Just a Thought

Lessons from the Restoration: Introduction

The following is an introduction to a series entitled Lessons from the Restoration. Over the next several weeks I will be sharing some lessons I’ve learned as I’ve tried to hear Him during visits to various sites important to the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the establishment of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Out of Darkness

Way back in October 2019, before everything went crazy, President Russell M. Nelson designated 2020 a bicentennial year commemorating the “very foundations of the restored gospel.” He invited people everywhere to ask, “How have the events that followed the First Vision made a difference for me and my loved ones?” Additionally, earlier this year, he declared: “I invite you to think deeply and often about this key question: How do you hear Him?”

As we have collectively struggled with and adjusted to the realities of a global pandemic and its attending darkness and confusion, I’ve reflected on my personal experiences with scenes from the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I’ve considered what these visits have taught me about hearing Him. And I’ve come to appreciate on a more personal level that the events of the Restoration can bring us out of darkness if we’re willing to hear Him.

 The Invitation to Hear Him

There is something special and intimate about the Doctrine & Covenants. Where most books of scripture tell stories, encouraging (sometimes forcing) readers to dig for spiritual meaning beneath the surface, the Doctrine & Covenants leaves the stories out. Instead, this collection of revelations is pure dialog from Jesus Christ. Sometimes the counsel is directed to individuals in specific circumstances. Sometimes the words apply to members of the Church more generally. But in all cases, the inspired language teaches us important truths about Jesus Christ and the fulness of His gospel.

In 1831, over a decade after the First Vision occurred in a quiet grove of trees in upstate New York, the Lord revealed Doctrine & Covenants Section 1. It wasn’t the first revelation Joseph Smith had received. But the Lord told him to put it first. The section heading describes these words as “the Lord’s preface to the doctrines, covenants, and commandments given in this dispensation” (Doctrine & Covenant 1). In other words, this section represents the Lord’s personal introduction to revealed truths relevant to our day. 

And how does He open His introduction? With an invitation to hear Him. “Hearken, O ye people of my church, saith the voice of him who dwells on high, and whose eyes are upon all men; yea, verily I say: Hearken ye people from afar; and ye that are upon the islands of the sea, listen together” (Doctrine & Covenants 1:1). Hearken (the very first word), He says twice, and listen together

The Blessing of Hearing Him

He goes on to declare that “the voice of warning shall be unto all people” (Doctrine & Covenants 1:4) and that “the voice of the Lord is unto the ends of the earth, that all that will hear may hear” (Doctrine & Covenants 1:11). 

At some point, no one can claim they didn’t hear, that they didn’t know. But only to those who will hear (in other words, are willing to hear) will be brought, as the Book of Mormon teaches of these Restoration truths, “out of darkness unto light—yea, out of hidden darkness and out of captivity unto freedom” (2 Nephi 3:5). The rest, He warns, “will be cut off from among the people” (Doctrine & Covenants 1:14).

That should be incentive enough to want to hear what He is so willing and eager to tell us. He has promised that if we hear Him, really hear him, then we can see our way through the darkness into light. Who doesn’t want that these days? Voices everywhere tell us what to believe and how to act during this time of global crisis. But we have a sure voice to listen to for direction if we will, as President Nelson encouraged, “Hear, hearken, and heed.”

Living in the Heartland of the Restoration

For ten years, my family and I lived in the heartland of the Restoration—four years in Omaha, NE and six years in Des Moines, IA. From these central locations, we were able to regularly visit Winter Quarters, NE; Nauvoo, IL; and locations in and around Kansas City, MO (like Independence, Liberty, Far West, and Adam-Ondi-Ahman). We were also able to road trip to New York, Vermont, and Ohio to visit sacred sites. 

These experiences stamped the Restoration deep into my heart. I fell in love with the locations, stories, and lessons I learned from my pioneer ancestors and the founders of this fledgling religion. My gratitude increases as I ponder the sacrifices they made, the faith they exhibited, and the determination they showed in following their God into the barren nothingness of the great Salt Lake valley and surrounding areas. 

Honoring Pioneers of the Restoration by Hearing Him

I marvel that so many of my ancestors gave up lives and livelihoods to embrace that new religion. Grandparents many generations back came from England, Scotland, Switzerland, and Sweden to claim the blessings of the restored Church of Christ. And long-established Americans also left old ways behind to embrace the truths offered through the Restoration.

One such American grandfather, Cyril Call (the faithful pioneer pictured above), embraced the truths of the Restoration while living near Kirtland, Ohio. In October 1831, a little over a year after The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized, he joined the Church. His history states: “To become a convert to an ‘unpopular religion’ whose leaders were severely persecuted, as well as the members generally, required great stamina and bravery” (Benjamin C. Call, “Life Sketch of Cyril Call”). That description fittingly describes all those, including my ancestors, who chose to hear Him and follow.

Now we have the opportunity to consider how the events of the Restoration have made a difference in our lives. We honor their legacy by allowing these events to sink deep into our hearts and shape our choices going forward.

Please join me as I share some of the lessons I’ve learned traveling to different sites of the Restoration. 

Up next, a visit to Sharon, Vermont, birthplace of Joseph Smith, Jr., the prophet of the Restoration. Join me soon. 

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