My father-figure Cliff wrote this to me in an email. I am so grateful for him and all of his kindness over the years.
“You have to keep in mind that it is entirely up to you what you do…It is your path so remember that all the things you do on your journey are important and they don't always fall in the time frames or plans of others and that is o.k. because it is not their road to follow.”
I think sometimes we just need simple reminders that we’re all living different lives and we shouldn’t expect our “journey” to go the same way or at the same pace as others. Every life is beautiful because it belongs to one particular person—we each write our own story and that’s what makes it so special.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Happiness
“Humility and gratitude are truly the twin characteristics of happiness” (Richard C. Edgley, “The Empowerment of Humility,” Liahona, Nov 2003, 97–99).
Interesting to think that two things considered weaknesses in today’s world can give you so much power.
Interesting to think that two things considered weaknesses in today’s world can give you so much power.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Fear Not!
Have you ever thought about fear? Real fear? I’m not talking about fear of spiders or snakes, but rather the deeper fear of failing, rejection, and/or the unknown.
Hmmm….
With all of the changes going on in my life at the moment, fear has been a nagging companion; you don’t want it there, but it sticks around and interrupts your thoughts at the worst moments. It just wont leave you alone!
But really…what do we have to be afraid of? What is there to fear in the first place? I just think about all of the good things in my life and sometimes I wonder if my fear comes from focusing on the wrong things. How often do we look at the glass half empty rather than half full? I’ve seen firsthand in my life that the more I trust in the Lord, the less I fear. And no matter how cliché this sounds, somehow it always seems to work out. What can I say?—I like to think of myself as an optimist.
Confidence. Courage. Easier said than done, right? Perhaps. But if nothing else, we just have to remember that fear is not a necessary emotion. Faith comes from God while fear comes from the adversary. The two—fear and faith—are antitheses of each other and there is no room for one when the other is present. So really, we have a choice…which do we wish to follow?
Ha! No competition there.
Hmmm….
With all of the changes going on in my life at the moment, fear has been a nagging companion; you don’t want it there, but it sticks around and interrupts your thoughts at the worst moments. It just wont leave you alone!
But really…what do we have to be afraid of? What is there to fear in the first place? I just think about all of the good things in my life and sometimes I wonder if my fear comes from focusing on the wrong things. How often do we look at the glass half empty rather than half full? I’ve seen firsthand in my life that the more I trust in the Lord, the less I fear. And no matter how cliché this sounds, somehow it always seems to work out. What can I say?—I like to think of myself as an optimist.
Confidence. Courage. Easier said than done, right? Perhaps. But if nothing else, we just have to remember that fear is not a necessary emotion. Faith comes from God while fear comes from the adversary. The two—fear and faith—are antitheses of each other and there is no room for one when the other is present. So really, we have a choice…which do we wish to follow?
Ha! No competition there.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
A Tiny Seed
Once again, I was looking through my old assignments and came across the following from my Mission Prep class in the fall of 2006. Interestingly enough, faith has been a major study topic for me the past couple of days, so I thought this was all too relevant and the perfect thing to share:
To more fully understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ, one must first understand the founding principle – faith. In Ether 12:6, it reads, “faith is things which are hoped for and not seen.” This definition is repeated in the teachings of the Apostle Paul, “Now faith is the [assurance] of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). It is the principle of action and power.
But what does that mean? Faith as the principle of action acts as the director of everything a person does. Approaching this idea in physical terms, it can be seen that every action, no matter how small, is performed by faith. To walk across the room, one must believe, or have faith, that the floor will withstand the pressure of the footstep. To buy groceries for her family, a mother must not only have faith that, by turning the key, her car will start, but that the store will be where it was the last time she shopped. This idea can be applied spiritually as well. To pray, or speak with God, one must have faith that God is listening. In fact, one must have faith that God exists at all.
This is where the principle of power comes in. “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God” (Hebrews 11:3). It is the very act of believing that gives one the power to do. Therefore, God had faith that he could create the worlds. “Had it not been for the principle of faith the worlds would never have been framed, neither would man have been formed of the dust” (“Lectures on Faith” 3). This ability, or power to do by belief, is given to man as well. When explaining to the Apostles why they could not cast out devils, Christ said, “[It is] because of your unbelief: for…If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed…nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matthew 17:19-20). In both Hebrews 11 and Ether 12, miracles such as Noah’s Ark, the parting of the Red Sea, and the brother of Jared’s witness of the Lord show that “If [man] will have faith in me [he] shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me” (Moroni 7:33).
Though faith can give man power, it is a gift from God and must be nurtured. Alma’s teachings reflect the words of the Lord mentioned above. “Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart…it will begin to swell within your breasts” (Alma 32:28). Man is given the seed and it is up to him to attend to it so that it may grow. Without proper care, faith, like the seed, will whither and die.
Outlined in Alma 32:27, Alma also teaches how man can cause that seed of faith to grow. First, he must have the simple desire to believe. Second, he must ‘arouse [his] faculties’ or admit that perhaps there is a God, or have hope that something else could exist. Thirdly, he must experiment upon the thing in question by praying, keeping the Lord’s commandments, or studying the scriptures. And lastly, after all of these things have been exercised, there will begin to be a growth of the seed of faith, even so that it “beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me” (Alma 32:28). By all these things can man nurture the faith God gives him.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ would not exist without faith. It is by this founding principle that all things were created and are now and will forever be performed.
Works Cited
Bible. King James Version. Salt Lake City: LDS Church, 1979.
Book of Mormon. Salt Lake City: LDS Church, 1981.
“Lectures on Faith.” Prepared by the Prophet Joseph Smith: Deseret Book, 1985.
I know through both personal experience and prayer that all of these things speak truth. If we doubt, we must trust in the Father and have confidence, move ourselves to action, and then we will receive power. The witness comes after the trial of our faith (Ether 12:6) and it is by faith that all things are fulfilled (Ether 12:3).
To more fully understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ, one must first understand the founding principle – faith. In Ether 12:6, it reads, “faith is things which are hoped for and not seen.” This definition is repeated in the teachings of the Apostle Paul, “Now faith is the [assurance] of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). It is the principle of action and power.
But what does that mean? Faith as the principle of action acts as the director of everything a person does. Approaching this idea in physical terms, it can be seen that every action, no matter how small, is performed by faith. To walk across the room, one must believe, or have faith, that the floor will withstand the pressure of the footstep. To buy groceries for her family, a mother must not only have faith that, by turning the key, her car will start, but that the store will be where it was the last time she shopped. This idea can be applied spiritually as well. To pray, or speak with God, one must have faith that God is listening. In fact, one must have faith that God exists at all.
This is where the principle of power comes in. “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God” (Hebrews 11:3). It is the very act of believing that gives one the power to do. Therefore, God had faith that he could create the worlds. “Had it not been for the principle of faith the worlds would never have been framed, neither would man have been formed of the dust” (“Lectures on Faith” 3). This ability, or power to do by belief, is given to man as well. When explaining to the Apostles why they could not cast out devils, Christ said, “[It is] because of your unbelief: for…If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed…nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matthew 17:19-20). In both Hebrews 11 and Ether 12, miracles such as Noah’s Ark, the parting of the Red Sea, and the brother of Jared’s witness of the Lord show that “If [man] will have faith in me [he] shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me” (Moroni 7:33).
Though faith can give man power, it is a gift from God and must be nurtured. Alma’s teachings reflect the words of the Lord mentioned above. “Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart…it will begin to swell within your breasts” (Alma 32:28). Man is given the seed and it is up to him to attend to it so that it may grow. Without proper care, faith, like the seed, will whither and die.
Outlined in Alma 32:27, Alma also teaches how man can cause that seed of faith to grow. First, he must have the simple desire to believe. Second, he must ‘arouse [his] faculties’ or admit that perhaps there is a God, or have hope that something else could exist. Thirdly, he must experiment upon the thing in question by praying, keeping the Lord’s commandments, or studying the scriptures. And lastly, after all of these things have been exercised, there will begin to be a growth of the seed of faith, even so that it “beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me” (Alma 32:28). By all these things can man nurture the faith God gives him.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ would not exist without faith. It is by this founding principle that all things were created and are now and will forever be performed.
Works Cited
Bible. King James Version. Salt Lake City: LDS Church, 1979.
Book of Mormon. Salt Lake City: LDS Church, 1981.
“Lectures on Faith.” Prepared by the Prophet Joseph Smith: Deseret Book, 1985.
I know through both personal experience and prayer that all of these things speak truth. If we doubt, we must trust in the Father and have confidence, move ourselves to action, and then we will receive power. The witness comes after the trial of our faith (Ether 12:6) and it is by faith that all things are fulfilled (Ether 12:3).
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