Habits for Wise Choices (C&A VE5)

We are told to not only read the scriptures, but to really study them and take them in. "Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do" (2 Nephi 32:3).

And through "feasting" on the scriptures, we can gain wisdom. Heavenly Father will not just give us all the answers, though. We must ponder it in our hearts and pray about it. He expects us to be able to make a concerted effort make an educated decision and then bring it to him.

"...behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right. But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong;..." (D&C 9:8-9)

My patriarchal blessing tells me to read my scriptures and to include the recent words of the latter-day prophets. It also reminds me to say my prayers, and to do the things I should be doing. I haven't been the best at scripture reading or saying my personal prayers, but Bryan and I always pray together and we are trying to get better everyday.

Being in the hospital, I thought would make it easier to read my scriptures, but it didn't. Now that I'm out and doing better, I'm definitely trying to start making better habits. Ultimately, I know that having good habits and being in the right places can lead to having the Spirit with us. And having the Spirit with us can help us when we do have the big decisions to make in our lives.

The Influence of the Holy Ghost (C&A VE4)

We all are able to be touched by the power of the Holy Ghost. After we are baptized, though, we are able to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. This gift allows us to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost if we live worthy.

It is through the power of the Holy Ghost that we can gain a testimony of the gospel, and as Moroni at the end of the Book of Mormon teaches us, "...when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." (Moroni 10:4-5)

I have prayed and received a testimony of not only the Book of Mormon, but of the truths that I have learned from reading it as well as the other works of scriptures. I know that the gospel has been restored in its fullness and that the heavens are open. Personal revelation is very real through the Spirit. He not only can warn us and give us inspiration but is a witness of truth. It is through this truth that we can find peace.

John 16:13 says, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come."

The one place I feel the Spirit the strongest is at the temple. There is a peace there that can't be found anywhere else. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23). The Spirit speaks to us all differently, and if we are able to put our own thought aside for a few brief moments and listen, sometimes we can hear that still small voice of the Comforter.

Peace through Repentance (C&A VE3)

In the union at the university, we will get religious "fanatics" who come in preaching that everyone is going to burn in hell. This is a turn off for many, though for others it seems to be entertainment. The true gospel is a gospel of love, and preaching fire and damnation are not love at all. Secondly, no one wants to be told that they are being wicked, but especially not from a self-proclaimed "evangelical" who probably isn't very perfect himself. It does make me think of Samuel who was on the wall preaching near the end of the Book of Mormon. I wonder what they thought of him.

According to the Bible Dictionary, repentance is derived from the Greek word denoting a change of mind. In the scriptures, this comes to mean a turning of the heart and will to God. After faith in the Lord, repentance is the next principal of the gospel and is necessary for our salvation. Once we have gained a testimony of the gospel, we are asked to repent.

Alma 34:30–32 says, "And now, my brethren, I would that, after ye have received so many witnesses, seeing that the holy scriptures testify of these things, ye come forth and bring fruit unto repentance...if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you. For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors."

So what does it mean to repent? It means that we acknowledge our sin, ask for forgiveness from the Lord and those we may have affected, try to right the wrong, and forsake the sin by not doing it again. We also must forgive ourselves. If we do not take the opportunity in this life to take these steps, it will only be more difficult in the spirit world. We will be the same in spirit as we are now. In addition, repentance is only made possible through the infinite sacrifice of the atonement. "For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent." (D&C 19:16)

Some people believe that you are "saved" once you are baptized. It is true that baptism by the proper authority is necessary for salvation, and Moroni calls this the first fruits of repentance (Moroni 8:25). However, even once we are baptized, we must continue to repent. Every Sunday, we take the Sacrament to renew the covenants we made at baptism. This is important for our salvation, for if we could only take the steps of baptism once in our lives, we would not have a way to progress. There is more than one kingdom of glory and we should not be satisfied with the minimum requirements.

Alma 26:22 lists powerful blessings of repentance: "Yea, 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; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance."

Repentance not only brings us wisdom and knowledge that can only be revealed through the Holy Ghost, but also leads us to peace and happiness, which also come through the Spirit.

"...the remission of sins bringeth meekness, and lowliness of heart; and because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer, until the end shall come, when all the saints shall dwell with God." (Moroni 8:26)

A Day to Be Thankful

Today is a day to be thankful for the blessings in our lives, and I thought I would take the time to share some of the things I am thankful for.

I am thankful for this country and the freedoms that I have, this time I was born in, and the technologies that make our lives better and more fulfilling.

I am thankful for my husband, who is my best friend and eternal companion and someone whom I could not have made it through the last five years without.

I am thankful for my health (part of which has been a great trial but made me stronger), the families of the transplant donors that have given me and countless others an opportunity for a normal life, and the blessings I have had to heal and overcome the complications.

I am thankful for my job, the opportunity I have had to get an education, and the ability to serve others and make the world a better place.

I am thankful for friends who are always there for you even when time and distance have become great dividers in our lives, for my ancestors who came before me, and eternal families.

Finally, I am thankful for the restoration of the gospel and the priesthood on the Earth, a Heavenly Father that knows and loves me, and the opportunity to one day become like him.

The Light of Christ (C&A VE2)

Whether we have made covenants or even have received the commandments, we all have the light of Christ with us. It is this light that helps us to know good from evil.

Moroni 7:16-19 says this about the light of Christ:

16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God. 17 But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him. 18 And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged. 19 Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ.

We are meant to progress in this life. By choosing the good, we can increase our knowledge and understanding, and this "Light" can be with us stronger. Light itself is a very unique thing. We know on the gospel side that light is synonymous with truth and with the spirit. In the scientific world, light can be related to energy, heat, reaction, and frequency. It is interesting to ponder this grouping of words and think of how the molecules we are made up of are affected by light.

Some of us choose unwisely, however, against the light and start a sad and lonely cycle of regression. I have met people like this. It is a sad experience because you have to accept their agency. All you can do is pray for them, be an example, and know that the atonement will be there for them when they are ready. On the same token, sometimes we are the ones that have found ourselves slipping in that direction. We can try and justify our actions, even though we know what we are doing is wrong. But we must not forget that it is never too late to reverse the cycle through repentance, remembering the miracle of forgiveness and the power of the atonement.

"This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all...if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1:5,7)

Free Agency (Choice & Accountability VE1)

2 Nephi 2 is one of my favorite chapters of the Book of Mormon. Starting in v4 -6, Nephi explains how men have agency: “…And the way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free. And men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil. And the law is given unto men...Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth”

Nephi then discusses the importance of the atonement and the necessity of opposition in all things starting with Adam and Eve. Verses 22 – 27 are long, but deep. From these verses we learn that the Fall was necessary for us to come to Earth. Equally important is the atonement that allowed us to overcome the consequences of the Fall. As stated in verse 25 and 27:

“Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy…Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.”

Along with agency, however, comes the consequences of our choices. D&C 82:3-4 states, "For of him unto whom much is given much is required; and he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation...and justice and judgment are the penalty which is affixed unto my law…"

The blessings, however, of choosing to keep the commandments and our covenants far outweigh the struggles and adversity that we are asked to endure. This adversity tests our testimonies, but when we are obedient, Heavenly Father is bound to the law and his promised blessings are poured out upon us. "I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise" (D&C 82:10).

The 13th Article of Faith (Knowledge VE6)

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.