A Visit from Two Sincere Young Men

Hi all:

Here's a more serious entry than others of late:

Last Saturday morning I received a visit from two clean-cut young men in suits who appeared at my door eager to speak with me about how I and my family could get to heaven. They had a book with a plan of salvation for me and my family and really, really wanted to share it with me.

Can you guess who they were? Yep, Elders So-and-So and So-and-So from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. And that little book they were so fervently pushing was the book of mormon.

I did speak with them for 20 minutes or so in person - and for many hours afterwards in my head and heart as I rehashed how the conversation went. I've been praying that the Holy Spirit worked through me to speak the truth in love and not try to argue with these sincere young men. 'Cause I certainly admire their devotion and their sacrifice. They're out here from Utah for their 2 years of service. After they left my house, I kept an eye out and they were probably in the neighborhood for more than 3 hours. When they returned to their car, which was parked near my house, they sat there for another 20 minutes or so. I don't know if they were praying, comparing notes, or what. But their dedication was obvious.

I just wish they weren't so devoted to the book of mormon. They remind me of Saul. He was passionately devoted to his faith, so much so that he left his home and family (like these young men) to work for his faith, but when he encountered the person of Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, he turned all his considerable passion toward working for Him. I've been praying all week that Jesus would reveal Himself to these devoted young men so they could turn their energies toward His work. ... And for myself, that I would develop the fervent energy of these two young men to do Christ's work, too.

'Cause in truth, their devotion puts me to shame in some respects. Sadly, they work so hard because they believe by doing so they are earning their salvation. I find myself hoping they return so we can talk some more.

Thanks for listening - and for praying for these young men if you are so led.

hrh

P.S. All this musing led me to some intriguing thoughts about God, us, and time. I'll share my thoughts on that in another blog soon ...