Times are tough the world over. COVID-19 is still wreaking havoc in the lives of individuals, families, and countries. Many people are suffering economic or other hardships. Many countries suffer from unrest or war. It can be difficult to stay centered when news headlines remind us of all that is unsettled in our world.

But there are things we can do to invite God into our lives to find more peace. Seeking peace isn’t just a benefit for ourselves; those who are at peace within themselves are more able to help others as well.

One way to do this is to read the word of God in scripture, such as the Bible. Reading from the Old and New Testaments with a desire to have God speak to us can open up insights about His love and nature. Reading the stories of people who went through hard things in scripture and found God’s help and strength can help us find hope for our own lives. Knowing that since the beginning of time, humans have gone through hard things and have been able to learn and grow from them can give us courage to carry on through our own hard times.

There is another book of scripture, called Another Testament of Jesus Christ. This book, the Book of Mormon, spans 1000 years of history, from about 600 B.C. to 400 A.D. It’s a record of a branch of the House of Israel that was guided from the Old World to the New (around the time of Jeremiah). It includes a record of Jesus Christ visiting the descendants of those so guided. He appeared after His resurrection and let the people feel the scars of the nails in His hands and feet — much like He allowed His apostles to do in the New Testament when He appeared to them. This account in the Book of Mormon shows that He allowed 2500 people to do the same! He didn’t reserve this special experience of witnessing His resurrection one by one to only a select few.

Even as I write that, I feel a sense of wonder and peace. Jesus wants us all to have experiences with Him. As we seek to learn about Him in scripture, we can “Come and See” more of who He is, and come to know through the witness of the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit) that He is real. He lives.

And students of the Bible know that He will come again. The more we can learn about Him and find Him now in our hard and good times, the more we’ll be ready to receive Him when He comes again.

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As this site was originally designed to help those not of our faith learn more about women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we’re including this interview with Lita with the Center for Latter-day Saint arts. Lita is a convert to the Church, a mother of five, a passionate learner, a performer, a licensed social worker, and, most importantly, an ardent follower of Jesus Christ. Everything she does is with the intent to help bring people to Him.

The post “Someday He Will Come’ appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

My gas light was on. Again. This time, the gauge was well past the “E” symbol that signified that my car was on the verge of running out of gas. I had pushed the limit several times before, just to see how far I could go before I really needed gas. That time, I ran out of gas at an intersection, causing traffic problems. My husband had to come rescue me. He didn’t appreciate that very much. This time I had to pick up two kindergarteners in 20 minutes and could not be late. I needed to find a gas station PRONTO!

I thought, “I should pray.”

I got an answer very quickly. An image popped into my mind and I understood the meaning immediately.

This painting is entitled “Five of Them Were Wise” in reference to the parable of the ten virgins as found in Matthew 25:1-13. I was being chastised for not keeping my gas tank full. Fumes got me to the closest gas station and to my kindergarten pick up on time. But my heart continued to ponder the deeper meaning of the image presented to me in my mind.

“Am I prepared?”
“Am I as foolish spiritually as I am physically?”
“What am I doing to fill my lamp?”

Elder Dallin H. Oaks gives some points to ponder on the subject of being spiritually ready to meet our Lord.

“What if the day of His coming were tomorrow? If we knew that we would meet the Lord tomorrow—through our premature death or through His unexpected coming—what would we do today? What confessions would we make? What practices would we discontinue? What accounts would we settle? What forgivenesses would we extend? What testimonies would we bear?

If we would do those things then, why not now? Why not seek peace while peace can be obtained? If our lamps of preparation are drawn down, let us start immediately to replenish them.”

“What is the state of our personal preparation for eternal life? The people of God have always been people of covenant. What is the measure of our compliance with covenants, including the sacred promises we made in the waters of baptism, in receiving the holy priesthood, and in the temples of God? Are we promisers who do not fulfill and believers who do not perform?”

The most poignant line for me in the parable of the ten virgins comes in the end of verse ten, “and the door was shut.” Every time I read that line I say, “No, not me! Don’t shut the door on me Lord. I will be ready.” Maybe I should print out a picture of the ten virgins and tape it next to my gas tank to remind me to literally and spiritually to keep my tank full and to start working on becoming one of the wise.

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For more on this topic, following is content from lds.org on spiritual preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ:

Oil in Our Lamps by Elder Lynn G. Robbins

Preparation for the Second Coming by Dallin H. Oaks

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf also talked about this in the recent First Presidency Christmas Devotional.

Look steadfastly for [the Savior’s] coming. The early disciples of Jesus Christ yearned for the time when He would come again. For them, mortality was a time of preparation and growth, of sifting and refining, a time for trimming their lamps and preparing for the return of their beloved Savior…. [T]wo thousand years later, we also stand as His disciples….The term latter-day [in the name of our Church] is significant. We live and serve in a time prior to the Lord’s triumphant return. Our work is to prepare…for the coming of the Messiah in glory….While the Christmas season is typically a time for looking back and celebrating the birth of our Lord, it seems to me that it should also be a time of looking to the future. Let us look forward. Let us prepare for that blessed day when He will come again.

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