Jump Out Of The Boat

 "I pray that as you have opportunities to be stretched emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually, you will not hesitate to demonstrate your faith and "jump out of the boat," knowing that when you don't think you can do hard things, the Savior will stretch out his hand to assist you."

Susan K. Bednar

    Some years later a calling came to teach Young Adult Institute, a scripture study class in my church community. I was excited and challenged by the idea. The actual doing required that I really dig in and study. For my weekly lesson I prepared hours. I came to class with a boatload of scriptures, commentary, and questions in my head. 

Two flashes of understanding colored my years of teaching.

1. Listen more, talk less. Most nights I lay in bed after teaching my class and rehearsed again the lesson I had taught. I anguished over things unsaid. I tortured myself about things I didn't know. I vowed to prepare more each week. What I was entirely missing was a remembrance of what my students said. I literally was so involved with myself I could not recall their comments or ideas. I prayed for assistance because when I listened more to my students I found myself going off topic. The flow of the lesson careened out of my control. I liked the safety of my notes and outline.
2. Jump out of the boat. The boat was my preparation and lesson outline. This audacious declaration came from Elder David A. Bednar at a teacher training meeting. He stated that if we were preparing hours for a one hour meeting then we were possibly leaving no room for the Holy Ghost to guide the discussion. He admonished us to prepare more thoughtful questions and listen to our students, then listen to the spirit lead us to answer. To be very honest, this was not easy for me.

                                     

Elder Bednar started modeling this type of teaching. When he met with groups of people he opened up time for them to ask questions. He listened carefully and asked follow-up questions of them. I witnessed hearts communicating with 'power questions'' and 'power answers'. To me a power question is one that comes from a deep need to know how we stand with God. It has less to do with facts concerning scripture and more to do with how the scriptures can change us. A power answer is one that comes from the spirit and testifies of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. 

The following words come from Elder Bednar's wife. It was from the years that he was President of BYU- Idaho. They were inviting groups of students into their home once a week for a Home Evening.

"I must admit that Home Evening was a "jumping out of the boat" experience for me. I expected we would teach a prepared and scripted lesson, and have complete control over what happened, how it happened, and when it happened. But my husband suggested another idea. He wanted to invite the students to ask questions. When he proposed this concept, I felt uncomfortable, unsure, and started to cry. This was way out of my comfort zone. Fear of failure and lack of faith gripped my heart. Reassuring me, Elder Bednar remarked that I could always decline his invitation to answer. And I did say no, especially at first. I'm grateful for those Home Evenings that caused me to prayerfully reach deep within myself and plead for heavenly help to replace fear with faith. Over time I became less hesitant to answer questions and more reliant on the Lord."

A mini-miracle happened in my teaching. After, while pondering the lesson I had taught, I remembered what my students said. I saw their faces in my mind's eye. I wrote down some of their power questions. I prayed for them instead of myself. I found I felt prepared more by having the spirit then the pile of books I carried with me. I felt so much more gratitude for the opportunity to teach about Heavenly Father and his beloved Son.

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