3 Nephi 10:9-10

"And it came to pass that thus did the three days pass away. And it was in the morning, and the darkness dispersed from off the face of the land, and the earth did cease to tremble, and the rocks did cease to rend, and the dreadful groanings did cease, and all the tumultuous noises did pass away.
And the earth did cleave together again, that it stood; and the mourning, and the weeping, and the wailing of the people who were spared alive did cease; and their mourning was turned into joy, and their lamentations into the praise and thanksgiving unto the Lord Jesus Christ, their Redeemer."
3 Nephi 10:9-10


It’s always good to have a reminder that mourning *can* be turned into joy... that God is aware of us, and watches over his children. Bad things are happening, and unfortunately will continue to happen in this world... we live in the last days. Despite all this, peace and comfort can be found through Christ. God knows every hair of our heads, and he knows without question the content of our hearts. We are eternal beings, and whatever happens to us... hardship, pain, and even physical death... we will continue to exist, and our lives do, and will continue to, matter in the eternities. Through Christ, the darkness will disperse, the earthquakes will stop, and we’ll once again find solid footing… spiritually *and* physically. Sadness and pain can be turned into joy and peace, as we put our faith in Him.

Mormon 7:5

"Know ye that ye must come to the knowledge of your fathers, and repent of all your sins and iniquities, and believe in Jesus Christ, that he is the Son of God, and that he was slain by the Jews, and by the power of the Father he hath risen again, whereby he hath gained the victory over the grave; and also in him is the sting of death swallowed up."
Mormon 7:5


I think one of the most comforting things in the scriptures is right here. We are here in mortality, and as we go throughout our lives and experience age, death, and the fear of both... knowing that Christ has gained the victory makes all the difference. We have the knowledge that death is not permanent, and that we will see those we love again... and that they are happy, now, where they are. In this life we have pains and fears, but they are beyond that. That knowledge can change our focus from suffering to determination... from despair to hope... from pain to joy. I'm not saying it is easy... or that the sting of death it talks about above isn't there... but the point is that the reality of Christ swallows it up. We feel the pain, but the joy of Christ triumphs over it, and gives us a reason to rejoice and live and love, no matter how hard things are now. Bad and tragic things happen... but we can go on, because the good and astounding things make it worth it. Death can't have any of us in the end. We belong to our Saviour and King, who will ever triumph.

Ephesians 5:17

"Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is."
Ephesians 5:17


This struck me today. Not because it is always easy to understand the will of the Lord, but because it seems like if we made that the focus... understanding, looking for the reason, rather than complaining or wishing life were another way... life would be a lot better. :) If we start trying to understand, then we're on the right track, and not caught in the bog of "why me" or "this stinks" (as bogs do)... but we're past that, to the place where we realize that there is a reason, and that we are supposed to learn something, and so we're intent on finding out what that is. Today, let's try to be wise (or at least not unwise), and search for the meaning and the understanding rather than denying reality or complaining about it. I think it will make us happier... and who knows, maybe we'll learn something as well. :)

--Suzanne

Doctrine and Covenants 119:6

"And I say unto you, if my people observe not this law, to keep it holy, and by this law sanctify the land of Zion unto me, that my statutes and my judgments may be kept thereon, that it may be most holy, behold, verily I say unto you, it shall not be a land of Zion unto you."
Doctrine and Covenants 119:6


This is interesting because that last part makes it dependent upon the people... which really makes a lot of sense. Just like the city of Enoch became what it was when the people were perfected, Zion doesn't have any holiness just because of the tract of land that it is on... "it shall not be a land of Zion unto you" ... but it could be a land of Zion unto anyone willing to do the things necessary to make it so. I like that emphasis on who rather than where... I think sometimes I daydream of the perfect place... maybe someplace to escape for an afternoon, or wonder what heaven will be like... but the fact is, that if I am the perfect person, then it doesn't matter where I am. We, as a community, build Zion not by learning brickmasonry or carpentry, but by perfecting ourselves, little by little, until wherever we are is Zion... merely because we are there. It takes effort... but not effort that is strange to us. We've been working on ourselves for a long time. :) And, for those particularly difficult habits, we have God and at least a few other people to help and support us. So, let's go build Zion. :)

Proverbs 24:17

"Rejoice not when thine enemy faileth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth."
Proverbs 24:17


I think this is tough, because after all, by definition, we're talking about the "enemy." :) Perhaps part of the point here is that the ideal is not to have enemies, and when we do have them, we need to try to concentrate on wishing the best for them... praying for them, and hoping their lives get better, rather than wishing that a big rock would fall on them. :) ... I think that God's way works out just as well as the rock in the end, because, either way, our enemies are gone... but God's way, they are still around and not in the hospital... we've just learned not to think of them as enemies any longer. It's hard to change our hearts and perspectives that much, once someone is already an enemy... but I think it is also necessary. How can the spirit dwell in the same place as hatred, or in rejoicing in someone else's misfortune? I think our society and our movies teach us that people "deserve" it, but those kinds of judgments are up to God. We still have a choice, no matter what has happened or what has been done. We can choose to clear our hearts of hatred. Might take time, and a lot of prayer... but the point it that we hurt *ourselves* with hatred... not anyone else. Doesn't mean we have to agree with our former enemies or welcome them into our lives... but if we can not hate them or wish bad things for them, we've taken a mighty step. So, whoever our enemies are, near or far, weak or powerful... today, let's wish them the best, pray to God for them, and never rejoice when they stumble.

2 Corinthians 5:10

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."
2 Corinthians 5:10


I was reading this and thinking ...what if this happened to us literally? Us receiving everything in our bodies that we've physically done to someone else (I punched my sister when I was 11 or 12... pow.)... if everything we had ever done to someone else was done to us? ... Now, definitely some of those things in our lives are good things, that we wouldn't mind seeing happen to us... but how does it balance, and how would we fare, having our whole lives returned upon us? I thought it was a good thing to ponder on today. Hopefully repentance will save us from some of it... and perhaps it isn't all literal. But even a symbolic/mental/spiritual return of everything we do means we should work really hard to make sure that our actions are good. Things that we wouldn't be frightened to get in return. Today, before we take any actions, let's stop and think for a moment if these things would hurt us if they happened to us... because, according to this scripture... someday they will.