Jorja gave a talk in sacrament meeting today. It was about patriarchal blessings. She was supposed to talk about preparing for one and experiences she has had with patriarchal blessings. She had a hard time writing it because she hasn't had her patriarchal blessing yet. She did a great job though. Here is her talk.
In one of Thomas S. Monson's earliest talks he said, "The same Lord who provided a Liahona provides for you and for me today a rare and valuable gift to give direction to our lives, to mark the hazards to our safety, and to chart the way, even safe passage---not to a promised land, but to our heavenly home. The gift to which I refer is known as your patriarchal blessing. Every worthy member of the Church is entitled to receive such a precious and priceless personal treasure.
Before I can tell you how you can prepare for your blessing, you first need to understand what exactly a patriarchal blessing is. An article from the 2004 New Era says that, "A patriarchal blessing has two main purposes. First, the patriarch will be inspired to declare your lineage---the tribe of Israel to which you belong. Second, guided by the spirit of prophecy, the patriarch will pronounce blessings and may also provide promises, cautions, or admonitions that apply specifically to you. Your patriarchal blessing may point out certain things you are capable of achieving and blessings you can receive if you exercise faith and live righteously."
A patriarchal blessing has the power to tell you about your past, present, and future, but it's important to remember it is not your fortune teller. Wanting to know what your future has in store for you should not be your only reason to want your blessing. And just because your blessing tells of certain things for you, doesn't mean they will be given to you regardless of your actions. A patriarchal blessing is a two-way covenant with God. It is a guideline, but not necessarily a word for word account of your future.
President James E. Faust said that, "A patriarchal blessing from an ordained patriarch can give us a star to follow, which is personal revelation from God to each individual. If we follow this star, we are less likely to stumble and be misled. Our patriarchal blessing will be an anchor to our should, and if we are worthy, neither death nor the devil can deprive us of the blessings pronounced. They are blessings we can enjoy now and forever."
But what happens when we don't set our blessing as a star to follow?
Many years ago my Grandpa and his friend bought a book at DI, which they soon found contained someone's patriarchal blessing. This was back before it was easy to get another copy of your blessing if you had lost it, so they figured whoever's it was must've been devastated. The blessing contained many wonderful promises, and whoever's it was must have the most amazing life. After searching long and hard, they were able to track down the owner's mother and gave the blessing to her. When she saw it she immediately started crying. She told them it was her son's, and he had recently died from a drug overdose. Looking into the blessing she said her son hadn't made very good choices in life, and not many of these blessings had come true. He didn't stay faithful to the church, or his star, so God could no longer give him these wonderful blessings as he hadn't stayed faithful to his covenants.
In addition to remaining faithful, your blessing should inspire you to make changes in your life. In my mom's patriarchal blessing she was told to keep a journal where she would record her thoughts and feelings of her day to day life. So, she started a blog which she's kept going since 2008.
So, now that you know a little more about patriarchal blessings, how can you in turn prepare for yours?
An article from lds.org says, "You should do everything possible to draw closer to the Lord. Prayer, fasting, scripture study, meditation, and repentance can help. Concerns about worldly things should be left behind for such a sacred occasion." These are all important things you should do, especially while preparing for your blessing. Search and ponder the scriptures and continue to develop your relationship with God.
There is no age requirement and you do not have to be ammeter for a certain amount of time before receiving one. My Great Grandfather got his when he was eight. When you want to receive your blessing is your decision. The article continues to say, "The desire to receive a patriarchal blessing should come from a desire to know and live God's will for you. Curiosity or pressure from others isn't the right reason to get a blessing. The bishop will help determine if you are ready for the blessing."
Another way to prepare is to think of certain questions you have been needing answers to. Part and fast about them. When my sister received her blessing, she wrote five questions on a piece of paper, which she kept in her pocket. She prayed, fasted, and searched the scriptures. All of those questions were answered in her blessing.
But because patriarchal blessings include things from our future, they can be difficult to understand. As their life goes on, people may get discouraged as they think certain blessings may not have come true, or that they never will.
A friend of my mom's patriarchal blessing told him he would meet his wife on his mission. But as his mission went on, he hadn't met anyone that he felt a connection with. His mission president knew about his blessing, and towards the end of his mission, began putting him in single wards in hopes that he'd meet his future wife. However once his mission was over, he still hadn't found her. He went on with his life, figuring his blessing must've been wrong. Years later, he ended up getting married to someone he did, in fact, meet on his mission.
Now, of course, this doesn't mean your blessing will have something like telling you when you 'll meet your future spouse. But many things in your blessing could be just as confusing to you as this was for him. If you remain faithful, you will receive your blessings, even if it's not in this life.
I'd like to close with a quote from Sister Julie B. Beck. She says, "You are in a season of your life when you are making some of your most important decisions. Because you are being bombarded with so many incorrect messages about who you are, you need some additional guidance. You can learn more about your life and mission on earth and the light that is in you by preparing to receive and then studying your patriarchal blessing. As you get older you will see the prophecies in your blessing taking shape in your life. The Lord has important and exciting things for you to do. This is your time to "arise and shine forth, that your light may be a standard for the nations."
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