our only safety

My Sunday School lesson yesterday was titled, "How do the commandments help me learn to be more like Heavenly Father?" I wish I had shared this quote from Elder Eyring with my class:

"The Master knows what it is to have the cares of life press upon us. And He knows that both the trials we face and our human powers to deal with them ebb and flow. And so He offers us the covenants to 'always remember him' and the warning to 'pray always' so that we will place our reliance on Him, our only safety. It is not hard to know what to do. As the forces around us increase in intensity, whatever spiritual strength was once sufficient will not be enough. Both the need for spiritual strength and the opportunity to acquire it will increase at rates which we underestimate at our peril."

I believe that Heavenly Father gave us commandments and covenants to keep us safe, and as Elder Eyring said, we need them now more than ever.

In a talk by Elder Christofferson referenced in my lesson, he says:

"Sadly, much of modern Christianity does not acknowledge that God makes any real demands on those who believe in Him, seeing Him rather as a butler 'who meets their needs when summoned' or a therapist whose role is to help people 'feel good about themselves.' It is a religious outlook that 'makes no pretense at changing lives.' 'By contrast,' as one author declares, 'the God portrayed in both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures asks, not just for commitment, but for our very lives. The God of the Bible traffics in life and death, not niceness, and calls for sacrificial love, not benign whatever-ism.'"

At any rate, yesterday left me with a greater desire to turn my heart to God, to keep His commandments, and to commit myself more fully to Him. After all, He knows what is best for me. He, who created this earth and this life, knows what I need to help me return to Him.

Yesterday was a happy day at our house. Mabel gave a really well-written talk in Sacrament meeting and Oliver was ordained a deacon. I really love the people these kids are becoming and I am grateful for their happy, helpful influences in our home.