Negativity, I am so, NOT, doing it!

It is easy to be negative.  It is easy to find everything wrong around it.  It is easy to focus on those things.  But then, I have discovered, that becomes you LIFE'S focus.  Everywhere you gaze becomes something that is wrong.  I am learning to find the blessings instead of the trials.  The trials are still there, but along with every one, comes a blessing that I didn't expect.  When I shift my focus to the blessings, I find even more surrounding me than I realized.  The good begins to outweigh the bad.  My attitude changes.  I start to realize that I have a really good life, instead of the not so good one that I imagined. 

We become what we focus on.  If we want to be happy, we need to shift our focus to the happy things.  We need to look for the blessings under the rock or the water or even the ground.  This year, the Young Women's theme is: Come Unto Christ.  I find myself realizing that the first way we start to come unto Him is to see the wonderful blessings that He has given us.  To experience the power of the atonement, we need to first admit that we have need of the atonement and then realize that it does, indeed, apply to all of us.  

None of us are without sin.  None of us can make it back to Heaven on our own.  Nothing we have ever done cannot be forgiven, even if it is hard, but first, we have to know that it is possible.

My own negativity is often because of my feelings about myself.  So on this journey this year, as I work on Coming unto Christ, I am also going to work on recognizing His Hands in every part of my life.  I am going to search for my blessings.  I want to become closer to him, and I believe that the more I seek to become like Him, the more my journey will lead me toward Him.  I will become who He needs me to be.

The scriptures tell us:

Moroni 10:32 "Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

 

Perfection - One Small Step At A Time

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"Perfection is achieved, 

not when there is nothing more to add, 

but when there is nothing left to take away."

What a wonderful way to look at it.  Not when there is nothing more to add....  I have often approached perfection as something else that I need to do.  I have thought that if I could do more, work harder, pray more deeply, care more thoroughly and just be a better person, that I would get there.   I have treated perfection as something to be attained, not the process of becoming.  What a wonderful thought to think that Perfection happens when there is nothing left of me that needs taking away.  When I have given it all to God, than that will be when I become what I have always been meant to be.  

So today, my dear friends, let us all remember that our Heavenly Father knows us.  He knows what we are capable of.  He knows our names.  He knows who we really are.  Most of all, He knows what He wants us to become.  Remember that He will help us to get there.  We were never supposed to do it on our own.  

Today, let us give our worries and our troubles over to Him.  He will carry the burden for us if we will only let it go.  

31 Days of Hope - Day 3

PRACTCIE MKAES PREFRET

PARCTICE MAEKS PERRFET

PRATCICE MKAES PERFCET

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT.

One of the most amazing things about hope for me is that the more we practice it, the more we seem to find it and have it with us.  I can't imagine my daughter picking up the violin and playing Mozart perfectly the very first time.  She has to learn: one note at a time, one string at a time, one finger at a time, one swipe with the bow at a time.  Each note is played and learned and perfected.  And it takes years to become good.
I wonder why we can be so hard on ourselves when we struggle.  When we lose hope.  When we need help.  I think we often forget the lesson of practice and time.

"The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for.  Not admire from a distance but live right in it,  under it's roof".  Barbara Kingsolver (1955-___) US novelist

I love that quote.  "Not admire from a distance, but live right in it, under it's roof".  What a beautiful description of hope.  We can't change things if we only wish.  I think we have to be willing to hope that it can happen and then try to do what we need to do to bring it to pass.  Hope comes first, then the practice, and finally the change.

The Music Director

My daughter Miracle and I have had a real mother-daughter bonding experience this year.  Miracle joined the Northland Pioneer College Master Choral.  She is the youngest member at 13 years old.  I am probably one of the oldest!  :-)  We absolutely love singing together.  It has been such an amazing experience for both of us, but I think it has been so very eye opening for me especially.
I love to sing.  Anyone who has known me very long, realizes how much music means to me.  I sang in high school choirs, and ward choirs and even community choirs.  I have never been one of the best, nor have I even been in the best group, but I have worked at it and still perform today.  I have never had the opportunity to sing in college, or in a group that I did not help put together myself.  I have sang in weddings, funerals, community events, and in church.  I always enjoy it.  It makes me feel good to help others feel the Spirit that is such a large part of my life.
Music, for me, is an expression of feeling.  It is love put to voice and it touches my heart in wonderful ways.  However, I have never sang in a group like this one that we are with now.
How do I explain what it was like to walk into class the very first night and have the director (Miss Julie) blend all the individual voices into a song?  How do I explain what it felt like to be part of that group?  How do I share what it means to me to be singing in something this amazing?  I know that I am getting older, and I might not be able to do this for too many years.  I know that voices change as we get older and become weak.  But it brings tears to my eyes and pure joy to my heart to be part of it now.

Miss Julie has had a tough year this year.  She has been very ill and not been able to attend several of our practices.  She has been in and out of the Emergency room at the local hospital.  She has had personal struggles that are very overwhelming for her.  We miss her when she is not with us and can't wait for her to come back.  She lights our way!
We go on, because she has shown us what we can be.  We have been given a glimpse of what is possible and which direction we are heading.  There are several students that are music majors in school, and they lead the choir and help us to stay on track.  I think they do a very good job, and our director has every reason to be proud, but there is just something so amazing when Miss Julie steps behind the music stand.  She can bring things out of us that I had no idea we were capable of singing. She takes normal, everyday music and makes us part of something special, something unique, something that I have been missing.
Have you every had a teacher like that?  One who inspires you?  One who made you stretch and reach and become more that you ever thought you could be?

I think, that this is very much how the Savior works in our lives.  We all have talents and abilities.  By ourselves, we can be good.  We can do good things, we can be happy.  But when we allow Him to direct our paths, we can be so much more than merely good!  When He is directing, he places us where we can really shine.  He shows us how to change and perfect what we are.  He makes us whole.   He takes a world of individual voices and makes them harmonize to His song.
He becomes the Master Director.

I Know That My Savior Loves Me
Words and music by Tami Jeppson Creamer and Derena Bell

A long time ago in a beautiful place,
Children were gathered ’round Jesus.
He blessed and taught as they felt of His love.
Each saw the tears on His face.
The love that He felt for His little ones
I know He feels for me.
I did not touch Him or sit on His knee,
Yet, Jesus is real to me.

Chorus
I know He lives!
I will follow faithfully.
My heart I give to Him.
I know that my Savior loves me.

Now I am here in a beautiful place,
Learning the teachings of Jesus.
Parents and teachers will help guide the way,
Lighting my path ev’ry day.
Wrapped in the arms of my Savior’s love,
I feel His gentle touch.
Living each day, I will follow His way,
Home to my Father above.

Chorus

I know He lives!

I will follow faithfully.

My heart I give to Him.

I know that my Savior loves me.

For the times we question our faith

Sometimes, it appears as if the people at church are so perfect.  We see them at their Sunday best and compare them to ourselves as we see ourselves at our very worst.  Maybe those people at church are not as perfect as they seem to us.  And maybe they are at a different stage of their lives and the things that are trials for us, are not trials for them.  None of us are perfect, but the gospel is perfect and as we go to church we learn how to become more like our Savior.  I think that sometimes we need to focus a little bit more on what we can give and bring to a ward instead of what the ward can do or should do for us.

I love this quote from Joseph B. Wirthlin:
"The Church is not a place where perfect people gather to say perfect things, or have perfect thoughts, or have perfect feelings. The Church is a place where imperfect people gather to provide encouragement, support, and service to each other as we press on in our journey to return to our Heavenly Father."

"Each one of us will travel a different road during this life. Each progresses at a different rate. Temptations that trouble your brother may not challenge you at all. Strengths that you possess may seem impossible to another."

The Lord wants nothing more from you than your best, however good that is.  He does not ask you to be like anyone else.  He only wants you to be like yourself.  He wants you to return to Him. On the other hand, Satan wants nothing more for you than to have you lose your way.  He wants to confuse you and lead you astray until you can't imagine finding your way back. 

Some of us have had the unfortunate experience of choosing to hear Satan's confusing words and turning our backs on the gospel in our lives. I know that I have. I have to tell you, that I NEVER look back at that time without regret. I had some really bad things happen to me and I just couldn't believe that a real, loving Heavenly Father would allow those things to happen. I got some bad advice from a non Latter Day Saint councilor to not do any church work or volunteer work for awhile.
Well, for the first time in my life, I asked to be released from all my callings.  I did not hold any callings, and because I was not serving, I found it so easy to go inactive and make some bad decisions. I can't blame anyone else for my own mistakes. But, suffice it to say, that I went inactive for a period of time and there was no where I felt safe to get the help I needed. It was such a hard time in my life! After two years, I moved into a ward with a wonderful Bishop (who is now in the seventies quarum), he accepted me just as I was, with all my faults and failings and focused on helping me to regain my testimony.
The person I am now, almost can not believe that I was once so lost! I have come to have a very strong testimony, but I would never risk it by saying that I can never go astray, I know better. You need to find out for yourself, nothing wavering, whether the things you know are true.  When you get that answer, you need to cherish it and nurture it to keep it strong. 

Alma 32:28  Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

The very best advice I ever got was to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. Pray hard! Until you know you have the answer. Once you have that as a foundation for you testimony, the rest will fall into place. Once that testimony wasn't wavering, it became so much easier for me to accept whatever the Lord sends my way. Seems to me, that when I discovered the Book of Mormon was true, the rest didn't seem to matter quite so much.  I know now that I don't have to understand. Sometimes I just have to accept that the time will come when it will all make sense.  We all have to accept things that we aren't sure of. That is called faith. Some are just better grounded and come out of it sooner. Some are hard learners like me! :-)
You each have so much worth!  Remember that you are a child of divine parentage.  Your Heavenly Father loves you and has provided a way for you to return to him.  
President Monson gave the Sisters three goals to work toward.  Those goals are:

1. Study diligently.
2. Pray earnestly.
3. Serve willingly.

If you do those things I promise that your testimony will be strong and bright.  You will feel your Heavenly Father's spirit.  You will know the truth of all things.  President Gordon B. Hinckley, said of women, “God planted within women something divine that expresses itself in quiet strength, in refinement, in peace, in goodness, in virtue, in truth, in love.
I Promise you that He loves you and cares for you and will help you as you journey through this life and into the next.  Not only will He help you, He will give you a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive!
I bear witness of these things.

Who are your Heroes?

Who are real heroes?  Are they the great football players, rock stars, or television personalities?  Are they  people who lived a long time ago?  Are they myths and legends? Or are they only found in comic books and movies?  They are probably a little of all of these. 
The dictionary defines heroes as:

• a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength; "RAF pilots were the heroes of the Battle of Britain"
• the principal character in a play or movie or novel or poem
• champion: someone who fights for a cause

Mormon Heroes are people whose actions illustrate their love for Jesus Christ. They sacrifice their own pleasures to fulfill their Godly responsibilities. In spite of problems in their lives, Mormon Heroes labor valiantly as they seek to follow the Savior's example and God's plan for them.  You too can be a Mormon Hero.
Being good is not always easy. We are often faced with difficult choices that can sway us toward dark or light, happiness or misery, weakness or strength. Sometimes making the right choices in life are one of the hardest things we will ever do.  And changing direction after making bad choices, can take even more courage and strength.  The question, "where do you find your heroes?" is just as important as "who are your heroes today?"  So, where are you looking for your heroes?
Are you looking in the media, the headlines, or your neighborhood?  Or are you looking at your leaders, your scriptures, your prophets?  I believe that if we teach our children who the true heroes are in our lives, we can help them make better choices for their own heroes.  So, who are your own righteous heroes?
As we teach our children about our heroes and the impact that they have had in our lives, and as we live the teachings of the gospel and hold to the iron rod, we will be teaching them how to grow up to be our very own Latter Day Saint Heroes!  I really mean that!  As I have watched my older children grow and start families of their own, I am so amazed at the things they are doing and the way they are doing them. 

 I have always been a big fan of Nephi.  He taught us so much about the meaning of obedience and following the prophet.  I am so impressed with my children who are my heros who have chosen to follow the prophet.  It means the world to me to know that they are raising my grand-children to have prayer, scripture study and family home evening. They are teaching me every day what it means to be obedient.  What it means to sacrifice.
I am also a big fan of Gideon.  He is the type of man who does everything he can to help his people and trusts to God to fill in the rest. He won't back down from what he knows to be true and good.  I have children who are my heroes because they stand up for each other and won't back down, even when they know their friends won't like what they say.  I have boys who take care of each other even when it is hard to do so.  I am so proud of their commitment to family and for all of the things it means to them. 
I love Alma the younger, who lived the early years of his life in sin.  He actively taught against the Lord and his own father, the prophet, Alma the elder.  He was brought back to the gospel.  He lived his life in service and dedication to the Lord.  He actively tried to teach all those whom he had led astray.  He went to the Laminites and taught them at great danger and risk to himself.  I have children who made some mistakes early on in their lives.  They have walked a long road back to try and change those early decisions.  I have so much admiration and respect for their trials and they are my heros for making the decision to turn their life around.  To choose to change, even when change is painful.  
 I have so many heroes in the scriptures.  These men and women teach me what it means to be a true hero in the eyes of God.  Many of the current heroes in my life are my sweet children who have taught me to be more loving and compassionate, more giving and self-sacrificing, more serving and giving, more faith and courage, more like my Savior, Jesus Christ, who is the greatest hero of them all. 

"Goodness is the only investment that never fails."
H.D.Thoreau