Waiting on the Road to Damascus

When I heard the name of this talk "Waiting on the Road to Damascus" I thought to myself, "why do I know that name? Damascus...hmmm."

I had two things working against me. The first? My memory, or lack there of. The second? I'm not a great scriptorian. I am the kind of person who remembers how she felt while somehow missing all the detail of an event/story. So for those of you who are like me, let me give you a brief refresher.

Damascus, is an ancient city of Syria. And the man, Saul, who was on his way there, who was he? When I heard the name Saul, I thought about Jack Warden's character in "While You Were Sleeping." Obviously that's not the right Saul. But then if you look for Saul in the scriptures there are two, so don't get confused like I did. There's a Saul that is talked about in the Book of Samuel, he's kind of tragic. Wrong Saul. The man President Uchtdorf talks about is the Saul in Acts, Saul of Tarsus. President Uchtdorf makes the assumption that we all know the story well. While I'm fairly certain that the majority of you have memories far superior to mine and absolutely know the account of Saul, there may be a few of you who are more like me.  Consequently, I want to share an excerpt from an article I found in "The Friend" way back in 1986 (link at bottom):

"The angry mob dropped their cloaks at Saul’s feet. Cursing and yelling, they began to hurl stones at Stephen for preaching about Jesus. The rocks bruised and cut Stephen’s body. Wounded, he knelt on the ground and cried with a loud voice, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge,” and died.

Saul was unmoved by the innocent man’s dying words of forgiveness. He thought Christians were wicked, and he worked hard to rid the empire of them. He searched the towns and homes, and when he found any men or women who believed in Christ, they were put into prison.

So great was Saul’s vengeance that he went to the high priest and obtained letters to take to the synagogues in Damascus. The letters gaveSaul the authority to take prisoner any Christian he found on his journey.

Carrying the letters, Saul started for Damascus, determined to destroy the Christians. But as he neared the city, a light from heaven encircled him. Bewildered, Saul fell to the earth.

“Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” asked a voice hovering near.

Frightened, Saul asked, “Who art thou, Lord?”

The voice answered, “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.”

Trembling, Saul asked, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”

“Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do,” the Lord instructed.

Obediently Saul arose, only to find that he was blind. Saul’s companions led him into Damascus, where for three days his blindness continued and he neither ate nor drank.

After the three days a man named Ananias was sent to Saul by the Lord. Putting his hands on Saul’s head, Ananias prayed, “Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.”

Immediately Saul could see again. Saul now knew that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, and he asked to be baptized into His church.

For many days Saul remained with Jesus’ disciples, learning all that he could from them. Before long, Saul, the man who had persecuted Christians, was testifying of Jesus Christ in the synagogues. Nevertheless, many people continued to persecute the Christians. One time when the people decided to kill Saul, he escaped by being lowered over the city wall in a basket by some of the disciples. "

I think it's important to know the particulars of Saul's experience in order to fully grasp President Uchtdorf's message. Who can pick out some of the details that shed light on Saul's experience and are pertinent to what we are talking about? Here are a few ideas I came up with:
-Saul, even when he was even, was never sitting around waiting for something to happen
-He was passionate (both as a wick man, and as a righteous man)
-He was frightened by the Lord (those who are unprepared to meet Him will fear Christ)
-The event wasn't all angels and butterflies. He lost his sight and had to suffer a bit.
-Even though he was scared, he was still obedient
-Saul had to exercise faith to be healed and to receive his witness
-He then went forth, acquired as much knowledge as he could, and began to spread the gospel

Now, is Saul's the first manifestation of this kind? No. Was it the last? No.
(Let me share what President Uchtdorf said on the matter...)

"We know that manifestations such as this happen. In fact, we testify that a similar divine experience happened in 1820 to a boy named Joseph Smith. It is our clear and certain testimony that the heavens are open again and that God speaks to His prophets and apostles. God hears and answers the prayers of His children.

Nevertheless, there are some who feel that unless they have an experience similar to Saul’s or Joseph Smith’s, they cannot believe. They stand at the waters of baptism but do not enter. They wait at the threshold of testimony but cannot bring themselves to acknowledge the truth. Instead of taking small steps of faith on the path of discipleship, they want some dramatic event to compel them to believe.

They spend their days waiting on the road to Damascus." (Uchtdorf)

If we ourselves haven't been there, I'm sure you've known someone who has allowed themselves to remain a traveler on the road to Damascus endlessly. What are some of the reasons someone might do this?
(i.e. tragic event leaves him/her wounded and unable to cope, doubt, fear)

Instead of waiting for some huge event to happen to us, we must realize that, just like most things in life, belief comes one step at a time.

(I will bring in one of my 4 year old's puzzles as a demonstration. I'll hold up a couple pieces and ask them if they can recognize what it is-which the answer will be no. Then, I'll put the pieces of the puzzle together as a whole and show them the picture. We will liken this to the quote below and talk about how testimonies come one piece at a time as you WORK on it. Are some pieces to the puzzle more obvious than others?  Are all puzzles the same size?  How do such things relate to our own testimonies?)

"The truth is, those who diligently seek to learn of Christ eventually will come to know Him. They will personally receive a divine portrait of the Master, although it most often comes in the form of a puzzle—one piece at a time. Each individual piece may not be easily recognizable by itself; it may not be clear how it relates to the whole. Each piece helps us to see the big picture a little more clearly. Eventually, after enough pieces have been put together, we recognize the grand beauty of it all. Then, looking back on our experience, we see that the Savior had indeed come to be with us—not all at once but quietly, gently, almost unnoticed. This can be our experience if we move forward with faith and do not wait too long on the road to Damascus." (Uchtdorf)
The remainder of President Uchtdorf's talk is spent giving us tools to assist us in putting the pieces of our testimonies together. The first piece of advice is to Hearken and Heed (story of President Monson). What must we do to hearken, or to listen, for what the Lord has to tell us?
-make time for LISTENING after saying our prayers
-find time for quiet (don't always have the radio on in the car)
-live in a way that allows the Spirit to literally be your constant companion
-figure out how the spirit talked to you specifically (Education week story-different ways of learning, different ways of feeling the spirit, "warm, peace, ideas, prickles" )

And how can we learn to heed the promptings we get better?
-If you can't tell whether you are being prompted to do something or if i'ts your own idea, just do it (as long as it's a good thing). It will never hurt. Pretty soon you'll learn when something is your idea, and when it's the Lord's.

"I testify to you that our Father in Heaven loves His children. He loves us. He loves you. When necessary the Lord will even carry you over obstacles as you seek His peace with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Often He speaks to us in ways that we can hear only with our heart. To better hear His voice, it would be wise to turn down the volume control of the worldly noise in our lives. If we ignore or block out the promptings of the Spirit for whatever reason, they become less noticeable until we cannot hear them at all. Let us learn to hearken to the promptings of the Spirit and then be eager to heed them."

The next tool President Uchtdorf reminds us of is Service. In our haste for a solution, it is easily forgotten that "the Spirit may not come to us directly as the answers to our prayers." Instead, the Lord sends his servants.

Think for a moment, who might these people be in your own lives?
-Friends, family, prophets, apostles (other church leaders), scriptures
Why is it important to serve?

-It is far too easy to get caught up in ourselves.  When we get preoccupied with ourselves we miss important things happening around us...things that the Lord may be using to try as answers to our prayers.

-When we serve, we could quite possibly be the answer to someone else's prayer.

-Our goal is to not just have a testimony of Him but ultimately become like Christ.  His whole life was about serving others.

-President Spencer W. Kimball taught this concept when he said: “God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other.”President Spencer W. Kimball taught this concept when he said: “God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other.”

"If we are thinking only of ourselves, we may miss some of the most powerful spiritual experiences and profound revelations of our lives." (Uchtdorf)

"Often, the answer to our prayer does not come while we’re on our knees but while we’re on our feet serving the Lord and serving those around us. Selfless acts of service and consecration refine our spirits, remove the scales from our spiritual eyes, and open the windows of heaven. By becoming the answer to someone’s prayer, we often find the answer to our own." (Uchtdorf)

Lastly, President Uchtdorf advises us to use sharing as a tool.  This doesn't mean that we are meant to share everything that happens to us with everyone we meet.  You will probably be given an experience or two meant only for your to use for own benefit.  These are sacred, personal events.  I guarantee the prophets, both old and new, have experienced things they haven't shared with the rest of us.  This is by design.  However, those experiences are fewer than one might think.  The Lord expects the members of His church to “open [their mouths] at all times, declaring [His] gospel with the sound of rejoicing.”  D&C 28:16 Is this easy to do?  Not all the time, not for most people. 

"This is not always easy. Some would rather pull a handcart across the prairie than bring up the subject of faith and religion to their friends and co-workers. They worry about how they might be perceived or how it might harm their relationship. It doesn’t need to be that way because we have a glad message to share, and we have a message of joy." (Uchtdorf)

(Story of President and Sister Uchtdorf always making an effort to share the spiritual events of the weekend when asked about their weekend..."It's easy for you, you have your church.")

What can we do to share our experiences and testimonies with others?

-Look for opportunities through out your day.  There are people to share with at the bus stop (remind them of the story with Mom at the bus stop), grocery store, and restaurant.  Wherever you spend your time, whether it's at school, the park, or a cubical, there are people at every turn who are willing to engage in conversation.  Make it a good one.

-Don't forget technology.  Blogs, Facebook, personal emails, etc. are all great places to share the gospel one work, phrase, or paragraph at a time. (making sure it's at the right time in the right way)

"Brothers and sisters, with the blessings of modern technology, we can express gratitude and joy about God’s great plan for His children in a way that can be heard not only around our workplace but around the world. Sometimes a single phrase of testimony can set events in motion that affect someone’s life for eternity." (Uchtdorf)

-Make it a matter of prayer.  As Heavenly Father for opportunities to share your testimony and experiences with others.

-Apply your testimony and the lessons you learn to your lives so that people can visibly see them.  We hear it all the time, the best teacher is example.  So be one.  “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words.” (Attributed to St. Francis of Assisi)

"The most effective way to preach the gospel is through example. If we live according to our beliefs, people will notice. If the countenance of Jesus Christ shines in our lives,10 if we are joyful and at peace with the world, people will want to know why. One of the greatest sermons ever pronounced on missionary work is this simple thought attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi: “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words.”11 Opportunities to do so are all around us. Do not miss them by waiting too long on the road to Damascus." (Uchtdorf)

We're all on the road to Damascus. I think the key word is WAITING. If we move forward (act, not wait) with faith and allow ourselves to develop our testimonies one step at a time, we'll get there. Damascus won't seem that far away after all.

As President Uchtdorf reminds us.  Do not doubt.  Be courageous.  Move forward with faith, having hope, charity and diligence.  Remember that the Lord loves us dearly and has not only promised to answer our prayers, but wants to.  If we will do ask he asks, if we press forward with faith and allow him to show us one piece of the puzzle at a time, we will reach Damascus.

"Do not doubt. Remember, “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”13 God loves you. He hears your prayers. He speaks to His children and offers comfort, peace, and understanding to those who seek Him and honor Him by walking in His way. I bear my sacred witness that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is on course. We have a living prophet. This Church is led by Him whose name we bear, even the Savior Jesus Christ.

Brothers and sisters, dear friends, let us not wait too long on our road to Damascus. Instead, let us courageously move forward in faith, hope, and charity, and we will be blessed with the light we are all seeking upon the path of true discipleship. For this I pray and leave you my blessing in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen."


Waiting on the Road to Damascus, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, April 2011 General Conference

Scriptural Giants: Saul Becomes Paul, "The Friend", 1986, Sherrie Johnson