January 9, 2016
I was reading in First Nephi about God coming to father Lehi and showing him the future of Jerusalem when most of the Israelites will be carried away into Babylon as a result of their wickedness. As with most prophets, he was not believed by those to whom he prophesied. God warns him to take his family and leave Jerusalem and go into the wilderness, much as with Moses and the Israelites, taking only their basic provisions and leaving all else behind. So I started wondering if I would have been willing to follow. When I was a junior in high school my dad was preparing to retire in southern California and he and my mom were going to move to a rural town in Nevada. When I found out the high school in Nevada held it's prom in the gymnasium instead of a place like the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, I said forget it. My dad worked an extra year so I could remain in my home town before he retired. Then I thought about the early Mormon pioneers who kept having to leave their homes, farms, businesses, etc. and move from place to place because of their faith in the restored Gospel and their prophet, whether it was Joseph Smith or Brigham Young. They had the same kind of faith which Lehi and his family did back in 600 B.C. I might take some occasional flak for being a Mormon, but I have never had to exhibit the kind of faith my predecessors did.
-----------------------------------------------
WE BELIEVE IN BEING POSITIVE
As I was reading the Ensign Magazine this morning I was touched by a short article regarding happiness and cheerfulness. Neal A. Maxwell once described cheerfulness this way, "A deep trust in God's unfolding purposes--not only for all of mankind, but for each of us as individuals." The article went on to say that we will all face challenges as they are a natural part of mortality, but we don't have to be weighed down by discouragement and sadness. We can put our trust in the Lord and be positive. In John 16:33 it states, "Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world". Richard G. Scott shared, "I witness that with faith in the Savior and obedience to His teachings, happiness never ends, but sadness does." To me it comes down to this: Do I REALLY believe God has a plan for mankind and do I REALLY believe He has a plan for me? If I do, then I am free to chose happiness and cheerfulness, knowing that good can be found in all situations if we allow Him to reveal it to us. As faithful believers we actually have no right to be going around with a long face, moaning about how the world is going to Hell in a hand basket, repeating the negative half-empty attitudes so many would have us believe in. If father Lehi and his son Nephi could find joy (and they did) in spite of the fact that they had family members who actually sought to take their lives from them, then what are we griping about????
I was reading in First Nephi about God coming to father Lehi and showing him the future of Jerusalem when most of the Israelites will be carried away into Babylon as a result of their wickedness. As with most prophets, he was not believed by those to whom he prophesied. God warns him to take his family and leave Jerusalem and go into the wilderness, much as with Moses and the Israelites, taking only their basic provisions and leaving all else behind. So I started wondering if I would have been willing to follow. When I was a junior in high school my dad was preparing to retire in southern California and he and my mom were going to move to a rural town in Nevada. When I found out the high school in Nevada held it's prom in the gymnasium instead of a place like the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, I said forget it. My dad worked an extra year so I could remain in my home town before he retired. Then I thought about the early Mormon pioneers who kept having to leave their homes, farms, businesses, etc. and move from place to place because of their faith in the restored Gospel and their prophet, whether it was Joseph Smith or Brigham Young. They had the same kind of faith which Lehi and his family did back in 600 B.C. I might take some occasional flak for being a Mormon, but I have never had to exhibit the kind of faith my predecessors did.
-----------------------------------------------
WE BELIEVE IN BEING POSITIVE
As I was reading the Ensign Magazine this morning I was touched by a short article regarding happiness and cheerfulness. Neal A. Maxwell once described cheerfulness this way, "A deep trust in God's unfolding purposes--not only for all of mankind, but for each of us as individuals." The article went on to say that we will all face challenges as they are a natural part of mortality, but we don't have to be weighed down by discouragement and sadness. We can put our trust in the Lord and be positive. In John 16:33 it states, "Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world". Richard G. Scott shared, "I witness that with faith in the Savior and obedience to His teachings, happiness never ends, but sadness does." To me it comes down to this: Do I REALLY believe God has a plan for mankind and do I REALLY believe He has a plan for me? If I do, then I am free to chose happiness and cheerfulness, knowing that good can be found in all situations if we allow Him to reveal it to us. As faithful believers we actually have no right to be going around with a long face, moaning about how the world is going to Hell in a hand basket, repeating the negative half-empty attitudes so many would have us believe in. If father Lehi and his son Nephi could find joy (and they did) in spite of the fact that they had family members who actually sought to take their lives from them, then what are we griping about????
No comments:
Post a Comment