Latter Day Saints -- or as human beings really -- of people that are
different? How can we view differences as assets rather than liabilities, or
something to be overcome?
Finally let us remember that ALL of us
are Children of God: handicapped or not. Whatever our race, nationality, ethnic
background, we were all formed by the divine hand of God.
Elder Glenn L.
Pace of the Seventy in an Ensign article in Jan. 2005 wrote:
“We know
that each of us has always existed in some form. The scriptures teach us: ‘Man
was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was
not created or made, neither indeed can be’ (D&C
93:29). We know that we became the spirit children
of heavenly parents, thereby inheriting the genes of godhood, and we were
nurtured by these parents in the heavens. As President George Q. Cannon (1827–1901)
so beautifully put it: ‘There was a period when we, with Jesus and others,
basked in the light of the presence of God and enjoyed His smiles. We are the
children of God, and as His children there is no attribute we ascribe to Him
that we do not possess, though they may be dormant or in embryo. The mission of
the Gospel is to develop these powers and make us like our Heavenly Parent.’”
President Gordon B. Hinckley said: “I believe in myself. I do not
mean to say this with egotism. But I believe in my capacity and in your
capacity to do good, to make some contribution to the society of which we are a
part, [and] to grow and develop. … I believe in the principle that I can make a
difference in this world, be it ever so small.” Let's be makers of little differences which snowball into BIG ones!
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