"Isaiah spoke of those tender moments when the Lord would "gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom" (Isaiah 40:11). Elder Orson F. Whitney experienced such a glorious moment when he saw a marvelous manifestation of the Saviour. In his dream, he said, "I ran [to meet Him]....fell at his feet, clasped Him around the knees, and begged Him to take me with him. I shall never forget the kind and gentle manner in which He stooped, raised me up, and embraced me. It was so vivid, so real. I felt the very warmth of his body, as He held me in his arms." Who would not long for that warmth, that embrace?
To be cast from the presence of the Holy One is estrangement of the worst kind. It is to take from us that which means most - our sense of belonging to the divine family. It is to strip us of security and self-worth in one fatal blow. It is like earing the suckling babe from her mother's bosom, sending the wayward child to his room, or sentencing the incorrigible to solitary confinement. It is akin to restricting our communication with a loved one to the telephone; the lines can be clear, the conversation frequent, but the happeiness that comes from being in another's physical presence is missing."
(Tad R. Callister, The Infinite Atonement, p 29, 41)
How dear to the heart of the Shepherd
Is the flock of His sheep;
With tenderness and love
He watches over those in His keep.
How much do they love their Shepherd!
How closely they stay by His side!
With every footstep they follow
To forever with Him abide.
-
Cathryne
Allen
(Art: AI Generated)
