We enjoyed watching the General Conference here at home
in our comfortable chairs. What a wonderful thing modern technology is
that we can from our own home receive the messages of the Prophets of
the Lord and also communicate with all of you so quickly and easily.
Each message was well prepared and timely to remind us of our
wonderful blessings that we receive from living the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. As always we were warned of the evils of our day that have
come into our homes with the wonderful technology that the Lord has
given us for the Spreading of His work.
I am reminded of when we used to raise cattle on the
ranch. In the fall and the rainy season the cattle had plenty of green
grass to eat and they were fat and sleek storing up energy and fat to
endure the dry winter and spring when everything was dry and didn't
have much strength in the grass. Early in the spring when the grass
was dry and scarce and the cattle were hungry and thin the terrible
evil of the Silver Loco Weed would come in abundance. There it would
be early in the morning fresh and beautiful, sparkling with dew and
making a very tempting food for the hungry cattle and the horses. As
it grew it would put on a lovely purple flowers to even be more
tempting and trying to proclaim it's innocence and beauty. Every thing
around was dry and lifeless and the pangs of hunger were increasing by
the day in the thin weak animals. They seemed to have an instinct
warning them to not succumb to the temptation that was before them and
many would heed the warning and not eat of that tempting evil. When
some saw one yield to the temptation others would follow. Soon they
became addicted and would not eat anything else but go around looking
for that which would satisfy their cravings. Very soon they would
begin to walk like they were marching and their eyes and nose would
begin to run. They began to see things that were not there and jump
away from some evil that would suddenly appear. Their hair would
become dry and lifeless and they would give off and evil smell. Death
was soon to come as they grew thinner and their strength was gone.
Even if they were taken off that weed and put in a
corral with good Alfalfa hay and grain, those poor animals could never
come back to be normal again for the damage had been done.
We had some sad experiences with horses that started to
eat that Silver Loco Weed. We would happen to notice some erratic
behavior in one of the horses and immediately know that they had eaten
some Loco Weed. Even though they were taken away from the source of
evil completely and fed well and treated with special love and care,
they could never be trusted again. When it was least expected they
would buck or go to pieces as though their nerves had been
damaged.
We spent months trying to eradicate the weed with
grubbing hoes. We would pile it up and burn it as soon as it was dry.
We even tried spraying it with a powerful herbicide but it would just
wilt a little for a couple of days then come back stronger as if we
had given it a fertilizer. We had another variety of Loco Weed called
the Popper Loco which was less enticing and not as quick to enslave
and cause death but when eaten over a period of time would cause
death. I remember one year we had so much Popper Loco that while
driving around the ranch we would drive through big patches of the
weed causing a continuous popping sound.
Like the Silver Loco Weed there are some enslaving
vices that appear beautiful and tempting and come it seems when we are
the most vulnerable and weak. We have instincts and warnings not to
even take one mouthful, so to speak, of the evil, giving it a chance
to enslave us and have us become addicted to it. One of the evils that
compares well with the Silver Loco is Pornography. It appears in the
most alluring forms and is readily available at every turn and tempts
one of man's strongest instincts just as hunger tempts the animals to
eat that lovely fresh weed. Just as the evil chemical lurks in the
Loco Weed the evil addiction lurks in viewing Pornography which will
remain in our minds forever and when least expected will pop up again.
Just as the Silver Loco can destroy the animals and bring death so the
addiction of these evils can destroy our lives and bring spiritual
death.
Unlike the hapless animals through the principle of
repentance we can come back if we receive the proper spiritual
nourishment and enough love and help from all concerned. However
any of these evils will leave their mark upon us and we must be
constantly watchful because like the horses that have once eaten the
Silver Loco we cannot be trusted and we cannot even trust ourselves.
Thankfully, true repentance can erase our sins through the Atonement
of Jesus Christ and the Lord will remember them no more.
May we learn the lesson from the cattle that heed the
instinctive warning not to partake of those tempting evils and remain
healthy and whole in body and spirit.
It is impossible to get rid of the evils of the world
just as it was impossible to completely get rid of the Loco Weed. The
seeds are there and as soon as conditions are right it comes back full
of strength and flowering scattering millions of tiny seeds for the
years to come. The only thing we can do is to heed the
warnings of our conscience and the warnings of the Prophets of the
Lord and our parents and leaders. We must develop self discipline to
resist every temptation until they no longer tempt us because of our
decision to not yield.
We love you all and hope you are doing well and
enjoying life as you go along. We are busy and doing well and look
forward to our communications with you.