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Post Info TOPIC: Optimistic Sunday musings


Hot Air Balloon

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Optimistic Sunday musings


What are the things that help you look at the world and the life around you in a positive light? What stories or scriptures remind you of the value of simple optimism?

For me, I like spending time with my family. Especially when we're all enjoying a good story--something uplifting--scripture time's great if it isn't something we're forcing onto the end of the day. I like helping a friend. You'd think with all our technology that it'd be easier to live positively, but often the costs with such items seem to exhaust all good will. 

Yesterday morning, we had an early priesthood session at the Stake Center. A man shared a story about going to pick up his son in the Phillipines. He shared a remarkable story about a family that was dirt poor. The father worked 14 hours a day for 25 cents an hour. The family live in a bamboo hut attached to a tree. They had no ammenities, no indoor or outdoor plumbing, no electricity. The son would go to the creek each day and catch frogs to feed the family. Yet the family was overjoyed to have the Gospel, and had converted to it with all their humble hearts. The family had taken Pres. Hinckley (given Aug. 5 2005)challenge to read the Book of Mormon as a family seriously.  It was now a month away from the end of the year, and the family reported to this missionary's parents how their poverty-stricken were on track to have read the Book of Mormon six times as a family. The parents of the missionary were astonished. They asked how it was that this family could even read the book of Mormon, with the father gone to work most of the day and by night there was no light. Turned out that every night the family would walk some half mile to the only source of electricity in their area, a solitary lamppost to read the scriptures as a family.

In our marriage class a sister shared a story about her growing up in an LDS home that went innactive about the age she joined the church. She said that her family was so rowdy that her parents got tired of having family home evening--only to have it turn to chaos--ending in fights among siblings. And their family scripture study stopped because no one was paying attention, anyhow, and it took too much to get the family together. And their family prayer stopped because there was too much giggling going on... And from there it was not that much more difficult for the parents to stop going to church altogether.

We talked about how ironic it was that the little things are always the first to go... and in the void that's left only grows more contention and pessimism and despair.

I think a great deal of being optimistic and happy, comes from being grateful and humbly acknowledging that perhaps things don't go perfectly, but at least we look toward the source of light and life.

I suppose at certain points in my life I've been disappointed that I couldn't give the Devil a good bodyslam and vanquish him to the eternal pits... he's always there nagging me... 

But that's not the point of this existence, is it? In the very least we look when there is light... and live. And when there is darkness, we try to get as close to the source of light as we might, and there we open our scriptures and read a few passages each night.

Then at the end of the day, we read scriptures with some friends and I was worried, cuz we're in Mormon (which is easily the most depressing book in the book of mormon... as the nephites are wiped out). It always makes me a little sad to read Mormon Chapter 5. I thought of that man, how he'd seen so much death and carnage all his life. And he pleaded with the Gentiles (us) that we would not be like his people... 

Mormon 5:

  21 And also the Lord will remember the prayers of the righteous, which have been put up unto him for them.
  22 And then, O ye Gentiles, how can ye stand before the power of God, except ye shall repent and turn from your evil ways?
  23 Know ye not that ye are in the hands of God? Know ye not that he hath all power, and at his great command the earth shall be rolled together as a scroll?
  24 Therefore, repent ye, and humble yourselves before him, lest he shall come out in justice against youlest a remnant of the seed of Jacob shall go forth among you as a lion, and tear you in pieces, and there is none to deliver. 

Shouldn't even this great and terrible warning give us hope? As we forget and slumber in our prosperity, is there not great value in the reminders that are forever engraven in the scriptures by the suffering of his covenant people? And yet, what does he ask of us, that is not for our own good?  

I am a fortunate and blessed person, with so much. And in that, I should take my courage. So many simple passages, and all of them miraculously obtained. And yet, all this technology, can be a great blessing... it is what we do with it, that will make life better or worse.

This weekend I spent a lot of money, getting a pretty advanced washing machine. At first, due to the cost, I was a bit squeamish about it, but in the end, I thought of how it might make my wife's life just a bit easier. She works so hard for our family, and if this were to make her life a bit easier, I thought, it'd be worth it. It occurred to me that I have no other desire for money, than it bless the life of my wife and family.

Sure all these paths are taken to extremes by people around me, but in the moment it just seemed like a light thing. It's a strange world where I can agonize over a washing machine, and in some other part of it is a family living off of frogs. Yet God is over it all...

--Ray


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(Don't take it personally, everyone finds me offensive. Yet somehow I manage to live with myself.)


Senior Bucketkeeper

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Must stay optomistic at all times!

"An High Priest of Good Things to Come," Ensign, Nov 1999,  36

That talk continues 8 years later to be one that answers questions and brings hope.  I carry it with me. I read parts of it almost as often as I do my P-Blessing... At a time when I was struggling to see light in a very dark tunnel, it lifted me up and brought me a kind of peace that I did not quite understand... I had been very sick for months and we were facing another layoff with hubby's job... that did happen but not for another 2 years... and had no idea what we were going to do to put food on the table...

When I look at the last 8 years "I Stand All Amazed".  I tremble with gratitude and humility at the Lord's mercy and grace with me.  I fall to my face and worship God for His wisdom and patience with my inability to see from day to day... and for His love and blessing inspite of my doubts and fearful heart.

At the end of the talk referenced above, Elder Holland gives this testimony:

Just two weeks ago this weekend, I drove by that exact spot where the freeway turnoff leads to a frontage road, just three miles or so west of Kanarraville, Utah. That same beautiful and loyal wife, my dearest friend and greatest supporter for all these years, was curled up asleep in the seat beside me. The two children in the story, and the little brother who later joined them, have long since grown up and served missions, married perfectly, and are now raising children of their own. The automobile we were driving this time was modest but very pleasant and very safe. In fact, except for me and my lovely Pat situated so peacefully at my side, nothing of that moment two weeks ago was even remotely like the distressing circumstances of three decades earlier.

Yet in my mind's eye, for just an instant, I thought perhaps I saw on that side road an old car with a devoted young wife and two little children making the best of a bad situation there. Just ahead of them I imagined that I saw a young fellow walking toward Kanarraville, with plenty of distance still ahead of him. His shoulders seemed to be slumping a little, the weight of a young father's fear evident in his pace. In the scriptural phrase his hands did seem to "hang down." 15 In that imaginary instant, I couldn't help calling out to him: "Don't give up, boy. Don't you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead ~ a lot of it ~ 30 years of it now, and still counting. You keep your chin up. It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come."

I testify that God lives, that He is our Eternal Father, that He loves each of us with a love divine. I testify that Jesus Christ is His Only Begotten Son in the flesh and, having triumphed in this world, is an heir of eternity, a joint-heir with God, and now stands on the right hand of His Father. I testify that this is Their true Church and that They sustain us in our hour of need ~ and always will, even if we cannot recognize that intervention. Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come. Of that I personally attest. I thank my Father in Heaven for His goodness past, present, and future, and I do so in the name of His Beloved Son and most generous high priest, even the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.


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Senior Bucketkeeper

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Just dragging my exhausted butt off to church each Sunday and being in the presence of those who believe as I do does it for me. I work 2000-0600 Saturdays and get to bed around 0630. I'm up at 1030 to be at our meetings at 1100. Home at 1400 and a couple hours with the family before back to bed and then up again for work at 2000. Sundays, in spite of that schedule, have become an incredible rejuvenator for me.

One of my fave scriptures of all time about my idol:


Alma 48: 17

Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.


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Why Food Storage:
http://www.rogmo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=205&sid=d52b2e6d8f75be0a6164ab9a14f4a08b



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Yesterday morning I received some tragic news. A friend of 20 years had been diagnosed two weeks ago with 3rd stage colo-rectal cancer that has spread to the bones in his ilium & pelvis and to 2 lessions in his liver. Doctors said they would keep him comfortable.

I called him. I asked him what was happening. Was there anything I could do? Had he received a blessing? Would he like another one? He told me that everything would be fine.

His wife later called. Would I come and give him a blessing? Absolutely!

The person they wanted me to come with was driving east from New Mexico. It would be late when he arrived. He called me after he left Silverton. Would I take another friend and go give the blessing.

It was almost an hour ride to east Mesa. His wife told us that she was promised in her patriarchal blessing that she would see miracles from priesthood blessings and that she would have as many blessings given to her husband as were offered.

It was a sweet spirit.

I have faith that the words that were uttered will give comfort and that He who gave us life and who knows when each of our journey's are to end can both give and take life. I have faith that my friend will live.

He is on high doses on morphine but I feel he will be able to get off of that soon.

Please say a prayer for Chris for me. He is a wonderful man who still needs to send an 11 year old son on a mission in eight years.

I have seen many miralces in the past 20 years. I expect to see another because of faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ.

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no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing... the truth of God will go forth till it has penetrated every website, sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the great Jehovah shall say the work is done


Senior Bucketkeeper

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I've seen miracles through the priesthood and personally experienced one. I will add your friend to my prayers.

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Why Food Storage:
http://www.rogmo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=205&sid=d52b2e6d8f75be0a6164ab9a14f4a08b

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