"We see ourselves in terms of yesterday and today. Our Heavenly Father sees us in terms of forever. Although we might settle for less, Heavenly Father won’t, for He sees us as the glorious beings we are capable of becoming.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of transformation. It takes us as men and women of the earth and refines us into men and women for the eternities.
The means of this refinement is our Christlike love. There is no pain it cannot soften, no bitterness it cannot remove, no hatred it cannot alter. The Greek playwright Sophocles wrote: “One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love.”15
I love that phrase: The Gospel of Christ, Full and Complete.
That is what we claim to offer as a Church, because we believe this is Christ's living church on the earth. That He continues to guide and direct the people of this world through a prophet today--just as He guided and directed them through prophets in ancient times. Just as He guided and directed the people of His day as He walked and taught and served and healed.
Yesterday and today, I listened to the prophet, President Monson and each of the Twelve Apostles as well as the leaders of the women and children's and other organizations of our Church teach about what they have learned through their own experiences, the experiences of others, through the Holy Ghost, and through their study and application of scripture (which are words Jesus Christ speaking through past prophets). Their stories and messages are simple but powerful. I felt the truth of what they said. And the music--Oh the music. Take a moment and watch or listen to one or two or all of the 6 sessions of the conference here. At the very least, you can take a look or listen to what President Thomas S. Monson, the prophet today said to the church and to all the world. Simple truths--but I think they make all the difference in who we are and what we can be as individuals and as society as a whole. These are the truths that would lift us as human beings and make the world a better place if we lived them more fully. If I lived them more fully.
And if you like short and to the point, here is a really nice 60-second video explanation of the what and why of prophets.
-elin
I took a walk with my family today and it was glorious to be outside in such beautiful moderate temperatures. Autumn=bliss
"Wherefore, we again say, search the revelations of God: study the prophecies, and rejoice that God grants unto us seers and prophets. They are they who saw the mysteries of godliness [. . .]
And, fellow sojourners upon earth, it is your privilege to purify yourselves and come up to the same glory, and see for yourselves and know for yourselves. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."
Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg 12-13
L. Tom Perry, one of the twelve apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died a few weeks ago. He was 92 years old. And he spent a large part of those years testifying that Jesus is the Christ and that His gospel is the way to peace and happiness.
I have grown up listening to Elder Perry speak at our Church's biannual conference and I have always loved him. He somehow combined big and booming with quiet and unassuming. I'm not quite sure how he did it. But he just seemed very, very real to me. And there always seemed to be a twinkle in his eye. He reminded me of my paternal grandpa.
So here is a little tribute to him-- a man that I sincerely believe was an apostle of Jesus Christ:
"The scriptures teach that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He lives and is our Redeemer and Savior. We should follow Him and show our love for Him by remembering Him and humbly keeping His commandments. Through His Atonement we are able to repent and be cleansed. [. . .]
“… The world is crying out for something, it scarce knows what. Wealth has come, … [and] the world is filled with … inventions of human skill and genius, but … we are [still] restless, unsatisfied, [and] bewildered. … [If we open] the New Testament [we are greeted by these words], ‘Come unto me and I will give you rest, I am the bread of life, I am the Light of the world, If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink, My peace I give unto you, You shall receive power, You shall rejoice’” (Charles Edward Jefferson, The Character of Jesus [1908], 7, 11, 15–16). Quoted by Elder Perry in his October 2014 Conference Address. -Elin
Surrounded, surrounded, in measureless oceans of space,
Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing,—seeking the spheres, to connect them;
Till the bridge you will need, be form’d—till the ductile anchor hold;
Till the gossamer thread you fling, catch somewhere, O my Soul.
Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass
The first time I read Whitman I wasn't a big fan...but as with many things that I initially disliked, he has grown, grown, grown on me. (This happened with avocados recently and I am so happy that avocados taste delicious to me now. Hello to the world of delicious guacamole!)
I read this poem today and it felt right. I grew up in a family that had been members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for a long time. And in my home and at church, I was taught the scriptures and gospel of Jesus Christ. And at school and with friends and going out into the rest of the world, I was taught and shown a lot of other stuff. The longer I live, the more gossamer threads I fling out, trying to grasp what is right and wrong, what is truth, and what the hey-diddle-day I am supposed to be doing with my time and my life.
I find that I love the quest. Love the reaching. Love the longing for light. I believe that is what we are meant to feel. And in my own experience, everything keeps pointing back to these:
"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina I've never been quite sure what Tolstoy meant by saying this...because happy families are not all alike. But maybe he just means they are all generally happy when they are together and in that way they are alike. Or maybe he means that to be happy in family life, there are a few things that are essential: things like trust, working together towards some common purposes, and loving and supporting each other. So happy families are all alike in that they are doing the things that allow them to be happy together. But doesn't that mean that unhappy families are all alike in the fact that they are not doing those essential things? I think I must be missing something. Or maybe something got lost in translation from the Russian to English. At any rate, I am part of a happy family and think I must be one of the luckiest human beings alive. I never doubted my parents loved me and would help me through anything. And my siblings are still my best friends. Growing up in a family like that gave me confidence in myself and in God and showed me, in a real way, that every person can make a positive difference in the world. Now I am married and we have our own little family. My parents made it look so easy, and I realize now, that it is not easy...I'm sure it wasn't for them and it isn't easy for us either. There is so much that gets in the way of family happiness: selfishness, pride, packed schedules, stress, finances, mistakes, outside pressures, not getting enough sleep, health problems ... I could go on forever. However, I believe in the principles taught by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about the family and I want to live them, in a large part because my parents lived these principles (and living these principles takes work!) and it made our home and my life happy. "HUSBAND AND WIFEhave a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.
THE FAMILY is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation."
