Dear Friends and
Neighbors:
I am happy with my brain. It is not as swift nor as bright as other
brains, but stuff which I have put into it and then scrounged up from time to
time has given me a lot of joy and satisfaction over the years. It has
worked reasonably well if I have used mental exertion. The fact that I
can think and then act is quite a remarkable phenomenon. I try to observe
and understand how the young mind works. Some folks have not yet
discovered their brains. Someone said, “Think! It may be a new
experience!”
Please check out Sister
Taylor’s recent wonderful article, “Tink,Tink, Heevy!”
Love,
George
& Debbie
In August 2012, Elder Ian
S. Ardern, Second Counselor in the Philippines Area Presidency, spoke to the
missionaries in the Philippines MTC about the importance of pondering.
He related an
experience he had as mission President in Fiji when he asked his missionaries
to define the word, “Ponder.” One of his missionaries from Papua New Guinea raised
his hand and replied in his local accent, “Tink,
Tink Heevy!” Or as we would say, “Think, Think, Heavy!” I loved that
statement!
While I was “tink,
tinking” about pondering, I looked up the dictionary definition: “to weigh in the mind with thoroughness and
care, and to think upon and incubate.”
The lyrics of the
children’s hymn by Jaclyn Thomas Milne also came to my mind: “Search,
ponder, and pray, are the things that I must do. The Spirit will guide, and
deep inside, I know the scriptures are true.”
What is the value of
pondering? Why would the Lord ask us to do it?
I remembered the Savior
counseling the Nephites to go to their homes to ponder, pray and prepare their
minds for the morrow (3 Nephi 17:3).
Apparently because I am
so weak, I’m not able to understand, remember, and apply the truths that God
wants me to know. It isn’t enough for me
to simply read, hear, or skim over the words of the scriptures. I find that I must prepare. My mind, my eyes, my heart must be single and
focused.
The Lord says “... my friends, I leave these sayings with
you to ponder in your hearts, with this commandment which I give unto you, that
ye shall call upon me while I am near-- Draw near unto me and I will draw near
unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you. Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto
you, that is expedient for you.” (D&C 88:62-64).
Could pondering be the
invocation and benediction to prayer? Could
pondering be the act of drawing near and seeking diligently? I have seen the teachers and missionaries here
at the MTC take a small moment before they begin and end their prayers. Can you imagine the power and blessing that we
would receive if we pondered before we began to read the scriptures and prayed?
As I read 3 Nephi 17:17-18
I found that the blessings of pondering are profound. Here are just a few: repentance, forgiveness, healing,
vision, the Holy Ghost, What more would we want to seek or want?
May each of us “Tink,
Tink, Heevy!” so that the ultimate gift of the Father “drawing near to us,” will
be granted.
Debra Taylor 09-14-2012
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