I think that this blogpost will be just a slight interruption to my thoughts on the kingdom of God.
My blog might have seemed to be a little depressing to some people as of late. It is true that my life has been unbelievably difficult recently. However, my life has been filled with some of the most incredible experiences, too, and, for that, I am inexpressibly grateful.
This morning, I woke up with this scripture on my mind:
Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven. (D&C 121:45)
I couldn’t get the “dews from heaven” part out of my waking thoughts—probably because of the miserable weather we’ve been having recently. Yesterday, we had humidity at almost 100%, the dew point was at 81 degrees, and the heat index was over 120 degrees! And there have been similar days several times this summer. Step outside, and you start sweating bullets. Even the evenings provide little relief. I’m writing this at almost 4 AM, and the humidity is at 84%, the dew point is 75 degrees, and the heat index is 87 degrees. The day ahead is slated to be worse than yesterday.
But as miserable as these conditions might seem, they are really good for producing dew, if dew is what you are after.
Some people think that being in the presence of God is an enjoyable thing, and it can be, but I am here to tell you that it is not—not for most people. If it were, why would our confidence need to “wax strong?”
In what conditions would it be the most difficult to let our “bowels…be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith?” What does it mean to “let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly,” and in what conditions might it be difficult for us to do that? These are important questions, because it is only when we do these things that our confidence waxes strong, and how can you have confidence in the most difficult circumstances if you do not do these things in the most difficult circumstances?
If you not only want the “doctrine of the priesthood [to] distill upon thy soul as the dew from heaven,” but you also want that dew to distill as quickly as possible, you should expect (and even ask) God to bring about the intense circumstances in your life that are precisely calculated to do just that.
Discovering and then maintaining Christ-like character in challenging situations is key. If you are able to keep your soul “cool” in the hottest, most humid, and most miserable conditions, the dew will naturally condense.