Spread a little bit of GOODNESS over your Toast Today

What is it about man that makes him so fickle?  So quick to forget God and all the great things He does for us?  After reading a part of Alma 46 today, I felt frustrated with the people of Nephi because a bad guy Amalickiah comes in, and they just go ahead and leave the church.   What happened to them?  A couple of days ago, I was reading about them thanking God with fasting and prayer and immense joy.  God had FREED them.  Now, a chapter later, they have left the church and started living in sin.  They were at such a high!  What brings people to such a low?

At the end of chapter 45, the people, despite the grand efforts of Helaman and other missionaries to preach the word of God, are starting to be puffed up and prideful.  They started to focus on their riches and how they looked to the world more than the importance of walking righteously before God.  Then a bad guy comes in, and because they haven't been keeping the commandments, they don't have the spiritual ammo or protection to see through the confusions and warpings of Satan.  They become passive rather than being anxiously engaged in a good cause.  So they fall.  Keeping the commandments really is a protection.  We must be anxiously engaged in doing GOOD.  It is the way that we keep our armor strong, so that whatever happens, we have reserves of faith, hope, charity, and strength to face our trial head on and overcome it through the power of Christ's Atonement.  If we don't obey, we have no such promise.

In verse 10, Amalickiah has been working to destroy the liberty that the people of Nephii once had.  When we choose to sin, we lose power.  We lose freedom.  At the end of this verse, it is revealed why they had received freedom from God---because of the RIGHTEOUS.  God promises the righteous the blessing of freedom.  He knows how to get us there.  But we have to avoid pride or we are going to fall like the people of Nephi.  No one is exempt.  We can be at such a high point, a grand connection with God just like them.  Yet once they started comparing themselves and focusing on their riches and attributing their successes to themselves rather than God, they start to fall.  And a cunning little man can come and blow them over.  

Once Moroni heard about what was happening, he was angry.  

How did he use this anger?  

Wouldn't it have been easy for him to take his sword and go kill Amalickiah?  

Wouldn't it have been easy for him to take out all his anger on everyone around him?  He could have used his angers in many ways that would fuel the fire rather than fight against it.  

But no, Moroni CHOSE to do something GOOD.  He rent his coat and wrote upon it: "In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children--and he fastened it upon the end of a pole."  

Then he put his armor on,

Bowed himself to the earth.

And prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren.     

We can learn a lot about Moroni.  We are all going to have moments where we either fall or we see those around us fall.  One person in particular may even be the cause of it.  But we must remember that in our anger of justice, we need to choose to do something GOOD.  We need to use our energy not to fuel a conflict, but to fight injustice with goodness.  

The other day I was reading about people who go online and see a comment against their religion and get into online arguments...big word bashings.  Aren't there a million other GOOD things that we could be doing to fight EFFECTIVELY against awful comments?  Couldn't we spread some good ones instead of engaging in negativity?

I think Moroni would be urging us to keep our standards of liberty in mind.  How are we fighting for God's cause?  How are we fighting for our families, our religion, our God?  I, for one, want to spread goodness, not engage in bashing, blaming, or spreading awful vibes.  I want to fight for the cause of God: to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.  

I must put my armor on,

Bow myself to the earth,

And pray mightily to God for the blessings of liberty to rest on myself and those around me.

GOD WILL SET US FREE.

Rachel      

I Be Feasting on that Word

Good gravy- I did not plan it this way, but guess where my studies led me today? You guessed it- Lehi's vision. I chose a conference talk to listen to today by Elder Holland called "Safety for the Soul" and man oh man, it must be the spirit up in here.

Elder Holland focuses on the importance of God's word as our source of guidance and truth. In the last days, he quotes from the new testament "even the very elect shall be deceived" and "men's hearts shall fail them." There will be all sorts of distractions surrounding us in this world, but as we continue to turn to God's words, we will know which direction to walk, as well as the peace and reassurance we need to continue moving forward. Rachel mentioned in one of her comments the other day that there are countless distractions that take us away from the gospel (and we were talking about it recently as well), and if we let those distractions cloud our minds enough, it will be easy to forget and doubt the truths we have previously learned.

Thinking about all of my fears as of right now- what's in store for the future, school, making the "right life decisions", as well as many many other deeply rooted issues from the past, I realized that like the travelers in Lehi's vision, I was surrounded by mists of darkness in my own life, preventing me from steadily and consistently moving forward (I think Rachel and I talked about this recently as well). Satan will use our own fears against us, our own personal dementors, if you will- the mists of Satan! What a doofus. I had to take the time to write out each fear, each worry, and each doubt during my study- I was so overwhelmed that I couldn't focus. But once I did write down what I was afraid of, I felt a small sense of peace- and of hope. I was finding my very own patronous to combat the dementors Satan is sending my way! One of my favorite scriptures came to mind (which actually ended up being in this talk, whaaaaat):

"Thou hast been faithful...and because thou hast seen thy weakness (and/or fears) thou shalt be made strong..." (Ether 12:37)

Instantly, every single worry, everything that has been weighing down my soul for quite some time just lifted. I was filled with warmth, light, and truth. I knew these words were directly from Heavenly Father. And as I continued to listen to Elder Holland's talk, he spoke of Joseph and Hyrum Smith- of how right before they were martyred, Hyrum read that same passage of scripture to Joseph.  Instead of spending their last few moments of life consumed by doubt as to whether they did the right thing, instead of wallowing in self pity and anger at their situation, they turned to the word of God, the Book of Mormon for the peace only God could provide at that time.

I cannot adequately put into words just how much I love the scriptures- especially the Book of Mormon-my life has changed dramatically because of the truths contained in these books. I have found the most profound peace and comfort from these words as I continue to pass through challenges and trials. I have found stories about real, flawed, imperfect people, simply trying to draw closer to God. I have felt the pains of those who have made mistakes and wish to change, as well as the incredible light and peace received after turning it all over to God.
These accounts actually happened. I know that each of these stories contain real people. These words were recorded because our Father in Heaven loves us so so much. These words tell us how to return to Him, provide us comfort when we need it and can penetrate even the darkest of circumstances.

I love Heavenly Father and my savior so much! I am so grateful for all they do for me and for all the tools they have given to each of us to feel their love and their guidance around us every day!
I know as you continue (or start) to turn to the scriptures, you will find hope, healing, peace, and clarity more abundantly in your life. The beautiful thing about the gospel is you can start where you are. It doesn't matter where you have been. All that matters is the desire to act now.

I love you so so much!
Emily

Out of Small Things Proceedeth That Which is Great

I have been thinking a lot about life lately. And one of the most important themes that encompasses it all is the importance of consistency. That has most definitely been popping up all over the place for me. It made me think of one of the most amazing, surreal experiences I have ever had.

I remember reading Lehi's vision, back in December (2013), it was crazy because right when I was reading it, I ended up living it. In real life. No joke. The Book of Mormon musical was playing in down town Fort Lauderdale (which is not a musical I would take the primary kids to, by the by), and as missionaries, we were chosen to represent the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in way that would help people understand our beliefs in real life, not satire life. There wasn't a script or formal training of any kind given to us, we were just told to talk with people and answer any questions they may have after coming away from the show. Kinda exciting, but at the same time, I really had no idea what was in store.

When we arrived at the theater, I stood in awe of one the most beautiful, amazing trees I have ever seen in the middle of a city. It was all lit up- it looked as though it were glowing against the backdrop of the city. Behind the tree, was one of the fanciest, immense buildings I'd ever seen (in Florida). At that moment, I thought to myself- oh my goodness, we are in Lehi's dream right now! There's the tree of life, and there's the great and spacious building. What in the world?! As we started taking with people on their way to the show, the night started to get more...interesting....I'd never had so much name calling, laughing, rude comments made, swearing, and rejection happen in such a short amount of time as we did those nights. Some people, thinking we were cast members even came over and got really nasty, and once they found out we were actual missionaries, turned even nastier.

As we continued to attend the show over the course of the next couple of weeks, I started noticing something interesting in the dream. There were 3 different groups in Lehi's vision that started out on the path to get to the tree of life. The first group got on the path, but instead of pushing forward, they listened to the people making fun of them, or chose to step away from the path, certain they could find their own way to the tree. The second group choose to keep close to the rod of iron. They made it all the way thru the mists and partook of the fruit of the tree, but ended up ashamed of the gospel they worked so hard to incorporate into their lives. Even after they'd tasted the truths of the gospel for themselves, they cared more about what those in spacious building (the world) thought of them and chose to fall away.The third group in Lehi's dream struck me the most. They also made it to the tree of life, falling down out of joy by the end once they reached the fruit. But instead of paying heed to the people around them, they found happiness and peace in the fruit they had sought after for so long:

"and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree." 1 Nephi 8:30
This group had a deep and loyal love for the Lord. They understood their purpose, and were consistenly living a Christ centered life. As this scene flashed across my mind while in downtown Fort Lauderdale, I realized that too often, I was in the second group of people. I knew what I was doing was true, but I wasn't always focused on the right thing. And I often let others' opinions keep me from really being dedicated to the gospel. I remember committing to Heavenly Father that I would do everything I could to be a part of that 3rd group of people. I know that this is a life long commitment, and not something I will master all at once. But I do know that no matter what happens, the most important thing is to remain consistent in the basic principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that left to myself, I would not be able to get up after I fall over and over- but through the atonement of Jesus Christ, I know I can overcome absolutely anything.

I know God will help each of us with our righteous desires, no matter how impossible or hopeless they may seem at times. He will always provide a way for us to find his light- and even when it seems confusing or dark, when it feels like He is nowhere to be found, God has left an infinite amount of resources for us to find Him and feel Him. As we live and stand by his word, the iron rod, we will not go astray, and will one day live with Him again. I promise that by "small and simple things, great things are brought to pass" (alma 37:7)and we should "be not weary in well-doing, for [we] are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great." (D&C 64:33)

Thanks so much for reading!

Love,

Emily

Ps sorry about the weird highlighting thing- I don't know what I did or how to get rid of it :p

I Believe in the HAPPY Family

Even the act of writing this post today makes me nervous. I don't know what it is about me thinking, studying, or hearing about this topic that automatically makes me feel vulnerable.  Actually...I think I do know.

Growing up, I learned a lie: that the family is an unsafe place.  That marriage is full of conflict and most likely will end in failure.  The home is a  place where one has to fight to survive.  Where one feels suffocated and quite alone.  A battlefield.  A place of pain.  How can the family be such a crucial part of His plan when for me, it was a source of intense pain and confusion?  

It saddens me to think that this became my perspective of a home, of marriage, and of a family.   

Boyd K. Packer would have said to me:

"Do not lose faith in marriage.  Not even if you have been through the unhappiness of a divorce and are surrounded with pieces of a marriage that has fallen apart."

I have seen many failed marriages.  I have seen conflict, hate, disgust, degradation.  I have been witness to more than one marriage that has fallen apart.  I have seen marriages that although they still are together, they are unhappy and unhealthy relationships.

HOWEVER

There is something that I now know that I may not have understood before.

I know that marriage is ordained of God.

God has given us PROMISES.  He cannot lie.  If we are faithful to our covenants, and we work and prioritize and listen to Him, WE CANNOT FAIL.  

I believe in marriage.  

After someone takes a look into my life, all that I have seen and experienced, they may be surprised. After all the divorce?  Have you ever even witnessed any successful marriages?  After all that you have experienced, why on earth would you believe in marriage?

My response:  I believe in marriage, because I believe in God.  

      

I testify that happy and successful marriages do and can exist.  No one burdened by doubts, questions, difficult experiences, or emotional weight has to let those things cause them to doubt the eternal foundation of marriage.  

I could not have said this a year ago.  I felt burdened by fear.  I felt so utterly afraid that I wouldn't even let myself admit that I DID want a happy marriage.  I wouldn't let myself feel it for fear that it may never happen.  For fear that maybe it doesn't exist.  That I was doomed to follow the family patterns set before me.

God, knowing my heart, my life, and my perspective, healed me.  He showed me the truth and the light.  He sent me what I needed to SEE in His plan and helped me to BELIEVE.  

God's plan is perfect, and He wants us to succeed.  The only way to overcome the fear of the future is to learn to trust in the promises of God.  Even when you can't see how it could possibly be true.  Even when you know it is true, but you are afraid that by letting yourself admit to what you want, that if you don't get it, it will be all the more devastating.  But once you start to believe, God shows you not only what is true but why it is true.  And reassures you that you can indeed receive the blessings of His promises.  That is what He has done for me, and I am so grateful to Him.    

For all those families who have been affected by divorce, contention, and abuse, I testify that there is hope.  Even though my family has been broken time and time again, I can see His hand mending my family. Elder Holland says, "God loves broken things."  I know that He loves my family and all the families that are struggling.  He loves all those children who may grow up with the same fears and broken perspectives that I had.  He has healed me and helped me to change my warped perspective on marriage and the family, and I know that He knows what every single person who has ever existed needs to help them overcome whatever fears, warped-ness, or weight that their experiences or choices create.  

God knows us.  He loves us.  And He will help us to find and clearly see the truth.  

Families not only can be eternal, they can be HAPPY.

With lots of love,

Rachel

Freedom, Prosperity, and Pride

Three things have been on my mind today: freedom, prosperity, and the things that keep us from achieving them.

FREEDOM

In Alma 45, the people of Nephi rejoice with exceedingly great joy because the Lord has delivered them from the hands of their enemies yet again.  I imagine a joy so intensely pure that it fills the entire heart and soul with light.  These people felt so happy that they gave thanks to the Lord by fasting,prayer, and worshiping God.  This type of joy can only come from God, from reaching a greater level of personal freedom and light than we ever have before.  God does not promise us that we won't at times be in captivity, but He does promise to free us each time.  We can trust in that promise, and look forward to the immense feeling of joy that our new degree of freedom will bring us, just as it happened for the people of Nephi.

PROSPERITY

Later, Alma gives a little father-son interview, and on passing it, Helaman receives a promise from his dad: "Blessed art thou; and the Lord shall prosper thee in this land."  How can we receive this promise of true success?

#1:  Do you believe in the scriptures?
#2:  Do you believe in Jesus Christ?
#3:  Will you keep my commandments?

Three simple questions, one GIANT promise.

THE PROMISE

If we want true success and happiness, we must first look forward to the greater degrees of freedom that God is leading us towards, even though the road can be hard at times.  While we are walking, we must read the scriptures, continue to believe in and get to know Jesus Christ, and keep the commandments of God.  If we do, we can receive Alma's promise: we will be blessed and we shall prosper in this land.

WHAT CAN GET IN THE WAY?

Towards the end of this chapter, the wars between the Lamanites and Nephites plus the "many little dissensions and disturbances which had been among the people," Helaman and his brothers needed to go out and preach the pure word of God, the only thing that can pierce dark clouds of confusion and fear.  However, when they get out there, the people don't listen!  Why ever not?  Why wouldn't they want to receive freedom, peace, and true success?  What could ever get in the way of that?

"But they grew proud, being lifted up in their hearts, because of their exceedingly great riches."

Oh, darn, that pride thing again.  It goes back to what Miss Emily said in her post about the state of one's heart.  Their hearts were lifted up.  A heart must be humble and broken in order for anything of God to enter.  Christ may knock on a heart, but it is up to us to open it.  The state of our heart depends on us.  We must keep our heart lowly, broken, and open.  Or we may keep ourselves from the truth, and from the two promises we found at the beginning of this chapter: freedom and prosperity.

I know that Jesus Christ is the only way that we can keep our heart in the right place.  If we constantly evaluate and repent, we can keep our hearts lowly and broken, so that we can receive the beautiful promises of God and rejoice like the people of Nephi rejoiced at the feeling of being completely FREE!

Love,

Rachel    






  

Journey: Not the Band or The Destination

Today's study focuses on growth. Progress. Change. Whatever you want to call it, have it your way.
And It's about the journey. Seriously dudes.
Each of us has a starting point here on planet earth, the starting point of our journey- and we all have a destination: making it back into God's presence. And it's what we do, but more importantly, who we become on this journey that determines where we are going to end up.

There are so many examples of families and nations being led out of a dangerous situation by God to a far better "land of promise"
- Moses and chillins of Isreal
-Abraham and family (Lot and crew)
-Lehi's family
-Jaredites
-Ammonites led away from Lamanite captors
Just to name a few. All wonderfully brave groups of people as a whole, but something struck me with each story. In every situation, every person in each group is essentially experiencing the same conditions, the same trials, and the same setbacks. Some are completely dedicated to God and willingly learning progressing along the way, while others become more cold, hardened and stubborn.
What makes the difference? Why are some of them progressing and some of them remaining the same?

Those who are actively learning and progressing on their journey have some basic similarities:

Nephi and Brother of Jared
-Seek personal revelation through prayer
-Nephi: involves his family in gathering food, actively makes own weapon,
-Bro. of Jdawg: Goes up mountain, molds lava rocks into shiny, transparent stones
-Both expect a miracle AFTER all they can do (no sitting around for lightening to strike- get it done!)

Lehi and Nephi study God's word, expand their understanding of the WHAT and WHY

All: Live and Love their covenants with the Lord

Those who don't progress weren't doing the seemingly simple things on their end. They weren't openly communicating with God on their own. They were looking for answers from the scriptures, and they weren't willing to change to align with God.
-Isrealites in wilderness (do I need to count how many times they were bums?)
-Laman and Lemuel: expect answers to appear without any work on their parts

As humans, a lot of the time, we are content to go as far as our comfort zone will permit. We tend to limit our own capacities by convincing ourselves, or allowing others to convince us we have done enough and there is no need for overexertion. Other times, we just may not see because of how exhausted we are, just that final step that will get us where we need to go. But God can always see in all directions. He has a perfect plan tailored to each and every one of us. And in order to take part in His plan and be able to glean all we can from Him, we need to be willing to lay aside what we have planned for what He's got in store. Because, honey child, I can tell you what, His plans will be 100 x better, Every single time.
Just like in the story of the Jaredites, they had traveled so long and so far, that when they finally hit the seashore, they celebrated and made camp for quite sometime, convinced that they were finished and their journey was over with.

"And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people."  Ether 12:7

A choice land preserved for a righteous people. The land isn't the only thing that he wants to be special for us- He wants to give this amazing land to a righteous people- a people that can be honest. A people that values the lives and feelings of those around the. A covenant keeping people, those who will put Him above all else.
Our Heavenly Father absolutely desires the very best of places for us to end up in-both in this life and the life to come, but He ultimately desires us to arrive at "our best self" along the way there.
If we follow the example of those who went before us on their journeys, by applying the same principles they lived by: faith, reading the scriptures, repentance, following the spirit, and seeking and acting on personal revelation, our hearts and minds will be prepared to inherit the land/opportunities God has in store for each one of us.

So don't be upset or frustrated when things don't go the way you planned. There's a bigger reason for it all to happening the way it is. Sometimes you don't find that out until way later on- but the important thing for now is to ask, What can I learn from this experience? How can I help? And to just keep moving forward, one baby step at a time.

I love you so dearly,
Emily

What we can learn from Moses's process of revelation?

Moses 1 is one of my favorite chapters EVER!  I had a very cool experience with it on the mission (I'll have to tell you about it another time).  Today it came to my mind, so I studied it, and I found some really cool stuff which I would like to share with you of course.  Basically, it is about the process of revelation and opposition and progress.  Moses is a perfect example of all three of these things.

1.  Moses receives an affirmation of his identity from God himself: "behold, thou art my son."

2.  Because of his identity (wherefore), God wants to show part of His glory to Moses (revelation, truth, knowledge, light).

3.  God shows him and then withdraws from Moses (vs 8)

4.  Moses "was left unto himself" and fell to the earth without natural strength.  Through this feeling of weakness, Moses had an epiphany about his relationship to God.  Man really is nothing.  We depend on God for everything.

     -We have to the contrast of things sometimes to better understand our relationship with God.  Sometimes God withdraws from us, but as we can see with Moses, it isn't always because we did something wrong.  Sometimes it is a teaching technique, a necessary part of the learning process.  

5.  He noticed the difference between his natural eyes and his spiritual eyes (discernment). 

6.  The temptation or test of Satan.  Satan wants to tempt Moses to deny what he has just received.  What did he receive?  Knowledge of his relationship with God.  Satan says, "Moses, son of man" as a direct contradiction to the fact that God has just said, "Moses, my son."  

7.  Moses held onto what he had already received from God, even though at first he wasn't sure who Satan was.  "I am a son of God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten."

8.  Moses used his newly sharpened skill of discernment, "...where is thy glory, that I should worship thee?"  He starts to reason it out in his head: if I couldn't look at God without His glory, that means that you are not of God, because I can see you with my natural eyes.  He uses the contrasts that he had previously received to ponder and discern between his natural/spiritual eyes, light/darkness.  He sees that the glory of Satan is darkness.

9.  Through this discernment process, Moses realizes that the Spirit is with him, and this knowledge is a source of great comfort: "Blessed be the name of my God, for his Spirit hath not altogether withdrawn from me."  Moses realizes that God might withdraw, but He will leave His Spirit with us.

10.  Moses testifies of the truth, or a commandment: "Worship God, for him only shalt thou serve."

11.  Used his power of agency: "Get thee hence, Satan...for God said unto me: Thou art after the similitude of mine Only Begotten."  We are a similitude of Jesus Christ which means that the power is in us.  

12.  Testified of another commandment: prayer.  "I will not cease to call upon God."  Moses still has questions.  And he knows that God as His loving Father wants to answer him and will.  

13.  The trial of fear: Satan gets angry at Moses's response, and Moses starts to become afraid.  When his fear starts getting to him, he sees the bitterness of hell.  What did he do in that moment?  He CALLED UPON GOD.  God gave him strength, and again Moses could say, "Depart from me, Satan, for this one God only will I worship."  Moses restated the truth he had received, even in the face of the greatest fear.  The only way he could have done that is through prayer and receiving the strength from God.  

14.  Now Satan began to "tremble" and tried again to warp the truth and receive the glory.   

15.  Moses received MORE strength and through the name of Christ, was able to cast out Satan.  

16.  Moses bore record of his experience, but wickedness kept people from receiving it.

17.  The Spirit came upon Moses even stronger.  God was pleased with Moses and gave him BIG promises and LOTS of revelation.  Moses needed to use his even better sharpened gift of discernment, because only through that could he see what God was trying to tell him.  

Wow, right?  The process of revelation for me mirrors this but on a much smaller scale.  God gives me a taste of great light.  Then I fall weak to the floor, and I am tempted to doubt what I have received in some way.  As I act in faith and hold onto what I have received, I solidify my divine potential and identity, better understand my relationship with God, and overcome Satan through the power of Jesus Christ.  And through this process, I have learned how to discern between dark and light, my natural and spiritual eyes, etc which enables me to, after overcoming my trial, receive an increased capacity to receive the Spirit and understand what God tries to tell me.  

Revelation is always a process, and I feel like one of its purposes that I hadn't quite defined before is to teach us how to discern.  Because if we know how to discern, and we trust what we receive and we know who we received it from, we will better use our agency.  The process of revelation is how we become like gods!  

This just gets me all excited inside.  I feel like I uncovered a mystery today.  I hope you enjoyed the journey.  

I sure do love you,

Rachel  

  

  

Second and Third...and Fourth Chances

Today I am in Alma 44, and I love how it starts with a merciful Moroni, giving the Lamanites a chance to change, to avoid death, to make a pact of peace, and ultimately, to REPENT.

First, he identifies the Nephite and Lamanite motives: "...we do not desire to slay you.  Behold, we have not come out to battle against you that we might shed your blood for power; neither do we desire to bring any one to the yoke of bondage.  But this is the very cause for which ye have come against us; yea, and ye are angry with us because of our religion."  Satan always tries to warp motives.  In the Lamanites mind, they were so convinced that they were in the right.  That the Nephites had wronged them somehow.  That it was fine to want to put someone else in captivity or kill them.  Moroni pierces through their warped perspective with the truth: here are our motives.  You can easily see them.  Now take a look at yours,.  Why does he do that?  Because it is the first step to true repentance (recognize your error!).  

Second, he shows them the reason behind Nephite success: God!  "But now, ye behold that the Lord is with us; and ye behold that he has delivered you into our hands.  And now I would that ye should understand that this is done unto us because of our religion and our faith in Christ."  He tells them, "Look! God is here.  Open your eyes."  

Third, he affirms his faith and trust in God.  God always keeps his promises: "ye see that God will support, and keep, and preserve us, so long as we are faithful unto him...and never will the Lord suffer that we shall be destroyed except we should fall into transgression and deny our faith."  God keeping His promises is an evidence of the fact that He exists.  

Fourth, he commands Zerahemnah to give up their weapons of war.  Essentially, he commands them to repent, "by all the desires which ye have for life." Moroni not only had their temporal life in mind but also their spiritual.  By guiding them through the repentance process, he wanted to give them a chance to receive eternal life. 

As Zerahemnah was so hardhearted, he tried to half-change: give them his weapons of war without the real intent to actually change his ways.  He knew he would be back to trying to kill the Nephites in a jiffy.  People do this now.  They think that laying down their weapons is enough, but true repentance takes a change of heart and change of motives.  It takes a pact of peace.  Zerahemnah was also not willing to see the truth.  He told Moroni that he doesn't believe that God is the reason.  It was only because of their armor and cunning.  

After denying the truth and being unwilling to fully repent, Zerahemnah didn't take Moroni's opportunity and tried to kill him. But after a good Zerahemnah scalping, a group of his Lamanites decided to lay down their weapons of war, make the pact, and leave.  Yet again, Zerahemnah stirred his people to anger, but after some deaths, the remaining Lamanites decided to repent, make the covenant, and leave..  

How merciful was Moroni!  After seeing the hardheartedness and ugly motives of Zerahemnah, wouldn't it have been hard to keep fighting for his eternal salvation?  Wouldn't it have been hard not to angrily react and just kill him on the spot?  Yet, Moroni gave them more than one chance to change throughout this chapter, even after they got angry and tried to kill the Nephites.  Moroni is obviously in control of his emotions and natural man unlike Zarahemna who incites his people to anger and keeps them from the only option that will let them LIVE.

I want to be like Moroni by fighting for the eternal life of man, even when it is hard.  I want to forgive people, and never be afraid to speak the truth.  I want to trust in the promises of God, that He will never let me be destroyed as the only way to true destruction is sin and denying the faith.  I know that if I keep my covenants and lead others to repentance, that God will support, and keep and preserve me so long as I am faithful unto him.  And I plan on it.

Rachel      

How's Your Heart?

Kinda an odd title, but that's the question I want to ask from my studies today. Seems to be my unplanned theme as of late- Heavenly Father has a way of telling me what I need to hear. Yes indeed he does.

You ever have a situation where you are frustrated? At yourself? At someone else? Erry single body on this planet has been frustrated to one degree or another. And sometimes that leads to forgiveness issues. I know this is a deeply rooted problem I have, for many reasons. I feel that I am extremely hard on myself, as well as other people for certain actions we may do. And I asked myself today, why is that? Why are we so hard on ourselves and other people?
Honestly, I don't feel like that's something I can answer in one sitting, the list goes on and on, but another question that came to my mind was why is do we need to forgive?

In D&C 64 (one of my favorite chapters), Christ lays it out plain and simple- just the way I like it! He tells us that EVERY single person on earth has sinned. Bam no excuses, out in the open. He then goes on to tell us that He paid the price for every single one of those mistakes, whether intentional or unintentional on our part: "There are those among you who have sinned...I have forgiven you your sins." Later he states

"I the Lord will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men." (64:10)

Christ is the ONLY person who has walked this earth and literally gone through everything we have experienced. He is able to forgive us our trespasses because he has been there, he knows the circumstances and he has been selected as our savior. Through his atonement, we can admit our faults and mistakes and become whole again. All of us need His forgiveness at one point or another. Nobody is perfect. Oh wait, what? That's right- no body is perfect! Because we don't know the whole story behind why someone acts the way they do, but more importantly, because we are not perfect, we need to forgive others there trepasses against us. That also includes forgiving ourselves for the mistakes we make. If we choose not to abide by this commandment, christ has told us we are committing "the greater sin."

I love this next promise: "I the lord will not hold any guilty that shall go with an open heart...for I the Lord require the hearts of the children of men." (64:22)
He doesn't want our money, our clothes, our cars, houses, job- He wants US. ALL of us- and most importantly, our hearts. It made me think of the purpose of the commandments, and how they are given to us to point us to Christ. By living the law of tithing, we show we are not attached to our material possessions, that we do not love wealth or objects above the Lord, and that even when it seems impossible to make ends meet, we trust God will provide the way. By living the law of Chastity, we show our love for the Lord, love for the body he has given us, and love for the other person with whom we are involved. I could go on and on with each commandment, but you get the idea.

God wants our heart. And it is pretty dang hard to give it to him when we are harboring negative feelings to one another.
I know this is something I most definitely need to work on. I am really glad the spirit led me to this study today, I learned a lot of new things about the importance of centering my heart on Christ.

Love you so so much!
Emily

Lesson of the Day: Don't Go Naked into Battle!

Today I read Alma 43...Here we are in the middle of a war between the Nephites and the Lamanites/Zoramites/Amalekites (I'm going to call them the Lamanites for short).  I learned a lot by comparing and contrasting the two groups.

The Lamanites:

•  a "wicked and murderous disposition." 
• leaders wanted to maintain and spread hate for the Nephites so as to bring them into subjection. 
• were spreading anger to ensure their power over their OWN people
• also wanted to "gain power over the Nephites by bringing them into bondage."
• naked fighters...eew
• motives: destroy, dominate, put others into captivity       

The Nephites: 

• wanted to "support their lands, and their houses, and their wives, and their children, that they might preserve them from the hands of their enemies; and also that they might preserve their rights and their privileges, yea, and also their liberty, that they might worship God according to their desires." 
• extremely self-aware and aware of the motives of their enemies 
• knew of the Lamanites' hatred
• knew of the difficult situation that the Anti-Nephi-Lehites were in and wanted to help, even to the point of giving their lands and ultimately their lives. 
• wore armor and other protection   
• went to the Lord for battle advice
• motivational and caring leader, 25 year old Moroni (the Captain America of his day)
• motives: preserve, promote, freedom, family, freely worship God    

What I learned:

The Lamanite people were subject to their own leaders.  Why?  Because of their anger.  Our reactions can put us into captivity.  They can leave us at the mercy of other people.  When we poorly react, we lose our power.

We should not fight naked battles.  It is embarrassing, quite vulnerable, and just plain dumb!   I made a connection between the armor of the Nephites and the covenants that we make through baptism and the temple.  We fight many battles in this life, and as Latter Day Saints, we are fighting for the cause of God.  His goal is our goal: the immortality and eternal life of man.  There is no greater cause.  But we cannot fight without our covenants.  Which means that we must not only make covenants, but constantly keep them so that we can fight the battle on the same team as God with the power of God.  

Later, the Lamanites start to fight like dragons and actually began to do some damage.  Sometimes the power of the world may look strong.  It may look BIG.  However, " the Nephites were inspired by a better cause, for they were not fighting for monarchy nor power but they were fighting for their homes and their liberties...And they were doing that which they felt was the duty which they owed to their God."   

Even with that great cause, some of them began to be afraid.  But Moroni, after perceiving the fear and doubt in their hearts, began to remind them of their great cause.  "And they cried with one voice unto the Lord their God...and they began to stand against the Lamanites with power."  This moment teaches us a lot about what we must do when we start to fear the opposition that surrounds us.  When we start to forget that we are on God's team, and we don't need to fear.  Cry to God.  With ONE voice.  Only then will we be able to stand against the opposition with power.  Only then will the opposition start to flee from before our face.  We need to remember that we are on a team.  We need each other.  Most of all, we need to remember to take everything to God first, to cry out to Him, trusting that He will help us in the best way possible, whether that is letting us be wounded or giving us strength or causing our enemies to flee from before us.  We can trust that whatever happens in the battle, God knows what He is doing. 

I am so grateful for the covenants that I have made, and the blessings that God sends my way when I keep those covenants.  I want to always strive to keep my covenants so that I can fight on God's team with power and faith and great love of God and for my fellow man.  I know that God always keeps His promises and that I can trust Him to give me exactly what I need to prepare myself to live with Him again.  I am fighting the battle, day by day, and I surely do not want to fight it Lamanite style: naked, with motives of anger and fear, forgetting who I am, pushing others down.  I want to fight it Moroni style: true to my covenants, inspiring other people to get up and fight with me.  

I know that we can be free and happy, and that no matter how hard it is to be that way sometimes, with a little armor, a little faith, and a whole lot of God in our lives, we can make it.  We can be content with our lives.  We can be FREE!

With lots of love,

Rachel   

Understanding is the Key

Holy moly, quite the study today- mainly I'm going to focus on the idea of understanding. I feel understanding a specific principle, idea, or person, as well as being understood is crucial part of our interactions in our daily lives: UNDERSTANDING IS THE KEY

If you think about it, what causes a heck of a lot of disagreements, fighting, and just downright conflict? You got it- not understanding (or even wanting) to understand where the other side is coming from. And like I was saying in my post the other day- if you don't believe something is true, or if you don't understand why you are doing it, are you going to be motivated to get it done without someone else pushing you into it? Odds are less likely you'd do whatever it is willingly on your own, one would suppose. During my studies today though, I realized that both Heavenly Father and Christ have perfect knowledge AND UNDERSTANDING- of everything! They don't just know WHAT to do, but WHY to do it.
They understand where each one of us is coming from. They understand our strengths and weaknesses, our past failures and triumphs, our fears and dreams, as well as why we act the way we do. Our progress is measured internally, not based on off of what everyone else is experiencing and doing.

They both also understand the importance of allowing us to learn and grow in a way that suits us each individually. In Isaiah  28:10, we are told 

"For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, there a little"

And again in D&C 98:2 

"For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept; and I will try you and prove you herewith."

Isn't that awesome?! You can start where ever you are with the gospel and just take it one day at a time. You are required to take a crash course, or to everything all at once. All you got to do it just be willing to take it one step at a time, as slow or as fast as you want to take it. Each one of us is at a completely different portion of our journey here on earth, but it is so comforting to know that regardless of where we are or where we've been, God totally gets it. And us. So a quick recap:

-God loves and understands each of us on an individual level

- He knows our strengths and weaknesses, fears, why we act the way we do

-Understands we need to learn one principle at a time (like math)

  *gradual learning- this allows true learning to occur, not just binge learning

-Understands our individual pace and learning style

Understanding definitely comes over time as you are willing to question, ponder, pray, and ACT. If we don't understand something, it all comes back to faith:

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Heb 11:1)

If we really want an answer, we are able to ask our Father in Heaven, any time, any place for His help and Christ has promised us:

"Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek and ye shall find, knock, and it shall be opened unto you." (Luke 11:9)

We need to actively think for ourselves, come up with questions, take them to God, and ACTIVELY seek the answer. Notice how Christ tells us to "knock." If you are knocking on a door, you are going to someone else. Whether it's a co worker, a friend, family member, or praying- we are showing that we seek further understanding from someone who may have the experience we are searching for. Don't be afraid to ask questions, and more importantly, don't be afraid to go out there and get those answers. And we need to be willing to accept learning at the pace God is willing to go with us. Our understanding will increase as we put our trust in God, live his commandments, and seek His will.

I feel like I was a tad scattered today, but that's what I feel like I learned. Hope you enjoy 

The realization that I had on my train ride to the moon: We are circles. (I promise this is spiritual)

I, too, will give a little warning that the daily recaps of scripture study may not be too formal nor coherent.  They may even be half-thoughts...but I'm sure over the week, I or you will find the other half.  I just love how revelation works.  Rarely have I received an answer in a giant, lightning bolt kind of way.  Usually it is a theme that slowly peels itself until finally I get to the core of the onion...but it is a good-smelling, beautiful onion.  Or like the Shrek or Holes type of onion, you know what I mean?

Okay, I got off track.  Back to the studies.

I'm really loving reading through the Book of Mormon because I always find something that I need.  I kept trying to do theme or study plans on the mission and they would always change, so I ended up making "un-birthday plans."  I don't know why I happened to call them that just now, but I feel like that suits my study habits for the moment...everything topsy turvy, mad-hatter ish.  For example, this month I wish to focus on prayer, which I am doing, but I'm just going to go with the flow on how I study it.  Maybe one day I'll feel like I need to study the typical every-day-you-read-a-chapter type of studying.  Or another day I may feel the use-the-topical-guide-and-pick-a-theme type of study.  So disclaimer: these postings may be eclectic and crazy...but why wouldn't they be considering the always-thinking-too-many-ideas-in-her-head author who is writing them?

Today I read part of Alma 43.  So the sons of Alma and Alma himself, because he just couldn't bear to sit at home and rest while his sons were rocking it on the preach my gospel dance floor, went out to preach the gospel.  And they say, "we shall say no more concerning their preaching, except that they preached the word, and the truth, according to the spirit of prophecy and revelation; and they preached after the holy order of God by which they were called."  Sometimes it drives me crazy when they tell you something without telling you!!  But obviously, there is a reason for that.  They wish to emphasize that the MOST IMPORTANT PART of them preaching the gospel is THE SPIRIT.

Then I went on this thought train that took me to Africa and back...I sure did need an adventure.  And while sitting in my little train booth watching the telephone poles zip on by, I realized that oh my goodness, Christ had the Spirit too.  Christ wouldn't be Jesus Christ without the Spirit there with Him His whole life.  That is what made Him special.  He was always pure and all parts of Himself were dedicated (yes, I already read your post) to God.  So He was ONE with His Father and ONE with the Holy Ghost.  Which gave Him power, and authority and He could preach with the spirit of prophecy and revelation and according to the sacred order because of that oneness.  Which is an "of course Rachel!" type of thought, but I enjoyed the train ride quite a bit.  I even saw an African giraffe.  It waved at me.

And now I'm thinking about the Bible where Jesus Christ was tempted by Satan after 40 days of fasting, and when He overcame Satan, he seemed to go at His ministry with so much more power.  I think, and this is just a theory, that his circle, his potential, his wholeness had expanded through that trial.  That is how Christ grew grace for grace.  He was perfect His whole life, yet he progressed?  How could that be?  He is the only whole circle, and His circle was constantly expanding.  Therefore, He was always whole and perfect, yet still progressed.  It makes you wonder what we have in store for us after this life because we will become complete circles like Jesus Christ through depending on Him and Our Father in this life.  And then we will take whatever next steps in our process and expand our circles...Wow!  My mind is blowing up as I am writing this.  The train is taking me to the moon now!  (I'll bring you back some moon rocks...but not moonshine he he...)

I just want to say that I am so grateful for the Atonement in my life.  We are incomplete circles, because of our sins.  We need Jesus Christ to complete our circle.  But despite that, we can live the commandment "Be ye Therefore perfect" by doing one thing: using the atonement of Jesus Christ.  I know that if we constantly depend on that, we can be whole and become a whole circle, just like God and Jesus Christ are.  This post took a different turn, but that is God for you, He always gives us a little mystery in our lives to keep things interesting.  I love that He wants us to know what He knows, but He is only going to give it to us when we are ready.  So on we go, using the Atonement, being imperfect and developing children of God that have such full potentials to become great.  Thanks Heavenly Father for seeing us as we can become, rather than as we are.  We've just GOTTA remember to quit being so hard on ourselves and enjoy the adventure!

Love ya!!
Rachel

What is Truth?

This week, Ima focus my studies on honesty and truth. And just a heads up, I will probably a little less formal throughout the week, for times sake, and do a fancier recap on Sundays or something- I digress- here's my thoughts for today's study.

In the lovely little dictionary I was using today, I looked up the word Honest:

-Free of deceit and untruthfulness

-Hard work (it's not always the easy way when you are honest)

-Blameless

Sometimes I forget that it is (often times) so much easier in the short term to tell a little lie here and there. It seem so harmless a lot of the time- Oh, I don't feel like doing that today, so I will "call in sick", or if I tell her what I really think, she won't like me anymore, etc.

A lot of the time though, honesty comes down to believing and trusting in TRUTH. If we are certain and determined to stand for truth, we will be blameless before God, ourselves and our fellow man. It may be hard work, but we end up becoming all the better for it in the long run. We gain trust with ourselves, with our God, and with our fellow man. Pretty sweet deal, no?

So what is truth?

According to the my good friend, le dictionary:

True- in accordance with fact and reality

And Christ tells us again and again throughout the scriptures, "I am the way, the truth and the light." If we are constantly turning to Christ, if we are consistently seeking his words, then we will be directed towards the truth in all we do. 

Here are some real great words from the Lord, found in D&C, about the importance of being honest (as opposed to the importance of being earnest. haw haw).

(I will summarize the idea in my own words, but feel free to look up the real thing if you like)

D&C 11:10- You are naturally given gifts/can receive gift from God with honest an heart and faith in christ

D&C 98:10- Look for honest people in my life (light attracts light)

D&C 97:8- We gain acceptance from God by having: Honest heart, broken heart, contrite spirit, willing to sacrifice for covenants/promises we make with Him

*Even if or when you mess up, just being honest about making a mistake and wanting to change will help you move closer to Him YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT YET. Just your best self

D&C 8:1- If you don't actually want it, or you're not being honest about wanting something, you won't get it

How many times do we actually get something done if we don't believe it's true? Or if we don't want it? Not much is all I can say

D&C 20:31 sanctification through christ occurs:

When we love God

When we show our love thru serving with all our heart might mind and strength ALL OF US

100% immersed!

D&C 1:30 the only true and living church: the restored church of christ

Why is it the only true and living church?

The power of the priesthood (ability and authority to act and perform ordinances in the name of God) was taken from the earth after the crucifixtion of christ and death of the apostles. Truth still existed on the earth, but was misinterpreted, distorted, abandoned, rejected, or just plain lost. Men and women were honestly seeking after God, but at the same time, so many people tampered with doctrine and practices. Some blatantly changed teachings to fit their needs, while others realized practices and teachings were changed over time. They really were trying to come back to truth, but didn't have the proper resources to do so. But all throughout this time, God was preparing the way for a final restoration of truth. Why? Because He loves us and He wants us to have the tools necessary to 

return to Him. He called a young boy, just like in times of old, Joseph Smith, to be the instrument by which He would restore the fulness of the gospel of Christ. He wants to prepare each one of us for the return of our savior, and by studying and living the teachings of the restored gospel, we will prepared for absolutely anything.

I am so grateful for the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and for the truths that have been clarified along with it. I am grateful for prophets and apostles that help us in the journey through life by speaking the words of Christ and of our loving Father in Heaven. Good gravy- I am oh so excited for general conference! It's only two weeks away! I know that I can receive the guidance, direction, comfort, and answers I am seeking for, as I turn my heart to the Lord. That's all for today, lady!

Love

Emmaline

Dedication

Today was wonderful, I was able to attend the dedication of the Ogden temple. While at the last session, Linda Burton spoke about the importance of every single part of the house of the Lord being dedicated to Him. Right before she spoke her next sentence, a thought flashed across my mind, the scripture in Corinthians, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God...and that ye are bought with a price?" Seeing as my body is a temple, I thought to myself, am I fully dedicated to God? Does He get all of me or just part of me?
Just as the thought left my mind, Sister Burton quoted the same scripture- and asked the same question. Are we fully dedicated? It's like I have ESPN or something (50 bonus points for that one if you get the reference).

I absolutely loved that she went into detail about each part of ourselves, as follows:
Are our eyes looking for the good in others? Are we striving to see people the way God sees them? Are our ears taking in subjects that are uplifting, and that inspire us to impact others positively? Do we listen to others genuinely? Do we listen and ACT on promptings from the spirit?
Do we speak words of comfort, kindness, and encouragement, as well as boldly declaring truth when needed?
Do we seek after Christ and Heavenly Father with our hearts and minds? Are we alert and attentive when serving others, as well as attending meetings(church, sessions, etc)?
Are our feet and hands devoted to helping our fellow man? Are we taking the time to reach out to those who are struggling physically, mentally, and emotionally? Are we making the effort to walk in their shoes and understand where they are coming from?

I think that is such a beautiful image that she gives us. Each part of our body, our temple, represents a  part of our own personality. We can use our gifts and our God given personalities to turn outward and serve others, the way Christ always did. Instead of just "going through the temple," we allow the temple to go through us, as we pay more attention to dedicating each part of our lives to God. I am really excited to introspect how I am doing on each one of these topics in order to better help those around me.
I know that Heavenly Father is so mindful of us all. I know that He is aware of every single pain, worry, doubt, confusion, hope, dream, and goal we feel. I know He wants us to prepare ourselves for the future, both for what happens here in mortality and in the life to come. I know He has prepared a way for us to walk through this life, back into His presence. It is through our wonderful, amazing, and loving brother and savior, Jesus Christ that we are able to do so. I really am so grateful for His patience with me, sometimes I can be quite the stubborn little booger, for a lot of reasons, but I am so grateful he continues to walk by my side, allowing me room to fail, learn, and grow.

By dedicating ourselves to Him, we can find peace, comfort, and strength to make it through the darkest, as well as the happiest of times.

I'm getting all Ammon up in here, but he puts it better than I could, so I will finish off with this:

"Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things."

Alma 26:12

R-E-P-E-N-T, find out what it means to me.

This is so exciting!  The first post (from me) and the start to what will become our little corner of the cyber universe, a place of reflection and learning and understanding, a place of progress.  Thanks for this idea my dear friend.  I look forward to what is to come.  I feel like this will help us to define and collect the little bits of the mysteries of God that we find along our way.  I love that we just need an open heart, a little fairy dust of faith, and we can know the mysteries of the Being who created everything.  He wants us to know what He knows and to feel how He feels.  I can imagine that the feeling he lives with is the freest feeling in the world.  Truth is light.  Light fills us and frees us.  Each minute of study and reflection will bring us to a piece of truth and will naturally fill in the holes that our week creates in us.  I can't wait to see what we find on our lil' ol' journey.

My post may be quite eclectic at times...because that is just how my brain is.  But I will work to present my thoughts and impressions in some sort of organized format.  You know me, so I'm sure you'll be able to piece apart the fragmented and sometimes incomplete trains of thought.  We shall see.

This week, my themes have been repentance/patience with myself, fear versus faith, and prayer.  In these past three-ish weeks of being home, God has been working to support me and remind me that He is there.  That even though He is giving me lots of opportunities to independently choose and find my own balance, He hasn't left my side.  He is just like that dad you mentioned who has been running alongside his kid who is learning how to ride her bike and now has let her go to see how she has been learning, where she is in her progress.  I hope I make Him happy.  

Alma to his son Coriantum:

"O my son, I desire that ye should deny the justice of God no more.  Do not endeavor to excuse yourself in the least point because of your sins, by denying the justice of God; but do you let the justice of God, and his mercy, and his long-suffering have full sway in your heart; and let it bring you down to the dust in humility."

I think sometimes I feel so ashamed of myself for falling again and again in the same thing, that it becomes a temptation to excuse myself.  But as I've learned about the power of repentance and the great gift that it is, repenting has become a pleasureful experience because I know that my Father loves me and is merciful and already knows all the stuff I'm telling Him.  I'm not telling Him to punish myself.  I'm telling Him to free myself, to know what to do with the situations and thoughts and opposition that tries to impede me, and to learn how to choose a little wiser each day.  Its all about learning how to use agency.  I feel like this scripture describes what the start of true repentance is: let the justice and mercy and long-suffering of God have FULL sway in your heart.  You have to accept the consequences and truth-like-a-sword side of the process.  However, you must let mercy fill your heart.  If you don't, you won't be able to forgive yourself, and you'll get stuck in that beating-yourself-up type pattern that happens to people who wish to do well and are afraid of failing.  So first, accept the consequences. Second, love yourself like God loves you.  And third, be patient with yourself, or be long-suffering.  Sometimes I get frustrated so fast with the mistakes that I make, especially when they are things that I already know and I do anyways out of fear or negligence or a lack of will power.  Yet the whole point of repentance IS the process.  You can't go through it in an instant, especially with deeply rooted issues.  The spiraling process of repentance climbs and heals as you go, so an issue from way back when still will affect you, but you will be on the same point, or issue, yet on a whole different level.  Eventually the wounds, the issues will completely heal up and we will receive a fullness of joy.  But in the meantime, I think we are supposed to learn how to enjoy the process.  

I know that repentance is a gift, and I am so grateful to Jesus Christ for creating a bridge between me and God that I can choose to cross.  I know that he not only made the bridge by giving His life, but He has also decided to walk with us along the way.  What a loving big brother!  I've got Jesus Christ in my boat, so I don't have to freak out when the waves and winds build and the storms threaten to sink me.  I have the Man Who Created It All in my lil', ol' boat.  I don't have to worry so much. 

My other big theme of the week is PRAYER.

I have found many scriptures about how we have to pray with the Holy Ghost.  We have to rely on the Holy Ghost to help us define the deepest desires of our hearts and help us to communicate those to God.  When we do, we are truly praying in the name of Jesus Christ because we are praying for things that God wants to give us.  The goal of prayer is to align yourself with God and you can't do that without the help of the Spirit.  I am trying to focus more on LISTENING when I pray rather than just speaking for this very reason.  And when I do, I find ways to define my needs, fears, questions, and answers.  They seem to just flow out of me, and that is when I know I am in tune with the Spirit.

Well I sure do love you.  Thanks for your post.  You are a very wise woman and I look forward to your next one.  I really love this idea, and it pushes us to put our thoughts and the things we learn into sensible words.  So thank you dear friend,

Rachel

    

Here we go

This week has been a whirlwind- keeping up with school, work, family, friends- it's quite the adventure, let me tell you. Throughout the week, I've been surprised at how many times the same theme keeps popping up- whether it's in my personal scripture study, talking with others, or my own browsing of this fine world, it all keeps coming back to this:  

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my [Christ's] sake shall find it." 

Matthew 16:25.

I've realized, after hearing this several times within the last couple of days, I need to take time to really introspect on this one. I'm still exploring all the possibilities of this statement, I know I am far from even skimming the surface. And I feel like a jumbled mess trying to explain what I am thinking, but I will do my best. 

What I gathered thus far is the importance of WILLING surrender. Willingly giving up our desires, our fears, our dreams, and our hearts in order to do His will. We have the ability to completely submit to the will of God. He won't force us to do it (although He will create plenty of circumstances by which we could choose to humble ourselves), he allows us the opportunity to turn to Him. Why? Why is it that we need His constant direction? Why do we need His help? And why is it that only through surrendering to Him we find ourselves?

Without Him, we would not exist. Not only are we His supreme creations, we are His sons and daughters, heirs to a heavenly home. The only way to return to His presence is to become like Him. The only way to become like Him is to do what He requires of us. He is a perfect being, completely whole, and able to set the standard for us to dwell in His presence. 

During this journey here on earth, He is well aware each one of us will fall short every single day. No matter who we are! No matter where we've been- He knows we are bound to fall again and again. But like president Utchdorf said last conference, "No matter how many times you have slipped and fallen, rise up!" The goal is to keep striving to be our best selves, and to remember this is why we all need a savior. We are all imperfect. We all need Christ's grace and His mercy to make up for what we lack. As we come to better understand his role in our lives, we will naturally want to do the will of the Father, because, after all, that's what Christ did His entire life. He was completely, 100% percent dedicated to his Father's work. And why was He that dedicated? One word, yo: LOVE.

Does that mean he didn't get discouraged? Does that mean he didn't want to keep going at some points? Even Jesus Christ, our perfect example, suffered the pains and frustrations of mortality. In the Garden of Gethsemene, he plead, 

"Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done."

Luke 22:42

But instead of doing what he wanted to do, he allowed his will to be "swallowed up by the will the of Father," allowing a better future to be available for each of us. Christ completely lost himself in his calling as our savior. He was always ready to help, always ready to testify of His Father and His Father's word. 

Are we willing to do the same?

I realize this was kinda a long winded entry- I realized it's been a while since I've written things out during my scripture study, so i kinda just brain dumped it all out. If you prefer bullet points for next week, I can do that. Love you!