Faith, Hope, and Family

We all watched with bated breath as those miners were brought to safety in Chile. When the last miner got out, they asked him what helped him survive. He said, "Faith, hope and family." I thought that those three words were incredibly profound considering the situation he'd been in. None of us will ever be trapped thousands of feet below ground, but we do all have our times when life is dark, gloomy and lonely.

This has made me think alot about the events of this week. My friend's daughter died as a result of complications after a simple ankle surgery. Her daughter is married and has a 7 month-old baby girl. She has joined her dad and I'm sure they had a wonderful reunion. Those left behind, though, are sad, and overwhelmed with the prospect of finishing their time here without her. The miner's words have application for all us in our lives.

Faith- It's one of the 'first four principles' of the gospel and something we talk about pretty much from the time we can talk. The Bible dictionary says that true faith is to have confidence in something or someone. I have confidence that our Savior's atonement is real and that along with providing us a means to overcome sin, it has given us another powerful gift. The gift of having Someone who knows what we're going through. As I sat the other night and let the tears come, I knew that my sorrow was nothing compared to my friends', and I thought of Jesus Christ kneeling in Gethsemane feeling all that pain. It's no wonder he bled, there is no way his body could've produced enough tears for it all. It is an incredible thing to know that He is there, waiting for us so that He can encircle us in the arms of His love, providing us with the peace that only He can give.

Hope- "Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope." * We have hope because of our faith in Christ, because we obey the commandments, because we endure to the end. We do these things and we have hope through the "power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal." I have hope that this life is not all there is. As much as I love being here with my family and loved ones, I have to hope for a life free of the sorrows and trials we experience. I hope for a time when we can bask in the light of our Savior in perfect harmony with one another.

Family- August 5th- that's when the miners got trapped. Think of all you've done in the past two months, (family reunion, school starting, shopping, cooking, ER visits, church, General Confernce), then think of being trapped underground for all that time. What would be the first thing you'd want to see? Your family, of course. I watched as the second miner came up and his wife was waiting, bouncing a little, her hands over her mouth. I'm impressed that she wasn't crying, you know me, I'd have been bawling! To me, nothing can explain the way I feel about my family better than the knowledge that family is an eternal principle. It's engraved on our spirits, that desire to be a part of a family, that love we have for them. Even my brother, who is very angry with the church and sometimes with us, is drawn back to us again and again. We are family, bound together with a golden cord which I cling to with all my strength. As a mother with a family of my own, I can feel myself pulling that cord, tying my children ever tighter to me. I'll drag them to heaven, if I have to. My love for them is overwhelming. I know that losing one of them to death would be an incredible heartache, but I could do it, because I have faith, I have hope, that we will be together again.

*Moroni 7:40-41