Meridian Magazine : : Seminary Class Notes: Come, Ye Disconsolate

Come, Ye Disconsolate
By C.S. Bezas

Discouragement.

WordNet defines “discouragement” as “the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles.” Has this word and its feeling ever lodged in your heart? Has it lodged in the hearts of the youth you love and serve?

The hymn, Come, Ye Disconsolate, speaks to God’s children who feel discouraged. Those with wounded hearts are invited to experience the healing that the heavens offer through Jesus Christ and His mercy seat. If those who are wounded respond by attending to Christ’s message, joy will come as sure as the morning.

Those who’ve not yet experienced the weight of disconsolacy, though, might be hard pressed to understand its oppressiveness and the length of its journey. Disconsolacy is a fancy word that describes being “beyond hope” or “inconsolable.” I’ve often thought that Satan’s most potent tool is that of discouragement or — even better put — that of disconsolacy. How else have joyous dreams been destroyed, upbeat expectations submerged, youthful hopes left behind? How many possibilities have been lost because of dying belief in the future?

These thoughts wedge themselves deeply into my mind as I contemplate the world before us, within the year 2007 facing us. Wars are occurring in disparate and far off locations, yet conflict also occurs in our own streets and backyards. Our youth are surrounded by it all. Will they yield to the despair of our times?

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once fashioned the following words, having faced great personal trial during the very time he penned these thoughts:

I heard the bells on Christmas day Their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet the words repeat Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along th’unbroken song Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head: “There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, good will to men.”

Till ringing, singing, on its way, The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime, a chant sublime, Of peace on earth, good will to men!

Throwing off Discouragement

To throw off the heavy veil of discouragement, one is in a better position to see the miracles that only God can create. But sometimes it takes a momentum of effort to do this. And in the meantime, we are not to judge those who seem to walk with a heavier gait than the rest of us.

I’ve struggled with heaviness myself at times as I’ve viewed the conditions around me in the world. The daily media call out to all, announcing with clarion voice the dire struggles so many now face. It can be overwhelming to the sensitive soul.

The ancient prophets were privy to our times by virtue of their calling. Hear their prophetic paintings of the darkened colors of our day:

And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken (Luke 21:25-26).

How easy to become so caught up in the perplexity and the frenetic motion of chaotic commotion that we become despondent, wrapping ourselves in the feeble cloak of despair. Yet others will prefer to dance on the other side of the coin, clamoring foolishly that all is well. This, too, was well known to the ancient prophets.

In 2 Nephi 28:20-21 we read that even while evil rages and is perpetrated upon those seeking good, others will claim that all is well:

For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.

And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well — and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.

The World our Youth Encounter

Such is the world our youth encounter on a daily basis, flipping neurotically from “all is well” to “doomsday gloom.” What are we to do, those of us who are their parents or who work with them in church settings? I find great comfort in the following words of scripture. Even within the verses’ stark nature, they highlight the path to protection and mercy during this final and urgent dispensation:

Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!

For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.

Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Wo be unto the Gentiles, saith the Lord God of Hosts! For notwithstanding I shall lengthen out mine arm unto them from day to day, they will deny me; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them, saith the Lord God, if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts (2 Ne. 28:29-32).

Within this nugget is packaged a perfectly portable set of instructions for our day. There are those amongst us who believe the word of God is completely contained within the Bible. They claim they need nothing more. Yet peace awaits those who will sup from the additional pages of scripture given us through the Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrine & Covenants.

Much as an optometrist is enabled to clarify vision by prescribing lenses to correct astigmatisms, the Lord knows perfectly what we need for our day. He has given us these additional “lenses” of wisdom found in modern-day scripture. As we “lend an ear,” we will learn wisdom and will receive that which we need during our time — peace is one such commodity.

Let us teach our youth the beauty of learning “line upon line, precept upon precept” from inspired verse so that they themselves know the peace the gospel brings.

It is up to us to read our scriptures daily and to incorporate the wisdom gained into daily living. How desperately our youth also need the scriptures, although they may not comprehend just how urgent this is or exactly how to proceed. Are they reading their scriptures daily? If so, do they understand what they read? And are they experimenting upon that wisdom? If not, what can we do during 2007 to bring them closer to this ideal? And how do we measure their progress? How do they best measure their progress?

Alma urged his own sons to study his scriptures. Alma claimed the scriptures were as priceless as the ancient Liahona and similar to the Liahona’s curious piece of workmanship that pointed the way to go. It was a unique compass and a reliable one. Alma taught his son,

It did work for them according to their faith in God; therefore, if they had faith to believe that God could cause that those spindles should point the way they should go, behold, it was done; therefore they had this miracle, and also many other miracles wrought by the power of God, day by day.” (Alma 37:40).

Our youth merit this strength and these miracles today, especially in light of the troubled nature of the world around them. But how does a fourteen-year-old, for example, acquire this faith so that the scriptures literally point the way for him or her to go? Our kids will acquire this through proving the soundness of the gospel tenets (contained in our modern-day scriptures) by trying out those tenets, by living them. There really is no other way. And they can’t live them if they don’t read them.

Healing the Heart of the Anxious Soul

When we live gospel truths, the dark shroud of discouragement becomes thinner and thinner, eventually allowing the light of the gospel to blaze into the heart of the previously anxious soul, thereby healing it.

Discouragement can be a nasty thing to deal with. A troubled heart, unable to find relief, potentially can lead one to careless or desperate choices. We don’t want to find our young women or men in this situation. The Lord offers great comfort, promised to all those who would believe Him:

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:1, 23).

We can’t keep His words if we don’t know them. And the comfort of those words will open up to all those who likewise open up their scriptures on a daily basis and read deeply the inspired words contained therein. This is what we would have our youth find; this is what we would have them do in their personal lives.

Even when those within the social circles of our kids give up hope, even when our youth see “signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;…Men’s hearts failing them for fear” (Luke 21:25-26), our young men and women will know the source to look to for peace: Christ and His words. This will happen, if we teach our young men and women well.

With consistent scripture study, our youth will be given the wisdom to stand strong, the wisdom to be faithful, and the space to conquer despair. If we teach today’s youth well, they will find their personal power and an inspired inner strength, so that as the Lord states, they can “receive this same testimony among this generation, in this the beginning of the rising up and the coming forth of my church out of the wilderness — clear as the moon, and fair as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners” (D&C 5:14).

Our youth need us to lead them to the pages of their scriptures, for those pages are intended to act as purveyors of peace and truth. Our youth need to be familiar with them; they need the Lord’s word not just talked about, but actually read in class and in private at home. The words contained in the scriptures are potent, perfectly fashioned for the times that are upon us.

Incidentally, there truly may be chemical reasons for discouragement, despair, or depression. When this is the case, medical help should be sought. But as for the dark shroud of spiritual discouragement (referenced in Luke 21:25-26), the Lord has given us the ability to find the antidote of peace within His living words. As we consistently share this priceless gift with our kids, our youth can learn to live in such a way that no amount of despair can overtake them.

They then can be ready for the glorious moment mentioned in Luke 21:27, where they won’t have given up, but instead will be ready and clean, able to “see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” What a tremendous thing to contemplate!

Summary

Are you excited for 2007? Let’s get busy! The first and most important step for this year (and always) is to get our kids immersed in the scriptures and loving the experience. Because it has been my experience that the more they love the scriptures, the more they seem to love the Lord and His attending commandments.

Thus, I ask of you, what has worked for you in getting your youth to love their scriptures? Write me at seminaryclassnotes@yahoo.com and share your thoughts and ideas. I’d love to then share them with our readers in a future article so that all may be edified thereby. What a powerful team we can make to antidote the dark discouragement that has beset so many in today’s world.

We sing the hymn, Come, Ye Disconsolate, and it is a beautiful one. But disconsolacy need not afflict anyone of our youth, if we arm them well with the scriptures as their tools of power for great things in 2007.

Until next week!

C.S. Bezas’ Powerful Tips for Powerful Teachers: Helping Youth Find Their Spiritual Wings has been called the essential book for parents of teens and for all those who work with them. Order yours today at http://deseretbook.com/store/product?sku=4977585.