This week was the last week in the mission for President and
Sister Dibb; their spots have now been taken by President and Sister Allen. While
we're sad to see the Dibbs go, I can't help but be excited for what's the fresh
new mission president and his wife will be like and how their strengths will
continue to enhance this mission even more than ever before. I am hoping that
their fresh enthusiasm will inspire us to greater commitment levels and greater
success! We will get to meet them on Tuesday and I'm sure I'm not the only one
excited to meet them!
This week I stumbled across a poem that really struck me.
It's called "Student" by Jessie Eastman Holt and it talks about the
speaker's hunt for knowledge. It's goes like this:
I set a snare for knowledge
On every epic page;
Pursued the word of wisdom
Up and down an age;
Poet, saint, and wise man
Stealthily I stalked;
Listening, I followed
The very ways they walked.
But soon I stood astounded,
For every path they trod
In the end curved widely,
Swiftly back to God.
I like that it starts out sharing the story of the speaker's
educational journey and then wraps it all back in at the end to share with us
his most important discovery, the one he never really expected to find, that
each school of thought he explored lead him to the same realization that God
was the mastermind behind all of it. I love this concept because one of the
truths that a I hold most dear is that all truth can be grouped together as one
great whole. There is no truth that does not complement and support other
truths. Whether we're talking about science, philosophy, or religion, what's
true will always supports other truths, while what is not true will never consistently
support untruths. This doctrine brings a lot of peace to my mind because even
though it's slightly obvious because it shows to me that our Heavenly Father is
not a father of confusion, but rather a Deity of harmony and logic. He never
works beyond the realms of what is true, or, in other words, He is not a God of
magic. Even the most unexplainable miracles are subject to this truth, from
turning water to wine, to raising Lazarus from the dead, to the miracle of the atonement.
None of these miracles were done by magic, but by quite logical and true means
that we simply don't have the knowledge and understanding to explain yet. Understanding
miracles and the influence of God like this does not diminish their grandeur,
but instead helps us to realize and appreciate the incomprehensible wisdom of
our Heavenly Father and His supreme influence over the elements. Many things
that we can accomplish today would have been considered miracles decades ago.
For instance, with a few taps we can use a smartphone to instantly video call
our friend in China from anywhere in the world to wish him a happy birthday. Is
this not miraculous? Let us not forget that the heavenly gift of greater
enlightenment was never intended to make us think less of God, but instead
cause us to marvel even more greatly at the beauty and wonder that is so
prevalent in the universe He has created for us. When we take a step back and
see this life for what it really is, we realize that truly everything around us
is a miracle, from friends and family to a nice comfortable home to the
stability and safety of an organized government. Quite easily we could say that
all of the instances of the hand of the Lord in our lives are, in their own
ways, miracles.
I'm so grateful for the many miracles in my life that
inspire me to greater gratitude and greater desires to do good. I'm so grateful
that truth is truth no matter where you find it and for the inspiration that it
gives me to never stop learning. This week, ponder the miracles in your life;
look for the blessings, even the small ones. Then, ponder on how you can invite
the hand of God into your life even more. The words of the Book of Mormon
prophet Moroni might be of assistance. He says, "it is by faith that
miracles are wrought." Increase your faith, see miraculous things. As you
look for miracles in your life I am certain you will find them and as you
nurture your faith in our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, I can
promise that you will see even more.
Enjoy your week and all the miraculous blessings it will
bring!
-Anziano Jake Wilkinson
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