‘There is no life so shattered that it cannot be rebuilt’

I was deeply touched by President Dieter Uchtdorf‘s message in the LDS General Conference a couple of hours ago.   As he talked about the rubble of the bombed out church in Dresden and when I saw the magnificent structure that rose from the 70 year old rubble, I couldn’t help but cry.   Last night was probably the most conflicted night of my life as a mother.  I had to do something I never imagined I would have to do.  But his words! His words! The parable of the ninety and nine.  ‘It matters not how you become lost…’  ‘There is no life so shattered that it cannot be rebuilt.’ ‘If mortal hands can transform the Dresden rubble, then trust what God can do. ‘ And then there was the HOPE!  If you can’t muster faith, then have HOPE…Hope in Jesus Christ.  Hope can bridge the chasm in front of my feet.  And then there was that building!  That beautiful new building!  And I loved (more deeply than you can imagine) that they salvaged some of the blackened war-torn bricks and used them in the brand new building.  They added such a stunning beauty to the overall  structure.  I have a feeling that it’s more beautiful than it ever was because now there is a backstory.  It’s hard to imagine the amount of sorrow, malice, deceit, and  hate that created those black bricks.  But now they are part of one complete and beautiful whole.  Thank you, Dieter F. Uchtdorf for bypassing my cerebral cortex and heading straight for my heart.  I needed that today.