Reg Christensen lives in the Midwest with his wife, Carol. They have seven children and seventeen grandchildren. Reg has fulfilled a variety of callings in the Church and he and Carol have been blessed with many service opportunities as Pathway missionaries and service volunteers at the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies, to mention a few. While living in Jerusalem, they served in the Bethlehem branch, Carol as the Relief Society president and Reg as the branch president. His happy times come from being with family and friends, reading, writing, woodworking, leathercrafting, exploring nature, and blessing lives with his handyman skills. He has published several books, including Unlocking Isaiah: Lessons and Insights that Draw Us to the Savior.
Enter Reg…
Several years ago, our family went on a four-day Colorado River expedition, embarking at Moab, Utah, and continuing through Cataract Canyon into Lake Powell. From this experience, I could offer much counsel to anyone planning a similar adventure—wear good shoes, drink lots of water, use sunscreen, and so on. But if I could only give one piece of advice, it would simply be, “Wear your life jacket in the whitewater!” I would offer that advice with absolute confidence, because our life jackets literally saved our lives.
Most of the river is calm and easy, and life jackets are not even worn except in the whitewater. The most treacherous of the whitewater consists of three sets of rapids, appropriately named Big Drop I, II, and III. At this point, the river constricts into the narrow Cataract Canyon as it dramatically drops in elevation. The water rushing down this channel provides one of the most exhilarating whitewater adventures on planet Earth.
We did fine on Big Drop I. However, on the very first significant wave of Big Drop II, our boat stood straight up in the air and then fell back—upside down. We were thrown in all directions. I am a fair swimmer but doubt that mattered. The force of the waves and the draw of the currents were so powerful that the only way to even hope to keep our heads above water was with the support of the lifejacket.
Wear Your Fine Linen
Our expedition through our mortality is beautiful and exhilarating—but also dangerous with temptations and trials constantly swirling around us and threatening to suck us down into darkness and spiritual death. Now, in the twilight of my life, I can, with absolute confidence, offer the paramount advice needed to get us safely through life and prepare us for the Second Coming of the Lord— wear your fine linen!
Let’s consider what it means to wear your fine linen and how to accomplish it.
A metaphor of marriage is often used to teach of the union of prepared disciples as the “bride” with our Savior at His coming as the “Bridegroom.” Isaiah said,
“For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.” (Isaiah 54:5)
Jesus spoke the parable of the ten virgins to instruct us in our need for preparedness for the day when He, the Bridegroom, comes again. Five of the virgins were wise and ready with oil in their lamps and five were foolish, having procrastinated the day of their preparation. While the foolish ones went out to buy oil,
“The bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage; and the door was shut.” (Matthew 25:10)
John the Revelator teaches of the marriage metaphor:
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.” (Revelation 19:7)
Remember, we are the “wife.” And how are we to make ourselves ready to unite with Christ, our “Bridegroom,” when He comes? (Or, as most anyone would wonder if invited to a wedding—What shall I wear?) John explains the preparedness of the bride,
“And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white.”
And what is the meaning of us dressing in fine linen to meet our Savior? John tells us,
“For the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.” (Revelation 19:8)
So, when we say that the most important thing we can do to prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ and our promised eternal life with Him is to wear our fine linen, we are simply saying that we are to be righteous. John’s choice of linen is an excellent and relevant illustration within the marriage metaphor.
The Symbolism of Linen
Linen is a natural fiber made from flax and known for its enduring luster and beauty.
We are divine sons and daughters of Heavenly Parents and are naturally righteous and beautiful. Linen is a luxury fabric of great worth—beautiful, durable, and elegant. We have great, eternal worth to our Heavenly Parents.
The ancient Egyptians used linen as a wrapping for their dead—not only to portray a display of wealth but to symbolize light and purity. As we clothe ourselves in righteousness, our light and purity will shine as a welcoming invitation to others to learn from our light.
Linen is the strongest of the vegetable fibers, enabling it to be preserved and handed down through generations in the form of valuable keepsakes.
Our righteousness is an enduring legacy, reverently endowed from one generation to another. As we clothe our life in righteousness, we are giving the greatest gift we could give to our posterity.
Linen is naturally smooth and soft, making the finished product essentially free of lint. As we seek righteousness, we will be smoothed and softened by life’s trials and will naturally shed the lint and debris of our fallen environment.
Linen can be boiled without damaging the fiber—in fact, the more it is washed, the softer and finer it becomes. As we choose a righteous course, our heart will be continually softened. As we righteously endure the “boiling” of adversity in our life, we will naturally become stronger and more refined.
To Whiten and Purify
Earlier in the Revelation of John, he taught us that the righteous are
“they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:14)
Our lives are whitened and purified with repeated washings in the blood of the Lamb—in other words, as we repent of our sins and renew our covenants with our Savior, we are made more pure and ready for our union with Him.
This same principle of preparing in righteousness to unite with our Savior in His kingdom is taught in modern revelation, using a different analogy.
The Lord announces, “For the hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth.” He is speaking of a great sacrament meeting to be held with all His righteous servants throughout the dispensations of the world. He shares a sampling of the invited guests: “Moroni, Elias, John, Elijah, Joseph, Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, Adam, Peter, James, and John.”
And then, in the most exciting announcement of all for you and me and our loved ones, the Lord declares,
“And also with all those whom my Father hath given me out of the world.” (Doctrine and Covenants 27:5-14)
We are invited!
All are invited to prepare to unite with Christ in His kingdom!
What Shall I Wear?
And now we come back to the question of the ages: “What shall I wear?”
The Lord tells us: We are to put on the whole armor of God.
“Wherefore, lift up your hearts and rejoice, and gird up your loins, and take upon you my whole armor, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all, that ye may be able to stand. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, which I have sent mine angels to commit unto you; Taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked; And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of my Spirit, which I will pour out upon you, and my word which I reveal unto you, and be agreed as touching all things whatsoever ye ask of me, and be faithful until I come, and ye shall be caught up, that where I am ye shall be also. Amen. (Doctrine and Covenants 27:15-18)
As we clothe ourselves in the “linen” of righteousness and wear and employ the “whole armor of God,” we are protected from the sins and evils of our fallen world and are enabled to walk safely through the trials of our mortality to reunite with our Savior and our Heavenly Parents in Their kingdom.
As we continue to learn gospel truth, we are prepared to point our feet in the right direction in following the proven path of happiness. As we take righteousness as our breastplate, our heart will be protected from the false and damning philosophies of the world that would otherwise corrupt and misdirect our souls.
Employing the shield of undaunted faith in Jesus Christ and His gospel, we will be able to parry away temptation and evil that is directed at us. By following the promptings of the Holy Ghost—“the sword of my Spirit”—we will be guided, protected, and purified throughout our lives.
As a Reminder
If you ever go on a river rafting expedition, please wear your life jacket in the whitewater.
In your life-journey through mortality, please always wear your fine linen of righteousness. As you battle with the destructive forces of the world, wear the whole armor of God At all times and in all things and in all places that ye may be in even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life. (Mosiah 18:9)
