a Tiny Christmas Miracle

a Tiny Christmas Miracle

3John

I am so glad that I chose to do option #6. Our children are still relatively young, but they are getting older much faster than I am comfortable with! Last night our family went and got our Christmas tree. Since we had to move in such a hurry for my husband’s new job, we lost a lot of things in the move. Some of the things that I am cannot find now are my box of special Christmas ornaments. They are just simple little decorations that don’t really mean a whole lot to anyone but me. My kids made some of them, and my husband and I made them when we were little. I was a little bummed, but I know it is just stuff. My daughter, who is 7, noted that I was a little upset about it and took it upon herself to make me some more new ones. She got some white paper and drew pictures of Christmas type things, and put them on my tree. When she showed me, I was so touched by one of them. She had drawn a manger with a baby in it, and wrote a caption saying: “Behold, Jesus Christ.” She spelled Christ wrong, permanently helping me remember that she is only a small child, but one who’s testimony is being built- one scripture story at a time.

This experience reminded me of the oft repeated scripture in 3^rd John, about the greatest joy coming from knowing your kids believe. My heart was touched, and my love and joy for Christmas were deepened last night as I saw my daughter really grasp the important things we have been teaching her, and put them on display on our tree.

Also in third John, we are told about two men: Gaius and Diotrephes. Gaius was a righteous man, who followed the commandments, and openly supported the leaders of the church and what they asked of him. He was very loved of the leaders! Then on the other side, there was Diotrephes, who put a lot of effort into making sure the work of the church leaders was much harder than it needed to be. He rebelled against the leaders and what he was asked. He even kicked the church leaders out of the church! He was so contentious in his deeds, that the scriptures call him “preeminence.” Preeminence in the footnotes means unrighteous dominion. What that means is that Diotrephes liked to be in charge, and not be told what to do- regardless of what God wanted or thought.

In the New Testament manual, there is a quote by Harold B. Lee that says:

“I want to bear you my testimony that the experiences I have had has taught me that those who criticize the leaders of this Church are showing signs of a spiritual sickness which, unless curbed, will bring about eventually spiritual death. I want to bear my testimony as well that those who in public seek by their criticism, to belittle our leaders or bring them into disrepute, will bring upon themselves more hurt than upon those whom they seek thus to malign. …”

He also went on to quote Brigham Young, who, speaking to a group of sickly faith against Joseph Smith, told them:

‘I want to say something to you men. You cannot destroy the appointment of a prophet of God, but you can cut the thread that binds you to the prophet of God, and sink yourselves to hell.’

There is great peace and joy that comes from following the Lord’s spokesmen on the earth. When we follow the prophet, we are literally following God. On the contrary, when we choose to follow our own direction away from the prophet’s, then we are quite literally leaving the ability to be in God’s presence.

It makes me think about those early saints who were willing to give up everything that they had and cross the plains, because they were asked to. They were happy to do it, because they knew that it was something that God wanted their family to do. When we care more about what God wants and commands, then we do about what we think sounds better- wanting to follow the commandments is a joyful thing- even and honor!

I wonder how great the joy of God is when, like my Christmas ornament experience, he can see his children following God?