(Just a disclaimer, this post is longer than usual.)
I want to share a story about a man
named John Tanner. I don’t know how many of you have heard of this man before…
He lived around the time of Joseph Smith and the restoration of the church. To
introduce the kind of man he is, he had a lot of children, was pretty wealthy,
and highly respectable. Around the time of his conversion to the Church, he had
been healed of a disease (causing him not to be able to walk) because of his
faith.
"In 1834.... About the middle of December, he received an impression by dream or vision of the night, that he was needed and must go immediately to the Church in the West. He told his family of instructions he had received and forthwith made preparations for the journey.
"On his arrival [in Kirtland], he learned that at the time he received the impression, that he must move immediately to the body of the Church, the Prophet Joseph Smith and some of the other brethren met in prayer meeting and asked the Lord to send them a brother or some brethren with means to assist them in lifting the mortgage on the farm upon which the temple was then building. On the second day of his arrival in Kirtland, by invitation of the Prophet, John Tanner and his son Sidney met with the High Council, when he was informed that the mortgage on the temple block was about to be foreclosed. Thereupon, he loaned the Prophet $2,000.00 and took the Prophet's note at interest. With this amount, the block or farm was redeemed. Mr. Tanner also loaned to the Temple Committee, Hyrum Smith, Reynolds Cahoon and Jared Carter, $13,000.00 in merchandise at the cost price in New York, and took their note for the merchandise. This amount and that loaned the Prophet were not included in his liberal donations to the building of the temple. He also signed a note with the Prophet Joseph Smith and others for $30,000.00 of goods. His openheartedness was a very striking proof of his confidence in the Prophet and in the validity and importance of the work he had embraced. ...
"John Tanner set out on a journey 1,000 miles west to Farr West... Elder Tanner had a large family depending upon him and the long journey was before him. In April 1838 his equippage for the journey consisted of a turnpike cart, a borrowed wagon, one horse of his own, three borrowed ones, twenty dollars in cash and a keg of powder. With this meager equipment, he started with his family, eleven children in all, for Missouri. When the money and powder were gone, his family was under the necessity of appealing to the benevolence of inhabitants along the road for buttermilk and some other food to sustain life. He had two children, a son and a daughter, born to him in Kirtland. One of these, the daughter, died on this tedious journey. On his arrival in Missouri, he narrated, in conversation with a friend, his harships and privations. In conclusion, he philosophically said, "Well, if others have come up easier, they have not learned so much." This expression was characteristic of Elder Tanner's resignation to his sacrifices. He had a happy faculty of acknowledging the hand of God in all things. ...
"At the April conference in 1844, he was called on a mission to the Eastern States; before starting, he went to Nauvoo where he saw the Prophet Joseph. Meeting him on the street, Elder Tanner gave the Prophet Joseph his note of hand for the $2,000 loaned him in Kirtland, for the purpose of redeeming the temple land. The Prophet asked him what he wanted done with the note. Elder Tanner replied, 'Brother Joseph, you are welcome to it.' The Prophet then laid his hands heavily on Elder Tanner's shoulders, saying, 'God bless you, Father Tanner, your children shall never beg for bread.' " ("The Genealogy of the Tanner Family", compiled by the Tanner family)
The promise that Joseph Smith made
to John Tanner is pretty awesome, considering that John Tanner is my ancestor….
I think we figured my 7th great grandfather.
My mom and grandma tell of a story
of one of John Tanner’s descendants, I believe it was John’s daughter or
granddaughter. The woman and her family were basically out of food. The woman thought,
What about Joseph Smith’s promise to John
Tanner? Weren’t we promised we’d never beg for bread again? They were out
of money, and as she was out of food, she went to clean out the cupboards. As
she was cleaning out one of the cupboards, she found a dime- just enough to
provide a loaf of bread for her family!
I opened with this story because
John Tanner is an excellent example of living a Christ centered life. He gave
tremendously to the church, faced adversity, and still did not give up, doing
everything with a smile on his face.
What
defines a Christ centered life and how
exactly do we live it? Well, we come unto Christ, rejoice in Christ, and follow
in His example, living as he did while He was on the earth. The first thing He
taught in the Beatitudes are some of the basics:
- · Faith in Jesus Christ
- · Repentance
- · Baptism
- · Forgiveness of sins
- · Receiving the Holy Ghost
And along with those basics come the
Christ-like attributes (D&C 4:5)…
- · Faith
- · Virtue
- · Knowledge
- · Temperance
- · Patience
- · Brotherly Kindness
- · Godliness
- · Charity
- · Humility
- · Diligence
Living these basics and using these
Christ-like attributes are only the first part. There is a handout from my stake presidency. It reads:
"As a Disciple of Jesus Christ, I will:
1. Pray daily
2. Study the scriptures daily
3. Attend all of my church meetings
4. Attend institute
5. Fulfill home or visiting teaching duties
6. Increase my temple service"
(from the Cedar City Utah YSA 1st Stake)
Living a Christ centered life is
the best decision you can make in this life. It is the best decision because it
leads to other “best decisions”, such as serving a mission, finding your eternal companion, being sealed in the temple, and raising a family of your own.
As we live our life as our Heavenly
Father would want us to live, we are guided toward the right decisions we need
to make, the people whose lives we can touch, and the glorious message of the
gospel we can share to others.
I’m not anywhere near perfect. I
make mistakes just like everyone else on this earth. But when I have really
tried my best to live a Christ centered life, it has made my life SUBSTANTIALLY
better- no matter what has or is happening.
With everything I have been through involving cancer, I could have a reason to be mad,
just like my 7th great grandfather could have. But first of all, what good
would that do me to be mad? Second, this is part of my test. Heavenly Father
knew that I could handle this trial and knew that if I endured righteously
through it, I would be blessed tremendously.
And I have.
Life is good, guys. I’m in the
right place I need to be. If I didn’t have cancer, I probably would be out in
the mission field right now. And although that is a GOOD place to be, it’s not
where I am needed at the moment.
In my eyes, the biggest blessing of
living a Christ centered life is knowing that no matter where I go, what
happens to me, or who I come into contact with, it’s for a reason. And a good
reason. Maybe not physically good, as my jaw is evidence for that, but
spiritually? Holy cow. J
It has taught me what really is
important in this life. And that is being surrounded by loved ones… family,
friends, and our big brother, the one who gave us the ultimate gift of the
Atonement.
Trying to live a Christ centered
life has been the best decision I've ever made because I want to talk with my Heavenly Father in
prayer.
I want to read from the scriptures.
I want to feel the Holy Ghost.
I want to make the right decisions in life.
I want to share the gospel, I want others to feel the
love of our Savior.
And
most importantly, I want to return to our Father in Heaven again, and the only
way I can do that is through living a Christ centered life.
Keep running!
