And while I've shed no tears, to say I'm devasted about the presidential outcome would be a complete understatement.
To see the title of liberty figuratively lifted and feeling of its power only to have it trodden under the feet of men, has given me time to ponder and consider why these days are considered the last.
And why I need to stand still and know that He is God.
No wonder the Savior reminds us time and time again to "Be of good cheer."
And why President Monson's confidence in Him and in us resonates when he says, "Your future is as bright as your faith."
And why the youth are admonished to "Arise and Shine Forth."
Last night, these inspiring words from Elder Russell M. Nelson gave me hope and courage:
Why do we need such resilient faith? Because difficult days are ahead. Rarely in the future will it be easy or popular to be a faithful Latter-day Saint. Each of us will be tested. The Apostle Paul warned that in the latter days, those who diligently follow the Lord “shall suffer persecution.” That very persecution can either crush you into silent weakness or motivate you to be more exemplary and courageous in your daily lives.
In the eternal war we are fighting, there is NO time to be crushed into silent weakness.
Be of good cheer.
Arise and Shine Forth!
Our future is as bright as our faith!
That is exactly what my husband said to me, as I anguished and felt despair (and cried some). He said "Why do you think they're focusing so much on training the youth -changing the curriculum for the youth and sending them out on missions earlier?" I can't say I was very receptive that night to his words; I was just sad and had to come to terms with what happened on my own. And in the end, I know it will just make the 47-49% stronger. It will be a fine line some of us will have to figure out how to follow (speaking for me), being kind, humble, and understanding but also standing up for what we believe in.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I spent Wednesday in a dark, depressed mood, often breaking into tears and sobbing. Thank you for the reminder to be faithful and courageous. God the Father is still in charge of His plan and we need to endure to the end.
ReplyDeleteThank you! it has been a huge political change moving from a VERY red state to a VERY blue state...Our little Ty came home last friday and proudly announced he would vote for Obama, if he could. I was completely taken back and no matter how hard I tried no words came out and all I could do was smile. How could my sweet, innocent boy have any idea what the world was like and how badly we needed a new leader. How was I ever going to help him understand the difference in political parties. Shortly after we felt inspired and found an article that described the difference between liberals and conservatives. At FHE we talked about our values, our faith and how that guides our choices. Then we read the article and asked our kids to silently thing about what we believe, then to think about which political party best matched. It was a great lesson for our older kids and turned out to be inspired for another reason. Our older son went to school on Wednesday and the teacher asked who they would've voted for. Every hand except one went up for Obama. The teacher then called on him and asked why he liked Romney. Without hestitation he said Conservatives share my same values. unfortunately it was followed up by rude remarks from kids about him being a "mormon". He was not crushed by persecution or silent. He was an example and courageous. I am sure it wasn't easy and every day my heart breaks sending my kids to school. But, I find strength and comfort knowing that they know for themselves why the gospel is true and why we live it. Always.
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