Love

Valentine's Day reminds us of the need to love and to be loved so I want to wish a Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you even though I do it a little early.

M. Scott Peck reminded us that love is a verb, an action action. "The desire to love is not itself love.... Love is an act of will - namely an intention and an action. Will also implies choice. We do not have to love. We choose to love. No matter how much we may think we are loving, if we are in fact not loving, it is because we have chosen not to love and therefore do not love despite our good intentions. On the other hand, whenever we do actually exert ourselves in the cause of spiritual growth, it is because we have chosen to do so. The choice to love has been made" (The Road Less Traveled, p 83 as quoted by Stephen R. Covey in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families, p 35).

There are many scriptures that tell us of the important part that love plays in our lives. For example, John 3:16 says, "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." I know a little bit about loving sons and daughters and understand just a little of the great sacrifice that our Father in Heaven made when He gave His Son Jesus Christ to us. We know that Jesus Christ gave His life because of His love for our Father and His children.

How do we show our love for our Heavenly Father and His Son? Jesus Christ told us, "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:5). With these words, Jesus Christ taught His followers how to be true disciples of the Savior. The same applies with children and mortal parents. If parents truly love their children, they will take good care of them and teach them properly. If children truly love their parents, they will be obedient and respectful.

Some people think that love does away with the need to be obedient, but they are mistaken. Elder Dallin H. Oaks said, "The love of God does not supersede His laws and His commandments, and the effect of God's laws and commandments does not diminish the purpose and effect of His love. … those who understand God's plan for His children know that God's laws are invariable, which is another great evidence of His love for His children…. God's love is so perfect that He lovingly requires us to obey His commandments because He knows that only through obedience to His laws can we become perfect as He is" (Ensign, Nov. 2009, 26-29).

Jesus was asked, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?" His answer was, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" (Matthew 22:36-39). Christ taught that to truly love God, we must also love His children. A true disciple of Christ shows his or her love of God by keeping the commandments and showing love to everyone.

Love should be at the center of everything we do. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught, "Love is the healing balm that repairs rifts in personal and family relationships. It is the bond that unites families, communities, and nations. Love is the power that initiates friendship, tolerance, civility, and respect. It is the source that overcomes divisiveness and hate. Love is the fire that warms our lives with unparalleled joy and divine hope. Love should be our walk and talk.
"When we truly understand what it means to love as Jesus Christ loves us, the confusion clears and our priorities align. Our walk as disciples of Christ becomes more joyful. Our lives take on new meaning. Our relationship with our Heavenly Father becomes more profound. Obedience becomes a joy rather than a burden" (Ensign, November 2009, 21).

Heavenly Father wants us to love Him because He knows that "love determines what we seek. What we seek determines what we think and do. What we think and do determines who we are - and who we will become" (Uchtdorf, p 22).

God loves us and wants us to return to His presence to live with Him and Jesus Christ for all eternity. The commandments as well as the principles and ordinances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are part of the ladder by which we make our way back to heaven. Our obedience shows God how much we love Him.

We can increase our love for God by "aligning our thoughts and actions with God's word" (Uchtdorf, 23). As we reach out to God through prayer, scripture study, and attendance at Church and temple, He reaches out for us and leads us in the way we need to go.
"Love is the guiding light that illuminates the disciple's path and fills our daily walk with life, meaning, and wonder.
"Love is the measure of our faith, the inspiration for our obedience, and the altitude of our discipleship.
"Love is the way of the disciple" (Uchtdorf, 24).

I know that God lives and loves His children - every one of us. I love Him. I want to be known as one who loves God with all my heart, soul and mind and one who loves my neighbor as myself.

The Rising Generation

I have long been interested in our youth and have often noticed what the scriptures say about the "rising generation." Just before he died, King Benjamin gave a powerful speech from a specially built tower in the temple courtyard. The scriptures teach, "There were many of the rising generation that could not understand the words of king Benjamin, being little children at the time he spake unto his people; and they did not believe the traditions of their fathers" (Mosiah 1:26). Less than forty years later, the prophet Alma traveled to the various cities and villages in the land in an attempt to reclaim the people who were falling away from the church. "And now I say unto you that this is the order after which I am called, yea to preach unto … everyone that dwelleth in the land; yea, to preach unto all, both old and young, both bond and free; … the aged … the middle aged, and the rising generation; yea to cry unto them that they must repent and be born again" (Alma 5:49). Another eighty to ninety years passed, and the prophet Nephi wrote, "And thus were the Lamanites afflicted also, and began to decrease as to their faith and righteousness because of the wickedness of the rising generation" (3 Nephi 1:30). It appears from these scriptures that we must be ever mindful of the rising generation because they stand at a critical intersection in their lives. Many voices are calling to them to come this way or that way. The teenage years are times of great decision. They are important times of needed guidance. Use them wisely and appreciate those quiet and reverent conversations that you may have with your young people. Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926-2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: "Reserved by the Lord for this time, [the rising generation] must now be preserved… and prepared for their special moment n human history! They have been held back to come forth at this time, but now they need to be pushed forward to meet their rendezvous" ("Unto the Rising Generation," Ensign, April 1985, 8). These wonderful young people are worthy of our best efforts to support and strengthen them. There is a great need for nurturing and strengthening of the rising generation. President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910-2008) taught, "Never forget that these little ones are the sons and daughters of God and that yours is a custodial relationship to them, that He was a parent before you were parents and that He has not relinquished His parental rights or interests in these His little ones…. Rear your children in love, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Take care of your little ones. Welcome them into your homes, and nurture and love them with all of your hearts. They may do, in the years that come, some things you would not want them to do, but be patient, be patient. You have not failed as long as you have tried" ("Excerpts from Recent Addresses of President Gordon B. Hinckley," Ensign, July 1997, 73).