To Carry With Me

A young adult man keeps a photo of a cherished friend by his table. The friend has passed away.

On occasion, he looks to the photo and smiles. He might reminisce shared experiences with this friend, reliving the adventures in his mind. But he continues on living his life.

He bumps into struggles in life - during the events of some, he is reminded of a lesson he and his cherished friend learned and applied together in a similar circumstance.

He may be about to make a bad decision when the voice or image of his cherished friend comes to mind.

Rarely, but often and meaningfully, his cherished friend is the topic of conversation. Those who knew him in the past would reflect on shared experiences together.

With this account, I ask the question: what does it mean to always have someone with us?

The cherished friend is a part of this young adult man's life. He has been influenced by his friend's goodness. Like the closest and most impactful people, he continues to "live" with them.

I believe this is what it means to "always have His Spirit to be with us."

We receive this promise at the sacrament table every Sunday at church. As we keep God's commandments, take upon us the name of Christ and always remember Him, we are promised to always have the Holy Ghost with us.

The Holy Ghost, the third member of the Godhead, a personage of Spirit, is a being of love and light who we can have with us always. He represents the Godhead's presence in our lives on a daily basis.

He can be the topic of conversation. He loves that. He will positively influence those who speak well of Him. He is hindered in His access to those who ignore Him or think ill of Him.

As we bump into struggles in life, we may find His voice reminding us of what is truly important.

He fills our hearts with sweetness, moving us to make decisions for good that we may not feel courageous enough to perform on our own accord. He makes us better than we could make ourselves.

We may have a picture of the Saviour, or of the temple. He loves both.

Our lifestyle reflects how much of God we have in our lives. To remember and have our lives made better by the influence of a good friend is wonderful. When the greatest of these friends is God, miracles come flooding into our lives. This is a motivation to carry with me the memory and friendship of my God. In return, He carries our lives with us.

I carry His name, He carries my life in His hands.