Well Now What?

As we look into the future with another New Year, there are many lessons we can learn from the past. 

Transcript

Well now what?

Hello Hello, long time my friends.  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas filled with lots of love, peace, family and friends
First and foremost, I hope you’ll forgive my long winters nap…..I know it seems I fell off the planet with no explanation, but I was waging a war of sorts, and I am looking forward to sharing all that I learned about myself in hopes that it may help you, but that will be next week’s episode called.  Playing small 

It’s 2022 and while we’re all looking into the face of yet another year of unexplored joys and sorrows basically….more life, I think much can be learned from taking a moment to glance back and learn from the past.  This year was hard for me, and I know I’m not alone, so I’m not all that sad to put 2021 behind me, may it rest in peace.  But as I look forward, I’ll be the first to admit, while I have a few resolutions, there are many things that have me thinking Where do I need to go from here to make this new year better?

Last week, during Sacrament Meeting, the cutest and neatest people  Cade and Katie Walker gave the most thought-provoking post-Christmas talks based on a question their 6 year old Cooper asked after Christmas.  “Well now what”.  Those words resonated, as they seemed to share the same notion that was kicking around in my brain.

And isn’t That a great question?  Most of us have spent a lot of the past month and a half preparing to celebrate the holiday season, and I’m betting many of you become inundated with all the business, the food, the entertainment, the shopping, the decorating and all the activities that surround it, like I did.  Well, now that it’s over, now what? 

Tell the truth?  Do you catch yourself, like me, thinking…. I’m looking at a lot of cleanup.  Are you that person that takes all your Christmas decorations down on Jan 26th and sits with a clean slate and a clean house looking with anticipation into the new year?

Or do you hang onto every last glittered snowflake like I do?  I happen to love my Christmas decorations, and although the Christmas music will come to a stop, I hate to see my twinkling lights get boxed up.
Last year I took my tree down closer to Valentines than New Years.  Some say that’s lazy, I’m going with extending the glow of the season. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love closing the book on another year and starting over with a new one, feeling full of renewed commitments to do better, be better and live a better life than I did last year.  It’s a comforting and exciting thought to think that some of the best days of our lives, are still lying just ahead of us, right, but like I said, those thoughts sometimes kick around with Now what? What’s next, where do I go from here, and How do I get to those best days of our lives that are looming in the future? 

When a big event comes to an end, it’s natural to feel the letdown.   But many times if we reframe the way we look at things we’d realize it’s really only the beginning.  The Walkers talk last Sunday illustrated that point perfectly as they reminded us of few lessons from the annals of our faith. 

They led us to think of Mary, the mother of Jesus.  After the angel came and told her that she would be the mother of the Savior of Mankind.  He came, was born of this mortal mother, and the literal Son of God.  After His birth, in the manger of a stable, after the visitors, during quiet moments, do you think she ever wondered.  Now what?  What’s next?  How do I do this?
We all know, His birth was just the beginning. 

What about Christ’s apostles? They had walked by His side during his mortal life, they had watched Him firsthand heal the sick, help the blind to see the lame to walk, they were his closest friends, and then their Lord was crucified.  Do you think they ever wondered, Now what? What’s next, Where do we go from here? How do we do this?  Again, we know this was no end, only the beginning, the Hope provided for all mankind.  A hope that came from Christ’s infinite atoning sacrifice and His glorious resurrection. 

What about a 14 year old boy who asked another simple question, similar to Cooper’s “Well, what now”.  This same young man, the prophet Joseph Smith, at the age of 32 died a martyr leaving a young family and a young church.  Do you think his sweet wife Emma, and all those who had followed him at unimaginable costs may have wondered Now what? What’s next, Where do we go from here? How do we do this?  Again….Not the end, only a magnificent beginning. 

And that’s what I loved about the Walker’s talk last Sunday, they helped me see that in order to move forward intentionally into this new year, it may be helpful to take with us everything we’ve learned and felt through this recent Christmas season.  So what now? What happens after all the tinsel is taken down. 
Since the Nativity is still so fresh on our minds, lets take a closer look at the characters of the Nativity and see what they did. 

The shepherds.  What did the shepherds do after learning of the birth of the baby Jesus? We know that they hurried to Bethlehem to see the baby, then after they saw Him, after it was over, what did they do? The bible tells us they went forth testifying to others of what they had seen.

I had a very special experience as I prayed to feel the Christmas Spirit this year, I just wasn’t feeling it.  So I turned up the Christmas music, I baked more and did all the things I thought would get me in the mood.  I missed the mark entirely.  It wasn’t until I began an in-depth study of the document The Living Christ, the testimony of the Apostles, for our Come Follow Me study that I did in fact feel the Spirit of Christmas and was acutely reminded that the Christmas Spirit is the Spirit of Christ.  The more I sought Him, the more I would feel the warmth, love and hope of the season celebrating His birth, life and love.   The more I focused on Him, the more everything fell into place.  Did I testify of that?  Not as much as I could have.  Can I count this?

What about Joseph and Mary.  After the birth of their holy son, I’m sure they experienced what many first-time parent’s did, they probably had their share of sleepless nights, they probably had a lot to learn, and felt the pressure to do everything right, especially knowing who he was.  What did they do? One of the things they did was they prepared to go to the temple 40 days after Jesus Christ was born. 

What a wonderful example of how to keep the important things important.  Visiting the Temple and doing work for our dead has a way of helping us each find our way as we emerge armed with the power we are promised.  P.S. That’s one of my resolutions.  

The Wise Men, although they weren’t there immediately following Christ’s birth, after they heard of him and saw the star, they sought after him following the star to find the King of the Jews.  Theirs was not an easy trek, many researchers suggest that the trek took anywhere from 2-5 months. but they didn’t give up, they kept going forward, looking for Him, seeking Him, following the star, until they found Him. 

How are we at hanging in there when the journey seems long and hard.  Do we stay the course, follow the direction of those sent to lead us, and not give up till we find the Savior in our lives, in our healing, our plans, our success, our failures, and in our futures?

And the star, what did the star do?  It appeared, it took it’s place, then shone it’s glorious light for others to follow.  It helped lead others to Christ. 
One thing I feel like this podcast does for me, Is make me appear, it makes me stand and take my place as a believer, as a not-so-silent voice of hope.  I certainly don’t feel like a star, but my sincere desire is to point others to Christ, and you know what? In doing so I find myself closer to Him too.  And if I’m being honest, that’s why I couldn’t quit recording these episodes, because I need to be close to Him, and I felt the distance when I wasn’t spending focused, intentional time on improving myself and relying on Him for that help.  To be continued next week.  

In addition to these beautiful examples I’d never considered, Cade added significantly to his beautiful wife’s thoughts when he continued talking about the Star, which he spent considerable time studying.  Regardless of the fascination surrounding all the scientific possibilities he said:  "I learned that because God caused a star to appear following Chris’s birth to lead wise men to Jesus Christ.  I know that God can cause the stars to align in my own life.  If I truly seek to know Jesus Christ. I learn that God is aware of all of his children and their needs"”  

I love these lessons we can learn, from the examples of those found in the past.  These Examples show us clearly in what directions to head moving into the new year….To testifying for example, to the temple, to looking for, seeking and  staying the course toward Jesus, to following those who will lead us there and to shining our own lights to help others find their way. 

I want to thank Cade and Katie for sharing their lights and so graciously allowing me to share these thoughts.  They expressed them much more eloquently than me, but left a strong impression, never the less.

So, As I sat to compile my thoughts today, it occurred to me that the lesson I learned by studying the Living Christ was not only what allowed me to finally feel immersed in the Christmas Spirit, but it is also the answer to that question “Well now what” that Cooper asked, and that the Walkers did such a beautiful job of highlighting.  And, in fact, the answer to every unanswered question of the coming new Year. 

If you’ll allow me to take you back one more time, to another glimpse of a passing Christmas, to the stable in Bethlehem, I submit that the answer to every one of these questions was that babe lying in the manger.  The answer is clear as the grown Jesus Christ submitted in Gethsemane and gave His life for us on Calvary.  The truth becomes even more apparent when He rose again, bringing us the hope, strength, love and power we would each need and can have access to in this life to face the challenges and the difficulties that do and will continue to plague us throughout this mortal journey.  

While we may not know what will come next, where we go from here, how we get there or do what’s needed when we arrive, I do know that turning to God, focusing on Him, testifying, going to the temple, actively looking for and seeking God through scriptures and prayer and the words of the prophets,  staying the course toward Jesus, and shining our own lights to help others find their way will help us find our own way. 

I believe Ether knew this secret, we read in Ether 12:41 “And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever.”  There’s a reason a popular holiday slogan reads.  Wise Men still seek Him. Will we?  

It’s the same lesson I learned over Christmas, the more I turned my focus on Christ the more I felt the Christmas spirit, and the more everything around me fell into perspective and in it’s proper place.   I believe it’s a secret that can give us an extra measure of physical, emotional and spiritual strength, peace, patience, understanding, love and direction.   

This new year may, again, be hard.  Maybe even harder than last (Oh I hope not!) but keeping our focus on Christ will make those challenges easier than they would otherwise be without Him.  And we will never be alone bearing the burdens of life, Of that I’m sure.  

C.S. Lewis said
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending”.  

I hope that at this very same time next year, I can look back, reviewing what I’ve learned from a fleeting 2022, and see that I’ve done better at keeping my focus on Christ.  That I’ve Kept my eye on the prize, so to speak, and  that I’ve allowed my Savior to be the author of my faith.  Because I know that when we Seek Him, we’ll find Him, and as the author and finisher of my faith, I know He can help me write a story that I like better this year, one where everything falls into it’s rightful place, and that’s the best way I can think of to ensure a Happy New Year.  

Happiest of New Years to each of you.  Let’s make it a good one.