But if not – it’s the name of a talk recently shared with me
by some Sister Missionaries. It talks about various people in the scriptures
that had faith in the Lord under extreme circumstances. For example, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-nego put their trust in the Lord when faced with a fiery
furnace. They didn’t just have faith that He would deliver them, although they
knew it was possible, they had faith that whether or not they were delivered
that it would all work out in the end – they had the “but if not” faith. The talk then goes onto talk about how we
should have the “but if not” faith.
Examples of that faith would be: God will deliver us from
illness, but if not; God will heal my loved ones, but if not; God will take my
pain away, but if not; God will make sure my friends have the things they need,
but if not; God will keep me safe, but if not; and so on. It’s having faith
that yes God can do these things and will (if it’s His will) but if not.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were delivered but if they hadn’t been would
their faith had been in vain – no! There are so many things we don’t
understand, and probably won’t while in this life, but I know that God has a
plan for each and every one of us. All will eventually be made right, but if
not in this life then I know for a certainty it will be made right in the
eternities. I love this talk. Anyone interested in reading it can find it at http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2004/04/but-if-not?lang=eng&query=dennis+simmons
Things for me have been status quo as far as my health has
been concerned. Some ups and downs. I did have a pretty severe allergic reaction
to CT scan dye a couple months ago – that was kind of scary and resulted in
many trips to the ER, doctors, and urgent care. After 2 weeks of having the
severe allergy it finally subsided. My dad had triple bypass surgery this past
week. Thankfully he’s doing well. It was kind of a scary couple of weeks. I
appreciate the thoughts and prayers of so many of you that were praying for him
even though some of you didn’t know him. I have a strong faith in the power of
prayer and it’s nothing short of miraculous that he’s doing as well as he is.
Last month I had the great opportunity to go out to Utah for
a week and a half. I was able to see many of my “girls”. The last weekend I was there I had the
privilege of seeing one of them married in the Saint George, Utah temple! How
amazing that was! Nothing is better than watching someone you care about look
so happy as they are married. I’m so excited to have that opportunity to do
that a couple more times this year. It was a great time and I wish I could have
seen more people. The week and a half went by too fast.
Well off to bed to get some sleep, but if not…
