Power Ponderables--I am free

2 Nephi 10:23

Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.

John 8:32–36

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.          

Helaman 14:30 

And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free.

Doctrine and Covenants 58:27–28

Verily I say, men should . . . do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves.

Doctrine and Covenants 88:86

Abide ye in the liberty wherewith ye are made free.

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.