Sunday Inspirations December 21, 2008

It's time to be brave, bold.

I had a whole other post going before I realized my message today needs to be no more complicated than those three words: be bold, brave.

As we come to a close in this year my thoughts have turned repeatedly to a man by the name of Moroni. Those who are familiar with the Book of Mormon know of whom I speak. For those who are not familiar, he was the last of the Nephites (those belonging to Christ's Church here in the Americas about 2,000 years ago). Those who had not previously fallen into wickedness had succombed to the evils of the Lamanites (those against the Lord's Church), and willingly denied Jesus Christ as their Savior in order to save their lives.

Moroni spent the last years of his life in hiding, protecting the gold plates entrusted to him not only by his father, but by the Lord. He was hunted, he was alone. Perhaps more alone than many of us can imagine. Yet he is a man to be honored, because rather than deny Jesus Christ, he chose that life.

What would we do for the Lord? Would we, in the face of ultimate evil, be willing to lay down our lives, and perhaps even the lives of our families, all for the sake of remaining true? Of course this is not likely to happen, but we find ourselves being given daily opportunities to stand as a witness of Him.

We may be called upon to bear our testimonies at odd or unusual times. We might be asked to impart of our tiny means to someone who has even less. There may be those who are in need of a friend, and we are the only ones around. We might need to make amends when a trespass has been committed.

It is time to be bold, but bold in what? In allowing the Lord to work through us to do mighty things, even if those mighty things come in little packages. In replacing fear with faith. In recognizing our own weaknesses and mortality, and allowing the Lord to rework our weaknesses into strengths.

It is time to be brave, but how? In never fearing to bear your testimony of what the Lord has done for you, even when those who don't know better may ridicule. In standing up for what is right at a time when everyone else is telling you you're wrong. In following every little seemingly insiginifant inspiration that whispers to your heart, even when it makes no sense.

Never forget to always temper this with love and with thoughts of how the Lord would act in your place.

Now is the time to be bold. Now is the time to be brave. Trust in the Lord, and help make miracles happen.