Dear friend,
A major highlight for the three older kids this month was hiking Mt. LaFayette with their dad. It was a pretty wild trip. It was a five-hour drive up to the base and Boyd threw up in the car. They slept in a tent at the base of the mountain where it was 5 degrees Fahrenheit. Everything was covered in snow and they had to wear crampons the entire time. They began hiking at 7:30am and kept at it until they returned to the car at 5pm; it was 11 miles round trip. They were able to summit where it was -30 with the windchill. The fact that Smith exposed his face for the summit picture gives me the chills. I'm sure proud of these kids. We also spent a week skiing in the Poconos for February Break.
February was another fantastic month in the Erickson home.
Joy continues to grow and develop into her name. She loves to create things and is a fantastic babysitter. She is dear friends with and a great helper to her friend Mackenzie at school who has down syndrome. She loves having baby Hazel come spend some girl time with us while her parents go out. Joy will be the best babysitter. She performed in a Valentine's Share at school and sang her heart out. This month she and E made homemade cinnamon rolls together. She made so much progress on skis this year. I'm so proud of her. She has a natural talent for added drama to any situation (for better or worse) and she knows how to negotiate. She will be an incredible missionary because she pushes for a commitment to any thought or suggestion that she sees as beneficial.
Here's one conversation from the month:
Dad: Joy, you have so much FOMO
Joy: (Smiling at the attention from her father) Yeah...what's that mean?
Dad: Fear Of Missing Out. It means that if there's a party, you want to be there. It means that if someone is doing something, you want to be doing it right along side them. You don't want to miss out on anything fun.
Joy: (Smiling as though she is seeing herself clearly in the mirror for the first time and loving her reflection all the more.) That is so me, Dad!
I’ll be speaking today about the Sabbath Day, the Lord’s instruction to keep it holy, and the blessings that doing so brings.
The Sabbath Day is the Lord’s day, one day every week set apart by Him for rest and worship. Since our Savior’s earthly ministry, Sunday has been designated as our Sabbath day, and the commandment given to Moses on Mount Sinai—to keep it holy—remains in force. (Exodus 20:8)
The natural man, as described by King Benjamin, is as an enemy to God and hears every commandment as restrictive and constraining. To understand commandments for the blessings that they are, we need to exercise the faith required to activate our spiritual eyes and awaken our spiritual senses.
I’d like to share two short stories that may soften our hearts and help us see.
The first is from the 2015 general conference address of Elder Von G. Keetch. He said: At a beach in Australia, a frustrated group of surfers vented about a new barrier preventing them from reaching the large waves breaking just on the other side, saying, “This is ruining our day! This is ridiculous!” Some may have concluded that the barriers were only meant to protect novice surfers from the heaving surf, and viewed their own expert abilities were superior to such precautions. Watching the scene was a seasoned local, who eventually took a pair of binoculars and asked those complaining to look. The binoculars revealed the large dorsal fins of many sharks feeding near the reef just beyond the barrier. The local soberly noted: “That barrier is the only thing keeping you from being devoured.” Gratitude replaced resentment.
A second story: One of my sons was quick to learn ping pong. Early in his practice I corrected his grip to one that would allow him to more adeptly spin the ball which is a core skill in the sport. This change was initially very frustrating for him, but he persevered. Once limited by incorrect technique, his potential in the sport is now uncapped and his growth accelerated.
The Lord’s commandments are likewise principles of power: They accelerate our divine progression by simultaneously removing obstacles and amplifying our growth as joint-heirs with Christ.
It’s helpful to remember the Savior’s words: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he [pruneth], that it may bring forth more fruit.” For our lives to be fruitful, even abundantly fruitful, we must humbly accept the Lord’s careful, loving pruning.
In the book of Mark, chapter 2, the Savior teaches that the “Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath.” The Sabbath was given to us as a divine gift! The prophet Isaiah even called the Sabbath a “delight.”
Those who keep the Sabbath day will come to “know…the Lord (Ezekiel 20:20), will receive “rest from their labors” (D&C 59), have a “fulness of joy”, and receive a “fulness of the earth.”
It’s very likely that each of us can invest more in our Sabbath Day observance. We can each repent and do better. Repentance is too often framed in avoiding the bad. That is an essential part, sure, but the predominate focus of any repentance needs to be on what we are trying to become. To think of Christ’s atonement as only a means of purification is a very limited understanding. Christ atonement is the very means by which Gods and Goddesses are formed. When we apply this infinite power to the pursuit of righteousness, its unlimited scope can reveal our uncapped potential. There is no greater treatment for sin, temptation, and weakness, than increasing our focus on growing and cultivating what is good. This is the essence of the Lord’s teaching in D&C 88: “And if your eye be single, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you.”
Aligned with this principle, I’d like to list ways I’ve observed people in our stake pursue light and holiness on the Sabbath day. Maybe something here will inspire you!
- Woman who initiated monthly youth piano recitals at a local nursing home
- One family with young children does a “power hour” where they perform acts of service ranging from collecting trash at a local park, to calling grandparents, or making cookies for neighbors
- Another family meets over Zoom with relatives to study “Come Follow Me” together
- A man I know serves at a soup kitchen and visits the local prison
- Because of busy weekly schedules, another family does its “Family Home Evening” activity on Sunday evenings
- A woman writes thank you notes to speakers in sacrament meeting
- One woman reviews with the RS president sisters who are sick or need a friendly visit and then she provides the needed care
- One set of parents meets regularly with each of their children to listen, encourage, and provide counsel
- High school students who chose to honor God and keep their covenants by not participating in worldly activities on Sunday, including sports and other excurriculars
- Another mother does art projects with her daughters
- A family gathers to watch uplifting movies together
- One couple hosts a dessert night or dinner with various people
- A young woman who initiated a weekly gathering of her peers with a gospel discussion and, of course, lots of snacks
- One man makes a point to check on his ministering families and express his love for them
- A young man sets aside time to read his Book of Mormon to prepare for a mission
There are many ways that we can actively, intentionally hallow the Sabbath. Last but not least is to prepare for and worthily participate in the sacrament ordinance.
Jesus Christ taught Joseph Smith the following:
“That thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day; for verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High.” (D&C 59:9-10)
Have you ever found yourself, maybe in the middle or towards the end of a week longing for the sacrament. For that opportunity to exercise your agency to renew your covenants with Jesus Christ, and by doing so, be renewed by him. Some weeks I feel this experience so tangibly; the sacrament washes away my despairs, lightens my anxieties, and weakens any worldly attachments. When I have properly prepared, without fail, the sacrament has rendered my Spirit hopeful, comforted, and free.
President Nelson has taughts us that, “Every man and every woman who participates in priesthood ordinances and who makes and keeps covenants with God has direct access to the power of God.” (The Everlasting Covenant, Liahona Oct 2022)
When I was a teenager, I particularly liked napping on Sunday. If the Sabbath was a day of rest, surely taking a nap was among the holiest things I could do. A true win win. While physical rest is definitely important, my mission taught me a great deal about the type of rest the Lord invites us to enjoy on His Holy day. As a missionary, Sundays were busy proselyting days. We taught the gospel like any other day until after 9PM. No naps! Where was the rest! As I pondered my new no-nap existence, the Spirit taught me that keeping the Sabbath day holy strengthened my connection to Jesus Christ. As we read in John 15, He is the true vine offering nourishment to all the branches. “Come unto me, ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” (Matt 11:28). The more connected we are to Him, the less we rely on our own strength, and the more we operate by His.
When the Lord gave Moses the commandment to keep the Sabbath holy, he also taught him that Sabbath day observance was to be a sign of the covenant between the Lord and His people.
President Nelson has given us a very practical interpretation of this, how our Sabbath observance signifies or indicates our level of conversion to the Lord and the strength of our discipleship. He says this:
“In my much younger years, I studied the work of others who had compiled lists of things to do and things not to do on the Sabbath. It wasn’t until later that I learned from the scriptures that my conduct and my attitude on the Sabbath constituted a sign between me and my Heavenly Father. With that understanding, I no longer needed lists of dos and don’ts. When I had to make a decision whether or not an activity was appropriate for the Sabbath, I simply asked myself, “What sign do I want to give to God?” That question made my choices about the Sabbath day crystal clear.” (“The Sabbath is a Delight”, April 2015)
As a priests quorum, we recently shared personal special moments when the Spirit confirmed eternal truths, allowed us to glimpse a bit further into heaven, and filled us with a desire to valiantly follow the Lord. In these moments, we feel to repent, humbly offer all we are, and yearn for the Lord to call us on His errand. Sometimes, we have the opportunity to formally convert these feelings into eternal covenants through priesthood ordinances. And why do we do that? Because like Peter, who proclaimed he would die for the Savior (Matt 26:35) and then denied Him outright, our fervor too can fade, our vision dim, requiring us to walk by faith once again. Covenants are always the path, but more importantly, they are the bridge between those brilliant spiritual moments, safely spanning us across times when we our song feels faint and our convictions dull.
President Nelson recently taught: “Once we make a covenant with God, we leave neutral ground forever. God will not abandon His relationship with those who have forged such a bond with Him. In fact, all those who have made a covenant with God have access to a special kind of love and mercy.”
May the signs of our discipleship reflect our growing love for the Lord. If we are, in any way, beggaring our divine heritage with cheap exchanges of our covenant blessing regarding the Sabbath day, I invite you in the name of the Lord to repent and fill your Sabbath day with righteousness. As you do, the many promised blessings of the Lord will be yours.
Jesus lives. Nothing will ever come close to what He offers us.
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