The Most Basic Principle

Ever since Tricia offered me the opportunity to write on this blog, I have been praying fervently in my heart for something I could share with you wonderful contributors and readers. You all have written such marvelous topics that I felt I could add my reflections to or share some of my experiences as a new wife. But as I sat at this computer I asked myself what the is the one thing I would want everyone in the world to know. And the answer is this:

God is a loving Heavenly Father

Not only does God exist, he is personally linked to us as a father. He is deeply invested in every aspect of our lives. That is why he wants us to talk to him, that is why he wants us to receive His Words to us in the scriptures, and that is why he wants us to have families that we might understand the deep and abiding love he has for us.

As missionaries, this is the first principle we are to teach. I used to think it a little needless because I used to think that everybody knew this, but as I went into the world and started to preach, I began to see this isn't true. And as I grew to know of the significance of this statement, my heart grew sadder at how I and others took it for granted.

If we know God as our Father, we would know not to criticize ourselves, but rather ask God to show us our weaknesses and how to overcome them. We would realize that the mistakes we make our learning experiences and not reasons to become frustrated or give up. If we know that He loves us, we would realize that he lives by rules that are there to make our lives fair in an eternal perspective, even if it doesn't seem to make sense to us now.

In the pamphlet for the Law of Chastity, there's a simple statement that has made a world of difference in how I view others. "If we were to treat everyone else as a Child of God..."think of how different the world would really be.

My brother and sister-in-law lost a baby this week. It's been an extremely trying time, as I'm sure you can imagine, but as I've watched them go through this I think how much deeper the sadness is for our loving Heavenly Father who knows so much and has infinite power when he loses a child. But then the Spirit spoke to my heart, "He freely gave His Only Begotten Son so that no other child would ever be lost." My brother will have his child again, I will always have my new husband with me, these children of earth that are filled with misunderstanding about their relationship with God will be reclaimed again and it is all possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. And I know these things to be true because the Spirit is filling me with love and peace as I write it. And I hope that as you grow in your understanding of it, you will also feel the need to share it.