A Symbol of Hope

This morning as I was enjoying some quiet time in the Mesa temple I continued my musings on the topic of hope. I came to the conclusion that a temple is the perfect symbol of hope. Temples exist only because of hope. The hope that life continues after death. The hope that people can change after this life. The hope that God's plan is fair for everyone. The hope that a family that is united in this holy edifice will never be divided. The hope that Heavenly Father keeps His promises. The hope that He wants to communicate with and bless His children. The hope that we can faithfully complete our mission here on earth and return to live with that loving Father again. The hope that every temple on the earth lessens Satan's power.

Hope - what a wonderful blessing.

Hope Wins!

Less, you all think I'm sitting at home
paralyzed by my bad feeling
I feel compelled to share
some more of my thoughts and feelings.

I don't think that it was totally by chance
that the November issue
of the Ensign Magazine
arrived in my mailbox yesterday.
I was definitely ready to revisit
some of the amazing and comforting talks
that were given by our leaders
in the recent General Conference
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints.

One of my favorite talks,
and the one that I quickly turned to this morning,
is entitled The Infinite Power of Hope
and was given by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf.
I loved this talk the first time I heard it
and I loved it even more as I read it today.
I need to have hope.
I want to have hope.
Our nation needs to have hope.

I think hope is what a lot of Americans
voted for in yesterday's election.
Hope for a better life.
Hope for peace.
Hope for a united country.
Hope for a stronger economy.
Hope that the promises
made by our newly elected leader
will actually come to pass.
Hope.

I was home alone tonight
and started flipping through the TV channels
looking for something to provide a little noise
in my empty house.
There was Oprah,
full of smiles and shouts,
sporting a "Hope Won" t-shirt.
I'm pretty sure that Oprah
thinks that Barack Obama
is going to save our nation
and us along with it
and now she can actually say that
on her syndicated television show.

I began to mentally compare
who and what Oprah has placed her hope in
with who and what Elder Uchtdorf counsels
us to place our hope in.
I quote,
"We hope in Jesus the Christ,
in the goodness of God,
in the manifestations of the Holy Spirit,
in the knowledge that prayers are heard and answered."
Then Elder Uchtdorf goes on to promise,
"This type of hope in God,
His goodness, and His power
refreshes us with courage
during difficult challenges
and gives strength
to those who feel threatened
by enclosing walls of fear, doubt and despair."

I am glad that so many people
have cast their vote for hope this week.
I think that it is a positive sign
that a lot of Americans realize that
our country has some major problems.
However, I question if their hope
is perhaps in the wrong person.

I strongly believe that "Hope Wins"
in this world every day
when it is placed in our Heavenly Father
and His son, Jesus Christ,
our only true source of hope.

That is the message I think
will really save our nation.

The Day Dawn is Breaking

I have decided that I need a laptop computer that can hang around my neck so I can take it with me on my morning walks and blog while I walk. This is definitely when I have my most profound and blog worthy thoughts but by the time I get home, eat breakfast, bid farewell to the remaining family members, shower, get dressed and try to be productive for awhile those ideas have simply disappeared.

The past two mornings it has been absolutely beautiful when I have gone walking. As the days get shorter the sun rise comes a little later every day and when I walk at about 6:30 the sky is lightening with a golden glow but the sun has not quite made it over the mountains yet. There have been scattered clouds both mornings that start out so dark and forboding but become much friendlier as they slowly turn pink, purple and yellow.

There is something so hopeful about a sunrise.

No matter how dark things may appear one moment a few minutes pass and everything becomes brighter.

This morning as I watched this change occur a song popped into my head.

"The day dawn is breaking,
the world is awaking,
the clouds of night's darkness
are fleeing away.
The worldwide commotion,
from ocean to ocean,
Now heralds the time
of the beautiful day."

As I thought about this hymn I was reminded how truly blessed I am to live in a day when the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth. I saw a movie in Sunday School a few years ago that depicted the following story:

An elderly gentleman, Robert Mason, had a strange vision. “I was carried away in a vision and found myself in the midst of a vast orchard of fruit trees. I became hungry and wandered through this vast orchard searching for fruit to eat, but I found none. While I stood in amazement finding no fruit in the midst of so many trees, they began to fall to the ground as if torn up by a whirlwind. They continued to fall until there was not a tree standing in the whole orchard. I immediately saw thereafter shoots springing up from the roots and forming themselves into young and beautiful trees. These budded, blossomed, and brought forth fruit which ripened and was the most beautiful to look upon of anything my eyes had ever beheld. I stretched forth my hand and plucked some of the fruit. I gazed upon it with delight; but when I was about to eat of it, the vision closed and I did not taste the fruit.”
At the conclusion of the vision, Mr. Mason had prayed that the Lord would give him the interpretation. “Then the voice of the Lord came to me saying: This is to show you that my Church is not organized among men in the generation to which you belong; but in the days of your children the Church and Kingdom of God shall be made manifest with all the gifts and the blessings enjoyed by the Saints in past ages. You shall live to be made acquainted with it, but shall not partake of its blessings before you depart this life. You will be blest of the Lord after death because you have followed the dictation of my Spirit in this life.’ ”

I still remember had sad I felt for this man as I watched this movie. He was searching so dilligently for the truth and yet was told that he could never enjoy its blessing during his lifetime. At that moment I realized how lucky I was to have the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life.

When I got home I looked up the hymn "The Day Dawn is Breaking". The rest of the words
gave me such a feeling of peace and hope.

"In many a temple
the Saints will assemble
And labor as saviors
of dear ones away.
Then happy reunion
and sweetest communion
We’ll have with our friends
in the beautiful day."

It so happened tht the man from the above story, Robert Mason, was a good friend and mentor of Wilford Woodruff, who became a president of the church. “The vision was given to him [Father Mason] about the year 1800,” Elder Woodruff wrote. “He related it to me in 1830, the spring in which the Church was organized. Three years later when I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, almost the first person I thought of was this prophet, Robert Mason. Upon my arrival in Missouri with Zion’s Camp, I wrote him a long letter in which I informed him that I had found the true gospel with all its blessings; that the authority of the Church of Christ had been restored to the earth as he had told me it would be; that I had received the ordinances of baptism and the laying on of hands; that I knew for myself that God had established through Joseph Smith, the Prophet, the Church of Christ upon the earth. He received my letter with great joy and had it read over to him many times. He handled it as he had handled the fruit in the vision. He was very aged and soon died without having the privilege of receiving the ordinances of the gospel at the hands of an elder of the Church. The first opportunity I had after the truth of baptism for the dead was revealed, I went forth and was baptized for him in the temple font of Nauvoo.”
Can't you just picture the sweet reunion of Wilford Woodruff and Robert Mason ? I wonder if Joseph Townsend, the author of this hymn, had any idea when he wrote these words how many temples he was actually refering to?

The song continues -
"Still let us be doing,
our lessons reviewing,
Which God has revealed
for our walk in his way;
And then, wondrous story,
the Lord in his glory
Will come in his pow’r
in the beautiful day."

These words from the 3rd verse describe exactly what I feel the general authorites were trying to share with me during our recent general conference.

Do what the Lord asks you to do, keep the commandments, follow the path that he has laid forth and no matter how unsure the future appears you will know how the story will end. The clouds may be dark and worrisome around me but if I just have faith and hope things will become brighter until Jesus returns and brings with him a truly beautiful day.

Beautiful day of peace and rest,
bright be thy dawn from east to west.
Hail to thine earliest welcome ray,
Beautiful bright millennial day."

Today I am grateful for

the gospel of Jesus Christ to guide my life.
reminders of what I need to focus on.
all the temples throughout the world and the saving ordinances that are performed there for those who died before they were able to partake of the truth and blessings of the restored church of Jesus Christ.