January 6, 2011

Tonight I read a beautiful talk from the last General Conference by Elder Per G. Malm called Rest Unto Your Souls. Finding this rest includes a "peace of mind and heart, which is the result of learning and following the doctrine of Christ, and becoming Christ's extended hands in serving and helping other." I can say with total honesty of heart that I do feel such a constant daily peace in my soul. I feel such calm and comfort and I know it is a gift from God as a result of my willingness to be obedient to His commandments. I am so grateful for this gift of peace when there is so much confusion, worry, doubt, fear and calamity swarming around on every side. I know this is a gift I've received because of my faithfulness and obedience and I want to always be worthy of it. I want to spend the days of my probation being productive, improving upon my weaknesses, working hard, showing faith and diligence, and serving others. I am grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It truly does give me "the strength to stand tall and strong and to have [my] soul filled with light, understanding, joy and love." This is a wonderful, beautiful place to be.

January 3, 2011

Tonight I used the New Testament study guide, lesson 1. In John 1:1-13, it teaches that Jesus Christ is the word of God and that it was through Him that everything was created. He was and always has been completely obedient to every word spoken by God. I think His name/title of The Word is completely appropriate due to His perfect obedience in carrying out God's will. In verse 9 it says Christ is the light which "lighteth every man that cometh into the world." The Savior has given me life because of His gift of the resurrection and the Atonement. Because of the resurrection I have the hope of an immortal life. And because of the gift of the Atonement, the possibility of eternal life, or life with God, is a reality for me. He has shown me the way to go so I can obtain this eternal life. The hope that is a part of my life because of the resurrection and Atonement give meaning to my mortal day to day life. He has given me light as well through His example. It is a shining light to me of how to act, how to be obedient, submissive to the will of God and humble, and how to love and serve others. Following His light enriches my life immensely for how it helps me to strengthen relationships with the people I love and how it teaches me to be the best person I am capable of being. I am so thankful for the light and life of Jesus Christ, my Savior.

December 19, 2010

Tonight I read a Conference talk by Elder M. Russell Ballard. It is called O That Cunning Plan of the Evil One. He attests that "Lucifer is a clever and cunning intelligence. One of the main methods he uses against us is his ability to lie and deceive to convince us that evil is good and good is evil." He is successful at his attempts with those who do not have the Spirit as their constant companion to help them discern Satan's luring traps. In this particular talk, Elder Ballard talks of addiction. He says that, "any kind of addiction is to surrender to something, thus relinquishing agency and becoming dependent." He points out the obvious kinds of addictions such as drugs and pornography, but also points out some not so obvious ones such as video-gaming and texting. I thought that was really interesting. And even if one falls to addiction, because of the Atonement, there is always hope of recovery. And it begins, as he says, with "fervent prayer." It takes humility, gratitude, faith, prayer and a willingness to turn everything over to Him. With all of those ingredients, "your body, mind, and spirit can be transformed, cleansed, and made whole and you will be freed." I absolutely love the gospel of Jesus Christ because of the hope it offers. No matter what happens, or what choices I make, because of the Savior's Atonement, there is always hope of freedom. To me, that is the most wonderful thing in the world. It means so much to me and I'm so grateful for this knowledge, especially as I am studying sociology and preparing myself to help others. It comforts me to know there is always a path of hope, no matter what situation or experience I encounter.

November 30, 2010

Tonight I read Moroni 8:14-30. It is part of a letter Mormon wrote to his son Moroni and in these verses he is talking about little children and how they do not need repentance because they are already redeemed. In verse 22 it says that "all little children are alive in Christ, and also all they that are without the law." I thought that was a really interesting quote and I wonder who that includes. But it makes sense to me... why would God condemn one to whom He had not give His law? He is "not a partial God." I love these verses for the way they speak of God's "perfect love" and also of Christ's Atonement. I am very grateful for his Atonement and the blessings that have come to my life as a result of my faith in this wondrous gift.

October 27, 2010

I read Alma 42 which is a beautiful discourse about the plan of salvation and the purpose of the Atonement to satisfy the demands of justice and mercy. I couldn't help but think that I would be absolutely fascinated by these words if I were reading them for the first time. It is a beautiful chapter. The thing that struck me the most was the reason that Alma taught these things. He sensed his son was feeling that it is unjust for God to punish a sinner. As I read, verse 10 really tied into that. It says, "Therefore, as they [men and women] had become carnal, sensual, and devilish, by nature, this probationary state became a state for them to prepare; it became a preparatory state." It is a time for repentance; a time to overcome our natures. This really stuck out to me because I think that one of the adversary's tactics is to convince us humans to fall in love with, embrace and celebrate our "carnal, sensual and devilish natures" as who we are. This ploy leads people to believe there is no sin and there is no devil. It leads people to believe there is no need for repentance, self-discipline, or the Atonement. I believe that is all lies. I truly do believe that I am a divine daughter of God who has been given the opportunity to come to earth, to live with a body, to experience mortality as a probationary state - a time to prove my faithfulness and obedience to my Heavenly Father in order to receive the blessings of all that He has. I believe that God expects me to strive to overcome my "carnal, sensual and devilish nature" ... to put it aside - and instead put on the robes of righteousness, faithfulness, diligence and obedience in order to prove my worthiness to be an heir to the kingdom of God.

I also love verse 27 that says, "whosoever will come may come and partake of the waters of life freely; and whosoever will not come the same is not compelled to come; but in the last day it shall be restored unto him according to his deeds." I really believe that at that last day, there won't be anyone throwing a fit, feeling that God's judgement is unjust. I believe we will all know and accept our judgements according to our works. We will know what we did and where our heart was... and so does the Lord. His judgement will be just. He is merciful towards those who choose to repent, put off the natural man, and come unto Him. That is what I am striving to do.

October 26, 2010

I read Alma 41 and loved how Alma elaborated on the principle of restoration. I will be raised to happiness if my works have been righteous. Basically the principle of restoration is that we receive what we are. A corrupt being cannot be "restored" to eternal life. We must be changed through the Atonement of Christ, through repentance and coming unto him, and we can become clean and then be restored to eternal life.

August 17, 2010

Tonight I read the chapter on the Atonement in the Gospel Principles manual (chapter 12). I so appreciate the simplicity of this teaching: "We accept Christ's Atonement by placing our faith in Him. Through this faith, we repent of our sins, are baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and obey His commandments." His offer extended to us is His paying the price of suffering for all of our sins. What our part is to receive that offer is to repent and keep His commandments. It is that simple. Not necessarily always easy, but certainly simple. I am really grateful for the gift of the Atonement. It is two-fold. One, I will be resurrected and my body and spirit will be together in an immortal state. I am so excited for that because I really love my body. I love all that I can do and feel with this amazing body. And two, if we choose to place our faith in Him, He has also given us the gift of eternal life, but we have to choose it. That gift is conditioned on our faithfulness. I am so thankful for the plan that provided a Savior, and so grateful to Christ for fulfilling His great mission. What faith He must have had to accomplish what He did. His example provides me with a road map for my own life. I am so grateful for my Savior.

August 10, 2010

Tonight I finished up reading Alma chapter 24 about the converted Lamanites who gave up their lives rather than take up the sword, and whose act ended up converting over 1,000 more Lamanites to the Lord. The thing that most impressed me as I read this story is in verses 18-19. In those verses it contrasted the things they would have done prior to their conversion to the things they would rather do now. I saw this as a rather applicable question and answer session with myself to see where my own heart is in my own conversion process. Would I rather give up my own life than shed the blood of another? Would I rather give to people than take away from them? Would I rather labor abundantly with my hands than spend my days in idleness? What do my actions say about where my heart is? I have been "brought to believe and know the truth." Am I "firm" in my conversion? Would I rather suffer death than commit sin? I want to answer "yes" to all of these questions, but I also want to really pay attention to my own actions over the next while and really ask myself sincerely if I am firm in my conversion and if my actions are evidence of that firmness of faith. I have a feeling I will be pleased with what I discover. I am so grateful for the power of Jesus Christ to wipe away my pain. I experienced that today and it was beautiful and wonderful beyond measure. Accepting the atoning power of Christ in my life is so cleansing, peaceful, and most of all, it is absolutely liberating. I am so grateful for this amazing gift.

August 9, 2010

Tonight my brother and sister in law had their baby girl. I am staying with her to help her through the night. I read in my Book of Mormon, Alma 24:1-19, the story of the Anti-Nephi-Lehi's decision to bury their weapons of war in order to maintain their cleanliness. This is one of my favorite stories in the Book of Mormon. And when I read it tonight, what stuck out to me was their absolute faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Their faith struck me as very powerful because they were believing in something that had yet to occur. That is much different, to me, than believing on something that happened in the past. It shows their absolute faith and trust in the plan of happiness and in their belief of the character and capacity of Jesus Christ to fulfill his mission. This is a fantastic message of faith, hope and vision.

August 8, 2010

Tonight I read an Ensign article called He Can Heal Any Wound as well as a few verses in Alma 7:11-12. The author of the article talks of how their two and a half month old son died on their anniversary as a result of their babysitter's actions. She suffered pain, anger, disappointment and hopelessness for years afterward. But she eventually found healing through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It would be so hard to endure an experience similar to hers. When I read stories like this, I put myself in that position mentally to envision what my own personal response would be. I do believe, like she said, that "the presence of Jesus Christ in our lives can ease any pain."

In the scripture I read, I love this doctrine: "And He [took] upon Him their infirmities, that His bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that He may know according to the flesh how to succor His people according to their infirmities." There are many challenges we face throughout life that come about only "according to the flesh." I am so grateful to have a belief in a God that truly loves me and cares enough about me that He was willing to experience mortality along with me so that He truly could learn what pains I would face... so He could truly be able to offer me the compassion, love, and understanding to help me through my own individual trials.

August 1, 2010

Today I listened to a Conference talk called Generations Linked in Love by Russell M. Nelson. It is about genealogy and I absolutely am passionate about genealogy.

The "scripture" I want to write about tonight is actually the Sacrament hymn we sang in church called Jesus Once of Humble Birth. I also heard it again later on a cd I was listening to. My favorite lines that struck me today were the last two verses: "Once he groaned in blood and tears; now in glory he appears. Once rejected by his own, now their king he shall be known. Once forsaken, left alone, now exalted to a throne. Once all things he meekly bore, but he now will bear no more." What struck me is the fact that just like Christ, the day will come when I too will be freed forever from the sorrow of blood, tears, rejection, and bearing great hardships. I am grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ, that He made it possible to walk back into the presence of our Father and receive eternal glory. I am grateful for the peace, love and joy I feel in my life right now and am so looking forward to experiencing those great emotions for eternity.

July 18, 2010

Today I read what I believe is my favorite talk from the last General Conference titled You Are My Hands by Dieter F. Uchtdorf. His talk was about following the example of the Savior in loving others. I thought a lot about my sister and the awareness her choices has provided our family about homosexuals. I have had five people that I can think of who, knowing about my sister and her choices, have sought to ask me, "How do you do it? How can you still be so loving and supportive of her?" My answer is that I truly feel I have been learning how to love like Jesus Christ loves.

There was so much in this particular talk that was so absolutely relevant to what I try to share with others about "how I do it." He says, "I hope we welcome and love God's children, including those who might dress, look, speak, or just do things differently."

"In our zeal, we sometimes confuse sin with sinner, and we condemn too quickly and with too little compassion."

"Every person we meet is a VIP to our Heavenly Father."

"As disciples of Jesus Christ, our Master, we are called to support and heal rather than condemn."

"True love requires action. We can speak of love all day long - but until we manifest that love in action, our words are nothing but sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal."

"Without this love ... we are only the form of His Church - without substance. What good is our teaching without love? What good is missionary, temple, or welfare work without love?"

In my youth, I really took to heart the suggestion of asking "what would Jesus do?" What would He do? That is such an important question to ask ourselves before we jump to quick conclusions about a person and treat them as lesser than. Not a single person is "lesser than." Learning to love others has been my favorite thing about life I've learned so far. There is so much to see when truly looking into the eyes of another individual and seeing them as valuable, lovable, a priceless treasure... a child of God. I've noticed I've had a ton more patience with others since seeing them that way, and also with myself. I find myself saying often, "We're all in the same boat!" I really believe that!

We all fall short of the glory of God. A sin is a sin, no matter what it is, it separates us from God, then it's up to each of us individually if we want to choose to come unto Christ and be reconnected to God through Christ's redemption. We need to allow others their choice without attempting to force them or condemning them. Every person is loved by God unconditionally, so if I want to truly follow His example, I should be striving to emulate that same unconditional love towards all I meet. What we are is children of God and that never changes, and never will. That's at least one commonality that I will always have with everyone else.

I try to focus on commonalities I have with others and look past all the differences, the poor choices, the different choices that I don't understand... I just focus on what we have in common and that helps me to love with that unconditional love. I don't have to agree with someone, or embrace their lifestyle, or even support their lifestyle choices to still be able to love them fully. I love my sister tremendously. She loves to serve and loves to help others. She takes the time to reach out to others in a real and personal way. We definitely share that in common and I love that about her. She is a shining example to me of loving service and wholeheartedly working towards bringing awareness and understanding to issues that she feels passionately about and I really admire that about her.

July 17, 2010

Tonight I read chapter 16 in Alma about how the city of Ammonihah is destroyed in one day. I was impressed by two things about this destruction. First of all, it reminds me that nothing is ever impossible. I should be grateful for every breath I take, every moment I have with my family and every blessing I enjoy, because just like the city of Ammonihah was destroyed in one day even though the people thought it couldn't be destroyed, I believe that at any moment in time, God has the same power over my own life.

The second thing that stood out to me is the missionary work that was accomplished after the destruction of Ammonihah. The people became receptive to the message of the gospel. Their hearts were open. I believe that people are more receptive to receiving the word of God after having witnessed a great tragedy. I think great tragedies help remind us of our insignificance and our total dependence on God and the fact that everything we've been given could be taken away just like that. Being made so much aware of our precarious human position, I believe we are more inclined to find hope through the promise of eternal life through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. My goal is to try to maintain that receptiveness always, in good times as well as bad. I don't want to have to witness a calamity to remind me of my dependence on God and my need of a Savior.

July 5, 2010

Tonight I read another conference talk called He Lives! All Glory to His Name! by Richard G. Scott. It is a beautifully written talk and I felt like highlighting most of it! I think the thing that impressed me most that I never really thought about quite in this way is that it was the Atonement of Jesus Christ that "activated the plan of happiness." We know that as spirit children we shouted for joy in the preexistence when the plan was presented. We must have been thrilled to witness the creation of the Earth, knowing we were one step closer to being able to participate in Heavenly Father's plan. And oh how much we must have wept for joy and gratitude when the Savior fulfilled His glorious mission because without it, none of the other parts of the plan would have mattered because we wouldn't have been able to make it back to our Father's presence. Elder Scott says very convincingly that our "understanding of the Atonement will provide strength and capacity for a successful life. It will also bring confidence in times of trial and peace in moments of turmoil. ... It will greatly enhance our productive use of all the knowledge, experience, and skills we acquire in mortal life." He suggests that by spending heartfelt, sincere time pondering the scriptures along with prayer that we will be able to greatly fortify our understanding and appreciation of the Atonement. Another way he suggests to do this is through consistent temple attendance. (I think consistency is the key to so much of our understanding.) Well I want to write more of this talk and I will have to do it tomorrow.

June 23, 2010

I opened my scriptures today and read in D&C 20:26-34. I especially liked verse 29 and then the reminders in verses 32-34 that we can fall from grace... even the sanctified need to take heed... and the protection against that is to pray always. I feel like to pray with a sincerity of heart will be the greatest protection and one would not do that if they didn't believe in God or at least have a hope that He is there. So much of what I do is based on my faith in God; trusting that it's all real, that He know me, He created me, I can return to live with Him.

Verse 29 lays out what needs to happen to live in His kingdom. Entry necessitates repentance, believing on the name of Jesus Christ, worshiping the Father in the name of Christ, and enduring to the end in faithfulness, and I would clarify that that means always relying on the Savior's Atonement. Without it there is no hope of returning to live with God. Since it has occurred, the important thing is to accept it and remember it. Remembering the Atonement helps me to remain humble and grateful and meek. I don't deserve that great gift... it was given freely as an expression of love... the greatest love there is. I truly am so grateful for the Atonement and for my Savior's love.