Adeus!

God be with you 'til we meet again.

Final Countdown

{Cody with a few of his favorite ladies}

Earlier today I received a text message from Cody informing me that there were 24.5 hours until he would be set apart as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He appears to be counting down. Who wouldn't be? Cody is closing a chapter to his life and entering an experience that will have lasting influence on the rest of the chapters to come.

Last weekend Cody gave a phenomenal talk in church about increasing spiritual capacity. If you missed it, or would like to re-ponder the message he shared, you can read it here.

Cody will be learning Portuguese in the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo (relocated from the Brazil MTC because his Visa has yet to arrive) for the next ~12 weeks. A missionary's MTC schedule is strenuous, lots of classes to attend and lots and lots of studying. I've heard letters in the MTC are appreciated like sunshine in Seattle, so let's inundate Elder Frazer's mailbox! His address is:

Elder Cody Frazer
MTC Box 88
BRA-REC 1128
2005 N. 900 E.
Provo, UT 84604

His email address is:

cody.frazer@myldsmail.net

Farewell, Cody! We all love you and look forward to hearing about your experiences as you fulfill your Call to Serve.

Increasing Spiritual Capacity

Talk on Spiritual Capacity
9/18/11

Bonjia, como vais? My name is Cody Frazer and for those of you who don’t fala portages, “Bonjia, como vais?” Is Portuguese for “Hi, how are you?” Now I know you’re all impressed by my mastery of the Portuguese language and honestly it impresses me too. In fact, sometimes I speak Portuguese so well it sounds just like English.

As you can all probably tell from my opening statements, my talk should be on humility. But it’s not! My talk is on spiritual capacity. After thinking about this topic three questions came to my mind: What is spiritual capacity? Is it measurable like the capacity of a measuring cup? And is there a maximum capacity like the capacity of a building or elevator?

I found the answer to my first question in a talk by Elder Robert E. Wells of the Quorum of the Seventy. He stated that “The [spiritual] capacity the Lord looks for in us is that ability to perform to the degree that we become profitable servants unto Him. The Lord has given us talents, gifts, and blessings. He expects us to magnify them and to use them in the service of others…” In other words, it is our capacity to use and develop what the Lord has blessed us with.

In Matthew 25 the Lord gives us the parable of the talents. In this parable a man brings three of his servants to him and gives the first servant five talents (or gold pieces). Then he gives the second servant two talents. And finally to the third servant, he gives one talent. And then he leaves and while he is gone the first servant takes his five talents and trades up to ten talents. The second servant takes his two talents and trades up to four talents. And the third servant buries his talent because he is afraid to lose it. Then the man comes back and praises the first and second servant and reprimands the third servant.

Now I always thought that the third servant gets treated unfairly. I mean, the first guy gets five talents and he only gets one! He didn’t even have a chance to compete with the first and second servant! But then I read more thoroughly what happens after the man returns and I’ll read that now; it’s verses 20-23. (Go read these scriptures!)

So the first servant gained five talents and the second servant gained two talents but were they treated any differently? No! The man says to them both, Well done, good and faithful servant. So the third servant had equal opportunity to double his talent and receive the blessing of his master but he did not. The first two servants utilized and increased what they were given. They showed that they had the spiritual capacity to take care of their master’s possessions.

Now back to my second question, is spiritual capacity measurable? I think that it is. I think we can measure how great or weak our own spiritual capacity is by taking inventory of what Godly traits we possess such as: faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, kindness, charity, humility, and diligence.

Finally, to my third question, is there a maximum spiritual capacity? I don’t think so. I think that any one of the previously mentioned traits can be both a contributor and a product of spiritual capacity. For instance, having faith in God can increase our spiritual capacity. And with an increased spiritual capacity we can have greater faith in God. And so it goes in an infinite loop. Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles made this comparison: He said, “An infant’s body is tiny, and its spiritual capacities are undeveloped. While the body may reach the peak of its maturation in a few years, the development of the spirit may never reach the limit of its capacity, because there is no end to progression.”

Through answering those questions, I feel that I have a better understanding of what spiritual capacity is and I hope you all do too. Now I would like to focus on how to utilize and increase our own spiritual capacity. I picked out three ways that are particularly important to me in which we can do that. They are: prayer, scripture study, and service.

Elder Nelson said that, “Prayer invites those ennobling attributes of the spirit that are ultimately ‘bestowed upon all who are true followers of… Jesus Christ.’” Prayer is something that is so important to me. In a health class I took a couple semesters ago we had a unit on spiritual health and its importance in our everyday lives. I was very happy to learn that our textbooks cited prayer and meditation as essential for spiritual health not just for the religious person, but for everyone. In 2 Nephi 32:9 we are given a commandment and a blessing concerning prayer. It says… (Go read this scripture!) I have prayed when I’ve been at my lowest point, in the depths of sorrow and loneliness and I have felt comfort. I have also prayed with a heart full of gratitude and love and I have felt joy. I have a testimony that God does hear our prayers and answers them. President Gordon B Hinckley said of himself, “I don’t know how to get anything done except by getting on my knees and pleading for help and then getting on my feet and going to work.” President Hinckley is a great example of increasing spiritual capacity through prayer.

In recent months, I have grown a deep love and appreciation for the scriptures and the opportunity to study them. We’ve just recently celebrated the 400^th anniversary of the King James Bible. Before then, widespread ownership or knowledge of the scriptures was virtually unheard of. Now we are so blessed, we can not only own hardcopies of the scriptures easily, but we can have it on our computers, or phones, or even mp3 players. I have such a testimony of the scripture study. Nephi tells us to “feast upon the words of Christ…” That is such a great metaphor. We shouldn’t just read the scriptures or glance through the pages but we need to FEAST upon them. Make them a part of us so they can strengthen and fortify us. Whenever I’m having an off day or I feel angry or upset for any reason, I know I can turn to the scriptures. There is an incredible strength and a spirit that scripture study brings into my life. I know we can increase our spiritual capacity though scripture study.

Finally, service helps us to increase our spiritual capacity. Meaningful, selfless service is an unmatchable gift for both the person giving and receiving. I have never felt so loved as when someone has truly served me and I have never felt such joy as when I have had the opportunity to truly serve another. When Christ was on the earth he constantly served others. President David O. McKay said, “Man’s chief concern in life should not be the acquiring of gold, or of fame, or of material possessions. It should not be the development of physical prowess, nor of intellectual strength, but his aim, the highest in life, should be the development of a Christ-like character.” He is the greatest example of service and the greatest example of spiritual capacity. Christ himself said, “I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done.”

This past week, my mom kept pestering me and pressuring me to be sure to give the greatest talk of our century this morning but to be honest, I’ve never been one to give grand speeches. It’s hard for me to speak over long periods of time and I commonly trip over words. But I can and always will be able to give my simple testimony of Christ. And that is that I know Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. I know that He loves us and that as we follow His example, we can increase our spiritual capacity and can live happier, more joy-filled lives. I say these things in His name, Jesus Christ. Amen.