Saturday, October 18, 2014

D&C 78:17-18 -- On the Riches of Eternity

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you;
And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours."
Doctrine and Covenants 78:17-18


When people talk about you as a little child they usually mean you are naive or simple.  It can have a negative connotation, inferring that we aren't mature or thoughtful or able to make decisions.  When God says it though, it is simple truth.  As God's children, we aren't grown up yet, and truthfully we often are not mature or thoughtful, and we do have a hard time making good decisions.  But with God the phrase isn't a condemnation.  Remember, Christ in Matthew 18:3 said "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."
I think when God talks about us as little children, he means that we are still growing and learning, and that we don't understand all there is to know about being an adult.  And since this particular comparison puts God in the role of adult and all of us as children, that is fairly obvious.  We are learning, and we have learned a lot.  I don't mean to dismiss our progression and our essential education.  But we also still have a long way to go.  When Christ urges us to be as little children, he doesn't mean that we should start drooling or throwing our toys.  He means that we should recognize that we still need to grow, and have that openness and love and trust that children have, in allowing God to teach us and guide us.  And in these verses especially I think God shows his love for us clearly.  We have *no idea* how great the blessings are that our Father has in store for us, and we definitely can't handle everything.  But if we stick with God, if we trust him and follow him, he will lead us along, and the future will be better than we can currently imagine.
Today, let's trust God.  Let's keep our minds and our hearts open, ready and willing to learn the lessons that God has to teach us.  And let's look forward in hope, knowing that, even if we can't currently see what is in the box labeled "the riches of eternity," all of life is more than worth it to become the people who will find out.

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