Sabbath Devotional :: Making Ready

A long, long time ago (in the early 1990s), my friend told me that she thought the environmentalist movement was unnecessary because when Jesus comes back, the earth will be renewed and all will be well.

Recently, my husband and I were talking with a group of strangers when the conversation turned to the lamentable state of politics in America. One woman commented that it’s all so hopeless, but she finds peace knowing that when Jesus returns, all will be made right.

I have heard other such statements from believing and faithful members of our church. They are good people who find themselves in a difficult situation. They know that Christ will return. They have faith in the future. And they endure the present, increasingly tuning out all that they see amiss in the world.

Earlier this week, I heard Reverend William H. Lamar IV describe this perspective as a “God will fix it” faith. It is tempting to step back from society and focus on personal righteousness, believing that God will fix all of humanity someday. But I cannot believe this is what our Heavenly Parents want for us. We are here to have joy and to share joy. It seems very depressing and discouraging to endure without hope for societal improvement.

From the Book of Mormon, we learn, “Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.” (Ether 12:4)

I think about this verse often. We believe in God and hope for a better world, an eternal world free from our current pains and conflicts. Hope is an element of faith and people like those I described do have hope in eternity.

According to Ether, though, hope makes people abound in good works right here and right now. We engage in good works with the belief that we can make a difference, no matter how small, in this world. In other words, we do good because we hope for a better world, a better temporal world for us and for future generations.

There are many ways our belief in eternity shapes our everyday lives.

We believe that families are eternal, and that gives us the motivation to improve familial relationships today.

We believe that our souls consist of our bodies and our spirits, and that helps us understand that taking care of our mortal bodies has spiritual benefits.

Our belief in Christ also gives us hope for a better world. We can anxiously engage in a good cause, showing our faith by our works.

Someday, we will live in a Zion community led by the Savior. Elder D. Todd Christofferson taught that we need to “rise to [the] standard” of Zion. He said, “We cannot wait until Zion comes for these things to happen — Zion will come only as they happen.”

The angel prophesied that John the Baptist would “make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Instead of waiting for the Lord to return with the expectation that he will fix everything, we exercise our faith in Him through the work we do now, creating Zion, or the Beloved Community, and making ready a people who are prepared to welcome Him.

Zion is a community. While individual righteousness is essential, creating a Zion community is also essential. MWEG functions because we hope for a better world, a world that is ready to welcome the Savior. We are answering the prophetic calls to root out racism, care for God’s creations, create better situations for children and families, and advocate for children of God who are currently refugees or immigrants. As we protect democracy, we promote liberty and equality for all. We seek to be peacemakers, to be empowered to act rather than be acted upon, and to hold fast to our principles rather than be carried about with every wind of doctrine. I truly believe we are engaged in God’s work.

We are in the midst of state legislative sessions, which are often discouraging. We are at the beginning of what will be another taxing election year. I hope that we can hold on to hope. Our hope for a better world is an anchor in a stormy world, it can make us sure and steadfast, and give us the motivation to continue in good works as an expression of our faith.