Welcome to a brand new year and another chance to start fresh. This year, rather than the normal list of resolutions, my personal list involves just one: my heart condition.

No, I don’t have a scary diagnosis, nor am I having any health challenges (a blessing for which I am very grateful). A wise, spiritually mature woman once told me that the whole story of the Book of Mormon is a story of their heart condition. When the peoples’ hearts are soft, open, tender or broken, they walk with the Lord and are blessed. When the peoples’ hearts are hard, they incur the chastening that comes from bad choices, plus they
do not have the companionship of the Holy Ghost.

This year, I want to keep my heart open. I want to allow the Lord room in my heart and in my life, and I want to act on His gentle, whispering invitations. I want to “recover the Spirit of ‘Box B’.” Elder Packer taught a group of newly-called mission presidents that “Box B was once the return mailing address for the First Presidency. When one received a letter from that box, as did the father of a young Ezra Taft Benson, to depart immediately on a mission, the recipient left the plow in the field, set aside immediate cares, and answered the Lord’s call—an act similar to that of the fishermen of Galilee” (Robert S. Wood, The Complete Christian, Deseret Book, 2007).

Faith to follow the prophet as soon as he calls is an outgrowth of having that kind of a heart. This is the time to test a lifetime of gospel study, of testimony from acting in faith.
It’s time to flex our spiritual muscles and help them grow strong and mighty. Here’s to a great year!

All the best,

Editor@DesertSaintsMagazine.com