The Gift of Grace and the Power to Change

I have always been fascinated by great apes, the way they work with opposable thumbs and move with flexible shoulders. I am intrigued by the way they care for their young in ways that are familiar to humans. When I am lucky enough to look into their deep soulful eyes, I am always left wishing they had the gift of human speech.

We often hear about the magnificent memory of elephants, but orangutans, among the most intelligent of primates, have proven to have excellent memories, especially as it pertains to finding tools that have helped them in the past. Memories that can now help them in the present.

Science tells us that memory is essential to all learning.

Experience tells us that is absolutely true.

Scripture pleads for us to remember what we know.

But I think memory is only half the equation. What good are the reminders and the precious knowledge we obtain if we do not act on what we know? What does remembering do to help us in our daily lives if we are constantly caught in worldly inertia?

I believe that is why Spencer Kimball had them change the words to the children’s song from ‘teach me all that I must know’, to ‘teach me all that I must DO‘.

It’s in the doing that makes the difference.

Sometimes we struggle more than we need to because in the everyday hectic, busy, and stressful world we live in, we forget to do the simple things that we know work. The things we have been told countless times. The things we know to be true. The answers to our prayers that we have received but have yet to implement.

This is where the Lord comes in. He is the force that can break inertia. He is the power that can help us change course. He is the source of strength and courage and determination.

He offers the gift of Grace. Power from Heaven. Unlimited, Infinite, and Inexhaustible help.

The ability to DO.

The Lord will not inspire us to do something without giving us the means to accomplish it.

This is where remembering comes in. The promises of divine help that are testified throughout the scriptures. The constant declaration of his willingness to uphold us in our attempts to overcome.

And surely, He will do it. 

What greater witness can you have than from God?