General
From Paul:
Cycle 8 Week three
My mind of late has been on the track that we are in a marathon
and not a sprint. I thought of the writings of Paul, who used the race metaphor
to encourage us to carry on in the face of opposition for that which God has
provided for us through Jesus Christ.
If we were engaged in a competitive race, there would be only one
winner. But in the gospel sense, we are engaged in a race against ourselves.
Just as athletes train to overcome and master the tendencies of their flesh to
be lazy, we strive to have our bodies in subjection to spiritual things. But competitive
races have limited rewards for those who do not claim the top spot. By some it
is said that second place is the first loser. But in God’s plan, we can all be
winners if we continue faithfully in the race.
24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but
one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate
in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a
cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so
easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set
before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set
before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right
hand of the throne of God.
We go forward during this contest of endurance. There are unknowns
ahead, and there are known challenges, such as what we currently face. Hopefully
the unknowns will be those that help to make our current known challenges easier.
We are cheered on to move forward because of our faith in a
loving and kind God, who considers
In our most recent general conference, Sister J. Anette Dennis
shared an experience that took place at the USA Master Track and Field National
Championship. A 100-year-old Orville Rogers competed in five races and came in
last place in all of them.
“When the starter pistol
fired, the runners took off, with Orville settling immediately into last place,
where he remained alone for the entire race, shuffling along very slowly.
[When] the last runner besides Orville finished, Orville still had two and a
half laps to go. Nearly 3,000 spectators sat quietly watching him slowly make
his way around the track—completely, silently, and uncomfortably alone.
“[But] when he began his final lap, the crowd rose to their feet,
cheering and applauding. By the time he hit the homestretch, the crowd was
roaring. With the cheering encouragement of thousands of spectators, Orville
called on his last reserves of energy. The crowd erupted with delight as he
crossed the finish line and was embraced by his competitors. Orville humbly and
gratefully waved to the crowd and walked off the track with his new friends.”
One message we can take from this experience is that we can all
thrive even when our best falls short in comparison to other people and what
they are experiencing.
God loves us and he is cheering us on. We have the best cheering
section ever. It includes God, Jesus Christ, and our loved ones.
From Doris:
Trees
All around us are trees waiting to come back to “life.” These
trees are not actually dead, but all their leaves are gone. They look forlorn.
It will be months before new buds form on their branches.
As I look at the trees, I realize that I feel stripped of my
“leaves.” My cancer and its treatments have taken a toll on me. I wonder if I
will ever feel normal again. In order to be made well, I have to go through
this barren time.
Although the trees are bare, their branches are reaching toward
heaven. The branches are not bent over. They are seeking light as they wait to
grow new leaves. I am determined to follow this pattern. I will seek for
heavenly light as I wait for my body to heal.
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