When Lightning Strikes

Apparently, I haven't yet seen all of those Mormon Messages videos. I just saw one this morning that I'm sure I've never seen before. If I have seen it before, I must not have been really watching. Hold on, I think I can embed it.




Did that work? Is it working?

In any case, the title of the video is Sanctify Yourselves, and certainly that is its message, but first it tells you why you would want to do that. This message is directed specifically at the Priesthood (as are most messages of correction from the Twelve), but what Elder Holland said near the end about holding the future in your hands could easily apply to anyone, and the requirement to stay worthy to call down the powers of heaven does not only apply to men.

I cried during this video. I felt that, if I had been in this young man's position, I would have been so worried that I wasn't worthy enough. More than that, I would have been panicked. I might have told God that I had never asked for that kind of responsibility, that I wasn't up to that kind of challenge, that He couldn't ask ask that much of me, or rather that He could, but that I couldn't deliver.

The moral of this story seems to be that you never know when lightning will strike. You never know when your next trial (or, to put a positive twist on it, your next opportunity) will come, so we need to prepare now to be ready for it.

How many times have we heard this before, Brethren? (Actually, I don't know if any Priesthood holders read this blog, so I may just be talking to myself here.) We've been frequently, even regularly reminded that we need to be righteous, worthy, and ready to respond. You remember that scripture, "In the last days, perilous times shall come"? Which days are we in again? And has anything perilous been happening recently? Let alone the moral degradation of society, I'm not in a position to comment on that, but there have been plenty of natural disasters to go around. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, storms. More people than little league football players are going to need healing before all this is over. Will we be ready to provide it? Will we be worthy? Will I?

This is a personal issue, and it can only be answered individually. This is a cause for self-reflection and an increase in personal commitment. I've said before that I use paladins as my role-models. One of the qualities I envy in paladins is their constant commitment. They're always on their best behavior. They always maintain their standards, and they never break their commitments. It must be exhausting for them, but there are certain benefits to it: they're always ready to answer the call, to call down the powers of heaven, to aid their fellow man.

We could use a few paladins right about now. And if we don't need them yet, we'll certainly need them soon. We're going to need their courage, their faithfulness, their ability to heal. But thankfully, in this case, we don't need paladins, per se. We'd be just as well served by faithful disciples of Christ.

In either case, one doesn't become a paladin or a disciple overnight. It takes prior effort. If I'm going to become a paladin, or a disciple whose qualities are on par with those of a paladin, I had better start developing those qualities now. We're already in the Last Days, we've already seen some perilous times, and certainly we're already in the most strongly contested part of the battle for mortal souls. We haven't a moment to lose. The time for disciples is now.