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!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
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
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.
Monday, March 1, 2010
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!
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!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
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!
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!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
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
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
Sunday, January 24, 2010
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!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
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)
Monday, January 18, 2010
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.
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.
Friday, January 15, 2010
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!
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!
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