Conference Address: Look Ahead and Believe
by Elder Edward Dube of the Seventy
President Deiter F. Uchtdorf wrote: “Those who have entered the waters of baptism and received the gift of the Holy Ghost have set their feet on the path of discipleship and are charged to follow steadily and fully in the footsteps of our Savior” (“Saints for All Seasons,” Ensign or Liahona, Sept. 2013, 5).
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles counseled: “The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead and remember that faith is always pointed toward the future” (“The Best Is Yet to Be,” Ensign, Jan. 2010, 24; or Liahona, Jan. 2010, 18).
SO WHAT?
At my age, it seems natural to look back on one's life. Psychologist Erik Erikson described my stage of life as one in which we look back to recall either a life of integrity or despair. I feel a sense of integrity as I have learned from my mistakes in a consistent fashion throughout my life and continue to do so. I don't feel despair - the ashes of the past - but the glowing - and growing - experiences. I do not let the past cripple the present. When I catch myself wallowing, I do what I can to get out of the mire and back onto the path.
NOW WHAT?
There is no time to rest on my laurels however. I still have much I can do and will do so long as health allows. I am still teaching and counseling. I am still creating. I am still preaching His Word and moving forward as a disciple of Jesus Christ. When I pass through the veil from this life to the next, I believe I will continue to do all of those things and continue to learn from the Brightest Light of the World.
'Nuff said.
Text copyright October 2013, Gebara Education
Picture of plow from www.twitter.com
Picture of Jesus from multiple sources on the web
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