An unexpected thing happened yesterday.
For the first time in months, I was able to sit in our Church pew. As the meeting started a thought came clearly to my mind–“spiritual roots, spiritual flexibility.”
I pondered that for a moment.
Outside my home office window is a gorgeous tree–fiery orange and red, and fuller than it’s been in almost 18 years.
The roots are deep, and yet the branches still sway and move with the storms. And the branches of the tree change. One season it’s budding flowers, and another season it’s falling leaves.
That made me think of life in the past six months. The storms, changes, uncertainty–it’s all led to sinking our doctrinal roots deeper. To count on those roots to keep us standing strong no matter what comes.
As I let myself feel that thought, my heart filled with an overwhelming peace and joy.
Let the storms come and the winds blow. The how-tos may shift and need to be shifted. But the solid internal combined with shifting external will equal eternal changes for good with Him.
Especially since General Conference, I have felt on fire, like that tree.
With a burning in my bones of the historical and spiritually majestic days we live in. We have been chosen to come to this dispensation, at this time, to do a great work, all to prepare ourselves and others for the return of the Savior.
Does it get more incredible than that?
Stand firm in truth. And, stay flexible in practice.
Later, a poem from J.R.R. Tolkien came to mind…
“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
Deep roots. Flexible branches.
We’ve got this.