Following President Nelson’s challenge
This last Sunday, during Gospel Study class, we discussed the Come Follow Me lesson for the week. At the end, the teacher showed the video of President Nelson asking the Church to share something they are thankful for each day for seven days. This was originally back in November of 2020 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Although this is late for the original challenge, I will follow the teachers prompt and write what I am thankful for here for this week.
Day 1
I am thankful for God
The Eternal Father, the Sky Father, the loving and caring Father who watches over us
The first Article Faith states the basic belief that “We believe in God, the Eternal Father…” Further, however, as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints, we believe that God is a separate being from Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit). According to Josephs Smith’s account of his First Vision, “…I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name, and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!”
I am grateful that God cares for us each individually. Last night I watched a movie about a woman who is searching for her child who she gave up as a young woman in a nunnery (against her will). The two protagonists are the woman—who is in her 70s as of the movie—and a journalist who was sacked recently and is helping the woman find her son. The woman is an Irish Catholic and is very devout, the journalist is—to no surprise—staunchly irreligious. In one exchange the journalist talks about a headline he saw that stated something to the effect of “God outdoes terrorists, thousands dead in earthquake.”
Such an instance is not unique. The world is full of death and suffering. This world is harsh and, at times, seemingly evil or antagonistic to our lives. How then can God—especially a loving God—let such things happen? How can foul death and suffering be allowed to exist if we are loved deeply by a supreme creator? How could the devout Irish woman respond to such a question posed by the journalist?
As for me, my answer would be this, “We have our agency, so actions taken by man to each other are permitted and not interrupted by God. Natural disasters can be seen as trials and tribulations that, with time, can be overcome and better individuals who endure them.” A response may be, “How could God let a child suffer from disease or terrible affliction such as molestation or abuse?” That’s when I would speak to the Plan of Happiness, “God knows all things that occur and records all transgressions, especially those done to the innocent and children. Justice will be fulfilled in the end. It is up to us to have the faith to endure to see such a time. We must have faith that such justice could even exist in the first place.”
So, with this hypothetical conversation out of the way, I’ll conclude that I believe in God the Eternal, Heavenly, Loving Father. I thank Him each day for my life. My breath and my blood come from Him. He is the supreme ruler of the universe. He is also the supreme ruler of my soul. He permits me to live each day and to change my life. In time, I can change and be like Him. In a very long time that is.
His Son is evidence why He is a merciful and loving Father.