How is your “Creating Zion” task going so far? I definitely have a long way to go, but I am grateful for the lessons that Elder Holland has shared with us. Let’s explore Lesson #3…
But first, a story to set the lesson up.
Story #3: The Police Officer
My heart aches for the children in this story, and for children everywhere who have similar, or worse, stories. It is difficult to hear, and it is also difficult to know that things like this happen every day. What can we do? There are so many horrible situations in this world. What can we possibly do to help create Zion in our communities and countries where evil lurks around every corner? Elder Quentin L. Cook shares some insights on our responsibilities as disciples of Jesus Christ.
“In addition to protecting our own families, we should be a source of light in protecting our communities. The Savior said, ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’…In our increasingly unrighteous world, it is essential that values based on religious belief be [evident in] the public square. …Religious faith is a store of light, knowledge, and wisdom and benefits society in a dramatic way.”
Elder Holland shares with us the consequences of not taking our responsibilities as disciples of Christ seriously…
Our Responsibility
I don’t know about you, but there are times when this responsibility weighs heavily on my mind and I find myself overwhelmed because of the looming task at hand. How can we possibly make a dent in the problems our world faces? Elder Holland give us some advice on how to tackle this daunting task of taking gospel blessings to our communities.
We Can Do Something
In our quest to create Zion right where we are, I hope that we can remember the three valuable lessons that Elder Holland has taught us in this magnificent talk.
- Never “Check Your Religion at the Door”
- Show Compassion, but Be Loyal to the Commandments
- Use Gospel Values to Benefit Communities and Countries
All of these can be summed up in one sentence…
We don’t need to wear a missionary tag to spread the joy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We don’t need to wait for the millennium to experience peace in our lives. We just need to get to work living our lives in a manner that reflects the love that we have for our Savior, Jesus Christ.
I Believe You Truly Loved Me
What a marvelous day that will be and I join Elder Holland in saying that I hope the Lord will find me doing good things, spreading His gospel, and living my life to reflect the love that I have for Him. Thank you for taking this journey with me. I hope that it has been inspiring and that you have an increased desire to create Zion right where you are.
I grew up the oldest of 5 children in the blazing heat of Southern Utah. After high school and some college experience I met and married Mark Ogden and we are the parents of four children. I have owned and operated my own home-based preschool for more than a dozen years, and I consider myself an accidental author as well. When I am not in my minivan transporting children from one activity to the next, I enjoy playing the piano, blogging, speaking about my life’s experiences, and feeding my insatiable crafting disease.
Beautifully said. I think that figuring out our roles in the community can be difficult as it’s not always well defined. I’ll have to more fully think about that for me. Thanks fire the beautiful inspiration.