Archive for April, 2010

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

You’ll Never Walk Alone

This past Sunday, CBS aired the newest Hallmark Hall of Fame movie.  It was about Bill and Lois Wilson, a couple who co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon.  These are support groups for recovering alcoholics and their loved ones. As I watched this touching film, it struck me how much support helps us get through whatever trials we may face in life.

These days there are support groups for just about everything, but what if you’re not struggling with something that comes with an official group?  I have formed my own support group of friends and we get together once a month and just talk, catch up on each other’s lives and share our burdens. We come from all different situations and stages of life and yet it doesn’t matter.  In those few hours each month we gain strength and support from each other and our burdens seem just a little lighter.  It also helps put our troubles in perspective and gives us a chance to forget ourselves and help each other.

We, as members of the Church, also have another support system.  We have our ward families.  There are Home and Visiting Teachers, Church Leaders and just other members who offer support and assistance. There is also one more source of support.  We have Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father.  Sometimes They are the only ones who understand what we are going through.  Alma 7:11-12 tells us that Jesus took upon Him pains and suffering of all kinds so that He might succor His people.  He took all our hurts upon Himself, so He could truly understand how we feel.

The Lord never intended for us to walk the road of life alone. We just have to know where help and support is and then reach out for it. We also need to be available to give help and support to others, whether it’s through Visiting or Home Teaching (it’s the end of the month, have you done yours?) or more informally reaching out to someone in need.  Some of us struggle with either giving or receiving help. We need to be open to both, to do as the Savior would do.  Even He received strength and support from an angel in the Garden of Gethsemane. And of course He gave constantly. Let us follow in His footsteps on both sides of the support equation.

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Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

The End of the World as Hollywood Knows It

It seems like lately not a week goes by that we don’t hear about another major earthquake somewhere in the world. Add to it the Icelandic volcano and it’s enough to make you wonder if the end is near. Hollywood has long shown us its version of the end of the world with endless disaster movies. I was looking through a catalog the other day and almost every new movie they had was a disaster film.

With all the natural disasters occurring, it makes you wonder if what movies have shown us for years is about to become all too frighteningly real. Recently in the movie 2012, the roads and buildings seemed to disintegrate around the people running for their lives. Other films blame a specific natural phenomenon for the destruction such as a volcano, earthquake, flood, and of course the ever popular meteor or asteroid about to hit earth. There was even a TV mini-series last year about an asteroid hitting the moon and breaking off a chunk of it which resulted in all kinds of problems on Earth.

Prophets and apostles have told us for years, decades even, to prepare for what may come. Their vision of the future is far more optimistic than Hollywood would have us believe. We have a prime example in 3rd Nephi. The earth shook and there was massive destruction. Darkness covered the land for several days. And then there was a soft comforting voice. Those who had survived came out of their hiding places and had a marvelous experience with the Savior. I like this vision a lot better.

We are told that if we are prepared we will have nothing to be afraid of. What that means is we need to listen to our leaders and follow their council. Get our food storage and other emergency preparedness items in order. Have a plan with our families as to what we’ll do and where we will go if disaster should strike. And then, go forward with faith. Live our lives as best we can according to what Heavenly Father would have us do. And then if and when the big one strikes there will be no fear, no regrets. Instead there will be the peace the Nephites felt when they heard the soft voice of the Lord.

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