With everything going on with our great nation and just the world in general, I have really been struggling to find peace and hope. I know that faith and fear cannot exist in the same place, so I have been trying to do all I can to replace that fear with faith. This does not come easy for me, but there is an experience I had just now, that brought me success in my endeavor.
One thing I have always loved to do when I am feeling scared or sad in life is to get my Book of Mormon out and randomly turn to a page with faith that God will guide me, speak to me, and answer my prayers with his holy Spirit with the words I find in this great book. This has always worked and has been a source of much peace, many times over, ever since I was a young girl. Today proved to be no different, and somehow felt more profound than ever before, leaving me in absolute tears because of the great love of my dear Heavenly Father and his words of counsel and comfort that I so greatly needed today. I randomly turned to D&C 59:1-4;23 (which I had highlighted in my scriptures with a the word "HOPE" written in big letters to the sides of these verses. This whole chapter was so perfect for today, but I would like to share just these five verses:
"1 Behold, blessed, saith the Lord, are they who have come up unto this land with an eye single to my glory, according to my commandments. 2 For those that live shall inherit the earth, and those that die shall rest from all their labors, and their works shall follow them; and they shall receive a crown in the mansions of my Father, which I have prepared for them. 3 Yea, blessed are they whose feet stand upon the land of Zion, who have obeyed my gospel; for they shall receive for their reward the good things of the earth, and it shall bring forth in its strength. 4 And they shall also be crowned with blessings from above, yea and with commandments not a few, and with revelations in their time-they that are faithful and diligent before me. 23 But learn that he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come."
This brought so much peace to me, and I hope it does the same for someone who may be reading this. This world may seem to be falling into darkness, but God is perfect in his goodness, and is still very much apart of this world and what is happening in it. That knowledge is what tells me that no matter what happens, everything will work out and be okay, if I do my best, and trust the rest to the Lord. I LOVE THIS GOSPEL, and I know it to be true!
The paintings below by Greg Olsen, perfectly capture the world I picture when we let Christ and the Gospel into our lives. He will help us to find the beauty in the world, will walk by our side, and will even raise us up when we fall into the rivers of despair and darkness. I love my Savior, Jesus Christ, and I love how perfectly this great artist captures the love and light of the Savior.
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