Today is March 29, 2020. It is a National Day of Prayer and Fasting to win the war against COVID 19, a global pandemic. We are participating in that action and the cost of those missed meals, we will contribute to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Subsequently, that money will aid in the needs of those around the world who lack the necessities of life.
During this time of national emergency, I find great comfort in a personal relationship with my Savior, Jesus Christ. I’m spending more time studying the scriptures and thinking about my family near and far. I’m also spending time on projects around the house, making sure my house is in order and organizing our resources in the event our time indoors becomes more prolonged.
Additionally, I am reflecting on the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Two hundred years ago, there was unusual excitement on the subject of religion. It affected vast multitudes of people and created division. The various clergy competed for converts, and the people seemed entirely lost in a strife of words and a contest about opinions. The Joseph and Lucy Mack Smith family lived in an area of New York, and their family included a young son named for his father. That boy, Joseph Smith, Jr., was also in turmoil questioning the decision to join a particular faith. He didn’t want to make a mistake, and he was much concerned about his worthiness and wanted the reassurance of his standing before the Lord.
In youthful innocence, after hearing a sermon referring to James 1:5, stating, “If any lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.” Joseph later wrote, “Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it, again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.”
Joseph wanted to know how he stood before the Lord and what church to join. He knelt in prayer in a secluded grove of trees near his home and asked with pure faith for the promised blessings of the Bible verse he read. God, the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph that day, and when asked which of the sects to join, was told to align with none of them. Many more visions followed this first encounter, and seven years later, he recovered the brass plates from a hill near his home. Joseph Smith was the instrument used to translate those plates containing a historical account of people from Jerusalem, led by Lehi, an ancient prophet. Lehi led his family out of Jerusalem across the waters to a promised land, and those people became known as Nephites and Lamanites. That history is what we know today as the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith officially organized the Church of Jesus Christ on April 6, 1830, and I am blessed to be a part of that organization today. A prophet of God leads us and in these times of uncertainty, I feel the intensity of that blessing.
Because of Joseph Smith, I have many blessings in my life. I understand that God and Jesus Christ are heavenly beings with resurrected bodies, and all of us are in that image. Collectively we are children of God, and they love us. I understand that my physical body is but a temporary covering for my spirit during my earthly sojourn. Someday I will have no further need of it and will escape its frailties. At some point, I will gain a resurrected body, and it will last for all eternity. That brings me to another eternal blessing. We can be with our families forever under the eternal order of Heaven. That blessing is made possible through the Priesthood of God, a power restored by our first latter-day prophet. Additionally, I’m blessed because I am free from addiction to harmful substances as long as I obey the revelation Joseph Smith received in 1833, commonly referred to as the Word of Wisdom. Long before the medical community realized that tobacco was the cause of lung cancer and alcohol could cause liver disease, Joseph Smith received this revelation. Last, but certainly not least, involves the beautiful blessing of knowing that I can see the truth of all things through the Holy Ghost. I can do that by asking God to reveal to me truth, and the Holy Ghost will be my witness.
We live in dangerous times and must be vigilant regarding many things related to our mortality. We must also be vigilant regarding our eternal destiny. I choose to follow the Savior by studying the scriptures and listening to the words spoken by our current prophet, Russell M. Nelson, Prophet, Seer, Revelator, and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I’m looking forward to hearing that word this weekend during the General Conference of that Church. I’ve included a link for more information
I had an interesting experience this past Sunday and decided to share it with my philosophical view.
I went to a Relief Society class in a different ward than my own. The lesson was taken from a talk by President Eyring and focused on the Plan of Salvation, often referred to as the Plan of Happiness. The teacher said, “What is the difference between joy and happiness?” The consensus was that joy is long-lasting, while happiness is usually not sustainable. Often our happiness is deflected by what is happening to us at the time. It comes from our circumstances and surroundings. Joy, on the other hand, is all-encompassing and is always a part of our lives perhaps made stronger by what brings us happiness.
I’ve included a few pictures of my favorite things – things that bring me sustainable happiness and long-term joy. The following video is of Rosemary, my first great grandchild. I love the happiness in her laugh as she lands from the slide and I absolutely adore the way she strides back swinging her arms to experience the whole thing over again. I’m her Grammy and I adore here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cym6XdPQwPU
“Church activity brings us long-term sustainable joy,” declared the teacher and then added, “What about those who leave the church and yet appear to be happy?” This discussion went on with a few sisters determining the happiness these people appear to have is not real. One sister said, “Real happiness comes by living the Gospel of Jesus Christ within the confines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” That’s when the whole discussion got heated. One sister declared that six of her seven children had left the Church and all declared quite convincingly they had never been happier. She went on to say she felt quite uncomfortable with the statement that her children could not possibly be truly happy.
I’ve thought of this since that religious discussion on Sunday, and I’ve talked about it with other family members after the meeting. There were some great remarks made and I’ve come to some conclusions of my own based on all the discussions.
I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and have been since I was about nine years old. I can’t say that I have had a burning testimony throughout all those years. I believe in God and His Son, Jesus Christ and I believe there is a third member of the Godhead referred to as the Holy Ghost. I believe we all lived together in a pre-existence before our mortality on this earth began and that The Plan of Salvation, also called the Plan of the Lord, becomes the Plan of Happiness as we live it. The best result of this wondrous plan is that we all end up living once again with God and our family members for eternity, thus bringing us further happiness.
The detail of this Plan of Salvation means that we are born on earth into family units where we will learn about God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. We will take upon ourselves sacred covenants such as baptism and those made in a Temple of God and we will live our lives by faith. That Plan also involves Christ, in that He will likewise be born into mortality to an earthly mother. He will learn and as the only begotten of God, will have very special responsibilities to which He agreed in the pre-existence. He knew that He would live an exemplary life for all of us to follow, be baptized, set up His church, atone for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane, die on the cross and would resurrect. Because of all this, we as mortals have the great opportunity to repent of our sins, take upon us the atoning sacrifice of Christ and experience the miracle of resurrection. We will stand before God as our judge and live an eternal life within the glory we’ve attained based on our worthiness while living on this earth.
Now, as far as happiness goes. Of course, it is possible to be happy and not be living within the confines of my faith. It is not up to me or anyone else to determine what happiness is for other people. I enjoy living within those confines. I don’t feel restricted. I enjoy the Gospel of Christ and the method I’ve chosen to learn more about it. I have faith that I’m doing the right thing for me. I have members of my family who have chosen to live differently and I admit I haven’t always handled those decisions well. I’ve decided to do what makes me happy and part of that happiness involves my loved ones. Being able to enjoy them, one and all, and enjoy my level of activity in my Church has been liberating to me. I don’t have to approve or disapprove of what they do. I live my life in a manner that brings me happiness and I openly love others. I don’t have to worry about their eternal goals, that is their business.
Living the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the way I understand, keeps me quite busy. I’m living in the last quarter of a hundred-year life span. I’ve spent the first three quarters being relatively happy. I’ve had many sad times, times when I’ve felt defeated, underappreciated, etc., but for the most part, I’ve been happy. It won’t be long before I will finish my time as a mortal and will experience the next part of my eternal existence personally. If I’m wrong about that existence or the way I’ve chosen to live my earth-bound state, I don’t think I’m out anything. I’ve made mistakes and I’ve tried my best to rectify those mistakes using the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe in a loving God who will know that and I believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, who will look upon me with love because He will know that I know Him.
All in all, I’ve lived my life in a way that has brought me happiness. I feel that my existence on this earth with the family and friends I’ve had, has left me filled with joy and I appreciate that. I think we’d all be better off only to be concerned about helping others to navigate collectively through this life with genuine concern.
In the meantime, I will enjoy those who make my life interesting and full of life. These are only a few of my favorite things.