During “Come Follow Me” this week (Doctrine and Covenants Sections 121-123) I found a most uplifting scripture passage in section 123: 17 (the last verse), which reads: “Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed”.
I believe that each of us will face great challenges and adversity in our lives, this is part of God’s plan, but as we rely on HIm, and cheerfully do all we can to further his work in our thoughts, words and deeds, we can stand still knowing with full trust and faith that God will give us revelation that will lead to our salvation.
As we cheerfully do all we can to bring his gospel and the saving ordinances of the temple to his beloved children, we have is “utmost assurance” that his arm will be revealed to us. As we exercise faith to continue forward in this work through thick and thin, through trials and adversity, prayerfully seeking his guidance, the path to take to accomplish this work will be revealed to us. We will see miracles in our lives and in the lives of those we love and serve.
In a blog article on FamilySearch written by Kathryn Grant titled: 5 Ideas for Helping Others Find Joy in Temple and Family History Work , she shares ways to increase our joy and good cheer as we work on connecting to our families and completing their temple work. Here are some of the ideas she shares:
- Remember family history work is spiritual work
- Personalize the experience
- Focus on discovery experiences
- Guide but don’t take over
- Emphasize both halves of the blessing
As we cheerfully use our trials and experiences to teach, strengthen and bless ourselves and others with the gift of joy that comes through temple and family history work many lives will be blessed including the lives of our ancestors, ourselves, our children and those we serve.
–Elaine Hardman – Granite Family History Center – communications