Final Words

   The final words written before a person dies are in most cases the most important words of their entire lifetime. 
 I have wondered many times what my final counsel would be to my children if I knew my life was about to end.    church the other day, one of my favorite prophets,  Lehi ,knew he was about to die,  so he gathered his childrher for his last piece of advice.  
In church a few weeks ago we were reading about Lehi the prophet, he knew he was going to pass on and so he gathered his children together and these were his words to them. "Remember the words of your dying parent."

     

     "Wake up, awake from a deep sleep, even from the sleep of hell, hear the words of a trembling parent whose limbs ye must soon lay down in the cold and silent grave, from where no traveler can return.”  He then pleads with his sons to soften their hearts and obey the commandments of God.  He continues to say, “shake off the chains with which ye are bound."

   “ Wake up and be men."  Now, that one sentence became quite a discussion about what it means to be a man.  A man in God’s eyes is completely different than a man in the eyes of the world.  I have noticed for several years now when I have caught a glimpse of the TV,  most movies portray man as irresponsible, a pleasure seeker, not caring for anyone except himself, in and out of relationships like there is no tomorrow.  His focus in life is to get the biggest and best toys.  Families are not on his priority list and portrayed as unimportant to him.

     Then a list was made of what Lehi meant men were to be like!  The list ended up like this: 

God fearing

Family loving

Kind

Patient

Serves his family

Honors and respects his wife,

Takes his responsibility of husband and father seriously 

    When I see my sons and son-in-laws, step up as real men putting their responsibilities and priorities in order, it is a payday for me as a mother. I feel so fortunate to know many real men in my life staring with my husband, and many others, even though the media wants me to believe they are a thing of the past.  


    How grateful I feel to have the scriptures to remind me of the great men in history, as well as the lousy ones.  If we don’t learn from the past we may make the mistake in the future.

So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.