3 days ago5 min read

Holiness to the Lord in Everyday Life

Written by April T Giauque

Elder Gong Oct 2024

Dad jokes VS AI Jokes:

Our recent Gong family reunion included a fun talent show with a dad jokes contest. The grandchildren and I went first. “What do you call a dinosaur who crashes his car? Tyrannosaurus Wrecks.”

AI Gerrit Gong—“Here is a dad joke as if spoken by Gerrit W. Gong, embracing his warm, thoughtful, and uplifting style: Why did the humble tree make people smile? Because it was rooted in love and reached out with branches of kindness. Like that tree, we too can find strength in our roots and joy in extending kindness to others.”

I encourage you to listen to Elder Gong so that you can hear his gentle soft spoken way of love and power. He is an apostle who is a storyteller with light and love.

Holiness to the Lord

Elder Gong goes on to explain how “ours is a gospel of joy and holiness in everyday life.” If you think about what holiness is and how it is sacred in its structure and purpose, you might wonder how to infuse it into your daily life? When you are holy, you think of the Lord’s will and light. These pinpoints of light funnel in even in the tragedies of life, They help us to rejoice in daily bread amidst this world’s thistles and thorns.

Walk with the Lord: Live the 7 C’s

To walk with the Lord, we must become holy, for He is holy, and to help us become holy, the Lord invites us to walk with Him.

You live seven Cs:

Communion with God,
Community and Compassion with each other,
Commitment and Covenant with God, family, and friends—Centered in Jesus Christ.

Research Supports Religious Believers are Better off than Non-believers

Elder Gong said, “Growing evidence highlights this striking fact: religious believers are on average, happier, healthier, and more fulfilled than those without spiritual commitment or connection. Happiness and life satisfaction, mental and physical health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, close social relationships, and even financial and material stability—on each measure, religious practitioners flourish.”

I know this to be true. The junk of life still happens, but with the Lord, we are better able to combat the darkness. We enjoy better physical and mental health and greater life satisfaction across all ages and demographic groups.

Something else that is interesting about what researchers call “religious structural stability” is that it offers clarity, purpose, and inspiration amidst life’s twists and turns. Elder Gong said, “The household of faith and community of Saints combat isolation and the lonely crowd.”

What does it mean to life Holiness to the Lord?

Holiness to the Lord says:

no to the profane,
no to snarky cleverness at others’ expense,
no to algorithms that monetize anger and polarization.

Holiness to the Lord says:

yes to the sacred and reverent,
yes to our becoming our freest, happiest, most authentic, best selves as we follow Him in faith.

Real Life examples of Holiness to the Lord

Elder Gong shares a story about a young married couple and their struggles in life but their commitment to each other and to live holiness to the Lord in their everyday life.

She is in nursing school. He is a Return Missionary going back to school on his baseball scholarship. She learned how to leave dark places by reading her scriptures. I was being given this big hug. She reports, “ I knew Heavenly Father saw me and knew exactly how I was feeling.” She goes on to share about how she didn’t have a great testimony of Tithing, but she acted on faith and tried it and saw the blessings come from it.

During nursing school, she was mocked and laughed at for getting married so young and wearing garments. “This past semester I learned how to voice my beliefs better and be a good gospel example. My knowledge and testimony grew because I was tested in my ability to stand alone and be strong in what I believe.”

Young Husband: “I expected a difficult transition but found myself stronger, faster, and healthier. I was throwing harder than when I left. I had more offers to play than when I left, including my dream school. And, most importantly,” he said, “I rely upon the Lord more than ever.”

He concludes, “As a missionary, I taught that Heavenly Father promises us power in our prayers, but sometimes I forget that for myself.”

When missionaries of all ages and backgrounds consecrate holiness to the Lord, things can work out in the Lord’s time and way.

“My dad wanted me to get a college education, not go on a mission. Shortly after that, he had a heart attack and died at age 47. I felt guilty. How could I make things right with my father?

“Later,” he continues, “after I decided to serve a mission, I saw my father in a dream. Peaceful and contented, he was happy I would serve.”

This senior missionary continues, “As Doctrine and Covenants section 138 teaches, I picture my father helping our great-grandfather, who left Germany at age 17 and was lost to the family, be found again.”

Elder Gong shares four more stories of people living “Holiness to the Lord in Everyday Life.” I encourage you to go back and study and read his talk to see all of the examples. My question to you is how are you living your life in this way?

Holiness to the Lord in everyday life includes tender moments when loved ones pass. Earlier this year, my dear mother, Jean Gong, slipped into the next life days before her 98th birthday. I once asked Mom which decisions had most shaped her life.

She said, “Being baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and moving from Hawaii to the mainland, where I met your father.” Baptized as a 15-year-old, the only member of her large family to join our Church, my mother had covenant faith and trust in the Lord that blessed her life and all our family generations.

Elder Gong’s Testimony

Holiness to the Lord makes daily living sacred. It draws us closer and happier to the Lord and each other and prepares us to live with God our Father, Jesus Christ, and our loved ones.

As did my friend, you may wonder if your Heavenly Father loves you. The answer is a resounding, absolute yes! We can feel His love as we make holiness to the Lord ours each day, happy and forever. May we do so, I pray in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.