New spiritual prompting people. Not a surprising one, but one that still hit me pretty good which has caused me to think about it for a while now. Pride is evil! In every sense of the word, not good, but very, Very, VERY BAD! Pride is the one thing that will break up families, tear down individuals, sever relationships, ruin friendships, bring down countries. Pride is the cause of wars, bloodshed, and is a cause of many tears.
It is such an individual character flaw, that I think it can be the great downfall to us all. It is the one gift of mortality that is given to almost all. There are a choice few spirits who have been given the ability to be humble always. It is a blessing not a curse to be humble.
With the experience from my last post, I have come to realize, that even though praying for humility is not always the funnest thing to do, because we all know that that is the one prayer that is always answered. At least we are a little bit more mentally prepared when it comes because we have been praying for it than when we have to be spiritually reprimanded and humbled by the Lord because we have let our pride override our humility and haven’t prayed for it.
Lesson learned. Pray for humility.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Prayer. Answered. Check.
It’s a funny thing prayer. Funny in the most respectful and amazing way possible! So here is my life update as of October 26, 2010. If some of you didn’t know, I’m going to give a little bit more back info on myself here to catch you up with today. Nice how our past affects our future huh? Haha. This is a really long way to explain this, but humor me, its semi entertaining.
When I was 21, I went through beauty school in Tucson Arizona. I worked full time at St. Mary’s Hospital, working the 11pm-7am shift Tues-Sat and going to school Mon-Fri 3pm-9pm. Looking back it amazes me the love of God and the strength He gives each of us without us even knowing about it when we are doing something that He has asked us to do. Beauty school was one of those things that kinda just happened for me. It happened in a way that looking back I know I didn’t have control of it happening.
By that time, I had stopped “playing” and started to straighten my life out. I wasn’t at the “going to church” stage yet, but I felt the need to start going. I started reading The Book of Mormon more frequently and reading my Patriarchal Blessing. I’ve come to realize recently, that “baby steps” were needed for my testimony to grow and to be strengthened. I guess that’s really how it works for everyone. *grin* All thanks goes to a conversation I had with my sister. Learning to run isn’t done overnight. By learning first how to walk by putting one foot in front of the other and building up endurance and strength, running isn’t a problem, well at least not as much of one anyway.
OK, back to the subject. Beauty school was one of the least favorite experiences of my life! Not the learning all the fun hair, nail, and skin stuff, I absolutely LOVE that, but the drama of girls was so not my favorite! I learned that being around people who live “of the world” was hard. I’m not saying I wasn’t one of the drama girls all the time, because that was during one of the emotionally special years of a girl’s life, and well, I am a girl. It was tough! I was this little girl from Salt Lake who threw herself/had been thrown into a situation where every emotion would be challenged, every moral fiber would either be reinforced or broken and physical exhaustion combined with those two things was a bad idea, along with the fact that I was still building my testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Again, beauty school was not one of my favorite places.
Funny side note, my favorite Bishop told me once that you could never pay him enough to be in his 20’s again. He said you go through so many emotional ups and downs that he would never want to experience that again! TRUE DAT YO! Get me to my 30’s and mental sanity please! Haha.
I think by the time I was actually done with school and got my license that I was so burnt out, that doing hair was the farthest desire from my mind. Even if I did love doing it, the bad experience totally outweighed the good for me. It took me a little over 2 years before I went to work in a salon. I still did cuts and colors at home, but it’s not the same.
I went to work at SuperCuts. It only took me a few months of the Lord telling me I should go to a salon for me to actually do it. It ended up being such a great place for learning and growing. It gave me the confidence to stand behind someone and the knowledge to actually know what I was doing once I was back there. I learned so much about people and made some good friends, I learned so much about myself! I was there for almost two years, and left right before I moved up to Salt Lake. I was so thankful that I listened when I did because the blessings of spiritual, physical, and mental growth wouldn’t have come in the same way if I hadn’t gone to work there. Being led by the spirit is one of the sweetest experiences of life. If only I would have listened sooner. Who knows what blessings/learning could have taken place if I listened sooner. Hind sight is 20/20 I guess.
Now onto the way my Salt Lake adventure started. I had quit SuperCuts in February, being a little burnt out on just cutting hair, but I was still working at St. Mary’s, I had left the ICU and went to their Staffing Office, which was not my favorite. So, when I felt impressed that I needed to head up the Salt Lake for the summer of 2008, I was all excited.
It was really sweet. I had a plan, I had goals. I had a lot of spiritual revelation and insight on what I was supposed to do and how to do it. I was going up for a career change. I flew up to Salt Lake in May for a few job interviews and had two jobs set up for when I moved up the first of June that were going to last the summer. I was a cooking instructor for a kid’s summer camp, which pretty much rocked! It was hard, but so much fun! I also worked part time at a catering company as a prep cook. I learned so much! To work under a chef that I was able to ask questions to was ahhhhmazing!
I loved being back in Salt Lake, so when the impression came to move up there, I was pretty excited. The catering job turned into a full time gig and I found a place to live. Blessing also was that my friend was moving up from Tucson too and she was able to bring up some of my stuff with her, we were also roommates when she moved up. Side note: My car engine blew the day before I flew up to Salt Lake in May, so my plan to drive my car and bring my stuff with me then kinda changed to packing two big boxes of goodies and flew up. I sub leased a girls room for that summer so I had a bed, no worries there. Everything seriously worked out amazingly! There are true blessings from following the Lord. It’s like He sees the big picture and knows what is happening in our lives.
I bought a bike when I first moved up, again, no car, so I biked everywhere that summer. When you ride a bike and wear a helmet all summer in the heat that equals hair not being done, make-up not being worn, or not dressing in anything but t-shirts. It was kinda refreshing, but not, all at the same time. I’ve learned in the last few months that I am a true Princess and I like the whole dressing up, doing my hair, make-up, and nails thing. Good thing I’m heading back into the Cosmetology world, but that’s a whole other story.
In Salt Lake I was in a great ward with one of the most amazing Bishops ever! Bishop Charles (Chuck) Schwab (he was the “funny side note” earlier in this post.) Seriously one of the sweetest and spiritual men I have ever met and someone who is always willing to let me learn in my time and let me know that he was there if ever I needed him. He was there to support and encourage me during all the emotional specialness that was my mid 20’s.
I lived in an apartment with a friend for the first year or so up in Salt Lake which was another amazing learning experience. The things I learned there might be mentioned in future posts, so keep an eye out. I eventually moved in with Riley and Silvia. (Brother and sister-in-law) I had some of the sweetest and most spiritual conversations with Silvia and learned that Riley and I can actually get along as adults and we’re a lot more alike than I ever imagined.
I eventually left the catering company which by then had turned into a full time job, and started working at the University Hospital. The Neuro Acute Care Unit was pretty much the best place to learn. Seriously yo, I learned a lot!
There is no doubt in my mind that things were working out the way that they were supposed to. The Lord had a plan and my will was becoming more aligned with His every day. I understood that and was so excited! I tried to go to the Temple every week. I can say that that was one of the most amazing blessings of being in Utah. I partook of the Temple as often as possible and am quite sure that my learning wouldn’t have been as quick or as sweet without the Temple.
During this whole time I had adventures with dating/not dating and the emotional ups and downs that come along with it. Good example: Hot Man. There might be future blog posts about past adventures with guys besides Hot Man because they also allowed me to grow in one way or another. It’s like I was being prepared to Find My Ore or something.
Now onto how this all applies to today…
I went back to beauty school this year from May 11-Sep 4. Seriously?! You may ask? Yes. Yes, I did. It wasn’t by choice though, it was by necessity. My Arizona license didn’t carry over to Utah. And since the Spirit was poking at me again to get back into doing hair full time, I needed my Utah license to do that, which meant that I needed to go back to school for 400hrs (the difference between the two states requirements). It was the best thing I could have done! Ever! I learned so many things! I love that industry! I learned I want to teach and if I do say so myself, I’m not too shabby with the teaching skills.
I met some really amazing people, both students and clients. It was fun again and selfishly, it was a self esteem boost to go to school each day, the girls would always tell me how good I was. It’s nice to hear that once in awhile. It’s like I knew exactly what I was doing because I had been doing it for years or something and they were all brand new, just learning. It did feel good to be able to reassure the girls that were there, that one day, it would be easier and it would feel a lot more natural than it did at the moment. Anywho, I also have a job waiting for me there when I get back to Utah, if I do end up being back there by January.
During the last month of school, I started feeling the prompting that I needed to take a “break” from Utah and head down to my family in Tucson for a bit. The feeling was that I would be gone for about 3months, but I would be heading back up to Utah. It was a peaceful feeling, and one I knew needed to happen. I prayed, fasted, and went to the Temple. I was sad with the idea of leaving a beautiful fall in Utah, and then leaving a beautiful winter in Arizona, but still, the peaceful feeling stayed and I knew I needed to get ready for the mini move. I quit my job at the hospital, hopefully said all my goodbyes, “I’ll be back soon”, I packed up my car, put everything that didn’t fit into storage and was off.
I got to Tucson in the early morning of September 8th, around 1am. Boy was I tired, but that tired doesn’t even compare to the tired to come. I had more arguing and frustrating conversations with my mom and sister than I think I have in my whole life within the first two weeks of getting here! My mom ended up having foot surgery the week after I got here, so I was taking care of three kiddos, 9, 4, 2 ½, while my sister was at work. Exhaustion, pure exhaustion.
Let me tell you something. I never thought that being a mom would be so difficult. I was actually anti ever having kids and getting married for a good month or so. As of today, I am slowly coming back around to the idea, but man, it threw me through a freaking loop. On top of the taking care of a mom who couldn’t walk and three loving, smart, MONSTER children (I’m mostly joking, but holy cow, the babes were feisty. It probably didn’t help that I am nothing like their mom and I don’t let them get away with the same stuff.) I got the flu. Ahhhh!
Spiritually I was tired, physically I was tired and man, there is only so much personal reflection that should be allowed before it becomes more harmful than good, which also means I was mentally tired. That talk I wrote on pride that I posted, and what I thought my need for humility was, wasn’t even close to what I went through when I got here.
Needless to say, I wanted to go home. Not just a little bit, but a lot of bit. I wanted my own space, my own time, my own everything again. I had been independent for a long time and I am a stubborn person who has grown to like things her way. It’s like I’m single and 28 or something (which I just realized when I put it that way isn’t old at all, but still, I’m stubborn.)
I had made up my mind. I was going to go home. I wasn’t being the best Sarah I could be here, I was mean, rude, disconnected from the Spirit and downright annoying. (you may be thinking that is always how I am, but I was extra worse here *wink*) I would wait it out until the second week of October, but I was going to go home. My mom had her birthday, Jakob had his, and we would celebrate Jonahs before I left, so all was ready to go. I started to tell people I was coming home. My friends up in Salt Lake were excited, I told Silvia and Riley and things were going to work out great with me being back so soon. The only problem was, that whenever I said I was going back, I KNEW, that I wasn’t.
I tried to fight it, I cried, ok, not just cried, but broke down about it on multiple occasions. I had my life planned up in Utah. I had my friends there. I had work figured out, and my goals were set. I was ready to go. Remember that whole me being “prideful” thing? Yeah, that’s what was kicking my butt for a few weeks. Pride. And then… one morning after having a rough night, the sweetest feeling came over me. It went kind of like this. Sarah, you have been praying for your family, you have been fasting for your family. The things you been praying for can be answered by you staying, even if it’s just for a little bit.
HOLY COW! I had been praying for this?! I took it a little rough. It’s totally true though. Not to sound cocky, but I am an answer to my own prayers. Chew on that one, because I was dumb enough never to realize the simplicity of that. We can be answers to our own prayers. It ties back to faith being an action word. Kinda cool huh? The mini move down here was for sure to help my family, but it was for me too. I don’t think if I didn’t experience some of the extremes of emotions that I went through those first few weeks, they would never have sunk in the same way in any other situation.
I got a Priesthood Blessing the following Sunday and it was so sweet. Peace and strength were offered. I know I need to be here. I know I am here for a reason, again, for myself just as much for my family. I know that family is more important than ANYTHING and if we have the chance to be a strength to those we love, we should always do it willingly, not grudgingly.
How many times in this post had I been blessed with answered prayers, with promptings to do things, and each time there have been blessings that came. I should not doubt the Lord, but I should accept His will as my own. Do what He has asked me to do with a broken heart and contrite spirit. It’s the seeing my life in the big puzzle or picture scenario again, the Lord sees it, I do not. If he sees the beauty of it in its entirety, I should trust in His judgment and keep moving forward and see the beauty in the piece or pieces He allows me to see.
I love the Lord. I love my Savior Jesus Christ and am truly thankful for the power of repentance. I am thankful for the ability to ask forgiveness from our Father and learn from our mistakes.
When I was 21, I went through beauty school in Tucson Arizona. I worked full time at St. Mary’s Hospital, working the 11pm-7am shift Tues-Sat and going to school Mon-Fri 3pm-9pm. Looking back it amazes me the love of God and the strength He gives each of us without us even knowing about it when we are doing something that He has asked us to do. Beauty school was one of those things that kinda just happened for me. It happened in a way that looking back I know I didn’t have control of it happening.
By that time, I had stopped “playing” and started to straighten my life out. I wasn’t at the “going to church” stage yet, but I felt the need to start going. I started reading The Book of Mormon more frequently and reading my Patriarchal Blessing. I’ve come to realize recently, that “baby steps” were needed for my testimony to grow and to be strengthened. I guess that’s really how it works for everyone. *grin* All thanks goes to a conversation I had with my sister. Learning to run isn’t done overnight. By learning first how to walk by putting one foot in front of the other and building up endurance and strength, running isn’t a problem, well at least not as much of one anyway.
OK, back to the subject. Beauty school was one of the least favorite experiences of my life! Not the learning all the fun hair, nail, and skin stuff, I absolutely LOVE that, but the drama of girls was so not my favorite! I learned that being around people who live “of the world” was hard. I’m not saying I wasn’t one of the drama girls all the time, because that was during one of the emotionally special years of a girl’s life, and well, I am a girl. It was tough! I was this little girl from Salt Lake who threw herself/had been thrown into a situation where every emotion would be challenged, every moral fiber would either be reinforced or broken and physical exhaustion combined with those two things was a bad idea, along with the fact that I was still building my testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Again, beauty school was not one of my favorite places.
Funny side note, my favorite Bishop told me once that you could never pay him enough to be in his 20’s again. He said you go through so many emotional ups and downs that he would never want to experience that again! TRUE DAT YO! Get me to my 30’s and mental sanity please! Haha.
I think by the time I was actually done with school and got my license that I was so burnt out, that doing hair was the farthest desire from my mind. Even if I did love doing it, the bad experience totally outweighed the good for me. It took me a little over 2 years before I went to work in a salon. I still did cuts and colors at home, but it’s not the same.
I went to work at SuperCuts. It only took me a few months of the Lord telling me I should go to a salon for me to actually do it. It ended up being such a great place for learning and growing. It gave me the confidence to stand behind someone and the knowledge to actually know what I was doing once I was back there. I learned so much about people and made some good friends, I learned so much about myself! I was there for almost two years, and left right before I moved up to Salt Lake. I was so thankful that I listened when I did because the blessings of spiritual, physical, and mental growth wouldn’t have come in the same way if I hadn’t gone to work there. Being led by the spirit is one of the sweetest experiences of life. If only I would have listened sooner. Who knows what blessings/learning could have taken place if I listened sooner. Hind sight is 20/20 I guess.
Now onto the way my Salt Lake adventure started. I had quit SuperCuts in February, being a little burnt out on just cutting hair, but I was still working at St. Mary’s, I had left the ICU and went to their Staffing Office, which was not my favorite. So, when I felt impressed that I needed to head up the Salt Lake for the summer of 2008, I was all excited.
It was really sweet. I had a plan, I had goals. I had a lot of spiritual revelation and insight on what I was supposed to do and how to do it. I was going up for a career change. I flew up to Salt Lake in May for a few job interviews and had two jobs set up for when I moved up the first of June that were going to last the summer. I was a cooking instructor for a kid’s summer camp, which pretty much rocked! It was hard, but so much fun! I also worked part time at a catering company as a prep cook. I learned so much! To work under a chef that I was able to ask questions to was ahhhhmazing!
I loved being back in Salt Lake, so when the impression came to move up there, I was pretty excited. The catering job turned into a full time gig and I found a place to live. Blessing also was that my friend was moving up from Tucson too and she was able to bring up some of my stuff with her, we were also roommates when she moved up. Side note: My car engine blew the day before I flew up to Salt Lake in May, so my plan to drive my car and bring my stuff with me then kinda changed to packing two big boxes of goodies and flew up. I sub leased a girls room for that summer so I had a bed, no worries there. Everything seriously worked out amazingly! There are true blessings from following the Lord. It’s like He sees the big picture and knows what is happening in our lives.
I bought a bike when I first moved up, again, no car, so I biked everywhere that summer. When you ride a bike and wear a helmet all summer in the heat that equals hair not being done, make-up not being worn, or not dressing in anything but t-shirts. It was kinda refreshing, but not, all at the same time. I’ve learned in the last few months that I am a true Princess and I like the whole dressing up, doing my hair, make-up, and nails thing. Good thing I’m heading back into the Cosmetology world, but that’s a whole other story.
In Salt Lake I was in a great ward with one of the most amazing Bishops ever! Bishop Charles (Chuck) Schwab (he was the “funny side note” earlier in this post.) Seriously one of the sweetest and spiritual men I have ever met and someone who is always willing to let me learn in my time and let me know that he was there if ever I needed him. He was there to support and encourage me during all the emotional specialness that was my mid 20’s.
I lived in an apartment with a friend for the first year or so up in Salt Lake which was another amazing learning experience. The things I learned there might be mentioned in future posts, so keep an eye out. I eventually moved in with Riley and Silvia. (Brother and sister-in-law) I had some of the sweetest and most spiritual conversations with Silvia and learned that Riley and I can actually get along as adults and we’re a lot more alike than I ever imagined.
I eventually left the catering company which by then had turned into a full time job, and started working at the University Hospital. The Neuro Acute Care Unit was pretty much the best place to learn. Seriously yo, I learned a lot!
There is no doubt in my mind that things were working out the way that they were supposed to. The Lord had a plan and my will was becoming more aligned with His every day. I understood that and was so excited! I tried to go to the Temple every week. I can say that that was one of the most amazing blessings of being in Utah. I partook of the Temple as often as possible and am quite sure that my learning wouldn’t have been as quick or as sweet without the Temple.
During this whole time I had adventures with dating/not dating and the emotional ups and downs that come along with it. Good example: Hot Man. There might be future blog posts about past adventures with guys besides Hot Man because they also allowed me to grow in one way or another. It’s like I was being prepared to Find My Ore or something.
Now onto how this all applies to today…
I went back to beauty school this year from May 11-Sep 4. Seriously?! You may ask? Yes. Yes, I did. It wasn’t by choice though, it was by necessity. My Arizona license didn’t carry over to Utah. And since the Spirit was poking at me again to get back into doing hair full time, I needed my Utah license to do that, which meant that I needed to go back to school for 400hrs (the difference between the two states requirements). It was the best thing I could have done! Ever! I learned so many things! I love that industry! I learned I want to teach and if I do say so myself, I’m not too shabby with the teaching skills.
I met some really amazing people, both students and clients. It was fun again and selfishly, it was a self esteem boost to go to school each day, the girls would always tell me how good I was. It’s nice to hear that once in awhile. It’s like I knew exactly what I was doing because I had been doing it for years or something and they were all brand new, just learning. It did feel good to be able to reassure the girls that were there, that one day, it would be easier and it would feel a lot more natural than it did at the moment. Anywho, I also have a job waiting for me there when I get back to Utah, if I do end up being back there by January.
During the last month of school, I started feeling the prompting that I needed to take a “break” from Utah and head down to my family in Tucson for a bit. The feeling was that I would be gone for about 3months, but I would be heading back up to Utah. It was a peaceful feeling, and one I knew needed to happen. I prayed, fasted, and went to the Temple. I was sad with the idea of leaving a beautiful fall in Utah, and then leaving a beautiful winter in Arizona, but still, the peaceful feeling stayed and I knew I needed to get ready for the mini move. I quit my job at the hospital, hopefully said all my goodbyes, “I’ll be back soon”, I packed up my car, put everything that didn’t fit into storage and was off.
I got to Tucson in the early morning of September 8th, around 1am. Boy was I tired, but that tired doesn’t even compare to the tired to come. I had more arguing and frustrating conversations with my mom and sister than I think I have in my whole life within the first two weeks of getting here! My mom ended up having foot surgery the week after I got here, so I was taking care of three kiddos, 9, 4, 2 ½, while my sister was at work. Exhaustion, pure exhaustion.
Let me tell you something. I never thought that being a mom would be so difficult. I was actually anti ever having kids and getting married for a good month or so. As of today, I am slowly coming back around to the idea, but man, it threw me through a freaking loop. On top of the taking care of a mom who couldn’t walk and three loving, smart, MONSTER children (I’m mostly joking, but holy cow, the babes were feisty. It probably didn’t help that I am nothing like their mom and I don’t let them get away with the same stuff.) I got the flu. Ahhhh!
Spiritually I was tired, physically I was tired and man, there is only so much personal reflection that should be allowed before it becomes more harmful than good, which also means I was mentally tired. That talk I wrote on pride that I posted, and what I thought my need for humility was, wasn’t even close to what I went through when I got here.
Needless to say, I wanted to go home. Not just a little bit, but a lot of bit. I wanted my own space, my own time, my own everything again. I had been independent for a long time and I am a stubborn person who has grown to like things her way. It’s like I’m single and 28 or something (which I just realized when I put it that way isn’t old at all, but still, I’m stubborn.)
I had made up my mind. I was going to go home. I wasn’t being the best Sarah I could be here, I was mean, rude, disconnected from the Spirit and downright annoying. (you may be thinking that is always how I am, but I was extra worse here *wink*) I would wait it out until the second week of October, but I was going to go home. My mom had her birthday, Jakob had his, and we would celebrate Jonahs before I left, so all was ready to go. I started to tell people I was coming home. My friends up in Salt Lake were excited, I told Silvia and Riley and things were going to work out great with me being back so soon. The only problem was, that whenever I said I was going back, I KNEW, that I wasn’t.
I tried to fight it, I cried, ok, not just cried, but broke down about it on multiple occasions. I had my life planned up in Utah. I had my friends there. I had work figured out, and my goals were set. I was ready to go. Remember that whole me being “prideful” thing? Yeah, that’s what was kicking my butt for a few weeks. Pride. And then… one morning after having a rough night, the sweetest feeling came over me. It went kind of like this. Sarah, you have been praying for your family, you have been fasting for your family. The things you been praying for can be answered by you staying, even if it’s just for a little bit.
HOLY COW! I had been praying for this?! I took it a little rough. It’s totally true though. Not to sound cocky, but I am an answer to my own prayers. Chew on that one, because I was dumb enough never to realize the simplicity of that. We can be answers to our own prayers. It ties back to faith being an action word. Kinda cool huh? The mini move down here was for sure to help my family, but it was for me too. I don’t think if I didn’t experience some of the extremes of emotions that I went through those first few weeks, they would never have sunk in the same way in any other situation.
I got a Priesthood Blessing the following Sunday and it was so sweet. Peace and strength were offered. I know I need to be here. I know I am here for a reason, again, for myself just as much for my family. I know that family is more important than ANYTHING and if we have the chance to be a strength to those we love, we should always do it willingly, not grudgingly.
How many times in this post had I been blessed with answered prayers, with promptings to do things, and each time there have been blessings that came. I should not doubt the Lord, but I should accept His will as my own. Do what He has asked me to do with a broken heart and contrite spirit. It’s the seeing my life in the big puzzle or picture scenario again, the Lord sees it, I do not. If he sees the beauty of it in its entirety, I should trust in His judgment and keep moving forward and see the beauty in the piece or pieces He allows me to see.
I love the Lord. I love my Savior Jesus Christ and am truly thankful for the power of repentance. I am thankful for the ability to ask forgiveness from our Father and learn from our mistakes.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Happy! Happy? Joy. JOY!
A few weeks ago I went to Sapa (a really good Asian fusion restaurant in downtown Salt Lake) for their one year anniversary party with some friends. Sushi, oh, sweet sushi. How I love thee. The company was great, the food was awesome and the atmosphere was really fun. That isn’t the point of my little blog post, promise. Even though I do now recommend the restaurant to everyone because it really was that good. Haha.
The lesson learned from that night was this: being happy “in the moment” is nothing compared to knowing true JOY.
Let me explain where this all came from.
After said night of fun was had, I was giving my friend Andrea a ride home and we had the most amazing conversation! Andrea is amazing and we have a lot of fun together. She’s married and a mom of three of the cutest kids ever! She and I try to go to the Temple together when we have time and her little brother is a good friend of mine too.
Andrea and I have both lived lives where we have played and partied and experienced what the world would call “fun”. This actually helped to spark the conversation on the drive home. Andrea had been in line with her husband and had a pretty fun time watching the party goers around them. The people around them were enjoying themselves, bad language and some “adult beverages” to quote a friend were all around.
On the drive home Andrea had said how “happy” everyone seemed to be and how much “fun” they seemed to all be having. How it made her kind of miss that part of her life that was “care free”. I completely understood her point.
I’m backing up here to fill you in on my life and tell you how I could completely understand her point.
I was inactive in my early teens and again in my early twenties. Twice I have been away from the church, neither time having been the church going kind of girl who said prayer or read scriptures. I hadn’t read The Book of Mormon, I had one, but had no clue the power that was in it. I knew from growing up in the church that some things were true. The Power of the Priesthood, the Power of the Holy Ghost, the Power that comes in trying to be a good person.
I’ll give you a better perspective: I was 22 before I knew there were the books of Moses and Abraham hiding out behind D&C. I just never really knew what the “Pearl of Great Price” was I guess. It was easier to wean myself away from church because I didn’t “know” certain things and the things I did know weren't strong enough to compete with the "world" and it's "fun".
I want you to know that I didn’t quite what partying and playing I was doing because I wasn’t having fun and enjoying myself. I quite because the promptings of the Spirit told me to. I felt love and a quiet peace with the idea of changing what I was doing to align myself with the teachings of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
Whenever I was doing things against the Lord’s will I felt guilty, not the world is going to end kind of guilt, but that unsettled feeling of knowing I was doing things that were against God. I knew that there was a better way and I was willingly choosing to make my life harder than it needed to be.
Repentance is a powerful, powerful thing. With that said, I’ll get back to Andrea and our conversation. After she had said that everyone seemed to be so “happy” the Spirit prompted my thinking and words as such. (I don’t know if I’ll remember all that I said, because it really wasn’t me speaking, but I did try to listen and remember what was being said.)
“Happy” in this reference is representing the “world” and its view. Think of JOY as representing Eternal perspective. To be happy is good, but “happy” in the world and its ways are bad. We are told by Scripture and Prophets to be in the world, but not of the world. Being “of the world” is taking us away from knowing the COMPLETE JOY that comes from following the teachings of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Knowing that He is the Son of God, He died for each of us, He Lives for each of us! Joy is putting that knowledge to use, using it to avoid the temptations of settling for just being “happy”.
Being “happy” vs. knowing what JOY is gives me the reassurance that making the changes I had in my life was the best thing I could have done! Not only for me, but for my family, my friends, and those who I will meet on this journey called life.
I now have a better understanding of what JOY truly is and how to use it in my life.
Psalms 16:11 “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
May we all find JOY in this life! I am so glad for the “random” moments of learning that touch my spirit and give me a better understanding of my Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ and help me to put my life in perspective. I hope that I can use this new perspective in my life and LIVE a life of JOY!
Update: July 10, 2011. I just saw this on lds.org and wanted to share it with this post This is a video that was put out by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, that share the testimonies three other people on this subject, the same Joy I feel now that I have come to know Jesus Christ.
The lesson learned from that night was this: being happy “in the moment” is nothing compared to knowing true JOY.
Let me explain where this all came from.
After said night of fun was had, I was giving my friend Andrea a ride home and we had the most amazing conversation! Andrea is amazing and we have a lot of fun together. She’s married and a mom of three of the cutest kids ever! She and I try to go to the Temple together when we have time and her little brother is a good friend of mine too.
Andrea and I have both lived lives where we have played and partied and experienced what the world would call “fun”. This actually helped to spark the conversation on the drive home. Andrea had been in line with her husband and had a pretty fun time watching the party goers around them. The people around them were enjoying themselves, bad language and some “adult beverages” to quote a friend were all around.
On the drive home Andrea had said how “happy” everyone seemed to be and how much “fun” they seemed to all be having. How it made her kind of miss that part of her life that was “care free”. I completely understood her point.
I’m backing up here to fill you in on my life and tell you how I could completely understand her point.
I was inactive in my early teens and again in my early twenties. Twice I have been away from the church, neither time having been the church going kind of girl who said prayer or read scriptures. I hadn’t read The Book of Mormon, I had one, but had no clue the power that was in it. I knew from growing up in the church that some things were true. The Power of the Priesthood, the Power of the Holy Ghost, the Power that comes in trying to be a good person.
I’ll give you a better perspective: I was 22 before I knew there were the books of Moses and Abraham hiding out behind D&C. I just never really knew what the “Pearl of Great Price” was I guess. It was easier to wean myself away from church because I didn’t “know” certain things and the things I did know weren't strong enough to compete with the "world" and it's "fun".
I want you to know that I didn’t quite what partying and playing I was doing because I wasn’t having fun and enjoying myself. I quite because the promptings of the Spirit told me to. I felt love and a quiet peace with the idea of changing what I was doing to align myself with the teachings of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
Whenever I was doing things against the Lord’s will I felt guilty, not the world is going to end kind of guilt, but that unsettled feeling of knowing I was doing things that were against God. I knew that there was a better way and I was willingly choosing to make my life harder than it needed to be.
Repentance is a powerful, powerful thing. With that said, I’ll get back to Andrea and our conversation. After she had said that everyone seemed to be so “happy” the Spirit prompted my thinking and words as such. (I don’t know if I’ll remember all that I said, because it really wasn’t me speaking, but I did try to listen and remember what was being said.)
“Happy” in this reference is representing the “world” and its view. Think of JOY as representing Eternal perspective. To be happy is good, but “happy” in the world and its ways are bad. We are told by Scripture and Prophets to be in the world, but not of the world. Being “of the world” is taking us away from knowing the COMPLETE JOY that comes from following the teachings of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Knowing that He is the Son of God, He died for each of us, He Lives for each of us! Joy is putting that knowledge to use, using it to avoid the temptations of settling for just being “happy”.
Being “happy” vs. knowing what JOY is gives me the reassurance that making the changes I had in my life was the best thing I could have done! Not only for me, but for my family, my friends, and those who I will meet on this journey called life.
I now have a better understanding of what JOY truly is and how to use it in my life.
Psalms 16:11 “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
May we all find JOY in this life! I am so glad for the “random” moments of learning that touch my spirit and give me a better understanding of my Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ and help me to put my life in perspective. I hope that I can use this new perspective in my life and LIVE a life of JOY!
Update: July 10, 2011. I just saw this on lds.org and wanted to share it with this post This is a video that was put out by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, that share the testimonies three other people on this subject, the same Joy I feel now that I have come to know Jesus Christ.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Talk Time
So I got a call from the 1st Counselor in the Bishopric, Brother Hendricksen, last Monday night. What could he have wanted you may ask? To extend the invitation to give a talk of course! I agreed and the subject was given. Alma 12:9-11 and boy oh boy, am I humbled from this last week of preparing for it. Super, SUPER humbled!
I've been warned to beware of pride in my Patriarchal Blessing. I learned this last week that I have been proud. Very, very proud. I am trying to be a better person, to learn from my mistakes. Let's hope this lesson lasts my lifetime and I don't need to feel like I've been hit by a mac 10 truck of humility ever again. K? K.
On a brighter note, I feel amazing!!!!! from said mac 10 truck of humility accident. I am positive that it was not by accident that I was the one asked to speak on the subject. Quite positive. I woke up this morning and felt lighter, like a heavy weight or burden had been lifted off of my heart, mind, and spirit. The power of repentance is sweet. Oh so sweet! It comes highly recommended.
I wanted to share my talk with ya'll, so here it is. Here's a hopin that you are on the side of knowing the mysteries of God and not on the side that willingly hardens their heart like I was.
Alma 12:9-11
9) And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying: It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.
10) And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.
11) And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell.
Breakdown:
Given unto many to know the mysteries of God
Those who do know the mysteries of God are under strict command; heed and diligence which they give unto him
He that hardens his heart, receives the lesser portion of the word
He that will not harden his heart is given the greater portion of the word
How we can know the mysteries of God in full
Those who harden their hearts, lesser portion of word until they know nothings concerning his mysteries
Taken captive by the devil
Led by his will down to destruction
Chains of hell = to know nothing of the mysteries of God
I love the language of the scriptures and the fact that in these specific versus Alma is “expounding these things...” unto us. It is now our job to apply this prophets teachings into our lives, so let’s expound on the expounding…
The word “will” is used three times in just 2 of these versus. I know that our agency is given in this choice of knowing the “mysteries” of God as much as our agency is given in all other aspects of our life. Our Heavenly Father is an unchangeable being and if He has given us the choice from the beginning, He will continue to give us the choice to the end. We need to continue to choose wisely, so that we may sit with Him and our Savior in the Heavenly courts above.
So now going to the question of: How does one WILLINGLY harden their heart?
Quoting President Benson from the April 1989 General Conference, he gives us the true name for hard- heartedness, Pride. He defines and expounds on Pride as such…
“Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart, or core, is still missing.
The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen.”
Enmity means “hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.” It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us.
Pride is essentially competitive in nature. We pit our will against God’s. When we direct our pride toward God, it is in the spirit of “my will and not thine be done.” As Paul said, they “seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s” (Philip. 2:21).
Our will in competition to God’s will allows desires, appetites, and passions to go unbridled. (See Alma 38:12; 3 Ne. 12:30.)
The proud cannot accept the authority of God giving direction to their lives. (See Hel. 12:6.) They pit their perceptions of truth against God’s great knowledge, their abilities versus God’s priesthood power, their accomplishments against His mighty works… The proud wish God would agree with them. They aren’t interested in changing their opinions to agree with God’s.
Another major portion of this very prevalent sin of pride is enmity toward our fellowmen. We are tempted daily to elevate ourselves above others and diminish them. (See Hel. 6:17; D&C 58:41.)
The proud make every man their adversary by pitting their intellects, opinions, works, wealth, talents, or any other worldly measuring device against others. In the words of C. S. Lewis: “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. … It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone” (Mere Christianity, 1952, 109–10). … ”
So what are the repercussions from a hardened heart?
As we read in verse 10, we are told that “… he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word.” And we learn that in verse 11, that the “chains of hell” are NOT knowing the mysteries of God and the our willingness to be hard hearted, causes us to receive the lesser portion of the word until we know nothing concerning his mysteries. We are then taken captive by the devil and led by his will down to destruction.
Simply this, by hardening our hearts, we are able to be taken captive by the devil, which by his will, and I imagine with a smile on his face, we are led down to destruction. A destruction that involves “chains of hell”, not ropes, not plastic ties, not cloth, but CHAINS. These chains are built of that enmity toward God and those links that ultimately lead to it which are to quote President Kimball “self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness.”
Now that we know that PRIDE is that heart hardening tool of the adversary that actually locks the mysteries of God from us, what then would be the key to opening those hardened hearts (assuming none of us a perfect and we all have had the sin of pride in our lives)?
HUMILITY, a broken heart and a contrite spirit.
Humility that brings us to the understanding and knowledge that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that only in and thru Him can we come to know our Father in Heaven. That if we abide by His example, His teachings, we may truly know the “mysteries of God”.
Whenever I think of the opposites of Pride and Humility, I think of a scripture in 3Nephi 13:24 *Read it* “No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.”
The Savior is our ultimate teacher:
He was asked, what is the first and great commandment? Read Matthew 22:36-38
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and will all thy soul, and will all thy mind.”
Shalt (or shall). Not must, not have to, but shall.
With all Thy Heart. Thy Soul. Thy Mind.
And what is the second great commandment? Read Matthew 22:39
Christ answers again with, “Love thy neighbor as thyself”
In Verse 40 of the same chapter
“On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Alma 12:9 “It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.”
Are we those “many” whom Alma is speaking of who have been given the “know the mysteries of God”? Or, are we the “children of men” who are not giving the heed and diligence to know the mysteries of God? Are we listening to the Prophet of the Lord? Are we giving heed and diligence unto those who impart the knowledge of those mysteries?
We know though that through a “broken” heart this promise is given.
“… he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word…”
We are not only given the promise to know the “greater portion of the word”, but we are promised that “… it is given unto him [he with a broken heart] to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.”
Is there a timing to know the mysteries of God in full? And how do we obtain those mysteries for ourselves?
How convenient, I found a quote from Elder Dallin H. Oaks that gives us insight on those exact things.
He says:
“the “mysteries of God”—must be taught and transmitted in the Lord’s way, not in the world’s way.”
When Father Lehi sought to explain his vision to his rebellious older sons and exhort them to keep the commandments of God, they fell into disputing over his words. Young Nephi, who had just experienced the glorious interpreting vision he had sought, recorded that his father had spoken “many great things unto them, which were hard to be understood, save a man should inquire of the Lord; and they being hard in their hearts, therefore they did not look unto the Lord as they ought” (1 Ne. 15:3). We need to remember Nephi’s teaching that the mysteries of God, the choicest of spiritual food, cannot be understood “save a man should inquire of the Lord.”
“The prophet Ammon gave this significant recipe: “He that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God” (Alma 26:22).”
Why is it important to know the mysteries of God? President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) explained:
“Of all treasures of knowledge, the most vital is the knowledge of God: his existence, powers, love, and promises. …
“If we spend our mortal days in accumulating secular knowledge to the exclusion of the spiritual then we are in a dead-end street, for this is the time for man to prepare to meet God; this is the time for faith to be built…
The knowledge of God and His plan of salvation is the kind of knowledge that saves, and this kind of knowledge can be obtained only in the Lord’s way.”
Elder Oaks further emphasizes that:
“God reveals Himself and His eternal truths—the spiritual food that the scriptures call the bread of life and the living water—to those who seek, who serve, who keep His commandments, and who wait and listen in humility for His teaching… The things of God must be learned in his own way, through faith in God and revelation from the Holy Ghost”
I was talking with a friend about verse 9 and he gave me some really good insight that I want to share, he said this…
“It’s interesting how many times the Prophets stop what they are saying because we, the audience aren’t/weren’t ready for it. It might actually be harmful for the recipient to receive information they aren’t ready to grasp or aren’t ready to live. Infants must drink milk before they are ready for meat.”
It is our personal choice to know the mysteries of God. It is our personal choice to choose humility over pride.
It’s simple: Love God and love our neighbor. Give heed and diligence unto God. Listen to His Prophets and we can know the mysteries of God.
The older I get the more I learn that simple does not equal easy.
Humility is not easy. Worth it, yes. Easy, no.
I know God lives. I know that He, our Father in Heaven loves us. Each of us. I know that through faith in Jesus Christ that we can return to live with Him again. I know that as we live worthily of the companionship of the Holy Ghost that our lives will be made easier and our burdens will seem light. I know that the mysteries of God will be revealed to each of us at the timing that is right for each of us. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that we can become closer to Him by abiding by it's precepts than by any other book. I know that we have a living Prophet, even Thomas S. Monson, who is leading and guiding the church in this day. I share these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
I've been warned to beware of pride in my Patriarchal Blessing. I learned this last week that I have been proud. Very, very proud. I am trying to be a better person, to learn from my mistakes. Let's hope this lesson lasts my lifetime and I don't need to feel like I've been hit by a mac 10 truck of humility ever again. K? K.
On a brighter note, I feel amazing!!!!! from said mac 10 truck of humility accident. I am positive that it was not by accident that I was the one asked to speak on the subject. Quite positive. I woke up this morning and felt lighter, like a heavy weight or burden had been lifted off of my heart, mind, and spirit. The power of repentance is sweet. Oh so sweet! It comes highly recommended.
I wanted to share my talk with ya'll, so here it is. Here's a hopin that you are on the side of knowing the mysteries of God and not on the side that willingly hardens their heart like I was.
Alma 12:9-11
9) And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying: It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.
10) And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.
11) And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell.
Breakdown:
Given unto many to know the mysteries of God
Those who do know the mysteries of God are under strict command; heed and diligence which they give unto him
He that hardens his heart, receives the lesser portion of the word
He that will not harden his heart is given the greater portion of the word
How we can know the mysteries of God in full
Those who harden their hearts, lesser portion of word until they know nothings concerning his mysteries
Taken captive by the devil
Led by his will down to destruction
Chains of hell = to know nothing of the mysteries of God
I love the language of the scriptures and the fact that in these specific versus Alma is “expounding these things...” unto us. It is now our job to apply this prophets teachings into our lives, so let’s expound on the expounding…
The word “will” is used three times in just 2 of these versus. I know that our agency is given in this choice of knowing the “mysteries” of God as much as our agency is given in all other aspects of our life. Our Heavenly Father is an unchangeable being and if He has given us the choice from the beginning, He will continue to give us the choice to the end. We need to continue to choose wisely, so that we may sit with Him and our Savior in the Heavenly courts above.
So now going to the question of: How does one WILLINGLY harden their heart?
Quoting President Benson from the April 1989 General Conference, he gives us the true name for hard- heartedness, Pride. He defines and expounds on Pride as such…
“Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart, or core, is still missing.
The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen.”
Enmity means “hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.” It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us.
Pride is essentially competitive in nature. We pit our will against God’s. When we direct our pride toward God, it is in the spirit of “my will and not thine be done.” As Paul said, they “seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s” (Philip. 2:21).
Our will in competition to God’s will allows desires, appetites, and passions to go unbridled. (See Alma 38:12; 3 Ne. 12:30.)
The proud cannot accept the authority of God giving direction to their lives. (See Hel. 12:6.) They pit their perceptions of truth against God’s great knowledge, their abilities versus God’s priesthood power, their accomplishments against His mighty works… The proud wish God would agree with them. They aren’t interested in changing their opinions to agree with God’s.
Another major portion of this very prevalent sin of pride is enmity toward our fellowmen. We are tempted daily to elevate ourselves above others and diminish them. (See Hel. 6:17; D&C 58:41.)
The proud make every man their adversary by pitting their intellects, opinions, works, wealth, talents, or any other worldly measuring device against others. In the words of C. S. Lewis: “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. … It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone” (Mere Christianity, 1952, 109–10). … ”
So what are the repercussions from a hardened heart?
As we read in verse 10, we are told that “… he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word.” And we learn that in verse 11, that the “chains of hell” are NOT knowing the mysteries of God and the our willingness to be hard hearted, causes us to receive the lesser portion of the word until we know nothing concerning his mysteries. We are then taken captive by the devil and led by his will down to destruction.
Simply this, by hardening our hearts, we are able to be taken captive by the devil, which by his will, and I imagine with a smile on his face, we are led down to destruction. A destruction that involves “chains of hell”, not ropes, not plastic ties, not cloth, but CHAINS. These chains are built of that enmity toward God and those links that ultimately lead to it which are to quote President Kimball “self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness.”
Now that we know that PRIDE is that heart hardening tool of the adversary that actually locks the mysteries of God from us, what then would be the key to opening those hardened hearts (assuming none of us a perfect and we all have had the sin of pride in our lives)?
HUMILITY, a broken heart and a contrite spirit.
Humility that brings us to the understanding and knowledge that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that only in and thru Him can we come to know our Father in Heaven. That if we abide by His example, His teachings, we may truly know the “mysteries of God”.
Whenever I think of the opposites of Pride and Humility, I think of a scripture in 3Nephi 13:24 *Read it* “No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.”
The Savior is our ultimate teacher:
He was asked, what is the first and great commandment? Read Matthew 22:36-38
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and will all thy soul, and will all thy mind.”
Shalt (or shall). Not must, not have to, but shall.
With all Thy Heart. Thy Soul. Thy Mind.
And what is the second great commandment? Read Matthew 22:39
Christ answers again with, “Love thy neighbor as thyself”
In Verse 40 of the same chapter
“On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Alma 12:9 “It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.”
Are we those “many” whom Alma is speaking of who have been given the “know the mysteries of God”? Or, are we the “children of men” who are not giving the heed and diligence to know the mysteries of God? Are we listening to the Prophet of the Lord? Are we giving heed and diligence unto those who impart the knowledge of those mysteries?
We know though that through a “broken” heart this promise is given.
“… he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word…”
We are not only given the promise to know the “greater portion of the word”, but we are promised that “… it is given unto him [he with a broken heart] to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.”
Is there a timing to know the mysteries of God in full? And how do we obtain those mysteries for ourselves?
How convenient, I found a quote from Elder Dallin H. Oaks that gives us insight on those exact things.
He says:
“the “mysteries of God”—must be taught and transmitted in the Lord’s way, not in the world’s way.”
When Father Lehi sought to explain his vision to his rebellious older sons and exhort them to keep the commandments of God, they fell into disputing over his words. Young Nephi, who had just experienced the glorious interpreting vision he had sought, recorded that his father had spoken “many great things unto them, which were hard to be understood, save a man should inquire of the Lord; and they being hard in their hearts, therefore they did not look unto the Lord as they ought” (1 Ne. 15:3). We need to remember Nephi’s teaching that the mysteries of God, the choicest of spiritual food, cannot be understood “save a man should inquire of the Lord.”
“The prophet Ammon gave this significant recipe: “He that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God” (Alma 26:22).”
Why is it important to know the mysteries of God? President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) explained:
“Of all treasures of knowledge, the most vital is the knowledge of God: his existence, powers, love, and promises. …
“If we spend our mortal days in accumulating secular knowledge to the exclusion of the spiritual then we are in a dead-end street, for this is the time for man to prepare to meet God; this is the time for faith to be built…
The knowledge of God and His plan of salvation is the kind of knowledge that saves, and this kind of knowledge can be obtained only in the Lord’s way.”
Elder Oaks further emphasizes that:
“God reveals Himself and His eternal truths—the spiritual food that the scriptures call the bread of life and the living water—to those who seek, who serve, who keep His commandments, and who wait and listen in humility for His teaching… The things of God must be learned in his own way, through faith in God and revelation from the Holy Ghost”
I was talking with a friend about verse 9 and he gave me some really good insight that I want to share, he said this…
“It’s interesting how many times the Prophets stop what they are saying because we, the audience aren’t/weren’t ready for it. It might actually be harmful for the recipient to receive information they aren’t ready to grasp or aren’t ready to live. Infants must drink milk before they are ready for meat.”
It is our personal choice to know the mysteries of God. It is our personal choice to choose humility over pride.
It’s simple: Love God and love our neighbor. Give heed and diligence unto God. Listen to His Prophets and we can know the mysteries of God.
The older I get the more I learn that simple does not equal easy.
Humility is not easy. Worth it, yes. Easy, no.
I know God lives. I know that He, our Father in Heaven loves us. Each of us. I know that through faith in Jesus Christ that we can return to live with Him again. I know that as we live worthily of the companionship of the Holy Ghost that our lives will be made easier and our burdens will seem light. I know that the mysteries of God will be revealed to each of us at the timing that is right for each of us. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that we can become closer to Him by abiding by it's precepts than by any other book. I know that we have a living Prophet, even Thomas S. Monson, who is leading and guiding the church in this day. I share these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Friends.
Ok, update time.
Friends. We've been heading that route for a while, I just think I was in denial about it. I've had the amazing adventure of figuring out my own feelings on this one. It's kinda funny to now have the view point of being outside of the liking Hot Man box (ok, maybe I'm not completely outside of the box, but I see things a little clearer from where I am standing inside the box). It has helped me to see a few things differently, also known as new perspectives that I hadn't seen before.
I have said it before, but I'll say it again. I really want to LIVE life! He helped me to really see how I can do that. It's funny, he doesn't even know he has helped me, but I've learned a little more about myself, my potential, and a little more of my worth. I should really thank him for that.
I do love this adventure of life and all the learning that happens. I now know that "Findin' My Ore" isn't going to be easy, but what an amazing adventure it is!
And come on, how much sweeter is the end result going to be because I know that I had to work that much harder for it?!
Til the next crush. Ado.
Friends. We've been heading that route for a while, I just think I was in denial about it. I've had the amazing adventure of figuring out my own feelings on this one. It's kinda funny to now have the view point of being outside of the liking Hot Man box (ok, maybe I'm not completely outside of the box, but I see things a little clearer from where I am standing inside the box). It has helped me to see a few things differently, also known as new perspectives that I hadn't seen before.
I have said it before, but I'll say it again. I really want to LIVE life! He helped me to really see how I can do that. It's funny, he doesn't even know he has helped me, but I've learned a little more about myself, my potential, and a little more of my worth. I should really thank him for that.
I do love this adventure of life and all the learning that happens. I now know that "Findin' My Ore" isn't going to be easy, but what an amazing adventure it is!
And come on, how much sweeter is the end result going to be because I know that I had to work that much harder for it?!
Til the next crush. Ado.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Update on Update
Soooo. Yeah. Ummm. I like Hot Man more than earlier anticipated. Not sure what to do at this point. I see flying by the seat of my pants for a while. Let's see what happens and hope for a positive outcome. Whether we do end up just friends or have something more. I hope I'm ok with either.
Hmmm. More to come.
Hmmm. More to come.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Update
Ixney on Hot Man-ey being anything more than friends. Which is a good thing. Lessons learned, perspectives on life opened and testimony on certain things has been re affirmed. All and all, a good experience.
Ok, really, the Lord. The Lord has made it all a good experience. If I relied wholly upon myself, I would be a spiritual, emotional, and physical mess. Not because any extremes happened, but because I am a girl and we're a little "special". haha.
So, onto the next adventure.
One of my Instructors at school wants to set me up on a blind date with a friend she has in Provo. She says he's amazing! Let's see how this works out. *grin*
Ok, really, the Lord. The Lord has made it all a good experience. If I relied wholly upon myself, I would be a spiritual, emotional, and physical mess. Not because any extremes happened, but because I am a girl and we're a little "special". haha.
So, onto the next adventure.
One of my Instructors at school wants to set me up on a blind date with a friend she has in Provo. She says he's amazing! Let's see how this works out. *grin*
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