Cheerfully Guided

On this Day in Church History the revelation in D&C 78 was received (March 1, 1832)

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you;

And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.” (D&C 78: 18, emphasis added)¹

How often—every day—do we as adults feel like “little children”? How often do we feel like we just don’t have a clue?

But, the Lord tells us DESPITE our worries and the very real challenges we face that we should “be of good cheer” because He “will lead (us) along.”

Right now my family is in the middle of UMZUGSSTRESS! That’s a German phrase meaning all of the stress that comes along with moving, including:

• the emotional stress that comes from saying goodbye to friends and family
• the physical stress of packing and cleaning
• the mental stress of remembering everything that needs to be done
• and then there’s just the plain old fear of change and the unknown

At times like these it’s comforting to fall back on the words of: “be of good cheer, for I will lead you along.” It’s nice to know that I have a Father in Heaven watching out for me and my family.

The Prophet Joseph Smith also knew that God loved him. DESPITE God’s love and Joseph’s sacred calling, just weeks after this revelation was given, Joseph and Sidney Rigdon would be snatched from their homes in the dead of night and brutally attacked, tarred, and feathered.² As if that wasn’t enough, just days later Joseph’s adopted one-year-old son died.³

Wow. Just … wow. DESPITE all of that, Joseph testified:

“The purposes of our God are great, His love unfathomable, His wisdom infinite, and His power unlimited; therefore, the Saints have cause to rejoice and be glad, knowing that ‘this God is our God forever and ever, and He will be our Guide until death.’ [Psalm 48:14.]”⁴

So, after today, and this was a very long day, I close my eyes to the image of a father leading his son along by the hand. The child may be small, and the path may be long, but I know his father will guide him safely home.

Be well,

Justina

Citations:

1. Doctrine & Covenants 78: 18
2. Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, vol. 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846 [2018], Chapter 14: Visions and Nightmares, 150-53.
3. Smith, Joseph Murdock. Biography. josephsmithpapers.org
4. Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, Chapter 2: God the Eternal Father, 39.