And, since I will be serving a mission, I have been reading Preach My Gospel. Today I was reading the second lesson which is about the plan of salvation. One sentence on page 52 sums up an experience that I had last year. The sentence reads, "Those who chose to obey God in this life live in a state of happiness, peace, and rest from troubles and care." The very last part about rest is the part that pertains to my experience. I will now provide my experience.
Why Should We Mourn
During my summer term at Brigham Young
University in 2011, I learned that my brother’s friend had died, and my
roommate’s brother’s friend had also died.
It reminded me that my family had known at least eight people who died
in the first three months of the year. I
also learned that my siblings were struggling with the new step family. My dad had only been remarried for a
month. I just felt so much sorrow for my
siblings.
So,
as I knelt to pray that night, I was just so sad. I was crying before I got the second sentence
out. During my prayer, I wanted to ask
when my family would get a break. Why can’t they just go without trial for a
few months? All I could do was think
it; the words never came out of my mouth.
The words were impossible to say.
A new thought, or pair of thoughts, repeated in my mind. The first thought was, “Rest doesn’t come
until after death.” I knew that; I just
wanted to fight it. Couldn’t my family just have a little rest? The answer is no. Rest comes after death.
The
second thought was the first half of the second verse of the hymn “Come, Come
Ye Saints”: “Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard? ‘Tis not so; all is right. Why should we think to earn a great reward if
we now shun the fight?”
This
life is not hard; we only think it is.
We are weak mortals, yet our spirits are so strong. There is no reward in heaven if we give up
now. So, pick yourself up, dust yourself
off, and get back in the battle.
That
is the one time that I remember actually getting words as revelation. I always like to then add the last line of
the second verse, but with a little twist.
“We
will, by golly, have a tale to tell. All is well, all is well!”
Conclusion
I love all of you. I have found that if we are obedient in this life, we will have peace. Peace eventually comes, but don't give up now. Don't shun the fight.
Love,
Cami
