Family tree can be compared to a vineyard. In my family alone, there has been all all the experiences, love loss, moves, winters, storms and harvests. Chapter 5 of Jacob uses prune, dung, digged, grafted, nurished, burned frequently in the chapter, and of course quoting a prophet from the brass plates. Now the chapter could be an aligory or proverb. I thought of the two ways you could look at the chapter, prophecy and how we as a people are being directed and lead by the Lord collectively.
For me though, I look at the chapter at a personal level. How has God prune me; dung me: digged me; grafted me; nurished me; or burned me? My life has seen, surgeries, friends come and go, moves, marriages, funerals, blessings and callings. He has asked me to put away sin and do it no more. These changes were nessisary. What's still a marvel, He isn't done.
The garden is an olive garden (yes I see the pun). We use olives to provide nourishment, medicine, light and blessings. It's been this way for thousand of years.
Said the Prophet, "Kindness is translated from the Hebrew term hesed, a powerful word with deep meaning that encompasses kindness, mercy, covenant love, and more.” I cannot express enough how much the keeper of the garden and all of his servants work day and night to help us succeed from both sides of the Vail. Their joy in helping us cannot be contained. I know at times we cannot sense it and the times in this life is messy. I can promise it is rewarding.
Here's another quote concerning being good in this life, “No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness – they have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means – the only complete realist.”
— C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity
Israel means One who wrestle with God (also means One who Preserves; don't you just love Hebrew). Israel wrestled with his growth let alone all his children. It is no wonder that continues today.
Again and again is mentioned over and over. Do not dismiss the Lord of the Vineyard. Daily he, with joy, comes to us, his vineyard and works on us. He prunes, hedges, dungs, digs, grafts and burns. He probably sings while he works with his Son and their servants. He works again and again to give us a second chance to produce the fruit he needs.
Now the scriptures talk about poor ground, and others want to give advice and council. All he says is "Council me not." When I look at a life that has seen the roughness of life I think of Joseph Smith's loss, betrayal, poverty torture, constant moving, and jailing. Was he planted in poor soil? Well let's talk about New York, Pennsylvania,Ohio, Illinois, and Missouri. Is your life have the soil you want... Or the soil you need? At times we shake our fist at heaven because of our circumstances. I can assure you it's for a purpose, a good purpose.
Jacob 5:72 "And it came to pass that the servants did go and labor with their mights; and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them; and they did obey the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard in all things."
Phillipians 2:13 13 says "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."
For all the feelings that we might feel alone, I promise you because we seek earnestly to work with the Lord in our callings as parents, sibling, child, priesthood holder (and you are included too sisters), we must work in our callings to become the chosen saint that we are meant to be.
This week thank the Lord for your trials, your tribulations, for your parents and children, your family and friends, your small things and your big things, your health, prosperity and property. All of these things are in the perfect proportion for you. Believe it. You are part of His plan as He is part of your garden called life. Have faith in your hard times and be grateful for the calm when it comes.
See you tomorrow....
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