Finding peace & joy amidst the chaos

I feel the pull to blog again...but without any clear direction that He wants me to go. So I sit here alone in the dark, just my computer & me. I reflect on life today as we know it. We are in very unusual times, I read so often of individuals who experience fear, loss & plenty of uncertainty. Yet underlining these emotions I personally feel the hum of peace, yes even joy and know this is all part of His divine plan for us. Did He give us this Pandemic...no, but He gave us  prophet who is a Doctor. This great man knows better than most what this will likely do to our world. This great man who has for so many years has also cultivated Chinese relationships so that when we asked for the impossible in China...permission to use an existing meeting house for our Temporary Temple, the answer was a resounding yes. Shocking the entire world! Then to be invited to build a temple in Dubai, which was likely not even on the Temple Departments radar....all because they saw something in our leaders & members that made this request a reality.

Then to now look back on the signs along the way preparing us for surviving today in this new world. Home-centered, Church supported learning. Yep! We were pretty excited when Church went to a two-hour block...who could have imagined NO Church at our buildings, at all!

We all know by now that the Salt Lake Temple Dedicatory prayer that sacred day so long ago, contained a plea that when we couldn't be in the Temple we would be protected by the Sacred Covenants we will make in the Temple. I think that phrase must have sounded a little strange to those in attendance. Who would have thought we would ever seen a time when every Temple is closed across the globe? And yet we are still being protected and sustained because of our sacred covenants made within those Holy Edifices !! 

In my calling as a  Councillor in our Stake Young Women Presidency, I often admonished our Young Women, to go to the Temple. And if they weren't ready to go inside the Temple, to remember the entire Temple grounds are dedicated as Holy Places. Touch the Temple physically, until you can go inside and have the Temple touch you! It is always a reminder to us of the Sacred Covenants we have made, and a way to remember to stay in the very center of our own Covenant Path.

Then our Prophet changed the time requirement when a Temple Sealing isn't how we got married. That surprised us all, and now we are seeing faithful couples getting married civilly until their marriage can be Sealed later in the House of the Lord. No less worthy or protected for being obedient and prepared for that sacred blessing.

Now thousands of missionaries have been called to come home, some to end their faithful service early, others to accept new assignments within their home country. Each of these scenarios carry their own challenges, and therefore blessings previously unrealized with these new circumstances. 

And so amidst these uncertain, chaotic & challenging times, I marvel at the steady, trusting, faithful families, who are reaping unprecedented blessings as they turn down the volume, if you will, on the things of the world, and witness the ability to see & hear those sacred, spiritual scenarios that surround us now. Some have spoken of this being a time to reset. To remember what matters most. To see ourselves and others through the eyes of our loving Savior Jesus Christ. To yearn for the fellowship of the saints we love & worship with. To seek Fathers guidance on how to navigate this treacherous terrain before us. To re-learn what our faithful Pioneers lived so long ago...simple lives centered in Christ. Finding joy in our families, lifting and helping those who may be hurting or lonely around us. Sharing the peace & joy of the Gospel of Christ, with all fellow-travelers, without apology.

And so as we adjust to a new normal may we each pause and reflect, and realize just what a precious gift we have been given. What will we look back and see, after the malls are filled again, the grocery stores are fully stocked, the busy schedule of work, church callings and family life fill our days again? How will we remember these challenging days? Will we come out the other-side stronger, more centered on Christ and His on-going restoration? Will our loved ones be the center of our focus, that we may all be on the covenant path together?

My prayer for each of us is just that. That tomorrow we will be better for having survived this century's worst Pandemic ever...COVID-19. I hope & pray we will be kinder, more intuitive to those around us, more focused on Christ and having found more peace & joy in His Eternal Gospel. 

The tulips are blooming at the Mount Timpanogos Temple, ushering in springtime. Better days are ahead. Look up, trust God, and continue to hope for a better day tomorrow. Express heartfelt gratitude, and see God's Tender Mercies all around. 

God is in His Heaven, and all's right with His Eternal Perfect Plan!