Prepared to be blessed

We've reached the end of another semester of school. Wow... Now its just time for final exams! I wanted to write about the final classroom discussion which we had last week about Doctrine and Covenants Section 138. This is quite a unique section, especially because it is a revelation to someone other than Joseph Smith, Jr. It is given to Joseph F Smith, who is the prophet Joseph's nephew. Please take the chance to read the section if you haven't already, for it contains magnificent and awesome truths about the universality of God's plan. He literally created a perfect plan in which not a single one of His children is forgotten or neglected!
This section is about the spirit world, or the place where the spirits of those who have died dwell until the day of resurrection. Professor Holzapfel really did a marvelos job of laying out the context within which this revelation was received. He explained that the theme of death was all around President Smith: he had recently lost a youthful son, the world was at the conclusion of the 1st World War and millions of people had died because of the Influenza virus, not to mention, he himself was on his deathbed and would pass away just days after receiving this revelation which he had sought for so long to understand.
Instead of simply restating all we learned in this class discussion, I would like to share my feelings and beliefs about the principle behind it all: the Lord's perfect plan includes experiences and circumstances which are meant to prepare us to receive blessings and guidance. President Smith was prepared by the many grim happenings to fully appreciate the joy and peace that comes from knowing that God's plan extends far beyond this mortal life and into the eternities. In like manner, I have seen in my own life how experiences and circumstances have truly prepared my mind and my heart for something important to come. For example, several weeks ago, I was in the middle of a situation which was going to have some very lasting effects, depending on the decision I made. One Tuesday afternoon, after having arrived at a conclusion, something happened that really shook me up and left me doubting my decision which I had recently made. I recall asking in anguish why I had to go through the same process again if I had made my decision before? Was it an incorrect decision? I went a couple of days with no resolution, until one evening I found out that the situation I was in was much more serious than previously expected and that pressure was even greater than I had imagined to make the right choice. I made my choice, the same one I had made previously, and I left feeling peaceful and humbled; I realized that I needed to be shaken up a couple of days before, made to seek even deeper confirmation of God's confidence in me. Otherwise, the moment of added pressure and seriousness may have been too much for me to handle had I not had the time to seek strength and guidance. I hope this hasn't been too muddled though I have chosen to withhold certain details. I truly have faith in Christ and know that putting our trust in him will yield the greatest, most wonderful resuts, even when we find ourselves in circumstances which are less than pleasant or favorable

I first want to start the post this week with a bit of a follow up on my first post ever back in January. In that post, I mentioned a talk given by Russell Ballard, a church leader who encouraged members of the church to engage in the on going discussion about God, religion and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through use of new media. Well, I found a talk given back in 1946 which contains the same invitation to church members by Elder John Widstoe, a former church leader who occupied, as does Russell Ballard, a position in the quorum of the 12 apostles. In this talk entitled "The Obligation of the Church," John Widstoe discusses the responsibility that he and other members of Christ's Church have to share the gospel with all the world because this gospel is the only one that offers true peace. I quote: "Missionary work must grow in foreign fields as never before; missionary work at home must increase as never before. We shall employ every modern device--the telephone, the telegraph, radio, printing press, the short wave systems..., and the other devices that are coming. We shall use them all in our attempt to win men and women from wickedness to righteousness, from untruth or near truth to full and complete truth, which is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ."
By this quote we see that the counsel and need to employ the means available to us is not unique to this generation of cyberspace and blogging. Rather, the Lord has always guided his servants to make the best use of the most modern processes and technologies to spread His gospel of peace throughout the earth.
I feel grateful for the chance to participate in this worldwide, ongoing discussion of faith and truth. I am so grateful for the modern technologies which are continually being improved upon. These technologies are capable of so much good if used correctly.