A visit to Paris was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I
wish I could share with you the ecstasy of being in the City of Love and
enjoying crepes and gelato and beautiful architecture and art daily. The
neighborhoods in Paris are themselves artistic. The food, impeccable. The
people and resilient city are a joy to behold. And to do all this with my wife
and daughter was a priceless experience.
"Paris has many nicknames, but its most famous is ‘La
Ville-Lumière’ (literally, ‘The City of Light’), a name it owes both to its
fame as a center of education and ideas as well as its early adoption of street
lighting" reads the travel brochure description.
However, words don’t do justice to the city of Paris. I have
heard beautiful descriptions of the cathedrals, the museums, the quaint and
attractive city streets and magnificent architecture, much of it bordering the
Seine River. But the real thing surpassed my fondest expectations.
One of our excursions during our ten-day stay in the Paris was a visit to Versailles. The train ride was lovely yet uneventful, and the station is a short 5-minute walk to the chateau itself. I am so glad now that we decided to take this tour.
The Palace of Versailles is a royal château in the quaint
little city and a short distance from Paris. Louis XIII came to Versailles for
his first hunting trip. The palace was once the hunting lodge for the king but is
now open as a museum and a very popular tourist attraction. Every luxury
imaginable was used in abundance. No expense was spared both inside and out.
They say that orange trees outline a myriad formal gardens at Versailles, once
the epicenter of French royal power. The Versailles gardens alone took 40 years
to complete. These expressions showed a deep respect for the king.
We get the chance to adore and honor our King much more frequently
right here in our own communities. We need not travel the world to express this
sentiment. More on that in a moment.
One can stand atop the Arc de Triomphe and both bask in the beauty of this memorial to veterans and revel in those who have been so instrumental in forming that beloved country. Words fall far short of describing the magnitude of this experience. I have taken photos, written anecdotes, and logged an itinerary during this adventure, but it all is just reminder to me of the rapture and splendor we felt among these good people, their cherished monuments and tranquil, beautiful city. This experience has become a unforgettable and cherished event which has been logged for me among my most treasured memories. Too lavish of praise? I think not.
The significance of this to me is to realize that some of
life’s most remarkable experiences occur during a chance-of-a-lifetime
opportunity. Other opportunities-of-a- lifetime, however, can be found in the
realm of everyday life experiences. It is the latter of these choices that I
would like to discuss today.
11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions
and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which
saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
One example that stands out to me is the preparation and
expense that we may go to have a wonderful experience. Months of planning,
hosts of participants, recommendations, and seeking the best advice are all
part of the preparations. With the expense, time off work, and scheduling
around other events, the sacrifice may be very significant. And I would be the
first to agree that family experiences of this caliber are worth it, but I
would also point out that frequently the most meaningful experiences in life
are all around us every day just waiting to be discovered and appreciated. Realizing
and acknowledging that truth is the beginning of the wealth of joy ready and waiting
to be found. When my father would hear Josh Groban’s You Raise Me Up tears
would well up in his eyea and stream down his cheeks. As he listened to that song, I knew he was
considering those beautiful words in the context of his source of strength, the
Savior Jesus Christ. Why is that significant? Because when we view the world
through the lense of appreciation and gratitude for the Savior of mankind,
everything takes on new meaning.
As I share these words with you, there are hundreds of homes
in California that have been destroyed by fire. The neighborhood where my wife
grew up today is unrecognizable. Thousands have had their homes, businesses,
and livelihoods obliterated because of this tragic fire that took everything in
its wake. Rolling hills with beautiful homes and well-manicured landscapes and
yards are gone. Where is the hope? How can these people and communities
recover?
Instead of happy lyrics and melody
of song; rather than fun, games, and the constant laughing of children; in
place of skipping from school or returning from work to family and a warm,
comfortable home, there is hopelessness, sadness, loss, and misery. These
feelings are shared by both the afflicted and those that witnessed these tragic
circumstances from San Diego to Santa Barbara, and it’s not over yet.
Devastation is everywhere. I don’t claim to understand or grasp the tremendous
loss and heartbreak this has caused. These feelings are beyond my personal
experience or capacity to fully comprehend. But I know Someone who can and does
acknowledge the recent sorrow, loss, anguish and heartbreak. And for me, that
hope is what I latch on to at times like these.
He not only understands, but he weeps with us. That is the
kind of being that he is. He loves each one of us and understands our
heartbreak. More than that, he experienced our sorrows, loss, and afflictions
of all kinds, so that he can raise us up and give us an eternal gift beyond our
fondest imaginations. The scripture story of Martha comforts me. Her
brother died and the Lord was not there to prevent this tragedy. Nevertheless,
he comforted and wept with the distraught, then he raised Lazarus from the
dead. What was lost had been found. Pain and sorrow was replaced with joy and gladness.
“Among the realities we face as children of God living in a fallen world is that some days are difficult, days when our faith and our fortitude are tested. These challenges may come from a lack in us, a lack in others, or just a lack in life, but whatever the reason, we find these excuses can rob us of the songs we so much want to sing.“
And the hope and joy he gave to Mary and Martha and all
those that mourned the loss of their friend and brother is the same hope and
joy he offers to us in the time of our trials. He can and will remove our pains
and suffering if we let him. He knows them all because he had borne them for us.
Amid the many great gifts you will receive or give this Christmas, the gift from the Father of his Son is by far the supreme favor that you or I can or will ever receive. For God so loved the world that he gave his Only Begotten Son. It is with his stripes that we are healed. When we feel we have nothing left to hold on to, we have Him. And for the time being—every day through every trial—we can adore and honor Him.
He is the King of kings. And because he lives, we too can
live in peace and happiness despite the uncertainties of our day.
Glory to God for the gift of his Son.
The greatest gift is the Lamb of God who taketh away all our
sins and our sorrows.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that
the world through him might be saved.1
It is the grand truth that in all that Jesus came to say and do, including and especially in His atoning suffering and sacrifice, He was showing us who and what God our Eternal Father is like, how completely devoted He is to His children in every age and nation. In word and in deed Jesus was trying to reveal and make personal to us the true nature of His Father, our Father in Heaven. Jeffrey R. Holland
“I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me. I
came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent
me.” 2
