Special edition for Sadie and Seth (Personal) 2-19-24

 Seth and Sadie,

I have been thinking about and praying for both of you often this week. I know that it has been a difficult week, so I wanted to send you an email this morning letting you both know that there are much brighter days ahead.

Every family has their own way of studying Come Follow Me, there isn’t a right or wrong way, just as the Spirit guides us. The important thing is that we are taking the time as individuals and as families to implement it.

As I was studying it this week, I couldn’t help but feel grateful that this particular lesson of 2Nephi Chapters 3-5 fell this week. It is a message that I know will bring you both so much peace, comfort, and direction moving forward. Please take the time, if you haven’t already, to study these chapters, particularly the Psalm of Nephi in chapter 4: 15-35. The power that can come to you as you seek to apply it in your lives is undeniable and life changing.

I know that things you have shared with mama this week, and gave her permission to share with me, are very personal. Thank you for trusting us. We feel nothing but love, gratitude, and hope for both of you. 

The adversary will have you feel shame, despair, and confusion. He will bring feelings of hopelessness, uncertainty, frustration, and resentment. No doubt that sin brings upon all of us many of these feelings, as it should when we choose darkness rather than light. But sin is only a single part of the plan. The greater part of God’s plan is His providing for us a Savior, a way for us to overcome sin through repentance. The light and hope of repentance, and an an earnest desire for greater faith and understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ washes away all those feelings the adversary is able to bring, and cause to linger.

I talking with mama this week, we talked about one of the many things we learn in the temple. That though Satan has power in this life to bruise our heel, introducing to us all death and sin, we through Jesus Christ, have power given to us to crush His head. In working with many people over the years dealing with the addiction to pornography, this covenantal promise from our Heavenly Father gives us the hope and assurance that winning this battle is within our reach if we bind ourselves to Jesus Christ. I love this promise!

Here are a few thoughts from my study of ch:4

• vs.15 - my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and may heart pondereth them…
• The power of the Book of Mormon, the message of Jesus Christ our Redeemer, Savior, Advocate, and friend, is what brings this delight to our scripture study. As we ponder the Atonement and its transformational power in our individual lives as we apply it to our specific circumstances, can we feel anything other than joy and delight? 
• vs 16 - consider what it means to you when you read the word “continually”
• I can promise you that the adversary’s deceptive and enticing tool of pornography will never go away, but it will only become more prolific in the days ahead. But I also believe very much in the promise given to us by our prophet President Nelson: “My dear brothers and sisters, I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day, even the gripping plague of pornography and other mind-numbing addictions.
• Vs 28 - Awake my soul! … give place no more. If we are to give no more space or place for the adversary’s worldly influence, we MUST replace this space or place with things spiritual. But remember, everything is spiritual if we look through the lens of eternal perspective. Our prophet has taught us that we must “think Celestial” Go re-read that talk. He promised us that” As you think celestial, you will find yourself avoiding anything that robs you of your agency.”
• As we are spiritually minded, we constantly look for the Holy Ghost’s influence in all our decisions, and in all our efforts. Whether it is work, or school, or anything else, we can strive to let Him make us into the best versions of ourselves. If we prayerfully consider how to do and be our best at whatever we are doing, the Holy Ghost can guide us in this. All things are spiritual. This is the way we find the immunization the prophet is promising us.
• The prophetic warning from our prophet “But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost”, is exactly what we are talking about.

I hope more than any other feeling you have both felt this week is the overwhelming and overriding feeling of the Savior’s love,  and the hope and healing he offers you individually and as a family.

Read vs 32 and 33 of Ch 4. Talk together about what you have learned in the Temple about the robes of righteousness. Discuss together what a broken heart and contrite spirit is, and how we continually offer this sacrifice to God.  The power forward is in your covenants. Keep leaning on these covenants and I promise you will both come out of this stronger individually and as a couple. We love you. We have absolute confidence that you both can find the peace and love you are seeking after.

Love,

Dad