Week 1, Day 2: Good will win.

I don't know if you have been watching media outlets (it's probably mostly in Utah), but today has been a crazy day for the Church.

I work in public affairs. The department has been dealing overtime with recent stories about the four paragraphs in the new Church Handbook relating to homosexual tendencies and same-sex marriage. (See LDS Church responds to claims of changes in church policy regarding homosexuality) It's very interesting to hear about the ways that Satan is working, the little conniver, to try and distort eternal principles. He twists the words of the brethren against themselves and seeks to bring down all that is right and good in the world.

As I was feeling overwhelmed by the negative media, I stood watching our media people work until well after I left today (at 6!) seek to know how to counter or if to counter and with what, and I began to feel overwhelmed at the persistence of evil. I wondered if it would ever relent.

Then I felt prompted to listen to a conference talk. I opened LDS.org and chose to listen to Elder Cook's talk from this last conference and it was as though he saw these repercussions from gay marriage advocates coming. This was the part of his talk that I loved: 

"Our day has been described as 'a time of plenty and an age of doubt.' Basic belief in the power and authority of God is not only questioned but also denigrated. How under these circumstances can we promote values in a way that will resonate with the nonbelievers and the apathetic and help abate the spiraling descent into violence and evil?

"This question is of monumental importance. Think of the prophet Mormon and his anguish when he declared, 'How could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you!' Mormon’s anguish was justified...

"[But] my personal experience of living and interacting with people all over the world has caused me to be optimistic. I believe that light and truth will be preserved in our time. In all nations there are large numbers who worship God and feel accountable to Him for their conduct. Some observers believe there is actually a global revival of faith... We also find the majority of people are still respectful of basic moral values.

"But make no mistake: there are also people who are determined to both destroy faith and reject any religious influence in society. Other evil people exploit, manipulate, and tear down society with drugs, pornography, sexual exploitation, human trafficking, robbery, and dishonest business practices. The power and influence of these people is very large even if they are relatively small in number.

"There has always been an ongoing battle between people of faith and those who would purge religion and God from public life. ... [but] the majority of people aspire to be good and honorable."

In the end, good will win. Christ is in charge of this world, no matter how hard Satan will work to convince otherwise. It made me think of the lyrics to the third verse of the hymn, "Rejoice the Lord is King":

His kingdom cannot fail; 

he rules o'er earth and heaven; 

the keys of earth and hell 

are to our Jesus given. 

Lift up your heart, 

lift up your voice; rejoice, 

again I say, rejoice. 

God will triumph, good will triumph. I believe that these times require all of us to asses our lives and make the decision of where we stand and with Whom.

I choose to stand with Christ.