Funerals, legacies, and prophets

I think it’s pretty natural while at a funeral to ponder on what your own funeral might be like.

I attended a funeral last month after my husband’s grandpa passed away, and I found that my thoughts kept bringing me to my own legacy.

What will people say about me?

What kind of a life am I living?

I want to be a force for SO MUCH good in the world.

I want to boldly proclaim my testimony, and arrive in the next life exhausted from doing my best.

I want to develop myself and serve others like crazy.

So when I read Doctrine and Covenants 21:6, my attention was piqued, because it aligned perfectly with my “big picture” goals for my life!

In that verse, the Lord says,

“For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory.”

THIS is the kind of impact I want to make!

Dispersing the powers of darkness wherever I shine my light.

Causing the heavens to shake for my good because of the good deeds that I choose to do.

But what is it that was mentioned right before this verse?

What is it that I need to do that will cause the Lord God to make these powerful actions happen?

It’s D&C 21:4-5 where the Lord tells us that we have to listen to and follow the prophet, just as if the Lord Himself were speaking these words to us!

Listen to the prophet as intently as you would the Lord, act on what you hear, and then the gates of hell can not prevail against us.

What?! So. Powerful.

That is how important it is to “follow the prophet”.

President Nelson has given us lots of very specific challenges and assignments to do.

Starting with when he challenged the women of the church to do a social media fast and then read the Book of Mormon before the end of the year, I have felt the true, literal power that has come from following his counsel.

I know that, to some degree, the heavens can shake for my good and that I can disperse darkness in my life.

And… I’ve also slacked in other areas of his counsel.

I’ve forgotten or ignored or pushed to the side.

And THAT allows little wisps of darkness to keep me from accessing my full power.

So, are we wanting to knock out the darkness that surrounds us with even more power?

It might be worth reconsidering how seriously we follow our current prophet’s divine counsel.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black