With finals coming up, I've been having a rough time staying focused and motivated, and wondering if its even worth it. This feeling brought me to go to a scripture thats helped me out over and over again in 1 Nephi 10:19, "For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round."
While the mysteries of God are of course the spiritual things and involve personal revelation, I like to think of this in terms of school as well, and it's comforting to me to think that if I do all that I can, and seek for knowledge in every part of my life, the Lord will help me out and make me see what I need to. The course of the Lord is an eternal round that goes on forever, and He doesn't pick and choose who he is going to help. The love of the Lord can help me through every hard time I have, from the hardest things I'll have to go through to the simpler ones, like finals week, and I am so grateful for that.
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Friday, April 14, 2017
Week 13
This week, I was reading in Alma and thinking a lot about obedience, something so simple yet something we sometimes make out as so hard. It was kind of a strange thing that led me to think so much about this. In Alma chapter 20 verses 5 and 6 it says, "And Ammon said unto him: No one hath told me, save it be God; and he said unto me- Go and deliver they brethren, for they are in prison in the land of Middoni. Now when Lamoni had heard this he caused that his servants should make ready his horses and his chariots."
King Lamoni was so simply and unquestionably obedient in this moment. He didn't ask questions or wonder if this was the smart thing to do, or suggest maybe having a slightly better plan first. God had told Ammon it needed to be done, and Lamoni trusted that God would help them to do it. This is the kind of obedience that we should all be striving for. In Sunday school this past week, someone was sharing how they were trying to work on acting on impulses. Not bad impulses, but any time he got the feeling to do something, instead of trying to decipher if it was his own head or the spirit, he just did it. He talked about how even though everything he acts on is from the spirit, he feels like the Lord can trust him to follow promptings more, because he is trying to train himself to leap up and do it the first time he feels something.
I think we can learn a lot about obedience from these two things. Obedience to the Lord is not something to be questioned. He's not going to ask us to do something bad, or something that is not going to help us or the ones around us in the long run, and He's not going to tell you to do something impossible. I've made a goal to become more obedient about the things I feel to do, as well as the commandments and guidance I might have some more trouble following. Being obedient can bless us and those around us in more ways we know.
King Lamoni was so simply and unquestionably obedient in this moment. He didn't ask questions or wonder if this was the smart thing to do, or suggest maybe having a slightly better plan first. God had told Ammon it needed to be done, and Lamoni trusted that God would help them to do it. This is the kind of obedience that we should all be striving for. In Sunday school this past week, someone was sharing how they were trying to work on acting on impulses. Not bad impulses, but any time he got the feeling to do something, instead of trying to decipher if it was his own head or the spirit, he just did it. He talked about how even though everything he acts on is from the spirit, he feels like the Lord can trust him to follow promptings more, because he is trying to train himself to leap up and do it the first time he feels something.
I think we can learn a lot about obedience from these two things. Obedience to the Lord is not something to be questioned. He's not going to ask us to do something bad, or something that is not going to help us or the ones around us in the long run, and He's not going to tell you to do something impossible. I've made a goal to become more obedient about the things I feel to do, as well as the commandments and guidance I might have some more trouble following. Being obedient can bless us and those around us in more ways we know.
Monday, April 10, 2017
Week 12
This week I was reading in Alma chapter 32, and verse 28 caught my attention. It says, "Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves- It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my sould; yea, it beginnith to enlighten my understanding, yea it beginneth to be delicious to me."
This verse stood out to me, it seems like I always think of seeds being planted in non-members hearts, or those who are inactive, never myself. However, reading this really struck something within me because it made me realize how much I relate to it. I feel like for most of my life I was kind of going along with what my parents believed, knowing it but not truly for myself. Only since being on my own and really having to build my own testimony have I felt this seed inside of me growing. I have had some of my most powerful experiences with the gospel this last year, each thing confirming my own testimony and beliefs. I've felt the swelling that is described in this verse, and I can look back and truly see how my seed of a testimony has grown since the end of my senior year.
I think that it is truly important to realize that this seed is within all of us, and can always be grown further. I have seen that it is good, and it has enlightened my life.
This verse stood out to me, it seems like I always think of seeds being planted in non-members hearts, or those who are inactive, never myself. However, reading this really struck something within me because it made me realize how much I relate to it. I feel like for most of my life I was kind of going along with what my parents believed, knowing it but not truly for myself. Only since being on my own and really having to build my own testimony have I felt this seed inside of me growing. I have had some of my most powerful experiences with the gospel this last year, each thing confirming my own testimony and beliefs. I've felt the swelling that is described in this verse, and I can look back and truly see how my seed of a testimony has grown since the end of my senior year.
I think that it is truly important to realize that this seed is within all of us, and can always be grown further. I have seen that it is good, and it has enlightened my life.
Sunday, April 2, 2017
Week 11
This week I was reading in 2 Nephi, and read verse 27 which says, "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh, and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself." This verse got me thinking a lot about agency, and how it affects us.
Agency is something that can be hard for me to fully accept, mostly because it is hard for me to see others use their agency so poorly. However, it is also a blessing in our lives because we are able to freely choose liberty and eternal life, and work for it in a way that is fulfilling and wonderful. I think agency is also something that we take for granted, not realizing how the choices we make using that agency truly affect ourselves and those around us.
We should be striving every day for all of our choices to be pointing us towards living with Heavenly Father again. Every choice we make takes us in one direction or the other, and I know I always want to be pointed towards Him. While we cannot force others to make the same choices as us, we can be an example of how the right decisions can positively affect a life. By living our truth and making as many good choices as we can, we can be headed back to our Heavenly Father, as well as showing others the light the gospel can bring.
Agency is something that can be hard for me to fully accept, mostly because it is hard for me to see others use their agency so poorly. However, it is also a blessing in our lives because we are able to freely choose liberty and eternal life, and work for it in a way that is fulfilling and wonderful. I think agency is also something that we take for granted, not realizing how the choices we make using that agency truly affect ourselves and those around us.
We should be striving every day for all of our choices to be pointing us towards living with Heavenly Father again. Every choice we make takes us in one direction or the other, and I know I always want to be pointed towards Him. While we cannot force others to make the same choices as us, we can be an example of how the right decisions can positively affect a life. By living our truth and making as many good choices as we can, we can be headed back to our Heavenly Father, as well as showing others the light the gospel can bring.
Sunday, March 26, 2017
Week 10
Today while watching the women's session of General Conference, Sister McConkie told a story that stayed with me. She talked about a girl who was called to be a Beehive President, and would magnify her calling by going out to the less active girl's houses to see if she could help them get coming back to church again. She discovered that Sunday's were for doing chores, and a lot of the girls did not finish in time to be allowed to go to church. She helped these girls by going to their homes and helping them with their chores so that they would be able to come to church. This story of such a young girl doing so much to magnify her calling and help others was something that really made me take stock of my life and callings, and how I could better be serving those around me.
In the Joseph Smith Translation of the scripture 1 Corinthians 7:32, it says; "But I would, brethren, that ye magnify your calling. For he careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord; therefore he prevaileth." Magnifying our callings is an important way to show the Lord that we care about and respect the responsibilities He has given us. A calling comes from Him, after all, and we should understand that so that we can more fully serve to the best of our ability. Not only should we do this for the Lord, and for those whom we are serving, but for our own salvation.
The Lord only calls those who he knows can do what He requires of them, and He won't ever leave us when we need help. In my calling, I sometimes find it hard to make time for it, but when I do I can feel the Lord helping me and the people I serve to know the best things to do. Anyone and everyone has the ability to magnify their callings, and by doing so we can bring so much light into our lives and the lives of those around us.
In the Joseph Smith Translation of the scripture 1 Corinthians 7:32, it says; "But I would, brethren, that ye magnify your calling. For he careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord; therefore he prevaileth." Magnifying our callings is an important way to show the Lord that we care about and respect the responsibilities He has given us. A calling comes from Him, after all, and we should understand that so that we can more fully serve to the best of our ability. Not only should we do this for the Lord, and for those whom we are serving, but for our own salvation.
The Lord only calls those who he knows can do what He requires of them, and He won't ever leave us when we need help. In my calling, I sometimes find it hard to make time for it, but when I do I can feel the Lord helping me and the people I serve to know the best things to do. Anyone and everyone has the ability to magnify their callings, and by doing so we can bring so much light into our lives and the lives of those around us.
Monday, March 20, 2017
Week 9
This week I was studying about what it means to press forward, and how we can do that in our lives. I started in 2 Nephi 31:20 where it says, "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God an of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure the the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." This made me think about the unique phrasing of that term, it is more than just persevering, or not giving up. The term of pressing forward to me means that there is something that we are pressing against, the world itself and it's wicked temptation is what we are moving and pressing against.
To press is to move into a position of contact with something by exerting a continuous force, and to move forward is to make progress towards a successful conclusion. We are on earth trying to move into constant contact with the Holy Ghost, as well as with our Savior, so that we can reach the successful conclusion we seek, which is eternal life and happiness. It stands out to me that the word continuous was used, we must always be exerting force on the temptations of the world around us in order to move forward. Once we let up on the force applied, things can all too quickly spin out of our grasp, sending us backwards in our journey.
College is a difficult time in life, when it is easy to be distracted. By following God's commandments and continually pressing forward we can make it through and be blessed. Reading scriptures about how the writers of the Book of Mormon continually pressed forward is something that helps to remind me that it is possible for me to do it as well, and that it will be beyond worth it in the end.
To press is to move into a position of contact with something by exerting a continuous force, and to move forward is to make progress towards a successful conclusion. We are on earth trying to move into constant contact with the Holy Ghost, as well as with our Savior, so that we can reach the successful conclusion we seek, which is eternal life and happiness. It stands out to me that the word continuous was used, we must always be exerting force on the temptations of the world around us in order to move forward. Once we let up on the force applied, things can all too quickly spin out of our grasp, sending us backwards in our journey.
College is a difficult time in life, when it is easy to be distracted. By following God's commandments and continually pressing forward we can make it through and be blessed. Reading scriptures about how the writers of the Book of Mormon continually pressed forward is something that helps to remind me that it is possible for me to do it as well, and that it will be beyond worth it in the end.
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Week 8
This week I received my mission call to the Adriatic North Mission, it is comprised of 5 countries, and there is just so much work to do there! While I was studying my scriptures, specifically about missionary work, there were a few scriptures that stuck out to me. One was in Alma 26, verse 22, "Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing- unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal such things which have never been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance,"
This scripture really hit a chord with me, reminding me how important it is to actively prepare to serve my mission. I cannot expect to "bring thousands of souls to repentance" or even one soul, without preparing myself to have the Lord work through me. I need to be continually praying, exercising faith, doing good works and repenting so that I am worthy and ready to receive all the guidance the Lord is willing to give me as I embark on what will likely be the hardest 18 months of my life thus far. This is especially important for me, because the Croatian/Serbian/Monetenegrian/ Bosnian/Slovanian people deserve dedicated missionaries who desire to love them and invite them to accept Christ in their lives, and it is up to me to help give them that.
In connection, another scripture I read in Alma 30 verse 5 says, "And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just- yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them- therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God."
The people of the Adriatic North Mission have seen a lot of hardship, and they should know the power of the word of God that transcends any of the hard things they have managed to bear up to this point. The word of God is the most powerful tool we have to show people that they truly can live their lives in a fulfilling and beautiful way, no matter their other circumstances. I am so humbled to be able to go and serve these people for 18 months, and I hope that I can find it in myself to be so faithful and obedient to truly make a difference in their lives, and complete my mission of spreading the word of Christ to the best of my ability.
This scripture really hit a chord with me, reminding me how important it is to actively prepare to serve my mission. I cannot expect to "bring thousands of souls to repentance" or even one soul, without preparing myself to have the Lord work through me. I need to be continually praying, exercising faith, doing good works and repenting so that I am worthy and ready to receive all the guidance the Lord is willing to give me as I embark on what will likely be the hardest 18 months of my life thus far. This is especially important for me, because the Croatian/Serbian/Monetenegrian/ Bosnian/Slovanian people deserve dedicated missionaries who desire to love them and invite them to accept Christ in their lives, and it is up to me to help give them that.
In connection, another scripture I read in Alma 30 verse 5 says, "And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just- yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them- therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God."
The people of the Adriatic North Mission have seen a lot of hardship, and they should know the power of the word of God that transcends any of the hard things they have managed to bear up to this point. The word of God is the most powerful tool we have to show people that they truly can live their lives in a fulfilling and beautiful way, no matter their other circumstances. I am so humbled to be able to go and serve these people for 18 months, and I hope that I can find it in myself to be so faithful and obedient to truly make a difference in their lives, and complete my mission of spreading the word of Christ to the best of my ability.
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