Strengthen Thy Stakes

As I was studying Lesson 23 from Teachings of the Presidents of the Church - Ezra Taft Benson, "Strengthen Thy Stakes," I remembered something Sister Cheryl Esplin said during the Women's Session of April 2015 General Conference. She said:

"I attended a meeting where members of the Young Women general board taught about creating spiritually strong families and homes. To visually demonstrate this, a Young Women leader held up two soda cans. In one hand she held a can that was empty and in the other hand a can that was unopened and full of soda. First, she squeezed the empty can; it began to bend and then collapsed under the pressure. Next, with her other hand, she squeezed the unopened can. It held firm. It didn’t bend or collapse like the empty can—because it was filled.

We likened this demonstration to our individual lives and to our homes and families. When filled with the Spirit and with gospel truth, we have the power to withstand the outside forces of the world that surround and push against us. However, if we are not filled spiritually, we don’t have the inner strength to resist the outside pressures and can collapse when forces push against us."

I believe we can also liken this demonstration to our wards and our stakes. When we (as a stake) are filled with the Spirit and with gospel truth, we will have the power to withstand the outside forces of the world that surround and push against us. We are promised that in the scriptures. In Doctrine & Covenants 115:5-6 we are told:

“Verily I say unto you all: Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations; and that the gathering together upon the land of Zion, and upon her stakes, may be for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth.”

In the lesson, we are reminded of the significance and symbolism of the word "stake." There is a scripture in both Isaiah and 3 Nephi which says to "enlarge the place of thy tent" and "lengthen thy cords and strengthen thy stakes." I gained added insight about these scriptures from the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, THE SCRIPTURAL CONCEPT OF STAKES:

"When the resurrected Jesus visited the Nephites in the Western Hemisphere, he taught them the words of Isaiah: 'Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not, lengthen thy cords and strengthen thy stakes…and make the desolate cities to be inhabited' (3 Ne. 22:2-5; cf. Isa. 54:2-3). He promised to reveal to them his new covenant of priestly sacrifices and ordinances, including those of the temple (3 Ne. 9:19-20;10:6-7; WJS, pp. 212-13). The rich imagery of Isaiah chapter 54 associates the concept of 'stake' with the tent pegs that firmly held the curtains around the tabernacle that Moses built, the central Israelite sanctuary and seat of the Lord. . . .

Stakes are gathering places for the Saints, 'the curtains or the strength of Zion' (D&C 101:21). They are established as protected enclaves of spiritual strength and righteousness around the globe, symbolically holding the curtains around God's presence in the Church and among his people, in preparation for the establishment of the New Jerusalem (D&C 115:6; Isa. 4:6) and the rebuilding of the 'old' Jerusalem in the Holy Land."

"Protected enclaves of spiritual strength and righteousness." Those words are so powerful to me! Our stakes are established to give us, using Sister Esplin's words, "the power to withstand the outside forces of the world that surround and push against us."

President Benson taught that a stake has at least four purposes. He said:

1. Unify and perfect the members;

2. Be models or standards of righteousness;

3. Be a defense; and

4. Be a refuge from the storm.

President Benson also taught that our stakes should "work tirelessly for full stakehood in the sense of spiritual achievement," be "gathering spots," "spiritual sanctuaries "which are "self-sufficient in as many ways as is possible," "holy places . . . to gather in the last days as a refuge from the storm," "to worship, to do sacred ordinances, to socialize, to learn, to perform in music, dance, drama, athletics, and to generally improve yourselves and one another."

The Encyclopedia of Mormonism gave these interesting facts about stakes:

"The historical importance of stakes in the Church is exemplified by the stake-level innovations that have been adopted throughout the Church. Family home evenings and the Welfare program began as programs of the Granite Stake in Salt Lake City in the early 1900s. The 'Home Evening' program was designed to help parents develop closer relationships with their children. The suggested format for these weekly family meetings included prayer, music, scripture reading and gospel instruction, discussion of family concerns, recreational and cultural activities, and refreshments. The Granite Stake Welfare plan was designed to promote temporal well-being by stressing home industry and cooperation. Stake committees were appointed to promote gardening, the development of canneries, livestock raising, and the establishment of new industries. This program foreshadowed the work of President Harold B. Lee as president of the Pioneer Stake during the Great Depression, which led to the establishment of a Churchwide Welfare program. Other Church programs that originated in stakes include the seminary program for high school students, stake missionary work, systematic stake supervision of temple and genealogical work, and a variety of youth programs."

It is obvious that these programs, which started on a stake level, have blessed the entire Church. This happened because individual members heeded the counsel of their stake president. Think about our recent stake conferences. What has the stake president asked us to do? Are we doing it?

The lesson comes from an address given by President Benson to the stakes of the Church. It was then published in the January 1991 Ensign as the First Presidency Message. In that message, he gave nine responsibilities for individual members. They are:

1. Be a “light” of the gospel of Jesus Christ to others.

2. Seek for opportunities to share the gospel message with others.

3. Prepare our sons and grandsons to serve missions.

4. Have our homes be places of refuge, love, and harmony.

5. Seek for the blessings and ordinances of the temple.

6. Do temple work for our kindred dead.

7. Strive to be self-reliant.

8. Provide watchcare.

9. Participate in the programs and activities of the Church.

I offer this challenge: go back and read the general conferences from this year and find at least one talk that coincides with each of these nine responsibilities. I think we will be surprised how easy it will be. All of those things are still important as we strive to improve our individual lives, our homes and families, our wards and our stakes. I believe we can lengthen our cords as we gain knowledge. And I believe we can strengthen our stakes as we plant our testimonies deeper and more firmly in the gospel of Jesus Christ. When our lives are "a standard of holiness for the world to see," others will want to join with us, thus enlarging Zion's borders. May we heed the words of our prophet, Thomas S. Monson, to "bravely let your light shine for all to see."