"You Can't Pet a Rattlesnake"

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Priesthood session of the April 2001 conference.

For the past three weeks my prayers have been intense, and filled with gratitude. One time, into my head, and out of my mouth came, "I'm so thankful for the commandments!" I guess my thoughts were that if only our son had obeyed the Word of Wisdom he would still be with us. The commandments keep us safe and out of Satan's power.

Elder David E. Sorensen of the Presidency of the Seventy spoke of sin (specifically pornography) as a deeply poisonous, deceptive snake that lies coiled up [everywhere]. "Often the world makes these dangers look harmless--even exciting and interesting. But petting such snakes fills the mind with poison--poison that drives away the Holy Spirit." Some sins also can literally poison the body and allow evil in.

Whenever we sin, in whatever way, we drive away the Holy Spirit. And the more we continue in sin the harder it is to get back to worthiness to have the Spirit with us.

Our son was trying to come back, he was working with his bishop and attending AA meetings, sometimes. But the hold alcohol had on him was stronger than he could resist, and each wrong choice led to more wrong choices. He hid so much from us, and then it was too late.

Elder John H. Groberg said, "Remember, the sand castles we build on the beaches of mortality, no matter how elaborate, will eventually be washed away by the tide. Only purity of hand, heart, and mind will allow us to tap into the ultimate power of the priesthood to truly bless others and eventually be able to build eternal mansions more beautiful and lasting than we can presently imagine."

My heart is filled with gratitude for the Savior and His great plan of mercy to allow us to repent and be cleansed from sin, and rescued from death. We each are on a trek from Babylon to the Promised Land with dangers on every side. There are casualties and hardships all along the way, but we must never give up or give in. We must press forward with steadfastness in Christ, relying wholly on Him to guide and succor us along the way.