Tender Mercies

Isn't it interesting how the Lord has always accomplished great feats in the wilderness? Think about it...the children of Israel spent forty years in the wilderness, and Lehi took his family into the wilderness. Nephi accomplished great things with overwhelming odds in the wilderness: returning to get the plates from Laban, constructing a ship, enduring hunger and hardship. In our own sort of way, Castle Valley was like unto the wilderness for our family. Granny cooked over a fire, and we lived in tents--dug a well, established roads, put up fences, raised animals, built a cabin and outbuildings. And despite the hardships, we learned a lot and grew together in strength and unity. In many ways, it became the best experience of our lives.

But all of the events in the wilderness are not physical. We may face the wilderness of hardship, tradgedy, addiction, or discord in our lives today. How we deal with these challenges in large measure will determine whether life's obstacles will be for us stepping stones or stumbling blocks. We can't always control the circumstances in which we find ourselves, but we can control our response in the face of affliction.

One of my favorite quotes is from Charles Swindoll, who said “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home.

"The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes.”

“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.”

The wilderness of our lives often comes at inoppurtune times that challenge us when we don't quite know what to do and causes us to reflect on what is really important. We can have faith in the Lord that He will see us through as we with confidence face our challenges.

That we can know.

I love you, dad

Psalms 145:9

Roll forth to fill the earth

When I was but a boy, Grandpa told me the stories from the scriptures, and one of my favorites was about the boy prophet Daniel. He interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar's dream. I was facinated by this story. Because the king could not remember the dream, he asked Daniel to tell him what the dream was and then provide the interpretation. Daniel explained that he had seen a stone cut out of the mountain without hands that rolled forth until it filled the whole earth. But what is even more impressive to me is that we are seeing the fulfillment of this dream in our day.

The little stone which was cut out of the mountain without hands as seen in Daniel’s vision is the Church rolling forth to fill the whole earth (see Dan. 2:44–45). Only 182 years ago, the Church was organized with six members. And today, it literally fills the earth from East to West and from North to South. I remember when I was a boy that we would go to Temple Square to look at the world globe at the visitor center. There was a light shining wherever there was a temple and at the time that added up I remember to nearly 40. That was impressive. And now just 43 years later, there are 136 operating temples around the world (as of the end of last year) with more announced and still others under construction. (see Chart)

But I have wondered if we all really appreciate how remarkable this is. In the face of wars and economic downturns and international hardships, the Church continues to grow and flourish all about the earth. And it will always do so. Just like Daniel prophesied, the kingdom of God will roll forth and won't be stopped from achieving its destiny.

When I was cleaning out some papers the other day, I came across a statement by President Hinckley in this regard. See his perspective below:

"What a marvelous thing it is to belong to a society whose purposes are noble, whose accomplishments are tremendous, whose work is uplifting, even heroic. Be loyal to the Church under all circumstances. This is your church. You have embraced its gospel. You have taken upon yourselves a covenant in the waters of baptism. Be proud of your membership in this great cause and kingdom which He has restored to earth in this, the last dispensation of the fullness of times. Why? To bring you happiness."

"The Standard of Truth has been erected. No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing. Persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame. But the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, until the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah will say, ‘The work is done.'" -- Joseph Smith

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2007/10/the-stone-cut-out-of-the-mountain?lang=eng

Read the reference above. It's amazing. It's inspiring. It's true.

You'll be glad you did.

I love you, dad

Balm of Gilead

Knowing that character is built in the crucible of affliction, Spencer W. Kimball once asked that God would give him mountains to climb. Life is hard. Sacrifice is essential to our salvation.

The prophet Joseph Smith has said that "a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things, never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation." Through sacrifice we exercise and gain faith. We can come to know and emulate the Savior as well as deepen our love for Him and others. Worshipful immitation of the Savior should be our goal.

In a recent conference, Henry B. Eyring told the story that he asked God for faith, and answers came immediately. He experienced some of the most difficult circumstances of his life. But he also learned the following principles:

1. God hears and answers prayers
2. His confidence grew that a blessing would compensate. Doctrine and Covenants 122:7
3. Fear not what man can do, for God will be with you

Elder Eyring then used the analogy of a foundation. The holes must be planned, measured, and dug straight. Rebar is added to the provide additional strength and forms used for proper alignment. The cement must cure, which takes time and does not come automatically. It takes patience, hard work, and persistence.

Similarly, oversoming the challenges we face in our lives and magnifying our gifts takes patience, hard work, faith, and persistence.

Faith in Jesus Christ will be sufficient. Act on the pure love of Jesus Christ, and the faith you need will be there.

Balm of Gilead