Give

I learned to sing a song as a child in Primary called "Give Said the Little Stream." It teaches a great lesson in a simple thought.

Give, said the little stream, give oh give, give oh give!
Give, said the little stream, as it hurried down the hill.
I'm small I know, but wherever I go, the grass grows greener still.
Singing, singing all the day. Give away, oh give away!
Singing, singing all the day. Give oh give away!

This little stream gave everywhere it went, and it gurgled along happily. I saw this saying that fits: "The grass isn't greener on the other side; the grass is greener where you water it!"

I only recently learned about the word philanthropy or philanthropist. Although I now realize I always heard that word in the Wizard of Oz. "A good deed doer." Or, people who live their lives and give large sums of money to help others, they who have a love of mankind. When I read the book "The Secret" (pg.107) it said that some of the wealthiest people on the planet are the greatest philanthropists. They give away vast amounts of money and money floods back to them multiplied. I was greatly intrigued by that. The Law of Attraction claims that giving brings more money and abundance into your life, because when you are giving you are saying, "I have plenty." When you think you don't have enough to give, start giving. The law of attraction then gives you more to give. Giving from a heart that is overflowing feels so good.

But why should I be so intrigued when I've been taught that my whole life in my church?! President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "Those who impart of their sustenance to the needy so generously will not lack in their own store and in their own homes, but there will be food on their tables and a roof over their heads. One cannot be merciful to others without receiving a harvest of mercy in return."

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we pay 10% to the Lord on all our increase. In addition, once a month we fast for 24 hours and give the equivalent or more of the cost of 2 meals to the Fast Offering which goes to help the poor. Our church has the greatest welfare system on the face of this earth! Tons of food and supplies are shipped to places all over the world within hours of natural disasters, as well as helping truly needy people every day. Our members donate as they choose to the Church's Humanitarian aid fund. We also have a Perpetual Education fund which helps young people in other countries get an education. They then pay the loans back after they graduate so the money is continuously perpetuated for others to use. Thousands have helped improve the quality of living for themselves and their families through this simple program.

I recently saw an excellent documentary by Bill Whittle on his Afterburner program on PJTV "A Tale of Two Americas." He gave our church's welfare system a glowing tribute. He said if our government had a system like that it would solve a lot of problems in our country (or something to that effect). I loved this whole documentary and was quite moved by those who really do honor our country for what it was meant to be. Some truly give their all.

I really admire the words of author Larry Barkdull. He said, "True greatness is measured by one's ability to give...without giving, there can be no progress, either for individuals or for societies."

In the Book of Mormon there was a Lamanite King who was king over all the land. When he learned of the great love that a Nephite servant of God named Ammon had for his son, King Lamoni, he called unto God saying he would give away all his sins to know Him. (Alma 22:17-18) That king gave his all to the Lord. What he reaped in return was worth more than all his power or worldly possessions. In Matthew 16:25 we learn that "Whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." Over and over we learn the importance of giving, and the value of caring for the poor and the needy.

Service is love, and the "spirit" of service is planted in the hearts of those we help. They, in turn, serve. The army of the Lord's servants grows in this way. (Women's Conference 2001 pg. 68) Giving becomes perpetual.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, "The more we serve our fellowmen in appropriate ways, the more substance there is to our souls." (Ensign 11/08)

I'm learning to understanding the importance of balance. As important as it is to give, we also need to remember to give to ourselves. Women often run faster than they are nearly able, though it is amazing how much a woman can accomplish in a day. But it's important, as Dr. John Gray said, to "take a little time off to give to yourself and in a sense to fill yourself up to fullness, to where now you can overflow in giving."

Praying, scripture study time, pondering in stillness (if it can be found), exercise, eating nutritiously and taking time out to do something you love each day if possible, will give you more confidence to believe in yourself and to have more of yourself to give in good ways.

I realized one day, when the song "Give Said the Little Stream" was running through my head, how connected that song is to forgiving! As we forgive others of their shortcomings, ourselves included, we give water and life to all that is living around us. I think forgiving is the greatest act of giving that we can render. What peace we would have in our world if everyone readily forgave one another. Those living waters are mercy and truly do represent the Living Water of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Which, if one drinks, will never thirst again.

He was the greatest example of giving that ever did and ever will touch the face of this earth. He gave His all. Truly. And because of Him, we have been given all that we have. How could we not think to give back?

I love the idea of giving.

Seeking Simple Joys!

This whole blog is dedicated to believing in yourself.  To do that brings joy, and having joy is to believe in yourself, and to believe in God and His promises.  I posted last December about "Joy in the Journey" and in November of "Happiness and Joy."  Both posts are filled with great quotes and insight into seeking and finding joy.  One thought I posted was,  "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!"

I've quoted a lot of thoughts from Geraldine Edwards from her book Celebrate!  This book is simply full of ways to seek joy and celebrate life!   She gives some simple ideas for seeking simple joys in our lives.  It's something that we should seek to do every day.  They are:

1 - do something each day that you love to do
2- it should cost little or no money
3- it should be something you can do close by
4- something that can be accomplished in an hour or two
5- something that you can do alone or shared with someone else
(from page 68 of her book)

Time is such a precious commodity these days.  I often wonder and worry if I'm using it appropriately or if my choices are pleasing to the Lord.  I was just pondering yesterday on something President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, which was quoted by Julie B. Beck in "Relief Society: A Sacred Work" from the General RS Meeting in the November 2009 Ensign.

She said, "One of the most precious commodities we all have is time. Most women have many responsibilities and never have sufficient time to do everything their hearts and minds want to do. We show respect for the Lord and the sisters when we use...time in an inspired way. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught: “A wise man once distinguished between ‘the noble art of getting things done’ and ‘a nobler art of leaving things undone.’ True ‘wisdom in life,’ he taught, consists of ‘the elimination of non-essentials.’” President Uchtdorf then asked: “What are the nonessential things that clutter your days and steal your time? What are the habits you may have developed that do not serve a useful purpose? What are the unfinished or unstarted things that could add vigor, meaning, and joy to your life?"

So in seeking out our joys and finding ways to "Celebrate!" life as Jeraldine puts it, and yet eliminating the non-essentials from our life in order to have more time to do the essential things, we just need to organize, prioritize and seek balance in our life.  I really do think that taking time out to seek a simple joy each day is a wise balance of our time.  If we are frantically running around trying to accomplish more than we can humanly do, without taking time for simple joys, we are going to stress out, burn out, and end up accomplishing less.  If bringing joy to ourselves helps us to spread joy to others, what could be better?

At the recent BYU Women's Conference (April 29, 2010) Julie B. Beck talked about how we should try and be at our best in the afternoon part of the day when everyone else is coming home from their day tired and hungry and spent.  If we are tired and spent then, we will not be of much help to them.  [cause when mom is cranky, everyone gets cranky!]  She said, "...part of one's mission on Earth is to choose to serve the Lord, especially through serving one's family.  Taking care of our posterity takes precedence over all other needs....Women today can be a power and influence for good."

She also said that "When our priorities are out of order, we lose power."  We can categorize our priorities into "essential things, necessary things and nice-to-do things."   Essential being to seek personal revelation through scripture study and prayer, temple attendance, etc.  Necessary includes creating an environment where the spirit can dwell, teaching our children, being kind to our husbands, etc.  Nice-to-do are recreation, hobbies, crafts.  These things are nice but cannot save us, she says.  "The ability to seek, receive and act upon personal revelation is the most important skill we can acquire in this life....Education is wonderful, but being able to feel the Lord's power upon us is the ultimate education we can achieve...with that we have power and influence."

So, if we are making time for the essential and necessary, the spirit will be with us, joy will come, we will have the guidance and direction from the Lord in our lives, and there will still be time left over for a reasonable amount of time for the nice-to-do things.  Seeking for the simple joys may very well be part of the essential and necessary.  We will find joy in doing things the way the Lord would have us to do them.

In accordance with President Monson's talk to the BYU Women's Conference in 2008 "Joy in the Journey" he suggests while we sisters often feel inadequate and ineffective because we can't do all that we feel we should, that  "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."

I find simple joy in emailing a friend or family member, trying to send out a cheerful word, smiling and saying hello to someone as I pass by them, taking pictures and looking at photographs, reading to a child, finding something that makes me laugh, delighting in nature, thinking of my blessings and expressing gratitude to the Lord, reading a good book, and so on....

"Whatever God has blessed you with, take it with grateful hand, nor postpone your joys from year to year, so that in whatever place you have been, you may say that you have lived happily."  -President Monson (Ensign 11/08)

"He commands us to be grateful because He knows being grateful will make us HAPPY--evidence of His love."  Bonnie Parkins (Ensign 5/07)

Happy joy seeking!

What We Don't Want

LOA has an interesting concept to consider in what we don't want.  They say that we often think about what we don't want and wonder why it shows up over and over again.  If we attract what we think, then the law of attraction doesn't care whether we perceive something to be good or bad, or whether we don't want it or whether we do want it.  It's responding to whatever we are thinking.  It's a law of nature, impersonal, not seeing good or bad, just giving you simply what you think about.  The law of attraction is working whether you understand it or not.

So, if we are thinking "I don't want to be late" for example, we are attracting the thought of being late.  Or,

I don't have enough time.
I don't have enough energy.
I don't have enough money.
I don't have enough talent.
I don't have enough friends.
I don't have enough patience.
I don't want to be fat.
I don't want to fail.
I don't think I'm smart enough.
I don't think I'm good enough.
I don't...
I don't....
I don't....

President Thomas S. Monson said, "We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought..." 

So of course "what we don't want" can seep over into our thoughts about others.  We can think things like:

He's really bugging me.
She makes me so mad.
Why is that person so rude?
Why does he expect so much out of me?

Or, as parents, especially with young children, we tend to point out all the "nos" as we try to steer them clear of dangers and troubles and mischief.  Can we incorporate more "yeses" into our conversations? 

I came across an interesting article, by Paul H. Dunn in the May 1987 Ensign entitled "By Faith and Hope, All Things are Fulfilled."

He talks about how we all need to develop lenses of vision that helps us see the positives instead of the negatives, thus making it possible to perform miracles. 

He said, "Why is it that as humans we tend to emphasize the negative when there is so much to be positive about? We not only constantly criticize our children and each other, find fault, are very judgmental, and often seek out and build up people’s weaknesses and failings rather than their strengths and successes, but in our own personal life-styles there are those of us who are incessant, chronic worriers. We worry about all the negative things that could happen, but usually don’t, rather than positively trying to face problems with some amount of faith and hope of success.  In our society, for some reason, we seem to dwell on the bizarre, the tragic, the profane, and the evils of our day. So often the newspapers and television reports center attention around the negative aspects of life: teenage suicides, drugs, AIDS, murders, infidelities, dishonesty, and a host of other social ills."

He said many of us fill our days with guilt because of the pressure of trying to accomplish everything we think is necessary and to be perfect right now...negative attitudes affect us in that way...consuming us with guilt and self-destructive thoughts.

He said that in many ways life is serious, and "we can’t help but worry sometimes; there are and always will be never-ending negatives existing all around us which must be faced, dealt with, and solved. But I wonder if the constant bombardment of dilemmas and challenges and the often seemingly hopeless situations, both personal and nationwide, don’t frustrate, discourage, and depress us sometimes to the point where our minds and attitudes are distracted from the very principles that would allow us to rise above the negative and find the positive answers we need."

He said we find many of our answers in the Book of Mormon and gave an example from the prophet Ether who said,

“By faith all things are fulfilled—    Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God”  (Ether 12:3-4)

Elder Dunn said, "Throughout the whole of this marvelous chapter we are taught the wonders accomplished by faith, love, and hope. It seems to me that dwelling on negative thoughts and approaches is, in fact, working directly opposite of hope, faith, and trust—in the Lord, ourselves, and others—and causes continual feelings of gloom, while the positive lifts and buoys us up, encourages us to forge ahead, and is an attitude that can be developed, a habit that we can cultivate."

I truly feel that is the key right there...develop and cultivate the positive--work at it persistently, bits and pieces at a time that will add up to tremendous accomplishments over time.

"As critical and judgmental as we often must be, as much as we will have to correct, as truly as we must face unpleasant realities all of our days, let us recognize and praise the thousands of beauties of life around us; the many wonderful examples of virtuous living; the strengths and the courage of so many souls; the exceptional talents and achievements of our family members, neighbors, and associates; the countless blessings that we have been given."

Let us follow the example of Jesus Christ, who came to lift us up, not put us down.

A Secret Garden to Tend

I came across this in a talk by President Thomas S. Monson in the Ensign 11/08.  It's a quote by Sarah Ban Breathnach and I was in awe of how well it fit in with the LOA and the Secret and shifting your focus and believing in yourself and staying positive.

"Both abundance and lack of abundance exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities.  It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend...when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present--love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us happiness--the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth."

So many of the very best things in life do not cost any money and are free to all.  It's all on what we choose to focus on.

So cultivate that secret garden of positivity, and fertilize it with loads of gratitude!

Shifting Your Focus

The LOA talks about "Secret Shifters"...things that can change your thoughts from negative to positive.  They are all pretty amazing, I think.   Here are some of my favorites, many of which I added as I thought about it:

*Close your eyes and SMILE for one full minute.  Focus on your feelings as you smile.  (this works!)
*Think about what makes you feel good?  Focus on what works.
*Feel what you want, even if it's not there.  i.e. health, love, joy, peace.
*Listen to some beautiful music.
*Look at beautiful pictures.
*Laugh!  Think about some funny moments.
*Think of someone you love.
*Think of great memories.
*Think of an exciting future event.
*Do something for someone else.
*Create something beautiful.
*Enjoy nature.
*Think happy thoughts.

"A simple shifting of emotions can change your whole day."  (LOA)

In the scriptures we read about fruits of the spirit. 
Love
Joy
Peace
Hope
Faith
Goodness
Gentleness
Patience
Virtue
Knowledge
Humility
Obedience
And more.  Shifting to and cultivating a positive frequency yields these fruits.

In James 3:17-18 says, "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.  And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace."

I came up with some spiritual shifters that I call "To Lighten My Burden Through Christ."  They are:

-stop comparing myself and start changing myself
-maintain habits and order so that my faith remains unshaken
-take care of myself
-don't keep myself in the middle of a "storm"
-concentrate on my own journey (what is the Lord teaching me through this experience?)
-be kind to myself (don't blame myself for other's choices)
-seek the comfort of my places of peace when and how I can
-read good books
-exercise
-take time to do the little things I enjoy
-toss away self scorn (feelings of worthlessness)
-refuse to be drawn into daily drama whenever possible
-actively seek for peace
-keep my spiritual reserves from being depleted
-control my own actions and reactions
-the blessings of my covenants will continue for me in the needed ways
-concern and sadness is expected: misery is optional
-feed the good, stave the evil
-walk by faith, not by sight
-become alive in Christ
-sharpen my spiritual tools/work on my testimony
-cultivate a sweet sense of humor
-keep a merry heart
-find quiet joy in small things
-look forward to better days
-keep faith and hope in tact
-accept His truths
-follow Him
-humble myself
-pray for continued guidance and keep praying
-go to the scriptures for understanding and answers
-My continued faithfulness will pay eternal dividends.

Shifting my focus to that of a positive, spiritual, eternal nature makes all the difference.

Visualize

Visualizing is considered an important part of the LOA.  I'm going to try to convey their concepts without quoting so much out of the book (The Secret) as I feel concerned about overstepping the bounds of proper copy-right.

I love this concept of visualization.  I wonder if I have somewhat taken it for granted my whole life.  But what I do know, is I love "mediums" i.e. paint, colors, fabrics, paper and so on.  I love to create.  Creation and visualization go hand in hand, because you visualize as you create.  The LOA says as you visualize then you materialize.   They also said that is how some of our great inventors invented their inventions!!  They created them in their minds first and somehow brought them about.  (explain any of modern technology and how it works!)  What a glorious age of miracles we live in when visualization can be taken way beyond anything this earth has ever experienced.  (i.e. television, internet, digital photography...)

Women are better visualizers (in my experience) than men.  (I have heard that's the difference between the right brain, left brain concept)  For instance, I can visualize a change I want to make in my house and then make it a reality.  If I tell my husband about it, he can't see it and he'll be against the idea, so often, I have just went ahead and made the change without discussing it, and then when he sees it, he likes it.  (nothing major mind you---except that time I bought the refrigerator and had it delivered without telling him, and that time I....well, never mind!)

Getting out into our beautiful world and seeing all the wonders about us is a great way to visualize and FEEL GOOD!  How can you not feel good when you watch the waves roll in at the ocean, or see and hear the wind rustle the leaves in the trees, or watch birds fly across a blue sky?  LOA says that "visualization is simply powerfully focused thought in pictures, and it causes equally powerful feelings."

Once you've seen something your mind captures the image like a photo.  You can bring images up anytime you need them to bring all those powerfully good feelings you felt when you first saw that image...like flowers, your child, animals, a painting, a spectacular view--whatever you've seen that you've loved.

When you can visualize all that good and wonderful stuff you love, and then throw in feelings of joy, abundance and love on top of that, then you have an even more powerful experience of feeling good. 

Our Heavenly Father has given us eyes to see.  They really are an amazing thing if you ever stop to just think about them, or study any written word on how our eyes actually work---it's like a miracle in and of itself.  And then Heavenly Father sent Jesus Christ to create all these wonderful things in life for our eyes to behold.

"Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart."  Doctrine and Covenants 59:18 

To gladden the heart...now there is a really superb explanation of feeling good!

Visualize it!

Truth

Truth gives us the power to believe in ourselves.  Truth gives us the power of good over evil.  Truth radiates with the light of positivity.

"Truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come; and whatsoever is more or less than this is the spirit of that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning.  The spirit of truth is of God...He that keepeth His commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things...intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be.  All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence.  The glory of God is intelligence, or in other words, light and truth.  Light and truth forsake that evil one."  -Doctrine & Covenants 93:24-37

Satan is that wicked, evil one.  The very definition of Satan is "one who lies in wait."  He is the opposite or the antipathist of truth.  Brigham Young said, "Satan is capable of counterfeiting every true principle."  Satan is the master of lies--it is his essence.  He will create a false universe to fit any desire.  All darkness and negativity come from him.  Satan wants to deceive us about truth and light and God and who we really are.  Satan will do everything he can to convince us to not believe in ourselves, or in what God will do for us.  He seeks to destroy us, and he knows it can begin with a simple thought--any negative thought.  It is through our sense of vision that Satan seeks to take control of our thoughts. 

Satan is the great destroyer of our peace.  One of his greatest tools is distraction.  He wants us to be distracted from God and what our true purpose in this life is--from seeking light and truth and living in righteousness.  

But know this.  EVERY mortal is greater than Satan.

And why?  Because we have the power to choose.  We can choose to be miserable, if in our thoughts we believe all (or any) of Satan's lies about us.  Or we can choose to cast out his lies and negativity and seek for light and truth and move ourselves, with the power of the free agency that God has endowed us with, into a positive frequency.

Our free agency is the very thing the whole war in heaven was about.  It continues now.  Everywhere you see examples of people seeking for ultimate power and to take away the rights and choices of others.   And while there may be some in mortality who actually do succeed in taking away that precious gift, they can never take away our power to choose our attitude and our response to any set of circumstances.  Victor L. Frankl called it "the last of human freedom."

"One of the most powerful lessons to come out of the incredibly vicious experiences in the concentration camps of World War II was from the quiet heroes who exercised the one human freedom of which they could not be deprived—their capacity to choose the way they responded to the wickedness of their persecutors. That choice for some of them was to bring comfort to others, often giving away their last small piece of bread, and jeopardizing their own lives in so doing. This inner decision permitted those few who made it to retain their human dignity in foul circumstances. The few who managed to rise above their degradation and suffering by exercising their right to choose their attitude were proof enough that “man’s inner strength may raise him above his outward fate” (see Victor L. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning, 3rd ed., New York: Simon and Schuster, 1984, p. 76)."   As quote by Elder Marion D. Hanks

"We are free to choose liberty and eternal life...or captivity and death...for he seeketh that all...might be miserable like unto himself."  2 Nephi 2:27

The closer we draw to God, the harder Satan is going to work on us.  If he can't get to us directly, he will get to us through others.  Even when he knows we are not backing down, he will find ways to attack us and our integrity and everything good about us.  He wants to hurt us.  Satan increasingly tries to overcome the Saints with despair, despondency, discouragement and depression.  All negative.  All on a frequency we can get off of by changing to a positive one.

C. S. Lewis said that "Satan sends errors in pairs of opposites to encourage us to spend time thinking which is worse--drawing us into the other.  Keep your eyes on your goal and go straight through between both errors."

This battle will rage until mortality is over.  Do not surrender or retreat!  Not even in a moment when you think you cannot do it.  Hold your ground!  Close ranks!  Maintain the fort!  Satan will retreat in the face of great courage.  It is the fear that he generates in which he hopes to defeat us.  Remember when he confronted Moses and told Moses to worship him?  And Moses said,  "Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten; and where is thy glory, that I should worship thee?"  And Satan ranted and raged and "Moses began to fear exceedingly; and as he began to fear, he saw the bitterness of hell.  Nevertheless, calling upon God, he received strength, and he commanded, saying: 'Depart from me, Satan, for this one God only will I worship, which is the God of glory."  And Satan did depart, because he had no choice, but not without making a big scene.   Moses 1: 12-22

When we resist evil, Satan will flee.

And we don't have to do it alone.  As Moses did, we call upon God and His Son Jesus Christ, and he gives us strength and the ability to do it.

And while we may choose good and seek to do right, beware.  Satan will sneak around to the back door, and he will flatter us that we are very righteous as we feed off the faults of others.   Pride is Satan's tool.  Satan doesn't care if we think good about ourselves or bad about ourselves, as long as we are only thinking of ourselves.  Both are forms of pride.  Part of pride is selfishness, and selfishness is part of that natural man that we need to work at casting off.  And selfishness generates negativity about ourselves and everyone and everything.

Tuning into that positive frequency and living God's laws [or the law of attraction--it's the same], we live a life of gratitude, being kind to others in thought and deed, blessing and praising everyone and everything, utilizing the power of love, creating our day with cheerfulness and joy and all good things---this is TRUTH!

And truth conquers!  No matter our circumstances.

Healing, Hidden Sorrows, and Reaching Out

I read another really good article this week by Elaine S. Marshall in the Ensign, April 2004 issue, page 57, called "Lessons on Healing."

Sister Marshall is (or at least was at the time of this article) the Dean of BYU Nursing.  She said she has learned a lot over the years in the arts of healing, but the main point of her talk was that "...each of us may come to know the Master Healer, partake of the gift of the Atonement, and learn "the healer's art."

She said that "healing is the process of becoming whole...[and that] physical healing mirrors in many ways the spiritual healing we all require at difficult times in our lives."

I really appreciated how she also talked about "hidden sorrows" in a "quiet heart" as described in Hymn 220 (from our LDS Hymn Book) as the song goes on to explain, "sorrow that the eye can't see."  It's easy to reach out and help people whose trials ride on the surface of their lives, but what of those who pass through sorrows in the privacy of their own hearts.  These can't be shared, as they are meant to be worked out between that person and the Lord--and all of us are bound to pass through that kind of sorrow in our lives....usually "as a process of living" as Sister Marshall said.  So people with hidden sorrows are all around us....but we may not know, we cannot tell....just by looking at the surface of their lives.

Sister Marshall said that some healing needs to be private.  Some healing is sacred. 

Most people that have these hidden, private sorrows cannot tell you about them, and probably even if they tried it would not be possible to comprehend...for these are inner battles of our own soul.  Our war for our spirit to conquer our weakness of the flesh and the mortal body.  And while many of our battles are similar, they are still unique to each individual. 

Sister Marshall said, "to say that healing is private is not to diminish the marvelous power that comes from the compassion of others.  Indeed, private healing often may not happen without the help of others.  Nevertheless, much of the work of healing is done alone, inside the heart, in the company of the Spirit of the Lord."

However, and this was the main reason for my post, is that even as we may be in the process of our own pain and healing, we can reach out to help aid others in their healing...often in simple ways.  Even praying that God will use us as instruments in His hands.

Sister Marshall said,  "Every day someone in your path is hurting, someone is afraid, someone feels inadequate, or someone needs a friend.  Someone needs you to notice, to reach out, and to help him or her to heal.  You may not know who that is at the time, but you can give encouragement and hope.  You can help heal wounds of misunderstanding and contention.  You can serve 'in the cause of the Master Healer.'"

Oh how something as simple as a hug, a smile, a note, a phone call, a caring conversation can make the difference and give us that lift and strength to keep going a little longer--if we are the receiver.  And if we are the giver--as we reach out to comfort others we find that in the effort, we are comforted as well.  Our pain and sorrow eases as we reach out in caring to each other.   What we give always comes back to us in kind.

"Savior may I learn to love thee, walk the path that thou hast shown.  Pause to help and lift another, finding strength beyond my own..."  (hymn 220)

I have been reverently singing this hymn in my mind this past week and marveling at it's message, and the timely message from Sister Marshall's talk...

...and about the Master Healer.


**side-note: I also discovered that this song, "Lord, I Would Follow Thee" was written by my favorite LDS author, Susan Evans McCloud!  So cool!  I didn't realize she'd written a church hymn!

Not Good Enough?

I read a Meridian Magazine article this morning by M. Catherine Thomas entitled "Not Good Enough."  I needed a reminder of believing in myself as I have slipped back into some of my old negative thought patterns.  It's an enormous battle and hard work to overcome a life time of mostly negative thinking.  But I know as I continue to persist at it, that it will become easier and easier with time to overcome.

Here is a small segment of Catherine's article in which she quoted another author who said my blog description theme:

Being the Spirit of Truth [that's us], we cannot tolerate anything that is not truth because it sets up immediate conflict and robs us of power in our soul...Truth provokes us to look at all the artificial things we do and prompts us – at any cost -- to get real. Let us then feed on truth and light: “He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things” (D&C 93:28) – these are the stuff of our being.  And when this awareness collapses, we can always trace back in our minds to find the disempowering thought – then forgive it and reverse it.
Consider this possibility: that it is the fear of being divinely transformed, of being divine that holds us back.  Our deepest fear may not be that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure.  One author has suggested that it is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us, so that we may tend to retreat into our self-made darkness because we’re fearful to express and manifest divinity.  We may at some level ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, gifted, and fabulous?
Yet, she points out, our “playing small doesn’t serve the world.  There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around [us].  We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us”; and as we let [that] light shine, we give others permission to do the same.1 

There is something important in our heart to do.  Let us clean up our thinking and expand into the divine.

---

Notes

1 Adapted from Rosamund Zander, The Art of Possibility, 179, citing Marianne Williamson.

 

 

Thank-You!!

This was an email message from Rhonda Byrne today:

From The Secret Daily Teachings Begin your day by feeling grateful. Be grateful for the bed you just slept in, the roof over your head, the carpet or floor under your feet, the running water, the soap, your shower, your toothbrush, your clothes, your shoes, the refrigerator that keeps your food cold, the car that you drive, your job, your friends. Be grateful for the stores that make it so easy to buy the things you need, the restaurants, the utilities, services, and electrical appliances that make your life effortless. Be grateful for the magazines and the books that you read. Be grateful for the chair that you sit on, and the pavement that you walk on. Be grateful for the weather, the sun, the sky, the birds, the trees, the grass, the rain, and the flowers.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
May the joy be with you,
Rhonda Byrne

Today I AM VERY THANKFUL because I once again have a computer!  I was without my computer for almost 17 days during the month of February.  (broken up into 6.5 days without, 9 days with and 10 days without before all the problems were resolved.)  It has been a painful and stretching experience with lots of practice in patience.  I already knew how much I loved my computer and was already thankful for technology, but today I am a HUNDRED TIMES MORE THANKFUL for technology and all the wonderful things I can do on my computer!
And I'm very thankful to Michael for all the time and hard work he put into fixing it for me.  I can never thank him enough.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Patricia's Perspective

I love Sister Patricia Holland, wife of Elder Jeffery R. Holland.  I've never met her.  But I have heard her speak at Women's Conference and read many of her talks and also the book, "On Earth as it is in Heaven" written by her and Elder Holland.  She touches my heart deeply and I feel a kindred spirit towards her.

I've read the previously mentioned book several times.  It's a treasure trove of spiritual treasures.  Tonight I opened it to resume reading where I left off a few months ago, but somehow I opened to this part instead, and it was perfect for this blog and the Law of Attraction perspective.  It's in Chapter 4 "The Fruits of Peace" where she is talking about learning to love and forgive others.  One profound thought starts with a quote from President Spencer W. Kimball:

"As we try to overlook whatever others have done to us, we will begin to let go of all that has been hard to forgive in ourselves.  We will feel peace and wholeness, and we will remember that the Lord suffered for our sins so we could experience at-one-ment with him, with our neighbors, and, very importantly, within ourselves."  (Faith Precedes the Miracle pg. 190-96)

Patricia says that even though we may not always see it, God surrounds us with other people whose weaknesses are like our own.  "A good relationship is not one in which perfection reigns; rather, it is one in which a healthy perspective simply overlooks the faults of others."

She recommends a practice.  "For one day, make a note each time you critically evaluate someone.  This doesn't have to be a spoken criticism....it is important to note each time you pass even unspoken judgment.  ...then the next day, see if you can go the entire day without being critical or petty toward anyone."

Then this is the part that is most relevant to BIY and LOA:  "Remember that whatever you toss out mentally or verbally comes back to you according to God's plan of compensation: 'For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.' (Matthew 7:2)  A critical, petty, or vicious remark is simply an attack on our own self-worth.  On the other hand, if our minds are constantly seeing good in others, that, too, will return, and we will truly feel good about ourselves."

Sending out love can be very hard at times.  Especially to all people, as God has commanded us, to love everyone.  But Patricia says, "I bear this witness: There is in this world much that can be accomplished only with the help of God.  If He tells us to love, He will give us the power to do so."

And that love will come back to us enabling us to love ourselves and others even more.

The Law is The Way

This whole blog started with the inspiration that culminated for me from my own studies of the gospel of Jesus Christ into this "Law of Attraction" from the book, "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne.

I love looking up the meaning of a word when I want to understand something.  I thought it was important to focus on the word "law" as part of this series, because it is a very important word.  Without laws our world would be chaos.  I thought it was cool in the dictionary when it said, "any written or positive rule or collection of rules prescribed under the authority of the state or nation."  Yes, we need positive rules to govern our lives.  The Law of Attraction is definitely a set of positive rules!

The dictionary also said that a law is "the controlling influence of such rules"....with the law of attraction it is sending out positive thoughts and feelings in order to attract them back to you.  (whereas the opposite also applies that we attract negative back to us if that is what we are sending out.)

It also said a law was "a rule or principle of proper conduct sanctioned by conscience," and "a principle based on the predictable consequences of an act, condition, etc."  These principles have been instilled in each of us as the light of Christ.  Everyone knows good from evil and the consequences that follow our choices.

And last but not least, "a commandment or revelation from God."  It even put "the law" in bold print for one definition and refers you to the law of Moses. 

But the point I wanted to make, the thing that matters the most to me in contemplating any definition of "law" is that Jesus Christ is "the law"...THE law.     We need Him.  We need His law.  Without His law there is no way.  And we need a way, THE way, back home.  He is the way.

"He offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law...unto none else can the ends of the law be answered."  2 Nephi 2:7

For, "there is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated---And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated."  Doctrine and Covenants 130:20-21

All things center in Christ.  That is why the law of attraction works so well.  We who choose to live the gospel work our lives to gain Christlike virtues because we want to see His image reflected in our countenances.  Is that not the law of attraction?  As we live those virtues: faith, patience, hope, charity, meekness, humility, long-suffering, mercy, goodness, service and so on....are we not sending out the positive which will be reflected back to us?  I see it.  I feel it in my life when I live it.

The Atonement helps me to hold the ground I might otherwise have lost.

The book, The Secret, implies that these things, these laws and principles have been hidden for centuries, and that people did not want to unlock or share the power that was contained within them. But all these laws and principles come from God.  God would never hide them from His children.  The only way they would become "hidden" is through the disobedience to His laws.  But no more.  God has once again sent His light to the earth.

"The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law."  Deuteronomy 29:29  How sweet of a scripture and promise is that??!! 

God will reveal all that we need to know.  He does this in great wisdom and mercy.  He gives to us as we are ready and able to live His laws.  His laws are joyous unto us.  And, He sent us His Son to convey and to fulfill His Law.

I'm so thankful that Jesus Christ is that law.  I'm so thankful he is The Way.

No suffering lies beyond His power to redeem, no sorrow that cannot be turned into joy!

There's no place to go but up!

This Man Truly Believed in Himself and Others

In memory of Randy Pausch. A man who believed in himself, loved life, and living. He passed away July 25, 2008. I'm sure he is doing great work on the other side.

His "last lecture" advise was to:

Have fun!

Never give up!

Look for the good in others!


Youtube link if you want to watch it on a larger screen.



He wrote a book called "The Last Lecture." You can find good used copies at various places online like Alibris Books

True Human Triumphant!

This is one of the most touching and impressive things I have ever seen.  This young man is amazing, but I must say, his Dad is a true hero, too!

The Poorest Soil

This doesn't have to do with the Law of Attraction, but it does have to do with perspective.  In the Book of Mormon, in Jacob 5, Jacob teaches us about the allegory of the Olive Tree.  S. Michael Wilcox, from his book "When Your Prayers Seem Unanswered" helped me see the following analogy:

The Lord took some of the precious and good branches of the olive tree and planted them in various parts of His vineyard.  Some were planted in good soil, and others in poor soil.  But wherever He planted them, He nourished them and cared for them.

The branches, which grow into trees, could be likened to individual people and their progress.  When the Servant of the Master of the vineyard asks, "Why did you plant this tree in such a poor spot?" the Master (the Lord) answers, "I know what I'm doing.  I knew it was a poor spot (or I know the situation in your life isn't the best), but I have nourished it (you) this long time (I have not left you to fare as best you can in a difficult situation alone).  I have nourished you.  Then the Lord says, "Thou beholdest that it (you) hath brought forth much fruit."  And what are these fruits?  They are character, nobility, patience, compassion, empathy, and godliness....and more. 

Then the Lord calls our attention to a tree in an even poorer spot of ground.  He wants us to recognize there are people in worse situations than ourselves.  The Lord nourishes them also.

Then the Lord points to a tree in a rich spot that has not done as well.

It's not the spot of ground we are planted in, but how we respond to the Lord's nourishment.

The poorest spots of ground can bring forth some of the sweetest fruits.  God can turn everything in our life to good.  We just have to trust Him and stay on the path.  God will consecrate our afflictions for our gain.  (2 Nephi 2:1-2)

"All these things shall give thee experience and shall be for thy good."  (Doctrine & Covenants 122:7)

One day our trials will be finished.  God shall wipe away our tears.  (Revelations 21:4)

Christ is the beginning and the end.  The end of sorrow, the end of death, the end of pain, the end of crying.  He is the beginning of peace, the beginning of life and happiness and glory; the beginning of all joys.

He gives us warmth.  He gives us light.  He will cleanse and purge us as a refiner's fire til we are pure enough to endure His presence when He comes again.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."  (Proverbs 3:5-6)

The Holy Ghost

Lately, the Lord is teaching me a lot about the Holy Ghost and just how crucial a role He plays in our lives.

I often think about that dream Brigham Young had shortly after he became the second president and prophet of our church in this dispensation.  It's the dream where Joseph Smith appeared to him.  The one thing he told Brigham Young to tell the people, that he said was the most important thing, was to get and keep the Holy Ghost and that if we did that we would be led aright.

One of my favorite talks of all times has become "The Way" by Lawrence Corbridge.  In that talk Elder Crobridge says,  "Nothing in this life is of greater worth than the supernal gift of the Holy Ghost. It is the source of joy, peace, knowledge, strength, love, and every other good thing. [and I say what more could we want?!]  With the Atonement, it is the power by which we may be changed and made strong where we are weak. With the priesthood, it is the power by which marriages and families are sealed together eternally.  It is the power by which the Lord makes Himself manifest unto those who believe in Him.  Every good thing depends on getting and keeping the power of the Holy Ghost in our lives. Everything depends on that."

I wondered what could be more supernal than the Savior's Atonement.  I am coming to realize the Holy Ghost is our access to the Atonement.  In the article I mentioned in my last post by Larry Barkdull he talks about how it is the work of the Holy Ghost and the Savior to refine us.  The gift of the Holy Ghost is referred to also as the "baptism by fire."  We must all go through the refiner's fire to be sanctified and purified in order to return to the presence of God.

Today I read, again, Elder David A. Bednar's talk from the November 2007 Ensign (conference talk) called "Clean Hands and a Pure Heart."  Elder Bednar said it is possible to have clean hands but not a pure heart.  I was concerned by this thought.  But as I studied it today I saw a new analogy I had not seen before.  Elder Bednar recounts the story of Christ visiting the people of the American Continent shortly after His resurrection.  He teaches them the basics of repentance, and then coming unto Him through baptism and the Holy Ghost.  Then he has them, one by one, come to Him and feel the prints in his hands and feet and thrust their hands into His sides.  This is intimately coming to know the Savior and understanding just what it is that He did for us, with His Atonement, His death, and His resurrection.

Elder Bednar suggests that clean hands represents the repentance of sin and putting off the natural man through Christ's atonement.  Having a pure heart is to accept the Savior's strengthening and sustaining powers to help us become even better than we could on our own.  So no matter how many good works we do, they will not be enough to help us be sanctified enough to come unto Him without accepting His enabling powers...without actually obtaining a one on one relationship to Him, without personally feeling those prints in his hands and feet and side, symbolically, of course.

As Elder Corbridge put it, "No institution, plan, program, or system ever conceived by men has access to the redeeming and transforming power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Therefore, while the Lord’s invitation to follow Him is the highest of all, it is also achievable by everyone, not because we are able, but because He is, and because He can make us able too."

When I understood it, I thought Hallelujah!!  Who would NOT want Christ's enabling power?!  Who would not be humble enough to accept that?!  The only way we cannot, would be to not pursue it.  To not see it.  I guess it's like the parable of the Ten Virgins.  They were all somewhat pure, right?  They were Virgins after all.  They were all waiting for the coming of the Bridegroom, but only half were fully prepared to meet Him.  What did the others lack?

Elder Bednar suggests this:
"Some who hear or read this message may think the spiritual progress I am describing is not attainable in their lives. We may believe these truths apply to others but not to us.
We will not attain a state of perfection in this life, but we can and should press forward with faith in Christ along the strait and narrow path and make steady progress toward our eternal destiny. The Lord’s pattern for spiritual development is “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little” (2 Nephi 28:30). Small, steady, incremental spiritual improvements are the steps the Lord would have us take.  Preparing to walk guiltless before God is one of the primary purposes of mortality and the pursuit of a lifetime; it does not result from sporadic spurts of intense spiritual activity.
I witness that the Savior will strengthen and assist us to make sustained, paced progress."

So we can't just "ride along" as members.  We have to work and pay the price for the highest level of discipleship, not just by good works alone, but drawing near to Christ.  The only way I know to do this is through study and prayer, pondering, always remembering Him, striving hard to get and keep the Holy Ghost with us, which can be done as we worthily and with much thought, partake of the Sacrament each week, and any and all other thing that will help us be near Him and learn of Him, like attending the temple as well as our meetings at Church, keeping the Sabbath Day holy which keeps us unspotted from the world, accepting and magnifying our callings, and repenting, forgiving, serving others, and sharing our testimony of Him as often as we can.  It sounds like a lot.  It is.  But to be pure in heart is to accept the Savior's enabling power so it is possible...like Elder Bednar said, "Small, steady, incremental spiritual improvements are the steps the Lord would have us take."  This is putting oil in our lamps and preparing us for the Savior's return. 

The Holy Ghost is our key and our guide to do it...to the enabling power of the Savior's Atonement.

The Holy Ghost filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence through prayer until the end shall come.

The Holy Ghost fills us with light and truth.

The Holy Ghost cleanses, heals and purifies the soul.

The Holy Ghost is the only source that enables us to have the charity that we must have, because without charity we are also nothing.

"With the Atonement it is the power by which we may be changed and made strong where we are weak....Every good thing depends on getting and keeping the power of the Holy Ghost in our lives.  Everything depends on that." (repeated again from Elder Corbridge, which phrase I could never tire of hearing!)

The Holy Ghost is a true friend.

It is the plainest and simplest things that edify us the most if taught by the Spirit of God.

There are so many wonderful things said about the Holy Ghost.  I wish I had them all in front of me so I could add them all in, but then this post would be way too long.  So I'll only add from memory part of a quote from Parley P. Pratt where he said the Holy Ghost can even give you beauty in your physical appearance.  I have seen this beauty in those who have His image in their countenance.  Sheri Dew said, "No amount of time in front of the mirror will make you as attractive as having the Holy Ghost with you."

The Holy Ghost is truly a supernal gift of great worth!!

 I have heard the Holy Ghost likened to a radio station before....like a fine frequency that you have to really work at to get the frequency.  And that sometimes you have to listen very carefully to hear it.

Since the Law of Attraction is to be the master of one's thoughts; since it is about creating one's life by virtue of the images in your mind; since it is the power to attract what you think about the most; since it is likened unto a magnetic power emitted by your thoughts and the attraction of your thoughts is to cause that which you are thinking of to come closer (whether good or bad); since they have likened it unto one infinite power...calling that the Universe...and although also saying it could be referred to as God, but they don't want to rule out those who don't believe in God and just want to believe in a higher power...which are the natural laws of the universe...

And, most importantly, the one that likens it to the Holy Ghost is likening it unto a frequency--"a thought is a frequency just like a radio frequency puts out a voice and a TV frequency puts out an image and a voice; we can measure those thoughts by thinking it over and over again...if you're imagining what it looks like, you're emitting that frequency on a consistent basis.  You are a human transmission tower, more powerful than TV.  Your transmission creates your life and your world through your thoughts."

As members of the church we are admonished to control our thoughts.  Boyd K. Packer likened our thoughts unto a performance being acted out on a stage.  Sometimes bad thoughts come onto our stage and it's our job to get them off by replacing them with good thoughts...a scripture we have memorized, singing a hymn in our mind, or whatever works for us. 

As I've mentioned before, positive thoughts come of the spirit and of God.  Negative thoughts come from Satan.  It's hard to keep the Holy Ghost with us if we are on a negative frequency.  Likewise, when we tune into the positive frequency Satan flees.  He can't stand to be around any good or wholesome thing.  (yeah for that!)

What I have learned is that keeping on the positive frequency keeps the Holy Ghost with me more frequently, and as I have the Holy Ghost with me more frequently I invite (or attract or magnetize) more positive thoughts and feelings and I find it easier to be grateful, easier to have charity, easier to endure any hard circumstances in my life, and so on.  It is a much better frequency to be on, no doubt about it!

I absolutely LOVE this Mormon Messages video:  "Voice of the Spirit" with James E. Faust.

Power to Choose * Power to Change

A war in heaven was fought, and souls were lost, that we might gain the precious gift of free agency.  The power to choose and act for ourselves.

As a teen-ager in the 70's there was a popular saying that I always remembered that said, "If you love something set it free.  If it loves you, it will come back to you."

That's how God feels about us.  He loved us so much He set us free with a power to choose, with a chance that we might not come back.

God gave us a mind to discern.  We can use the power He gave us to choose our thoughts.  As the Law of Attraction states, we have the power to intentionally think and create our entire life.

In 2 Nephi 2:27-29 it says, "...they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not be acted upon...to choose liberty and eternal life (through the Savior) or captivity and death (through Satan).

I'd like to think there are very few spirits that would knowingly choose evil.  I'd rather think they were pulled into evil through ignorance and through Satan's cunning deception.  It takes a lot more effort on our part to choose good and remain firm in righteousness, because Satan is going to be working harder on those that are on that path.  If we choose to do nothing at all, we fall over to Satan's side of the line.  Like Elder Jeffery R. Holland said, "there is no neutral ground in the universe:  every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan."

Doctrine & Covenants 58:27-29 says, "Men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; for the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves..."
President Henry B. Eyring said, "Choose by what you put in your mind to be an example of hope to those around you."

Elder David A. Bednar said, "As agents, you and I have the power to act and to choose how we will respond [in any situation].  (Ensign 11/06 And Nothing Shall Offend Them)

Do we ever use others as an excuse for our own bad behavior?  True growth comes when we are ready to recognize and acknowledge our own faults and weaknesses, when we put our selves and our agency on God's altar, ready to accept His will, ready to see what changes He would have us to see.

I read a really good article, in fact, I studied it the last couple of days by Larry Barkdull (published on Meridian Magazine) called "How the Sacrament Empowers Us to Rescue Wayward Children."  He said, in this article, "Our ability to rescue and redeem a wayward soul is directly linked to our level of sanctification.  Therefore, we are told that before we attempt to pluck out the mote in another's eye we must first excise the beam from our own.  (Matt 7:3-4)  That process requires the Holy Ghost.  As we pray for the Lord's help to rescue our children, we might be surprised that He focuses His attention on us first.  The Lord might use the child's situation to sanctify us.  If we will submit to the refiner's fire, once we emerge from it, we will be in a much better position to help our children when they experience it."

He also said, "It is a well-known fact that the sacrament serves to align our lives with Jesus Christ like a compass aligns us to true north."  

We can be the masters of our mental compass as well.

In the book "The Secret" Michael Bernard Beckwith said, "Whatever thought has done in your life, it can be undone through a shift in your awareness."

That is the power of repentance.  That is the power God has given us to change our course direction towards true north.

I also read in the book TS that "you have the power to change anything because you are the one who feels your feelings.  Feeling good and attracting good feelings are able to bring you higher and higher.

Remember who is the author of negativity--Satan.  And the author of positivity--God.

You can completely change every circumstance and event in your entire life, by changing the way you think.

TS says "your life is in your hands."  While this is partly true because of our power to act and choose, I also believe our life is in God's hands if we let it be.  Things we cannot master power over on our own, the weaknesses God gave us, are to give us some dependence upon Him.  Jesus Christ is THE one who can make us able--able to do whatever God asks us to do that is good and right.  Able even to change a lifetime of incorrect and negative thinking patterns over into positive ones.

However, I do agree with D&C 59:29 where we are agents unto ourselves and the power is in us to do many good things of our own free will and choosing, as they put it in the book TS, "No matter where you are now, no matter what has happened in your life, you can begin to consciously choose your thoughts and you can change your life.  There is no such thing as a hopeless situation.  Every single circumstance of your life can change."  Is this not a God-inspired statement!  If everyone on earth lived by that, how our world would change for good!

President James E. Faust said, "The power to change is very real, and it's a great spiritual gift."  (Ensign 11/07 The Power to Change, written just months before he passed away.)

My favorite, Elder John H. Groberg said, "Sometimes when things aren't going right, we think we need to get away from a place or a person.  Sometimes that helps, but most of the time what we need is to get away from our old self and our selfish feelings.  We can leave a place behind, or we can stay in that place and leave our selfishness [or feeling sorry for ourselves I would add] behind.  If we leave a place and take our selfishness with us, the cycle of problems starts all over again no matter where we go.  But if we leave our selfishness behind, no matter where we are, things start to improve."  (In the Eye of the Storm pg. 39)

TS, pg 121 says, "Even if you're having a really hard time in a relationship--things aren't working, you're not getting along, someone's in your face--you can still turn that relationship around."  [Now that's power!!]

What I have learned this past year is that repentance & forgiveness unlock the power to change.  I had an issue where I finally realized that I needed to repent in order to more fully forgive.  Repentance was just a matter of correcting my course, which turned out to be the way that I was thinking, both about myself and the person I had the issue with.  I am still in awe of how affective this has been, and continues to be.  Not that anything else changed, except just the manner in which I now direct my thoughts.

All negative patterns are learned behaviors and can be unlearned.

Power to change comes from a perspective of things (as in the fall, mortality, opposition) grace, (we can't make it alone--the atonement is in place) and strength (to change, not eliminate our circumstances.) 

Only He, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and Savior, gives us power to live, to progress, to heal.  Draw upon the power of His Atonement, where there is infinite power!

Storms

 
I am really fascinated with storms.  Only in pictures though.  Not real life...especially storms that come in the way of life's trials.  I have been drawn over the years to spiritual storm analogies.  I guess the Lord knew I was going to need them.  One of my favorite quotes is by Elder John H. Groberg:

"Life is like the ocean…sometimes we get caught in squalls and storms and things don’t go the way we think they should…even when we think we have done right…sometimes the Lord calms the storm, and sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child…God can find us in the eye of a storm and give us courage to swim in rough water.  We learn lessons from storms that we cannot learn from calm seas."

I have that quote in the back of my scriptures with a picture of a big ocean wave.  And the words to the song, "Master the Tempest is Raging" and this quote by Elder Jeffery R. Holland:

"It is not without recognition of life's tempests, but fully and directly because of them, that I testify of God's love and the Savior's power to calm the storm.  Always remember in that biblical story that He was out there on the water also, that He faced the worst of it right along with the newest and youngest and most fearful.  Only one who has fought against those ominous waves is justified in telling us---as well as the sea---to 'be still.'  Only one who has taken the full brunt of such adversity could ever be justified in telling us in such times to 'be of good cheer.'  The one who calmed the storm can quiet our soul-squalls."  (Ensign 11/99 pg 36)

Brigham Young said, "God is at the helm.  This is the mighty ship Zion and you need not worry about anything else...He guides the ship, and will bring us safely into port.  All we have to care about is to take care of ourselves and see that we do right.  Let us man the ship manfully, everyone standing faithfully and firmly to his post, and she will out-ride every storm and safely bear us to the harbor of Celestial bliss."

"...remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."  -Helaman 5:12

I am so thankful today for the rock I have to stand on, my Redeemer and yours, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Taking the Measure of Our Progress

Today I read this article by Wallace Goddard (Dr. Wally) on his website called "A Few Ways to Assess Our Spiritual Progress." 

It really moved me.  Some of the things that touched me were these comments:

The closer we get to God, the more we focus on His glory rather than our own progress. Any radiance from us is truly reflected light.

The more we experience God, the more we know that He consecrates even our afflictions for our gain. We are less afraid of trials and more grateful for blessings. We know that our lives are presided over by a perfectly loving and perfectly wise Father. While seeing His goodness in everything may be more difficult for those of us who think we should exercise significant control in our lives, or have trouble trusting, even we can learn to relax in His gracious arms.

It is always cause for celebration when we discover that God is patiently teaching and guiding us.

 7. We rejoice. Several times every week, God traverses eternity to put His strong arms around me and lift me off the ground. I am dumbfounded when He does it. I join Ammon in words of wonder: “Who could have supposed that our God would have been so merciful as to have snatched us from our awful, sinful, and polluted state?” (Alma 26:17). Sometimes it is the words of a hymn that jar me with joy. Sometimes it is a harmonious truth that leaps out of scripture. Sometimes it is quite inexplicable; God just gives a random hug. Oh! How grateful I am!

It is the flourishes of the Spirit that testify that we are on the path toward God.

As I think about our halting progress, I think of our dear little grandson Will. When he took his first faltering steps, we whooped and hollered. We acted as if all creation should celebrate!   I wonder if loved ones on the other side of the veil do the same thing every time we pass another spiritual milestone. We finally learn to trust God with some corner of our minds, hearts, and lives and joy busts loose in Eternity! We learn to hear the voice of God and angels sing praises.  Truly, those that be with us are more than we can comprehend (See Elisha in 2 Kings 6:16).

Thanks Dr. Wally!