The Iron Rod

The Iron Rod

by

Donna Masten

A primary teacher asked her children as she was teaching a lesson on reverence, “And. why is it important for you to be quiet in church?”  One bright little girl replied, “Because people are sleeping!”

Good morning Brothers and Sisters.  I pray by the end of this talk that bright little girl’s answer doesn’t become a reality!

I was asked to speak today on the “Iron Rod" found in 1st Nephi, chapters 8, 11 and 12.

 In an address given by Elder Quinton L. Cook entitled, “In Tune With the Music of Faith,” Elder Cook says, “His (Lehi’s) vision starkly describes the challenges to faith that exist in our day and the great divide between those who love, worship, and feel accountable to God and those who do not.  Lehi explains some of the conduct that destroys faith.   Some are proud, vain, and foolish.   They are interested only in the so-called wisdom of the world.   Others have some interest in God but are lost in worldly mists of darkness and sin.    Some have tasted of the love of God and His word but feel ashamed because of those mocking them and fall away into “forbidden paths.”

Finally, there are those who are in tune with the music of faith. You know who you are. You love the Lord and His gospel and continuously try to live and share His message, especially with your families.   You are in harmony with the promptings of the Spirit, have awakened to the power of God’s word, have religious observance in your homes, and diligently try to live Christ like lives as His disciples.”

Next, I would like to share a story with you as told by our prophet, Thomas S. Monson from an address entitled, “Dare to Stand Alone.”

“I believe my first experience in having the courage of my convictions took place when I served in the United States Navy near the end of World War II.

Navy boot camp was not an easy experience for me, nor for anyone who endured it. For the first three weeks I was convinced my life was in jeopardy. The navy wasn’t trying to train me; it was trying to kill me.

I shall ever remember when Sunday rolled around after the first week. We received welcome news from the chief petty officer. Standing at attention on the drill ground in a brisk California breeze, we heard his command: “Today everybody goes to church—everybody, that is, except for me. I am going to relax!”  Then he shouted, “All of you Catholics, you meet in Camp Decatur—and don’t come back until three o’clock.  Forward, march!”  A rather sizeable contingent moved out.  Then he barked out his next command: “Those of you who are Jewish, you meet in Camp Henry—and don’t come back until three o’clock.  Forward, march!”  A somewhat smaller contingent marched out.  Then he said, “The rest of you Protestants, you meet in the theaters at Camp Farragut—and don’t come back until three o’clock. Forward, march!”

Instantly there flashed through my mind the thought, “Monson, you are not a Catholic; you are not a Jew; you are not a Protestant.   You are a Mormon, so you just stand here!”  I can assure you that I felt completely alone.   Courageous and determined, yes—but alone.

And then I heard the sweetest words I ever heard that chief petty officer utter.  He looked in my direction and asked, “And just what do you guys call yourselves?” Until that very moment I had not realized that anyone was standing beside me or behind me on the drill ground. Almost in unison, each of us replied, “Mormons!” It is difficult to describe the joy that filled my heart as I turned around and saw a handful of other sailors.

The chief petty officer scratched his head in an expression of puzzlement but finally said, “Well, you guys go find somewhere to meet.   And don’t come back until three o’clock. Forward, march!”

As we marched away, I thought of the words of a rhyme I had learned in Primary years before:

Dare to be a Mormon;

Dare to stand alone.

Dare to have a purpose firm;

Dare to make it known.

Although the experience turned out differently from what I had expected, I had been willing to stand alone, had such been necessary. Since that day, there have been times when there was no one standing behind me and so I did stand alone.  How grateful I am that I made the decision long ago to remain strong and true, always prepared and ready to defend my religion, should the need arise.”

The following is from a devotional address delivered at Brigham Young University by President Boyd K. Packer entitled “Finding Yourself in Lehi’s Dream.”  He states, “You too live in a time of war, the spiritual war that will never end.   War itself now dominates the affairs of mankind.   Your world at war has lost its innocence.

There is nothing, however crude or unworthy, that is not deemed acceptable for movies or plays or music or conversation.  The world seems to be turned upside down. (See 2 Peter 2.)

Formality, dignity, nobility, and respect for authority are mocked. Modesty and neatness yield to slouchiness and shabbiness in dress and grooming.  The rules of honesty and integrity and basic morality are now ignored.   Conversation is laced with profanity.    You see that in art and literature, in drama and entertainment.   Instead of being refined, they have become coarse. (See 1 Timothy 4:1–3; 2 Timothy 3:1–9.)

You have decisions almost every day as to whether you will follow those trends.   You have many tests ahead.

You may think that Lehi’s dream or vision has no special meaning for you, but it does. You are in it; all of us are in it.

Nephi said, “All scripture is likened] unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning” (1 Nephi 19:23).

Lehi’s dream or vision of the iron rod has in it everything a Latter-day Saint needs to understand the test of life.

Lehi saw:

•  A great and spacious building (see 1 Nephi 11:35–36; 12:18).

•  A path following a river (see 1 Nephi 8:20–22).

•  A mist of darkness (see 1 Nephi 12:17).

•  An iron rod that led through the mist of darkness (see 1 Nephi 11:24–25).

•  The tree of life, “whose fruit was desirable to make one happy” (1 Nephi 8:10; see also 1 Nephi 11:8–9, 21–24).

Read the dream or vision carefully; then read it again.

If you hold to the rod, you can feel your way forward with the gift of the Holy Ghost, conferred upon you at the time you were confirmed a member of the Church. The Holy Ghost will comfort you.  You will be able to feel the influence of angels, as Nephi did, and feel your way through life.

The Book of Mormon has been my iron rod.

Lehi saw great multitudes of people “pressing forward” toward the tree (1 Nephi 8:21).

The great and spacious building “was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit” (1 Nephi 8:27).

One word in this dream or vision should have special meaning to young Latter-day Saints.  The word is after. It was after the people had found the tree that they became ashamed, and because of the mockery of the world they fell away.  “And after they had tasted of the fruit they were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost. …“And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building. And after they did enter into that building they did point the finger of scorn at me and those that were partaking of the fruit also.”  That was the test; then Lehi said, “But we heeded them not” (1 Nephi 8:28, 33; emphasis added). And that was the answer.

All of the symbolism in Lehi’s dream was explained to his son Nephi, and Nephi wrote about it.

             
At your baptism and confirmation, you took hold of the iron rod. But you are never safe. It is after you have partaken of that fruit that your test will come.”

Brothers and sisters, I can personally testify that after partaking of the fruit the tests will come as I am sure every one of you listening can relate.   I am so grateful that our loving Heavenly Father did not send us to earth empty-handed.  He sent us with “life’s instruction manual,” our scriptures.   I love reading the scriptures.  Every question in life that needs answering can be found through the wisdom of its writers.

When our third son, Jared, was 2 years, 9 months old, he had to undergo a tedious open heart surgery where the surgeon had to build an atrial wall in his tiny heart using man-made materials.  Jared was given a 50% chance of surviving the surgery and its complications.  If he didn’t have the surgery, we were told he might live to the age of 11 or 12.   One of the known complications of the surgery was blood loss, so Steve and I made an appeal to members of the church with Jared’s blood type to go to Philadelphia just before his surgery to donate blood.  At least 40 members from three states drove to Philadelphia to donate blood for Jared.    But, that wasn’t enough.   

Jared came through the surgery but his first night out he nearly bled to death.  Blood was pouring out of him as fast as he was receiving it.  Steve and I were placed in a small room near the NICU reserved for parents of children who had undergone heart surgery.  We could hear over the loud speakers throughout the night appeals being made to anyone in the hospital that might be Jared’s blood type to please report to the blood lab.  My worries turned to fear.  Fortunately, I had taken my Book of Mormon to the hospital with me.  I was so upset that I just let the book fall open where it may, and this is what I found.   

My scriptures had fallen open to Mormon, Chapter 9 and this is what I read.  Verses 9 through 11 read, “For do we not read, that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing.   And now if ye have imagined up unto yourselves a god who doth vary, and in whom there is a shadow of changing, then have you imagined up unto yourselves a god who Is not a god of miracles.   But behold, I will show unto you a God of miracles, even the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob . . . “.   Skipping to verse 15, “And now, O all ye that have imagined up unto yourselves a god who can do no miracles, I would ask of you, have all of these things passed of which I have spoken?  Has the end come yet?  Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has not ceased to be a God of miracles.”  This passage of scripture continues to speak of God as a God of miracles.   I knew, right then and there, while reading through my tears, that God was going to give me my miracle.   Jared would survive.   And he did.

At the age of 44, I lost my vision.   I could not tell my children apart.  I could not read.  Even more upsetting was the fact that I could not read my scriptures and listening to them on CD just wasn't the same.  I loved to read.  I could not see where I was going.  I had to be led around. 

I underwent 22 eye surgeries over a 2 to 3 year period.  I was in and out of the hospital and put on medications that caused me to sleep for 15 hours a day.   I fell into a very deep  clinical depression.  The depression continued for years.  At age 50, I had two stents placed into my heart to correct a 93% blockage.  One month after that, I developed a rare complication of diabetes called Charcot’s Arthropathy in my left foot.   I had been walking after my heart surgery and had just worked my way up to  three miles when I received this diagnosis.  The bones in my foot had apparently fractured and had softened and so I was placed in an air cast for one year and was forbidden to walk for exercise.  I was told that there was a possibility that I might lose my foot.  

All of this put a strain on my family and I had gotten to the point where  I wasn’t sure I wanted to go on.   I didn’t know how I would go on and I began visualizing my family without me.  I didn’t want to leave them.  I wanted to see them succeed and I wanted to see my grandchildren come into the world.  I felt that my life would be cut short by the diseases ravaging my body and I felt totally useless and mourned the loss of my independence.   So, one afternoon while no one was paying attention, I got into the car and drove away. 

I checked myself into a hotel and contemplated my life.  While I was there, I found a Bible, and once again, I just let it fall open to wherever it may and this is what I read.  Proverbs, Chapter 3.  I’m not going to read the whole chapter to you, just some excerpts.  Verses 1 through 6 reads, “My son (daughter), forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments.   For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee:  bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart.  So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.  Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.   In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths."   Skipping to verse 10, “It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.” 

Now during this time, I had begun having panic attacks, many times a day.   I could not sleep at night.  This was something new to me and I had no control over the gripping fear that would seize me by surprise.   Skipping down to verses 23 through 26, it reads, “Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.   When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.  Be not afraid of sudden fear . . . For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.” 

I knew that the Lord was speaking directly to me through his beloved word.  It was  as if that passage of scripture was written just for me.  From that time on, I began to pick my broken self up and with the help of my father in heaven, put the all back in the right places.   I stand all amazed at the love our Father in heaven has for each and every one of his children.  I am so grateful for the iron rod to guide me through this life.  He WILL guide you always.