I just finished re-reading Dan Brown's
The Lost Symbol and found it to be even better the second time around. Now I know and understand that this is a fictional story, as are all of his novels, but there were some great passages and the main focus of the book really rang true with me and with the beliefs that I already hold dear. On my mission there was a time where I was intensely studying the word truth and the meaning behind what is means when something is true. There are some amazing scriptures that are about truth and this quickly became my favorite topic in conversation with members and fellow missionaries and on
occasion with
investigators. One of my very favorite scriptures is found in
Jacob 4 :13
"Behold, my brethren, he that prophesieth, let him prophesy to the understanding of men; for the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls. But behold, we are not witnesses alone in these things; for God also spake them unto prophets of old."
When we come to understand what is really true we can feel peace and understanding far greater then what we did before. When we understand truth we can then say that we "know" not just believe.
The passage that again got me pondering on this subject comes from Dan Browns book and is as follow.....
"Truth has power. And if we all gravitate toward similar ideas, maybe we do so because those ideas are
true . . . written deep within us. And when we hear the truth, even if we don't understand it, we feel that truth resonate within us . . . vibrating with our unconscious wisdom. Perhaps the truth is not
learned by us, but rather, the truth is re-called . . . re-membered . . . re-cognized . . . as that which is already inside us. "
I am grateful for the things that I know to be true. I am grateful for the Gospel and all the truths that are taught within it. I am grateful for my Savior. I know that He truly was the Son of God and that all of the things He did and taught are true. I am grateful to know the truth that our families are forever. This time of year always is a great time of reflection for me. It is my favorite time of year. There is a very special Spirit that comes with the month of December and I know that it is not by accident. God loves us. We are his children and every year He reminds us of His love and of His Son by sending a special Spirit for the whole world to feel. Merry Christmas everyone. My God bless you and your families!
This is now what nap time looks like everyday and at night when we put Gavin to bed it basically the same story. We put Gavin in his crib with Donald. He cries for a few minutes then we hear "Uh oh Donald, Donald fall down." So we go in and sure enough Donald is on the floor. Then we pick him up and hand him to Gavin and then Gavin says "Daddy (or Mommy) Out" and he points to the door. So we leave and within minutes Gavin is asleep with his arms wrapped around Donald. Gavin usually doesn't get attached to toys but I hope this lasts with Donald cause it is so so cute!!!
