Last Saturday evening, Christian and I drove to the
to the parking lot of the Raleigh temple to decompress and talk.
We feel close to the Lord there-even if we're only in the parking lot.
When we got there we noticed we were not the only car
parked facing the temple. In fact, there were several
other couples probably on date night enjoying the view, too.
It was pretty cool and inspiring to see other couples showing thier faith
and devotion to the Lord.
I was reminded of one of my favorite scriptures
in The Book of Mormon found in Mosiah when
King Benjamin tells his people:
"I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and
happy state of those that keep the commandments of God.
For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual;
and if they hold out faithful to the end..."
During our Home Church meeting, I testified to my family that
commandment and covenant-keeping people can be happy people
no matter the hardships and trials.
Our family has been tested over the past few weeks and we
fasted for very specific answers to our prayers yesterday
believing God will answer us. President Ballard said:
"Mortality,... is the time to test our ability to understand our
Heavenly Father’s plan and, of course, our willingness to be obedient.
What a wonderful, warm, and reassuring thing it is to know
that the primary objective of the
very God of heaven is...our eternal happiness and joy.
We mortals have a limited view of life from the eternal perspective.
But if we know and understand Heavenly Father’s plan,
we realize that dealing with adversity is one of the chief ways we are tested.
Our faith in our Heavenly Father and his beloved Son, Jesus Christ,
is the source of inner strength. Through faith we can find peace, comfort,
and the courage to endure. As we trust in God and his plan for our happiness
with all our hearts and lean not unto our own understanding (see Prov. 3:5),
hope is born. Hope grows out of faith and gives meaning
and purpose to all we do. It can give us comfort in the face of adversity,
strength in times of trial, and peace when
we have reason for doubt or anguish."
