Remember

Remember

Photograph by Rosaura Ortiz

What has made this Country great in the past?

It was the people. We the People.

What kind of people made this Country great?

Americans. Americans were a people who looked to God for direction and protection. We were a people who looked to serve one another and to be a beacon on the hill, a light shining forth in the darkness of the world.

We were a people who loved God, Country, family, and each other. 

One thing is for certain. Since we have been forgetful of the God of this Land, who is Jesus Christ, we have succumbed to the darkness of the world around us. No matter how enlightened we all think we may be, without the Light of Christ in our lives, there is not light; without Him, all is darkness.

While we remember those who serve; those who are still Americans, who love God, Country, and fellow citizen: man, woman, and child; let us not forget the God who has instilled within our hearts the ability and the power to feel such love and the desire to preserve it.

While we remember those who leave home and family to protect our homes and families, let us not forget the importance of family. Let us not forget the importance of strengthening home and family ties and supporting the fundamental building blocks of society and of eternity. Let us remember to build up and support our own family fortresses against the evils of this world and offer protection to our little children. And while our servicemen and servicewomen are far away from home insuring our safety, let us offer protection and service to their families.

We have been forgetful for too long. It is time. It is time for us to remember. It has always been up to us, We the People.

Also Read:

Lest We Forget

Motherhood

Thoughts on Motherhood

All I ever really wanted most to be was a mother. With any other interest, talent, or desire that I’ve had, motherhood was the greatest desire of my heart. I’m so glad that God granted me this blessing, with six children of my own and other children whom I’ve taught and who have taught and blessed me. It is a privilege and an honor.

Here I am with my firstborn. Now she is ready to deliver her firstborn very soon. How grandchildren bless our lives! George will be our fifth grandchild and second grandson. 

This weekend marks the first Mother’s Day with my own mother departed from this earth. I am so thankful for her love and example to me, and I am thankful for my grandmothers and their love and support throughout my life. I am also thankful for my dear mother-in-law and her accepting me as her own with great love and cheerfulness. And I’m thankful for my husband’s grandmothers as well. How I miss every single one of these mothers.

I had the greatest privilege of serving my mother in her last days here on earth. I enjoyed her mothering then as always, and in the moments when the roles reversed a little, I was thankful to serve the woman who had always so selflessly done everything for me and who continues to be a blessing to me every moment of my life.

I am also thankful for my sisters and the part that they have played in loving and mothering me. I miss them too. Fortunately, I can still call and visit two of them. The other one I visit in memory, love, and tears.

I am also blessed with three beautiful talented daughters. They are all contributing to the blessings of motherhood according to the time frames of their own lives and their individual talents in significant ways. I also have two beautiful daughters-in-law who are wonderful mothers. It pleases me and warms my heart to see the rising generation full of love and service for children and their fellow men. My sons are also a great blessing to their own children, family, and friends; and they value and support their wives in their roles as mothers by being wonderful fathers too.

I must say how thankful I am for the Gospel of Jesus Christ which has everything to do with families; and I am thankful for the role that motherhood plays in unfolding God’s Plan of Salvation for His children. How blessed we are for Mother Eve and the part she played in establishing the human family, and for Father Adam, with his exactness and honor in accepting the Plan and supporting Eve in her role of motherhood. I am most thankful of all for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for giving us the gift of life, and that eternally through His offering of His soul and body to save ours. Because of Him, families are forever, and motherhood is eternal.

This was of utmost significance when our son Robby returned to heaven shortly after birth. But the significance is no less diminished with each and every individual who holds a place in our hearts. God established families and gave us the privilege of participating in His glory through experiencing motherhood and fatherhood. And if these are the things which we value most, He will bless us with the privilege of the continuation of family lives forever.

Motherhood isn’t easy. There are so many challenges. But it has to be the most rewarding calling there has ever been. Inside this bosom of mine, motherhood is most precious and prized, and my children’s happiness is my greatest desire. I love being a mother.

He Lives

Today was Fast and Testimony meeting in our Church. Although I didn’t stand today to bear my testimony, I want to share with you what was in my heart…what is in my heart today.

Artist: Brent Borup

Did Jesus really live again?

Yes! When the third day came, He wakened and He left the tomb….

Did Jesus really live again?

Oh yes! And so shall I.

(Song: Did Jesus Really Live Again)

The essence of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that he lived an exemplary life, taught us the Gospel in word and deed, established His Church, atoned for our sins, died for all of us on the cross on Good Friday, and rose again Sunday morning. 

(Read: The Resurrection of Jesus Christ)

The essence of the message of Jesus Christ is one of Love. God is love, and He sent His Son. We can indeed feel the Savior’s love in all the world around us. It’s everywhere. We can hear and feel and see and know, because all things testify of Him. But if we look to the logic of the world, we will miss it. The Spirit will bear witness to our spirits that Jesus is the Christ if we look to him in every thought; if we try a little harder to doubt not, but be believing; if we trust in the radiating warmth of the Spirit as He witnesses to us that we are God’s children and that He loves us. As we search for God and for His Son, through reading the scriptures and through keeping the commandments, we will find Them. We will know that the Spirit is sent to us to comfort, teach, and guide us. And we will trust that Jesus will come again as He promised He will.

Some people think that they have grown beyond the need of a Savior; but none of us has. Though we are all children of God, and though He loves us, we still rely on Him for everything we have. All of us may be considered good people in the respect that I so often hear people say of others, “He is a good person;” because we do some pretty wonderful things and because we are children of God; and God is good. But without Him, we are nothing.

My testimony is that we need religion. Why? Because Jesus is the One who established His Church under His Father’s direction, and I trust that He did so because we need it. While there are many people living decent lives and living by their own light, we must remember that Jesus Christ is the Light of the World and without Him there is not any light at all.

My testimony is that no matter how good we are and how well we do there is absolutely no substitute available to certify our salvation other than the Lord Jesus Christ and His redemptive sacrifice for us. There is no substitute anywhere to be found that will offer us the security that comes from living the principles and ordinances of the gospel. And there will be no substitute for the Keeper of the Gate to Heaven, who is the Holy One of Israel, Jesus, our Messiah.

I love the Lord Jesus; I know He loves me; and I need Him.

Other scriptures and songs that were referenced:

God is Love

He Sent His Son

I Feel My Savior's Love

All Things Testify of Him

Spirit Bears Witness

Comforter Testifies of Christ

Look to Christ in Every Thought

If With All Your Hearts

Holy Ghost Will Teach Us

I Will Come Again

Everything Good Comes from God

We Need the Lord to Sustain our Lives

Christ Established the Church

Jesus is the Light of the World

Let Your Light So Shine

I Am the Light You Should Hold Up

His Light Governs All Other Light

No other Redeemer than Jesus

Principles and Ordinances of the Gospel

Keeper of Gate is Holy One