Is the Restoration finished?
Sometimes it may seem like the Restoration of the gospel started and ended with Joseph Smith and that we have no individual part of it. However, the Restoration is ongoing, and we are all needed to do His work.
In a new blog post onchurchofJesusChrist.org, writer, Samuel B. Hislop, explains why we all have a unique purpose in the continuation of the Restoration.
Hislop begins by retelling a moment before he left on his mission. Afraid of proselytizing in the former Soviet Union, Hislop’s grandma told him that he was alive because he had important things to do.
This message calmed him and stuck with him. “My late grandma’s words have had staying power because they are true. Every soul is special and has a unique contribution to make in God’s work,” Hislop writes.
Hislop likens this message to the work each of us is entrusted to do. The work of the Restoration is reliant upon recognizing our individuality and understanding that God knows us personally.
The Restoration began with Joseph Smith’s First Vision. In his vision, Joseph recounts that Heavenly Father called Joseph “by name.” The very beginning of the Restoration began with a personal calling to Joseph Smith, and each of us has this personal calling to continue His work. "The work of Restoration is as much ours to continue as it was Joseph’s to begin," Hislops says.
But how do we continue the work of the Restoration?
Hislop advises, “Perhaps we start by studying the work of Restoration through Book of Mormon scriptures. Some verses speak of God restoring His children to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Others teach of our Father gathering His scattered children. These are things happening every day before our eyes. You and I are those children, brothers and sisters in the global family of God. The work of the Restoration requires our willing hands, hearts, and minds actively engaged in bringing wholeness to our world. This can happen in a multitude of ways.”
Hislop continues, “Each of us is needed. We can begin restoring beautiful moments of love and grace to the world now.”
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