Once upon a time I professed my return to blogging and then missionary life happened and blogging didn't. That isn't to say I don't have thoughts and experiences to share, I have LOTS to share. All the best things in life take time though, right?! None of that instant gratification here. Besides, how much more exciting is a random post every few months verses the daily dose of stop blogging already Sister Rowley!?
Now for the good stuff... Last week I was reunited with some of my very favorite people. They are the sort of people that make your heart explode when you see them because there simply isn't enough room for the amount of love you feel. We got to reminisce, talk about the gospel, and bask in feelings of gratitude for Christ and each other. Just one day later I was lucky enough to see those very same people only in a different circumstance. Somebody gave a talk in Stake Conference and I'll give you a hint... it wasn't me!
She shared a message from her heart and did what I've always wished I could do - get up there and just speak by the spirit instead of that awkward word for word reading (guilty!). A convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, she talked about how the missionaries tied her unraveled rope back together. I have since been thinking about that unraveled rope and how we as missionaries become unraveled too. Life is hard. No matter who you are, where you're from, or what you're dealing with, you are not alone! These challenges and imperfections were a part of God's plan from the very beginning. God loves all of His children so of course we will all experience both the good and bad in life. Remember, "for it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things" (2 Nephi 2:11). How will we learn to appreciate success and joy if we don't also cross paths with failure and sorrow?
It's been decided then, everyone at some point or another, even multiple times throughout life, holds in their hand that unraveled rope that they alone can't put back together. If we can't tie our own ropes back together, who can? Of course the missionaries can help! In fact, missionaries do a lot of rope tying, it sort of comes with the calling of bringing others closer to Christ. But here's the missionary confession: our ropes aren't always perfectly tied together either. Don't freak out yet... as we help others' reconnect their unraveled ends, we start to tie their rope to ours and together we become stronger and more solid in our standing with Christ and His teachings. Not only do we as missionaries get to tie the ropes of those learning about the church, those struggling to come back to church, or even the active members who just need a little inspiration; but throughout the process of tying others' ropes to ours, we tie both to Christ's rope.
We came to earth with this seemingly perfect rope, but as soon as we stepped foot into the "real world" we discovered things that lead to that unavoidable split. Think about it though, had our ropes not fallen apart, we would've never had the need to be tied back together. If there was no need for a process of re-tying we would have missed the opportunity to latch onto the ultimate rope of strength that belongs to our Savior, Jesus Christ. His is a rope for all. He is the way we overcome our challenges and mistakes. He is indeed the Prince of Peace and the source of true happiness. Because of Jesus Christ and His example, we are individually sought after and made anew. With a fresh outlook on life, a greater understanding of God's love, and a newly tied rope we are then inspired to find those other unraveled ropes so they too can have the fullness of the gospel and an understanding of who they are and how much they are loved.
"And at that day shall the remnant of our seed know that they are of the house of Israel, and that they are the covenant people of the Lord; and then shall they know and come to the knowledge of their forefathers, and also to the knowledge of the gospel of their Redeemer, which was ministered unto their fathers by him; wherefore, they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be saved" (1 Nephi 15:14).
