Nurturing Our Divine Nature (DN VE4)

After reading and listening to several talks on motherhood, two key elements are brought up time after time: to nuture and to teach. One definition of nurture that I found is: to care for and encourage the growth or development of.  This is a bigger concept than just the physical more obvious portion of nurturing that we think of. We are all different. Some women are highly affectionate. I am not one of those women. I can be affectionate when it is needed but I am definitely stronger in terms of mental and spiritual nurturing. And that is just as important. We need to teach and be examples of faith, wisdom, and charity.

On facebook I asked the question, "what do you feel are important attributes for being a mother?" The top answers were: patience, selflessness, and having a sense of humor.

I think if we haven't had an "opportunity" before to learn patience, we will with children. And a sense of humor is in essence seeing the world through God's eyes. I think it just comes down to selfless love: to be aware of the divine nature of another individual who is looking to you for guidance and to love them for who they are and who they can be. That is a skills I have been working on for sometime, and might never truly master.

I currently am overseeing 6 interns at work and have to help give them tasks based on their talents, interests, and commitment level.  It has given me some definite experience in teaching and helping others progress in their talents. It has also in many ways helped me to be patient and kind. And I look over them as I do all my friends. Though I can only show them the path; they are the ones that must choose to take it.

Peace Amidst Drama (DN VE3)

“If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but … ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world” (John 15:19).

Elder L. Tom Perry in an April 1988 Conference talk explains that from this teaching comes the common phrase, "to be in the world, but not of the world." He states, "It is 'in the world' where we have the privilege of coming and enjoying a mortal experience. It is 'in the world' where we are tested and tried. It is 'in the world' where we have opportunities to participate in sacred, saving ordinances which will determine our postmortal life. It is 'in the world' where we have opportunity to serve and make our contribution to mankind. It is to this world the Savior must come." 

The world today is full of drama: some are out to get gain, some cannot let go of the past, and some are lazy and expect to get what they haven't earned.  Add to that, the countless conspiracy theorists. So how do we find peace in a world with so much drama? We can start with the gospel. Understanding the plan of salvation helps us know of the love our Heavenly Father has for each of us. Even though we have trials, the goal is for us to reach our potential and be happy.

"Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:25)

To truly follow the Savior's admonition to "love thy neighbor" we must share with them the gospel to bring them peace.  Elder L. Tom Perry in his talk also said, "In addition to being obedient to the word of the Lord, we have been instructed in our responsibilities to declare the gospel to all of our Father in Heaven’s children."

“And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!” (D&C 18:10, 13–16).

Our Father in Heaven knows what we are going through and knows both our wants and needs. Through the atonement, we can overcome our weaknesses. Through faith and prayer, we can align our will with the the Father's and better see the larger picture. If everyone understood these principles, we could overcome selfishness, fear, jealousy, hatred, and regrets much easier. 

Russell M. Nelson in an October 2002 Conference talk said, "Peace can prevail only when that natural inclination to fight is superseded by self-determination to live on a loftier level. Coming unto Jesus Christ as the “Prince of Peace” is the pathway to peace on earth and goodwill among men. He made a promise to us: 'Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.' (Matt 5:9)”

To Love Another (DN VE2)

As spoken both by the Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 13) and by Moroni (chapter 7), charity is "the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him."

I have been working trying to be more charitable through getting closer to the spirit. I have been somewhat successful, but I have definitely had my share of challenges.  My capacity to tap into the "feeling" and "motherly" side has always been a challenge; however, I have found that I have become a more feeling person as I grow older.  With all that I have been through, my ability to relate and empathize with others has increased dramatically.  I still have times that it is difficult to get over the jealously and anger that comparing your life to others can lead to.  Trying to be happy for others and to love them, even when it seems that justice has some how failed you, is no easy task.

After reading the scriptures for this Experience, Colossians 3:12-17 touched me the most:
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Only through the atonement and the spirit can we have the revelations of the "tender mercies" and "small but mighty miracles" that our Heavenly Father places in our lives that allow us to love more deeply and increase our testimonies.  But we first must have and hold on to faith and hope, and pray for forgiveness and for our hearts to be changed.

Moroni 7:48 says "...pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen."

Divine Process (DN VE1)

Peter (2 Peter 1) teaches us about divine qualities. Looking at this as a process gives some interesting insights.
1. We start out with faith which is the first principle of the gospel. Alma discusses how we can retain this faith by planting a seed of the hope of faith.
2. To this we add virtue. We can think of this as cleanliness and purity. We need to work on removing those habits that are not pleasing to God.
3. The next quality is knowledge. We need to be seeking knowledge and be teachable. Here we learn about the gospel and can gain wisdom to strengthen our testimonies.
4. Temperance comes next. Another word for this is self-control. We need to "bridle our passions" and become masters of our addictions and weaknesses.
5.We then need to have patience with ourselves and others. We need to be humble, penitent, and forgiving.
6. The next stage of this process is godliness. We hear often that we should "put off all ungodliness." We should desire to do good continually and not have malice towards others. The word that comes to mind is to be sanctified, or to be made holy. We do this with covenants.
7. Peter says that we need next to have brotherly love. We need to care for each other as we have promised in our baptismal covenants.
8. Finally, we need charity, which is a higher order of love. It means we see others as the Lord would and desire to serve them. We also desire to do the service of God (D&C 4).

Alma 7:23-24 adds some additional qualities to this process. He says we need be submissive and easy to be entreated. In other words, be open to the promptings of the spirit and be will to do what is asked. We also need to be long-suffering and diligent in keeping the commandments. And we need to be prayerful and grateful.

 I have decided to work on charity through the first of these: to be more open to the spirit and be willing to do what is asked. To accomplish this I need to also work on my scripture study and being more sincere in my prayers.

Sacred Service (GW VE6)

Last weekend at Stake Conference, one of the major themes was temples and family. With the temple, I was pondering the meaning of the word Sacred. After doing some research found that the root meanings include "dedicated," "holy," and "binding." It is derived also from words that mean "to make holy or consecrate." The word sanctify is derived from different words with a similar meaning as this.

Service is derived from roots meaning "to perform work on" as well as "obedience" (which as a side note is derived from a similar root as audience meaning "to listen and perceive"). When I think of service, I also think of sacrifice. While sacrifice in a general sense means "something given up for the sake of another," its roots come from the same word a sacred.

The temple is a sacred place where we make covenants, are sanctified, and perform service. Temple work is a culmination of all these things and the climax of charity. We know that every soul will have an opportunity to hear the gospel, whether it is in this life or in the spirit world. They will have a chance to accept or reject it, but in order to gain exaltation, they must have sacred ordinances performed. We are able, by proxy, to do this work for them and to seal our families together for eternity.

I think this is one of my favorite pieces of the gospel. It is one of the reasons I know that the truthfulness of the gospel has been restored on the earth. Temple work is not new and is mentioned in the New Testament by Paul. It is sacred, though, and personal. The experiences we have in the temple are between us and the spirit. For these reasons, it is difficult to express the emotional and spiritual value of it, but for me it is somewhere where peace, joy, and love meet.

Service and Individual Worth (GW VE5)

Today during Stake Conference broadcast, we heard from M. Russell Ballard. He shared the story of Woodruff Wilson's last vision of Joseph Smith and others in heaven being in a hurry because, being in the last dispensation, there was little time to get everything done.

With the thought that we should all be in a hurry, Elder Ballard talked about the value of a soul and then gave 4 things we need to focus on:

1) Strengthen Home and Family;

2) Strive to Protect and Save our own souls and other church members;

3) Strive to save the souls of those that are not yet members [through gospel-centered homes and looking for ways to serve others]; and

4) Strive to save souls who have departed this life [through genealogy and temple work].

He also pointed out that the atonement makes the blessings of eternal life possible. He shared a metaphor of individual worth being like a seed that grows into an apple tree. Finally, he reminded us that those of us that have received the gospel are expected to share it with others; however, ultimately, we are accountable for our own souls.

Sharing the gospel with others is one of the greatest gifts we could give to another. If we love them, why wouldn't we want to offer them hope, peace, and the promised blessings of eternal life? And why is it so hard to share this amazing gift? As a convert, I try to look back and remember what it was like when I was investigating, how odd this story of a 14 year old boy was, and why I had never heard of such things before.

I remember being skeptical of the Book of Mormon, and reading as much as I could to see what was really on the pages of this book. But after reading and pondering I knew that the words could not lead the soul to do anything but good. I have a testimony that the Book of Mormon is true and Joseph Smith was a prophet.

I hope those that read my blog that aren't members of the church will plant a seed of faith to ask and find out for themselves that this gospel of happiness and individual worth is true. For those that are reading this blog and are members, let's take is opportunity this year to reread the Book of Mormon and strengthen our testimonies, our families, and our individual worthiness.

Serving in the Community (GW VE4)

Through my work, I serve the community. Even though I get paid, I like to think that I help to make people's lives a little better and safer through research and data management. I have worked on projects that help to find sand for beach replenishment as well as help to keep our water supply healthy.

Over the years, I have also served in the community through a number of organizations. Whether it wrapping gifts for underprivileged children, raising money to eradicate IDD, or helping out with a Girl Scout troop, it has always been a desire of my heart to be able to help others. I haven't always understood why, but always knew it was the right thing to do. After gaining a testimony of the gospel, things have become much clearer.

We are all trying to make it back to our Heavenly Father and to become like Him. We can do this by serving one another and using our talents to help each other. Sometimes serving others is difficult, especially when it doesn't seem to be appreciated. I have felt that way a few times in my life. I know, though, that my efforts don't go without being noticed by my Heavenly Father, and I can only hope that I can make a difference in someone's life.