Upon the Rock

To my son, 

                  For a long time now, you have suggested that you want to be a “builder” and “worker” when you grow up. Your older brother has already made clear his plans to hire you to build a mansion for him when you are both older. You are a very smart engineer, and I have no doubt you will be successful if you decide to build houses or other buildings for your career. This week in our scripture reading we talked about building a spiritual foundation, and we read these words from Helaman to his sons Nephi and Lehi: “And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall” (Helaman 5:12). Elder Bednar talked about this verse recently in general conference and said this: “The symbolism of Christ as the ‘rock’ upon whom we should build the foundation of our lives is most instructive. Please note in this verse that the Savior is not the foundation. Rather, we are admonished to build our personal spiritual foundation upon Him.” He continued, “The foundation is the part of a building that connects it to the ground. A strong foundation provides protection from natural disasters and many other destructive forces. A proper foundation also distributes the weight of a structure over a large area to avoid overloading the underlying soil and provides a level surface for construction.” The foundation is the base of a building, but to be as strong as possible it should be placed upon a solid material. As Jesus taught us, if you build upon sand, for example, the building will not last through storms. We must build upon solid rock. Elder Bednar elaborated on what that means: “A strong and reliable connection between the ground and a foundation is essential if a structure is to remain sturdy and stable over time. And for particular types of construction, anchor pins and steel rods can be used to attach the foundation of a building to ‘bedrock,’ the hard, solid rock beneath surface materials such as soil and gravel.” In Helaman’s analogy, then, the Savior is that bedrock upon whom we are to build our foundation, and we should put our spiritual foundation upon Him and fasten ourselves to Him.

                So how can we connect ourselves firmly to the foundation of Jesus Christ with spiritual anchor pins and rods? I think you know the answers. Anything we do that invites us to remember Him and keep His commandments helps to fasten us to Him. We go to church on Sundays and remember Him as we sing sacred music that teaches of Him and learn from those who bear testimony of Him. We also pray to our Father in Heaven in His name often, and that helps us to have His Spirit with us. Another important way that we connect ourselves to the Savior is to keep His commandments. As you learn to be obedient to the commandments of the Savior that we teach you, that will help strengthen your foundation upon Him. Finally, we secure ourselves to the Savior as we read and study His word found in the scriptures. Recently as you were doing your reading practice for school, you told me that you wanted to read the scriptures. I thought that was awesome, and I hope that you will continue to develop your reading skills so that you can read the scriptures on your own and learn about the Savior in those words. I gained my testimony of the Savior through reading the Book of Mormon, and I hope you will make that a daily habit throughout your life. That will help you stay firmly anchored to the Savior and give you a solid foundation to withstand the difficulties of life. 

Love,

Dad