Monday, September 25, 2006
Highlights (literally if you look in my text book) from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's "The PEaceable Things of the Kingdom" conference report given in October, 1996. See Ensign,
Nov. 1996, 82-84.
"Peace and good tidings [are] solutions to personal struggles and human sinfulness, a source of strength for days of weariness and hours of genuine despair.
"Ultimately it is Christ who is beautiful upon the mountain. And it is His merciful promise of 'peace in this world,' His good tidings of 'eternal life in the world to come' that make us fall at His feet and call His name blessed and give thanks for the restoration of His true and living Church." (see Mosiah 15:18)
"There are times in all of our lives when deep sorrow or suffering or fear or loneliness makes us cry out for the peace which only God Himself can bring. These are times of piercing spiritual hunger when even the dearest friends cannot fully come to our aid.
"Yes, peace is a very precious commodity, a truly heartfelt need, and there are many things we can do to achieve it. But- for whatever reason- life has its moments when uninterrupted peace may seam to elude us for a season. We may wonder why there are such times in life, particularly when we may be trying harder than we have ever tried to live worthy of God's blessings and obtain His help. When problems or sorrows or sadness come and they
don't seem to be our fault, what are we to make of their unwelcome appearance?
"... Such problems in life do come for a purpose, if only to allow the one who faces such despair to be convinced that he really does need divine strength beyond himself, that she really does need the offer of heaven's hand.
"A life without problems or limitations or challenges... would paradoxically but in very fact be less rewarding and less ennobling than one which confronts... difficulty and disappointment and sorrow.
"Praying for peace, pleading for peace, seeking peace in any way taht would not compromise union, Abraham Lincoln said in those dar, dark days of his First Inaugural: 'Though passion may have strained, it must not break our nonds of affection. The mustic chords of memory will yet swell... when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.'"
Behold, the MuseLabels: Religion, Svithe
