I’ve been on this kick lately reading about signs of the second coming and the natural disasters, wars, diseases, etc. that will plague the Earth before the second coming.
It’s pretty obvious many of these things are going on around us. This morning I was reading in Ezekiel 37-39 about wars. It mentioned the Black Sea. I was checking out the countries bordering the Black Sea. I noticed one of them was Turkey.
I then read about how Turkey is involved in wars and sending munitions to Libyan rebels.
I then turned back to my gospel library app. I had a tab open that we had read from in elders quorum when when had a lesson in January about setting goals. But this tab wasn’t on the highlighted areas regarding goal setting. Instead, the part of the talk that was on my screen was very relevant to my thoughts this morning.
As I listen to all of the doom and gloom that is being broadcast in the newspapers and on television, the thought runs through my mind: How grateful I am that I didn’t stop trying to do what was right in my life when I heard on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941, that America had been attacked and war was imminent. I was a little younger than you are, when on that fateful day I came home from priesthood meeting and walked into my home to learn from my father that Japan had bombed Pearl Harbor. I thought: What is the future, what are the possibilities, what is going to be left for me? All of these kinds of thoughts rolled through my mind as the United States of America rolled up its sleeves to move full scale into World War II.
That was a terrible war! There were terrible things that happened, and for a long time everything seemed to be negative. It was discouraging to many, I suppose. But the world did not come to an end–it went on. And I would like to suggest to you tonight that you do not hold back from living a full life, and from working hard to accomplish your goals in life because some people think that great calamities will soon come upon the earth. There have been some who have predicted earthquakes and destruction of all kinds to be upon us momentarily. The Savior himself tells us about many devastating times that lie ahead. (See Matt. 24.) But none of us knows exactly when those times are going to occur. So I would suggest that you follow the advice that I once heard Elder Boyd K. Packer give. He said something like this: “Plant your fruit trees. Cultivate them, fertilize them, watch them grow, and enjoy the fruit thereof. If the end comes during the process, so what? Do not deprive yourself of enjoying the fruits of your labors by living in fear of the world’s problems that lie ahead.”
— Do Things That Make a Difference by Elder M. Russell Ballard
My Personal Take Away
I need to continue to do my best to follow the council of the prophets and prepare by getting out of debt and building a 1 year supply of food and water and other emergency supplies for my family.
But it is not requisite that I run faster than I have strength. It is also not requisite that I stop living life to fullest and enjoying hobbies and family activities.
I can continue to see the signs all around me without getting obsessed looking for those signs.
