Love, Faith, and the Permanence of God's Promises

 In life, we often find ourselves grappling with timing, faith, and uncertainty.

 

Heavenly Father operates on His own timetable. Just as the Lord instructed the Apostles to preach to the house of Israel first, there is a divine order to the unfolding of events. We may not understand the little details of the why behind His timing but we can trust in the importance of it.

 

Regarding the Lord’s timing, there is a quote I think of by Neal A. Maxwell, “The same God that placed that star in a precise orbit millennia before it appeared over Bethlehem in celebration of the birth of the Babe has given at least equal attention to placement of each of us in precise human orbits so that we may, if we will, illuminate the landscape of our individual lives, so that our light may not only lead others but warm them as well.”

 

To me, this quote always makes me think of Heavenly Father’s love and power. He loves us so much that He wants to orchestrate everything in our lives in a way that gives us the opportunity to turn to Him again and again and to love and serve one another.

 

Faith, the first principle of the gospel, is trust in practice—trust in Heavenly Father's will, His way, and His timetable. We can trust in His will and timing. Trusting the process and being patient with God's timing not only gives us a measure of peace but allows us to grow in our relationship with Him and each other.

 

There have been many times in my life when I have felt despair due to not being able to see how and when things would get better. But God in His infinite love and divine timing worked things out in ways that I could never orchestrate on my own.

 

Jeffrey R. Holland said, “…this is a divine work in process, with the manifestations and blessings of it abounding in every direction…In this Church, what we know will always trump what we do not know. And remember, in this world, everyone is to walk by faith.”

 

I cannot even begin to imagine the details that go into orchestrating things to create opportunities for joy for all of God’s children. I cannot even begin to understand what it takes to weave together the little details of our lives and those we interact with. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God…” I trust in the timing of that.

 

Joy is Familial

My rambling thoughts on The Plan of Salvation and how it relates to families...

We often focus our lives on individual success, even in matters of salvation.

 

The Abrahamic Covenant is a promise between God and people, it emphasizes community over individualism.

 

Perhaps that is why we cannot be saved without each other. Joseph Smith said, “The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead…For it is necessary that the sealing power should be in our hands to seal our children and our dead for the fulness of the dispensation of times—a dispensation to meet the promises made by Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world for the salvation of man.”

 

The Spirit of Elijah connects people with their families and our Heavenly Parents. Ultimately, returning to Them involves caring for His family worldwide.

 

When we view salvation as a community goal the blessings of salvation are shared collectively. It shifts the focus from personal achievement to helping others along the path, creating a sense of unity and shared responsibility – creating Zion.

 

The whole reason that we receive blessings from Heavenly Father is so that we can bless others. Sometimes Heavenly Father may bless one group with greater prosperity to enable them to effectively assist others.

 

President Monson taught that leadership in the Church (and I believe we are all leaders in the Church – no calling needed) comes with the responsibility to reach out and help others. We have a duty to guide and rescue those in need.

 

It is so exciting to know that we are part of the group that is responsible for the final gathering of scattered Israel. We get to be part of something that has worth beyond doubt. We get an opportunity to forget ourselves and focus on others (the key to joy).

 

The point to any covenant we make with Heavenly Father comes down to the first two greatest commandments to love the Lord and to love each other. The covenants we make bind us to God and to each other in a deep and meaningful way. They strengthen and grow our relationships. To me, this is the Abrahamic Covenant. It’s the nurturing of relationships.

 

The Abrahamic Covenant is not just a set of promises but a covenant that nurtures relationships — both with God and with each other. It is the foundation for building strong, interconnected relationships based on love and commitment.

 

Viewing salvation in this familial manner inspires me by giving me a sense of greater purpose, and compassion, and of being part of something greater than myself. It helps me to feel surer in my role as a disciple of Christ.

 

It all just works. It’s all about family. It reminds me of one of my favorite sayings: Strong families build strong communities and strong communities build strong nations. As we serve each other in our families, we have a responsibility to then serve our communities. It magnifies the light of Christ. Zion goes beyond the walls of our stake centers.

 

This is the covenant path; this is the Plan of Salvation. There is a reason that we use “The Plan of Happiness” synonymously – this interconnectedness, this serving one another is where true joy is found.