Knowledge

We need to keep an eternal perspective on our life and remember that we are not just living for today, but for eternity.  

 And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.    Doctrine and Covenants 130:19

Mind Over Matter

Recently I have trying to focus on letting go of my will and doing what God wants me to do. However, I have recognized that I can't just sit back and wait for Heavenly Father to drop answers in my lap.  I need to be anxiously engaged in good things that will allow Him opportunities to use to bless me.  

The first thing that I have been doing is getting up before my family in the morning and reading my scriptures or talks by the Apostles.  It is amazing how quiet the morning is and it allows for meditation and pondering on the things that I have read and problems that I am seeking answers to.   I just finished reading the book Unbroken by Laura Hillenbran (actually I listed to it--Yeah for audio books from the library!!!).   I was amazed at how many life lessons I learned in this book. One of which, that our minds have a great capacity that is often under-utilized and barrage of information.   I learned that I need to provide myself quiet time (Early morning after I am rested is best for me.) to allow all the constant thoughts in my head to quiet down and begin examining my questions with a clear mind that is open to receive answers from God.  

Unbroken made me consider for the first time, that maybe, just maybe I had the brain capacity to do more and think more than I currently see myself.  I know I'm not dumb, I did graduate from college, but I am blond and wasn't born with street smarts like some people are, and I have a horrible memory.  I am realizing that I have limited myself by placing an imaginary "glass ceiling" on what I thought I was capable of doing with my mind.  I realized in reading this book that I had allowed my mind to be filled with too many distractions.  I have renewed my effort to read and study in the early quiet hours, but also provide myself time to ponder and think on the things I have been reading.  I have stopped watching tv for the most part, try to be effective when I'm on the internet, and have been trying to fill my mind with good books in addition to scriptures.   Now I think I might be able to do things that I never thought I would be able to do.  It's exciting to open yourself up to new potentials.  I can't wait to see where this mind is going to go.

Including my Savior in this mental makeover has also been a concentrated effort. I have sought the power of the Atonement in prayer to help me grow.  In my morning study, I came across this quote by Todd Christofferson.

It is God’s will that we be free men and women enabled to rise to our full potential both temporally and spiritually, that we be free from the humiliating limitations of poverty and the bondage of sin, that we enjoy self-respect and independence, that we be prepared in all things to join Him in His celestial kingdom.

I am under no illusion that this can be achieved by our own efforts alone without His very substantial and constant help. “We know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.”24 And we do not need to achieve some minimum level of capacity or goodness before God will help—divine aid can be ours every hour of every day, no matter where we are in the path of obedience. But I know that beyond desiring His help, we must exert ourselves, repent, and choose God for Him to be able to act in our lives consistent with justice and moral agency. My plea is simply to take responsibility and go to work so that there is something for God to help us with.

I bear witness that God the Father lives, that His Son, Jesus Christ, is our Redeemer, and that the Holy Spirit is present with us. Their desire to help us is undoubted, and Their capacity to do so is infinite. Let us “awake, and arise from the dust, … that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto [us] may be fulfilled.”25 In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.    (For full text click here)

I hope that I will be able to grow in ways I've never before imagined and I'm grateful for the possibilities that are available through the Atonement.  I hope that I will be able to pass on to my children and others that God sees more in us than we see in ourselves.

Hope

Mosiah 27:14
14 And again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath heardthe prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to theknowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith.  

This scripture is filled with hope.   

"Will this make you a better person?”

Im so thankful for the recent counsel regarding the use of the internet and use of electronic devices.

A wonderful example of the need for moderation, balance, and wisdom is the use of the Internet. It can be used to do missionary outreach, to assist with priesthood responsibilities, to find precious ancestors for sacred temple ordinances, and much more. The potential for good is enormous. We also know that it can transmit much that is evil, including pornography, digital cruelty,⁸ and anonymous yakking. It can also perpetuate foolishness. As Brother Randall L. Ridd poignantly taught at the last general conference, speaking of the Internet, “You can get caught up in endless loops of triviality that waste your time and degrade your potential.”⁹

Distractions and opposition to righteousness are not just on the Internet; they are everywhere. They affect not just the youth but all of us. We live in a world that is literally in commotion.¹⁰ We are surrounded by obsessive portrayals of “fun and games” and immoral and dysfunctional lives. These are presented as normal conduct in much of the media.

Elder David A. Bednar recently cautioned members to be authentic in the use of social media.¹¹ A prominent thought leader, Arthur C. Brooks, has emphasized this point. He observes that when using social media, we tend to broadcast the smiling details of our lives but not the hard times at school or work. We portray an incomplete life—sometimes in a self-aggrandizing or fake way. We share this life, and then we consume the “almost exclusively … fake lives of [our] social media ‘friends.’” Brooks asserts, “How could it not make you feel worse to spend part of your time pretending to be happier than you are, and the other part of your time seeing how much happier others seem to be than you?”¹²

Sometimes it feels like we are drowning in frivolous foolishness, nonsensical noise, and continuous contention. When we turn down the volume and examine the substance, there is very little that will assist us in our eternal quest toward righteous goals. One father wisely responds to his children with their numerous requests to participate in these distractions. He simply asks them, “Will this make you a better person?”

Elder Quentin L Cook

Picket Fences

Growing up there was a white picket fence along the walkway to the front door of my childhood home similar to this one pictured.  I loved that little white fence and always wished that when I grew up my house would have a white picket fence too.

Society too has placed value on the white picket fence surrounding the beautiful yard and perfect home inside.

The white picket fence has become a symbol of the idyllic life.  Representing the perfect home, perfect family, and an excess of all you could want.  So many of us buy into to this dream, taking it on as our own goal, and feeling less-than if we can't achieve it.  After being married now for 10 years and experiencing the ups and downs of life. I have come to recognize that we are not all on the linear upward path of graduate from college, find the spouse of your dreams, get the best job, buy the perfect house (with the white picket fence of course) and then have the two or three perfect darling children. This is how we are taught life should be right.

The funny thing that I realized recently is that I wasn't actually wrong in wanting the picket fence it's self. It's just I didn't understand what a picket fence really is and what it really stands for.

Society has washed all of the effectiveness of the picket fence out of it and all that is left is the beautifully white washed facade of something that appears to have value but offers nothing of the real protection that is needed.

In Alma chapter 53 we see why picket fences were originally useful:

1 And now it came to pass that Moroni did not stop making preparations for war, or to defend his people against the Lamanites; for he caused that his armies should commence ... in digging up heaps of earth round about all the cities, throughout all the land which was possessed by the Nephites.

 2 And upon the top of these ridges of earth he caused that there should be timbers, yea, works of timbers built up to the height of a man, round about the cities.

 3 And he caused that upon those works of timbers there should be a frame of pickets built upon the timbers round about; and they were strong and high.

 4 And he caused towers to be erected that overlooked those works of pickets, and he caused places of security to be built upon those towers, that the stones and the arrows of the Lamanites could not hurt them.

 5 And they were prepared that they could cast stones from the top thereof, according to their pleasure and their strength, and slay him who should attempt to approach near the walls of the city.

6 Thus Moroni did prepare strongholds against the coming of their enemies, round about every city in all the land.

The picket fence was originally used to strengthen weak areas around a city.  They weren't painted white and decorative at the top, they were sharp and indicated injury to anyone that tried to cross them to attack. Pickets were effectively used to defend against the enemy that was trying to destroy them.   Have we placed a picket fence around our home and family and if so is it just for looks and status symbol or is it the kind that will actually be defensive and protective of the people we love the most.

In October 2013 conference Elder Scott spoke about defending our selves spiritually when he shared the example of the Ammonite father's in the Book of Mormon:

"The people of Ammon were at a critical moment of their spiritual lives. They had been true to their covenant never to take up arms. But they understood that fathers are responsible to provide protection to their families.6 That need seemed great enough to merit consideration of breaking their covenant.7.....Their past choices had exposed these Ammonite fathers to a carnal appetite that could again become a point of vulnerability that Satan would attempt to exploit.

Satan will try to use our memory of any previous guilt to lure us back into his influence. We must be ever vigilant to avoid his enticements. Such was the case of the faithful Ammonite fathers. Even after their years of faithful living, it was imperative for them to protect themselves spiritually from any attraction to the memory of past sins.

In between the many battles, Captain Moroni directed fortification of the weakest cities. “He caused that they should build a breastwork of timbers upon the inner bank of the ditch; and they cast up dirt out of the ditch against the breastwork of timbers … until they had encircled the city … with a strong wall of timbers and earth, to an exceeding height.”14 Captain Moroni understood the importance of fortifying the weak areas to create strength.15

These Ammonite fathers were much the same. They needed taller and wider fortifications between their faithful lives and the unrighteous behavior of their past. Their sons, who were blessed with righteous traditions, were not as vulnerable to the same temptations. They were able to defend their families faithfully without compromising their spiritual well-being.

The joyful news for anyone who desires to be rid of the consequences of past poor choices is that the Lord sees weaknesses differently than He does rebellion. Whereas the Lord warns that unrepented rebellion will bring punishment,16 when the Lord speaks of weaknesses, it is always with mercy.17"

"Each of us has had times in our lives when we have made poor choices. We are all in desperate need of the redemptive power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Each of us must repent of any rebellion. “For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance.”22 He cannot because He knows what it takes to become like Him.

Many of us have allowed weakness to develop in our character. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we, like the Ammonites, can build spiritual fortifications between ourselves and any past mistakes that Satan attempts to exploit. The spiritual protections built around the Ammonite fathers blessed and strengthened themselves, their families, their country, and future generations. The same can be true with us."

You Never Know

That He May Succor Us

Recently I read a quote by Jonathan G. Sandberg from his devotional address entitled Healing = Courage + Action + Grace, "Even the greatest among us, Jesus Christ, experienced betrayal, mocking, abandonment, loss of loved ones, and physical pain as part of His mortal experience."  When reading this the phrase of "loss of loved ones" caught my attention and caused me to remember the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead.  As we studied this story in my religion class last year I wrote some of my thoughts here.  I found many new insights into the experiences of Lazarus, Mary, Martha and Christ, but when I read this quote I recognized an aspect of the story that I hadn't recognized before. When Jesus wept I knew that he was showing compassion on Mary and Martha, however, I had forgotten that He, Himself had just lost a loved one.  Christ was also weeping for His loss of a dear friend as well.