Lessons from the Sand

To my daughter, 

                  This week we were able to spend time on the beach as a family. You and your brother enjoyed building things out of sand, and you learned that those kinds of creations don’t last very long because the water comes in and destroys them. This reminds me of what the Savior taught in the Sermon on the Mount: “And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” If we do not follow the teachings of Jesus, then we are like those who build their houses on the sand. You can understand now that building right on the sand is not a good idea for a permanent structure, and even if there wasn’t the risk of water coming in, the foundation would not be very sturdy. Jesus was making a comparison with our lives and encouraging us to spiritually build upon a rock. He said: “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock” (Matthew 7:24-27). Just as it would be better to build a sturdy building on a rock than on sand, so too is it better for us to build our lives upon the rock of Jesus Christ by following His teachings than the philosophies of the world. As we do those things that bring us closer to Him—such as studying the scriptures, going to Church, praying, and serving others—you and I are building our lives on a rock. That will prepare us to face whatever figurative storms we might encounter in mortality through faith in Jesus Christ.

                 The scriptures also speak of sand in a different context that teaches us about the vastness of God’s creations. If I were to ask you to count the grains of sand that were on the beach we went to, you would surely think I was crazy. The sand is far too numerous to even begin to count—just counting the portion that came back with us to our place would be extremely difficult. Counting all the sand on the beach would simply be impossible, but you have a sense of its vastness after playing in it. Scientists estimate that on the earth there are about 7.5 quintillion grains of sand, a number so large that it can’t really be comprehended. And yet the scriptures use this analogy to talk about the creations of God, such as in this passage from Moses: “Moses cast his eyes and beheld the earth, yea, even all of it; and there was not a particle of it which he did not behold, discerning it by the Spirit of God. And he beheld also the inhabitants thereof, and there was not a soul which he beheld not; and he discerned them by the Spirit of God; and their numbers were great, even numberless as the sand upon the sea shore. And he beheld many lands; and each land was called earth, and there were inhabitants on the face thereof.” Moses beheld not just our world but many worlds that were created by God, and he saw that the number of people created were “numberless as the sand upon the sea shore.” God then told him, “And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose.” So vast are the creations of God that we can’t even number them, just as we can’t number the grains of sand on the earth. Considering this might make us feel pretty insignificant knowing how enormous the creations of God are, and yet he assured us that we are what matters most to Him: “The heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man; but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine. And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words. For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:27-29, 33, 37-39). His glory is to bring to pass our immortality and eternal life. In other words, He cares about you, His daughter, just as He cared enough to speak personally to Moses whom He called His son. As we consider the vastness of the creations of the earth around us, we should be reminded that we are His greatest work and His glory, and He wants to save each of us. I hope you know that Heavenly Father and Jesus love you perfectly!

Love,

Dad