Matt's Message #6: They Whisper the Words of Their Creator

My Adventures

I've been on quite a few adventures over the past year or so. Some of the places I've been recently include Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, the sand dunes and mountains near BYU-Idaho, Big Cottonwood Canyon, Racoon Creek State Park in Pennsylvania, the Colorado Rockies, and Lake Powell. I'd have to say I've recently found a much bigger love for nature and adventure than I had before. I crave to get out and explore the earth. I love to see all the amazing sights there are to see in this world.

I'm not generally the type to take lots of pictures, but out of what I've got, here are some of my favorites for your enjoyment! These were all taken with my crappy cell phone camera; I don't know about you, but I'm impressed with the results!

Right outside my tent on a Priest's Quorum camp.

The Snake River from Cress-Creek Trail

Delicate Arch

Navajo Arch

Double O Arch

At a cabin in the Rockies during a family reunion. There's nothing like holding a wild chipmunk!

My favorite picture I've ever taken!

It Didn't Have To Be Pretty

As I hiked around observing so much of Heavenly Father's and Jesus's beautiful creation, I've thought quite a bit about the love they must have for us. I imagine it would have been much easier to create a world where there were only the absolute essentials for human life. God didn't have to put all of His beautiful creations on the Earth. As far as I know, all of God's children would still be able to progress just fine if there were no colorful sunsets, no magnificent arches, no large rivers and steady streams, and no cuddly chipmunks to hop in your hand for some almonds. So the question is, why did God create these things?

I'm sure there are many scholars that can find deep doctrinal answers to that question, but here's my rather simple one: Because He loves us. Because He cares about the details of our lives. Because He wants us to be awed on our hiking trip. Because He wants us to have breathtaking moments. Because He wants us to be filled with that mind-boggling peace we experience when stargazing around the campfire on a cloudless night.

When I'm out in nature, I can't help but feel the divine in everything around me. It seems as if God's creation whispers to me the words of its Creator. "Matt, I knew you'd hike down this trail at this time in awe of the flowers, and the critters scampering to and fro. I knew you'd be astounded at the reflection of the sunlight glimmering off the water onto the red-rock walls of this weathered cavern. I knew you would gaze up at the stars on this very night, on that very sand dune, in amazement of the divine grandeur of the heavens. My son, I did this for you."

What Can We Do About This?

1. Have a scripture study session about the creation
2. Get into nature and ponder God's love
3. Plan a hiking or camping trip!

Matt's Message #5: Matt's Mind Awakens

Back At It

First things first, I haven't posted since January 29 of this year. I've slacked off and I'm very sorry about that. I'm now recommitting and I hope to post regularly until I go on my mission.

My Unexpectedly Awesome Life

Well, I think it's a pretty good idea to get everyone up to speed on my life, and it works out great for a Matt's Message because there is an awesome lesson to be learned from one of my recent experiences!

Soooo... First big thing that has happened since I last posted. I got a letter from President Monson addressed to ELDER Matthew Hunter Richins! Off to the Nebraska Omaha Mission! WOOOOHOOOO!!!! 

The next thing that happened was a huge game-changer. (In a good way.) I got a call from my bishop one day, and he said there may be some delays on my mission call. You see, the missionary department had got a hold of a tidbit of information that came up when I was scheduling a doctor's appointment and immediately put my call on hold. They found out that I wasn't getting the full dose of my daily Costco muffins. I didn't realize that this information was a big deal, and it didn't even cross my mind that it could affect my mission call. Long story short, after a bunch of paperwork it was decided that my call would be canceled. I'll still be able to go on a mission, but I'm not sure when just yet. (And ok, I was obviously kidding about the muffin part. But the rest of it is all true. Just please let me have my privacy when it comes to my health info. :))

Here is where a very important lesson comes into play. Remember how I said this was a game-changer in a good way? You'd probably expect that I'd be devastated by the news, right? I was about to have such a wonderful thing happen. I was about to go dedicate two years of my life to serving God! But then it was snatched away from me like a sneaky seagull on the beach swooping down to snag my sandwich. That's actually not how I thought of it at all. When I first received the information that my call was canceled, I was devastated for approximately 2.3 seconds. Then a big wave of peace swept over me and I knew that all would be fine. I felt a strong spiritual assurance that this was all part of God's divine plan for me.

As life has continued from that point forward, this hiccup in my mission plans has proved to be a big blessing. I've since developed some amazing friendships! I have a much longer time than the average pre-missionary gets to have the blessing of being involved in all the ordinances of the temple. And I'm at what has proved to be the best college in the world!!! BYU-Idaho!!! Yaaaaaay! Furthermore, it seems that my Heavenly Father is better preparing me for my mission. I think He knew that I would have been a successful missionary when I had originally planned on leaving, but He saw my potential and knew I could have an even greater impact in His kingdom if I got some experience surviving in the "real world" first. He knew that it would be helpful to give me a little longer to develop a more loving, service-oriented heart. He knew that I would take an incredible mission-prep class up here that would teach me more than just how to do missionary work; it would teach me how to become a missionary.

I firmly testify that God knows what He is doing. He knows each of us better than we know ourselves. He sees our potential and does everything He can to make use of it. We have our ideas of what is best for us, but sometimes God vetoes them because He knows better than we do. Like a mother who doesn't let her energetic four-year-old eat ice cream for dinner, God has a better plan than us. He loves each of us and gives us experiences that help us become like Him. From this experience, I've truly learned that God has the master plan. I know He is the supreme creator of the universe and He does everything He can to bring to pass our immortality and eternal life. (Moses 1:39)

What Can We Do About This?

1. Pray for direction in your life and be willing to act on it no matter the answer.
2. Have a few scripture study sessions where you study how God brought about unexpected changes in the lives of prophets and the blessings it brought.                            -For example, Lehi was asked to leave Jerusalem which led to the colonizing of             the promised land.
3. Ponder the ways you have been blessed when you've walked by faith rather than sight.