Notes on Enduring:

In preparation for my lesson this Sunday, I have been reading conference talks and other addresses on LDS.org but couldn't get the website to save my highlights.  So I copy and pasted all the quotes here.  It's a little rough but there's a lot here I want to include in my lesson.  I included my thoughts in italics.

The Sower—the seeds grow differently depending on the ground they fall on.

People react differently to the gospel message. Their willingness to accept the truth determines whether they are gathered. Joseph Smith taught that “this parable was spoken to demonstrate the effects that are produced by the preaching of the word; and we believe that it has an allusion directly, to the commencement, or the setting up of the Kingdom” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 97).

Press On - Joseph B Wirthlin

Some think of enduring to the end as simply suffering through challenges. It is so much more than that—it is the process of coming unto Christ and being perfected in Him.

The Book of Mormon prophet Nephi taught: “Wherefore, ye must pressforward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness ofhope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall pressforward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold,thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.” ³ 

<sup>Enduring to the end means that we have planted our lives firmly on gospelsoil, staying in the mainstream of the Church, humbly serving our fellowmen, living Christlike lives, and keeping our covenants. Those who endure are balanced, consistent, humble, constantly improving, and without  guile. Their testimony is not based on worldly reasons—it is based ontruth, knowledge, experience, and the Spirit. 


This quote really jumped out at me because I have been seeking balance in my life lately and in have realized that I need greater consistency also.   It states that those who endure have balance in their lives, or actually does that mean something else.  It says that they "are balanced" not that everything around them is balanced, but they in their soul are balanced.  For me I feel like little pieces of my soul are slowly coming back together as I have been seeking out the Holy Ghost's companionship in my life.</sup> 

“The sower soweth the word.

“And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but whenthey have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the wordthat was sown in their hearts.

“And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, whenthey have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

“And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward,when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediatelythey are offended.

“And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear theword,

“And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lustsof other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

“And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear theword, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty,and some an hundred.” ⁵ 

This parable describes the types of soil onto which seeds of truth aresown and nourished. Each type of soil represents our degree ofcommitment and ability to endure.

The first type of soil, that of the “way side,” represents those who hearthe gospel but never give the truth a chance to take root.

The second type of soil, “stony ground,” represents those in the Churchwho, at the first sign of sacrifice or trial, run away offended, not willingto pay the price.

The third type of soil, “sown among thorns,” represents some membersof the Church who are distracted and obsessed by the cares, riches, andlusts of the world.

Finally, those on “good ground” are those members of the Church whoselives reflect their discipleship to the Master, whose roots go deep intogospel soil, and thereby produce abundant fruit.

In the parable of the sower, the Savior identifies three obstacles toendurance which can canker our souls and stop our eternal progress.

 The first obstacle of endurance, “the cares of the world,” is essentiallypride. ⁶  Pride rears its ugly head in so many ways that are destructive.

Knowledge is very important and one of the few things that accompaniesus into the next life. ⁷  We should always be learning. However, we mustbe careful not to set aside our faith in the process, because faith actuallyenhances our ability to learn.

The second obstacle to endurance is “the deceitfulness of riches.” Weshould end our fixation on wealth. It is only a means to an end, whichend should ultimately be the building up of the kingdom of God. We must be carefulin our daily lives that we do not allow the things of this world to takeprecedence over spiritual things.

The third obstacle to endurance mentioned by the Savior is “the lusts ofother [things].” The plague of pornography is swirling about us as neverbefore. 

No one is immune from Satan’s influence and temptations. 

 Stay close to the Lord throughdaily scripture study and daily prayer. We cannot afford to sit back andtake our salvation for granted. We must be anxiously engaged our wholelives. 

^{These words of President Brigham Young motivate and remindus that we can never give up the fight to endure: “The men and women,who desire to obtain seats in the celestial kingdom, will find that theymust battle every day [for this sacred goal].” 11} please do not lose hope in the Savior and His lovefor you. It is constant. He promised that He would not leave uscomfortless. ¹² 

When we face challenges in our lives, we are comforted by the words ofthe Lord in the 58th section of the Doctrine and Covenants:

“Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, thedesign of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter,and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.

“For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the daycometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, butis nigh at hand.” ¹³ 

For me studying the scriptures daily and saying prayers at the start of the day are critical. When I don't the backward slide begins and then quickly the downward spiral ensues. However, when I do, I there is a drastic and noticeable difference in who I am and my ability to cope with the stressors of the day.  The gifts that God can give us in response to our obedience to his laws have a life changing impact in us and those around us.  Every day is going to be a battle, but will I choose each day to put on the armor that God has provided for me?  

When we face challenges in our lives, we are comforted by the words ofthe Lord in the 58th section of the Doctrine and Covenants:

“Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, thedesign of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter,and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.

“For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the daycometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, butis nigh at hand.” ¹³ 

The Lord's Plan

A couple of weeks ago I had decided and committed myself to skipping the women's class at church in the Spanish branch and instead go into the English ward sacrament meeting that meets at the same time.  I decided that I needed to this to help me spiritually restore myself.  However, my idea of what I need is not what the Lord knows I need and I just found this out.  Two weeks ago, I was called to be the 2nd Counselor in the Sociodad de Socorro (Relief Society) presidency.  After listing all the reasons why I shouldn't/couldn't (can't speak the language, have a very active 1 year old, having a spiritual crisis of my own) it all boiled down to I've never said no to a calling and I'm just going to have to trust the Lord on this one too.  My Dear Husband said that he would be supportive and help out with watching the children while I am at meetings.On Sundays, we'll have to take turns with the baby because he's Elder's Quorum President.

After meeting with the Branch President, I went to Sociodad de Socorro (in the seminary room) and up on the wall was a quote about how you can never move forward if you are always looking back.  And I realized that I had been looking back to the English ward and hadn't moved forward like the Lord wanted me too. I'm not just supposed to be the supportive wife sitting in the corner, he really wants me to learn Spanish and participate in this branch.

As part of my new responsibilities I am now teaching this next Sunday.  I will be posting my lessons and thoughts as I continue on this journey.

Update: On my little duckie....

A few months back I posted an article called "When your ducks don't float." and explained how it was an answer to a concern of my heart regarding my 4 year old, Yaya.  Last year we did home-based preschool with 7 other moms all taking turns teaching preschool at our home.  But this year they either moved, paid for preschool, or held their child back and repeated the 3 year old Joy School curriculum.  I had worried because I couldn't afford to send Yaya to a paid preschool (it's cheaper to attend community college than preschool where we live.)  But after reading "When your ducks don't float" the Lord had directed me that I need to keep her home and do activities with her and spend time with her to prepare her in other ways before dropping her in the kindergarten "Pond" and waiting to see if she sinks or floats.  Well I have been content with this answer until a couple of weeks ago when my friend invited Yaya and another child to attend Joy School while it was at her house that week.  Yaya had so much fun and really enjoyed it.  I also realized that they had made some changes halfway through the year and had actually added a lot more 4 year olds and Yaya would actually fit in quite well.  Yaya has been asking me when she gets to go back to school and I have been thinking about asking the moms if we could join.  However, the story about the duckies kept coming to my mind.  If the Lord had been so clear that I needed to keep her home this year, did that just mean in the fall or the whole year. I too could really use the 4 hours a week with only baby squishy home. It seemed to be a no-brainer, send her to preschool, no cost, she gets a little break from me and I from her, and she gets the instruction and socialization important at her age. But again what about the duckies.  So I decided that if the Lord was clear about this  before I needed to make this a matter of prayer and be open to His answer. He wants Yaya prepared in some way, but in what way?

Last year, my now 6 year old Mimi, had a brutal transition to preschool. In class she was an angel, always listening and respectful of her teacher.  But at home she began talking back, sassing, and being very demanding.  She and I battled that whole year with her new behaviors.  I want to do everything I can to prevent the same thing from happening to Yaya, but I didn't know what I was supposed to do.   I had been praying about this for over a week.  I was starting to get worried that I wasn't going to get an answer, maybe I just needed to make the decision and then He will confirm it whether it is right or wrong.  I new if it was up to my brain I would just get her into preschool.  But my heart wasn't settled so I just kept praying and waiting.  

Then yesterday the answer came.  I was talking with Mimi and she mentioned her little friend she played with last year and how she doesn't really play with her anymore cause she is in a different class.  Through working in the classroom last year, I was able to determine that her new little friend exhibited all of the same behaviors that I had seeing in Mimi and was desperately  trying to undo.  One friend, that's all it took to turn our household upside down for a whole year.  I had made a request that they weren't in the same classroom for first grade and so far this year things have been much smoother.  Mimi said that she now plays with another girl that she has known since she was 2 and is a great influence on her.  I was pleased with her choice and then it clicked. 

That was my answer.  It's not letters and numbers, it's building strong friendships with good influences that will be in her school.  Seeing it that way, I also realized that all of the children in Joy School are good influences but none of them will be attending Yaya's school. So while she would enjoy it now, it will not prepare her for kindergarten in the ways that she needs. Yaya has had a lot of playdates with the little girl down the street who is a good influence and will also be starting kindergarten at Yaya's school too.  I need to continue to foster this friendship.  I also thought of another little girl Yaya's age that will also be starting at her school next year too that I had met through church and Girl Scouts.  Her mom and I have talked of doing a playdate before but have never done it.  She is a good little girl and would be a good influence on Yaya.  I will be calling her mom and setting up a playdate this week.  I am now on the lookout for girls her age going to her school to see if they would be good friends for her.  If she has already established these friendships before she starts kindergarten then she will gravitate to these same girls when thrown into the kindergarten "pond."  And maybe the little oil that we as parents have put on their feathers will rub off on to each other and help to keep each other afloat.  

Thank you Heavenly Father for answering my prayers.  

How to Survive in Enemy Territory...and more

Yep that's where we live, in enemy territory.  We are constantly surround by attacks and temptations from the adversary.   And I have felt over the past year or more that my foundation that I have been standing on has been shrinking smaller and smaller.  I feel the wind pushing me to and fro, with not even enough room to plant my feet squarely to brace against the wind.  

I skipped Spanish Relief Society this last Sunday and tried to go to English Sacrament, but baby girl would have me staying in any class.  So I ended up in the mother's lounge, but that was okay because baby girl could walk around and jabber and I turned up the speaker and was still able to listen.   A mother, whose children are grown, but still has no less worries about them, got up to speak.  I love listening to her, she's real.  She doesn't sugar coat it, she just says it as it is and then finds a way to laugh about it too.  Her sense of humor is such a relief.  She spoke about prayer.  After exhausting all her normal resources for calming her down during another cancer scare, she then turned to the Lord. Who told her to go outside. She began gardening, but didn't feel better, she then looked up to the Lord and saw two birds flying. One with a chunk out of his wing.  He had had a trauma of some sort, but he was still flying with the healthy bird and just as fast and as well.  Even though we can feel damaged, we can continue on our course, pressing forward, still able to fly and just as well as the bird that was whole. 

Other speaker said his example of getting caught in fog while out in his little boat and praying his way back into the small sandy beach surrounded by rocky shore.  He said that was the only time in his life that his prayers had been answered exactly how he had wanted.  Prayers are just answered in the Lord's way.  

I needed to hear about prayer.  I haven't stopped praying, but I have stopped listening.   I recognize that now, which is good, but I don't know how to get answers to prayers, especially that level I dream of where you are constantly guided by the Holy Ghost.  So how did I get answers before.  Well, I did what I was supposed to do.  I made sure that I was in the right place at the right time.  If there was an extra church meeting that I was invited to attend I knew that if I didn't go I would be missing an opportunity for the Lord to answer my prayers through someone else.  I also went to the temple at least once a month, usually every week.  With all that going on, I felt like reading my scriptures and occasionally would receive answers there.   The obstacles seemed smaller then.  

Now, I feel like I am clambering at any tiny piece of doctrine I can get to feed my soul with.  Longtime ago I listened to a churchy song, which I heard on the radio when I was in Utah last visiting family.  The song, "Oh my Soul Hungered."   Wow, I hadn't realized that's right where I was. Spiritually starving. I try to put myself in the right place ie, church, but I don't understand the language.  And I guess that's how this post all started.  To save the quote written below.  Which is the answer to my questions and my prayer. 

"President Packer closed by saying, “Do not squander these years of seminary instruction  (insert motherhood or life or whatever it is right here).  … If you want to be happy, you must pay the price through obedience."

There it is, that's all it is.  I'm at the crux of it all. What do I want?  I know what I want.  But am I willing to do the work to get there.  I have two spanish books sitting next to my computer.  If I want this to work I've got to do the work and I have to commit to it.  For me that means, putting myself to bed at a decent hour and then getting up at 6 or 6:30 to get "my stuff" done before I start doing everyone else's stuff.  I need to do 15-20 minutes in the scriptures and then 20 minutes of Spanish.   There it is.  

So now that I've got it all mapped out on paper, comes the implementing part.  Oh I'm going to need some serious help accomplishing this one.  I am, by nature, not a morning person.  When 10pm hits I'm wide awake.  I've been resisting this change all my life and as someone once told me, it's time to "embrace" the change.  Embrace it, there it is, I need to change the way I see it.  I need to open my heart to it and welcome it, then it will be possible.   Here goes.  I'll keep you posted. 

Notes

We can’t direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. For maximum happiness, peace, and contentment, may we choose a positive attitude.


Don’t limit yourself and don’t let others convince you that you are limited in what you can do. Believe in yourself and then live so as to reach your possibilities.


Courage becomes a worthwhile and meaningful virtue when it is regarded not so much as a willingness to die manfully but as a determination to live decently.
Thomas S. Monson

Rely on Steady Scaffolding by L Tom Perry

“None of us know when the Savior will come again, but I’m quite certain that you sense, as I do, an unmistakable acceleration in the fulfillment of prophecies. Each of us must prepare now to play his or her foreordained part as the final pieces of Heavenly Father’s plan come together in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times. It will require of us much because much has been given to us.”

“Make the honoring of family traditions and the development of new ones a priority throughout your lives,” Elder Perry says. “Studies show that the reason young people join gangs is for the tradition and ritual of belonging to something larger than self. That is what a family should be. Be certain you are creating a rich environment for your family to look forward to in these special times of the year when traditions hold you together as a great eternal family unit.

“Family traditions can offer the basic and lasting support, but there’s a lot that must be built around them. Perhaps family traditions can only work when we create a role for every member of the family and there is a united effort to build them. This means that family members need to spend time together and also learn how to work together. When it comes to families, there is no such thing as quality time without a certain amount of quantity time. … The scaffolding of the Church will help remind you of these eternal priorities.”

As a former retail executive, Elder Perry would attend meetings in which alcoholic beverages were served. Instead of blending in or hiding his morality from his colleagues, Elder Perry determined to order a glass of milk to show everyone his standards and what they meant to him.

“Then a funny thing started to happen,” Elder Perry says. “At future meetings more people started ordering milk and drinking it with me. They confided in me that their wives did not like them drinking because it might impair their driving as they returned home. Instead of feeling awkward during cocktail hours, I soon became the center of conversation. It helped me meet more people and fulfill the purpose to which I was gathering.

“I learned an important lesson from this experience. If I keep my promises to the Lord, He will always keep His promises to me. He would always fulfill His end of the bargain—and much, much more—if I fulfilled mine.”