Wise Men and Women Still Seek Him

Last week the entire mission came together for only the second time in my 15 months as a missionary. Many heart-felt testimonies were shared by departing missionaries and we received inspired addresses from the Assistants to the President. One thing that really touched me was the symbolism of the wise men, which Elder Abbott spoke about. He shared a message about who the wise men were, how they came to Bethlehem, and in what manner they adored Jesus upon arrival. The wise men came from afar in search of Jesus Christ. As many others, they saw a new star appear but they, unlike the rest, recognized its significance and followed it. As the scriptures read, there were times when they could not see the star in the sky but they had studied and knew that Jesus was to be born in Bethlehem. They knew the importance of that famous birth and that city is where their travels took them. They pressed forward and "when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh."

Life is much like the adventures of these wise men. Sometimes we must press forward with faith even though the evidence of what we believe in is not visible. Clouds of trial may momentarily block our guiding star but though such may be the case, through the Spirit, prayer, and the scriptures, we know where we must go and what we must do. Then, when we finally reach Christ and stand before him, we will have gifts to offer him. They will not be gifts of material possession but it will be us that we offer--every good thing we have cleaved unto and every good deed we have done. I know that if we seek after Christ, we will be able to find him (Acts 17:27). Glancing behind us, the trials we faced will be minor bumps on the road, for then we will be in Bethlehem. We will be with our Savior. Indeed, as Elder Russel M. Nelson said, "Wise men and women still seek Him."