How can I tell you
What my mortal lips
cannot say?
How can I show you
What my mortal heart
cannot hold?
All that I feel
And all that I am
I owe to you.
I give you my all
Because a heart can give
no more.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: I Am The Way by Danny Hahlbohm)
Before
Joshua died he entered the children of Israel into a covenant to serve God who
brought them out of the ‘house of bondage’. The last chapter of the book of
Joshua records the people promising four times that they would not abandon
their God, that they would serve Him and obey His voice (Joshua 24:16,18,21,22,23).
The covenant came with three warnings as they
were about to enter the promised land of the Canaanites: 1. Beware of social
intercourse with them (Joshua 23:7; 2. Refrain from worshipping their false
gods (vv 7-11); and 3. Avoid intermarriage with hem (v 12). Yet this is exactly
what happened.
It only
took one act of disobedience to lead the
whole nation into centuries of spiritual decline, and this was it: Israel failed to drive out all the heathen
inhabitants of their promised land. Numerous unconquered cities remained
(Judges 1:27-36). The tribe of Judah blamed the Philistines which introduced
chariots of iron (Judges 1:19) but the real reason was that they had lost the
power of the Lord through their lack of faith and their disobedience.
The people
wept when an angel of the Lord came to them and confronted them about their
failure to obey. He told them the Lord will not drive these inhabitants out for them but that they shall be as ‘thorns in their sides and their
gods shall be a snare unto them’ as punishment (Judges 2:3,4; 21-23). It brings
to remembrance the Lamanites whom the Lord said to Nephi would be ‘a scourge’
to his people to ‘stir them up in remembrance of Him’ and if they will not
remember Him, they shall be the means to their destruction (2 Nephi 5:25).
When Joshua
and the leaders of Israel who served under him died, the national spirit of
Israel also died. There arose another generation after them which knew not the
Lord, nor what He had done for them (Judges 2:10,12). The covenant was soon
broken and the vicious cycle of apostasy and repentance was born. How could
Israel forget within one generation the God whom they worshipped? This is the
period of time in ancient history where the inexhaustible mercy of Jehovah
begins to show in earnest.
As the new
generation intermarried and turned to idolatry of the Canaanites, ‘the hand of
the Lord was against them for evil as He had sworn He would do’ (Judges 2:11-15;
3:6,7) but nevertheless, there was always mercy in the hope that they would
return to Him. As they fell into the hands of the oppressors, the Lord would
raise up judges to deliver them but once delivered, they would return to their
former ways and corrupted themselves even more than before (v 16-19). It makes
you want to weep…..
And this is the interesting part. They did not cry to the false gods they worshipped to deliver them but they cried to Jehovah (Judges 3:9). They knew full well who the real God was. So aggrieved was the Saviour about their backsliding and idolatry that He referred to their worship of false gods as ‘harlots with many lovers’ (Hosea 2:5; Jeremiah 3:1). This is heartbreaking as the Saviour always referred to His relationship with Israel as marriage.
He is the Bridegroom who is coming to take us as His bride in the everlasting covenant of love. May we always remember that and forsake the lovers of the world we hold onto today. We can do better than Israel of old.
As Israel, we have trodden worldly paths
That have left us battered, scarred,
And parched in search of love.
Our lovers were many but
Our hearts were empty.
At long last
We embrace the love that lasts,
We prepare for the wedding feast
And abandon our treacherous past.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Sending Forth the Bride by Danny Hahlbohm)
I CAME INTO THE WORLD:
To
give peace to the suffering
To
give hope to the down-trodden
To
strenghten the weak
To
lighten your burdens
To
lift the downtrodden
To
give sight to the blind
To
give power to the faint
To
give might to the weary
To
comfort those who mourn
To
bind up the broken-hearted
To
show mercy to the penitent
To
give you living water
To
free the captive
To
be a refuge from the storm
And
a shadow from the heat
To
give you rest from sorrow and fear
To
break the bands of bondage
To
empower the powerless
To
conquer the sting of death
To
be a light unto the world
To
establish truth
To
atone for you
To
love you
To
help you
To
save you.
I WILL RETURN:
To
conquer the enemy
To
destroy the wicked
To
govern in righteousness
To
unite the nations
To
gather my people Israel
To
establish peace
To
take away the sorrow
To
make all things known
To
flood the earth with truth
To
resurrect you
To
judge in righteousness
To
give mercy to the penitent
To
take you to the Father
To
give you eternal life
To
exalt you.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Jesus the Symbol of Hope by Ivan Guaderrama)
“They
(those in the great and spacious building of Lehi’s dream) look happy and free,
but don’t mistake telestial pleasure for celestial happiness and joy. Don’t
mistake lack of self-control for freedom. Complete freedom without appropriate
restraint makes us slaves to our appetites.
Don’t envy
a lesser and lower life….the people in that building have absolutely nothing to
offer except instant, short-term gratification inescapably connected to
long-term sorrow and suffering. The commandments you observe were not given by
a dis-passionate God to prevent you from having fun, but by a loving Father in
Heaven who wants you to be happy while you are living on this earth as well as
in the hereafter.”
-
Bishop Glen L. Pace, Ensign November 1987, p 39
Some years
ago I heard a mother in the Church say she just wanted her teenage son to come
out of the closet so he can be ‘happy’. That son eventually did come out of the
closet but to this day he is not happy. He is an alcoholic with a ruined liver
who was told by the medical profession he will not live a long life. It always
amazes me how intent some people are to be happy in this life.
The
greatest outline of mortal happiness can be found in 2 Nephi Chapter 5. This
was the early period of time in ancient
America when Nephi separated himself and his followers from his brothers who
sought to take away his life (v 4).
The story
begins with Nephi following the Lord’s warning to alienate themselves from
those seeking their destruction and thereafter following the path to spiritual
prosperity. Nephi begins his account of their new life on the American
continent with the most significant pattern for ‘mortal happiness’: “And we did
observe to keep the judgments, and the statues, and the commandments of the
Lord in all things….” (v 10).
Thereafter
the story unfolds with blessings of physical abundance of food (v 11); possession
of scriptures (v12); building of a temple (v 16); industry of the people ( v
17); and then comes: “And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of
happiness.” (v 27).
Happiness
in this life is a huge subject to tackle. I get it, this life is hard and it is
hard for everyone, even those in the Church who are being obedient. I guess the
importance lies in your definition of happiness and which happiness you want. Notice that Nephi said "manner" of happiness......insinuating it's not a permanent, complete and iron clad happiness. This kind of happiness can only be found in the eternal presence of God.
In this
life of lack of permanency, the only real 'sense' of happiness comes from being
close to God. Nephi accentuates this truth. Whereas Nephi and his people had
achieved that happiness, his brothers and their followers were cut off from the
presence of the Lord (v 20). Being cut off from God and His influence would
have to be the most detrimental and miserable state of being.
When I
think of living after ‘the manner of happiness’ I think of Zion. I think this
is why Nephi called it so because His people were one and united in obedience
and striving for the same outcome. Being in a community such as Zion alienates
you from worldly values of destruction and unites you with people who are on the
same path of righteousness, with the same goals and the love of God which binds
you together. I think this is what Nephi identified as happiness. This is what
should be our goal as we prepare ourselves for the return of our God.
He will
come and reveal Himself to those who love Him and then we will know what true
happiness is…..it is worth waiting for and striving for.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Love and Faithfulness by Chris Brazelton)
“Too many
of the people of the world have come to resemble the Babylon of old by walking
in their own ways and following a god ‘whose image is in the likeness of the
world’ (D&C 1:16).
“One of the
greatest challenges we will face is to be able to live in that world but
somehow not be of that world. We have to create Zion in the midst of Babylon….
“My
involvement with the building of the Manhattan Temple gave me the opportunity
to be in the temple quite often prior to the dedication. It was wonderful to
sit in the celestial room and be there in perfect silence, without a single
sound to be heard coming from the busy New York streets outside. How was it
possible that the temple could be so reverently silent when the hustle and
bustle of the metropolis was just a few yards away?
“The answer
was in the construction of the temple. The temple was built within the walls of
an existing building, and the inner walls of the temple were connected to the
outer walls at only a very few junction points. That is how the temple (Zion)
limited the effects of Babylon, or the world outside.
“There may
be a lesson here for us. We can create the real Zion among us by limiting the
extent to which Babylon will influence our lives…..
“Wherever
we are, whatever city we may live in, we can build our own Zion by the
principles of the celestial kingdom and ever seek to become the pure in heart….
“We do not
need to become as puppets in the hands of the culture of the place and time. We
can be courageous and can walk in the Lord’s paths and follow His footsteps.”
-
Elder David R. Stone, in CR April 2006, 94-97; or
Ensign May 2006, 90-93)
I remember
talking to one of the sisters in the Church years ago. She said she had gone to
the department store to buy some needed dinner plates and she encountered
beautiful expensive china there. She inspected it and her concluding thought
was: “This is so Babylon”. She decided against buying that china and settled
for something more serviceable and less valuable. I was a young and relatively
new member of the Church back then and I was in awe of her because she happened
to have the financial means to own anything I deemed expensive. I had never
forgotten that.
Now when I see some popular fashions and
expensive ware, I remember this sister and think to myself: “This is so
Babylon”….. This one thought has over the years taken away all my inclination
to follow world trends and seek after the things that are passing and of no
spiritual value.
It must be
my age but the older I get, the less appeal Babylon has for me. I cannot bear
swearing in movies so I have given up on watching them. The novels I used to
love getting lost in now speak nothing to me but the voices and values of the
world so I have stopped reading them. The shows I used to love watching on
streaming services lost their appeal too once I realized most of them centered
on crime and murder. I decided I could do without that energy in my life too. The
less influence of the world I have in my life, the greater my spirituality and
thirst for eternal life.
I want to
live in Zion and I want to live with the nobles of heaven one day. Babylon the
Great will fall. Nothing in it is permanent and lasting. The world will be done
away with but the kingdom of God will go on forever.
Remember,
there is no iron rod to the great and spacious building….
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Artist Unknown)
For now I walk unsteady steps
On this earthly soil beneath my feet
But one day I will come to You
With perfect faith in waves of deep.
And when in distance Your glory beckons,
When You come to take me home,
I will run into Your arms
And forever be Your own.
- Cathryne Allen
(Art: Serene Saviour by Ivan Guaderrama)
I
was working at the Church Office in Sydney when Elder Bruce C. Hafen was the
Area President here in Australia. He was generous enough to share some knowledge
with me which I valued highly. He told me that the directive of the Church at
the time given to the leaders was to prepare the members for Zion. That was
some 25 years ago.
This
made me see how important the Church is as an organisation because of its
leaders who are implementing this preparation. We are told certain conditions
need to be met before Zion can be established as ‘the bridge between the world
as it is and the world as God designed it and meant it to be’ (Hugh Nibley,
“Approaching Zion” p 4).
Section
105 of the Doctrine and Covenants speaks in detail of the needed preparation of
the saints before the Lord can ‘redeem Zion’ but the very first requirement is
relative to the elders of the Church which are to be endowed with power from on
high so that we, the members, might be taught more perfectly what God requires
of us (D&C 105:10,11). The structure of the Church is based on leadership.
The leaders are to be taught and trained as much as the members below them. The
leaders are meant to learn to lead and we are meant to learn to follow.
There
are some who believe they can be inactive in the Church and in the end show up
at New Jerusalem’s gate expecting to live a Zion life. Imagine arriving to Zion
without any experience behind you that would have taught you to be obedient to
the leaders’ instructions and to be united with other members of the Church
community. I have wondered how they could become obedient to the leaders overnight
when they didn’t value their leadership beforehand. I know some wonderful and good
members of the Church who are inactive and are highly critical of the leaders. There
are some who do not support the general authorities of the Church and tend to
believe they are ‘nice old men’ but not prophets, seers and revelators.
The
leaders might not be perfect but the Lord values their leadership of His
saints. This is how important it is to honour the administration of the Church in
preparation for the Second Coming:
“The
coming of the Son of Man never will be – never can be till the judgments spoken
of for this hour are poured out: which judgments are commenced. Paul says, “Ye
are the children of the light, and not of the darkness, that that day should
overtake you as a thief in the night.” It is not the design of the Almighty to
come upon the earth and crush it and grind it to powder, BUT HE WILL REVEAL IT
TO HIS SERVANTS THE PROPHETS (Amos 3:7)” (Teachings of Joseph Smith, p 286)
The
leaders of the Church might not know the exact day and the hour but the proximity
of it will be very real to the Church because of the preparation that the leaders
will have put into place for the readiness of the Kingdom. The New Jerusalem
for one will have to be ready and peopled to receive our King.
We,
the children of light, have more information regarding the Second Coming than
the rest of the world. The signs of the times are clear in modern day
revelation as contained in Doctrine and Covenants. We know the sequence of
events that are to take place. We are not dumb sheep without knowledge and
without untrained shepherds. The Lord has not left us unawares and clueless. He
wants His people to be ready and He wants us all in Zion to welcome Him.
There
will be no excuse if we are not there on that auspicious day….
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Second Coming by Ron DiCianni)
I pleaded with you on bended knee
My fears to dissolve.
You sat in silence
Hoping I would give You
what You yearned the most to own,
My self-will,
My hesitance to relinquish control.
In the end I gave it up
And found solace to my soul.
Yes, You said,
Now you understand.
I paved the way
In Gethsemane long ago.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Thy Will Be Done by Jay Bryant Ward)
Whereas
ancient Israel’s conquest was a physical one, ours is a spiritual one. Israel’s
charge was to conquer land for the temporal and eternal possession, our charge
is to create a Zion society of God’s chosen people. Both responsibilities
rested on one commandment, to serve God but in two different ways.
Ancient
Israel was to serve God through obedience to His commandments and worship
through the law of Moses, we are to serve God by our obedience to His commandments and to serve one
another to prepare us for Zion. Consider
these two commandments that came long after the conquest of Canaan:
-
Matt
25:40: “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren,
ye have done it unto me……and: Matt 25:45 – when we don’t do it for “the least
of these”, we don’t do it for Him;
-
Mosiah
2:17: “….when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the
service of your God.”
Our
societal structure is more different from the ancient one which depended so
much on possession of land and as a result was more used to physical warfare. We,
however, fight a spiritual battle with the prince of darkness who seeks to
destroy us spiritually in diving us to the point where our hearts have turned cold
one towards another (D&C 45:26,27). This is not to overlook the increase of
wars and rumours of wars in these latter-days as prophesied (Mark 13:7)
This
is why the spiritual battle is more devastating to God’s people today. Zion can
only be built in preparation for the Saviour’s return ‘according to the union
required by the law of the celestial kingdom’ (D&C 105:3-5). It is this union
that enables men to obey the law of consecration whereby they impart of their
‘substance, as becometh saints, to the poor and the afflicted’ (v 3). This was
the success of the city of Enoch. Because they were of one heart and one mind
they willingly met each other’s needs so there was no poor among them (Moses
7:18).
If
God’s goal for the human family is unity, you can be assured that Satan’s is
division. Right now the world is divided into left and right and contention and
disunity is rife. The Church leaders are constantly warning us against this
because our destiny as the Church of Jesus Christ is great.
The
celestial law that will get us to Zion is not just about obedience but also
love. Love leads to unity. The Lord called the city of Enoch, Zion the Pure in
Heart. The people of this city ‘walked’
with God (Moses 7:69) which means they were ‘true’ followers of Jesus Christ
and as true followers of Jesus Christ they were endowed with the ‘pure love' of
Christ (Moroni 7:48).
This
is the key: He leads and we follow. We follow His example of love, compassion,
understanding, tolerance, respect, giving and ministering……today obedience,
tomorrow Zion, the day after, Celestial Kingdom. In Joseph’s words: “We are on
the pathway to eternal fame, and immortal glory.”
I knelt before the throne of God
And asked of Him today:
Lord, when will I become like Thee?
To my feeble self He answered:
When you start to walk with me.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Come Follow Me by Gabriel Heaton)
When Joshua
stood with the strength of a prophet before the children of Israel and delivered
his farewell, he recounted not his power but the Lord’s in deliverance of His
people from bondage and His gifting of ‘the land for which the Israelites did
not labour and the cities which they did not build’ (Joshua 24:1-14).
The
children of Israel became fearless in the strength of God under Joshua’s
leadership. Nations trembled at the mention of their name as they flooded
Canaan and claimed the land. None could stop their conquering spirit. They
earned the name Jeshurun (righteous Israel) because they chose to serve
God under Joshua’s leadership to do so (see The Old Testament Student Manual
Book 1 p 242). The people are only as good as the example they follow….Joshua
was that leader and that example.
As they
entered the promised land, the children of Israel were given three warnings, in
the event that some heathen nations were allowed to remain and live alongside
them: 1. Beware of social intercourse with them (Joshua 23:7; 2. Refrain from
worshipping their false gods (vv 7-11); and 3. Avoid intermarriage with hem (v
12). If these rules were ignored, Israel would fall into the snare of idolatry
and their covenant with Jehovah, along with His protection and prosperity would
be null and void.
As a result
of Joshua’s devotion to Jehovah, we have one of the most instructive and famous
scriptures of all time: “Choose you this day whom ye will serve… as for me and
my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).
“The Saints
today also face a world intent on their spiritual destruction. Canaan has long
passed from the earth, but Satan, who incited Canaan’s wickedness and
opposition to Israel, is still determined to destroy those who follow the Lamb
of God (see 1 Nephi 14:12-14)…..
“Now during
this critical period, and it is a critical period that we are passing through,
I hope that we will keep ever burning in our hearts the spirit of this great
work which we represent. If we do so, we’ll have no anxiety; we’ll have no
fear; we’ll not worry about the future because the Lord has given us the
assurance that if we live righteously, if we keep his commandments, if we
humble ourselves before him, all will be well.” (Elder Ezra Taft Benson, In
Conference Report, Oct 1950, pp 145-46)
We still
have Joshuas at the head of our Israel today to inspire us to serve the one and
true living God. Today, we have President Oaks. Even though times become
perilous and even though there will be times of insecurity to propel us into
anxiety, the prophets at the head of Israel today, like Joshua will lead us to “be
strong and of good courage; to not be afraid, neither dismayed: for the Lord
thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1:9)
We, the children of Israel,
Ever follow the Shepherd
Who would not see us lost,
Who rescued our souls
Never counting the cost.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: The Good Shepherd by Del Parson)
I carried my problems in a basket
To every friend I knew;
They rummaged and picked the ones
They thought they could stop me
From feeling so blue.
I carried my basket to the Saviour,
He recognised each problem so well;
He gave me the wisdom to solve them,
My suffering myself to quell.
He knew every fallen tear,
Every minute of fear and dread,
He knew the lonely road I travelled
And gave me solace instead.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: I Know You by B. Laura Wilson)
Some years
ago, another divorced, single mother moved into my Ward which made us the only
two women of that marital status in that ward. We struck up a friendship and I
was grateful that there would be someone around who would understand me and my
life. This proved more difficult than I thought.
The sister
in question was vastly different from me. She was a career woman managing her
own business and I was a lowly office worker, with no professional aspirations,
struggling to make ends meet. She was a very strong, independent individual who
handled her four children with ease and trained them well for a life of
independence. I was a self-sacrificing mother who turned herself into a taxi
driver for my young teenagers and who did everything in my power to spare them
any discomfort and difficulty.
With time
it became apparent to me that my new friend and I were reading the same book
but we were not on the same page. In other words, we were two different
individuals in the same situation but with different responses to that
situation. We were different people and the same difficulties were affecting us
differently. This taught me that it is futile to seek understanding from other
people because of our differences.
I also came
to understand another truth. Be careful of turning a close friend into your
mentor. I had a handful of close friends that I used to seek advice from which
I narrowed down to one confidant who I considered understood my spiritual
journey more than anyone else but even though we had a very strong spiritual
connection, our lives were vastly different. She was married and I was single,
she was well and I was sick. I noticed with time that her advice was often, if
not always, from her frame of reference and her experiences in life. I used to
value whatever she said until I noticed that some of the advice she was giving
me was not applicable to me.
When I
became sick two years ago, I retreated into myself a lot and became very
alienated from people I knew because I felt nobody understood what I was going
through. Pain has a way of teaching you that. I had never been in a more
isolating situation before in my life. All of a sudden I was incredibly alone
with something I was dealing with that was very difficult. I knew it was futile
to expect others to understand because nobody else had ever experienced what it
is like to live in my skin……except only one..
I came to
understand the Saviour’s lonely road He trod when He was here. This scripture
seared my heart: “Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness:
and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but
I found none.” (Psalm 69:20). I understood a fraction of what He felt during
the crucible of His life when He was forsaken by all. If Christ’s Atonement was
a descent into the ‘bottomless pit’ of human agony, then I know that He alone
understands my life and my sufferings…..because in that bottomless pit was my
agony too.
I
met You on the lonely road
And
heard You say to me:
You
will ever be mine
If
you walk with me.
Your
presence enthralled me,
Your
exquisite love nearly ripped me apart;
I
walked away from all else
Just
to have You in my heart.
I
walk now with Your hand in mine,
The
lonely road paved with tears of love
Oh,
if only everyone knew where to find You
And
long for You to come!
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Artist Unknown)
I don’t know how the sun remembers to rise,
Or how the stars remember their places.
I don’t know how the flowers remember to bloom,
Or how in spring the leaves fill their spaces.
It’s enough for me to know who created it,
And I’ll never be the same;
Because I know I have a God who loves me
And a King, who remembers my name.
My King, who remembers my name;
A mighty King, who remembers my name!
He is the Lord of all creation,
And yet, my King remembers my name.
I’m a small creature compared to His greatness;
I’m only one and the same,
But I’ll always be His, and He will be mine –
A King, who remembers my name!
I look at the world today with people
Rushing about without thinking of why;
Why we’re all here, and what is life about
And where we all go when we die.
But I know, and I’ll ever be thankful
That I know from whence I came.
I’ll go home to heaven once more,
To my King, who remembers my name.
- BONNIE LAKE BLOOMFIELD (7/5/20)
(Art: I Have Suffered for You by B. Laura Wilson)
I wrote yesterday about God’s admonition to ancient
Israel to remember their deliverance from ‘the house of bondage’. This practice
was so ingrained in them that they took it to the new promised land in ancient
America. Some notable references to this important part of
their history in the Book of Mormon are: 1 Nephi 4:2,3; 17:23-42; Mosiah 7:19;
Alma 36:28-29.
Remembering became a
legacy amongst God’s people. King Benjamin spoke of ‘remembering’ 15 times in
his farewell speech to motivate his people to obedience to God (Mosiah
1:3,4,6,7,17; 2:40 twice, 41 twice; 4:11,28,30; 5:11,12; 6:3).
As I was reading Alma’s instructions to Helaman one
day, I expected to come across this familiar scripture: “O
remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the
Son of God, that ye must build your foundation….…” I was convinced it was the
advice that Alma gave to his sons. However, this scripture was nowhere to be
found in the book of Alma.
I eventually found it in Helaman 5:12, and to my
surprise I discovered this advice was given by Helaman to his sons Nephi and
Lehi and not Alma to his sons. I then realized why I got that wrong. When Alma
spoke to Helaman he also, at one time, began with, “O remember, remember…..”
(Alma 37:13). Like father, like son…… The legacy of remembrance passed on from
Alma to Helaman was so strong that Helaman named his sons Nephi and Lehi for
this very purpose (Helaman 5:6).
Alma used the verb ‘remember’ 6 times in speaking to
his sons (Alma 37:13,14,32,35; 42:11). Helaman used it 11 times in speaking to
his sons in Helaman 5. Why did Alma put such importance on remembering? This is
why: As he lay unconscious he ‘remembered’
his father’s prophecy concerning the coming of Jesus Christ and when he pleaded
with Christ to have mercy on him, he could not ‘remember’ his pains anymore
(Alma 36:17, 19). Remembrance played a crucial part in his conversion. I guess
you could say he too was delivered from ‘the house of bondage’…..
When we pass on from this life, we hope we will be
remembered for ‘something’. None of us want to be forgotten. Nephi is
remembered for his obedience, Alma for his repentance, Helaman for his
strategic warfare, Captain Moroni for his passionate patriotism, Mormon for his
discipleship, Moroni for his endurance, but one thing they all had in common
was a firm foundation in Christ.
Our testimony of Him and what we accomplish because of
it is the greatest legacy we can leave to our posterity and to the world…..because
the memories we leave behind of ourselves help others to ‘remember’ and that
remembrance will lead them to courage, good works, endurance and ultimately to
eternal life. This is the power of the Book of Mormon and all holy writ…..it
makes us remember Christ.
The testimony we bear, as His disciples, can ensure
the world remembers Him…and now more than ever, to prepare to meet Him. Because
He remembers us, and He will never forget…” Can a woman forget her sucking
child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they
may forget, yet will I not forget thee. I have graven thee upon the palms of my
hands; thy walls are continually before me….” (Isaiah 49:15-16)
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Walk by Faith by Chris Brazelton)
