It's been over a year again, and I suppose I have a problem with consistency. But I'm not going to apologize. I'm not going to feel like I have to apologize. Life goes on whether it's part of my script or not. I cannot possibly script life as it happens. It just happens, and, for that, I am grateful.
A friend once told me that my biggest problem is that I want my life to be scripted a certain way, and, if the things that I want in the script are not in my life, the way I want those things to be, then I'd rather do without those things. My friend also said that I am pretty righteous, that I am pretty clean, except for the blotch of dirt in my face. Get rid of the dirt, and then I can see.
I want to begin today doing better, and perhaps tomorrow I will be better, and, in time, perhaps I will be the best me that I can be. Today Elder Jeffrey Holland, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, visited the Richfield Stake, my Stake. I now wish to write down the experience as I remember it before the memory flees.
He first started out by saying that we have a major problem; the Stakes in Richfield most grow, and it cannot be from without. It must start from within. We must love each other like a family so that we can grow as a family. The most certain thing he knew was that the Lord's Kingdom was going to grow and flourish and that we had to part of that. We might not always be able to depend on governments, economies, and state and federal leaders to pull us through life without frustrations, cruelties, trials and tribulations of disarray. But we can depend on the fact that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints will never again fall into apostasy, that Daniel's prophecy has been fulfilled in these latter days and the rock cut out without hands will roll forth and grow until the Kingdom of God fills the Earth, when the Lord reigns and peace again will be established. Holland remarked that he does not know when that day is upon us, but knows that, with every passing day, we are closer to that last day when Christ will return. Therefore, we can trust and have hope in that.
His message soon turned to the scriptures, to the account when Christ visited His people in the Mesoamerican continent. He said that there are 14 chapter therein that cover the visit and the teachings that Christ gave while there. At the end of this 14 chapter sermon, Christ says that he must ascend to the Father and then visit the Lost Ten Tribes. He tells the people to return home and ponder the things He has said until He returns on the morrow. However, Jesus perceives that they are weak and hard of understanding and want Him to tarry longer with them. Jesus feels compassion for them and asks them to bring forth their sick and lame to Him so that He might heal them. Holland likened those scriptures to us, the members of the Richfield Stake. He informed us that because of the growing membership of the Church, the Prophet and Apostles would no longer be as able to visit us as regularly and as spontaneously as before, but that he had compassion on the Richfield Stake and wanted to invoke a blessing upon us.
He acknowledged our faith, through the good and bad years, and concluded by echoing the promise given by the Lord: Ask and ye shall receive; knock and it shall be opened unto you. He added that all the blessings that have been promised to us in our life will all be fulfilled, that none will become void or obsolete, and that it is just a matter of when and how those fulfillments will come. I suddenly felt very hopeful and trusted that the Lord would still bless me and fulfill my righteous desires. I will marry again and raise a family.
