This summer I went on a trip with my church. I belong to THe CHurch of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and my faith usually tends to have some sort of activity for the youth every summer in each congregation.
This year my local church leaders decided to give out a call to the youth to attend on the trip we reffered to as the "pioneer trek". It was where we would dress like pioneers and walk so many miles for three days on a trail that the actual pioneers of my faith walked as we started to populate the Salt Lake Valley which they reffered to as Zion. The coolest thing about the trip is that I have ancestors that were a part of the actual journey that thousands of people honor every summer. He was my great great great grandfather, His name being Jesse Soar Taylor. He traveled from England to America with his mother and brother. His brother died from the exposure they endured on their thousand mile journey across the soon to become United States. I'm still researching their lives.
Anyway, back to my point. I had the oppurtunity to experience a fraction of the hardships they went through this summer when I went on the trek with my church. I never could have imagined how much change and perspective could have come from it. FOr me personally the biggest lesson was of love. ANd the major influence it has on everything extrodinary and truely important that has ever been accomplished.
For instance, the LDS pioneers crossed a forever-long trail because they loved GOd and the prophet enough to do what they asked. And also because they loved their families so much that they risked (and some even gave up) their lives just so they could recieve heavenly ordinances in the temple. Just so they could be together forever.
THat made me think really hard about what my priorities were. About what I would do for love. And how just because you love someone doesn't always mean that you can save them. THough no matter if you save them or not, all that counts is that you always love them and how you have to let that love motivate you to do good things in the world. Jesus Christ gave his life for us because he loved us. It wasn't because he had to, it was because he wanted to. He wanted us to be with him and our Heavenly Father so he sacraficed everything for us. And even though there are so many people who will not accept the atonement, there are still those people who do. And every one of them is so astronomically important and loved that we can't even imagine.
I am so thankful for the presence of love on earth. Even with all of the hate and violence and awful things on this planet, love is still and always will be the strongest and most imposing force on the planet. Or even in the universe.
If there is one thing that you need to learn, it's that love is the reason we all exist. It's the reason for being.
I have a testimony that my savior, Jesus Christ and his (and my) father in heaven both love me and are aware of me. And i know that they are aware of every other person on this planet and that they know each person specifically and personally and they love us all. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
