Last evening I had an
interesting conversation with one of my daughters. She has had several issues
with her health in recent years. She realizes that through these trials, her
testimony of the Savior has grown. However, she mentioned she occasionally wonders
if she’s being punished for some past mistake or poor decision. Rest assured
that this young woman has a righteous heart; but like all of us, sometimes
question why we have to go through so many difficulties in life. I reminded her
that God does not deal in the negative. God loves us and wants the best for us.
He is fully invested in our happiness. Nevertheless we are here on earth to
learn and grow from chastenings and challenges as well as accolades and
achievements that we might learn of Christ and come closer to Him. There is
purpose in our moments of misery. It seemed easy enough to tell her this, but
in the reality of life, I don't always walk the talk. I too have my own moments
of "why this; why me, why now".
Just this morning I awoke
with a feeling of sadness. Most of my children live great distances from me and
I miss seeing each of them. I have several grandchildren that I am not able to
be near or to enjoy. Each of my children has his or her share of problems and
difficulties – which causes me to worry. In addition, I find our Inner City
Mission daunting at times. The people we serve struggle with complex problems
that are not easy to change. Life is challenging for us all. When I look at
others I recognize that everyone is subject to the difficult trials of life.
That is a fact we share in common. Those experiencing those rare moments of
peace realize that doesn’t last very long. Our purpose is to experience all
that life might offer and to learn from each adventure.
This morning began with snow
and drizzling rain; I felt a cloud envelop my soul. As the morning progressed
the news became intense with the report of bombings at the Boston Marathon.
There were a few killed and several injured. When such violent situations
happen; my heart goes out to those families that are affected. We are living in
a world of turmoil; peace has been taken from our earth. Such events multiply
our anxieties. We can't run or hide from them because they are foretold and
part of the last days.
As I turned to my daily study
of the Book of Mormon I opened the study workbook and found the following
thoughts by Elder Neil A. Maxwell from a talk He gave in October Conference,
1982 entitled; "Be of Good Cheer". "We are living in a time in
which we shall see things both wonderful and awful. There is no way that we can
be a part of the last days and have it otherwise. Even so, we are instructed by
our Lord Exemplar, Jesus Christ, to "be of good cheer." (D&C 61:36; D&C 78:18.)"
"The Savior again said ,
"In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have
overcome the world." (John 16:33).
"Jesus calls up on us to
have deliberate trust in God's unfolding purposes, not only for all humankind,
but for us individually, and we are to be of good cheer in the unfolding
process."
"We likewise live in a
time when the love of many will wax cold. (See D&C 45:27). Fear will therefore increase. Why? Because
when men fear, it is because we are not perfect in love. (See 1 John. 4:18.) The less love, the more fear-as well
as the more war! As with Paul, however, we may be perplexed, but we are not in
despair. (See
2 Cor. 4:18.) For if we are prepared spiritually,
we need not fear. (See
D&C 38:30)."
"To be cheerful when
others are in despair, to keep the faith when others falter, to be true even
when we feel forsaken -all of these are deeply desired outcomes during the
deliberate, divine tutorials which God gives us-because He loves us. (See Mosiah 3:19.) These learning experiences must not
be misread as divine indifference. Instead, such tutorials are a part of divine
unfolding."
To myself and my daughter I
will say: In the mist of the gloominess trust in Heavenly Father and His plan
for us. President Brigham Young once said: "Learn to be "righteous in
the dark." There will be dark days as Elder Neil A. Maxwell also said;
"These are our days. This is our time on earth! These are our tasks to be
done. And in these days, being of good cheer is part of being valiant in the
testimony of Jesus. (See
D&C 76:79; D&C 121:29)."
May we all "Be of Good
Cheer" because our Redeemer has overcome the world."
9 comments:
Learn to be righteous in the dark. I am going to remember that one. Thanks for sharing some other passages from your scriptures, too. I found much comfort and inspiration in this post. Thank you.
And thank you especially for your kind and generous spirit which you share with me and all your readers. You know, on a personal note, I find it interesting that you and I have different faith orientations, and yet we so often seem to be so much in sync with each other. It reaffirms to me again that at the deepest level, we all share something sacred. I'm so glad we are blog buddies.
great post for a day like today. Thanks for your wonderful thoughts!
Once more...Thank you LeAnn! You always have such good insights, and seem to know when to share them. This day has been difficult with the images from Boston on the TV and I appreciated your reminder that the Lord is in charge. Thank you and may you have peace and light! Melody
I don't normally read all the comments, but read the one above and I agree with the second paragraph especially. I'm of a different faith, too, but you and I do have a lot in common. The most important is faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. No matter the highs and lows of life, He is constant and His word promises that He will never forsake us. As I've told my children, yes we all go through difficulties and who knows what we will see happen in this world, but we know Who is always with us.
Have a wonderful week, LeAnn!
Amen, love and blessings sweet friend.
What a beautiful post on a day that we all need uplifting. Thank you my friend. Hugs, Lura
Great post. We are the light in the dark Thanks so much for this. I'm going to be on Good Things Utah to talk about helping children through tragedy. 9 - 10 am. Need your prayers. Sending lots of love and hugs.Christy
a beautiful entry for today!!
i always think of our beautiful stars, it is only in darkness that we can see the stars!!
You are certainly blessed to be able to share such beautiful and uplifting thoughts and scriptures.
I always leave feeling a little better and with a goal to try and be a little better after reading your posts. You touch many lives and lift our spirits. Thank you for always writing and sharing timely posts. Thanks for visiting my blog, also. Nola
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