Missionary work (the proselyting ones, the online chat ones on mormon.org, the member neighbors next door as well as the ones with profiles on mormon.org, General Conference being on TV, and ads now being on major search engine websites as well as billboards across America sure helps to lead those to find out what has been revealed for us for our day....but I'm sure the Holy Ghost has a lot bigger role than we know....to lead us to speak up and lead those searching to find the right source).
I like to read and sometimes my novels are a lot more exciting and compelling than the scriptures, so I have to remind myself to pick up God's words before I can indulge in man's words. Every time I do, I'm not disappointed and am reminded why this one is inspired from a heavenly power and inevitably helps improve my day far more than JK Rowling, Katheryn Stockett, Jane Austen, JRR Tolkien or even the great C.S. Lewis.
Today, I read a living Apostle's words on "waiting on the Lord". It was great. Reminded me about the purpose of Life....to show us that we will use our agency to follow His Son, no matter how difficult our circumstances become..."all these things shall [be for our] experience, and ....[our] good". (D&C122:7)
We won't always know why or understand our challenges, and all of us at sometime will have reason to ask, "O God, where art thou?", but Psalm 30:5 reminds "weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning". I believe that! Currently, I do not have any major tragedies going on in my life. It's not the life I thought I would have at 30 years old, but it's still a good one. However, I hope that I would answer like Job had I been tested and lost all my posessions, family members, reputation, and health...."For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though....worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him".
Job was wise. He removed himself from the situation, took a step back, put on an eternal view, and saw that the only thing that matters...even above family...is our own personal faith and absolute devotion to remain steadfast to God's commandments.
Sadly, I knew a man who loved his family more than God. His wife didn't want, for some reason or other, to go to Church and have to continually do all those things that upstanding citizens of God's kingdom do. He was sad, though. He missed the Church. He came with his 2 daughters one Sunday and I saw him smile. Happy. Doing what God asked, though it was probably hard....telling the wife were he was going and taking the 2 girls as well as seeing old friends in the chapel that he had not seen in a long time and hoping that they didn't judge him for his absence, only his presence.
If you love your family, you will love God more. You will serve Him and His Church faithfully, tirelessly, and happily and be blessed all the more for it. It is not possibly to loose your family by loving God above them. Job lost his children-7 sons and 3 daughters-all in one day. After the first servant came in telling me how all 7,000 sheep were lost in one swoop, I would have shut and locked the door to the other servants hurrying towards the house bearing the bad news regarding his camels, oxen, she asses and his own children. But after 42 chapters, Job never lost his faith. He had nothing. No possessions, no family and even his friends turned on him. He didn't, probably not even once, think that God isn't real, or loving or caring or mindful of him. He stood back, knew that it all would die anyway and choose to remain faithful to the Higher Being. But, after seeing what he had in the first chapter and then in the 42nd chapter, only one number remained the same. He started with 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 oxen, 500 she asses and 7 sons and 3 daughters. After loosing everything, he was rewarded more in "the latter end...than his beginning" and received 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 oxen and 1,000 she asses....and 7 sons and 3 daughters (and the daughters received special mention regarding their incredible beauty and 'fairness'). The only number to remain the same was the # of children.
Job 1:2 And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.
3 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.
Job 42:12 So the Lord ablessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.
Why didn't Job receive 14 sons and 6 daughters? He'll sure need the extra manpower with all those extra sheep, camels, oxen and asses running around. He did receive double the amount of children that he had previously....because the first 7 sons and 3 daughters were not lost to him. He....so many thousands of years earlier....knew about the Plan of Salvation in a way that the majority of the human population does not either know about or believe in a way to influence their actions. Job, knew that his land and his animals were not the most prized or eternal things he had to his name. He probably spent more time crying over his sons and daughters than all 11,000 lost animals combined. And, the extra animals he was blessed with at the end was nice, but he probably would have thought about trading the now 22,000 lot of animals for his lost 7 boys and 3 girls. He most assuredly was grateful for the children he was given after the trial, and knew that he would again see his other 10 kids and be able to live eternally with 20 children surrounding him for eternity rather than lament and curse God for taking away a bunch of livestock for a short amount of time. I imagine the prayers during the trial and after didn't change much in tone....he was grateful and understanding of Who was really in charge...just the number of names included increased. I do pray for prosperity. I pray that Trent will be enlightened, enlarged beyond his own ability. I know that won't happen if he doesn't put in the time to study or if I call him home before he is done with his cases, so the days are longer without his help, but I can't pray for something and not expect to put something on the altar to show I'm serious about my plea. Job put everything on the altar. And he was greatly blessed.
I think that as Job was able to live to see his sons's sons to the 4th generation, he only increased in what he already knew....that God is in charge; He loves us; is mindful of us...even in trials.
"Every one of us is more beloved to the Lord than we can possibly understand or imagine" and when we realize this, it is important to notice the following admonition by the Apostle Robert Hales, "Let us therefore be kinder to one another and kinder towards ourselves".
Seems like President Dieter Uchtdorf was trying to help us see the same thing when he said,
Probably one of the first songs I memorized as a kid was "I Am a Child of God". There's a reason why it's one of the most well-known songs of the church and the subject of our 1st Article of Faith. When we realize who we are in relation to God...a very real, powerful and kind person...we can understand better the trials we are dealt with individually as well as remember how to treat others around us. Like Joseph Smith taught, something about when we come to understand the Gospel, we cannot be content with knowing it ourselves, but must share it with the human race. Know God, know we are His kids, and treat others like we believe the former two are true.
In Spanish there are 2 ways to say know. Saber and Conocer. Saber is to know of someone. I can say "Yo se el presidente de los estados unidos" (I know the President of the United States). But I cannot say "Yo conozco el presidente de los estados unidos" (I know the President of the United States). I know (saber) the President in regards to his office, his duties, responsibilities, but I do not know him personally...his likes, dislikes, his favorite candy bar. I can say I know (conocer) my dad. I know he likes Diet Pepsi, to ride bikes, and sweetarts. God, with all his power and responsibilities, wants us to know him intimately...conocer, not saber. So much so, that when we die, our reunion won't be a foreign one. More of a natural, "i've missed you so much", good to be home, kind of a reunion.
God is real, His Church is on the earth again, and we get the chance to show ourselves that we do believe in Him and will return faithfully. Job didn't go the easy route, but he is easily one of the happy ones resting with his rich blessings now. It's our turn.
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