Said Ezra Taft Benson quoting Orson F. Whitney...
“Perhaps the Lord needs such men on the outside of His Church to help it along,” said the late Elder Orson F. Whitney of the Quorum of the Twelve. “They are among its auxiliaries and can do more good for the cause where the Lord has placed them, than anywhere else. . . . Hence, some are drawn into the fold and receive a testimony of the truth; while others remain unconverted . . . the beauties and glories of the gospel being veiled temporarily from their view, for a wise purpose. The Lord will open their eyes in His own due time. God is using more than one person for the accomplishment of His great and marvelous work. The Latter-day Saints cannot do it all. It is too vast, too arduous for any one people. . . . We do not quarrel with the Gentiles. They are our partners in a certain sense.” (Conference our partners in a certain sense.” (Conference Report, April 1928, p. 59.) (Civic Standards for the Faithful Saints by Elder Ezra Taft Benson General Conference - April 8, 1972).
I have read books like Mere Christianity (by C. S. Lewis), Dune (by Frank Herbert), and other great books. None of them LDS but inspired to lift and enlighten men and women to reflect upon the three divine questions; namely, who are we, where did we come from and where are we going.
When reflecting upon God and His kingdom, I find it hard to imagine that all the ideas of heaven could be right but they can be wholly wrong either. My wife and I reflect on these things. We hope that the one who loved horses in this life is riding in the next; the outdoorsman is camping hunting and hiking. It would make no sense that God, an intimate and eternal being who loves all of His children, would give joy in this life that could not be given in the next life. Still, I cannot encapsulate the magnitude of what heaven would be like.
In my life I have learned joy and charity in struggle, faith when I was thought to be alone, hope when reading the word of God, and forgiveness when I sought to repent and improve, putting away the old me for something better.
I assume it is no different for anyone else here on Earth. Each of us has been led to a light that lifts us and inspires us. Our eyes are opened in each new chapter of our lives when we thought that we were awake the whole time. Each challenge we take on changes us and refines us like silver or gold. Just when you think the Master is done, He bends and folds the metals and he's to make something even better. Perhaps the analogy isn't even close. Gold rings and silver necklaces are mere trinkets but I have a limited view of beauty as I have only seen the craftsmanship of man's hands and the beauty of nature, God's creation.
I recall at one point in my life when I was eager to dismiss others because of their different views. I pull my faith and views close because I didn't want them tarnished by others not realizing that they could grow and become better. As a missionary, I had a fragile testimony. As a young adult, I was easily swayed. I didn't want the sway that moved my tender branches, to destroy my young roots in my understanding of the gospel. Now I am older and wiser (well, at least older) and I find strength in sharing common strength in who I know to be the Lord God of Hosts. Perhaps I am still limited but I know God is helping this sleeper to awaken.
