I have learned a great lesson from my horses: “Be prepared for and anticipate the morning light.”
Our horse ranch was located in a beautiful mountain valley where the winter nights can be very long and the mornings very cold. I would usually feed the horses in the mornings just before sunrise and again in the early evenings just before dark. Near the end of those long and cold nights, in the early mornings, the horses would usually gather together on the west side of the pasture to catch the first bit of sunlight as it broke over the tops of the east mountains. Myself, I also watched for the morning sun to rise above the eastern horizon …because I knew as soon as it did, “immediately” I would feel the warmth of the Sun’s radiance.
This was a great lesson for me and a “type” of the influence of the Gospel and the Savior in our lives. Those of us who may be struggling in this life in lonely darkness and/or in despair (whether by our own ignorance or disobedience) can also feel the “immediate” love and influence of the gospel in our lives when we turn from inappropriate behavior and embrace the life and love of Jesus the Christ. He will “immediately” bless our lives with His love and the warmth of the gospel. We may not be made completely whole “immediately,” but we will feel his love and have hope “immediately” as the “great plan of redemption” is “brought about” in us. Pure and lasting joy will come as we learn more of Him, continue to follow Him, and embrace His Great Plan of Happiness.
“Yea, I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you.”
(The Book of Mormon, Alma 34:31)
Jesus Christ is our Divine Redeemer, perfect in all things, including His perfect love for all the children of God. He knows who we are, understands our challenges and weaknesses, and He has divine mercy for us. When we soften our hearts, turn to Him in faith, and sincerely begin to forsake our sins, we will immediately begin to feel a portion of His loving influence …and we will begin to heal. His influence is warm and inspiring, like the early morning sunlight on our shoulders after a long Winter’s night. His warm influence gives us comfort and Hope!
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