Shallow and Deep Thoughts from Darin & Susie Gilson Family

Hi Family. Well, I think this blog is off to a pretty good start. There are still quite a few who have not been able to log in yet, but hopefully all can find their way here sooner than later. I really hope this family blog will provide a way to not only share "shallow" things with each other (what we are doing), but also some deeper things that will allow us to get to know each other better and learn from each other on this journey of life.

So, for our scheduled posting, let me start with some shallow updates about our little family:

• Abby (9)-- in 4th grade, in a Spanish immersion program for the 4th year at school, plays the guitar and piano, and has recently knitted over 12 hats for friends and family, and to donate to charity. She just got braces on her teeth...
• Sam (12)--in 7th grade (first year of junior high), plays football, basketball, lacrosse and golf, has lots of friends and longs to have a smart phone (which his father may consider based upon achievement of some very difficult goals). He has had braces on his teeth for about a year now.
• Megan (15)--in 10th grade (first year of high school), is a JV cheerleader at Olympus High, is very smart, creative and a great writer, has lots of friends, and now has her learners permit and is slowly learning how to drive (although she does not like driving on streets with other cars). She had braces on her teeth two different times, but just got them off for the 2nd time (and hopefully the last time).
• Lindsay (18)-- Freshman at the University of Utah and is exploring business and engineering classes. She joined a sorority (Chi Omega), and is living on campus at the sorority house this semester. She is working and preparing to go on a three week humanitarian mission this summer to India.  She had braces, but has now had them off for a few years.
• Susie-- takes great care of our home and family, and serves in multiple ways at the kids' schools and in church. She is an avid exerciser, and is trying to pull the rest of us off the couch more often. Susie never had braces, but clearly has some crooked teeth genes that she passed to her kids.
• Darin--trying to make enough money to afford all of the above... works as a partner at Banyan Ventures, helping fund and grow early stage companies. The rest of his time is spent at church and with family. His teeth have always been very straight.

Now for a couple of deeper thoughts from Darin....
I had the opportunity to speak in church a few weeks ago, and that is always cause for reflection. I spoke about how quick Jesus Christ is to heal and forgive...if we humbly go to Him. Below is the talk:

Jesus Heals and Forgives; The Parable of the Christmas Lights

As I have considered an attribute of the Savior to talk about today, I have felt prompted to share an experience I had during this past holiday season. Like many of you, we enjoy hanging lights on our house during the Christmas season. Every year around Thanksgiving I pull the lights out of a box in our garage, and I carefully unwind them and plug them in to a power outlet. Inevitably I have to replace a few broken or burned-out bulbs, but once the string of lights are all shining brightly, I climb on the roof and carefully position the lights across our roofline.  After successfully hanging the lights, and managing to not fall to my death, I feel like the holidays can officially begin.  And once nightfall arrives and the lights turn on, the Christmas spirit seems to flow through the neighborhood. 

Unfortunately, about a week into December, and for no apparent reason, the Christmas lights did not turn on.  We were frustrated by this for a few days, and Susie was increasingly dismayed by the bah humbug nature of our lightless house, so I finally climbed back up on the roof and began a careful audit of each of the bulbs and various outlets to find the problem.  Finally, I found that the fuse on first string of lights had somehow been fried, and it was the culprit for stopping all electricity from getting to the bulbs. The break in this tiny little fuse kept our lights from spreading their Christmas cheer.  I was able to find a new, unbroken fuse, and as soon as I replaced it all the lights immediately turned back on.  However, a couple weeks later the lights went off again, but I immediately knew that the fuse had blown once more, and I had it fixed in about 5 minutes.

As I have thought about these two blown fuses, I have come to believe that there might be some deeper meanings and lessons to be learned.  But before I share my interpretation of this “Christmas Light Parable” I want to first discuss the incredible ways in which Jesus Christ Heals and Forgives.

Jesus as Healer and Forgiver

We can read of 27 different situations in the New Testament where Jesus performs incredible acts of healing. From the lepers and paralyzed, to the deaf and blind, to the raising of the dead, Jesus’ earthly ministry was filled with healing.  And, on the first day that Jesus appeared on the American continent as our resurrected Lord, he continued his healing: In 3 Nephi 17:7 He asked, "Have ye any that are sick among you? ... Bring them hither and I will heal them" (3 Nephi 17:7). And it came to pass that when He had thus spoken, all the multitude, with one accord, did go forth with their sick and their afflicted, and their lame, and with their blind and with their dumb, and with all them that were afflicted in any manner; and He did heal them every one as they were brought forth unto Him.

The Savior not only was a healer of physical infirmities, but he provided spiritual healing and forgiveness to those sick with sin.  He told the woman caught in adultery to “go and sin no more” after none of her accusers would cast the first stone. And, even while he was in the very act of being crucified he prayed for his tormentors “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).  Of course, as Christ completed the infinite atonement in Gethsemane and on Golgotha, he opened the way for each of us to receive forgiveness of our sins.

Immediate Healing and Forgiveness

Christ’s healing and forgiving nature is miraculous, but what is even more amazing is that Jesus Christ provides immediate healing and forgiveness for those who come to him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. When he healed the blind, the deaf, the lepers and others during his mortal ministry, he never told them to come back in a day or a week or a month. He healed them immediately.

In Matthew Chapter 8 we can read of two examples of Christ’s desire to immediately heal: 

“And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”

 “And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.”

So what can we learn about healing and forgiveness from Jesus Christ?  First, as Jesus Christ stands as a ready healer, shouldn’t we do the same? When someone who is suffering in mind, body or spirit crosses our path, can we provide a healing hand, a healing voice, or some other form of healing help? God usually watches over his children through other mortals.  We should always be “on call” to be that other mortal. 

Likewise, when someone who has hurt or offended us genuinely apologizes, let us be quick to forgive, quick to forget, and quick to offer an outpouring of love and support.  There is a Buddhist quote that says “Withholding forgiveness is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” Let us follow Christ, and be quick to forgive.

The second thing we can learn from Jesus Christ about healing and forgiveness is that if we will just turn to Him, He stands ready to immediately heal and forgive us whenever needed.  Despite this being the case, we sometimes wait for weeks, months or even years to make changes in our lives that will bring light and happiness, or that will allow us to take that next step forward in our eternal progression. The adversary would have us wallow in transgression and stay stuck in bad habits, but repentance and change does not need to be a slow process. It is NOT repenting that takes so much time. Christ will quickly forgive, but we must take the first steps toward him.  If we will humble ourselves and genuinely choose to change, Christ will give us the strength and power and light that we need. I know that this is true, for it has happened in my life, and I have seen it happen in the lives of others.

* * * * * * *

I want to close by going back to the Parable of the Christmas Lights.  You see, our lives are most joyful and happy when the spirit and light of Christ is flowing through us. However, all too often (at least for me), we blow a fuse of some form.  This comes by way of transgression or from selfishness or from pride or from worldly distractions, or from any number of other ways. And when we blow a fuse, we lose some of our light, and when we lose some of our light, we also lose some of our faith, and hope and happiness. 

But thankfully, just as simple as it was to replace a small fuse on my old string of Christmas lights, Jesus Christ stands ready to immediately heal and forgive our broken fuses, and thereby restore the light, faith, hope and happiness we seek. No matter how many times we blow a fuse, He will repair it. All we have to do is go to Him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and he will immediately repair us and restore the light. And, when our lights are shining, we can also help lift and heal the burdens of others in the same way our Savior does for us.

I pray that we all may constantly seek the immediate healing and forgiveness that the Savior offers, and that our faith and testimony in Christ will then lead us to help heal and forgive others.

* * * * * * *

Well, dear family, you now have some shallow and deep thoughts from the Darin and Susie Gilson family. I look forward to reading your postings in the coming weeks and months!
Much Love, 
Darin, Susie, Lindsay, Megan, Samuel and Abigail Gilson