Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Elder Whitney made this statement in General Conference:
“The Prophet Joseph Smith declared—and he never taught more comforting doctrine—that the eternal sealings of faithful parents and the divine promises made to them for valiant service in the Cause of Truth, would save not only themselves, but likewise their posterity. Though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold. Either in this life or the life to come, they will return. They will have to pay their debt to justice; they will suffer for their sins; and may tread a thorny path; but if it leads them at last, like the penitent Prodigal, to a loving and forgiving father's heart and home, the painful experience will not have been in vain. Pray for your careless and disobedient children; hold on to them with your faith. Hope on, trust on, till you see the salvation of God” (Orson F. Whitney, Conference Report, April 1929).
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I have attempted to post a comment on this blog several times. I know the feelings that this blog post has brought to me. There are so many sides to this topic. I wanted to share my thoughts based on my own experiences. I was blessed to be born in the covenant, thru the sealing powers that were given to my parents. I grew up in a home that had family prayer, scripture study, family home evening, etc. My parents did the best that they knew how with all 7 of their children. I had an older sister that fell away from the church at the age of 18. I know the heart ache that these lifestyle choices can cause a family. Because of my sister's choices, we as a family had 2 choices, we could lose her to her choices, or we could love her for who she was. My family chose the 2nd option. I was blessed with tolerance beyond compare thru her lessons as I met so many that struggled. My sister did come back home and she "paid the price" thru repentance and when she passed away she as well as my family were at peace with who she was.
On the other hand, I have a brother, who on the outside, lived worthily to participate in the sacred ordinances of the Temple. After he passed away, I found that he had done some things in this life that he did not repent for. He did have his agency, and he chose to use it. I don’t know what the future holds for him. I do know that our Father in Heaven is very merciful, and he will not only fulfill justice, but he will also heal the wounds that my brother’s choices have caused to my family.
I love music, and as I reflected on this post I was reminded of a song titled “Let Him Heal Your Heart”. Who can know the heartache that you're feeling deep inside? Who can know the burden you've carried all your life?
Darkness fills the daylight and the road is much too long.
Where is heavens answers and the strength to carry on?
When the night is lonely and your pride and fear depart,
When the tears are falling and the questions fill your heart,
Think of how he loves you, how he longs to bring you home.
Reach out for his guidance, he has walked your path alone.
There's no simple challenge, every road is not the same.
Every wrong decision is forgotten if you change.
Feel his warmth surround you, see his arms are opened wide.
And know that he stands ready, when you start to change your life.
Never doubt his goodness, don't believe that its too late.
He sees your every struggle, and he know the trials you face.
Follow and believe him, put your trust in him again.
And change your heart forever, let the miracles begin.
Chorus: Let him heal your heart, remember every promise he has made.
Reach into your soul, forsake a life of sin and he will shine that light inside again.
Let him help you start, to live again and feel his endless love.
Let him hold and teach you, love and reach you, let him heal your heart.
We cannot see what our Heavenly Father sees. Eternity is a very long time, and with Faith, Hope, and Love, Heavenly Father will heal ALL hearts.
I was wondering about the change to this blog. The original was very scholarly, and finally, after reading it many times I was able to grasp the concepts. I concluded that indeed, we all must make our own way to exaltation with the help of Christ. I was comfortable with the knowledge that the sealing power of parents to their posterity is limited to the eternalness of families but does not extend to celestial glory. Now, I see that three-quarters of the blog is missing and my conclusion no longer seems to fit.
Elder Whitney’s quote from the April 1929 Conference Report as comforting as it seems, puts into question the gospel and doctrinal issues of agency, repentance, forgiveness and our individual Heavenly parentage. If we ultimately are Heavenly Father’s children, then how can being sealed to our mortal parents determine our ultimate, eternal destiny? Elder Whitney’s comments also bring into question the issues of good works, restitution and reconciliation.
I’m considering that my confusion may stem from misunderstanding the nuances of the meanings of the terms exaltation, celestial glory, salvation and being saved. I also realize that only God knows the answers to the questions of the next life. However, your previously post spoke with such surety to the truth of personal worthiness being essential for salvation. I’m wondering, what is the message now and why the change?
This afternoon while attending church, I stumbled upon a story from the lesson that I felt stirred my thoughts on the subject. From the teachings of President George Albert Smith as he talked to a woman heading on a train ride to Portland, the woman said, “My youngest boy, a few weeks ago, left home and did not tell us where he was going. We received no word from him, but he thought he would go out into the world no doubt and see it for himself, and the first intimation that we had of his whereabouts was when a telegram came from the Mercy hospital in Portland, stating that our boy was there sick in that hospital.” She said: “Of course the message shocked us very much. There was only one thing to do, and that was to raise means and go at once to that boy.”
… She was prepared to sit up during that long ride, day and night, not resentful of the unkindness and thoughtlessness of her boy, but only thinking that he was hers, that he belonged to her, that God gave him to her, and that our Heavenly Father expected her to use every possible means to enrich his life and prepare him for the opportunities that awaited him. So through the long hours of the night, as the train rumbled over the rails, this good woman sat there, yearning for her boy, every mile taking her just a little nearer to that lodestone that was tugging at her heart. Finally when she arrived, quickly as she could, she made her way to the hospital. It so transpired that the place where I was to remain was not far from the hospital so I went over there to see what had occurred.
There was that sweet mother sitting by the bedside of her boy who had been seized with a serious attack of pneumonia, and he was lying there in pain. She was not scolding him because he had been unmindful of her; she was not resentful of his thoughtlessness and of his carelessness, she was just thankful to be with her boy that God had given to her. She was now trying to nurse back the child for whom she had entered into partnership with her Heavenly Father, to bring him into this world."
As I read the story and thought of this post, I reflected on the times with my siblings that fell away, as I mentioned in my prior comment.
Just like in the above story, each one of us has our own agency, to choose right from wrong, good or evil. It is a beautiful thought that the "sealing powers" will save our family, but as I said, each one of us have our own agency! The portion of the post that was deleted that Terri pointed out put in such eloquence a difference between Salvation, Exaltation, and Celestial Glory and honestly, I was blessed to have been able to read it before it was deleted. Satan's powers are very real, and as mentioned in a prior post, 1/3 of the Lord's children chose not to come to this Earth. The Lord truly has saved some of his strongest for this time. To the parents I quote a scripture "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
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