The Lord holds it in his own hands

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Sunday Afternoon Session of the April 2006 Conference.

I remember this talk well from when it was given. "Behold the city of Babylon!" We quote it sometimes when driving by Las Vegas. :) The central problem of the talk—how do we remain separate from Babylon and even build Zion in the midst of it?—has only gotten more difficult since then. And I must say, I wish he had given some foolproof tips for how to do it! I often think about this and despair:

We should not allow ourselves to be engulfed by the culture which surrounds us. We seldom realize the extent to which we are a product of the culture of our place and time.

What an insidious thing is this culture amidst which we live. It permeates our environment, and we think we are being reasonable and logical when, all too often, we have been molded by the ethos, what the Germans call the zeitgeist, or the culture of our place and time.…People in every culture move within a cocoon of self-satisfied self-deception, fully convinced that the way they see things is the way things really are.

Our culture tends to determine what foods we like, how we dress, what constitutes polite behavior, what sports we should follow, what our taste in music should be, the importance of education, and our attitudes toward honesty. It also influences men as to the importance of recreation or religion, influences women about the priority of career or childbearing, and has a powerful effect on how we approach procreation and moral issues. All too often, we are like puppets on a string, as our culture determines what is “cool.”

It's so true. I know I am not unaffected by it myself, even, but it's for my children that I fear the most. As much as we've tried to provide glimpses of "Zion" in our home, as much as we've tried to weaken the influence of "Babylon" in their lives—I'm afraid it won't be enough! I'm afraid it can't be enough!

But Elder Stone says it's possible: 

We can live as a Zion people, if we wish to. Will it be hard? Of course it will, for the waves of Babylonian culture crash incessantly against our shores. Will it take courage? Of course it will.…

Wherever we are, whatever city we may live in, we can build our own Zion by the principles of the celestial kingdom and ever seek to become the pure in heart. Zion is the beautiful, and the Lord holds it in His own hands. Our homes can be places which are a refuge and protection, as Zion is.

And I guess the key part of that is the Lord holding us in his own hands! Our little family theme for this last year has been "A place of refuge," based in part on this quote, and I've been trying to trust the Lord to make it possible for us! I pray every day that he will hold my home and my family and my children "in His own hands." Even in our own small family, we seem so far from Zion that I sometimes despair of finding it. But if I think of it as Jesus Christ being able to overcome Babylon and create Zion—well, of course He can do it! And He has promised to help us do it. That ought to be assurance enough for anybody! I can ask for and count on His help with total confidence.

Other posts in this series:

Zion in the Midst of Babylon—by Rozy