The thirteenth article of faith states, "We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."
1) To be honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men.
This reminds me of the girl scout law and all the values that I grew up believing in - values that have become lost in the world today. I like to believe that there is good in all but a few people of this world, though the older I get, the more it seems to be a naive idea. I hope people will start to diffuse that negative thought. I think that is why Heavenly Father puts people in my path to help me keep faith in humanity.
Just last week I saw a lady in front of us at a stop light give her dinner to a couple of girls on the curb that looked pretty battered and hungry. It made me wish I could do more, though these days, there are people that beg at the street corners for a living. That makes me angry because there are real people that need help and you often can't tell the difference. For those two girls, I don't know what their story was, but I hope they find help and peace in their lives.
2) If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.
Halloween isn't really my favorite time of year, only because of the emphasis on negative images and the horror movies. I had a really bad experience several years ago when I went to a theme park for its halloween night. It was right after I became a member of the church and I could just remember finally getting back to the hotel and just feeling such a loneliness and need for the spirit.
In comparison, Bryan and I have had some opportunities to visit museums and attend a TSO concert. The Natural History Museum in Gainesville was actually really cool showing the beauty and history of the Earth and God's creations. The TSO concert was also very good. It was a piece that was based on historical events in Russia. We definitely would recommend the museum to people and we would love to go to another concert sometime in the future.
3) We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things.
Our trials hopefully make us stronger, help us to empathize, and give opportunities to others to serve. As the holidays approach, people tend to always be either more selfish or more giving. I think a majority choose the latter (though unknowingly may do the former). As we think about the Savior and the true meaning of Christmas, let us choose and knowingly do the latter. And even though we celebrate Christ's birth in the middle of winter, let use help it bring warmth and hope in an otherwise cold season.
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