For about the last year I have been completely disconnected from the news. Occasionally I’ll run an errand by myself and listen to NPR or Andrew will tell me about a major world event. When we were in Utah I talked with more people were aware of current events and was surprised at what I heard. Lately it’s been bad.
On our drive home I was wondering if I should be more in tune with the news of the world and at the same time stressing about knowing what is going on in the world. Ignorance can be a nice, safe place. When we allotted Emily one hour of movie watching at the end of our road trip, I popped in a General Conference CD from October 2010. Elder Packer’s words seemed particularly relevant:
“We must go forward, confident of the supernal power of the priesthood. It is a source of strength and encouragement to know who we are and what we have and what we must do in the work of the Almighty…I bear witness of the power of the priesthood given to the Church to protect us and guide us. And because we have that, we have no fear of the future. Fear is the opposite of faith. We move forward, certain that the Lord will watch over us, particularly in the family.”
This doesn’t only apply to world events. On Saturday Emily was running outside on our patio and a ball got caught under her feet. Her legs went up in the air and she slammed the cement with her head. She had the symptoms of a concussion and a visit to the ER confirmed our suspicions. She’s on the mend, but I had plenty of hours to run through a few worst case scenarios along with fervent prayers.
In church yesterday we sang, “Be Still My Soul” and it felt like the second verse was exuding peace and truth:
What We’ve Decided About Screen Time
Circle of Concern vs. Circle of Influence
Moments
Leave a Reply