Devotional-- The Standard Bearer

Every morning we start our day with a devotional. Secular knowledge and spiritual knowledge inter mesh beautifully, as well it should, all truth and knowledge is from God. My goal is to combine the two during this time.

A few days ago we started our day as usual by singing High on a Mountain Top. (We've been trying to memorize all three verses of this song and we almost have it done.)

Lately,Delaney, Cailin, Liam and I have been reading about General George Washington and how he asked Betsy Ross to sew a flag that he designed to help inspire and remind the people, soldiers and patriots, of who they were and what great task they were about. It would help bolster their love for their country when they saw the white stars and stripes. They could take courage and feel bold and brave when they saw the flag flew.

With all the kids, I went over these concepts and then I brought the scriptures out and discussed how Captain Moroni did the very same thing when he rent his coat and wrote upon it "In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom and our peace, our wives, and our children" and thus created the Title of Liberty, in hopes to rally his people to defend their religion from the Lamanities and King Amalickiah.

At that point I realized, how well timed it was that we sang that song this particular morning.

The song starts with the words...."High on the mountain top A banner is unfurled. Ye nations now look up; it waves to all the world. In Deseret's sweet peaceful land, On Zion's mount behold it stands. It dawned on me that the temple is like our flag--our reminder to keep our covenants and endure well to the end. Of course the temple is so much more than just a banner reminding us to stand strong but, this is probably why President Hinkley long ago suggested that we have pictures of the temple in our homes...in fact that each child would do well to have one in their own rooms--to remind us all to stay strong to the standards set forth and be unwavering in our faith of Christ.

I can't seem to find a picture of us at the DC temple with all of us in it....I know I have one....somewhere.... here we are at Temple Square, SLC, UT in 2008