I am the kind of guy who enjoys to ramble (You'll hopefully notice that the word 'ramble' is cleverly hidden in the web address of this here blog). Get me started on a subject I love to talk about, and I'll ramble for hours. A prime example of that: Spring. Right now, from where I am sitting typing this here post, I can see up a small hill. A recent rain has drenched the surroundings, and the green of the grass is vibrant and alive. Pink and white blossoms are beginning to adorn the trees, and the flowers are beginning to bloom in vivid rainbows of color; the brown and gray of winter are dying - the rebirth of good ole spring is finally here! Green is coming back! The air smells of a lovely April shower that is sure to bring about some May flowers.
Physically spring is a rebirth of life - the cold and gloom associated with much of winter is forced to give way to beauty and renewal. Spiritually, spring is also associated with a rebirth. Easter and Passover - both spring-time festivities - mark rebirths: one of a Savior come to the world; the other of a people from their Egyptian captivity.
All in all, spring is a time for new beginnings and fresh starts.
We, individually and occasionally collectively, sometimes need 'springs' of our own. Whether or not these rebirths - spiritual, physical, emotional, or otherwise - occur in the actual season of spring or not is inconsequential. What matters is that they happen.
In the Book of Mormon, we learn of an ancient tribe of peoples - known as the Jaredites - who once dwelt in the shadows of the Tower of Babel (this tower is spoken of in Genesis 11). At the time that the Lord confounded the languages of men, producing a diversity of tongues and speeches that were, until then, unheard of, a man known as Mahonri and his brother, Jared, led a clan under the direction of the Lord away from the area. Their language was untainted and remained as it had been before; they were given a specific commandment of the Lord to remove themselves to a new land - a land of promise. Eventually, these people led by Jared and Mahonri (known collectively as the Jaredites) would come to the Americas via a fleet of eight barges; they would soon come to establish a mighty civilization.
The Jaredites were commanded to go "into a land which is choice above all the lands of the earth" (Ether 1:42), and they followed this commandment. They left the scenery of Babel's wickedness for the untainted and fertile lands of the New World. They left behind sin and destruction for a new chance of survival and hope.
In many ways, the Jaredite exodus is one that can parallel our own journeys in life. Sometimes we are stuck in a rut of sin, or in a pit of depression, or in a cycle of neglect and abuse, or even in a simple bad mood. Sometimes we become so lost in the dreary world around us that our vision is clouded, and we forget the good that God has in store for us if we are faithful.
At times like these it becomes necessary that we have a spiritual reawakening, a new dawn to our endeavors. At times like these it becomes pivotal that we forsake the tower of Babel and renew our quest for "the land of promise, which [is] choice above all other lands, which the Lord God [has] preserved for a righteous people" (Ether 2:7).
How do we do it? How do we lay aside the baggage of bleakness and put on the robe of renewal?
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
"For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (KJV Matthew 11:28-30).
For those of you that have visited my blog before, you will know that I am not ashamed to say that I am a Christian, and that I truly believe that when we lay our sins, iniquities, troubles, burdens, depressions, anxieties, and fears upon the back of Him who speaks in the above verses - even Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World - we can begin our journeys for a new dawn. It seems difficult, and it is; it seems too good to be true, but it really works; it seems that it can't possibly achieve the success we desire or need, but it does! By turning to our Lord, we can find forgiveness and mercy and the strength to leave behind the woes and worries of yesterday in exchange for the hopes of today and tomorrow.
Some of you likely have physical ailments, spiritual trials, mental anxieties and depressions, emotional struggles and conflicts, and economical mountains to climb. To all who are reading this blog and are willing to take it seriously, I offer this simple phrase: Find out for yourself.
Let the Lord alleviate your pain; let Him provide you with the strength and courage you need to not only face your struggles, but to let go of your doubts and your fears. Let Him give you the key that will open the door to a new day!
And when at last, you come to rest on the blissful shores of hope, when at last we all shall come to the realization that life's grand journey is about enduring through the winters and growing in the springs and summers, we shall do as the scripture of this post's title states:
"[When we shall] set [our] feet upon the shores of the promised land [we shall bow[ ourselves down upon the face of the land, and [we will] humble [ourselves] before the Lord, and [will] shed tears of joy before the Lord" (Ether 6:12).
Let us press on for a new dawn, my friends! Let us turn to the Savior and give Him the power to do more with our lives than we can! Let us let go of our dark winters and personal towers of Babel, and let us look forward to the coming spring, to the new dawn that is peaking over the mountains, to the promised land of glory and happiness that lies before us.
On, on to the dawn!
May God be with you till we meet again, my friends.
Sam
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