Temple Trip and 2 quotes

On Saturday I went to the temple.  This is a big deal because I live at least 2 hours from the closest temple.  And I had never been to this temple before.  It's the Manhattan Temple.  And I had to go by myself.  I nearly had an anxiety attack.  That's just how I am these days.  I don't know what happened to me.

But I didn't chicken out and with only a few hiccups, I was able to get there, enjoy my temple worship, and get back to my family.

While riding the train there and back, I was listening to April General Conference.  This is the best thing about living so far from the temple.  Peaceful power-packed travel time.  As I listened to the talks, these two pieces of two great talks jumped out at me.  It was almost as if the words were in bold as they went into my ears.  Does that make any sense?


First, from Pres. Uchtdorf:
It has been my experience that some of the most powerful promptings we receive are not only for our own benefit but also for the benefit of others. If we are thinking only of ourselves, we may miss some of the most powerful spiritual experiences and profound revelations of our lives.

Then, from Sister Allred:

As we increase our own level of self-reliance, we increase our ability to help and serve others the way the Savior did. We follow the Savior’s example when we minister to the needy, the sick, and the suffering. When love becomes the guiding principle in our care for others, our service to them becomes the gospel in action. It is the gospel in its finest moment. It is pure religion.

Think about these two for a minute.  One says we can't think only of ourselves and the other says we have to start with self-reliance. That doesn't mean the two statements are contradictory.  Just that we have to think of ourselves for the purpose of helping others.  I've been thinking about this balance a lot for months--caring for me so I can care for them.  I think I will continue to work on it for years.  

Summary: A lesson I gave about LDS women

Today I taught in Relief Society.  The lesson was based on the talk by Elder Quentin L. Cook in the most recent General Conference, entitled,LDS Women are Incredible.

As I prepared and pondered his message, one thing I wanted each sister to hear is that this talk is about You.  It's not just about those other LDS women that you know.  You are incredible.  Why are you incredible?  Because of who you are.

And who are you?  You are a Daughter of God.  You are divine.  Heavenly Father has given His daughters gifts, roles, and responsibilities.  Elder Cook says, "God placed within women divine qualities of strength, virtue, love, and the willingness to sacrifice to raise future generations of His spirit children."

Our strength comes from unwavering faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His gospel. We learn from the example of our incredible pioneer forbears that as we turn to him in our trials, we are made stronger, and our sufferings are sanctified to us for our good.  

Elder Cook shares a wonderful example of a group of young women finding a handbag that had been accidentally left behind.  The items inside the bag told those sisters a great deal about who this woman was.  Likewise, we are often silent examples to others--our service and our kindness can tell others about who we are as women in this church. 

Elder Cook acknowledges that women face all sorts of difficult circumstances, but clearly reaffirms that the Lord needs his daughters to be nurturing their children in their homes where possible.  He says, "These are very emotional, personal decisions, but there are two principles that we should always keep in mind.

First, no women should ever feel the need to apologize or feel that her contribution is less significant because she is devoting her primary efforts to raising and nurturing children.  Nothing could be more significant in our Father in Heaven's plan.

Second, we should all be careful not to be judgmental or assume that sisters are less valiant if the decision is made to work outside the home.  We rarely understand or fully appreciate people's circumstances.  Husbands and wives should prayerfully counsel together, understanding they are accountable to God for their decisions."

As we strive to fulfill our purposes as women in His eternal plan, we will have his help.  He will make us even more incredible than we already are.  I love this promise from Pres. Ezra Taft Benson, "If you, as wives, mothers, daughters, take proper care of yourselves, your families, and your homes, and keep close to each other as sisters in the Relief Society, many of the problems of the day troubling youth and parents will pass you by."

There is so much more I can say--both doctrinally and from my heart about Heavenly Father's plan for his daughters, about how beautifully the home and the church function when men and women can unite in fulfilling their interdependent roles in this great work.  I love the gospel.

Pondering

I am teaching in Relief Society on Sunday, and my assigned talk/topic is LDS Women are Incredible! Great talk, but it's hard for me to know how to teach it to a room full of LDS women. "You are incredible! Amen!"  Probably not going to be enough. So I am pondering that this week.


But I also want to think about Moroni 9:25-26
25My son, be faithful in Christ; and may not the things which I have written grieve thee, to weigh thee down unto ^adeath; but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and ^blong-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your^cmind forever.

 26And may the grace of God the Father, whose throne is high in the heavens, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who sitteth on the ^arighthand of his power, until all things shall become subject unto him, be, and abide with you forever. Amen.

I love these verses. May the hope of his glory rest in our minds forever. May his grace abide with us forever. Here is a related thought from True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference: 

In addition to needing grace for your ultimate salvation, you need this enabling power every day of your life. As you draw near to your Heavenly Father in diligence, humility, and meekness, He will uplift and strengthen you through his grace. 

Grace. And meekness, from Bishop H. David Burton (who quotes Elder Neal A. Maxwell):

More meekness does not translate to weakness, but 'it is the presentation of self in a posture of kindness and gentleness.  It reflects certitude, strength, serenity; it reflects a healthy self-esteem and a genuine self-control.' More meekness will allow us to be tutored by the Spirit.

What a great piece of guidance for me as a mother, yes? And thinking of myself inside my home, I also need to ponder and remember two more thoughts. The first from President Spencer W. Kimball:

In our family circles, our children will learn how to talk to their Heavenly Father by listening to their parents. They will soon see how heartfelt and honest our prayers are. If our prayers are hurried, even tending to be thoughtless ritual, they will see this also. Better that we do in our families and in private as Mormon pleaded, 'Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart.'

And the last--with reference to my home and all my relationships--from Elder David E. Sorensen who said:

We must 'make full haste' to reduce arguments, eliminate ridicule, do away with criticism, and remove resentment and anger.  We cannot afford to let such dangerous passions ruminate--not even one day.

That's enough to think about for now.  Any responses?

A Testimony of the Risen Lord

My testimony of Christ started a long time ago.  I was taught the gospel from my earliest days.  At the Christmas season when I was about 12 years old, I remember our congregation was singing a simple Christmas carol. 

Once in royal David’s city

stood a lowly cattle shed

where a mother laid her baby

in a manger for his bed.

Mary was that mother mild,

Jesus Christ her little child.

When we sang the third verse, something happened to me that I had never experienced before.

And our eyes at last shall see Him

through His own redeeming love

for that child, so dear and gentle

is our Lord in Heaven above.

And he leads his children on

to the place where he is gone.

I sang “and our eyes at last shall see Him” and was immediately overcome with the truth of that statement.  I could no longer sing.  I could only mouth the words until the hymn ended.  Tears rushed down my face and the idea that I would see Him with my own eyes filled me with such joy and testimony that I will never forget it.

Now, I was very young.  I had very little experience with sin and repentance.  I certainly had no experience with death.  I was not a penitent sinner or a despairing world weary soul longing for comfort.  I was simply a child who wants at the most basic level what all of us want—to see Him again.

As far as I remember, that is how my testimony of the Savior began. 

And so today I ask, how is it that we, imperfect humans living in the 21^st century, will see with our own eyes a man who died two thousand years ago in a land far away?

I know that we are here today largely because we believe that this church answers this question for us with clarity and truth.  But I want to talk a bit about the answers.

1. Jesus Christ died.  

I know that no one would dispute about that point, but it is very important.  He was the only begotten of the Father in the flesh.  That means that if he chose, he had the power NOT to die.  He died because he chose to do so.

Here’s how Abinadi (a great prophet we learn about in the Book of Mormon) teaches this:  And after all this, after working many mighty miracles among the children of men, he shall be led, yea, even as Isaiah said, as a sheep before the shearer is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.

 Yea, even so he shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father.

He submitted himself to be crucified brutally and then voluntarily gave up the ghost.  Matthew  27:50 reads:  Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.

This means, literally, that he allowed his spirit to depart from his body and was physically dead.

The scriptures teach us that he had to die.  But we’ll talk more about that in a little bit.

               

2. Jesus Christ, the child born in a lowly stable, lives today.

That is the celebration of this day, our ultimate reason for rejoicing evermore.  That one who died lives again and that eternally.  We know He lives in part because of the witness of prophets who have seen Him.

This is Joseph Smith’s account of seeing Him in 1832:

 And while we meditated upon these things, the Lord touched the eyes of our understandings and they were opened, and the glory of the Lord shone round about.

 And we beheld the glory of the Son, on the right hand of the Father, and received of his fulness;

 And saw the holy angels, and them who are sanctified before his throne, worshiping God, and the Lamb, who worship him forever and ever.

 And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

 For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—

 That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.

Joseph Smith writes also of having seen him in the Kirtland Temple and describes the resurrected Lord this way: 

We saw the Lord standing upon the breastwork of the pulpit, before us; and under his feet was a paved work of pure gold, in color like amber.

 His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying:

 I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father.

Because I know that Joseph Smith truly was a prophet called of God, and because the Holy Ghost has borne witness to me of what I have just shared, I can testify that these accounts are true.  And that Christ lives. I haven’t seen him myself, but I cannot deny the workings of the Holy Ghost upon my soul, confirming that these things are true.  He lives today.

3.  If we are to see Him with our own eyes, He had to die and he had to rise again.

 In Helaman 14:15 we read:  For behold, he surely must die that salvation may come; yea, it behooveth him and becometh expedient that he dieth, to bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, that thereby men may be brought into the presence of the Lord.

Or, we can read in Mosiah 16: 6-10

And now if Christ had not come into the world, speaking of things to come as though they had already come, there could have been no redemption.

And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection.

But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ.

 He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death.

Even this mortal shall put on immortality, and this corruption shall put on incorruption, and shall be brought to stand before the bar of God, to be judged of him according to their works whether they be good or whether they be evil—

These scriptures explain with great clarity how essential Christ’s death and resurrection are to us all.  We talk a great deal about his Atonement—about his suffering in Gethsemane and his agonizing death.  But we must not forget that the Resurrection is part of the Atonement.  Indeed, it is the culmination of the Atonement. Without it, the suffering in Gethsemane and on the cross would have been in vain.

So, the resurrection is an essential part of the atonement. And the atonement is essential to our hope of salvation and exaltation with him in the eternal world.  In the words of Elder Christofferson, a modern-day apostle of Jesus Christ, “We must never forget what He did for us, for without his Atonement and Resurrection, life would have no meaning.  With his Atonement and Resurrection, however, our lives have eternal divine possibilities.”

4.  Christ’s Resurrection overcame death.

Almost without exception, whenever I sing or hear a hymn that states that Christ triumphs over death, that the grave has no victory, I always feel a strong confirmation of the Holy Ghost that it is true.  I have a firm belief that death is not the end, that it can have no lasting power over us because of our Savior Jesus Christ.  As it says in Isaiah 25:8, He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces.  

Or, as we just read, He is the light and the life—a life which is endless, that there can be no more death.

One hymn I especially love was written by President Gordon B. Hinckley.  The first verse reads

I know that my redeemer lives, triumphant Savior, Son of God,

victorious over pain and death, my king my leader and my Lord.

Time and again, as I worship in song, the truth of Christ’s triumph over death comes powerfully to my heart and mind.  And I cling to it with all my faith and hope. 

In teaching about hope, the prophet Mormon asks

 And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal.

And so we come to the last hymn I want to share with you today, a hymn that doesn’t speak explicitly about the resurrection, but which I have come to associate with my belief in the power of the resurrection.

At the time of my father’s death, my other sister sang this at his funeral.  She somehow had the courage and strength to get through it, despite the emotions of the circumstances.  I love the words and will always remember the sweet sound of her voice bringing me this message of peace and hope.

Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side;

With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.

Leave to thy God to order and provide;

In ev'ry change he faithful will remain.

Be still, my soul: Thy best, thy heav'nly Friend

Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: The hour is hast'ning on

When we shall be forever with the Lord,

When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,

Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.

Be still, my soul: When change and tears are past,

All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

Christ lives.  The tomb was empty that Sunday morning.  Through His redeeming love, our eyes at last shall see Him.  If we can but follow Him, love’s purest joys will all be restored to us and we shall be forever with the Risen Lord.

I pray that we will center our lives around Him, learn of Him, and rely upon Him.  And I testify that this is His church. In the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

New Ponderables. It's been way too long.

I still love that quote from last week--home is love, understanding, trust, welcome, belonging.  I will keep it up on my wall.  But here I will put all new quotes. 

Real charity is not something you give away; it is something that you acquire and make a part of yourself. And when the virtue of charity becomes implanted in your heart, you are never the same again. It makes the thought of [putting others down] repulsive.

Elder Marvin J. Ashton

I haven't had a chance to study this entire talk, but I plan to. The talk is well known for Elder Ashton's words on charity that immediately follow these lines, but I'd like to think about these this week.

To be humble is to recognize gratefully your dependence on the Lord—to understand that you have constant need for His support. Humility is an acknowledgement that your talents and abilities are gifts from God. It is not a sign of weakness, timidity, or fear; it is an indication that you know where your true strength lies.

True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference

(In my brief searches, I can't find the text of this online to link to.)

As we endeavor day by day and week by week to follow the path of Christ, our spirit asserts its preeminence, the battle within subsides, and temptations cease to trouble. There is greater and greater harmony between the spiritual and the physical until our physical bodies are transformed, in Paul’s words, from “instruments of unrighteousness unto sin” to “instruments of righteousness unto God” (see Rom. 6:13). Becoming at one within ourselves prepares us for the greater blessing of becoming one with God and Christ.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson

 I find great hope in this: eventually the battle within will subside.

You and I can put Christ at the center of our lives and become one with Him as He is one with the Father (see John 17:20–23). We can begin by stripping everything out of our lives and then putting it back together in priority order with the Savior at the center. We should first put in place the things that make it possible to always remember Him—frequent prayer and scripture study, thoughtful study of apostolic teachings, weekly preparation to partake of the sacrament worthily, Sunday worship, and recording and remembering what the Spirit and experience teach us about discipleship.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson

Is the Savior at the center of my life?

That question is for me. But just a question for you now. One thing that makes it difficult for me to post new quotes every week is how long it takes me to hyperlink everything from here. Is it worth my time to do it? Well, I am not doing it for me. I'm doing it for you. If you think I should keep doing it, say so, and I will. Do you ever click the link and read more? If no, I will just put clear references so you can find the sources if you want to look for them. Leave me a comment and let me know.

More to Ponder

I read this today from Ezra Taft Benson.
  
"Sound principles and eternal truths need to be frequently repeated so that we do not forget their application nor become dissuaded by other arguments."

It is exactly right.  Exactly why I put quotes up to reread at my kitchen sink.  I believe it.


And I need some new quotes.  Last week's thoughts are so long.  Too much to grab onto in my 30 seconds stops at the faucet.  


I've been thinking for a couple of weeks now about Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf's message about simplicity from the last conference.  He talks about four key relationships that matter most.  I learn from what he says about all four, but here's what he says about our relationship with ourselves:

It may seem odd to think of having a relationship with ourselves, but we do.  Some people can’t get along with themselves.  They criticize and belittle themselves all day long until they begin to hate themselves.  May I suggest that you reduce the rush and take a little extra time to get to know yourself better.  Walk in nature, watch a sunrise, enjoy God’s creations, ponder the truths of the restored gospel, and find out what they mean for you personally.  Learn to see yourself as Heavenly Father sees you—as His precious daughter or son with divine potential.

Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Also from the same talk by Pres. Uchtdorf:

Brothers and sisters, let us be wise. Let us turn to the pure doctrinal waters of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Let us joyfully partake of them in their simplicity and plainness. The heavens are open again. The gospel of Jesus Christ is on earth once more, and its simple truths are a plentiful source of joy!

Now the rest of my quotes for the week without explanation:

As you walk to the boundary of your understanding into the twilight of uncertainty, exercising faith, you will be led to find solutions you would not obtain otherwise.

Elder Richard G. Scott

From a different talk by Elder Scott:

When all the challenges pour down on you, you will have a quiet inner feeling of support. You will be prompted to know what to do. You can live in a world of turmoil and great challenge and be at peace. You will be inspired to know what to do and to have the power or capacity to do it.

Home is love, understanding, trust, welcome, and a sense of belonging. If you, as wives, mothers, daughters, take proper care of yourselves, your families, and your homes, and keep close to each other as sisters in the Relief Society, many of the problems of the day troubling youth and parents will pass you by.

President Ezra Taft Benson

To Ponder

Here are two big quotes to think about for a while.
Click the source links to find more.  Read.  I love these messages.

In a world where the measures of success are often distorted, it is important to seek appreciation and affirmation from proper sources. To paraphrase a list found in Preach My Gospel, we are doing well when we develop attributes of Christ and strive to obey His gospel with exactness. We are doing well when we seek to improve ourselves and do our best. We are doing well when we increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek out and help others who are in need. We know we are successful if we live so that we qualify for, receive, and know how to follow the Spirit. When we have done our very best, we may still experience disappointments, but we will not be disappointed in ourselves. We can feel certain that the Lord is pleased when we feel the Spirit working through us. Peace, joy, and hope are available to those who measure success properly.

Julie B. Beck

You who pray sometimes, why not pray more regularly, more often, more devoutly? Is time so precious, life so short, or faith so scant? 

Do you get answers to your prayers?  If not, perhaps you did not pay the price. Do you offer a few trite words and worn-out phrases, or do you talk intimately to the Lord? Do you pray occasionally when you should be praying regularly, often, constantly? Do you offer pennies to pay heavy debts when you should give dollars to erase that obligation? . . . How much do you pray, my young friends? How often? How earnestly? If you should have errors in your life, have you wrestled before the Lord? Have you found your deep forest full of solitude? How much has your soul hungered? How deeply have your needs impressed your heart? When did you kneel before your Maker in total quiet? For what did you pray—your own soul? How long did you thus plead for recognition—all day long? And when the shadows fell, did you still raise your voice in mighty prayer, or did you liquidate it with some trite word and phrase?

Pres. Spencer W. Kimball

A Summary of my lesson on Courageous Parenting

On Sunday, I gave a lesson based on Courageous Parenting by Elder Larry Lawrence.  In our ward, who ever teaches the lesson to the women of Relief Society is responsible to send out an email recap of what she taught.  Here's mine for this week.  Bear in mind, this is not all that I said nor all that was important.  But it's something.

What is courage?  Based on this scripture in 2 Timothy 1:7-8, we could get a good definition of courage.

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.  Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord."

So, courage often means

power

love

a sound mind

and testimony

What are you currently being asked to do that requires courage (for you)?

How could acting with courage help any of your relationships?

How could courage help you fulfill your church callings better?

How do we help each other be courageous?

Elder Lawrence shares the example of Alma, who is asked by the Lord to counsel and correct his son Corianton, who has committed serious sins and by so doing has led others away from the church.  We need to follow Alma's example as shown in this verse (Alma 39:12) where he says, "And now the Spirit of the Lord doth say unto me: Command thy children to do good, lest they lead away the hearts of many people to destruction; therefore I command you, my son, in the fear of God, that ye refrain from your iniquities;"

Alma chooses to have the difficult conversation with his son, even though it might be unpleasant, because he fears (reveres, loves, respects) God more than he fears Corianton's possible response. We need to act and speak with that kind of courage when we counsel our children, as prompted by the Spirit. We need not be afraid to let our children know that we're acting based on a prompting from the Holy Ghost.  

So what could courage look like in your family?

Elder Lawrence recommends 5 practices for courageous parents:

family prayer

family scripture study

family home evening

family dinner together

regular one-on-one interviews with each child

I love this quote from Elder Lawrence about one-on-one interviews with each child: 

"One of the most effective ways we can influence our sons and daughters is to counsel with them in private interviews. By listening closely, we can discover the desires of their hearts, help them set righteous goals, and also share with them the spiritual impressions that we have received about them. Counseling requires courage."

Sometimes the courageous thing is to leave our old self behind and become someone new through the atonement--someone who does something outside her comfort zone because it will help bring unity and share love. But sometimes the courageous thing is to stay the same--to be exactly consistent with rules and consequences with our children. Sometimes the courageous thing is to bite our tongues and listen listen listen to our children even if what they say is hurtful to us or is unkind. Listen to understand them. Sometimes the courageous thing is to speak up. Say the thing they need to hear. Say no. Bear the testimony they need to hear. Pray for them what the spirit prompts you to pray, even if they are listening to the prayer.

Acting with courage as prompted by the Holy Ghost brings personal growth and increased closeness in our relationships. Let's all help each other do it.