Just to diverge a bit from the typical posts that I make, I want to talk a bit about the last year. It has been an amazing year full of new and interesting things along with the not quite so golden things in life. It’s certainly a trial full of tears and happiness, but it has been a good year. I have learned the important lesson of standing as a witness, just like the song by Afterglow.
I think it is quite appropriate to thank Heavenly Father for all of the wonderful things he has given me and my family for this year. It has been a truly wonderful year full of blessings and trials. I wouldn’t have missed it for anything because I know He doesn’t give us anything that we can’t handle.
It seems like we pay too much attention to material items these days. With the economy in crisis, now is the time that we need to think about those things in our life that are meaningful, real and do not change in value just because of a crisis. We need to focus on our family relationships.
Family relationships aren’t based on buying the newest gadgets or giving the most popular toy as a Christmas gift. Now is the time to build family relationship on a more personal level. Maybe make gifts together. I know I have posted about this before and I know I will post about it again. Now is the time to build your family relationships.Don’t worry about what you can or cannot buy.
I was really touched by a quote recently I read from Bruce R McConkie. He was a church leader until his death in 1985. Not only was he a church leader, but he was also a leading theologian.
I know from time to time we experience trials and tribulations. Sometimes our walk is an arduous journey. I think he states so well the journey and reaching a goal and with just a few changes in words, it could fit just about any life situation. We all have those things in common and we can excel if we just endure to the end. Here’s the quote:
The Church is like a great caravan–organized, prepared, following an appointed course, with its captains of tens and captains of hundreds all in place.
What does it matter if a few barking dogs snap at the heels of the weary travellers? Or that predators claim those few who fall by the way? The caravan moves on.
Is there a ravine to cross, a miry mud hole to pull through, a steep grade to climb? So be it. The oxen are strong and the teamsters wise. The caravan moves on.
Are there storms that rage along the way, floods that wash away the bridges, deserts to cross, and rivers to ford? Such is life in this fallen sphere. The caravan moves on.
Ahead is the celestial city, the eternal Zion of our God, where all who maintain their position in the caravan shall find food and drink and rest. Thank God that the caravan moves on!
I think that with the election just two days away, we would do well to heed and listen to the words of Ezra Taft Benson concerning income redistribution and income inequality. I have a very nice talk he gave in 1977 concerning just this topic. I am not the only one who thinks it is very timely. In fact, it’s quite easy to find on Youtube.
I think I should remind everyone of one thing. We live in a republic. In a republic, we choose leaders who represent us and we send them to Washington, DC, not to vote the way we want them to, but for them to vote according to their conscience. This is why it is so important that we choose leaders who hold dear the same values that we do. If you choose a leader who is opposed to your values, you will only be disappointed with how he or she leads.
I am always interested in sharing my great experiences with others and maybe I have been a little too forthright with this. I now realize that there is more to this. I don’t have to share every great experience because some of them are better kept in my heart close to me. That’s what I am doing with a great experience last Friday.
I had one of the most exciting spiritual experiences in my life. It was truly wonderful and it goes back to a blog post I made several months ago. It’s awesome and while I wish I could share it, but I am afraid that sharing it would diminish it.