This post is about the Ten Commandments. Each item corresponds to one of the ten in order as described by Moses in Exodus 20.
- You can believe in many gods or no god at all; you can look to horoscopes and scientific hypotheses for explanations or — you can have something better: a rock solid belief in God and trust that He will explain everything in his own due time.
- You can have your big house, fast car, and all the distractions of life or — you can have something better: a relationship with God.
- You can make your point with profanity or — you can have something better: reverence for the source of true power in the universe.
- You can vacation, work, wash your car and a hundred other things on the Sundays of your life — or you can have something better: nourishment that comes from worshipping in church and studying God’s word privately.
- You can harbor hatred towards your parents for all the mistakes they made — or you can accept their gift of life and the things they did right as the gift they truly are.
- You can take your frustrations to the extreme and kill either yourself or someone else or — you can learn to be happy by dealing with your emotions.
- You can have an affair, an open relationship or experiment with same gender attractions or — you can have something better: a marriage to someone who also keeps the law of chastity.
- You can take what you want or think you deserve with no thought for the consequences to others or — you can earn your daily bread through honest labor and gain the satisfaction that comes from a job well done.
- You can pretend to be who you aren’t, offer what you can’t deliver, and say what you don’t mean, but there is something better: one heart and one mind at peace with yourself and others.
- You can have a negative perspective preferring to focus on all the things you don’t have — a house as big as your neighbor’s, a husband or wife as good as someone else, a lack of health, wealth or talents and you can become bitter and resentful of God — or you can have something better: faith in His purposes for your life, hope in a brighter tomorrow, love for your neighbor and yourself and a sense of contentment and happiness.
Life is undoubtedly hard. The trials we face force us to use all our resources, develop resources we never had and discover our own grit and stick-to-it-ness. These Ten Commandments (as with all commandments) point the way to happiness.
This video is an excellent speech given to an audience of young BYU students but with a timeless message of hope and encouragement.
The title comes from Jeffrey R Holland as quoted here.
2 comments:
Oh my goodness!! These words are the answer to many of my urgent and deep personal questions!!! I found your post by a "coincidence" but in reality the words you spoke, the talk you included, and the title led me to receive spiritual answers for me beyond any I could have found elsewhere.
Gospel Library took me to the talk by Elder Hallstrom with the profound words of the title of this blog by Elder Holland. Which led me to Google to research more about where these words were first spoken. And in all the world and in all the mysterious ways of God... Google led me to this awe inspired post- from my once neighbor, my friend, and my soul sister.
Thank you for these words written and learned by you that have saved me from a darkness you will never know. I needed the light of your powerful insights, this additional talk from Elder Holland, and the Holy Ghost that testified to me that there are no "coincidences."
Your words and insights from this post luminate!
Elder Holland's talk in the most recent conference is another confirmation. I currently can not sing sunshine in my soul and because of these words I will not leave the choir. Thank you for letting me stand by you as you sing... I heard, I felt, and I partook. Thank you!
I'm humbled by the beautiful "coincidence" you describe. I am grateful to be a small part of the miracle of God's protection of you. He loves you and he will never abandon you.
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