Today, the two things on my mind are inter-related. Forgiveness and mercy. Forgiveness and letting go of the hurts I feel can be hard for me. I don't seem to hold a grudge against a person, but the hurt remains. Finding mercy, and showing it to others is another big item. In addition, I just don't seem to trust that things will work out enough to make a decision and move forward.
So, I am feeling a little lost at the moment. But, today, when I heard these messages, I felt hope start tugging at my heart strings again. Things will work out, and it's ok to take a step back for awhile and catch your breath.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Believe Anyway
Today's lessons in my ward were not "cohesive" in the sense that I had one major takeaway.
So, instead, I will just reflect on my thoughts from the day. The storm will pass. It will be scary, and hard, but we are prepared, we can keep going. Life doesn't always make sense, but we can believe anyway.
"Let me begin by reminding you that we so blithely say in the Church that life is a school, a testing ground. It is true, even though it is trite. What we don't accept are the implications of that true teaching—at least as fully as we should. One of the implications is that the tests that we face are real. They are not going to be things we can do with one hand tied behind our backs. They are real enough that if we meet them we shall know that we have felt them, because we will feel them deeply and keenly and pervasively."
Neal A. Maxwell (here's a link to the amazing address where this came from)
Elder Maxwell talks about how these things are very real, but they are very temporary. :) Keep believing, keep working, keep striving.
Sorry, this is short, but here are two pictures of the sun shining through the storm clouds. Life is hard, but we can prepare, we can learn, we can turn to each other, we can come unto Christ.
So, instead, I will just reflect on my thoughts from the day. The storm will pass. It will be scary, and hard, but we are prepared, we can keep going. Life doesn't always make sense, but we can believe anyway.
"Let me begin by reminding you that we so blithely say in the Church that life is a school, a testing ground. It is true, even though it is trite. What we don't accept are the implications of that true teaching—at least as fully as we should. One of the implications is that the tests that we face are real. They are not going to be things we can do with one hand tied behind our backs. They are real enough that if we meet them we shall know that we have felt them, because we will feel them deeply and keenly and pervasively."
Neal A. Maxwell (here's a link to the amazing address where this came from)
Elder Maxwell talks about how these things are very real, but they are very temporary. :) Keep believing, keep working, keep striving.
Sorry, this is short, but here are two pictures of the sun shining through the storm clouds. Life is hard, but we can prepare, we can learn, we can turn to each other, we can come unto Christ.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Sunday, November 11
Let's see. Loyalty and covenants have been on my mind a lot. We also talked a lot about kindness and following the Spirit.
I don't have a ton of time, but had a couple of thoughts about those and other things. Loyalty is so intertwined with the gospel, it's important to remember, and covenants are wonderful and I love that we have them. I love the emphasis on being kind, but also standing for true principles. It's a hard balance, but it is vital. Follow the Spirit, trust in Him to lead you in paths that are right.
I just wanted to remind you that you're fantastic. And to keep striving to improve your fantastic-ness, it is possible. I don't have much time to chat...
My testimony keeps growing, and it's a wonderful thing. The church is restored on the Earth, and Christ is in charge. I loved that a lot of my friends passed scriptures along when Obama won. It was really cool to watch them react. I was actually in the temple during the voting- well, after I voted. It made the whole thing peaceful, and where I'm not happy about it, and feel like evil is encircling us, I doubt Mitt Romney could have saved the world, though I would rather have him as president anyway. We already have a Savior, we already know the outcome, and we just have to keep going, keep striving, and keep trusting, being truly, fiercely loyal to our God and King.
ANYway. You rock. Keep trusting God and keep working hard.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Danger, Will Robinson
Is apathy dangerous? I would argue that apathy is at least as bad for your soul as pure hatred. Even as I say it, I wonder if I can back it up sufficiently. Yet, I stick by my statement. Apathy can take many forms, but I think I will focus on your testimony and personal growth.
See, I was in choir today, preparing for next week's musical number. I am not the most musical person I've ever known but, I have a little ability there. Anyway, I started hearing someone off pitch just a little, and as I paid attention, it became obvious that that person was me. I had stopped paying attention. I figured I was well on my way and knew how to sing, so no big deal. I had forgotten to listen.
I just didn't care to and my ability slid.
In life, it is easy to not pay attention to what you are doing. It is easy to care about what others are doing and how it affects you, but it is not so easy to look at yourself. It is hard for me to look at myself because when I do, I'm often plagued by so many "you should be doing..." "you should look like..." "you should be perfect already" types of ideas, so I often shut it off and just assume I am doing good enough, in every area.
Life is a difficult balancing act. In my ward today, we talked about many things, but one thing that really stuck out was about commitment, and why the Lord requires that we make and follow them. Everything God does is out of love for us, and therefore, the commandments are for our eternal - and temporal - well being. Are we following them?
What areas are you lacking? Ask yourself what more you could do, what more you could give up, and what you need to work on. You are not yet perfect. For instance, I need to be more patient with my eternal progress, my roommates' conflicting beliefs/behaviors, and where I am at in life. I also need to work harder at trusting in God, in being a better visiting teacher, and loving my calling. The thing is, I live either in "Oh, I'm doing just fine and don't need to pay attention or work for anything" and "I am a horrible person, there is so much wrong with me and no hope that I can ever be perfect."
My friend mentioned how she likes to think of all of the commitments and laws of God as traffic laws. She travels a lot, and often finds that many people don't care about traffic laws, they just drive how they want. God gave us our 'traffic laws' so that we could all help each other, so that we can come back to Him easily. But, sometimes, we don't care. We don't see the big picture, why things matter, and we all have that one law where we feel we can be the exception, or that it is really 'just a suggestion.'
Apathy is dangerous. It leads us down paths we don't really want to go. Hold on to your commitments, remember them, remember to make them a part of who you are, and consciously work to improve. Trust that as you work on the areas that the Spirit is with you on, that you will come closer to God, you will improve, and it will all fall into place. Remember that your heart must first be in the right place. Learn to care, learn to hope, learn to turn to the Savior when everything else falls apart.
See, I was in choir today, preparing for next week's musical number. I am not the most musical person I've ever known but, I have a little ability there. Anyway, I started hearing someone off pitch just a little, and as I paid attention, it became obvious that that person was me. I had stopped paying attention. I figured I was well on my way and knew how to sing, so no big deal. I had forgotten to listen.
I just didn't care to and my ability slid.
In life, it is easy to not pay attention to what you are doing. It is easy to care about what others are doing and how it affects you, but it is not so easy to look at yourself. It is hard for me to look at myself because when I do, I'm often plagued by so many "you should be doing..." "you should look like..." "you should be perfect already" types of ideas, so I often shut it off and just assume I am doing good enough, in every area.
Life is a difficult balancing act. In my ward today, we talked about many things, but one thing that really stuck out was about commitment, and why the Lord requires that we make and follow them. Everything God does is out of love for us, and therefore, the commandments are for our eternal - and temporal - well being. Are we following them?
What areas are you lacking? Ask yourself what more you could do, what more you could give up, and what you need to work on. You are not yet perfect. For instance, I need to be more patient with my eternal progress, my roommates' conflicting beliefs/behaviors, and where I am at in life. I also need to work harder at trusting in God, in being a better visiting teacher, and loving my calling. The thing is, I live either in "Oh, I'm doing just fine and don't need to pay attention or work for anything" and "I am a horrible person, there is so much wrong with me and no hope that I can ever be perfect."
My friend mentioned how she likes to think of all of the commitments and laws of God as traffic laws. She travels a lot, and often finds that many people don't care about traffic laws, they just drive how they want. God gave us our 'traffic laws' so that we could all help each other, so that we can come back to Him easily. But, sometimes, we don't care. We don't see the big picture, why things matter, and we all have that one law where we feel we can be the exception, or that it is really 'just a suggestion.'
Apathy is dangerous. It leads us down paths we don't really want to go. Hold on to your commitments, remember them, remember to make them a part of who you are, and consciously work to improve. Trust that as you work on the areas that the Spirit is with you on, that you will come closer to God, you will improve, and it will all fall into place. Remember that your heart must first be in the right place. Learn to care, learn to hope, learn to turn to the Savior when everything else falls apart.
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