Cheer up!

One week ago, a miracle occurred: We elected a President of the United States.  Now we may or may not be happy with the outcome, but either way we were able to participate in the process, and that is still a miracle.

When I turn on the radio or the TV, however, the overwhelming message I hear is one of disaster and scandal.  For months we've been hearing that "If such and such a person is elected, taxes will skyrocket," or "unemployment will rise," or "America as we once knew it will be lost."  Words like "Taxmageddon," "Fiscal Cliff," and "Recession" paint a dismal picture of the future and fill us with fear. The voice of despair reigns supreme.

But today I invite you to consider another voice.  The voice of a prophet of God, Harold B. Lee, who said,

"Men may fail in this country, earthquakes may come, seas may heave beyond their bounds, there may be great drought, disaster, and hardship, but this nation, founded on principles laid down by men whom God raised up, will never fail. This is the cradle of humanity, where life on this earth began in the Garden of Eden. This is the place of the new Jerusalem. This is the place that the Lord said is favored above all other nations in all the world. This is the place where the Savior will come to His temple. This is the favored land in all the world. Yes, I repeat, men may fail, but this nation won’t fail. I have faith in America; you and I must have faith in America, if we understand the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are living in a day when we must pay heed to these challenges. 

"I plead with you not to preach pessimism. Preach that this is the greatest country in all the world. This is the favored land. This is the land of our forefathers. It is the nation that will stand despite whatever trials or crises it may yet have to pass through."
( Source: Ye Are the Light of the World 350-51 )

President Lee also said,

"I quote the words of Eliza R. Snow: 

“I heard the Prophet Joseph Smith say ‘that the time would come when this nation would so far depart from its original purity, its glory, and its love of freedom and the protection of civil and religious rights, that the Constitution of our country would hang, as it were, by a thread.’ He also said that this people, the sons [and daughters] of Zion, would rise up and save the Constitution and bear it off triumphantly.” (Eliza R. Snow, 1870, Women of Mormondom by Tullidge.)

"So today is no time for youth to whimper the refrain of the defeated and retire to the fancied security of the regimented state. Today is the day for youth to gird themselves with the armor of peace, having as their weapons “the shield of faith . . . and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Eph 6:16–17.)
( Source: Decisions for Successful Living 209 )

I believe as did the former First Lady, Barbara Bush who said,

"...our success as a society depends not on what happens at the White House, but on what happens inside your house."
(Source: Commencement Address given at Severance Green, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts on June 1, 1990)

Let me put it another way:  Turn off your TV and your radio.  Take a step outside.  Walk around your neighborhood and look at the people around you.  What do you see?  Do you see a world filled with darkness and evil, disaster and despair?  Or do you see, as I do, good people - good families accomplishing good things.  When I see all the good being done, not only here, but all over this nation, and all over the world, I can feel nothing but hope and optimism for our future.

Yes, it's true, Satan is raging in the hearts of men.  He is pulling out all the stops in a last-ditch effort to wreak as much havoc as he possibly can before the end comes.  But even he knows, just as you and I know, that he has already lost.  We defeated him once before, and we will do it again.

Our future has never been brighter.