Drops of Oil

When speaking with news anchor Katie Couric after landing his airliner on the Hudson River, Chesley Sullenberger said, “One way of looking at this might be that for 42 years, I've been making small, regular deposits in this bank of experience, education and training. And on January 15, 2009, the balance was sufficient so that I could make a very large withdrawal.”

The Parable of the 10 Virgins, found in Matt 25:1-13, is a powerful lesson and warning that we must be vigilant with our spiritual preparation too. These two themes fit together. There’s another aviation saying that applies: “Flying is hours of boredom, punctuated by moments of terror.”

Our lives can be looked at the same way. We live our day to day lives making small deposits to our spiritual reserves accompanied by small withdrawals. In this mode, we go on, perhaps for weeks, months and even years. Then, when we’re not expecting it, we face the moment when we must draw on all our experience and spiritual reserves to survive. And by survive I mean our enduring a trial with our faith in God and Jesus Christ intact when we come out the other side.

That we will have such trials is certain. What we do to prepare for them is up to us and if we prepare daily… easily done. The promise of Helaman 5:12 is that by so preparing we will survive.

3 Nephi 8 - The Destruction

I feel impressed to take a slower pace through this next section, so all I'm writing about today is chapter eight in which we have the earthquake and the storm at the time of the Savior's death.

The interesting thing about the chapter is in the beginning the people were actually looking forward and anticipating the three days of darkness. By the end, they are howling in agony for the loss and the destruction that has occurred.

My immediate reaction was to ponder the mindset of all the "last-day" people, of which I am one. All of us look forward to the Savior's return and preparing for times prior to His coming. We "know" things will be difficult, but we're eager to get our year supply and whatever else we feel we will need. All that is really a good thing to do.

I wonder though, if like the Nephites and Lamanites who were looking for the fulfillment of the prophecies but not really aware of what it was going to be like, if we aren't doing the same thing? I look forward to the Second Coming and imagine what it will be like to be on the Earth with the Savior in charge in a political as well as religious role. I can't wait for that day. Yet, while I intellectually "know" the time leading up to that will be difficult, I'm clueless as to how emotionally difficult and physically arduous those times before His advent really will be.

This chapter gives us a hint as to what it could be like. It's not pretty and it makes me think there are more things than just food storage I need to be preparing.