I've thought a lot about this question in the past five months or so. One of my FHE brothers said something at FHE one time that got me thinking about this question. He said something to the effect that he wanted to go to Sudan someday (where the Darfur conflict is) and said that Africa is this big continent in the middle of the world and it has so many problems and issues. That was all he said but it really got me thinking. Why are we so blessed?
We don't have genocides and physical wars and bombings going on in our country. We can freely travel around the U.S. with very little threat of a terrorist attack on us because of what part of the country we are from or what religion we are. We have hot, warm and cold running water. We have indoor plumbing. We have electricity. We have more than one set of clothing. We have a roof over our heads. We have cars. We have hospitals with educated and trained doctors and nurses. We have enough food and water to eat and drink. America definitely has its share of problems, but the Lord has blessed us so much, and I think that sometimes I take that for granted.
As I pondered this question we sang a song during sacrament meeting that pretty much answered my question. "Because I have been given much, I too must give... Because I have been sheltered, fed by thy good care, I cannot see another's lack and I not share...Because I have been blessed by thy great love, dear Lord, I'll share thy love again according to thy word. I shall give love to those in need; I'll show that love by word and deed thus shall my thanks be thanks indeed." As we sang this song, I felt the Spirit and I realized that one reason we are so blessed is so that we can help and serve others with the resources that we have. "Where much is given much is required." The Lord has blessed us a lot and wants us to share what we have with others by serving and teaching and giving. I believe some examples of this are paying tithing and fast offering and giving of our time and talents to help others.
Independence day was last week and Lara and Glen were talking about living in America and the many opportunities we have living here. We can choose whether or not we want to go to college and what we want to study. We can work where we want to. If we work hard, we can be what we want to be. Then I read a quote from Arnold Schwarzenegger about why he liked living in America that I really liked and went along with what Lara and Glen were talking about. "I love living here [in America] because it is the Promised Land, the place of freedom and unlimited opportunity where, if you work hard, you can make your dreams a reality." This is the Promised Land, but we must live righteously and be humble and stay close to the Lord if we want it to stay that way. May the Lord continue to bless America and may we continue to live righteously and remember what the Lord has done for us!
