(November 6, 2014)
It is a
dangerous temptation, when we see society around us crumbling, to believe that
we are destined to descend with society into the moral, economic, or spiritual morass
(or, at times, all three). But we have
yet another example of that not happening in these chapters. Wars and contention spread throughout the land,
it was a time of conflict and suffering and pride. And yet, Helaman prospered despite all of this
happening because he personally hewed close to the Lord and was obedient to
him.
This is
not a unique phenomenon. It is repeated
throughout the scriptures. It is
repeated in history – some of the monastic orders continually increased in
their standards of living throughout the Dark Ages while society around them
decayed. It is a lie of Satan that when
society crumbles, we crumble with it. To
the extent that we personally (or in our families or communities) are diligent
and obedient and humble, we will find prosperity even amidst greater societal
calamity.
The
other thought that I had was on the high priests being astonished beyond
measure at the blessings of the Lord. I
often feel like that, both in my own life and as I tell others when appropriate
the experiences that I have had. It
really makes no sense to me why I have been blessed to have had the experiences
that I have had – there is no particular virtue or righteousness in me that
would seem to lend itself to the blessings that I have had. And yet, there are a number of times when it
seems the Lord has directly reached down into my life. It is astonishing to me, and I don’t doubt
that it seems astonishing to those who hear it.
I don’t
know if I am unique – if everyone has similar experiences as I have had over
the course of my life or whether they don’t. I have often thought that the difference is
that I notice the events when they happen, but I don’t think that is
necessarily the case. After all, some of
the miracles that I have witnessed would be pretty much impossible to ignore. When I think about it, though, my mind ends up
going in a loop. Instead, I am just
grateful that I have had the blessings that I have had, allow myself to be
astonished at the goodness of the Lord, and try to increase my efforts to give
Him my will and follow His commandments.
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