Now here's a surprise for you -- Sheri Dew's new book is published by Deseret Book! What's the chance of that happening? (Just kidding...)

The title comes from a comment made by one of Dew's nieces, accompanying her on a flight from Salt Lake City to St. Louis, a flight much delayed by mechanical problems. While Dew saw the whole episode as a nuisance, her niece saw it as an adventure. And this led to following thought:

What if every prayer were instantly answered in the way we wanted it to be? What if a little bit of spiritual due diligence now and again kept us in constant and clear contact with our Heavenly Father? If nothing ever tested our faith or our resolve or our convictions -- because we really don't know what we believe or believe in, for that matter, until we're tested -- then what are the chances we would progress far enough spiritually in this lone and dreary world? Whether we like it or not, our trials and struggles can tend to accelerate our push toward godliness. In fact, it's possible we wouldn't go as far as we're capable of going without them. (p. 4)

Now, maybe the world isn't that "lone and dreary" for the rest of us, but she asks an important question. Can we really say we believe something if we haven't had that belief tested? Can you survive feeding only from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good? If "it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things," then faith not only thrives in the midst of challenge, but requires it.

Chapter 1 takes on the title of book. Here Dew introduces us to her theme -- the necessity for exercise in the building up of faith. She looks back at some of the pioneers who endured hardships, sometimes extreme, and who emerged stronger for the experience.

Chapter 2 is titled, "The Lord Will Carry Our Burdens, but Not Our Baggage." Burdens, she explains, are normal in life, things we must necessarily bear as part of our spiritual development. Baggage, on the other hand:

...weighs us down and wears us out. When we don't repent, sin becomes baggage. Natural-man behaviors that we aren't ready to give up become baggage. Worry, jealousy, and guilt are baggage. An unforgiving heart, anger, regret, and pride are baggage. Resentment, the desire to retaliate, fear, and insecurity create unbearable baggage. We choose whether or not to pick up baggage, and Satan loves nothing more than loading us down like pack mules. (p. 29)

Dew reminds us that our spiritual journey is surer when we rid ourselves of those things that weigh us down and keep us from progressing as we should.

Chapter 3, "Our Charity Sometimes Faileth," reminded me of a discussion I had with a friend, now passed, during which he said to me, "If people understood everything about me, they would forgive me more often than they do." He was right. We all have our life stories. Dew admonishes us to be kinder and more understanding toward each other. Continuing on the "baggage" theme, she identifies lack of forgiveness as a major item of baggage in our spiritual lives.

Chapter 4 is titled, "It Is Possible To Change, Really Change." The illustration across from the title is a photo of a butterfly, a good example of a creature for which change is not only desirable, but part of the natural process. She focuses on the need for charity:

Charity is not an emotion or an action. It is not something we feel or do. Charity is who the Savior is. It is His most defining and dominant attribute. It is what enabled Him to endure the Garden and the cross for you and me. It is one of the things that makes Him God. Thus, when we plead for the gift of charity, we aren't asking for lovely feelings toward someone who bugs us or someone who has injured or wounded us. We are actually pleading for our very natures to be changed, for our character and disposition to become more and more like the Savior's, so that we literally feel as He would feel and thus do what He would do. (p. 57)

In other words, Dew is calling for a heartfelt change in our attitudes and in our identifying with those who may not be just like us. It's a worthy challenge.

Chapter 5, "The Law of Chastity Defines the Family," discusses the need for eternal marriage in the quest for exaltation. As many know, Dew is a lifelong single person; one wonders if there isn't a bit of self-examination as she writes, and often speaks, of the virtues of marriage. As she enlarges on the importance of chastity, she rounds up the usual suspects in the rogues gallery of sinful behaviors: pornography, gay marriage, etc. She warns the Saints away from such behaviors that will prevent them from advancing on the road to the Celestial Kingdom. I did wonder, however, if she overstates the case:

...living the law of chastity is the linchpin to every significant spiritual privilege. Living the law of chastity is the gateway to immortality. (p. 100)

Is this statement too strong? I'll be interested in hearing from readers on this question.

She continues with the theme of sexual behavior on Chapter 6, "Purity Gives Women Power." She points to the role sex plays in modern culture in depicting women in, shall we say, compromising positions. She names names: Desperate Housewives and Sex in the City are obvious targets. She counsels women to return to living the law of chastity with a renewed commitment and a desire to overcome the influences of the surrounding culture.

Chapter 7 is titled "You May Be Making Life Harder Than It Needs To Be." It acts as something of a bookend to the first chapter, where we're told that life wasn't meant to be easy. Here she explains that while we all have burdens we must bear, sometimes we make the burdens heavier by not taking them to God in prayer with a real trust that He will bear them for us.

Perhaps too many of us are content to simply move through our days and weeks, attempting to keep the distractions of the world at bay, even working hard to serve the Lord and fulfill our various obligations. But we don't act as if we believe in the Lord's promises regarding our spiritual privileges. (p. 138)

This lack of belief, she says, can weigh us down and cause some discouragement.

If Life Were Easy, It Wouldn't Be Hard is a nice volume that Saints in all walks of life will find beneficial. It may help some to gain some focus in their spiritual lives, and may even answer some questions being asked, especially by new converts.

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Jeff Needle
November 9, 2005