I am one to allow myself a moment to grieve. I gave myself 24 hours. I tried to find ways to ignore the way I felt. We bought Zach's first birthday present, which I have been looking forward too. We bought Pizza Hut pizza (because I hate cooking and we never get our fav. kind of pizza). We bought donuts for Tommy and me (because those are Tommy's favorite sugary treat). I hopped on my stationary bike, cranked up the Taking Back Sunday, and pedaled as hard as I could. It all helped a little. But I just felt angry still.
Today was the day that it was time to buck up and move on. But I still felt this frustration. I did some cleaning, chased Zach around, got him giggling, started to move forward. Then it was nap time for Zach and scripture time for me. I have been really bad about scripture study in the past year and a half. I blame my bad attitude during pregnancy which led to me doing a whole lot of nothing and then when Zach was born, trying to pick up a good habit is never an easy thing to do. So this week I was making my 4th attempt at doing what I know is most important.
Well thank goodness for that. I love that no matter where I am in the scriptures, somehow the spirit is able to teach me from the words on the page. I don't need to go rifling through and open to a random page. I can just pick up where I left the day before and find answers. (Opening to a random page works also though, I'm not knocking that technique). So I opened to 1 Nephi 21. Here's what I read:
13 aSing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; for the feet of those who are in the east shall be established; and bbreak forth into singing, O mountains; for they shall be smitten no more; for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his cafflicted.
14 But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me—but he will show that he hath not.
15 For can a awoman forget her sucking child, that she should not have bcompassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may cforget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.
What I learned is that I have been asking, "Why did the Lord allow this to happen?" The answer I kept coming up with was, "To allow the people to make their own decisions that he might cast righteous judgement". That's doctrinally sound right? But then a better thought from the Spirit came to me during these verses. The Lord allows things to happen, even to the righteous that he may show forth his power. When Alma and his people were taken into bondage by the Lamanites, the Lord promised them that:
Mosiah 24:14 And I will also ease the aburdens
which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon
your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye
may stand as bwitnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their cafflictions.
I know that the Lord is there. He will visit us in our afflictions. I think part of me has been fighting the fact that we must accept the state that we are in. If I were a pioneer being asked to cross the plains, I would have been sitting on a log next to the Mississippi river with my arms crossed, saying "no, I really just don't want to." (I would have failed that whole trial. Thank goodness the Lord knew that about me) But I forgot that the Lord is here and has a much better plan than I can imagine. Thank goodness for that otherwise the world would be a very negative place. I feel renewed and energized to take up the Banner of Truth and share it with the world.
p.s. Don't think that I'm not going to pound on Obama for every lie he said to get himself re-elected. Nor am I going to easily forget how many people allowed themselves to walk blindly "Forward" with him.
The only thing that's kept me going is thinking that maybe it won't be as bad as I thought. Hope hope hope.
ReplyDeleteSo
ReplyDeleteI read a few of your comments regarding the results of the election. It is always depressing after a loss, when hope and anticipation have been put into a very long campaign. Especially this one, Mitt being a Mormon and all, but let’s please not confuse this upset with signs of the end of the world or evil taking over. It was a political choice that was made by the people. I only wish to bring up this point because I looking from the other side of the political divide (if we can really say it is as simple as a linear line) am full of hope for our future. We all want the same things – at least in regards to the big stuff, where we differ is in how to get there and the order of priorities. The greatest threats to our freedoms, in my opinion, is #1-the disconnect that citizens have had with government – ie not being involved, and #2- government not being able to operate because of grid lock – this due to partisan politics, in part fuelled by divisive talk from both sides.
It kills me to hear my dear friends in despair post election, and I think how can I who am close to the spirit and they who are close to the spirit both feel so strongly but in opposite ways???? I know it is because we fall into thinking that left vs. right is like good vs. evil, or wrong vs. right. But it is not!! We really do have much more in common than what divides us. And there IS a place in the middle where problems can be solved. And it can be found if we put away the perspective that it is us vs. them but instead We The People working together from many different perspectives (not just 2) to help keep this country strong, healthy, and free.
Please let us all move forward, whether happy or unhappy with election results, with the right perspectives. In a spirit of cooperation and thinking ‘win win’. We are all children of God no matter where at the table we sit.
Becca