Brother Livingston asked what message each of us received from the keynote address from conference. As I pondered that I thought of the promise of rest in overcoming the world. I thought of the fact that we aren’t really protected from the buffetings of life but the image came to my mind of a ship in a storm on the ocean. Without an anchor the ship will be free to run, driven by the buffetings of the wind and waves, and they will almost certainly be driven far from their desired course. On the other hand, if they have a solid anchor in the waters they might feel even stronger buffetings from the wind and waves (because they aren’t simply pushed about) but they will not be carried significantly away from where they are seeking to be.
In reference to the talk from President Nelson as published in the Liahona in October 2022 (which President Nelson gave in April 2022 at the General Authority training) where he talked about the covenant love of hesed I was impressed by the fact that once we enter a covenant God has more cause to exercise His infinite capacity to reach after us. The feeling I had was that when someone has entered a covenant, even if they are willing to let go God will not be so easily deterred. He will not be done with his covenant children so long as He can keep feeling after them. Brother Livingston noted while talking with me after the lesson that so long as parents honor their sealing covenants the Lord will not cease to feel after their children and invite them to the feast set for His covenant children. (My words expressing the idea he conveyed.)
In sacrament meeting today we sang all 5 verses of God loved us, so He sent His Son (hymn 187). I always love singing verse 4:
In word and deed He doth require my will to His, like son to sire, be made to bend and I, as son, learn conduct from the Holy One.
God loved us, so He sent His Son (verse 4)
I recognize that many people might take those words and think of such a requirement as bondage—I must always bend my will to His. To me, I always feel elation at the thought that He values me enough to take me under His wing as if I were an apprentice and tutor me in conduct until I have the skills of a master. I find it incredibly ennobling to be learning conduct from the perfect model.
Leave a Reply