Passing On

Life is such a fragile thing. Though sometimes it takes an earthquake for us to realize this truth. Today my world received such a shaking. It was like any other Sunday, until I received a text message from my mother telling me that my grandpa was in cardiac arrest and that things were not looking good. A few minutes later she called me to tell me that he passed away. At first, I could hardly believe it, and then I felt a great sadness in my heart. What about my graduation, my brother's wedding, and the fishing trips we were going to take this summer? But most of all, I thought of my grandma and the certain pain and uncertain trepidation that she was experiencing.

My brother and I drove up to the hospital and then spent the remainder of the day with family--remembering grandpa and trying to comfort one another. This is really the first time I have faced death at this point in my life. Although it hurts, I have been comforted by my knowledge of God's plan and the future resurrection from the dead that we will all enjoy.

As I have reflected on these feelings, I noticed that there were several small blessings, or tender mercies, leading up to our loss. These tender mercies have brought reassurance to me. For instance, just last week, I felt like I should go home to spend some time with my family and I got to see my grandpa as well. How grateful I am that I didn't neglect that prompting. For me, the take away from today is not to delay a feeling to call or visit a family member or friend, for you never know when it might be too late. Life is such a fragile thing.

Relativity and Time

Have you every watched a clock tick? Or watched from an airplane as cars drive on the freeway below? I have, and in these instances time almost seems to slow down. According to Einstein's theory of relativity, the faster we move, the slower time passes and the smaller space becomes--relative to the time and space we perceive on earth. Theoretically, if we were to travel at the speed of light (more than 186,000 miles per second), then time would converge to all things being "now" and space would contract to all things being "here." If you really think about that it's pretty incredible, and while this is just a theory, I think it helps us better understand God.

You see, God is omniscient, meaning he knows all things. Doctrine and Covenants 88:42 explains, "He comprehendeth all things, and all things are before him, and all things are round about him; and he is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things; and all things are by him, and of him, even God, forever and ever." Perhaps this means that God perceives time as we perceive space, in a holistic but not necessarily sequential manner.

In my mind the most significant application of God's omniscience is that God sees us not as we are, but as we can become. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin said, "We see ourselves in terms of yesterday and today. Our Heavenly Father sees us in terms of forever. Although we might settle for less, Heavenly Father won’t, for He sees us as the glorious beings we are capable of becoming."

So next time you are cruising by someone in a plane or a car, let that serve as a reminder to you that God sees each and every snapshot perfectly and collectively, because "all things are before him."

Fishing at Dusk

Sometimes the most relaxing thing you can do is to get out of town and enjoy the outdoors. I was in need of such an adventure on Friday, so after class my roommate David and I headed up the canyon to go fly fishing. We suited up in our waders, special boots, and 10-foot long poles and headed down the Middle Provo River towards the mouth of Deer Creek Reservoir. To our dismay, it was a bit windy, which made it difficult to cast and improbable to catch a fish. We cast our little flies as far as we could (which was far) and we got a few bites, but we didn't hook a single fish.

As dusk settled in the valley, we headed back to our car. Shortly thereafter, David stepped in some sort of sink hole that pulled him into water above his waist. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't get himself out, so I walked over and grabbed his hand. With a bit of effort, we were able to get him out of that quasi-quicksand hole. The rest of our trek back to the car was uneventful, and I was glad that we made it back to the car just before dark.

On occasion, our experiences may require that we reach out and ask others for help. Don't be so stubborn that you fail to recognize when you need power beyond your own to free you from the difficulties and troubles that you face.

Brain Bash

You probably didn't know that this week is brain awareness week. Neither did I, until I got an email inviting me to teach a group of junior high students about the brain. I signed up and got my friend Emily to teach with me. Yesterday we went to Freedom Prep. Academy and taught fifteen 7th graders about the brain for an hour. We really had no idea what we were supposed to teach before we got there, but I think it went pretty well. We had a good time and the students learned some interesting facts about the brain. For instance, how many neurons do you have in your brain? *Que Jeopardy music* What's your answer? If you said 100 billion, you're right!

The highlight of our time with the students was dissecting sheep brains. The eight students that I was working with were filled with awe and curiosity as we looked at the brain and passed it around, until the wise guy in the group stuck his smelly gloved hand in his friend's face...then chaos broke loose until their teacher came over to calm them down. This morning as I was thinking about this experience, I realized that I could learn a thing or two from those energetic 7th graders. I could be more excited about learning and find ways to make potentially boring things fun. When I am repeatedly involved in something, such as college courses, it can be easy to view my life and these activities as mundane. Perhaps it's time to bring back the kid in me.

What do you think, how can we best maintain childlike curiosity and enthusiasm in our lives?

Picture obtained from the National Museum of Health and Medicine

Surprise!

Today I got two surprises which threw me for a loop: 1) It snowed this morning, and 2) A new president of BYU was called. Yesterday it was 60 degrees and sunny in Provo, but when I left for my 8 AM class this morning it felt like winter again. The snow even collected on the ground--although it melted within an hour--but that is Utah weather! It's utterly unpredictable.

Later in the day I went to the BYU devotional. Brother Larry M. Gibson spoke. My family and I met him during the summer while we were at Philmont. We spoke with him and his wife for probably a half an hour. They were very nice people, and I was excited to hear his message. He spoke about two important companions that we need in this life: a spouse and the Holy Spirit. At the end of his remarks, President Henry B. Eyring spoke and announced the release of President Cecil O. Samuelson. In his place Kevin J. Worthen was called as the new president of BYU (effective May 1). Although the Samuelsons have served for nearly 11 years, this too came as a surprise. They received a standing ovation for their service (see the picture below). President Eyring bore witness that the Lord, Jesus Christ, directs His kingdom on earth. I wondered how anyone could question President Worthen's calling after such a powerful testimony.

Life is full of surprises. Some are welcome and some are not, but either way they are, by definition, altogether unexpected. To me it seems that the trick is to try and enjoy what comes our way and trust that "all things work together for good to them that love God" (Romans 8:28).

Justice or Mercy?

Justice or mercy? This is a fundamental question, not only when we consider God's character, but when we consider how we should treat others. If you are anything like me, the first thought to come to mind when considering how we should act is usually dictated by what we perceive to be just. However, I think we can all agree that we would prefer mercy when others make decisions that affect us.

I teach a molecular biology lab class at BYU. I have about 40 students and we meet once a week to discuss and practice various techniques in molecular biology. One of my students had been absent for two weeks in a row and I was concerned that something might have happened to him. I sent him and email to see what was going on. He responded yesterday and explained his situation in part. My initial reaction was one of justice. I didn't understand how he could simply neglect his class and fail to contact his teachers. Was it so hard to write an email or to better plan his time? Aren't we all are busy? Don't we all have difficulties that we are facing?

Then I asked myself an inspired question, "What would Jesus do?" I wasn't thinking in abstract terms, I was trying to imagine the Savior in the same situation that I was in. What response would He give? After some thought I determined that He would act with mercy. So, I wrote a response encouraging my student to give added effort to the class and I indicated that I would be excited to see him in class next week.

Back to my first question: justice or mercy? I don't know that there is always a hard-and-fast answer, but in most cases I think we should be markedly merciful without neglecting justice. We should give people a chance to do better, while still making known our expectations and inviting them to live according to truth, for this is the way that Jesus Christ has shown.

If you have had a recent experience regarding facing the decision to be just or merciful in your interactions with others, I invite you to comment on this post and share!

Keep on Swinging

Tennis is one of my favorite sports--both to play and to watch. Last Saturday I went and watched my first BYU men's tennis match. I've been wanting to go for some time, and the advertised free pizza sealed the deal. I was quite impressed with the exciting and fast-paced tennis our team played. Surprisingly, only 2 of our 12 players were from the United States.

At one point during a doubles match, BYU was down 6 games to 7 (they were playing to 8). One of the BYU players made a frustrating mistake, but they went back and gave each other a high five nonetheless. Right now you are probably thinking, "Oh, I bet they came back and won." If so, you are wrong! They did come back and tied 7 to 7, but they lost the tie breaker and hence the match. However, I was impressed that they never gave any indication of giving up. Even when things looked grim, they kept on swinging.

Reflecting on their mental toughness and determination helped me recognize how far I have come in my mental capacity. When I first started playing I usually beat myself before my opponent had the chance. If you have never played, then you probably don't understand that tennis is perhaps more of a mental sport than a physical one. It can be easy to get in your own head and give up mentally, even though you keep moving your body and trying physically. From my experience, in this state it is nigh impossible to attain victory. While I still am not perfect at this, I am much better at maintaining a positive attitude and continuing to fight, even when the scoreboard says I'm down and out. Can you see where I'm going with this? I think life is more of a mental sport than a physical one. Don't let others get you down or discourage you from reaching your dream. Even if things don't work out now, there is much to be gained in the struggle at hand. Keep on swinging.