Yesterday was the last day of the tour, and what a wonderful tour it has been! Not only was it a really, really fun show,š¤ but for the last show, Jeremy, our road manager, was joined by his family, and I had his kids be Santaās elves throwing candy in the audience along with Santa! šš Werenāt they adorable!?!
Iāll tell you what: I especially loved seeing some of you tearing up during certain songs throughout the tour. Thereās nothing better than feeling the power of God's love through the words! Music is amazing, isnāt it?! It can express things to our souls that sometimes words alone canāt.
Although I must say, as I reread the powerful words of the four Gospels this year, I did it not trying to extract rules but to try and see who our Savior Jesus Christ is and what He loves. My mother told me to do this before she left this life. She would say, āMarie, strive to understand Christ's personality.ā I think I finally put in the proper effort because I was overcome with a greater understanding of His infinite love for us.
Jesus said He had come āto heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind.ā This wasnāt just a to-do list or a good PR strategy; it is who He ISā¦ itās the fullness of His love He gives freelyā¦for US!
Even when I have randomly opened the Gospels, you can find Him loving and caring for people who suffer on almost every page. Whether spiritually or physically, He touches the lives of people considered polluted, unclean, hated, and hungry, offering them hope! His grace really is unfathomable!
As Carlos A. Godoy expressed recently: Try writing down every time He praises or heals or eats with an outsider, and you will run low on ink before you even leave Luke. President Russell M. Nelson taught, āThe more you learn about the Savior, the easier it will be to trust in His mercy, His infinite love.ā And the more you will trust and love your Heavenly Father.
That reminded me of #SundayMessage I wrote on December 19, 2021, after being on tour and having a very moving soundcheck conversation, so Iām reposting that message today.
As we prepare for Christmas, I pray we will try to keep the āChristā in Christmas and keep Him in the forefront of all we do and say to those around us. I hope, too, you know how much I love all of you and feel eternally blessed to be a part of your lives. Have a wonderful Sunday!!!šāāļø
Marieās Sunday Message
December 19, 2021
At our sound check yesterday, I was asking people if they had any questions, and I felt impressed to speak to a certain woman who said, āI bought a ticket because I lost my husband, and Iāve been so sad and lonely. I hope your show will help me feel Godās love and the Christmas spirit.ā Since then, I havenāt been able to stop thinking about her and what she said. I am always pondering what to write on Sundays, and she kept coming to my mind, as well as this scripture, āHow precious are your thoughts about me, O Lord? They outnumber the grains of sand.ā Psalm 139:17-18.
Then, a friend sent me this pictureā¦. Coincidence? I think not! (See how my Sunday messages happen?)
These simple grains of sand have been magnified over 250 times their real size. Did you ever think sand could be so beautiful or that each grain would be so unique? Before I saw this picture, I thought sand was sand-ish. It never occurred to me that something I thought to be so ordinary could be so beautiful. What intrigued me the most was how each one was so different. Thatās much work on Heavenly Fatherās part, right? I meanā¦ sand? Yet each one is uniquely created, like us! And just like sand, we have the potential to turn into a pearl (or just an irritant!) Heavenly Father could have created one grain of sand and mass-produced them all. Who would have known? Billions of identical pieces of sand would have been so much easier. But he didnāt, not with sand and not with people. Each one of us came to earth with different talents, gifts, and, yes, challenges. We are here to bless each other differently as we learn and serve each other. A friend once told me, āIf we could all make pizza, who would fix the cars?ā Each one of us matters in a unique and beautiful way! Only things man creates seem identical; man may turn out thousands of things that are identical, but not Heavenly Father! From snowflakes to sand to people, each one a treasure of creation.
Pondering upon sand drew me to the universe. Have you heard about the new telescope? They jokingly call it the Hubble 2.0, but itās really named the James Webb telescope. (James Webb ran Nasa during the early years.) We learned so much about the universe from Hubble that we could see 100 billion solar systems if this new telescope worked. We have only seen 5% of the universeā¦ 5%! Now we can see 95% more! We can see planets, stars, black holes, comets, and meteorsā¦
How huge is the universe? We may never know. But when I look at the picture of the grain of sand and then think about the vastness of the universeā¦ I am literally in awe of it ALL!
Laying here in my bunk, I thought about the sweet woman who felt sad and lonely, as Iām sure so many are right now. If I were to say anything worthwhile today, it would be to remember how precious we are to our Lord, as the scripture above in Psalms says. He knows us! He truly does. He is there with His arms open as we experience all earth life's pains, trials, and successes. When I thought about the woman at Soundcheck who needed some joy, the feeling came again that Father had brought us all together to serve each other. Then my focus turned to a babyā¦ a baby who grew up to save us all. I might be in awe of sand and the vastness of space, but nothing compares with my amazement of that little baby sleeping in a manger. His mother next to him wondered what life was going to bring to her and how she would ever live up to the task of raising the Savior of the world. We are promised in scripture that we will never be given more than we can handle. We CAN live up to all that life will bring, but we cannot make it without our Savior by our side! Everything God has created is for us, His children. Everything is to bring us joy and learning. Our goal is to see Him in ALL things.
āO love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.ā Psalms 31: 23-24
If our Lord can do all of these things, and He does, then He will be here for us and all our concerns.