My amazing sister in law, Sage is in Ethiopia scooping up into her arms her new daughter!!
Her 2 oldest sons (12 and 10) went too! What an amazing experience for them to see how other people live on this planet!
Her name is Frezer! She is beautiful and I'm so excited for Sage and Steve!
So many beautiful scriptures came to my mind over this event:
D&C 52:40
And remember in all things the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted, for he that doeth not these things, the same is not my disciple.
Jacob 2:19
And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.
My favorite scripture is in 1 kings. King Solomon (known for his wisdom at this time in his life) offers the dedicatory prayer on the temple.
As he asks for temporal and spiritual blessing upon the repentant he utters these 3 verses and I added bold to my favorite words:
1 Kings 8:37-39
37 ¶ If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be;
38 What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house:
39 Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)
The language barrier is such that we could all read this passage and get a totally different take but just look at the words "which shall know every man the plague of his own heart". There is an obvious understanding that this means to be repentant but I see a deeper meaning. There is a word play going on. The verse before is taking about physical plagues, the next verse talks about us knowing the inner plagues of our heart. The third asks God to remove the first as long as the second is in place.
Allow me to draw a large conclusion here:
To me this means God allows suffering and need in this world that we might, among other things, understand the plagues in our own heart. Without understanding the plagues in our heart the outer plagues and sadness of this world will not pass us by!! God will forgive us of our sins as we make prayer and supplicate in the temple and (this is the key) do for others the things they can not do for themselves! As we become charitable and try to stretch forth our hands we become acquainted with the plagues of our hearts and we can be healed!
It's beauty!
and I'll finish it off with what else, another wonderful quote from the Holy Bible! Again I added bold for emphasis:
1 CORINTHIANS 131-3,& 13
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
No comments:
Post a Comment