December 16, 2010

Tonight I read Alma 60 which is a scathing letter that Moroni writes to Pahoran, unloading on him all of his frustrations about the apparent neglectfulness of the government. There are a handful of times where Moroni condemns Pahoran and calls him to repentance. I am anxious to read the next chapter which is Pahoran's response. If I remember correctly, he actually is not to blame as Moroni has so assumed, and in spite of the false accusations against him, he is very gracious and forward in his response to Moroni. It seems to me that Moroni is a very passionate person. He seeks to do righteousness and to fight for freedom, and it seems that he assumes anyone who does not share his same fervor is in need of repentance. Again, this letter adds to the collection of "interesting" responses of Moroni that I have been noticing this time through my reading. I have been quick to judge and made assumptions about another before that were completely non-justified, although at the time I express my feelings about the matter, I am certain I am right. I have learned, through my experience, to not assume anything, but to first take time to listen and to understand another. I know I have avoided saying things I'd regret, or hurting another's feelings that way. I do think it's important to speak our mind and to stand up for righteousness, but it's just as important to get the whole picture first before assuming another is to blame or is being wicked. 

December 7, 2010

I opened my scriptures to D&C 127:1-3 and there read the words of Joseph Smith speaking of some persecution he had been enduring. He said, basically, that all the persecution he has experienced doesn't make any sense unless he was "ordained from the foundation of the world for some good end, or bad, as you may choose to call it. Judge ye for yourselves." I like his attitude towards his afflictions. He really had all trust in the Lord and knew that no matter what, God would "mete out a just recompense of reward" to all those who oppressed not only him, but the Saints as well. He says to judge for ourselves whether his work was good or bad. I believe he suffered the persecution he did because the powers of darkness were working to thwart the work he was doing. I am grateful that all he set in motion is still moving forward and that I have had the opportunity and blessing of being part of it. I am thankful for my membership in this Church and I believe this Church holds the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, including the authority to act in the name of God. I am so grateful for Joseph Smith and all that he did, all that he sacrificed. His life has profoundly impacted mine all these hundreds of years later and I am grateful for that.

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.

August 19, 2010

Tonight I read some verses in Moroni chapter 7. The things that stood out to me were the power of faith and the importance of judging righteously. I especially liked verse 33 which says, "If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me." I believe in the power of faith.

August 15, 2010

Tonight I read an Ensign article from August 2010 called All Things in Wisdom and Order by John C. Taggart of the Seventy. As I read I felt a peace about the wisdom in this article. The scriptures that were quoted and that the article itself is based on are ones that provide a peaceful reassurance that God knows me, my strengths and my limitations. He knows what I can do and His desire is for me to be happy on my journey, not overwhelmed or frustrated. I do feel like I am learning well the importance of these "five guiding principles" from this article (based on King Benjamin's counsel): duty, persistence, capacity, balance, and priority/seasonality. "All things must be done"; "be diligent"; "a man should [not] run faster than he has strength"; "done in wisdom"; "all things in order". I loved the reminder that "we will not be judged by our output ... our charge is to magnify what we are given by the Lord, however large or small it may be." This concept is also huge in my life: "self-awareness - an honest assessment of our strengths and weaknesses - is critical." Without that, how can I learn and grow and develop in the way the Lord wants me to?

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 11, 2010

Tonight I read a Conference talk called Developing Good Judgment and Not Judging Others by Gregory A. Schwitzer. He talked of two kinds of important judgments: the ones we make of other people and the judgments we make about important decisions. When judging others we need to be careful not to stick to our initial judgment. We should always seek to know more about people. Misjudging them can cause us to not ever discover a person's true nature.

I had an experience with this that stands out clearly in my mind. I had an English class in college and on the first day of class I made some immediate judgments about my professor. She had an annoying laugh that lasted long enough to make one feel uncomfortable, especially because what she laughed about no one else seemed to find humorous. Her clothes were unstylish and nerdy. And I was most taken aback by her hairstyle. Her bangs were cut so short, it reminded me of the look of a 5 year old who got a hold of a pair of scissors and cropped their bangs off while mom wasn't looking. I moaned inside to myself as I sat and listened to her talk and laugh at unfunny statements that first day. I felt like it was going to be a long semester and not enjoyable at all. Then suddenly, my thoughts turned. I have no doubt it was the influence of the Spirit. I realized I was completely judging her on just her outward appearance and that that wasn't fair. I decided then and there that I would set aside all of my initial judgments and make a point to do my best to get to know more about her. After each class I always at least thanked her and said goodbye before leaving. And a handful of times I stayed after and began asking her more questions about herself... where she was from, what she liked to do, etc. I found myself growing to like her and realized that I actually shared a lot more in common with her than I would have ever guessed. One day after class I was taken aback when, after having engaged in a conversation with her, I noticed tears in her eyes while I was speaking to her. I don't remember what I was saying and I know it wasn't because of what I was saying that she had tears because it wasn't even anything tear-worthy. That's why I felt surprised to notice her tears. And then the Spirit spoke to my heart and I knew the reason for her tears wasn't because of what I was saying... they came because she could feel that I truly cared enough about her to listen to her, seek to know her better and to engage in a meaningful personal discussion with her. And I don't know that many others had really done that with her because they couldn't get past the initial judgments they made about her. Then tears came to my own eyes as I realized that I would never have seen her true beauty, never would have had the opportunity to act as an instrument in helping her to feel love and acceptance, never would have learned the valuable lesson I did if I had chosen to stick with my initial judgment of her. I loved that experience. I worked hard and diligently in that class and received a good grade. And although we parted ways at the end of the semester, she became, to me, someone I would call a friend.

The other kind of judging about making important decisions is what he talks about next. He gives four suggestions to develop good judgment in that arena. "First, put your own personal standards in alignment with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Second, listen to the messages of the living prophet. Third, cultivate with the Holy Spirit a relationship of listening. Fourth, keep the commandments." I feel good that I am following all of those guides and I can testify that I have felt confident and good about the decisions I have made recently. These suggestions work.