Radical Faith

A billion times more than the times, when a grandchild excitedly shows me a bug crawling on his hand, or expectantly shoves a crayon drawing at me, knowing I will treasure it with a hug and kiss and give it the center spot on my cluttered refrigerator! Or the times another child shouts, "Gamma, Gamma, look at me!" while she does a summersault or goes down the slide. Even more than we can comprehend, I KNOW the Lord cares for all the little things that we count important in our adult lives. And those times when I remember this---those times---mostly born of necessity, are the times when I have lived my life with real faith! How different from the times I have lived in fear. I know, and bear record that I know, from first-hand experience that it IS possible to have the spirit with us always! There have been times when I have lived each moment absolutely bathed in the spirit of the Lord, and I have known without a shadow of doubt, that He does care about every single, little thing that is important to us. I know the Lord loves us and cares for us with a similar, but incomprehensibly greater love, than we can possibly have for our loved ones as mortals.

I read another great article at Meridian Magazine that has reminded me of these things that I know, and it has reminded me of how much I desire to live this way---replacing fear with faith---more fully, more constantly.

"Faith that Lets in the Light: Experimenting with Radical Faith" By Wallace Goddard

"Look to me in every thought; doubt not, fear not (D&C 6:36).

"According to King Benjamin, God shows up in every breath we breathe and supports us in every movement we make (Mosiah 2:21; 4:21). He is woven intimately into every moment of our lives—if we choose to see Him there. Radical faith calls us to see God in every detail. God invites us to chat with Him about everything from our furnace to our children’s science fair projects (Alma 34:17-27). While He may not weigh in on our choice of brands for green beans, He is glad to sit with us at dinner and rejoice in the magnificent gift of good food (D&C 59:18)."

"Experimenting with radical faith means not placing our relationship with God on the shelf for large chunks of each day. It is inviting Him into all aspects of our lives. It is looking for His orchestration in the people and experiences placed in our path each week. It is accepting the gift we are offered when we partake of the Sacrament—“that they may ALWAYS have his Spirit to be with [us]” (D&C 20:77, emphasis added)."

"A person with radical faith chooses to feel blessed in every circumstance knowing that God presides in our lives. We count sciatica as a blessing that teaches us patience. We rejoice in miscarriages that teach us faith. We welcome misunderstandings that teach us patience and openness. Rather than believe that human failing and reckless chance are writing the human story, we are serene knowing that, as Robert Browning wrote, “God’s in his heaven, all’s right with the world.”

Something Extraordinary

I just read one of the best books I've read in a long time!"Summer of Light" by W. Dale Cramer. In fact it's on my list to buy. I'm not sure what drew me to this book at the library, except that it was on the shelf of LDS and Christian writers. I always know I can count on them to be clean fiction and I wanted a light, quick read, a page turner that hooked me from the first page. So I read a few pages, and was quite certain this book wasn't going to be my cup of tea, though I was struck by the honest writing style. But after starting the other four books I'd checked out, in frustration I started reading this one again. Then I got busy and thought I'd take them all back to the library.

Well, Ron works a lot of evenings and I get lonely, so I picked it up again. After a few chapters I realized I'd found a real gem! I'm impressed how this author wove his honest faith and down to earth wisdom into and around the humor that still has me smiling. It's a well written charming book, perfect for discussion at a book club! I'm not going to give any more away except to share a few quotes from the book:

"I believe every one of us was designed---in his mother's womb, before birth---to do something extraordinary. The trick if I may call it that, is in avoiding all the distractions, learning to hear and recognize the voice that guides you into your gift. God designed you and he had something in mind when he did."

"Yeah, well I wish he'd let me in on it."

"Oh, I expect he has. You just don't see it yet."

And, Barbara (just a little hint) you will love finding out what this mans gift is! It was described this way: ". . . my pictures were gut-wrenchingly real, starkly beautiful."

The Whole Armour of God

A few weeks ago I had a strange dream. Ron and I were being outfitted with armour. With heavy helmets, breastplates, heavy armour on our legs and feet and we were given swords. I distincly remember in the dream feeling the incredible weight of that armour. We were being prepared for battle, and we were going to war together! It felt so real---so serious. As I woke up pondering this strange dream I thought what is coming? What kind of war did I just dream about? Then that thought was immediately answered in my mind, "You are already at war, you are in the midst of it now." I looked up Ephesians 6:11-19 and read it again.

"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,"

After re-reading this scripture I found much to ponder over. It's been on my mind a lot lately, the things that we "wrestle" with in this mortal world. I pray God will give me, and all of us the strength to "withstand in this evil day!"

Grateful

That old question--is the glass half-empty or half-full? This year I want to see ALL the fullness in this beautiful world our Father in Heaven has provided. I want to see all the blessings in all the people in my life. I think it was Abraham Lincoln who said that if you look for the bad in someone you will surely find it. I think we find exactly what we look for in everything.

I remember the book "The Hiding Place" by Corrie Ten Boom. What a powerful book, I need to read it again. Her sister found blessings even in the fleas that infested their holocaust prison. She realized, and pointed it out to her sister and other prisoners, that the fleas protected the precious bible they had hidden from the guards. For her the glass was always overflowing with gratitude, and she was able to pass on faith and hope to all around her, even in the worst possible condiditons. This year I want to be like Corrie Ten Boom's sister Betsy!

If The Savior Stood Beside Me

My Sunday School lesson this week is on being born again, or born of the spirit. To be born again we must become like Christ--a pretty tall order! It is something impossible for the natural man to do alone. To be born again--to have "no more desire to do evil, but to do good continually!" (Mosiah 5:2) Wow! Bruce R. McConkie taught that to be born again is a process. Like any other process we "become" line upon line, little by little. How grateful I am to have the gospel, to have the privilege of attending church each week which feeds my desire to do good continually, and reminds me that when I dissapoint the Lord and myself, that I CAN repent!

What a wonderful reminder this is for me, and for all of us to re-examine our lives and answer the question posed to us by a prophet of God in the Book of Mormon: "Alma 5:14 And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?"

As I ponder this, I see the plaque my daughter-in-law gave me a few years ago that reads:

CHRIST
The center of our home
A guest at every meal
A silent listener at every conversation

It has been a wonderful reminder and has inspired me to try harder to live my life so that I can share with the Savior every conversation I have, every book I read, every movie I watch, every song I listen to and when I do so, I feel comfortable in His presence and I know that my eyes shine a little brighter with His Image and His love, and I want nothing more than to do good continually. (And then, when I dim that light by dissapointing Him and myself, He loves me still and allows me to repent!) I want to try harder this year to emulate the primary song, "If The Savior Stood Beside Me" by Sally DeFord.

If the Savior stood beside me,
Would I do the things I do?
Would I think of His commandments and try harder to be true?
Would I follow His example?
Would I live more righteously if I could see the Savior standing nigh,
watching over me?
If the Savior stood beside me,
Would I say the things I say?
Would my words be true and kind if He were never far away?
Would I try to share the gospel?
Would I speak more rev’rently if I could see the Savior standing nigh,
watching over me?
If the Savior stood beside me, would my thoughts be clean and pure?
Would His presence give me strength and hope and courage to endure?
Would His counsel guide my actions?
Would I choose more worthily if I could see the Savior standing nigh
watching over me?
Watching over me, watching over me,
He is always near me, though I do not see Him there,
And because He loves me dearly,
I am in His watchful care,
So I’ll be the kind of person that I know I’d like to be
if I could see the Savior standing nigh watching over me.
I will be the kind of person that I know I’d like to be
if I could see the Savior standing nigh watching over me.

I Will Tell You In Your Mind and In Your Heart

I read a wonderful article, "Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence" by Elder Holland that I haven't read in a long time. It was a good reminder about personal revelation. We all know the formula for receiving personal revelation taught in Doctrine and Covenants section 8 and 9. Elder Holland quoted it and then added his thoughts: "I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. [I love the combination there of both mind and heart. God will teach us in a reasonable way and in a revelatory way--mind and heart combined, by the Holy Ghost.]"

The message of his talk is this: once we know we have received confirmation from the spirit of the Lord to do something, or that something is right, then, we can always, always count on Satan to come and muddy the waters so to speak. He will try to keep us from acting on that knowledge, by having us question ourselves, did I really feel that . . . etc. etc. etc., or by tempting us away with his endless enticements and arguments tailored precisely for each of us.

It was such a good reminder to me to have the courage to stay the course, to act on that which I know to be true, to command Satan to get behind me, and that Heavenly Father will ALWAYS provide the way to do the things he asks of us.

I love the first scripture verse I ever memorized, and it has been a light in the darkness for me all these years. 1Nephi 3:7 "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

Having Faith In The Coming Days

I just read an article by G.G. Vandagriff, in Meridian Magazine this morning that certainly caught my attention. She wrote:

"In a recent talk broadcast to the stakes in Utah Valley, President Boyd K. Packer and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland had a special message for us. Elder Holland started by talking of the faith of the pioneers to do whatever they were asked. In a stirring narrative of the pioneers who dug out a pathway through the sheer rock passageway in south central Utah in order to fulfill their mission to colonize a particular area, he gave us an example of what he called "rock-ribbed" faith. "When you're called to go, you go."

Elder Holland pleaded with us to nurture our physical and spiritual strength for the trials ahead. "Search your soul and search the heavens," he said. "Remember that strong family ties are the strongest resource of the church." In conclusion, he reminded us that though the world was steeped in wickedness, the forces of righteousness will always prevail. In order to stay within the safety provided by those forces, we need to be willing to conform our will to that of the Father, just as the pioneers did.

When President Packer began to speak, he startled me to the soles of my feet by saying, "From now on it's going to be rougher than the pioneers had it." Though he and Elder Holland had not planned it, their talks built on each other, proving to me that they were inspired by the Spirit to give us the same message. "Easy times are in the past," he said. "Humbly confess to the Lord that you will do things His way. The days of the Hole in the Rock were easy times compared to what faces you."

These were very sobering talks, completely unlike a normal Stake Conference. The message that things are only going to get worse is not one you usually hear from the Brethren."

Wow! It got my attention!

Darla Isackson

Almost a year ago I read an article in Meridian Magazine by Darla Isackson, in which she mentioned that she had lost her son to suicide. I have often read articles by Darla and I am always moved buy her depth of love for the Lord, her desire to improve her life, and her deep desire to share her knowledge with the rest of us. This article moved me to email her and thank her.

She graciously wrote back, and we began an extensive correspondence that blossomed into a great friendship. Darla expressed her promptings to write a book about her experiences since the death of her son, and she began sending chapters for my input and impressions. Her words of wisdom and comfort have touched and helped me more than I can say during my own ongoing process of grief since my son's death eleven years ago.

Darla has also been so kind about my blog. She continues to tell me it's beautiful and that I am a good writer. (She even ordered my out of print book, "Joy Outweighs The Sorrow" from Amazon and told me how much she enjoyed it.) I haven't even been able to think of myself as a writer for the last decade. It stunned me in fact when Darla said, "you are a writer, and writer's need to write." I didn't write anything, except emails to my children, for eight years after Robert's death.

I must say that in the beginning of our correspondence I was at first intimidated, then amazed, and then gratified by her encouragement, since "Darla has been on the Continuing Education speaker's circuit for BYU. . . In 1988 she pioneered the book division for Covenant Communications and was their Managing Editor for four years. She later served as Managing Editor for Aspen Books. Darla has edited well over two hundred uplifting books in her interesting career--shepherding them successfully from manuscript to bookstore shelves. She has presented at writer’s workshops in three states. Since 1998 she has free-lanced at home, editing and ghost-writing many books and caring for her elderly mother until she passed away. She has written a bi-monthly column for Meridian Magazine online since 2002." (Quoted from her website)

Two weeks ago Darla invited myself and three other women, who also helped with feedback on her book, to her home for lunch where she presented us each with a copy of her book. She included comments from each of us on the back cover of her book, and quoted us in various places in the book. (What an honor!) I found her to be just as warm and loving as she is while expressing her testimony in all of her writings. She has become a "bosom friend" to quote Anne of Green Gables!

Please check out Darla's website, where you may order this wonderful book if you know of someone that could use the wisdom and comfort she gives to those who are faced with this terrible tragedy in their life.

The Third Floor

As I was getting on the elevator on the first floor this morning at the temple, I shared the ride with one of our older temple workers, a man in his mid to late eighties, who graciously ushered me on first and then asked if I was going up or down. I said I was going up and he said that he was going down, but that he felt he was almost ready to go to the third floor.

I looked at him thinking he was a little confused, and I said, "But the second floor is as high as our temple goes." He lifted his stooped shoulders a little higher and grinned up at me with his beautiful wrinkled face and chuckled, "Well, I'm aiming for much higher, but I suppose I'll have to start on the third floor!"

I laughed with him as I got his joke, and I've thought about his comment most of today. This wonderful righteous man really is ready to go "to the third floor" anytime the Lord calls him home! I thought about "going home" today as I helped with the funeral luncheon for my neighbor's mother who peacefully slipped away Tuesday night. She was a darling little woman with ahlziemer's, who my neighbor and dear friend lovingly brought to her home, and tenderly cared for with such love these last few years.

Debbie posted this on her facebook page: "My mom woke up yesterday evening and we had a delightful time talking to her about all the people she was seeing who had come to "take her home.". She didn't want to be in her jammies with all of them here so we got her all dressed and combed her hair, etc."

Another time when the doorbell rang, her Mom said, "Oh good, maybe they are here to take me home," and she wanted Debbie to help her pack her bags. I thought about Sister Pierce today and smiled to think she wasn't just put on an elevator, but was lovingly escorted to the "third floor" by so many people that love her!

"And it shall come to pass that those that die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them." D&C 42:46

False Evidence Appearing Real

Fear is the opposite of faith. After a tiring day teaching the multitudes Christ and his disciples departed in a ship and as Jesus slept a terrible storm began to toss the ship; fearing for their lives they woke their Lord. In Mark 4:39-40 we read, “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm . And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?”

Too many times I find myself caught in the grip of fear and almost always it is like this acronym: false evidence appearing real. As I pondered this today I was reminded of Jacob’s words in the Book of Mormon. “Behold, my brethren, he that prophesieth, let him prophesy to the understanding of men; for the spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be. . .” (Jacob 4:13)

Things as they really are! Satan constantly presents to my mind, and everyone else who will listen, false evidence which he can make to appear very real indeed!

I found comfort today in Isaiah 61:1-4 as he prophesied of Christ with these marvelous verses: "The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

As I read of the fulfillment of Isaiah's words in Luke 4:16-21 the spirit testified to me again that Jesus Christ lives! He did fulfill His mission! He IS the Christ! He has, again and again, bound up my broken heart—He has comforted me when I mourn, He has given me beauty (my Ron and beautiful children) for ashes (of not having parents!) He has given me joy for mourning, (when I miss my Robert) the garment of praise (when I had no earthly mother or father to tell me that I am adored or loved) for the spirit of heaviness. He has testified to me that I have been planted by the Lord where I am in this life! (It's not very clear why, but I TRUST that someday I will know!) And, He has helped me to build up the old wastes, (in my heart) and raise up the former desolations in my soul! And because I have taught the gospel to my children it is my prayer that the desolations of many generations will be repaired!

I know that God knows my heart and is merciful to those that love Him, and I love Him! And, I know the way to replace fear with faith is to always remember that “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me!” (Philippians 4:13)

Voices From Empty Houses

I wrote this poem twenty years ago and I felt like sharing it this morning, with all the young, lonely, stay at home Moms out there! And, you might say with a little touch of nostalgia for a coming day. Can you have nostalgia for a future event?

Voices From Empty Houses

I somehow feel like a stranger here.

A visitor from another planet—

Or a time traveler . . .

I remember mother's soft cotton house dresses

And sturdy loafers with bobby socks.

The "Leave It To Beaver" days . . .

Of housewives sharing coffee

And the streets filled with childsong!

Now a lonely dog barks in echo,

As a stiff breeze clangs the chain,

Of an empty playground swing.

Distant traffic the only reminder

That people rushing away from the suburbs

will return,

To pick up empty garbage cans,

And unlock silent doors.

As I walk . . .

Flags, raised like sentinels on mailboxes demand,

"Who goes there?"

And voices from the empty houses,

Wearing linen suits with tinkling heels asking,

"And, what do you do?"

Incongruous isn't it?

A housewife in jeans,

And tennis shoes . . .

The voices

From the empty houses proclaiming—

Times have changed.

Echoing other voices from empty houses

Like Bolsheviks and Marxists,

Who changed times, for a season.

I see the faces of little girls in day care centers,

Behind their Berlin Walls—

Crooning to their dolls . . .

Of soft cotton dresses,

And sturdy loafers with bobby socks.

Housewives sharing coffee,

And streets filled with childsong!

© Bonnie Holt (1990)

Le Shanah Haba-ah b, Hadash Yerushalayim

Over forty years ago I first learned of the New Jerusalem in seminary. For some reason my interest was instant, and I wanted to know everything I could find out about that promised city. My heart just swelled with longing to be there — to be part of that future righteous gathering of saints. I thought my heart would burst when I read Moses 7:62-64 " . . . and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem. And the Lord said unto Enoch; Then shalt thou and all thy city meet them there, and we will receive them into our bosom, and they shall see us; and we will fall upon their necks, and they shall fall upon our necks, and we will kiss each other; And there shall be mine abode, and it shall be Zion, which shall come forth out of all the creations which I have made; and for the space of a thousand years the earth shall rest."

At that time in my young life I longed for such peace, because my home-life was filled with contention and strife. I longed to love and be loved. How I longed to be there when the holy city of Enoch comes down from heaven and is joined with the New Jerusalem and for a thousand years the Lord will reign and peace will be on the earth! To be in a place where children will grow up without sin unto salvation and there will be no poor among us. Every few years this desire just starts to well up in my heart, and it's here again this year! About thirty years ago I heard the phrase "Next Year In Jerusalem" and immediately I adopted it. When we moved from Denver twenty-two years ago I longed to go east to Missouri, but I had to turn my face to the west. After we'd moved, for several years until it became faded and curled, I had a note on my bathroom mirror that said, "Next Year In Jerusalem!"

After reading scriptures in the temple last Friday, that phrase started playing in my head again, and I got the most unreasonable, but strong desire to know what it is in Hebrew. I researched and found the Hebrew phrase: Le shanah haba-a b,Yerushalayim or Next Year in Jerusalem. At the Jews yearly passover feast, they fill their glasses with wine, with one for the prophet Elijah with his empty chair, and for the last two millennia, at the end of the feast they raise their glasses and repeat together "Next year in Jerusalem!" All during their long dispersion in the world they spoke these words with the passionate longing to go back home to their holy city. Now that Jews are once again in Jerusalem, they speak these words with longing for the prophet Elijah and their Messiah to come! It's with that same longing that I added "hadash" or "new" to the phrase and lately it's been like a mantra to me — Le shanah haba-a b, hadash Yerushalayim, as I give thanks that the prophet Elijah has already come and as I long for the Savior Jesus Christ to come again!

And so I pray — "Next Year In New Jerusalem!"

Be Still And Know That I Am God

This is just a glimpse of the stories coming from faithful Saints in Haiti! If you haven't started reading this series you are truly missing out! Click the link on my sidebar for Meridian Magazine to read more and find out why these homeless Saints are dressed so beautifully! (It's NOT what you think!) But do think of last month's visiting teaching message!
Guerby Pierre was one of the more prosperous members who is now homeless and each night as he lays under the stars, it reminds him of what is really important in life. He said, “In one sense I have nothing, but in another, I have everything because I have the gospel, and this earthquake has only augmented my testimony. My life is changed. The earthquake simplified it. Since the earthquake, I could all of a suddenly think clearly.” Here he is holding up his temple recommend, which with his scriptures were one of the few things, he salvaged from the quake! When asked if his scriptures, which had all of the gold gilding worn off, were damaged in the quake, he grinned and said no, he just loved to read them! (My scriptures don't look like that!) No wonder he has such faith!

Charles Marie Murielle “From time to time the earth would shake again. I was continually scared. I was the only member of the Church nearby, and I felt like I was alone. People from other religions were making a lot of noise and were screaming. I found myself in silence because the Spirit told me exactly what to do. I knew it was not the end of the world. (Her story makes me think of Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God . . .")

I have often wondered, since we live in the last days, if we will not one day find ourselves in similar situations! What faith! What an example these people are to all of us!

Read of their remarkable sacrament meeting talks, and of their other classes on Sunday, and their songs "How Firm A Foundation" and "Come, Come Ye Saints!" Truly THIS is Zion!

LDS Volunteers In Haiti!

Check out the link I added to my sidebar for this special edition of Meridian Magazine! Note that they post the latest story on top so you should scroll down and read the last story "Meridian Joins an Army of LDS Volunteers Heading to Haiti" first so you can appreciate and follow the journey of these selfless volunteers now in Haiti!

I have been following this amazing story and I know all of you will want to read and help! As I have followed the story of how the spirit of the Lord has touched each of these people, called only by the sweet quiet whisperings of the spirit, to do so much good ON THEIR OWN, it has been a powerful witness of the Lord’s hand in all of our lives as well as my own! I testify that He WILL help us through these last days, and that He is in charge, and that now is the time to redouble all of our efforts to follow the prophet and get our lives in order! God lives — Jesus is the Christ, President Monson is his living prophet and He is guiding his Church and all of our lives! D&C 58: 27-28 teaches us this principle: "Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; for the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward." These wonderful volunteers are perfect examples of this, and faith like theirs, is the reason MIRACLES still happen!

Makes me want to do more good in the world today!

Sharing Family Stories of Faith

This is a link to an article in Meridian Magazine about sharing family stories. Anne you would especially like it I think!

http://www.meridianmagazine.com/turninghearts/100709history.html

Perspective

I listened to a talk by Robert Millet "God and Human Tragedy" from the August 18, 2003 BYU Education Week. He told the story of a man who, though he had season tickets, had to miss a BYU game so his wife recorded it. He eventually was able to watch the recording of this exciting game, but by then he knew they had won the game. Though it was an exciting, nail biting, close game, he watched it calmly. When a team member would fumble the ball or make other potentially disastrous mistakes, he could calmly watch on because he already KNEW the outcome.

As we strengthen our faith we can KNOW the outcome of things too. We know that Jesus Christ WILL win! The world will be free of sin and depravity in a coming day! I want you to know that Heavenly Father has also born a personal witness to me periodically throughout my life when my world seemed a dark and forbidding place, that things in my small world would be okay too! I've lived long enough to know that things ALWAYS get better if we are doing all that we can to live according to our knowledge and testimony of our Savior and His restored gospel!