Just a friendly reminder that you can do everything right, and still be forced to live in a rock for the remainder of your life.
Does anyone else feel like they need that reminder every week or so?!
We love preaching that righteousness = blessings.
But then we sometimes get a false sense of what those blessings are.
If you are righteous, you are not promised freedom from financial issues.
If you are righteous, your spouse can still make a terrible decision.
If you are righteous, you can still lose your job.
If you are righteous, you can have a lot of people really angry at you.
If you are righteous, you can still feel really disappointed by others’ actions.
If you are righteous, you might not look the way you want to look.
If you are righteous, you can totally fail a test.
If you are righteous, you can still be dramatically harmed by other people.
If you are righteous, you can still be diagnosed with a terrible illness.
So… why am I choosing to be righteous?!
Because of the real blessings that we are promised.
Because of the peace.
The inner joy.
Because of Jesus Christ.
The confidence before the Lord.
And unimaginable and innumerable blessings for the eternities.
Because I love my Savior and my Heavenly Parents, and I want to keep the commandments that I have been given.
But sometimes I need to have that reframe.
I AM grateful for all of my outward blessings.
I am filled with gratitude when I look at my living situation, my loved ones, my health, my opportunities.
But really, all of those could be taken away.
I could be living in a cave, completely alone for the rest of my life.
And I could still give thanks.
“Great and marvelous were the prophecies of Ether; but they esteemed him as naught, and cast him out; and he hid himself in the cavity of a rock by day, and by night he went forth viewing the things which should come upon the people.” (Ether 13:13)
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
