I attended the 2008 BYU Womens Conference and heard President Thomas S. Monson give this talk, "Joy in the Journey." Last night I read it from the 2008 WC book I purchased in April while at the 2009 WC. I had forgotten how amazing his talk was, and I was doubly amazed at how much it pertained to all the things the Lord has taught me this year. It's not a long talk, well worth taking some time to read it. If you are feeling overwhelmed, you can get comfort and counsel from our loving prophet.
Here are some of the things that really stood out for me. First of all he praises us for all that we do. "You are sensitive and selfless. You are nurturers; you are compassionate. You genuinely care about others, and you form strong relationships. You love and forgive. With good hearts and willing hands,you make a real difference in the lives of others."
He said each of us is living a life filled with much to do. "I plead with you not to let the important things in life pass you by, planning instead for that illusive and non-existent future day when you'll have time to do all that you want to do. Instead find joy in the journey--now."
He talked about a man who's wife had just passed away who was talking to a friend and said he had found an article of clothing she'd purchased on a trip that sat in her drawer for nine years waiting for that special occasion to wear it. Now that occasion would never come. The friend said that had a huge impact on her life. She started using crystal glasses every day and wore new clothes to the supermarket if she wanted to, she spent more time with family and friends. She said she would wake up every day and say "this could be a special day. Each day, each hour, each minute, is special."
President Monson says, "If you do something that turns out not quite as you had planned, you can almost always put it right, get over it, learn from it. But once you've missed out on something, it's gone."
"...the class you never took, the relative with whom you never became close, the friend you didn't call, the thanks you didn't express, the dress you didn't buy, the soccer game you missed." He said, "Try and keep the list as short as possible."
"Send that note...give your child a compliment and a hug; say, 'I love you' more; always express your thanks. Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved...it's so easy to take others for granted, until that day when they're gone from our lives and we are left with feelings of 'what if' and 'if only.'"
He tells some good stories in this talk, and he does not leave out the fact that, "our mortal life...was never meant to be easy or consistently pleasant. Our Heavenly Father, who gives us so much to delight in, also knows that we learn and grow and become refined through hard challenges, heartbreaking sorrows, and difficult choices....no matter how carefully we plan our lives, we cannot avoid all the storms that come our way...Only the Master knows the depth of our trials, our pain and our suffering. He alone offers us eternal peace in times of adversity..."
He said we sisters often feel inadequate and ineffective because we can't do all that we feel we should. "Rather than continually dwelling on what still needs to be done, pause occasionally and reflect on all that you do and have done. It is most significant. The good you have done, the kind words you have spoken, the love you have shown to others, can never be fully measured."
One of my dear friends gave me a mug last year for Christmas. I got it out Saturday to drink some herbal tea for a sore throat. It's a clear mug on which she painted little flowers and a saying that says,
"Life isn't just about finding yourself, it's about creating yourself!"
Even in spite of challenges, trials, heartaches, sorrows and suffering...we can create a joyful life for our self and others in the small moments, creating special occasions everyday in every way that we can. We just need to slow down a bit, so we can actually see the scenery as it goes by!
And remember to actually do it.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
The Love of God
God is love.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf (Second Counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) is a messenger of God's love. At the Saturday morning session of the October (2009) General Conference he gave a talk entitled "The Love of God." If you're feeling a little overwhelmed and discouraged, you can get a big boost from this talk. President Uchtdorf tells us that love should be at the center of our lives as disciples of Christ. He describes that love as a balm that heals, a power, a source, a fire, a joy, a hope. "Love should be our walk and our talk."
"God does not need us to love Him. But oh, how we need to love God! For what we love determines what we seek.
What we seek determines what we think and do.
What we think and do determines who we are—and who we will become."
President Uchtdorf said if all the reasons (he names in his talk) why we should love our Heavenly Father are not enough, we can learn from the words of the Apostle John who said, "We love Him because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19)
"Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely."
"What this means is that, regardless of our current state, there is hope for us. No matter our distress, no matter our sorrow, no matter our mistakes, our infinitely compassionate Heavenly Father desires that we draw near to Him so that He can draw near to us."
"...don’t get discouraged if you stumble at times. Don’t feel downcast or despair if you don’t feel worthy to be a disciple of Christ at all times. The first step to walking in righteousness is simply to try. We must try to believe. Try to learn of God: read the scriptures; study the words of His latter-day prophets; choose to listen to the Father, and do the things He asks of us. Try and keep on trying until that which seems difficult becomes possible—and that which seems only possible becomes habit and a real part of you."
"How clearly the Savior spoke when He said that every other commandment hangs upon the principle of love. If we do not neglect the great laws...all else will fall into place."
"Love is the measure of our faith."
Truly, God is Love.
Believe in yourself...because God does.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf (Second Counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) is a messenger of God's love. At the Saturday morning session of the October (2009) General Conference he gave a talk entitled "The Love of God." If you're feeling a little overwhelmed and discouraged, you can get a big boost from this talk. President Uchtdorf tells us that love should be at the center of our lives as disciples of Christ. He describes that love as a balm that heals, a power, a source, a fire, a joy, a hope. "Love should be our walk and our talk."
"God does not need us to love Him. But oh, how we need to love God! For what we love determines what we seek.
What we seek determines what we think and do.
What we think and do determines who we are—and who we will become."
President Uchtdorf said if all the reasons (he names in his talk) why we should love our Heavenly Father are not enough, we can learn from the words of the Apostle John who said, "We love Him because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19)
"Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely."
"What this means is that, regardless of our current state, there is hope for us. No matter our distress, no matter our sorrow, no matter our mistakes, our infinitely compassionate Heavenly Father desires that we draw near to Him so that He can draw near to us."
"...don’t get discouraged if you stumble at times. Don’t feel downcast or despair if you don’t feel worthy to be a disciple of Christ at all times. The first step to walking in righteousness is simply to try. We must try to believe. Try to learn of God: read the scriptures; study the words of His latter-day prophets; choose to listen to the Father, and do the things He asks of us. Try and keep on trying until that which seems difficult becomes possible—and that which seems only possible becomes habit and a real part of you."
"How clearly the Savior spoke when He said that every other commandment hangs upon the principle of love. If we do not neglect the great laws...all else will fall into place."
"Love is the measure of our faith."
Truly, God is Love.
Believe in yourself...because God does.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Removing Negative Weeds & Cultivating Positive Flowers
Another tender mercy from the Lord...
It always amazes me how He helps us "find" when we are "seeking." I've been really working so hard on the words I speak....wanting so bad to replace all negative comments (and thoughts) with positive ones. Wanting so bad to learn not to fly off the handle when I get upset. I'd listened to Elder Holland's talk, "The Tongue of Angels" on my MP3 player a couple of times recently, and so while I was in my study room I decided to flip through my conference editions of the Ensign so I could study that talk a little more. Sure, I could have come to the computer and looked it up quickly, but for some reason, I felt impressed to flip through all my GC Ensigns. While I was at it, I decided to highlight, in the table of contents, all the talks that I especially love, and then I got the idea to write them down in a notebook, so next time I want to find them quickly I could do that...well, in doing this, I had to look through the less recent magazines at each talk to remember which ones I especially liked...I have been making a note next to the title of each talk as to how it affected me. There were two that I came across that I felt a strong impression to leave open and read later. Today, the first thing I picked up was one of those articles---I was highly compelled to read it this morning. I was totally amazed at how closely it fits with Brother Goddard's article I read yesterday, and how closely related some of it is to all this "negative/positive" stuff I have been learning. God is the perfect tutor--that's all I know!
This article is in the May 2004 Ensign by Elder Bruce C. Hafen entitled, "The Atonement: All for All"
It had previous highlights, and I had rated the talk "wonderful!!" with hearts and squigglies. The first highlighted quote I noticed that caused me to set it aside was this statement,
"We grow in two ways—removing negative weeds and cultivating positive flowers".
Wow! I thought. God has been leading me to this all along.
Previous to this Elder Hafen said, "One early Australian convert said: “My past life [was] a wilderness of weeds, with hardly a flower strewed among them. [But] now the weeds have vanished, and flowers spring up in their place.”
I used a different color highlighter as I read this talk, and well, I ended up highlighting at least half of his talk, and it was already half highlighted...so what can I say? Read the whole talk!! But I'll just share a few of the most prominent things that fit in with what Brother Goddard said in his article, those things that gave me God's tender mercy in letting me understand that He accepts my willingness to put my weaknesses upon His alter and work to change them, which change I know only comes as He makes me able to change---and if He is willing to allow those changes in this lifetime. Like Brother Goddard said, we may struggle with some weaknesses our whole life through just to "energize our humility."
This comment by Elder Hafen was especially tender to me:
"Without tasting the bitter, we actually cannot understand the sweet. (D&C 29:39) We require mortality’s discipline and refinement as the “next step in [our] development” toward becoming like our Father. But growth means growing pains. It also means learning from our mistakes in a continual process made possible by the Savior’s grace, which He extends both during and “after all we can do....because of the Atonement, they could learn from their experience without being condemned by it....So if you have problems in your life, don’t assume there is something wrong with you. Struggling with those problems is at the very core of life’s purpose. As we draw close to God, He will show us our weaknesses and through them make us wiser, stronger. If you’re seeing more of your weaknesses, that just might mean you’re moving nearer to God, not farther away."
"So once we’ve cleared our heartland, we must continually plant, weed, and nourish the seeds of divine qualities. And then as our sweat and discipline stretch us to meet His gifts, “the flow’rs of grace appear,” like hope and meekness. Even a tree of life can take root in this heart-garden, bearing fruit so sweet that it lightens all our burdens “through the joy of his Son.” And when the flower of charity blooms here, we will love others with the power of Christ’s own love."
It brought to my realization (an "ahha!" moment, as Martha would say) that what appeared to be "cursings" given to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden were really great blessings. That flowers and fruits would not appear spontaneously without effort, and that weeds would choke the earth, and that Eve would bear children in sorrow...all these things were given us so that we could "taste the bitter, in order to fully understand the sweet" and to truly understand what true joy is. It was to help us acquire the "knowledge" that God has. The knowledge that would make us a God like Him. So, it's OK to have these struggles and trials and battle fields...even the same ole' same ole' battles! It's part of the perfect plan. We should have faith and trust in our own weaknesses!
Furthermore, Elder Hafen said,
"This earth is not our home. We are away at school, trying to master the lessons of “the great plan of happiness” so we can return home and know what it means to be there. Over and over the Lord tells us why the plan is worth our sacrifice—and His. Eve called it “the joy of our redemption.” Jacob called it “that happiness which is prepared for the saints.” Of necessity, the plan is full of thorns and tears—His and ours. But because He and we are so totally in this together, our being “at one” with Him in overcoming all opposition will itself bring us “incomprehensible joy.”
"Christ’s Atonement is at the very core of this plan. Without His dear, dear sacrifice, there would be no way home, no way to be together, no way to be like Him. He gave us all He had. Therefore, “how great is his joy,” when even one of us “gets it”—when we look up from the weed patch and turn our face to the Son."
"We can have eternal life if we want it, but only if there is nothing else we want more."
"Yet even when we utterly spend ourselves, we lack the power to create the perfection only God can complete. Our all by itself is still only almost enough—until it is finished by the all of Him who is the “finisher of our faith.” At that point, our imperfect but consecrated almost is enough....Almost is especially enough when our own sacrifices somehow echo the Savior’s sacrifice, however imperfect we are. We cannot really feel charity—Christ’s love for others—without at least tasting His suffering for others, because the love and the suffering are but two sides of a single reality. When we really are afflicted in the afflictions of other people, we may enter “the fellowship of his sufferings” enough to become joint-heirs with Him."
And now a confession. I had between 8-10 of you on the email list to get notification of my postings for this blog. One day, a week or so ago, I was on Good Reads and read a few of the comments made about Rhonda Byrne's book, "The Secret." There were some pretty nasty remarks made. One guys said he literally threw the book across the room at the absurdity of it. I was taken aback. I wondered for a while if I had been deceived by the books concepts. After all, it's not church doctrine. And maybe I was wrong for sharing my views about it online and with friends. So, with the exception of 2 people, I took names off the mailing list. I have pondered it for a time. But I could not deny the unmistakable spirit I felt while reading the book. By now I know the difference between having the spirit and not having the spirit...especially the spirit of truth. While I still claim that some of the book does not align with my religious beliefs, and that being because the book does not have ALL the truth, as I do, as a Latter-day Saint with modern scripture and revelation, still, the book's truths ARE based on God's laws. They are based on all that is good. All that God would want for His children. Truths, that if His children lived by, would bring more love, peace and joy to this world.
Early this morning, I had a personal revelation on the subject as I was pondering it. The truths in the book are based on simple facts. Pray. Ask for that which ye need. Have faith you will receive it. Love others. Have gratitude. Be giving. Be kind. Stay positive. Avoid the negative. It reminded me of the brass serpent that Moses was commanded to put on his staff. He was told to tell the Israelites to look upon the serpent after being bit by the poisonous serpent, and that they would live. Many would not, and died instead. Why? Because of the simpleness of the way.
Many today are deceived, as Satan is making good look evil, and evil look good. I feel sorry for those people who could not see the truth in Rhonda's book. Because I felt the book was placed in my hands to help me understand something that I so desperately needed, I was thankful to Rhonda for sharing what she discovered in that book--something that would HELP others. I never once thought of it as a scam for her and others to make money. I felt that they were sharing something that was precious to them, and that had helped them to live life more fully and more joyfully. Surely that is something that we should share with the world.
Satan does not want me to share what I am learning with you. It is time consuming to post, and yet I am so compelled to do it. It is my testimony. I want to help, lift and inspire others. This is a way to reach out, as I cannot come in personal contact with you each day. If something I say could help lift even one person at one moment, then it would be worth all the effort I am making to share it. I feel it is a gift God has given me, to be able to have this spiritual understanding and to be able to write it out and share it with others.
So, Satan, get out of my way! I am pulling out all the negative weeds if it takes me my whole life long, and I will just keep pulling, pulling, pulling. And in it's place cultivating as many positive flowers as I can!
It always amazes me how He helps us "find" when we are "seeking." I've been really working so hard on the words I speak....wanting so bad to replace all negative comments (and thoughts) with positive ones. Wanting so bad to learn not to fly off the handle when I get upset. I'd listened to Elder Holland's talk, "The Tongue of Angels" on my MP3 player a couple of times recently, and so while I was in my study room I decided to flip through my conference editions of the Ensign so I could study that talk a little more. Sure, I could have come to the computer and looked it up quickly, but for some reason, I felt impressed to flip through all my GC Ensigns. While I was at it, I decided to highlight, in the table of contents, all the talks that I especially love, and then I got the idea to write them down in a notebook, so next time I want to find them quickly I could do that...well, in doing this, I had to look through the less recent magazines at each talk to remember which ones I especially liked...I have been making a note next to the title of each talk as to how it affected me. There were two that I came across that I felt a strong impression to leave open and read later. Today, the first thing I picked up was one of those articles---I was highly compelled to read it this morning. I was totally amazed at how closely it fits with Brother Goddard's article I read yesterday, and how closely related some of it is to all this "negative/positive" stuff I have been learning. God is the perfect tutor--that's all I know!
This article is in the May 2004 Ensign by Elder Bruce C. Hafen entitled, "The Atonement: All for All"
It had previous highlights, and I had rated the talk "wonderful!!" with hearts and squigglies. The first highlighted quote I noticed that caused me to set it aside was this statement,
"We grow in two ways—removing negative weeds and cultivating positive flowers".
Wow! I thought. God has been leading me to this all along.
Previous to this Elder Hafen said, "One early Australian convert said: “My past life [was] a wilderness of weeds, with hardly a flower strewed among them. [But] now the weeds have vanished, and flowers spring up in their place.”
I used a different color highlighter as I read this talk, and well, I ended up highlighting at least half of his talk, and it was already half highlighted...so what can I say? Read the whole talk!! But I'll just share a few of the most prominent things that fit in with what Brother Goddard said in his article, those things that gave me God's tender mercy in letting me understand that He accepts my willingness to put my weaknesses upon His alter and work to change them, which change I know only comes as He makes me able to change---and if He is willing to allow those changes in this lifetime. Like Brother Goddard said, we may struggle with some weaknesses our whole life through just to "energize our humility."
This comment by Elder Hafen was especially tender to me:
"Without tasting the bitter, we actually cannot understand the sweet. (D&C 29:39) We require mortality’s discipline and refinement as the “next step in [our] development” toward becoming like our Father. But growth means growing pains. It also means learning from our mistakes in a continual process made possible by the Savior’s grace, which He extends both during and “after all we can do....because of the Atonement, they could learn from their experience without being condemned by it....So if you have problems in your life, don’t assume there is something wrong with you. Struggling with those problems is at the very core of life’s purpose. As we draw close to God, He will show us our weaknesses and through them make us wiser, stronger. If you’re seeing more of your weaknesses, that just might mean you’re moving nearer to God, not farther away."
"So once we’ve cleared our heartland, we must continually plant, weed, and nourish the seeds of divine qualities. And then as our sweat and discipline stretch us to meet His gifts, “the flow’rs of grace appear,” like hope and meekness. Even a tree of life can take root in this heart-garden, bearing fruit so sweet that it lightens all our burdens “through the joy of his Son.” And when the flower of charity blooms here, we will love others with the power of Christ’s own love."
It brought to my realization (an "ahha!" moment, as Martha would say) that what appeared to be "cursings" given to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden were really great blessings. That flowers and fruits would not appear spontaneously without effort, and that weeds would choke the earth, and that Eve would bear children in sorrow...all these things were given us so that we could "taste the bitter, in order to fully understand the sweet" and to truly understand what true joy is. It was to help us acquire the "knowledge" that God has. The knowledge that would make us a God like Him. So, it's OK to have these struggles and trials and battle fields...even the same ole' same ole' battles! It's part of the perfect plan. We should have faith and trust in our own weaknesses!
Furthermore, Elder Hafen said,
"This earth is not our home. We are away at school, trying to master the lessons of “the great plan of happiness” so we can return home and know what it means to be there. Over and over the Lord tells us why the plan is worth our sacrifice—and His. Eve called it “the joy of our redemption.” Jacob called it “that happiness which is prepared for the saints.” Of necessity, the plan is full of thorns and tears—His and ours. But because He and we are so totally in this together, our being “at one” with Him in overcoming all opposition will itself bring us “incomprehensible joy.”
"Christ’s Atonement is at the very core of this plan. Without His dear, dear sacrifice, there would be no way home, no way to be together, no way to be like Him. He gave us all He had. Therefore, “how great is his joy,” when even one of us “gets it”—when we look up from the weed patch and turn our face to the Son."
"We can have eternal life if we want it, but only if there is nothing else we want more."
"Yet even when we utterly spend ourselves, we lack the power to create the perfection only God can complete. Our all by itself is still only almost enough—until it is finished by the all of Him who is the “finisher of our faith.” At that point, our imperfect but consecrated almost is enough....Almost is especially enough when our own sacrifices somehow echo the Savior’s sacrifice, however imperfect we are. We cannot really feel charity—Christ’s love for others—without at least tasting His suffering for others, because the love and the suffering are but two sides of a single reality. When we really are afflicted in the afflictions of other people, we may enter “the fellowship of his sufferings” enough to become joint-heirs with Him."
And now a confession. I had between 8-10 of you on the email list to get notification of my postings for this blog. One day, a week or so ago, I was on Good Reads and read a few of the comments made about Rhonda Byrne's book, "The Secret." There were some pretty nasty remarks made. One guys said he literally threw the book across the room at the absurdity of it. I was taken aback. I wondered for a while if I had been deceived by the books concepts. After all, it's not church doctrine. And maybe I was wrong for sharing my views about it online and with friends. So, with the exception of 2 people, I took names off the mailing list. I have pondered it for a time. But I could not deny the unmistakable spirit I felt while reading the book. By now I know the difference between having the spirit and not having the spirit...especially the spirit of truth. While I still claim that some of the book does not align with my religious beliefs, and that being because the book does not have ALL the truth, as I do, as a Latter-day Saint with modern scripture and revelation, still, the book's truths ARE based on God's laws. They are based on all that is good. All that God would want for His children. Truths, that if His children lived by, would bring more love, peace and joy to this world.
Early this morning, I had a personal revelation on the subject as I was pondering it. The truths in the book are based on simple facts. Pray. Ask for that which ye need. Have faith you will receive it. Love others. Have gratitude. Be giving. Be kind. Stay positive. Avoid the negative. It reminded me of the brass serpent that Moses was commanded to put on his staff. He was told to tell the Israelites to look upon the serpent after being bit by the poisonous serpent, and that they would live. Many would not, and died instead. Why? Because of the simpleness of the way.
Many today are deceived, as Satan is making good look evil, and evil look good. I feel sorry for those people who could not see the truth in Rhonda's book. Because I felt the book was placed in my hands to help me understand something that I so desperately needed, I was thankful to Rhonda for sharing what she discovered in that book--something that would HELP others. I never once thought of it as a scam for her and others to make money. I felt that they were sharing something that was precious to them, and that had helped them to live life more fully and more joyfully. Surely that is something that we should share with the world.
Satan does not want me to share what I am learning with you. It is time consuming to post, and yet I am so compelled to do it. It is my testimony. I want to help, lift and inspire others. This is a way to reach out, as I cannot come in personal contact with you each day. If something I say could help lift even one person at one moment, then it would be worth all the effort I am making to share it. I feel it is a gift God has given me, to be able to have this spiritual understanding and to be able to write it out and share it with others.
So, Satan, get out of my way! I am pulling out all the negative weeds if it takes me my whole life long, and I will just keep pulling, pulling, pulling. And in it's place cultivating as many positive flowers as I can!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
A Tender Mercy From The Lord
I love it, L.O.V.E. it...when God gives me a tender mercy. They so often come unexpectedly. I got one yesterday. This was after a few days of discouragement in battling after a weakness that I cannot seem to divest myself of! Does that happen to you? The same sin/weakness just keeps coming back to haunt you. Something that you think you surely should have conquered by now--but haven't? And how does God just go on forgiving us time after time? I know Satan wants us to get discouraged and give up, thinking we will never measure up. I also know God wants us to keep trying and never ever give up.
As you know I love Meridian Magazine. I have received so much aid through their articles. Yesterday, a tender loving message came in one of their articles. One I could have easily missed, but God made sure I saw it. It wasn't even in their regular newsletter, but instead was attached to the end of a long ad. It is an article by H. Wallace Goddard entitled, "Endure To the End of Garbage."
My tender message was this:
As you know I love Meridian Magazine. I have received so much aid through their articles. Yesterday, a tender loving message came in one of their articles. One I could have easily missed, but God made sure I saw it. It wasn't even in their regular newsletter, but instead was attached to the end of a long ad. It is an article by H. Wallace Goddard entitled, "Endure To the End of Garbage."
My tender message was this:
In spite of our most determined efforts to root them out, some thorns in the flesh may last a long time---maybe a lifetime. That failure to conquer may not be a failure at all. Maybe resisting evil, without fully overcoming it, is a part of what enduring to the end is about.
Many of us who hope for steady improvement in ourselves get discouraged, self-blaming, and despairing as a result of our lack of progress....Yet maybe enduring to the end does not mean that the last vestige of fallenness will be removed in mortality. Maybe it means that we continue to resist evil. If that is true, those who have ever felt discouraged by the tenacious hold of a bad habit or weakness can take hope.
Surely it is true that we should draw on good sense, determination, faith, and priesthood power. But some of us may have thorns in the flesh that persist despite our spiritual exertions. Paul grieved: "For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me." (2 Corinthians 12:8). Yet the trouble persisted. But wise Paul turned it to his spiritual benefit. He transformed his dismay with his own limitations into rejoicing in the Lord's power.
"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
"Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9)
But I believe that the God who gives us weakness in order to make us humble (Ether 12:27), may continue to administer His unique humility-medicine for a lifetime. Our persistent weaknesses and failings can be a continuing reminder of our dependence upon God. They can energize our humility.
I believe that I may too often take overt behavior as the primary indicator of spiritual progress when the activity of the Spirit may be a surer indicator. Stephen Robinson observes that "if we experience the gifts of the Spirit or the influence of the Holy Ghost, we can know that we are in the covenant relationship, for the gifts and companionship of the Holy Ghost are given to none else" (Robinson, 1992, p. 94).
President David O. McKay observed that "not a few of us have a thorn in the flesh as did Paul. Perhaps to some of us a dead leaf of some past act is clinging. It may be that there is a little dirt in our character, but each one has also a rose in his life, a hawthorn twig, or a lily. And it is a glorious lesson for us to learn: to see the rose and be blind to the thorn; to see the hawthorn twig and he blind to the dead leaf; to see the lily and not the dirt in our fellow's character." (Conference Report, October 1967, p.8).
Down in the dumps
To use a metaphor rather more vulgar than President McKay's, mortality is somewhat like a lifespan at the garbage dump. Disorder and stench are everywhere. We are wise not to believe that the odors are the indicators of character; those foul smells remind us that we inhabit a place where we are all bedeviled by our weakness and burdened by fetid shortcomings. The smell around mortals is not a measure of character but a reminder that this world is not our true Home. Maybe it is a person's noblest moments, those times when character shines through all that garbage, which gives us the truest measure of character.
Let us not be discouraged by the persistent and bothersome odor of mortality. As Harry Emerson Fosdick reminds us, "What a King stoops to pick up from the mire cannot be a brass farthing, but must be a pearl of great price."
He has stooped down to this mortal garbage dump for you and me. He intends to rescue and cleanse us if we will keep reaching for Him to the end.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Never Criticize or Blame
If you hold a grudge or blame someone for something, you are only hurting you. (TS page 166) It's a negative generating action.
Look for the best in life and in others.
Everything that surrounds you right now in your life, including the things you're complaining about, you've attracted. (TS page 27)
The things that aren't currently working the way you want them to work, don't spend your energy faulting or complaining about it. (TS page 151)
"One ounce of criticism will outweigh three tons of praise." -Orson Scott Card
"Divest (strip) yourself of every harsh and unkind feeling." -Joseph Smith
"To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else." -Elder David A. Bednar (Ensign 11/06)
"Give much less criticism for failures and much more praise for accomplishments. It is God's way." -John H. Groberg (In The Eye of The Storm, pg 287)
"Do not injure the character of anyone--hold all characters sacred. The 'unworthy' should be encouraged--the object is to make those not so good reform. Put a double-watch over the tongue--hold your tongues about things of no moment." -Joseph Smith (to the Relief Society organization, taken from Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, chapter 39)
I love Elder Jeffery R. Holland's talk: "The Tongue of Angels" in the May of 2007 Ensign. Although parts of it make me burn with shame at past folly's I also feel the great love Elder Holland has for us and how he is so much like our Heavenly Father who wants the best for us. Chastisement is necessary for us to learn and grow. How will we know our frail mortal failings can be improved upon, unless it is taught to us. Elder Holland gives that to us with such great hope. Here's a small part of his talk that really applies to the power of positive thinking:
"I suppose it goes without saying that negative speaking so often flows from negative thinking, including negative thinking about ourselves. We see our own faults, we speak—or at least think—critically of ourselves, and before long that is how we see everyone and everything. No sunshine, no roses, no promise of hope or happiness. Before long we and everybody around us are miserable.
I love what Elder Orson F. Whitney once said: 'The spirit of the gospel is optimistic; it trusts in God and looks on the bright side of things. The opposite or pessimistic spirit drags men down and away from God, looks on the dark side, murmurs, complains, and is slow to yield obedience.' We should honor the Savior’s declaration to 'be of good cheer.' (Indeed, it seems to me we may be more guilty of breaking that commandment than almost any other!) Speak hopefully. Speak encouragingly, including about yourself. Try not to complain and moan incessantly. As someone once said, 'Even in the golden age of civilization someone undoubtedly grumbled that everything looked too yellow.'
I have often thought that Nephi’s being bound with cords and beaten by rods must have been more tolerable to him than listening to Laman and Lemuel’s constant murmuring. Surely he must have said at least once, 'Hit me one more time. I can still hear you.' Yes, life has its problems, and yes, there are negative things to face, but please accept one of Elder Holland’s maxims for living—no misfortune is so bad that whining about it won’t make it worse."
Oh how I need a lot of practice on this one...starting with myself.
Look for the best in life and in others.
Everything that surrounds you right now in your life, including the things you're complaining about, you've attracted. (TS page 27)
The things that aren't currently working the way you want them to work, don't spend your energy faulting or complaining about it. (TS page 151)
"One ounce of criticism will outweigh three tons of praise." -Orson Scott Card
"Divest (strip) yourself of every harsh and unkind feeling." -Joseph Smith
"To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else." -Elder David A. Bednar (Ensign 11/06)
"Give much less criticism for failures and much more praise for accomplishments. It is God's way." -John H. Groberg (In The Eye of The Storm, pg 287)
"Do not injure the character of anyone--hold all characters sacred. The 'unworthy' should be encouraged--the object is to make those not so good reform. Put a double-watch over the tongue--hold your tongues about things of no moment." -Joseph Smith (to the Relief Society organization, taken from Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, chapter 39)
I love Elder Jeffery R. Holland's talk: "The Tongue of Angels" in the May of 2007 Ensign. Although parts of it make me burn with shame at past folly's I also feel the great love Elder Holland has for us and how he is so much like our Heavenly Father who wants the best for us. Chastisement is necessary for us to learn and grow. How will we know our frail mortal failings can be improved upon, unless it is taught to us. Elder Holland gives that to us with such great hope. Here's a small part of his talk that really applies to the power of positive thinking:
"I suppose it goes without saying that negative speaking so often flows from negative thinking, including negative thinking about ourselves. We see our own faults, we speak—or at least think—critically of ourselves, and before long that is how we see everyone and everything. No sunshine, no roses, no promise of hope or happiness. Before long we and everybody around us are miserable.
I love what Elder Orson F. Whitney once said: 'The spirit of the gospel is optimistic; it trusts in God and looks on the bright side of things. The opposite or pessimistic spirit drags men down and away from God, looks on the dark side, murmurs, complains, and is slow to yield obedience.' We should honor the Savior’s declaration to 'be of good cheer.' (Indeed, it seems to me we may be more guilty of breaking that commandment than almost any other!) Speak hopefully. Speak encouragingly, including about yourself. Try not to complain and moan incessantly. As someone once said, 'Even in the golden age of civilization someone undoubtedly grumbled that everything looked too yellow.'
I have often thought that Nephi’s being bound with cords and beaten by rods must have been more tolerable to him than listening to Laman and Lemuel’s constant murmuring. Surely he must have said at least once, 'Hit me one more time. I can still hear you.' Yes, life has its problems, and yes, there are negative things to face, but please accept one of Elder Holland’s maxims for living—no misfortune is so bad that whining about it won’t make it worse."
Oh how I need a lot of practice on this one...starting with myself.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Got Time?!
Time.
The ever elusive time.
It used to be it just went faster when you were older, but today, time is going fast for everyone. I consistently hear people comment on how fast time is going, and about 10 years or so ago, it just wasn't that way. Some things used to take f.o.r.e.v.e.r! Hardly any more.
I think what I learned about time in the book "The Secret" was some of the most valuable for me. It has made a big difference for me in the way I am managing my stress levels, by thinking about time from a completely different perspective. For instance...
Time is just an illusion.
If you really think about that, and know the scriptures, it's true. Time is only "measured" on earth. Alma teaches us this in the Book of Mormon, "...all is as one day with God, and time only is measured unto men...and God knoweth all the times which are appointed unto man." (Alma 40:8, 10) Alma also taught that time was appointed to us that we may improve upon it while we are here on earth: "If we do not improve our time while in this life...that same spirit which doth possess our bodies will have power to possess our body in the eternal world." (Alma 34:33,34) So God had a reason for granting us the "illusion of time." He wanted us to be aware of it and use it well.
Albert Einstein was the man that said time is just an illusion. Quantum physicists tell us that everything is happening simultaneously. So, if there is no time, then everything we want in the future already exists. They say there is no time for the Universe and no size for the Universe. The Universe does everything with zero effort.
We know that God knows the beginning from the end, and the obvious reason He can do this is because time is as one to Him, it's non-existant. That is how we can get revelation. That is how God knows what is best for us. God has given us a mission to fulfill, knowing full well our potential and what we would do. With that, God has given us all the "time" we need to fulfill our purpose, and to do the work He has given us to do. The very purpose for which He created us. So, basically, we already are, right now, what God needs us to be. He just sent us here so WE could have the experience.
"The Secret" says that people think they don't have enough time and they complain and "chase time," like chasing your tail. You get nowhere fast. It says we should declare emphatically "I have more than enough time." and in doing that, change your life. Turn every life situation into a positive one. Because if you are stressing about time, you are on a negative frequency. Even waiting...in line or in traffic, can be used to create your life with your thoughts. I think there could be many creative ways to use "waiting" so it is put to good use, and keeps you on a positive frequency.
I have been using that phrase a lot in the past several weeks, "I have more than enough time," and this has really worked for me! I've always put way too much pressure on myself to "get things done" within a certain time frame. I've gone to bed frustrated many a time because I felt like I didn't "get it all done" that day. I've even ruined special days or holidays because I got so stressed out. [in fact, that is how I ruined my health, with so much stressing over getting things done] But, now, whenever I feel that feeling coming up in me, I just say, I have all the time I need. And I slow down. I've realized, what's the point of rushing through every job with thoughts of the next job on my mind, never enjoying many moments of each job as I go along. I also learned this summer, that you can relieve stress and have better mind management if you concentrate specifically on the thing you are doing at the moment. For example, if you are eating, think about eating and the food. "The Secret" details how healthy this is for your body, and I have read that in other articles. Eat slowly. Savor every bite. Your body will recognize the satisfaction you get from doing this and it will not feel as hungry. If you are so busy thinking other thoughts, do you really taste the food? I've experimented with this and you really do taste a lot better if you are concentrating on tasting. Focusing on one thing at a time makes life just plain more enjoyable. It truly does take the stress out of life and puts you on a good feeling positive energy level.
Another thing that I have thought about is how so many things in life start to blend together. For instance, all of my Christmas' now seem to blend together into one. All the memories are blended. Without keeping track in a journal I would probably never remember which Christmas we did what...though most of the things we do are traditional. So, there is a sameness. It's as though all Christmas' were one moment. It certainly rolls around fast enough to be as one moment! lol!
LOA also says that this is the best time ever to be alive in history. It's the first time we've ever had the power to gain knowledge at our fingertips. We truly are blessed. Not only has technology given us more opportunities to learn, but all our modern conveniences "buy" us more time to learn...unless of course we waste that time, which does happen. We are so lucky to live in a time when pretty much everyone can read and write and go to school. It wasn't always that way, and isn't that way for some in other countries. Hopefully we will always be thankful for the ability and availability to learn.
As members of the church we know we live in the dispensation of the fullness of times. And our leaders have told us many times that it is a marvelous time to be alive. Our day has been looked forward to for centuries! In spite of all the uncertainties, we should rejoice in the many blessings, opportunities, and privileges that are ours and not take them for granted.
It's been amazing to me how many of the other resources I am currently reading, or re-reading, that have enforced the truths I am learning. I have quoted a lot from Jaroldeen Edwards book, "Celebrate!" and she had a lot to say about time. She said, "When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world." (I would add, especially our world.) Jaroldeen is most famous for her story about the daffodils. Her daughter took her to visit a place that was 5 acres of planted daffodils and other spring bulbs, and Jaroldeen said it took her breath away. She could not believe it! The lady who lived in the house on the property had, over about 30 years, planted each bulb, one bulb at a time. By those small acts she had, over the course of her life, created and accomplished something magnificent. Something that so many others for years and years to come would enjoy.
Jaroldeen learned that "five minutes a day" can add up to great things. She said she would write on a book she was writing whenever she could snatch 5 or so minutes at a time in between her busy life. She said, "In the celebration of life, magnificent things are accomplished with small, consistent, daily acts that build through time into all the great achievments that change our lives. Enjoy the process of achieving as much as the accomplishment." She also added, "It is pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterday. Start today! Celebrate!" I love it.
"One always has time enough, if one will apply it well." -Goethe
The ever elusive time.
It used to be it just went faster when you were older, but today, time is going fast for everyone. I consistently hear people comment on how fast time is going, and about 10 years or so ago, it just wasn't that way. Some things used to take f.o.r.e.v.e.r! Hardly any more.
I think what I learned about time in the book "The Secret" was some of the most valuable for me. It has made a big difference for me in the way I am managing my stress levels, by thinking about time from a completely different perspective. For instance...
Time is just an illusion.
If you really think about that, and know the scriptures, it's true. Time is only "measured" on earth. Alma teaches us this in the Book of Mormon, "...all is as one day with God, and time only is measured unto men...and God knoweth all the times which are appointed unto man." (Alma 40:8, 10) Alma also taught that time was appointed to us that we may improve upon it while we are here on earth: "If we do not improve our time while in this life...that same spirit which doth possess our bodies will have power to possess our body in the eternal world." (Alma 34:33,34) So God had a reason for granting us the "illusion of time." He wanted us to be aware of it and use it well.
Albert Einstein was the man that said time is just an illusion. Quantum physicists tell us that everything is happening simultaneously. So, if there is no time, then everything we want in the future already exists. They say there is no time for the Universe and no size for the Universe. The Universe does everything with zero effort.
We know that God knows the beginning from the end, and the obvious reason He can do this is because time is as one to Him, it's non-existant. That is how we can get revelation. That is how God knows what is best for us. God has given us a mission to fulfill, knowing full well our potential and what we would do. With that, God has given us all the "time" we need to fulfill our purpose, and to do the work He has given us to do. The very purpose for which He created us. So, basically, we already are, right now, what God needs us to be. He just sent us here so WE could have the experience.
"The Secret" says that people think they don't have enough time and they complain and "chase time," like chasing your tail. You get nowhere fast. It says we should declare emphatically "I have more than enough time." and in doing that, change your life. Turn every life situation into a positive one. Because if you are stressing about time, you are on a negative frequency. Even waiting...in line or in traffic, can be used to create your life with your thoughts. I think there could be many creative ways to use "waiting" so it is put to good use, and keeps you on a positive frequency.
I have been using that phrase a lot in the past several weeks, "I have more than enough time," and this has really worked for me! I've always put way too much pressure on myself to "get things done" within a certain time frame. I've gone to bed frustrated many a time because I felt like I didn't "get it all done" that day. I've even ruined special days or holidays because I got so stressed out. [in fact, that is how I ruined my health, with so much stressing over getting things done] But, now, whenever I feel that feeling coming up in me, I just say, I have all the time I need. And I slow down. I've realized, what's the point of rushing through every job with thoughts of the next job on my mind, never enjoying many moments of each job as I go along. I also learned this summer, that you can relieve stress and have better mind management if you concentrate specifically on the thing you are doing at the moment. For example, if you are eating, think about eating and the food. "The Secret" details how healthy this is for your body, and I have read that in other articles. Eat slowly. Savor every bite. Your body will recognize the satisfaction you get from doing this and it will not feel as hungry. If you are so busy thinking other thoughts, do you really taste the food? I've experimented with this and you really do taste a lot better if you are concentrating on tasting. Focusing on one thing at a time makes life just plain more enjoyable. It truly does take the stress out of life and puts you on a good feeling positive energy level.
Another thing that I have thought about is how so many things in life start to blend together. For instance, all of my Christmas' now seem to blend together into one. All the memories are blended. Without keeping track in a journal I would probably never remember which Christmas we did what...though most of the things we do are traditional. So, there is a sameness. It's as though all Christmas' were one moment. It certainly rolls around fast enough to be as one moment! lol!
LOA also says that this is the best time ever to be alive in history. It's the first time we've ever had the power to gain knowledge at our fingertips. We truly are blessed. Not only has technology given us more opportunities to learn, but all our modern conveniences "buy" us more time to learn...unless of course we waste that time, which does happen. We are so lucky to live in a time when pretty much everyone can read and write and go to school. It wasn't always that way, and isn't that way for some in other countries. Hopefully we will always be thankful for the ability and availability to learn.
As members of the church we know we live in the dispensation of the fullness of times. And our leaders have told us many times that it is a marvelous time to be alive. Our day has been looked forward to for centuries! In spite of all the uncertainties, we should rejoice in the many blessings, opportunities, and privileges that are ours and not take them for granted.
It's been amazing to me how many of the other resources I am currently reading, or re-reading, that have enforced the truths I am learning. I have quoted a lot from Jaroldeen Edwards book, "Celebrate!" and she had a lot to say about time. She said, "When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world." (I would add, especially our world.) Jaroldeen is most famous for her story about the daffodils. Her daughter took her to visit a place that was 5 acres of planted daffodils and other spring bulbs, and Jaroldeen said it took her breath away. She could not believe it! The lady who lived in the house on the property had, over about 30 years, planted each bulb, one bulb at a time. By those small acts she had, over the course of her life, created and accomplished something magnificent. Something that so many others for years and years to come would enjoy.
Jaroldeen learned that "five minutes a day" can add up to great things. She said she would write on a book she was writing whenever she could snatch 5 or so minutes at a time in between her busy life. She said, "In the celebration of life, magnificent things are accomplished with small, consistent, daily acts that build through time into all the great achievments that change our lives. Enjoy the process of achieving as much as the accomplishment." She also added, "It is pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterday. Start today! Celebrate!" I love it.
"One always has time enough, if one will apply it well." -Goethe
Monday, November 23, 2009
Praise and Bless
Another part of the Law of Attraction is to praise and bless. I have pondered a lot upon this. Rhonda Byrne says, "To praise and bless the things around you are worth their weight in gold...when you praise and bless you are on the highest frequency of love. When you praise you are giving love." (The Secret pg. 151)
"..do that which is good, and thou shalt have the praise of the same." Romans 13:3
In today's high stress lifestyle, the economy being what it is, and evil & dishonesty mounting, it's more like everyone is going around cursing and criticizing. It's a lot different driving on the roads these days, or shopping in the store, and various other things. Common courtesy seems to be slipping away. We could use some "praising and blessing" in our world.
LOA says that praising and blessing dissolves all negativity.
Jesus said, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use and persecute you...for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and the good...for if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye?" (Matt 5:44-48)
To bless is invoking divine favor and conferring well-being or prosperity. To praise is the act of expressing approval or admiration, or the state of being approved or admired.
The people in England often end their letters, or say good-bye, by saying "God bless you." For some reason that seemed awkward to me to use that phrase, but why is that? It really is the highest form of love or praise you could give. Who doesn't want God to bless them? It's like a form of prayer. I think the closest most American's come (just from my limited perspective, of course) is to say, "bless you" when someone sneezes!
Jaroldeen Edwards (in her book "Celebrate!") said "THINK with praise!" Now think about that! Even things that might once be irritable to us could be turned around with a little praise. To think with praise would manifest in our words and deeds. To praise and bless would bring us closer to each other and closer to God.
I had a chance to put it to practice last Thursday. I was driving to Eugene. Driving is not the most fun thing to do any more. You're bound to get someone "in your space" when you are not really doing anything wrong. However, my attitude on the road isn't the best either. I get annoyed when someone is clogging up the left lane going 65 MPH or less. It's one thing if they are passing, but sometimes they just stay there for a long long time. Often times there are drivers in the right lane next to them going the same speed. There's no way to get around them. Sometimes it's a truck driver. Granted, they are only supposed to be doing 55 MPH. But what really bugs me is when they know you are there and they pull out in front of you anyway because they want to pass. I was coming up on 4 trucks. Two of them had time to pull out to pass the first truck, even though it would have taken me about 30 seconds or so to go past them. Then the third truck put on his blinker and started pulling into the left lane even though I was right there and he didn't have space to pull in. I had 2 choices: speed up and risk him coming over on me, or brake and let him have his way. Grrrr. I wasn't too happy with the guy. But then I started thinking about the law of attraction and the power of positive thinking and wondered how I could change my annoyance for these kinds of drivers so that I didn't get left with the negative emotions that lead to stress in my neck and back. It took me a good 10 minutes or so, and a prayer for help, and I was then able to think about how these truckers are on the road for long hours away from their families, and that even though it's their job and they get paid, it helps to get merchandise to the stores for my convenience and an abundant selection of things from all over. I felt the negative emotions slip away, and felt peace again. It may have only been in my thoughts, but I had given praise to someone else, and I was also feeling gratitude. That put me on the frequency of love.
Another thing I've tried while on the road, when someone is tailgating and then passes you speeding, instead of criticizing, it's a happier more positive thing to think something like, "maybe they have a family emergency." =)
We can come up with many affirmative things to say instead of "jerk!" or "idiot"...two of my own bad habits.
Hopefully, though, more of our opportunities will come to us to verbalize out loud to someone. Even if only to smile or say thank-you. That really is a form of praising.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said "As we lift others, we rise a little higher ourselves. True words of encouragement require only a loving and caring heart but may have an eternal impact on the life of those around you. Small acts of service is all that is required to lift and bless another." (Ensign 11/08)
Are there times when we could have praised someone but withheld? I'm sure that happens. It's not easy to praise and bless everyone. Still, we could try. A good friend of mine was telling me a while back about a difficult neighbor that she had, and how he'd complain about every little thing every chance he'd get. As she was telling us about him, she would say that in order for her to deal with the situation, whenever she thought about him, or talked about him, she would say, "Bless his heart." I couldn't help but smile, and have thought alot about that. Even if that's all we can do in a difficult situation, what a lightening of heart and mind that would make.
Think of the times that someone has paid you a compliment and that made all the difference. You never forget it. Or a time when someone has thoughtlessly criticized. It's hard to forget the sting. Oh what a difference our words make. If only all our words could bless and praise others.
A couple years ago, while reading James in the bible I came across a scripture that had such a tremendous impact on me I memorized it:
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. James 3:17
Of course he is talking about our words. I did an extensive study on this verse and will, in the future, make a blog post for it. I think it's so important. We can at least "press towards the mark" of obtaining that perfection in our speech. Praising and blessing will put us on the right track for that.
For that is the very thing which God does.
"His glory covered the heavens and the earth was full of His praise." Habakkuk 2:3
And he asks us to seek after those things.
"...whatsoever is lovely, or praiseworthy, or of good report, we seek after these things." 13th Article of Faith
Praise and bless whenever you can. Not just people, but God, Yourself, His creations, Life, and the things around you. ...it's worth it's weight in gold!
"..do that which is good, and thou shalt have the praise of the same." Romans 13:3
In today's high stress lifestyle, the economy being what it is, and evil & dishonesty mounting, it's more like everyone is going around cursing and criticizing. It's a lot different driving on the roads these days, or shopping in the store, and various other things. Common courtesy seems to be slipping away. We could use some "praising and blessing" in our world.
LOA says that praising and blessing dissolves all negativity.
Jesus said, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use and persecute you...for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and the good...for if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye?" (Matt 5:44-48)
To bless is invoking divine favor and conferring well-being or prosperity. To praise is the act of expressing approval or admiration, or the state of being approved or admired.
The people in England often end their letters, or say good-bye, by saying "God bless you." For some reason that seemed awkward to me to use that phrase, but why is that? It really is the highest form of love or praise you could give. Who doesn't want God to bless them? It's like a form of prayer. I think the closest most American's come (just from my limited perspective, of course) is to say, "bless you" when someone sneezes!
Jaroldeen Edwards (in her book "Celebrate!") said "THINK with praise!" Now think about that! Even things that might once be irritable to us could be turned around with a little praise. To think with praise would manifest in our words and deeds. To praise and bless would bring us closer to each other and closer to God.
I had a chance to put it to practice last Thursday. I was driving to Eugene. Driving is not the most fun thing to do any more. You're bound to get someone "in your space" when you are not really doing anything wrong. However, my attitude on the road isn't the best either. I get annoyed when someone is clogging up the left lane going 65 MPH or less. It's one thing if they are passing, but sometimes they just stay there for a long long time. Often times there are drivers in the right lane next to them going the same speed. There's no way to get around them. Sometimes it's a truck driver. Granted, they are only supposed to be doing 55 MPH. But what really bugs me is when they know you are there and they pull out in front of you anyway because they want to pass. I was coming up on 4 trucks. Two of them had time to pull out to pass the first truck, even though it would have taken me about 30 seconds or so to go past them. Then the third truck put on his blinker and started pulling into the left lane even though I was right there and he didn't have space to pull in. I had 2 choices: speed up and risk him coming over on me, or brake and let him have his way. Grrrr. I wasn't too happy with the guy. But then I started thinking about the law of attraction and the power of positive thinking and wondered how I could change my annoyance for these kinds of drivers so that I didn't get left with the negative emotions that lead to stress in my neck and back. It took me a good 10 minutes or so, and a prayer for help, and I was then able to think about how these truckers are on the road for long hours away from their families, and that even though it's their job and they get paid, it helps to get merchandise to the stores for my convenience and an abundant selection of things from all over. I felt the negative emotions slip away, and felt peace again. It may have only been in my thoughts, but I had given praise to someone else, and I was also feeling gratitude. That put me on the frequency of love.
Another thing I've tried while on the road, when someone is tailgating and then passes you speeding, instead of criticizing, it's a happier more positive thing to think something like, "maybe they have a family emergency." =)
We can come up with many affirmative things to say instead of "jerk!" or "idiot"...two of my own bad habits.
Hopefully, though, more of our opportunities will come to us to verbalize out loud to someone. Even if only to smile or say thank-you. That really is a form of praising.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said "As we lift others, we rise a little higher ourselves. True words of encouragement require only a loving and caring heart but may have an eternal impact on the life of those around you. Small acts of service is all that is required to lift and bless another." (Ensign 11/08)
Are there times when we could have praised someone but withheld? I'm sure that happens. It's not easy to praise and bless everyone. Still, we could try. A good friend of mine was telling me a while back about a difficult neighbor that she had, and how he'd complain about every little thing every chance he'd get. As she was telling us about him, she would say that in order for her to deal with the situation, whenever she thought about him, or talked about him, she would say, "Bless his heart." I couldn't help but smile, and have thought alot about that. Even if that's all we can do in a difficult situation, what a lightening of heart and mind that would make.
Think of the times that someone has paid you a compliment and that made all the difference. You never forget it. Or a time when someone has thoughtlessly criticized. It's hard to forget the sting. Oh what a difference our words make. If only all our words could bless and praise others.
A couple years ago, while reading James in the bible I came across a scripture that had such a tremendous impact on me I memorized it:
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. James 3:17
Of course he is talking about our words. I did an extensive study on this verse and will, in the future, make a blog post for it. I think it's so important. We can at least "press towards the mark" of obtaining that perfection in our speech. Praising and blessing will put us on the right track for that.
For that is the very thing which God does.
"His glory covered the heavens and the earth was full of His praise." Habakkuk 2:3
And he asks us to seek after those things.
"...whatsoever is lovely, or praiseworthy, or of good report, we seek after these things." 13th Article of Faith
Praise and bless whenever you can. Not just people, but God, Yourself, His creations, Life, and the things around you. ...it's worth it's weight in gold!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Being Grateful
Next to love, this is the second most important thing according to the Law of Attraction. I believe it.
"Gratitude is absolutely the way to bring more into your life." - Marci Shimoff, The Secret pg 74
If you don't believe that, then believe what the Lord said in Doctrine and Covenants 78:19 "And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more."
That is quite a promise.
"Whatever we think about and thank about we bring about." -Dr. John Demartini, The Secret page 75
Rhonda Byrne talks about how gratitude is a powerful exercise that we should use from the time we get up in the morning and all throughout the day. Say thank-you even as you get out of bed for another day to live and learn. Say thank-you as you go throughout your rote routine, even for all the small things we take for granted like brushing our teeth. Being thankful will powerfully create your day.
"When thou riseth in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God...and ye shall be lifted up at the last day." Alma 37:37
I was impressed with a demonstration at the stake RS conference I attended in Sept. on "Be Happy on Purpose." One of the teachers said she never did like the analogy of the glass "half-full/half-empty." She said either way she looked at it she still felt like she came up short. To illustrate, she had a glass half full of water. She then took this glass and said, if you feel your glass is only half full, then get a smaller glass. And with this, she poured the contents into a smaller glass, pouring until the water spilled out all over the table to which she then exclaimed, "My cup runneth over!" I think I shall never forget that powerful lesson!
The power of gratitude stands above everything else. Use gratitude until it becomes your way of life.
"Many people who order their lives right in all other ways are kept in poverty by their lack of gratitude." -Wallace Walters TS, pg 77
"He commands us to be grateful because He knows being grateful will make us happy--evidence of His love." -Bonnie Parkins, Ensign 5/07
In "The Secret" a story is told about a man who carried a small smooth stone in his pocket so that every time he felt that stone in his pocket it reminded him to think of something to be grateful for. One day he dropped the stone, and a man from another country asked him about the stone. Months later he received an email from the man who said his son was sick and dying and could he send him a gratitude stone. So, he did. He later heard the man's son recovered, and the man had gathered stones and sold them for $10 a stone and raised a lot of money for a charity. This is only paraphrasing the story from memory--but it's a profound thought and worth mentioning because I was pondering on how they used to build altars of stone to pray and give thanks to God, as demonstrated by Nephi in 2 Nephi 2:7 "...he built an altar of stones...and gave thanks unto the Lord our God." Are we as grateful as that in our lives? Maybe a small smooth gratitude stone is what we should all have to remember to give praise and thanks to the God who gives us all things.
"It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord..." Psalms 92:1
"O give thanks unto the God of Gods; for His mercy endureth forever." Psalms 136:2
"Thanks be to thy name, O Lord God of Israel, who keepest covenant and showest mercy unto thy servants who walk uprightly before thee with all their hearts." Doctrine & Covenants 109:1
God want us to be thankful for all things. All. That means even our challenges and difficulties--maybe even especially for those. They bring us the closest to Him.
"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18
"Giving thanks always for all things unto God..." Ephesians 5:20 Even always.
"Thank the Lord thy God in all things...with thanksgiving, with cheerful hearts and countenances...and the fullness of the earth is yours." Doctrine and covenants 59:15-16 (paraphrased)
"Gratitude is the food of love--it is the fruit of love...express love and live with grateful hearts. Appreciation and gratitude erase bitterness and disappointment." -Jaroldeen Edwards, Celebrate!
You always hear about making a list of things you are grateful for. They say writing things down visualizes it in your mind and you remember it better. Make a grateful list often.
Being grateful blocks out negative thoughts and emotions. Being grateful makes you feel good. It makes you feel happy!
LOA says if you don't have something in your life that you really want (a good relationship, health, etc.) then think of it as though you already have it and express gratitude for it: "I am so happy and grateful now that________!" They say that will bring it into your life.
And God has promised us blessings for gratitude.
We often come across things that impact our lives....usually something that is occurring in someone else's life. I get weekly emails from Mormon Women and one day an article came along about Jennifer, and her "unexpected life." I was intrigued and clicked on another link about two women she'd met and read their story....which led to this photo...
"Gratitude is absolutely the way to bring more into your life." - Marci Shimoff, The Secret pg 74
If you don't believe that, then believe what the Lord said in Doctrine and Covenants 78:19 "And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more."
That is quite a promise.
"Whatever we think about and thank about we bring about." -Dr. John Demartini, The Secret page 75
Rhonda Byrne talks about how gratitude is a powerful exercise that we should use from the time we get up in the morning and all throughout the day. Say thank-you even as you get out of bed for another day to live and learn. Say thank-you as you go throughout your rote routine, even for all the small things we take for granted like brushing our teeth. Being thankful will powerfully create your day.
"When thou riseth in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God...and ye shall be lifted up at the last day." Alma 37:37
I was impressed with a demonstration at the stake RS conference I attended in Sept. on "Be Happy on Purpose." One of the teachers said she never did like the analogy of the glass "half-full/half-empty." She said either way she looked at it she still felt like she came up short. To illustrate, she had a glass half full of water. She then took this glass and said, if you feel your glass is only half full, then get a smaller glass. And with this, she poured the contents into a smaller glass, pouring until the water spilled out all over the table to which she then exclaimed, "My cup runneth over!" I think I shall never forget that powerful lesson!
The power of gratitude stands above everything else. Use gratitude until it becomes your way of life.
"Many people who order their lives right in all other ways are kept in poverty by their lack of gratitude." -Wallace Walters TS, pg 77
"He commands us to be grateful because He knows being grateful will make us happy--evidence of His love." -Bonnie Parkins, Ensign 5/07
In "The Secret" a story is told about a man who carried a small smooth stone in his pocket so that every time he felt that stone in his pocket it reminded him to think of something to be grateful for. One day he dropped the stone, and a man from another country asked him about the stone. Months later he received an email from the man who said his son was sick and dying and could he send him a gratitude stone. So, he did. He later heard the man's son recovered, and the man had gathered stones and sold them for $10 a stone and raised a lot of money for a charity. This is only paraphrasing the story from memory--but it's a profound thought and worth mentioning because I was pondering on how they used to build altars of stone to pray and give thanks to God, as demonstrated by Nephi in 2 Nephi 2:7 "...he built an altar of stones...and gave thanks unto the Lord our God." Are we as grateful as that in our lives? Maybe a small smooth gratitude stone is what we should all have to remember to give praise and thanks to the God who gives us all things.
"It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord..." Psalms 92:1
"O give thanks unto the God of Gods; for His mercy endureth forever." Psalms 136:2
"Thanks be to thy name, O Lord God of Israel, who keepest covenant and showest mercy unto thy servants who walk uprightly before thee with all their hearts." Doctrine & Covenants 109:1
God want us to be thankful for all things. All. That means even our challenges and difficulties--maybe even especially for those. They bring us the closest to Him.
"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18
"Giving thanks always for all things unto God..." Ephesians 5:20 Even always.
"Thank the Lord thy God in all things...with thanksgiving, with cheerful hearts and countenances...and the fullness of the earth is yours." Doctrine and covenants 59:15-16 (paraphrased)
"Gratitude is the food of love--it is the fruit of love...express love and live with grateful hearts. Appreciation and gratitude erase bitterness and disappointment." -Jaroldeen Edwards, Celebrate!
You always hear about making a list of things you are grateful for. They say writing things down visualizes it in your mind and you remember it better. Make a grateful list often.
Being grateful blocks out negative thoughts and emotions. Being grateful makes you feel good. It makes you feel happy!
LOA says if you don't have something in your life that you really want (a good relationship, health, etc.) then think of it as though you already have it and express gratitude for it: "I am so happy and grateful now that________!" They say that will bring it into your life.
And God has promised us blessings for gratitude.
We often come across things that impact our lives....usually something that is occurring in someone else's life. I get weekly emails from Mormon Women and one day an article came along about Jennifer, and her "unexpected life." I was intrigued and clicked on another link about two women she'd met and read their story....which led to this photo...
If you don't read the article, these people often wait in line like this for up to two weeks for the government to bring water. Life-giving water. Why? Because the land is so dry they cannot obtain water in other ways. It must be so hot waiting there in line. They must be so thirsty. I can hardly use water now without thinking of this photo....and these people.
How thankful I am for water.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Happiness and Joy
I've always found happiness and joy to be so elusive. Like trying to find the end of the rainbow...or following the mirage in the dessert, only to find more sand. I just haven't understood it the way God wanted me to understand it...til recently.
In September our Stake had a special Relief Society Day prior to the General RS broadcast in Salt Lake City, Utah. The theme of our stake RS day was "Be Happy, On Purpose." I was so intrigued. I wondered, Is the Lord trying to tell me something? I hadn't learned about the Law of Attraction yet, but the Lord had been teaching me a lot of other stuff over the summer in conjunction with the healing that I know He was ready to give me. So, I went with a heart ready to learn. They had two classes and we rotated to them in 2 groups. Then the Priesthood prepared and served us a delicious tri-tip dinner. But it was the simplest thing ever that sent me home with the message the Lord wanted to give me. It was printed on the program we received when we entered the door for the opening session. Two quotes by a beloved prophet in my teen-age years, Spencer W. Kimball.
"The primary reason the Lord sent you here is to make yourself happy and help other people make themselves happy." (wow!)
"Heavenly Father expects you to make yourself happy. Don't try to pass on your responsibility to someone else." (can't find the references to these)
I have collected thoughts, and read and pondered so much on the subject of joy. All these things coupled with President Kimball's quotes and what I learned from the law of attraction have helped me understand what I need to do to recognize joy in my life. I think recognizing it is what I was missing. Happiness and joy are not with us every minute of the day. Life is a job. There are plenty of challenges and trials waiting to be had by everyone. But no matter our circumstances, we can recognize joy in our life. And we can do this by creating that joy! Just like we create our thoughts, our life, our environment. Joy is a choice. Happiness is a choice. All good things are gifts from God and we can choose to accept them and use them in our lives.
It's interesting in 2 Nephi 5:27 when Nephi says, "And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness." This was after escaping into the wilderness away from his wicked brothers who wanted to kill him. But to "live after the manner of happiness." It sounds to me like they sought and recognized the joy in their lives, even though they had to start all over again in building up their lives and their new home.
In the book "The Secret" (pg 151) it says, "Everything that you want---all the joy, love, abundance, prosperity, bliss--it's there, ready for you to grab a hold of it. Recognize the beautiful and wonderful things around you, and bless and praise them. When you are praising and blessing you are on the highest frequency of love."
That is so beautiful! We are so blinded by the darkness when we are on the frequency of negativity. We simply cannot see what really is beautiful and wonderful around us. My favorite primary song as a child sings:
Whenever I hear the song of a bird, or look at the blue blue sky
Whenever I feel the rain on my face, or the wind as it rushes by
Whenever I touch a velvet rose, or walk by a lilac tree
I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world, Heavenly Father created for me.
He gave me my eyes that I might see, the color of butterfly wings.
He gave me my ears, that I might hear, the magical sound of things.
He gave me my life, my mind, my heart. I thank Him reverently
For all His creations of which I'm a part. Yes I know Heavenly Father loves me.
I don't know how I moved so far away from such simple things. But I do know my trials have served a great purpose in my education, so I'm thankful for them. They have been my mountain to climb, and I know the 'view' is worth the climb because it's the only place where you can come to know Jesus Christ personally.
Jaroldeen Edwards (in her book Celebrate!) says, "Joy is the purpose for which we were made and framed by our Heavenly Father." Think about it. Think about the joy God had in creating me and you. Why would He not then want us to have JOY?!
The Law of Attraction says that people are responsible for their own joy, and that if we attend to our own joy first, and if we are feeling good because of that joy, then we will be a joy to be around and a "shining example to every child and every person in your life." They say when we are feeling joy, we don't even have to think about giving it. It flows naturally from us to others. "Only one person can be in charge of your joy and bliss, and that's you...your joy lies within you."
Note "within"...it does not stem from any "thing" external.
Have you ever lived those moments in your life when you think, "I'll know I'll be happy when_____." Fill in the blank: I'm done with college, I get a better job, I get married, my kids are grown, I'm retired, we move to a better house, I get that car I want...and so on. Yeah. It's the illusive mirage. Don't be fooled by it. There's a quote on my side bar: "The grass isn't greener on the other side. It's greener where you water it." So true. And what about, "When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade!" We can't wait for joy to come to us. We need to put joy in our life now. If we already know now how to create joy, how much better off we will be should harder challenges come our way.
LOA says that joy is on the frequency of love, the highest and most powerful frequency of all. You can't hold love in your hand. You can only feel love in your heart. It's a state of being. Same with joy.
I've been coming across a lot of thoughts of joy being moments. During the course of a busy and hectic day, we can snatch joy in a single moment. Maybe we are trying to get across town in busy and backed up traffic and we are slowed to a stop and glance out our window to the meridian dividing the road and see some beautiful flowers planted there. (That was an actual experience of mine!) We can capture the joy of their beauty in a single moment. Maybe it's a day where all the kids are fighting and then your 2 year old says something insightful and funny that gets everyone cracking up and lightens the tension. What a joyful moment. Maybe it's just sitting down to dinner and enjoying a wholesome meal and conversation about everyone's day. Maybe it's just reading a bedtime story to your little ones at night. Maybe it's just talking to a good friend. Often, it's the littlest things we do that really matter the most. Even as small and effortless as to smile and say hi to someone....brings joy to us and them in the capture of a moment.
We do not remember days, we remember moments. Think about that. And it's those moments that are filled with joy and wonder. Can we be cheerful for a moment? I bet we can with a conscious effort to create cheerful moments. Remember, the creation of it is up to us!
In our mortal journey, we can collect and savor JOY. How many other things do we collect that just collect dust. Do we have a collection of JOY?
Our beloved last Prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley said, "If you really want to have happiness in this life, do something for somebody else." Service really does bring joy. We can hardly be thinking about our own problems when we are in the service of someone else.
Back to Jaroldeen Edwards again (If you can get her book Celebrate! it's well worth the read for some tips at more fully celebrating life) she says something so profoundly related to the Law of Attraction: "Celebration is self-made. Very slight changes in our attitudes, in the way we use our time, and in our knowledge of ourselves and of the Lord can bring enormous rewards. Our Father in Heaven will not force our hearts to feel positive emotions. He wants us to use our God-given agency to choose happiness, to create our own celebrations and measures of joy. The Lord gives us all the raw material, but He leaves it to us to learn how to find joy in what He has given...Joy just isn't something that happens to you--God commands it and we must live it. God is the source of all joy. Creating joy is the finest, most Godlike way to live."
Living joyfully is within our power. When God gives us a commandment, He also makes a way for us to live that commandment.
Happiness is individual and personal, from our own unique needs, feelings, talents, and perceptions.
Don't focus on what you don't have, make things as they are better. Feel gratitude.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf gave a wonderful talk to the RS in Sept. 2008 called "Happiness, Your Heritage." He said God is a God of creation and compassion. As we emulate those things we will bring joy into our life. I loved the whole talk. But here is a small quote from it that has large impact, "The number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness, but the number of prayers we answer may be of even greater importance." Creating joy and serving others. It really sums it all up.
In Isaiah 12:23 he says, "With joy shall ye draw water out of the well of salvation." In the 2004 Women's Conference themed "The Joy of Our Salvation" Sandra Rogers said, "Like a wilted plant in a dry grown, our souls will spring back to vitality with water drawn with joy from the wells of salvation. We can remember the Lord's tender mercies in bleak times and be refreshed with His living water."
I know the Lord has been offering me living water from His well, and I have drank deeply for the past 5 months and I can testify to the vitality it is giving me. Not that I haven't been drinking His living water for quite some time, but this living water He has been offering me has been Healing Living Water!
Through it all, I am more grateful than ever for my trials. Opposition is important because we can't know joy without knowing sorrow. We can't know deep joy without knowing deep sorrow. The greater our sorrow, the greater our joy.
Elder Neal A Maxwell said, "It is ungraceful, unjustified, and unbecoming of us as church members to be constantly grumpy or of a woeful countenance." (I have been guilty of this--but I hope, no more!) Just like Elder Eyring said, to fill ourselves with things that will give others more reason to hope. That we will be an example of hope to those around us.
One of my favorite scriptures: "Let us cheerfully do all things that lie within our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, for His arm to be revealed." (Doctrine & Covenants 123:17)
Note the "then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance"....stand still and grasps those moments of joy.
"Enjoy the simple experiences of life without taking yourself too seriously in the process." -Marjorie Hinckley
"Happiness and Joy come when we are living up to who we are." -Sheri Dew
"Whatever God has blessed you with, take it with grateful hand, nor postponing your joys from year to year, so that in whatever place you have been, you may say that you have lived happily." -President Thomas S. Monson (Ensign 11/08)
In September our Stake had a special Relief Society Day prior to the General RS broadcast in Salt Lake City, Utah. The theme of our stake RS day was "Be Happy, On Purpose." I was so intrigued. I wondered, Is the Lord trying to tell me something? I hadn't learned about the Law of Attraction yet, but the Lord had been teaching me a lot of other stuff over the summer in conjunction with the healing that I know He was ready to give me. So, I went with a heart ready to learn. They had two classes and we rotated to them in 2 groups. Then the Priesthood prepared and served us a delicious tri-tip dinner. But it was the simplest thing ever that sent me home with the message the Lord wanted to give me. It was printed on the program we received when we entered the door for the opening session. Two quotes by a beloved prophet in my teen-age years, Spencer W. Kimball.
"The primary reason the Lord sent you here is to make yourself happy and help other people make themselves happy." (wow!)
"Heavenly Father expects you to make yourself happy. Don't try to pass on your responsibility to someone else." (can't find the references to these)
I have collected thoughts, and read and pondered so much on the subject of joy. All these things coupled with President Kimball's quotes and what I learned from the law of attraction have helped me understand what I need to do to recognize joy in my life. I think recognizing it is what I was missing. Happiness and joy are not with us every minute of the day. Life is a job. There are plenty of challenges and trials waiting to be had by everyone. But no matter our circumstances, we can recognize joy in our life. And we can do this by creating that joy! Just like we create our thoughts, our life, our environment. Joy is a choice. Happiness is a choice. All good things are gifts from God and we can choose to accept them and use them in our lives.
It's interesting in 2 Nephi 5:27 when Nephi says, "And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness." This was after escaping into the wilderness away from his wicked brothers who wanted to kill him. But to "live after the manner of happiness." It sounds to me like they sought and recognized the joy in their lives, even though they had to start all over again in building up their lives and their new home.
In the book "The Secret" (pg 151) it says, "Everything that you want---all the joy, love, abundance, prosperity, bliss--it's there, ready for you to grab a hold of it. Recognize the beautiful and wonderful things around you, and bless and praise them. When you are praising and blessing you are on the highest frequency of love."
That is so beautiful! We are so blinded by the darkness when we are on the frequency of negativity. We simply cannot see what really is beautiful and wonderful around us. My favorite primary song as a child sings:
Whenever I hear the song of a bird, or look at the blue blue sky
Whenever I feel the rain on my face, or the wind as it rushes by
Whenever I touch a velvet rose, or walk by a lilac tree
I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world, Heavenly Father created for me.
He gave me my eyes that I might see, the color of butterfly wings.
He gave me my ears, that I might hear, the magical sound of things.
He gave me my life, my mind, my heart. I thank Him reverently
For all His creations of which I'm a part. Yes I know Heavenly Father loves me.
I don't know how I moved so far away from such simple things. But I do know my trials have served a great purpose in my education, so I'm thankful for them. They have been my mountain to climb, and I know the 'view' is worth the climb because it's the only place where you can come to know Jesus Christ personally.
Jaroldeen Edwards (in her book Celebrate!) says, "Joy is the purpose for which we were made and framed by our Heavenly Father." Think about it. Think about the joy God had in creating me and you. Why would He not then want us to have JOY?!
The Law of Attraction says that people are responsible for their own joy, and that if we attend to our own joy first, and if we are feeling good because of that joy, then we will be a joy to be around and a "shining example to every child and every person in your life." They say when we are feeling joy, we don't even have to think about giving it. It flows naturally from us to others. "Only one person can be in charge of your joy and bliss, and that's you...your joy lies within you."
Note "within"...it does not stem from any "thing" external.
Have you ever lived those moments in your life when you think, "I'll know I'll be happy when_____." Fill in the blank: I'm done with college, I get a better job, I get married, my kids are grown, I'm retired, we move to a better house, I get that car I want...and so on. Yeah. It's the illusive mirage. Don't be fooled by it. There's a quote on my side bar: "The grass isn't greener on the other side. It's greener where you water it." So true. And what about, "When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade!" We can't wait for joy to come to us. We need to put joy in our life now. If we already know now how to create joy, how much better off we will be should harder challenges come our way.
LOA says that joy is on the frequency of love, the highest and most powerful frequency of all. You can't hold love in your hand. You can only feel love in your heart. It's a state of being. Same with joy.
I've been coming across a lot of thoughts of joy being moments. During the course of a busy and hectic day, we can snatch joy in a single moment. Maybe we are trying to get across town in busy and backed up traffic and we are slowed to a stop and glance out our window to the meridian dividing the road and see some beautiful flowers planted there. (That was an actual experience of mine!) We can capture the joy of their beauty in a single moment. Maybe it's a day where all the kids are fighting and then your 2 year old says something insightful and funny that gets everyone cracking up and lightens the tension. What a joyful moment. Maybe it's just sitting down to dinner and enjoying a wholesome meal and conversation about everyone's day. Maybe it's just reading a bedtime story to your little ones at night. Maybe it's just talking to a good friend. Often, it's the littlest things we do that really matter the most. Even as small and effortless as to smile and say hi to someone....brings joy to us and them in the capture of a moment.
We do not remember days, we remember moments. Think about that. And it's those moments that are filled with joy and wonder. Can we be cheerful for a moment? I bet we can with a conscious effort to create cheerful moments. Remember, the creation of it is up to us!
In our mortal journey, we can collect and savor JOY. How many other things do we collect that just collect dust. Do we have a collection of JOY?
Our beloved last Prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley said, "If you really want to have happiness in this life, do something for somebody else." Service really does bring joy. We can hardly be thinking about our own problems when we are in the service of someone else.
Back to Jaroldeen Edwards again (If you can get her book Celebrate! it's well worth the read for some tips at more fully celebrating life) she says something so profoundly related to the Law of Attraction: "Celebration is self-made. Very slight changes in our attitudes, in the way we use our time, and in our knowledge of ourselves and of the Lord can bring enormous rewards. Our Father in Heaven will not force our hearts to feel positive emotions. He wants us to use our God-given agency to choose happiness, to create our own celebrations and measures of joy. The Lord gives us all the raw material, but He leaves it to us to learn how to find joy in what He has given...Joy just isn't something that happens to you--God commands it and we must live it. God is the source of all joy. Creating joy is the finest, most Godlike way to live."
Living joyfully is within our power. When God gives us a commandment, He also makes a way for us to live that commandment.
Happiness is individual and personal, from our own unique needs, feelings, talents, and perceptions.
Don't focus on what you don't have, make things as they are better. Feel gratitude.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf gave a wonderful talk to the RS in Sept. 2008 called "Happiness, Your Heritage." He said God is a God of creation and compassion. As we emulate those things we will bring joy into our life. I loved the whole talk. But here is a small quote from it that has large impact, "The number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness, but the number of prayers we answer may be of even greater importance." Creating joy and serving others. It really sums it all up.
In Isaiah 12:23 he says, "With joy shall ye draw water out of the well of salvation." In the 2004 Women's Conference themed "The Joy of Our Salvation" Sandra Rogers said, "Like a wilted plant in a dry grown, our souls will spring back to vitality with water drawn with joy from the wells of salvation. We can remember the Lord's tender mercies in bleak times and be refreshed with His living water."
I know the Lord has been offering me living water from His well, and I have drank deeply for the past 5 months and I can testify to the vitality it is giving me. Not that I haven't been drinking His living water for quite some time, but this living water He has been offering me has been Healing Living Water!
Through it all, I am more grateful than ever for my trials. Opposition is important because we can't know joy without knowing sorrow. We can't know deep joy without knowing deep sorrow. The greater our sorrow, the greater our joy.
Elder Neal A Maxwell said, "It is ungraceful, unjustified, and unbecoming of us as church members to be constantly grumpy or of a woeful countenance." (I have been guilty of this--but I hope, no more!) Just like Elder Eyring said, to fill ourselves with things that will give others more reason to hope. That we will be an example of hope to those around us.
One of my favorite scriptures: "Let us cheerfully do all things that lie within our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, for His arm to be revealed." (Doctrine & Covenants 123:17)
Note the "then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance"....stand still and grasps those moments of joy.
"Enjoy the simple experiences of life without taking yourself too seriously in the process." -Marjorie Hinckley
"Happiness and Joy come when we are living up to who we are." -Sheri Dew
"Whatever God has blessed you with, take it with grateful hand, nor postponing your joys from year to year, so that in whatever place you have been, you may say that you have lived happily." -President Thomas S. Monson (Ensign 11/08)
Saturday, November 14, 2009
"Finding Peace, Happiness, and Joy" by Richard G. Scott
Just now I found out about this new book by Elder Scott. A friend sent me a link to free books from Deseret Book. So, I went and looked, and this is the one they are featuring, "Finding Peace, Happiness and Joy." Wow, that is an amazing title...goes right along with what I have been seeking. But then, most of us are seeking that during these times. I can't wait to read this book, but I am probably going to want to buy it! There's nothing like holding a good book in your hands and carrying it around! And Elder Scott is amazing!
Oh yeah! And you can also download a free Christmas song by Hilary Weeks...another one of my favorites!
*update: I read Elder Scott's book and it was wonderful. If anyone understands the pains and challenges of this life, it is he. He lost 2 young children in death and then his wife. He can teach you a lot about trusting in God and in finding peace, joy and happiness in this life even in the most difficult trials. I just love Elder Scott. I know he is a true apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Oh yeah! And you can also download a free Christmas song by Hilary Weeks...another one of my favorites!
*update: I read Elder Scott's book and it was wonderful. If anyone understands the pains and challenges of this life, it is he. He lost 2 young children in death and then his wife. He can teach you a lot about trusting in God and in finding peace, joy and happiness in this life even in the most difficult trials. I just love Elder Scott. I know he is a true apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Our Pain Is Not Forever
Pain comes in many forms. Physically, emotionally, mentally, even spiritually and temporally.
Pain is hard to master. It's hard to feel good or keep positive thoughts when you're in pain. However, in the past few weeks as I have tried to redirect to more positive thinking, and on days or nights when I have been in enough pain that the moment is intense for me...I've experimented with a different strategy about my pain. In the past it has helped me to focus on the Savior and the pain He suffered. I know He suffered my exact pain. That always helped. But recently, instead of thinking of pain as my enemy, something to be feared, I have concentrated on pain as my friend. Something to be grateful for. Pain is such a great teacher. If we let it, pain really does bring us closer to the Savior. Isn't it wonderful to have something in our lives that brings us in such close remembrance of Him?
I came upon this quote by Neal A. Maxwell about a week ago, in his book (that I'm reading) "Not My Will, but Thine Be Done" and he said something so truly profound to me: "If we truly follow Christ in our life's journey, we will share to some extent in His experiences, which can help us to become more like Him."
If anyone was well acquainted with pain and suffering, it was Him.
And I wonder...does pain come to us so the Lord can get our attention? Is it part of His loving tutoring? His way of getting us back to Him?
I've been doing a yoga program for about the last 5 years or so. It's been so good for me. It's called "Healing Yoga For Aches & Pains" by Anchor Bay with instructors Charles and Lisa Matkin.
I actually found it by googling for help back in the beginning of my fibromyalgia. I originally ordered a VHS and literally wore that out, and then purchased the DVD...that's how beneficial it's been for me. During the workout they teach you how to breath loving compassion into the painful areas of your body. And to let the pain drift and melt into the floor beside you. It's such a gentle approach to pain...pain who really should be considered our friend, our teacher.
I have noticed lately, during my painful moments, if I talk to the pain, my body relaxes and it's so much easier to endure it. I tell my pain I'm not afraid of you. You're my friend. And I thank you for teaching me. If you wouldn't mind too much, would you be willing to drift a while beside me, but don't go too far away because you will always be my friend.
This summer, someone gave me this poem. It's so beautiful. It sums it all up, really.
-annonymous
Pain is hard to master. It's hard to feel good or keep positive thoughts when you're in pain. However, in the past few weeks as I have tried to redirect to more positive thinking, and on days or nights when I have been in enough pain that the moment is intense for me...I've experimented with a different strategy about my pain. In the past it has helped me to focus on the Savior and the pain He suffered. I know He suffered my exact pain. That always helped. But recently, instead of thinking of pain as my enemy, something to be feared, I have concentrated on pain as my friend. Something to be grateful for. Pain is such a great teacher. If we let it, pain really does bring us closer to the Savior. Isn't it wonderful to have something in our lives that brings us in such close remembrance of Him?
I came upon this quote by Neal A. Maxwell about a week ago, in his book (that I'm reading) "Not My Will, but Thine Be Done" and he said something so truly profound to me: "If we truly follow Christ in our life's journey, we will share to some extent in His experiences, which can help us to become more like Him."
If anyone was well acquainted with pain and suffering, it was Him.
And I wonder...does pain come to us so the Lord can get our attention? Is it part of His loving tutoring? His way of getting us back to Him?
I've been doing a yoga program for about the last 5 years or so. It's been so good for me. It's called "Healing Yoga For Aches & Pains" by Anchor Bay with instructors Charles and Lisa Matkin.
I actually found it by googling for help back in the beginning of my fibromyalgia. I originally ordered a VHS and literally wore that out, and then purchased the DVD...that's how beneficial it's been for me. During the workout they teach you how to breath loving compassion into the painful areas of your body. And to let the pain drift and melt into the floor beside you. It's such a gentle approach to pain...pain who really should be considered our friend, our teacher.
I have noticed lately, during my painful moments, if I talk to the pain, my body relaxes and it's so much easier to endure it. I tell my pain I'm not afraid of you. You're my friend. And I thank you for teaching me. If you wouldn't mind too much, would you be willing to drift a while beside me, but don't go too far away because you will always be my friend.
This summer, someone gave me this poem. It's so beautiful. It sums it all up, really.
I asked God to take away my pain.
God said, no.
It's not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.
I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, no.
Patience is a by-product of tribulations; it isn't granted, it is earned.
I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, no.
God said, no.
I give you blessings. Happiness is up to you.
I asked God to spare me suffering.
God said, no.
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.
I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, no.
I will give you life so that you may enjoy all things.
I asked God to help me love others, as much as He loves me.
God said, Aha, finally, you have the idea.-annonymous
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Stand Steady and Face Them
I was listening to a "talk of the day" on byub.org by Staci Peters called "Our Unexpected Journey Through the Promised Land." Excellent talk! Anyway, she quoted something by Boyd K. Packer that is just so applicable I wanted to share it. I found it in his 1978 Ensign talk called "Solving Emotional Problems in the Lord's Own Way."
He said, "We live in a day when the adversary stresses on every hand the philosophy of instant gratification. We seem to demand instant everything, including instant solutions to our problems.
We are indoctrinated that somehow we should always be instantly emotionally comfortable. When that is not so, some become anxious—and all too frequently seek relief from counseling, from analysis, and even from medication.
It was meant to be that life would be a challenge. To suffer some anxiety, some depression, some disappointment, even some failure is normal. Teach our members that if they have a good, miserable day once in a while, or several in a row, to stand steady and face them. Things will straighten out.
There is great purpose in our struggle in life."
Isn't that wonderful?! Stand steady and face hard days. Things will straighten out. They always do!
He said, "We live in a day when the adversary stresses on every hand the philosophy of instant gratification. We seem to demand instant everything, including instant solutions to our problems.
We are indoctrinated that somehow we should always be instantly emotionally comfortable. When that is not so, some become anxious—and all too frequently seek relief from counseling, from analysis, and even from medication.
It was meant to be that life would be a challenge. To suffer some anxiety, some depression, some disappointment, even some failure is normal. Teach our members that if they have a good, miserable day once in a while, or several in a row, to stand steady and face them. Things will straighten out.
There is great purpose in our struggle in life."
Isn't that wonderful?! Stand steady and face hard days. Things will straighten out. They always do!
Health and Healing
The Law of Attraction says that the human mind is the biggest factor in the healing arts.
I believe it! Reading "The Fibromyalgia Solution" by Dr. David Dryland started pointing me in the right direction for this revelation. "The Secret" DVD has 2 real life stories of the power of the mind to heal. I'm sure there are many stories out there of this marvelous idea. We already have known, to some extent, that our bodies have power to heal themselves. We get a cut. The blood clots, forms a scab to keep out infection, and it heals, even making new skin. We get sick and our body starts putting out chemicals (or cells or something) to fight off the bad bacteria--you get the idea.
But add in the mind! The power of the mind to bring about healing, just by thinking right thoughts! This is what got me the most attracted and excited about the LOA! As Dr. Dryland says on his website "Take Your Life Back!" and in his book the statement I loved most, "When you change a negative thought, you will always change the subsequent emotional feelings that are sent to your body." I also nearly jumped right out of my chair the first time I went to his website and it said, "Fibromyalgia is not an incurable disease." No information I had ever found in the last 5 years of searching ever said that. It was always: doctors can't do anything for you so you just have to live with it..learn to manage it, cope with it. Not true anymore!
I know now, and had already suspected stress, because I have allowed myself to live with and continue in stress for the last 10 years or so--I had no idea how to cope with it, or how to understand it. And now, the truth rings inside me, that my thoughts have created my environment. I have allowed myself to live with negative thoughts about myself and others. I created my own miserable environment. Yes, I had uncontrollable circumstances in my life that weren't my fault, but I was still responsible for how I reacted (or under-reacted) to those circumstances. I was still responsible for my own joy, my own attitude, my own thoughts and emotions. I just didn't know it! I wallowed in my misery (I would often think of it as the dungeon of self-pity--a very dark, black pit to be in). The interesting thing is, I also realize it was the darkness of Satan's lies. He doesn't care if we are selfish or self-centered or feeling sorry for ourselves...as long as we are focused on ourselves---then we are distracted from the direction God wants to take us of love, peace, joy, hope, and light which comes from loving and serving God and others.
As the LOA say, disease is really dis-EASE, meaning your body is not at ease. Stress is link to nearly all disease. And what causes stress? Thoughts that lead to emotional factors. But, we can choose to allow or not to allow those factors to affect us. Dr. Dryland calls it the "Fight or Flight" response. As our FOF is triggered, we release chemicals into our bodies to cope with the distress. Too much too often of some of those chemicals can cause problems in our bodies, while others are being constantly depleted. One of those is dopamine. Dopamine is like the bodies natural anesthetic to pain. When we become depleted, our pain is dramatically enhanced. Then we can't sleep at night. Without the deep rejuvenating sleep, the time when our body replenishes dopamine, we enter into a pain cycle that we can't get out of---hence, Fibromyalgia and other diseases. Dr. Dryland sells a book on his website that is an excellent resource for anyone wanting to learn more about stress and dealing with it. I thought it was a wealth of information, very interesting and easy to read and very reasonable at $15. I can't remember what the shipping was, but it was reasonable. You can also download a free chapter of his book to read.
The LOA tells us to THINK PERFECT HEALTH. No matter what our state of health is. Tell yourself you are healthy. Tell yourself you are happy, and that you are having a great day! Smile! Laugh!! We've always heard laughter is the best medicine, and that is truth. Laughter releases negativity. You can't laugh and not feel good. You can't smile and not feel good. The interesting thing is, our bodies can't tell the difference between a fake laugh or smile and a real one...it still makes our bodies feel good. One of the "shifters" for changing from a negative frequency to a positive one is to smile for one full minute and think of whatever it is that makes you happy. (for me that's easy! I just think of my grandchildren!--for starters!)
Disease cannot live in a body that's in a healthy emotional state. If your body is stiff and achy, sit and think in your mind how it felt once to be in the body as perfect and flexible as a child's body...walk, run, skip, dance in your mind. In "The Secret" DVD they said they could hook athletes up to some kind of monitoring machine and have them do their sport in their mind, and as they did their bodies went through the same motions as it did while doing the actual sport. I've been thinking lately what a perfect way that would be to exercise! heehee! Just sit and exercise in your mind and your body will get the same effect! Do you think it's true? I think that would be awesome!
Gratitude is an important part of healing, as is the faith to receive healing and then the power of laughter. I am so grateful, as a Latter-day Saint, in the power of Priesthood blessings for the healing of the sick. I also believe that there is a time appointed to all of us to die, and that all things are in God's power. "The divine gift of healing is tailored to the needs of it's recipients from Him who knows them best because He loves them most." I do not know who said this, but it is a great quote.
I also know that there is an opposition in all things, and that we can't know joy, peace, love and all that good stuff without experiencing and knowing the bad, too. I know all our trials are consecrated to our good, and administer to our education. Still, the Lord wants us to be joyful as we go along. I love this scripture written by Joseph Smith in Doctrine and Covenants 123:17:
"Let us cheerfully do all things that lie within our power; and then may we stand still, with utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, for His arm to be revealed."
By changing just one small thought in the course of our day, shifting over to a positive frequency, we can change the course of our whole day--whereas, one negative thought left unchecked leads to more negative thoughts til stress is manifest. If you think about it next time you are feeling a negative emotion, notice where it manifests itself in your body. That is where disease will manifest itself.
The LOA, in teaching the art of healing, says if you feel unwell, don't talk about it! Don't think about it! Repeat as often as needed (better than medicine) I feel wonderful! I feel so good--and really try and feel it. I have been saying, "Thank you for my healing" because I know the Lord wants to heal me, as that has been revealed to me. I know it will happen in His time and in His way, so in the meantime I continue to thank Him for my healing.
If others talk of being unwell, don't listen. Change the subject or walk away. It's kind of hard with pandemics going around, but just switch your thoughts to something else and don't dwell on it. It came to my mind these 2 gals that are acquaintances of a friend of mine, and whenever I have been around them all they talk about is all their ailments and everyone else's, too. It drives me crazy. Do you know people like this?
I have, however, felt it was important to be prepared with information in the event of coming down with H1N1, or if you needed to care for someone who is sick, so do what you must, but then move on to a good and happy thought frequency. The more you feel healthy and happy, the less chance of getting sick. Put on some fun, happy music and skip through your day.
Dr. Dryland says to give yourself credit for the progress you make. "Go slowly. It takes time to undo destructive thinking habits."
But HOORAY! It's NOT IMPOSSIBLE!!! *Ü*
"If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord they God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee..for I am the Lord that healeth thee." Exodus 15:26
I believe it! Reading "The Fibromyalgia Solution" by Dr. David Dryland started pointing me in the right direction for this revelation. "The Secret" DVD has 2 real life stories of the power of the mind to heal. I'm sure there are many stories out there of this marvelous idea. We already have known, to some extent, that our bodies have power to heal themselves. We get a cut. The blood clots, forms a scab to keep out infection, and it heals, even making new skin. We get sick and our body starts putting out chemicals (or cells or something) to fight off the bad bacteria--you get the idea.
But add in the mind! The power of the mind to bring about healing, just by thinking right thoughts! This is what got me the most attracted and excited about the LOA! As Dr. Dryland says on his website "Take Your Life Back!" and in his book the statement I loved most, "When you change a negative thought, you will always change the subsequent emotional feelings that are sent to your body." I also nearly jumped right out of my chair the first time I went to his website and it said, "Fibromyalgia is not an incurable disease." No information I had ever found in the last 5 years of searching ever said that. It was always: doctors can't do anything for you so you just have to live with it..learn to manage it, cope with it. Not true anymore!
I know now, and had already suspected stress, because I have allowed myself to live with and continue in stress for the last 10 years or so--I had no idea how to cope with it, or how to understand it. And now, the truth rings inside me, that my thoughts have created my environment. I have allowed myself to live with negative thoughts about myself and others. I created my own miserable environment. Yes, I had uncontrollable circumstances in my life that weren't my fault, but I was still responsible for how I reacted (or under-reacted) to those circumstances. I was still responsible for my own joy, my own attitude, my own thoughts and emotions. I just didn't know it! I wallowed in my misery (I would often think of it as the dungeon of self-pity--a very dark, black pit to be in). The interesting thing is, I also realize it was the darkness of Satan's lies. He doesn't care if we are selfish or self-centered or feeling sorry for ourselves...as long as we are focused on ourselves---then we are distracted from the direction God wants to take us of love, peace, joy, hope, and light which comes from loving and serving God and others.
As the LOA say, disease is really dis-EASE, meaning your body is not at ease. Stress is link to nearly all disease. And what causes stress? Thoughts that lead to emotional factors. But, we can choose to allow or not to allow those factors to affect us. Dr. Dryland calls it the "Fight or Flight" response. As our FOF is triggered, we release chemicals into our bodies to cope with the distress. Too much too often of some of those chemicals can cause problems in our bodies, while others are being constantly depleted. One of those is dopamine. Dopamine is like the bodies natural anesthetic to pain. When we become depleted, our pain is dramatically enhanced. Then we can't sleep at night. Without the deep rejuvenating sleep, the time when our body replenishes dopamine, we enter into a pain cycle that we can't get out of---hence, Fibromyalgia and other diseases. Dr. Dryland sells a book on his website that is an excellent resource for anyone wanting to learn more about stress and dealing with it. I thought it was a wealth of information, very interesting and easy to read and very reasonable at $15. I can't remember what the shipping was, but it was reasonable. You can also download a free chapter of his book to read.
The LOA tells us to THINK PERFECT HEALTH. No matter what our state of health is. Tell yourself you are healthy. Tell yourself you are happy, and that you are having a great day! Smile! Laugh!! We've always heard laughter is the best medicine, and that is truth. Laughter releases negativity. You can't laugh and not feel good. You can't smile and not feel good. The interesting thing is, our bodies can't tell the difference between a fake laugh or smile and a real one...it still makes our bodies feel good. One of the "shifters" for changing from a negative frequency to a positive one is to smile for one full minute and think of whatever it is that makes you happy. (for me that's easy! I just think of my grandchildren!--for starters!)
Disease cannot live in a body that's in a healthy emotional state. If your body is stiff and achy, sit and think in your mind how it felt once to be in the body as perfect and flexible as a child's body...walk, run, skip, dance in your mind. In "The Secret" DVD they said they could hook athletes up to some kind of monitoring machine and have them do their sport in their mind, and as they did their bodies went through the same motions as it did while doing the actual sport. I've been thinking lately what a perfect way that would be to exercise! heehee! Just sit and exercise in your mind and your body will get the same effect! Do you think it's true? I think that would be awesome!
Gratitude is an important part of healing, as is the faith to receive healing and then the power of laughter. I am so grateful, as a Latter-day Saint, in the power of Priesthood blessings for the healing of the sick. I also believe that there is a time appointed to all of us to die, and that all things are in God's power. "The divine gift of healing is tailored to the needs of it's recipients from Him who knows them best because He loves them most." I do not know who said this, but it is a great quote.
I also know that there is an opposition in all things, and that we can't know joy, peace, love and all that good stuff without experiencing and knowing the bad, too. I know all our trials are consecrated to our good, and administer to our education. Still, the Lord wants us to be joyful as we go along. I love this scripture written by Joseph Smith in Doctrine and Covenants 123:17:
"Let us cheerfully do all things that lie within our power; and then may we stand still, with utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, for His arm to be revealed."
By changing just one small thought in the course of our day, shifting over to a positive frequency, we can change the course of our whole day--whereas, one negative thought left unchecked leads to more negative thoughts til stress is manifest. If you think about it next time you are feeling a negative emotion, notice where it manifests itself in your body. That is where disease will manifest itself.
The LOA, in teaching the art of healing, says if you feel unwell, don't talk about it! Don't think about it! Repeat as often as needed (better than medicine) I feel wonderful! I feel so good--and really try and feel it. I have been saying, "Thank you for my healing" because I know the Lord wants to heal me, as that has been revealed to me. I know it will happen in His time and in His way, so in the meantime I continue to thank Him for my healing.
If others talk of being unwell, don't listen. Change the subject or walk away. It's kind of hard with pandemics going around, but just switch your thoughts to something else and don't dwell on it. It came to my mind these 2 gals that are acquaintances of a friend of mine, and whenever I have been around them all they talk about is all their ailments and everyone else's, too. It drives me crazy. Do you know people like this?
I have, however, felt it was important to be prepared with information in the event of coming down with H1N1, or if you needed to care for someone who is sick, so do what you must, but then move on to a good and happy thought frequency. The more you feel healthy and happy, the less chance of getting sick. Put on some fun, happy music and skip through your day.
Dr. Dryland says to give yourself credit for the progress you make. "Go slowly. It takes time to undo destructive thinking habits."
But HOORAY! It's NOT IMPOSSIBLE!!! *Ü*
"If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord they God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee..for I am the Lord that healeth thee." Exodus 15:26
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Marvelous You!
The Law of Attraction says how important it is to love yourself. With mortal imperfections we often struggle with this. The LOA says: The reason you have to love You is because it is impossible to feel good if you don't love You. When you feel bad about yourself, you are blocking all the love and all the good that the Universe has for You. The feeling of having unlimited energy, and that amazing feeling of health and wellness are all on the frequency of feeling good. When you make feeling good a priority, that magnificent frequency will radiate and touch everyone else close to you. The more you love You, the more you love others. When you start feeling down on yourself, change your focus and begin to think about all the things that are wonderful about You. Look for the positives in You. Write them down.
Shakespeare said, "What a piece of work you are! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! In from and moving how express and admirable! In action, how like an angel! In apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world!"
"It is in love that we find ourselves and everything that has meaning and worth." -Jaroldeen Edwards
LOA: As you love yourself, you'll automatically love others. You are energy (according to Quantum Physicists) and energy cannot be created or destroyed. Energy just changes form. And that means You! The true essence of You, the pure energy of You, has always been and always will be. You can never not be.
As a Latter-day Saint I see the truth in this. God created us. We are His work, and His glory. Our physical spirits will go on forever, whether we gained a body in this life or not. Because of pre-mortal faithfulness we were blessed to come to earth and gain a body. So, even though mortality is hard at times, we should be shouting praises that we have a body! Our body may not be perfect, but we should bless and praise every square inch of our bodies! We can do so much more with our bodies than we could with just our spirit. And we have the Christ given gift that our bodies will be resurrected to a more perfect state and that is eternal.
And I love the statement, "We were born to make manifest the Glory of God that is within us." That is eternal truth. From an article in Meridian Magazine (5/10/05 Why Do We Keep Doing That) it says, "Our thoughts are powerful creators in our lives. If our thoughts are positive and productive they will lead us in the way of goodness and righteousness. If we can become more aware of our thoughts, and choose our thoughts more wisely, we can harness a great power to create righteousness in our lives. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?...who are you NOT to be?! You are a child of God...powerful beyond measure...playing small does not serve the world...we were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us! It is in everyone. As we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. We are not meant to fit in, but to stand out! We already have within us all we need to become Gods. The real You is the divine, spiritual self, which consistently chooses light and truth" -Darla Isackson (I think she wrote this article, I could not find the article on their website but here is a link to another great article by her.)
According to LOA what we may see now of ourselves is the result of cumulative years of seeing ourselves....if we have viewed a lot of fault in ourselves, then that is what we are going to see. Switch to the presence that is within you...that presence is perfection, the real you. Your imperfections will dissolve as you focus on the real you, they cannot exist in the light of this presence.
Just like Satan and his lies. All negative comes from him. All truth comes from God. Focus on the way God views you. You are, right now, as God would have you to be in your progression. He planned out your perfect salvation out of His perfect love for you. As you cast out the lies, focus on the glory within, seek God's will for change and progression, you will grow brighter and brighter in His perfect light and love. You will radiate Your beauty from the inside out. Our outer package matters little in the end. But we can keep our bodies clean, neat and attractive. We can keep our language clean, neat and attractive. There are many things you can do to improve the whole of Marvelous You!
1 Cor. 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you?
Let your spirit take the lead." -Wendy Watson Nelson
When you look in the mirror, look for His image in your countenance.
The eyes are the doorway to the heart. Fill your heart with beauty, love and light and it will radiate through your eyes.
"You were His final creation, the crowning glory of His work. Rise to the potential that is in you. You are very precious. His grand design cannot succeed without you. The cultivation of beauty is an expression of the divine nature within you. He has blessed you with miraculous powers of mind and body. Culitvate your talents." -Gordon B. Hinckley (various parts of quotes from his book One Bright Shining Hope)
Satan wants us to hate our bodies because he will never have one.
Do any of these sound like you?
I am a child of God.
I am the daughter of a King.
I am of noble birthright.
I am a chosen generation.
I am of divine nature.
I am of infinite worth.
I am a messenger of God.
I am a testator of Jesus Christ.
I am a covenant maker and keeper.
I am a precious vessel for the Holy Ghost.
I am a temple of God.
I am a creator.
I am a teacher.
I am master of my thoughts.
I am obedient.
I am courageous and determined.
I am loyal and true.
I am God's servant.
I am a good friend.
I am part of a great work.
I am happy.
You are....M.A.R.V.E.L.O.U.S!
And if all else fails, drop to your knees and pray that God will reveal to you how precious you are! I promise you that He will!
Shakespeare said, "What a piece of work you are! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! In from and moving how express and admirable! In action, how like an angel! In apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world!"
"It is in love that we find ourselves and everything that has meaning and worth." -Jaroldeen Edwards
LOA: As you love yourself, you'll automatically love others. You are energy (according to Quantum Physicists) and energy cannot be created or destroyed. Energy just changes form. And that means You! The true essence of You, the pure energy of You, has always been and always will be. You can never not be.
As a Latter-day Saint I see the truth in this. God created us. We are His work, and His glory. Our physical spirits will go on forever, whether we gained a body in this life or not. Because of pre-mortal faithfulness we were blessed to come to earth and gain a body. So, even though mortality is hard at times, we should be shouting praises that we have a body! Our body may not be perfect, but we should bless and praise every square inch of our bodies! We can do so much more with our bodies than we could with just our spirit. And we have the Christ given gift that our bodies will be resurrected to a more perfect state and that is eternal.
And I love the statement, "We were born to make manifest the Glory of God that is within us." That is eternal truth. From an article in Meridian Magazine (5/10/05 Why Do We Keep Doing That) it says, "Our thoughts are powerful creators in our lives. If our thoughts are positive and productive they will lead us in the way of goodness and righteousness. If we can become more aware of our thoughts, and choose our thoughts more wisely, we can harness a great power to create righteousness in our lives. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?...who are you NOT to be?! You are a child of God...powerful beyond measure...playing small does not serve the world...we were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us! It is in everyone. As we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. We are not meant to fit in, but to stand out! We already have within us all we need to become Gods. The real You is the divine, spiritual self, which consistently chooses light and truth" -Darla Isackson (I think she wrote this article, I could not find the article on their website but here is a link to another great article by her.)
According to LOA what we may see now of ourselves is the result of cumulative years of seeing ourselves....if we have viewed a lot of fault in ourselves, then that is what we are going to see. Switch to the presence that is within you...that presence is perfection, the real you. Your imperfections will dissolve as you focus on the real you, they cannot exist in the light of this presence.
Just like Satan and his lies. All negative comes from him. All truth comes from God. Focus on the way God views you. You are, right now, as God would have you to be in your progression. He planned out your perfect salvation out of His perfect love for you. As you cast out the lies, focus on the glory within, seek God's will for change and progression, you will grow brighter and brighter in His perfect light and love. You will radiate Your beauty from the inside out. Our outer package matters little in the end. But we can keep our bodies clean, neat and attractive. We can keep our language clean, neat and attractive. There are many things you can do to improve the whole of Marvelous You!
1 Cor. 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you?
Let your spirit take the lead." -Wendy Watson Nelson
When you look in the mirror, look for His image in your countenance.
The eyes are the doorway to the heart. Fill your heart with beauty, love and light and it will radiate through your eyes.
"You were His final creation, the crowning glory of His work. Rise to the potential that is in you. You are very precious. His grand design cannot succeed without you. The cultivation of beauty is an expression of the divine nature within you. He has blessed you with miraculous powers of mind and body. Culitvate your talents." -Gordon B. Hinckley (various parts of quotes from his book One Bright Shining Hope)
Satan wants us to hate our bodies because he will never have one.
Do any of these sound like you?
I am a child of God.
I am the daughter of a King.
I am of noble birthright.
I am a chosen generation.
I am of divine nature.
I am of infinite worth.
I am a messenger of God.
I am a testator of Jesus Christ.
I am a covenant maker and keeper.
I am a precious vessel for the Holy Ghost.
I am a temple of God.
I am a creator.
I am a teacher.
I am master of my thoughts.
I am obedient.
I am courageous and determined.
I am loyal and true.
I am God's servant.
I am a good friend.
I am part of a great work.
I am happy.
You are....M.A.R.V.E.L.O.U.S!
And if all else fails, drop to your knees and pray that God will reveal to you how precious you are! I promise you that He will!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
The Law of Creation
I think this was my favorite part in learning about the Law of Attraction. I love to create, so I love the thought of creating my life through my thoughts.
Elder Wirthlin said in his talk on "The Abundant Life" to create of your life a masterpiece.
I can envision a canvas, with colorful paints and a variety of paintbrushes....when you paint with oil paints, they are very forgiving--meaning it takes forever to dry, so you can just keep repainting and repainting til you get it right. I love the thought of creating my life around me, just how I want it to be. Never mind any current circumstances. I only have to paint what I want to see.
LOA: Creation comes by virtue of the images in your mind.
That is why imagination and make-belief are so much fun. That is why children can be so happy!
"God wants us to create our own life with joy--beautifully." -Jaroldeen Edwards
LOA: Quantum physicists tell us that the entire universe emerged from thought.
Now there's a revelation! Ha! Latter-day Saints know this from scriptures, especially modern scriptures and revelation. Jesus Christ framed and created the world through faith, an action virtue, which is the power of the mind to conceive that which has no tangible evidence, but then becomes tangible.
LOA: You create your life through your thoughts...everyone does, whether they know it or not. Creation is always happening. Every time an individual thinks a thought, or a prolonged chronic way of thinking, they're in the creation process. Something is going to manifest out of those thoughts."
I really believe this. If we constantly dwell on something that is wrong, that thing is going to grow and grow and grow and get worse. And where do we end up? Cranky. Angry. Discouraged. Sad. Unhappy. All that time wasted on thinking about it, could have been shifted to happy thoughts, making us a happy person all along.
LOA: Create your day in advance. When you wake up. Think about how you want the day to go and what you want to do. Create it in your mind, just how you want it to be, even down to getting a front row parking spot at the grocery store. And continue those thoughts throughout the day. At the end of the day, if things didn't go quite right, replay them in your mind, and recreate them to working out just as you would have had them, so you go to bed with good thoughts of thinking just how great your day went. Let your last thoughts before you go to sleep be good thoughts.
President Uchtdorf gave the best ever General Relief Society address in October 2008 called "Happiness, Your Heritage." It so worth reading frequently. It really uplifts and inspires me. As women we struggle to find that balance in our lives. We often wonder if we are doing enough or if we are doing the right things. We have that innate desire to create...which might lead us to hours and hours of scrapbooking, or sewing, or crafts or any such thing, which is not entirely bad, but could enduce the negative feelings of guilt if we are neglecting other important things. I was so thankful President Uchtdorf encouraged us to create! That is when I'm at my ultimate happy state, is when I can take "matter" into my hands and craft it into something beautiful. I just need to make sure my time is balanced and that I don't neglect the "weightier, spiritual matters"...but spirituality can definitely be created into our lives, too!
He said, "The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul...something that did not exist before...creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty...you are the spirit daughters of the most creative Being in the universe. Isn't it remarkable to think that your very spirits are fashioned by an endlessly creative and eternally compassionate God?"
He continues, "Your spirit body is a masterpiece, created with a beauty, function, and capacity beyond imagination...We were created with the express purpose and potential of experience a fullness of joy...A way we find this is by creating things. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before. Progress and improve upon and make beautiful everything around you! The earth, your minds, your habitations...places that angels may delight to come and visit. The more you trust and rely upon the spirit the greater your capacity to create. That is your opportunity in this life and your destiny in the life to come."
That last paragraph says it all. God created us as His masterpiece. Then he endowed us with free agency--the power to choose. He placed us on earth to gain our education, which is the knowledge that God has. His purpose and delight is that we experience a fullness of joy--as He does. Would He not want us to continue the creation of His masterpiece of our life, by creating of our life our own masterpiece of joy, love, peace, hope, compassion, and beauty?! Would He not be sad when we think bad thoughts about ourselves, which lead to bad thoughts about our surroundings and about others. He is so willing to give back to us, multiplied, that which we do send out, and it all begins with our thoughts. What are our thoughts as we create? They have to be good for beauty to come out of it. What inspires you most when you are creating? Have you ever turned on beautiful, inspiring and uplifting music when you are creating, and noticed what a difference that makes in your creative process. Satan's spirit flees from such beauty and inspiration. Have you ever noticed, that as you work on a creative process and your mind is stewing or stressing about current circumstances, that the work then becomes a drudgery? And where do you feel it? In your neck, in your back, in the pit of your stomach? Get off that negative frequency and switch over to a positive frequency. Think of beautiful things...a baby, flowers, a blue sky, a gentle breeze, the song of a bird, the laughter of a child....there are an abundance of beautiful things in this world that we can shift our thoughts to, and they immediately uplift us to a better place. We find ourselves more calm, more relaxed. Maybe there is one particular task that has needed to be done for a long time that keeps nagging at us. Sometimes, just getting that one task done and out of the way can bring us such peace and joy.
I learned, as I was reading books and articles on becoming well, that it's important to focus your mind on one thing at a time, that being the thing you are doing at the time. Think only of that thing, for example, if you are eating, think only of eating. If you are driving, think only of driving. Don't let your mind dash ahead to the 100's of things you have to do in the day. If you are rushing or hurrying, those thoughts are actions based in fear, a negative emotion...LOA says you are attracting more bad things into your life as you do that. Tell yourself, "I have more than enough time!" If you are stuck in traffic or in a line waiting and feel impatient, use that time to create positive things in your mind and into your life. Picture yourself on a warm beach looking at the clear blue ocean with the perfect breeze on your face. You can feel as though you are really there, and it will relieve the stress and lift your spirits and make you smile.
When we fill our minds with creative beauty, and then do the same with our surroundings, we will be filled with joy and radiate that joy to those around us. Like Elder Eyring said, "We will then be an example of hope to those around us." We need that in this challenging world we now live in. Turn every life situation into positive ones, even if all you do is create it in your mind and feel it into existence!
Wrest happiness from the daily, hard stuff of your challenging and sometimes disappointing life. Build it into the repetitive, painful, discouraging moments. It is tiny changes of feelings and methods, knowledge, and attitude, and the will to be and feel in better ways. Happiness is not one big thing that comes and stays. Happiness is built into the moments of our lives. Look for those moments and thrive in them. As Jaroldeen Edwards would say, "Celebrate!" Find and build things into our lives to celebrate!
Create of your life a masterpiece!
Elder Wirthlin said in his talk on "The Abundant Life" to create of your life a masterpiece.
I can envision a canvas, with colorful paints and a variety of paintbrushes....when you paint with oil paints, they are very forgiving--meaning it takes forever to dry, so you can just keep repainting and repainting til you get it right. I love the thought of creating my life around me, just how I want it to be. Never mind any current circumstances. I only have to paint what I want to see.
LOA: Creation comes by virtue of the images in your mind.
That is why imagination and make-belief are so much fun. That is why children can be so happy!
"God wants us to create our own life with joy--beautifully." -Jaroldeen Edwards
LOA: Quantum physicists tell us that the entire universe emerged from thought.
Now there's a revelation! Ha! Latter-day Saints know this from scriptures, especially modern scriptures and revelation. Jesus Christ framed and created the world through faith, an action virtue, which is the power of the mind to conceive that which has no tangible evidence, but then becomes tangible.
LOA: You create your life through your thoughts...everyone does, whether they know it or not. Creation is always happening. Every time an individual thinks a thought, or a prolonged chronic way of thinking, they're in the creation process. Something is going to manifest out of those thoughts."
I really believe this. If we constantly dwell on something that is wrong, that thing is going to grow and grow and grow and get worse. And where do we end up? Cranky. Angry. Discouraged. Sad. Unhappy. All that time wasted on thinking about it, could have been shifted to happy thoughts, making us a happy person all along.
LOA: Create your day in advance. When you wake up. Think about how you want the day to go and what you want to do. Create it in your mind, just how you want it to be, even down to getting a front row parking spot at the grocery store. And continue those thoughts throughout the day. At the end of the day, if things didn't go quite right, replay them in your mind, and recreate them to working out just as you would have had them, so you go to bed with good thoughts of thinking just how great your day went. Let your last thoughts before you go to sleep be good thoughts.
President Uchtdorf gave the best ever General Relief Society address in October 2008 called "Happiness, Your Heritage." It so worth reading frequently. It really uplifts and inspires me. As women we struggle to find that balance in our lives. We often wonder if we are doing enough or if we are doing the right things. We have that innate desire to create...which might lead us to hours and hours of scrapbooking, or sewing, or crafts or any such thing, which is not entirely bad, but could enduce the negative feelings of guilt if we are neglecting other important things. I was so thankful President Uchtdorf encouraged us to create! That is when I'm at my ultimate happy state, is when I can take "matter" into my hands and craft it into something beautiful. I just need to make sure my time is balanced and that I don't neglect the "weightier, spiritual matters"...but spirituality can definitely be created into our lives, too!
He said, "The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul...something that did not exist before...creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty...you are the spirit daughters of the most creative Being in the universe. Isn't it remarkable to think that your very spirits are fashioned by an endlessly creative and eternally compassionate God?"
He continues, "Your spirit body is a masterpiece, created with a beauty, function, and capacity beyond imagination...We were created with the express purpose and potential of experience a fullness of joy...A way we find this is by creating things. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before. Progress and improve upon and make beautiful everything around you! The earth, your minds, your habitations...places that angels may delight to come and visit. The more you trust and rely upon the spirit the greater your capacity to create. That is your opportunity in this life and your destiny in the life to come."
That last paragraph says it all. God created us as His masterpiece. Then he endowed us with free agency--the power to choose. He placed us on earth to gain our education, which is the knowledge that God has. His purpose and delight is that we experience a fullness of joy--as He does. Would He not want us to continue the creation of His masterpiece of our life, by creating of our life our own masterpiece of joy, love, peace, hope, compassion, and beauty?! Would He not be sad when we think bad thoughts about ourselves, which lead to bad thoughts about our surroundings and about others. He is so willing to give back to us, multiplied, that which we do send out, and it all begins with our thoughts. What are our thoughts as we create? They have to be good for beauty to come out of it. What inspires you most when you are creating? Have you ever turned on beautiful, inspiring and uplifting music when you are creating, and noticed what a difference that makes in your creative process. Satan's spirit flees from such beauty and inspiration. Have you ever noticed, that as you work on a creative process and your mind is stewing or stressing about current circumstances, that the work then becomes a drudgery? And where do you feel it? In your neck, in your back, in the pit of your stomach? Get off that negative frequency and switch over to a positive frequency. Think of beautiful things...a baby, flowers, a blue sky, a gentle breeze, the song of a bird, the laughter of a child....there are an abundance of beautiful things in this world that we can shift our thoughts to, and they immediately uplift us to a better place. We find ourselves more calm, more relaxed. Maybe there is one particular task that has needed to be done for a long time that keeps nagging at us. Sometimes, just getting that one task done and out of the way can bring us such peace and joy.
I learned, as I was reading books and articles on becoming well, that it's important to focus your mind on one thing at a time, that being the thing you are doing at the time. Think only of that thing, for example, if you are eating, think only of eating. If you are driving, think only of driving. Don't let your mind dash ahead to the 100's of things you have to do in the day. If you are rushing or hurrying, those thoughts are actions based in fear, a negative emotion...LOA says you are attracting more bad things into your life as you do that. Tell yourself, "I have more than enough time!" If you are stuck in traffic or in a line waiting and feel impatient, use that time to create positive things in your mind and into your life. Picture yourself on a warm beach looking at the clear blue ocean with the perfect breeze on your face. You can feel as though you are really there, and it will relieve the stress and lift your spirits and make you smile.
When we fill our minds with creative beauty, and then do the same with our surroundings, we will be filled with joy and radiate that joy to those around us. Like Elder Eyring said, "We will then be an example of hope to those around us." We need that in this challenging world we now live in. Turn every life situation into positive ones, even if all you do is create it in your mind and feel it into existence!
Wrest happiness from the daily, hard stuff of your challenging and sometimes disappointing life. Build it into the repetitive, painful, discouraging moments. It is tiny changes of feelings and methods, knowledge, and attitude, and the will to be and feel in better ways. Happiness is not one big thing that comes and stays. Happiness is built into the moments of our lives. Look for those moments and thrive in them. As Jaroldeen Edwards would say, "Celebrate!" Find and build things into our lives to celebrate!
Create of your life a masterpiece!
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