My Kindness Shall Not Depart From Thee

Here Elder Holland bears testimony of the Lord's kindness. "Hold on thy way. Fear not," he says.

My Kindness Shall Not Depart from Thee

For a little while
Have I forsaken thee;
But with great mercies will I gather thee.
In a little wrath I hid my face from thee
For a moment.
But with everlasting kindness will I gather thee,
And with mercy will I take thee ‘neath my wings,
For the mountains shall depart,
And the hills shall be removed,
And the valleys shall be lost beneath the sea,
But know, my child,
My kindness shall not depart from thee!

Though thine afflictions seem
At times too great to bear,
I know thine every thought and every care.
And though the very jaws
Of hell gape after thee I am with thee.
And with everlasting mercy will I succor thee,
And with healing will I take thee ‘neath my wings.
Though the mountains shall depart,
And the hills shall be removed,
And the valleys shall be lost beneath the sea,
Know, my child,
My kindness shall not depart from thee!

How long can rolling waters
Remain impure?
What pow’r shall stay the hand of God?
The Son of Man hath descended below all things.
Art thou greater than He?

So hold on thy way,
For I shall be with thee.
And mine angels shall encircle thee.
Doubt not what thou knowest,
Fear not man, for he
Cannot hurt thee.
And with everlasting kindness will I succor thee,
And with mercy will I take thee ‘neath my wings.
For the mountains shall depart,
And the hills shall be removed,
And the valleys shall be lost beneath the sea,
But know, my child,
My kindness shall not depart from thee!
My kindness shall not depart from thee!

(From the oratorio composed by Rob Gardner: Joseph Smith the Prophet. See also Isaiah 54:7-8, D&C 122:7-8)

This is one of my favorite songs. I first heard it done by one of the BYU choirs and fell in love. It is such an important thing for all of us to remember. When we are doing our best to follow the Lord, He will be with us. We will experience the refiner's fire, but He shall never depart from us.

Trials are a fact of life. We must remember that we wanted to come and have a mortal experience or we would not be here. Remember who you are. Remember whose you are! You are a child of God, the Eternal Father, the Creator of Heaven and Earth and all that in them are. He has created the universe! But we are His greatest creations. He weeps over those who reject Him. (see Moses 7:28-36) He delights to honor those who serve Him in righteousness! (see D&C 76:5)

How great is our God, how endless His glory!

How grateful I am for the Savior's sacrifice. How grateful that He would descend below all things that He might know how to succor us!

How great, how glorious, how complete
Redemption's grand design
Where justice, love, and mercy meet
In harmony divine! (Hymn 195)

God's Wonders

I had the opportunity to go to the LDS temple near where I live on Friday. I did some temple work with my sister, then went to the visitor's center where they had an exhibit. It was a collection of pictures taken by the Hubble Telescope. Oh, they were beautiful! Eleven pictures in all of nebulae and galaxies and stars. They were absolutely stunning!

Many a time I have gazed at the stars and wondered what lay beyond them. What do they look like up close? I think about how much is out there, how immense 'space' is. I feel small and insignificant at times, but then I remember that God knows me and every individual that ever lived or will live. In spite of all that He has created, He takes the time to listen to our prayers, our hope and fears. Then the stars remind me of Him instead of my smallness. I love to look at them for this reason: that they remind me of Him. And I think of all of His other creations, all the beauties of the earth and the universe.

How amazed I am by them! From a tiny baby's ear to the billions of formations in space. It's amazing how it all works out just right. I don't think it is mere coincidence that the universe was formed. There are too many variables to think that it all happened by chance, like the distance of the earth from the sun and the tilt of the earth that gives us our temperate seasons. I know there is a greater power out there orchestrating everything. I know there is a God. I know that He lives and He cares about each and every one of us.

Marriage

Considering that there are two upcoming marriages in my family, I'd like to share a thought about marriage.

This is what my mother's grandmother would say to her and what my mother always tells us: Don't get married unless you can look me in the eye and tell me that you will marry him (or her) no matter what anyone else says.

I am glad that both of the upcoming marriages have been up to these standards, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Naknek tradition

Ahhh...I am finally back from an adventure in Alaska. I worked in a little town called Naknek that sits next to the Naknek River that floats to the Bristol Bay. It was Salmon season and I was at a cannery and freezer plant. I was one of the seven on the glove crew who took care of the gloves that the workers used. Part of my duties was to go out to the satelite plant situated just on the other side of town from the main plant.

That meant that I got to drive a lot. So I can say that I've now driven in Alaska :). I found out that Naknek has a peculiar tradition that I love. When you pass a vehicle coming from the opposite direction, you wave--you just raise your hand a little to wave at the other person. Oooo, I love it when they wave back!

Smile!

Have you ever smiled at someone you don't know? What is their reaction? When they smile back, how does it make you feel? Now try saying "Hello" as well. Then "How are you?" It's the best way to cheer yourself up! And it's a great way to serve others. That's what it is, serving! You serve their spirit by telling them that they are worth saying "hello" to, that you see them and know that they are there. If you are someone who tends to keep your eyes averted and not look at those you don't know, it's a good way to make yourself be more social. I warn you, though, it can be addicting. :)

If you've ever been smiled at by someone, you know how much it lifts your spirit. Go out and do it for someone else!

Hey look! I started a blog!
Let me introduce myself. I'm a musician who is aiming to be a teacher. I like ice cream and love life. Yes, I am a 'mormon'--or in other words a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--true blue, through and through.
I have thought about starting a blog for a while. Now, I have finally done it for two reasons, okay, maybe three. It's a way to enhance my writing skills. it's an opportunity for me to look at my experiences in more detail as I write about them. And it's a way to share the gospel, so if you want to read this blog, be aware that it will usually have a gospel spin. It is a major part of who I am, and I won't deny it!
I hope that my readers will leave this page uplifted and more aware of the gift that is life. Happy reading!