The widow and the fatherless

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

--James 1:27

I am reminded of what Abraham Lincoln said in his second inaugural address, delivered on March 4, 1865, during the final days of the Civil War and only a month before he was killed. He said, "With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan.”

Let us each look for opportunities to serve.

May God continue to bless and prosper our great nation, and bless the widows and the children of those who've sacrificed in the service of this blessed nation that all might enjoy freedom.

Again, I'm reminded of our great past president, Abraham Lincoln, who himself served in the Civil War. In a handwritten letter to Mrs. Lydia Bixby dated November 21, 1864, President Lincoln wrote the following:

“I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts, that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours, to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of Freedom.”

He then signed the letter, “Sincerely, A. Lincoln.”

Tongue cannot tell nor pen or ink describe the hurt and pain felt by those who've lost family and dear friends. Many heartfelt prayers are ascending tonight for you all. While our prayers are never ignored, I believe we each must make the efforts to bless the lives of those who suffer most --a kind note, a gentle reassurance, a listening ear. If we pray for opportunities to help, we will be amazed how many doors will open. And, as found in the Book of Mormon--Another Testament of Jesus Christ, "when ye are in the bservice of your cfellow beings ye are only in the service of your God" (Mosiah 2:17).