True, Real, Lasting Love

So this week, here in the beautiful land of Utah, is BYU Education Week where thousands of people from all over the world come to be edified and uplifted spiritually. The myriad of classes range from marriage and family, to finances, addiction recovery, blended families, to just plain doctrinal concepts. It's a time for reflection upon life, and learning through the Holy Ghost of how our own personal life can be more meaningful and happier. Yes, we all do this on our own from time to time, but coming to Education Week offers a unique way of learning that lights a fire that burns bright and long to make those necessary changes.

I love to listen to S. Michael Wilcox because of the "principles" he pulls out from just about every scripture story there is, in every book of scripture (Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price). I love that he shares with us what we can learn from each account. For example, the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19:1-21. Elijah is extremely discouraged about life so he goes away to hide.           S. Michael Wilcox calls this the "Sitting Under the Juniper Tree" principle. He finds a juniper tree and sits under it and asks the Lord if he can just die. He's tired of his circumstances and wants to give up. So the Lord sends an angel to nourish and strengthen him, and what does he do, he gets up and travels a long distance only to go hide in a cave. Now this is despair we have all felt in our own lives, or maybe I'm just speaking for myself. The Lord asks him, what are you doing here? You'll have to read it to find out the rest of the story, but the point here is that sometimes we linger too long in the valley of sorrow, despair, or discouragement. The Lord wants us to be happy, it's OK to GO THERE, but to linger long is not. He sends us comfort in those valleys, but sometimes we don't want to accept it...we just want to linger there. When he thinks it's been long enough he will ask of us to get up, act, do, and get out of the cave and from under the Juniper tree. Another wonderful point S. Michael Wilcox brought up was in verse 12 about the still small voice (Holy Ghost). The Lord is within whispering distance(very near) in our juniper tree, cave moments; therefore, we can hear that still small voice. OK so now you see why I love listening to him.

I learned many principles as I listened to three hours worth of his lectures, but I only wish to share what the Holy Ghost taught me on my drive home from Education Week. In the last lecture he talked a lot about his deceased wife. She recently passed away and his heart is very tender for her. He spoke of this love and bond he has with her; something I know nothing about. I have never known that kind of love that should exist between a covenant wife and husband. I started feeling a little depressed about that, especially on the drive home. I thought, wow I've lived 38 years and have never experienced that true, deep spousal love, how sad for me. Then the Holy Ghost reminded me of something very important : I have almost daily experience with a true, real, lasting love that is greater than spousal love. It is the LOVE from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I do know of their love and it is real, it is lasting, it is sustaining, it encompasses everything. It has power to make us feel whole, special, even divine. What greater love could we ever experience...none! If we have their love we can do anything, be anything. The relationship we have with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ should be our utmost priority because then we have the potential to experience the greatest riches we can know on earth, the merging of two souls into one, that spousal love.