For My Family

For those who may not remember, a couple years ago, my dad decided to open up a restaurant. It had always been a dream of his to own and operate a diner, and he felt very strongly that now was the time. He found a perfect spot, and he got to work! It took about a year to build/put together, but we were all so excited and really anticipated this great event. We had really high hopes for this diner and things felt good.

Well, they didn't turn out so good. The restaurant struggled to open and struggled to stay open. It barely made it 3 or 4 months before we had a family council and decided to close the doors forever. Some family members were OK with it. Some accepted this as the Lord's will for our family. Some didn't question why we were supposed to build a restaurant to only see it fail.

 

But some did.

 

Anyway, I came across this article in the January 2014 Ensign the other day. It brought me a lot of comfort as I read it, even though I have long come to accept this trial my family had to go through. I thought a lot of my dad as I read it and I really wanted to share it on here that Sunday, but I got kind of side tracked and forgot! Lo and behold, the very next day, my loving mother had sent us all an email with that very article attached, telling us how much she loved us and how she knew the diner was meant to be a part of our lives as a family.

 

So now that I'm thinking about it, I am posting the portion of the article that really stood out to us!

This is by Elder J. Christopher Lansing, Area Seventy, North America Northeast Area, from a devotional address to BYU-Hawaii on Oct. 30, 2012. The talk is called "Enduring Well."

 

"What We Become Makes All the Difference"

The business I own today was founded by my father nearly 60 years ago. He died in 1980, leaving me to take the helm of the company at the young age of 30.

In those early years, situations came up that required me to make decisions that affected the future of our frail business. I worked hard to act as my father would have acted, and I spent a great deal of time on my knees, trying to discern what to do. In all those decisions, I never felt a calming influence or any direction one way or another. I ultimately did what I thought was best and moved on. But I was disappointed I had not been able to get any confirmation of my actions.

One night my father came to me in a dream. I began to chide him for not helping me know what to do. He said he was aware of my situation but he was busy where he was and his former business was not terribly important. “Chris, we really don’t care about the business up here,” he said. “What we care about very much is what you become because of your business.”

That was a great lesson I hope I never forget. What we get during our life is inconsequential, but what we become in life makes all the difference.

Sometimes we forget that in premortality we fought alongside the Savior in defense of the Father’s plan of moral agency. And we won! Lucifer and his followers were expelled, and we received the opportunity to experience the life we fought for. The Father’s plan included the Atonement. Our job is to face our challenges and endure them well. As we do this, the Atonement has meaning in our lives and we fulfill the Lord’s work and glory: “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).

Like I said, this article really touched me and I felt like sharing it today. I know the Lord gives us trials and makes things happen in our lives for a reason. I know we are supposed to be here on Earth to learn and grow, otherwise, what's the point?

 

Let me know what you think!