Today the RS lesson was taught by yours truly. The lesson was on how each of us matters. I call it "The Celestial Butterfly Effect."
Is anyone familiar with the story of Saul’s conversion in Acts 9? Saul had received a vision. In his vision, Christ spoke to him, and caused him to go blind. There is another important person in that story, one that is often forgotten. His name was Ananias. Ananias received a vision that Saul, the notorious killer of Christians, would need his help in converting to a life of following Christ. Ananias was concerned that if he went to Saul, Saul would have him killed. But, Ananias was obedient and went to Saul, laid his hands on Saul’s head and using the priesthood, caused him to “receive sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 9:17) Saul was healed, and immediately baptized. Within a few days he began preaching the gospel of Christ. Saul soon became Paul, an Apostle of Christ. Heavenly Father helped Paul to teach the world. But first, he helped Ananias to teach Paul. One man, helping another, helped thousands even millions.
In 1963, Edward Lorenz presented a theory to the New York Academy of Science. Simply stated, his theory was that: A butterfly flapping its wings would set molecules of air in motion, which would move other molecules of air, each moving more molecules of air. Eventually this motion would be capable of starting a hurricane on the other side of the globe. Edward Lorenz was literally laughed off the stage of the conference. The idea was ridiculous they said. Preposterous, the stuff of science fiction. More than thirty years later, physics professors worldwide came to the conclusion that this “butterfly effect” was authentic, accurate, and viable. While the butterfly does not "cause" the hurricane in the sense of providing the energy for the hurricane, it does "cause" it in the sense that the flap of its wings is an essential part of the initial conditions resulting in a hurricane, and without that flap that particular hurricane could not have existed. Science has proven that the butterfly effect can engage with the first movement of any form of matter, even people. (Andy Andrews “The Butterfly Effect:How Your Life Matters.” )
So what does this butterfly effect mean to us? It means that our lives, our actions, our failures to act effects every other person on the planet. President Gordon B. Hinckley, in his talk entitled “Pillars of Truth“ in the January 1994 Ensign said; “While here, we have learning to gain, work to do, service to give. We are here with a marvelous inheritance, a divine endowment. How different this world would be if every person realized that all of his actions have eternal consequences. How much more satisfying our years may be if in our accumulation of knowledge, in our relationships with others, in our business affairs, in our courtship and marriage, and in our family rearing, we recognize that we form each day the stuff of which eternity is made. . .Sisters, life is forever. Live each day as if you were going to live eternally, for you surely shall.”
The decisions we make and the actions we take, have eternal consequences, a celestial butterfly effect, if you will. This principle is also taught in Matthew 18:18, “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” This means that every single one of us is important. Every one of our lives has meaning, each of us a purpose, and all of us can be a force for good.
President Hinckley, in his talk, give us seven pillars of truth. “Each is an eternal verity, proved out of the experience of generations, bearing the endorsement of the word of the Lord.” By learning and living these pillars of truth, we can each cause a hurricane of righteousness. President Hinckley says “...Sisters, you will never be happy if you go through life thinking only of yourself. Get lost in the best cause in the world—the cause of the Lord. The work of the quorums, and of the auxiliary organizations, temple work, welfare service work, missionary work. You will bless your own life as you bless the lives of others.” The butterfly effect of goodness.
1. God Lives, and the Door of Heaven Is Open. “As we go forward in our lives, let us never forget to pray. God lives. He is near. He is real. He is our Father. He is accessible to us. He is the author of eternal truth, the Master of the universe. The handle is ready, and the door can be opened to His abundance. ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God.’ (James 1:5) ”
Imagine the good that could be done, if you every single day, got down on your knees and prayed for those around you. What if you implored Heavenly Father for every one else’s needs before your own? You might not ever know the result of such requests for another person, but think about the effect it would have on you. The love that would grow, the softening of your own heart, making it, in turn easier for you serve others.
Life Is Forever. “We are not chance creations in a universe of disorder. We lived before we were born. We were God’s sons and daughters who shouted for joy. We knew our Father; He planned our future. We graduated from that life and matriculated in this. The statement is simple; the implications are profound. Life is a mission, not just the sputtering of a candle between a chance lighting and a gust of wind that blows it out forever.”
What would you change if you knew that each action you took lasted forever? Would you make an extra effort to be a little kinder, to try a little harder, to do a little more? Don’t waste time worrying about what exactly you should be doing in this life. Decide to do something, and do it! Elder John H. Groberg of the First Quorum of the Seventy said, “In our quest to discover our callings in life, the first and most fundamental thing we must do is to follow the Savior. Learn of him. Learn what he did, then do it. The things that he did, even though they occurred nearly 2,000 years ago, have universal application. (There’s that butterfly effect again!) Now this may seem pretty general to you, but it is the basis of all else. You will have to do this by personally studying the scriptures and his life and personally becoming acquainted with him.”
The Kingdom of God Is Here. “We are citizens in the greatest kingdom on earth—a kingdom not directed by the wisdom of men but led by the Lord Jesus Christ. Its presence is real. Its destiny is certain. . . Sisters, where will you find better association than in the Relief Society, whose motto is ‘Charity Never Faileth’ and whose mission is to bless the poor and bind up the wounds of the sick and the lonely, to bring gladness into the hearts of the women of the Church, and to increase their skill as homemakers?Active membership in the Church is as an anchor in the storms of life we all face. The kingdom is here. Cling to this truth.”
It may seem that you are asked to do more than your share. You may feel like you are working harder than every one else. Good! How can you learn and grow and be a force for good if you are sitting in your comfort zone, just letting things happen instead of making them happen? Do you want to get caught in the wake of someone else’s storm, or do you want to be your own force of nature? My grandmother has two scriptures she loved to quote at us when we were not feeling like we wanted to help “build up the Kingdom.” Doctrine and Covenants 42:42. “Thou shalt not be aidle; for he that is idle shall not eat the bbread nor wear the garments of the claborer”. and 1 Corinthians 3:8 “Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own areward according to his own labour.”
The Family Is Divine. “I am satisfied that nothing will assure greater success in the hazardous undertaking of parenthood than a program of family life that comes from the marvelous teaching of the gospel. . . In such a home, parents are loved and not dreaded; they are appreciated and not feared. And children are regarded as gifts of the Lord, to be cared for, nurtured, encouraged, and directed. There may be an occasional disagreement; there may be small quarrels. But if there is prayer in the family, and love, and consideration, there will be a residue of affection that will bind forever and a loyalty that will always guide.”
I think every one of us knows the widespread effect one harsh word, one hurt feeling, or one little quarrel can have on our families. I also believe that we have all witnessed miracles occur in our own homes through the kind actions and deeds we offer one another.
Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice. “I am going to apply one aspect only of this great truth and will do so to the Lord’s counsel and promise in matters of health, the Word of Wisdom. I remember a report from the American Medical Association to the effect that heavy smokers die seven years before they would if they did not smoke. Seven years of life. That’s as long as many persons spend in high school and college. Seven years—time enough to become a doctor, an architect, an engineer, a lawyer. Seven years in which to enjoy the sunrise and the sunset, the hills and the valleys, the lakes and the seas, the love of our children, the friendship of wonderful people we may know. What a statistical promise confirming the word of the Lord that the destroying angel shall pass by those who walk in obedience and will not slay them. The Lord has given us a key to health and happiness—and has given it with a promise. It is a pillar of eternal wisdom. It is better to obey than to rationalize and sacrifice.”
We can imagine the long reaching effects of this concept. We as members of the Church are known around the world for our willingness to “sacrifice” the use of tobacco and caffeine. But what truly is remarkable to people is when we don’t act as if it is a sacrifice. If I complain to my friends daily about the fact that I can’t have a cup of coffee, they will have a much less positive view of the word of wisdom, the church, and the gospel of Christ. But if I am happy to be obedient, the eternal consequences of that obedience include not only better health, but a more positive view of the church for everyone I know, and everyone they know.
The Lord Is Bound. “May I suggest that in my judgment, no person who is a member of this church and has taken upon himself the covenants incident to membership can reasonably expect the blessings of the Lord upon his efforts unless being willing to bear his share of the burden of the Lord’s kingdom. Pay your tithes that you may be worthy of the Lord’s blessings. I will not promise that you will become wealthy. But I bear testimony that the Lord does reward generously in one way or another those who keep His commandments. And I assure you that no investment counselor to whom you may go can promise you as the Lord has promised: ‘I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.’ (D&C 82:10.) The Lord honors His covenants.”
What kind of effect do we have when we consider ourselves bound by our covenants? Does not living up to our covenants have some “eternal consequences,” as President Hinckley put it?
He That Loseth His Life Shall Find It. “While riding on an airplane, I picked up a magazine and read a description of the moral bankruptcy into which the world is falling. The author gave as the dominant reason for this decay an attitude that is characterized by the question, What’s in it for me? The Savior put it this way: ‘He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.’ ” (Matt. 10:39.)
If you live your life only to help yourself get ahead, you are lost. You have missed the point. If you do all you can to build up the Kingdom of God, to live as He does, to be a good example of a disciple of Christ, you will never be forgotten. The world may not know your name, no one may remember you 10, 100, 1,000 years from now, but something of you will live forever. Everything you do matters. Every action you take, not just to you, or your family, or your business, or your hometown, or your country. Everything you do matters to all of us forever. There are eternal consequences, good and bad. You are important. You make a difference.
To illustrate these Eternal Consequences I want to tell you about Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. Does anyone know who he is? Does anyone know why his name is important?
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was a 34 year old school teacher. But on July 2,1863 Chamberlain did made one decision, that is significant to each one of us in this room, every member of our ward, every one who lives in the United States, every single person on the planet.
Chamberlain was a Colonel in the Union Army. He commanded a group of approximately one thousand men, who stood on the front lines in a battle outside a little town known as Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Chamberlain had been ordered to hold the line. He couldn’t withdraw, even though they were woefully outnumbered. The Confederate Army charged his men numerous times. In the fourth assault, Chamberlain was hit by a single bullet and knocked to the ground from the force of the shot. The bullet hit his belt buckle. He miraculously was not wounded. The rebels almost made it through the line. On the fifth charge, the Union Army did not have time to reload as the rebels tried to over take them. They had to resort to swinging their rifles at each other, and flat out brawling with fists. After the five attacks, the Union was down to eighty men left in the battle. The Confederates on the other hand had been reinforced, and were charging again with double their original numbers. As if that weren’t bad enough, Colonel Chamberlain learned that his men were down to 1 or 2 bullets each. They had no ammunition, no troops, and no chance. Chamberlain is quoted as saying “I had, deep within me, the inability to do nothing. When I am faced with the choice of doing nothing or doing something, I will always choose to act.” He made a split second decision. The one that changed the course of history. He ordered his men to “fix bayonets and charge!” All eighty of them, against four hundred Confederate soldiers, culminating in a dramatic downhill bayonet charge that is one of the most well-known actions at Gettysburg and in the Civil War. When the Confederate troops saw this, many of them threw down their loaded weapons, turned and ran. It’s an amazing story of courage and determination. But, here’s what we need to consider. Historians have determined that had Chamberlain not charged that day, the south would have won the battle of Gettysburg. Had the rebels won at Gettysburg, they undoubtedly would have won the Civil war. If that had happened, we would now be split into a territorially fragmented continent resembling Europe. North America would likely be split into nine to thirteen separate countries! Which means, when Hitler swept across Europe, there would not have existed a United States to withstand him. When Hirohito invaded the islands of the South Pacific, there would not have been a country big enough, strong enough, populous enough, or wealthy enough to fight and win two wars on two fronts at the same time. The United States of America, and the world exists, as it does today because of one 34 year old schoolteacher and one decision he made 200 years ago. Colonel Joshua Chamberlain is an example of the butterfly effect. One man who made one move that certainly had eternal consequences that affect us still today. Each of us is no less an example of the butterfly effect. Everything we do matters. Each of our lives has purpose, meaning. How far forward would we need to go in our lives to show the difference each of us can make? (Story courtesy of “The Butterfly Effect: How Your Life Matters” By Andy Andrews.) There are generations of spirits not yet born, whose lives will be shaped, whose futures will be affected by the actions you take today, and each day forward. You have been created in God’s image. You have been sent here in order that you might make a difference. Like President Hinckley said “...life is forever. Live each day as if you were going to live eternally, for you surely shall.”
It is my testimony that the Lord has given us each many gifts and talents to use while here on earth. I know that these gifts can be used to make a difference and to do good. I know that the Lord loves each of us and wants us to be happy. I know that the church is true because it is the true gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that there is a true prophet on the earth and that he also loves each of us. I am thankful to be a member of the church and to have the gospel to guide me. I know that families can be together forever and that each of our actions has eternal consequences.
I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Dede B.
