Fear or Trust

I was reading an article last night about our church's response to the disaster in Japan and how efficiently they were able to confirm the safety of all the missionaries and then account for most of the members within just a few days. Though I know better than to do so, I started to read some of the comments posted at the bottom of the article. Some were clearly from members who are proud of the Church and its work to help others. Some were from admiring non-LDS people who were appreciative of the Church's efforts to care for others in disaster situations. And of course, some were incredibly vile, offensive slurs on the Church and its teachings. Typical and definitely off the subject.

But one comment struck me-- the woman who posted commented about her husband's experience helping others in Canada during a disaster of some sort during his mission, and then commented that though they are both atheists, they still appreciate the good work the Church can do in emergencies.

Former LDS Church members who are now atheists. I have a couple of relatives who fall into this category, too, and it's one that I find completely inexplicable. To decide that you don't know what you believe, or that you think that the Church is mistaken, or that some other form of spirituality is more in line with your beliefs, or that it is just too hard to keep to the standards of the Church-- in these cases, I can understand why a person might think or feel this way.

But to decide that there is no higher power at all, no meaning to this life other than what nature or biology has programmed into us, and worst of all, nothing to follow after this life . . . well, I can't imagine a bleaker way to view the world.

How do you deal with terrible tragedies like the tsunami in Japan, or the murder of a child, or the genocide of a whole slice of the population like happened in Rwanda, without some belief that there is more meaning to this life than just "survival of the fittest?"

How do you deal with the death of someone you love so dearly, if you believe that when this life is over, it's over?

I wouldn't be able to function. Even trying to imagine life from this point of view makes me want to curl up into a ball and refuse to move. Fear would cripple me so badly that I wouldn't be able to actually live.

Fortunately, I do believe in a higher power. I believe that we have a Father in Heaven who cares about us. I believe that He lets us make our own choices, which can result in some awful suffering in this world. I also believe that He has set up this world to work by certain natural means, which means that we will experience suffering through things like earthquakes and flooding and fires.

But all this suffering has a purpose. I trust Him, so I know that everything we go through in this life can work for our good, in one way or another. Most of all, I have a deep, abiding belief in a life after this one, so death is not final, and I can take comfort in knowing that those who die are not forever lost to us.

So with those thoughts in mind, I can move forward and throw myself into my day. I'll trust in God that whatever comes will work for my good. (Even this constant nausea and the bone deep fatigue, right?)