My Unanswered Question

I realized as I was praying to learn from the scriptures today - this was of great comfort to me -  I was taught that I am not alone in many of my life concerns, and I was reminded that my concerns are little in comparison to a person whom I am actually a lot like.  His name is Mormon. I am like Mormon because I am plagued with an unanswered question.  The question is - How is this all going to turn out for me as those I love?  As I pondered upon Mormon I realized a prophet of God had the same problem that I have - only his senerio was harder - He witnessed the ENTIRE destruction of those that He loves and then he was left to wonder what would happen to his own son?  HE DIDN'T KNOW HOW THINGS WERE GOING TO TURN OUT FOR HIS FAMILY... And yet, Mormon had this one great desire... That he could be of help in anyway possible and that " Perhaps " ( his righteous works, his compilation of writings and hope his son would follow his example that ) " someday might  profit them ".  Mormon didn't have prejudice or preconditions on whom he wanted the Book of Mormon to help, nor did he only worry about his own personal family circumstances,  he wanted to be a servant of the Lord for everyone.  I am incredibly thankful that Mormon's desire was fulfilled through Joseph Smith the prophet and because of our incomprehensibly merciful God and Savior whom allowed Joseph the gifts that he would need to do the work of bringing the Book of Mormon to light.  I am thankful that I can relate to such a wonderful man Mormon in someways and I am honored to be nicknamed after him - Mormon.  I am going to follow Mormon's example and hope and have faith that my scriptural writings will have benefit to anyone who will read them - to strengthen their belief in Jesus the Christ. The one whom changed me forever and holds my heart.  If God can work the miracle of bringing this prophets compliations to light - what can He not do for you and I that we righteously need to serve Him at a higher capacity?  Nothing - there is nothing that he can't do and I will follow Mormon's example.  I say this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.  MORMON 1:  1 And now I, Mormon, being about to deliver up the record which I have been making into the hands of my son Moroni, behold I have witnessed almost all the destruction of my people, the Nephites.  2 And it is many hundred years after the coming of Christ that I deliver these records into the hands of my son; and it supposeth me that he will witness the entire destruction of my people. But may God grant that he may survive them, that he may write somewhat concerning them, and somewhat concerning Christ, that perhaps some day it may profit them.

Administer Spiritually

When reading in Mosiah I have delighted in the many messages given by King Benjamin. Most especially his message to not just give to the poor and the needy but to also administer relief not only temporally but SPIRITUALLY to individuals stuck out to me. I have considered what this means to administer spiritually? Of course this means to bless them with the power of the Priesthood and administer consecrated oil upon their heads, but I think there is also a deeper meaning; Elder Ballard shares a wonderful scripture account which exemplifies what it means to administer spiritually. In his recent General Conference address titled. " Following Up" Ballard shares from the book of Acts, chapter 3: “Now Peter and John went up together into the temple. … And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John ask of them alms. And fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” But Peter didn’t stop at the blessing. The scriptural narrative next tells us that “he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength." "And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.” In other words, Peter didn’t simply invoke his priesthood authority and invite the man to rise up and walk. He also followed up on his invitation by reaching out to the man, taking him by the right hand, lifting him up, and then walking with him into the temple. From this we see that we can spiritually administer by reaching and taking others hands to become closer to Christ. We do this as we take our spouses and children's hands and initiate family scripture study. We do this as we hold family prayer twice daily. We spiritually administer when we bring others to the temple and church activities. Another thought that I had in regards to spiritually administering to others was the recollection of the times that I have felt prompted and stretched by the spirit to recognize that if I FIRST am not spiritual, then I will not be able to administer spiritually to my family or anyone. I remembered those times that I sought to help my children have spiritual experiences that would strengthen their testimonies, and then the Spirit reminded me that if I had my own spiritual revelation and experiences that would be the best means to also help my children and spouse. I am thankful for the witness that we have from King Benjamin that we will be if greatest strength to others as we lead them by example. I am thankful to know that a portion of our giving is not only temporal, but also spiritual. No matter how much or how little money that we have to help others, I know that I can still be of help to others with my testimony of the Restored Church of Jesus Christ. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ.Amen. Mosiah 4: 26 And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants.

Lose Yourself to Find Yourself

              Lose Yourself – To Find Yourself – Emily Turano – Putting it all Together

In Matt. 16: 24-25 Jesus teaches that if we lost our lives then we will actually find our lives. We find our lives as we follow Jesus instructions to lose our lives because when we give up the things that we may want to spend our time on , rather than seeking first the kingdom of God, we risk not having eternal life.

I have had very personal experiences in which I was prompted to let go of my worries, my desires in life and just follow the promptings of the spirit, trust in the Lord and seek solely to do His will. As I did this I was healed from all of my anxieties, and eventually was blessed beyond measure to find the most joy in life than I could have ever imagined had I not done this.

Awaking at night with racing heart, and chest pain could be proof that one is due for a doctor appointment?  Pain and discomfort seem unlikely symptoms to change one’s life for good? Yet, finding myself in panic at night, and uncontrollable nervousness throughout the day, was one of the best experiences of my life.               

 Becoming aware of my inability to control serious life situations, took over my life for a time. The body has a magnificent way of manifesting deeply en rooted emotions to the conscious mind, through physical reactions. This was the cause of my sudden anxiety disorder emerging. This was also the beginning of a new found truth that I would soon discover.  The truth that” if we lose ourselves, we shall find ourselves”, is something that I have learned from having an anxiety disorder.              

  I was prompted to walk into a random door, as I was going to the doctor, in order to determine why I had this sudden onset of discomfort? Upon being told by the receptionist that the office that I had entered was the enrollment center to become a Certified Nurse’s Assistant, I immediately enrolled.            

  Although I could barely function in my own life at the time, I followed the prompting that  I  had to “lose myself “and begin a journey to take care of others. After my schooling, as I began caring for extremely ill patients in the hospital, my symptoms of a racing heart, and extreme nervousness suddenly seemed like a blessing. I was suddenly thankful that I was only experiencing anxiety, and that I was not dealing with deadly illness, as many of my patients were.            

  After about six-months of working in a hospital, and caring for very ill patients, I suddenly didn’t care that I was waking up at night with a racing heart, or that I was often very nervous during the day; I was just glad to be alive. This I believe; when you lose yourself, you shall find yourself. (Luke 17:33)  

Because of the Book of Mormon

1 Mosiah 3:  And he also taught them concerning the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, saying: My sons, I would that ye should remember that were it not for these plates, which contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ignorance, even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God.

I can echo the appreciation that King Benjamin has for the scriptures in these verses...I am so very thankful that I too have the scriptures to share with my children and to help strengthen us all to come to His Son - Jesus Christ.

The Book of Mormon that we have today allows me to come to know God's will, instructions, and patterns as I read from it. However, the greatest thing that the Book of Mormon does for me is allow me to know with surety that God does fulfill promises as he did for those writers in The Book of Mormon ( since I am now reading their words and that is what they requested.)

 Because I have the Book of Mormon to read each day-  as I see it on my table- it is a direct reminder to me that modern day prophets are real.

Because I have the book of Mormon - each time that I open it's pages and feel the spirit guide me in its words -  I know that I am not left alone
In my life to wonder upon my purpose - but I know that I am a child of God.

Because I have the Book of Mormon - I have a marvelous witness that Joseph Smith is a prophet and that the Restored church is truly on the earth today and how blessed I am to be a part of it.

I am very thankful for these reminders and witnesses in my life daily - As I see that special book on my table and taste of it's fruit that it has brought to my life as I ponder upon it's words - I want to share the joy that it brings me with everyone.

I say this in the name of Jesus Christ.Amen.

TRUST HIM

ENOS 1: 6 And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie.....

Enos trusted God more than the voice of the adversary and the world around. The adversary who might tell him he is not worth it, or that he cant make a difference for others. Sometimes the adversary tries to weaken our faith in the atonement and tells us that we are not forgiven.

I have always been an overly trusting person, and a large problem of my past was putting my trust or fauth in the wrong places.

As I truly learn whom my Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ are - their character, desires for me, and patterns of dealing with their children - My trust is shifting over time - soley to Them.

 It remindes me of the scripture spoken by Nephi when he says, "

2 Nephi 4 :

34 O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.

I have often thought about this scripture when I have let the actions or words of others hurt me. Or when I have felt negative about my life or future. I have been strengthened by Nephi's example to basically let go of the natural man tendencies- the tendency to be offended, hurt, negative or sad , and rather put my heart where it belongs - trusting in My God - trusting Him that I can do what He has asked me to do , with His help - which is - be obedient, charitable, forgiving, and show faith in His promises ,  instructions and  words in the scriptures.

I am greatly desiring to become better at this.

I believe the arm of flesh that Nephi was speaking of most of the time is - our own flesh -

We trust in our own flesh when we follow the natural man in us whom can not look into the future of promised blessings of eternity.

We trust in our flesh when we have appetites for worldly recignition and approval, rather than spending more time on seeking out spiritual gifts.

We trust in our flesh when we love our material possesions more than seeking out the attributes of the spirit like forgiveness, service and patience.

There is great counsel given by Elder Anderson in regards to trusting in God or increasing our faith. In his recent Priesthood address titled " Faith not by chance, but choice " he states :

" Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is not something ethereal, floating loosely in the air. Faith does not fall upon us by chance or stay with us by birthright.

Faith emits a spiritual light, and that light is discernible.

 Faith in Jesus Christ is a gift from heaven that comes as we choose to believe and as we seek it and hold on to it.

Your faith is either growing stronger or becoming weaker.

 Faith is a principle of power, important not only in this life but also in our progression beyond the veil.

 By the grace of Christ, we will one day be saved through faith on His name.

The future of your faith is not by chance, but by choice.

How we live our lives increases or diminishes our faith.

 Prayer, obedience, honesty, purity of thought and deed, and unselfishness increase faith.

Without these, faith diminishes. Why did the Savior say to Peter, “I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not”?

 Because there is an adversary who delights in destroying our faith!

Be relentless in protecting your faith."

I am overwhelmingly thankful that I know this counsel is true and I have sought and still seek daily to protect my faith and trust in God's words and ways, more than I trust in the ways and thoughts of the world.

I say this in His Holy name Jesus Christ. Amen.

HUNGERING

ENOS

3 Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart.
4 And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.


In Enos I find hope for my children we are told about the experience that brought this prophet Enos to his knees both all day and night.

It was the words of Enos's father which were brought to Enos's mind by the spirit.

Often times as a parent it seems like our children may not be listening to us, but not only are they listening, but they are watching.

When I was young I witnessed as Enos did " the joy of the saints " . I saw my parents most joyful and happy when they were in the service of others; during family prayer especially. I didn't realize that I was internalizing the truth that the gospel brings true joy; until much later in my life.

A recent General Conference talk by Elder Anderson of the Seventy explains the ways in which we can best teach our children the gospel. We too can teach them in such a way  that they will " hunger " after the feelings of joy that the gospel brings.

Enos was blessed because he knew what it felt like to be fed with the spirit...and he was hungry for more.

Like Enos knew how to be fed by the spirit ( he repented and prayed) , my greatest hope is that my children will also know where to be truly fed and that they will not seek after fast food prayer , but seek after the endless course meal that is being offered by the Lord, for all whom come to Him in prayer.

I am eternally thankful that I was taught in my youth and by the example of my parents how to pray and seek to be fed through His plan.

Elder Anderson , THE MUSIC OF THE GOSPEL :
" Years ago I listened to a radio interview of a young doctor who worked in a hospital in the Navajo Nation. He told of an experience he had one night when an old Native American man with long braided hair came into the emergency room. The young doctor took his clipboard, approached the man, and said, “How can I help you?” The old man looked straight ahead and said nothing. The doctor, feeling somewhat impatient, tried again. “I cannot help you if you don’t speak to me,” he said. “Tell me why you have come to the hospital.”The old man then looked at him and said, “Do you dance?” As the young doctor pondered the strange question, it occurred to him that perhaps his patient was a tribal medicine man who, according to ancient tribal customs, sought to heal the sick through song and dance rather than through prescribing medication.“No,” said the doctor, “I don’t dance. Do you dance?” The old man nodded yes. Then the doctor asked, “Could you teach me to dance?”The old man’s response has for many years caused me much reflection. “I can teach you to dance,” he said, “but you have to hear the music.”Sometimes in our homes, we successfully teach the dance steps but are not as successful in helping ourfamily members to hear the music. And as the old medicine man well knew, it is hard to dance without music. Dancing without music is awkward and unfulfilling—even embarrassing. Have you ever tried it?In section 8 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord taught Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, “Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart” (verse 2). We learn the dance steps with our minds, but we hear the music with our hearts. The dance steps of the gospel are the things we do; the music of the gospel is the joyful spiritual feeling that comes from the Holy Ghost. It brings a change of heart and is the source of all righteous desires. The dance steps require discipline, but the joy of the dance will be experienced only when we come to hear the music.There are those who ridicule members of the Church for the things we do. That is understandable. Those who dance often appear strange or awkward or, to use a scriptural term, “peculiar” (1 Peter 2:9) to those who cannot hear the music. Have you ever stopped your car at a stoplight next to a car where the driver was dancing and singing at the top of his lungs—but you couldn’t hear a sound because your windows were rolled up? Didn’t he look a little peculiar? If our children learn the dance steps without learning to hear and to feel the beautiful music of the gospel, they will over time become uncomfortable with the dance and will either quit dancing or, almost as bad, keep dancing only because of the pressure they feel from others who are dancing around them.The challenge for all of us who seek to teach the gospel is to expand the curriculum beyond just the dance steps. Our children’s happiness depends on their ability to hear and love the beautiful music of the gospel. How do we do it?First, we must keep our own lives attuned to the correct spiritual frequency. Back in the olden days, before the digital age, we found our favorite radio station by carefully turning the radio dial until it lined up perfectly with the station’s frequency. As we approached the number, we could hear only static. But when we finally made the precise alignment, our favorite music could be heard clearly. In our lives, we have to align with the correct frequency in order to hear the music of the Spirit.When we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost after baptism, we are filled with the heavenly music that accompanies conversion. Our hearts are changed, and we “have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually” (Mosiah 5:2). But the Spirit will not endure unkindness or pride or envy. If we lose that delicate influence in our lives, the rich harmonies of the gospel can quickly become dissonant and can ultimately be silenced. Alma asked the poignant question: “If ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?” (Alma 5:26).Parents, if our lives are out of tune with the music of the gospel, we need to tune them up. As President Thomas S. Monson taught us last October, we must ponder the path of our feet (see “Ponder the Path of Thy Feet,” Ensign orLiahona, Nov. 2014, 86–88). We know how to do it. We must walk the same path that we walked when we first heard the heavenly strains of gospel music. We exercise faith in Christ, repent, and take the sacrament; we feel more strongly the influence of the Holy Ghost; and the music of the gospel begins to play again in our lives.Second, when we can hear the music ourselves, we must try our best to perform it in our homes. It is not something that can be forced or compelled. “No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood”—or by virtue of being the dad or the mom or the biggest or the loudest—“only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, … by love unfeigned; [and] by kindness” (D&C 121:41–42).Why would these attributes lead to increasing power and influence in a home? Because they are the attributes that invite the Spirit of the Holy Ghost. They are the attributes that tune our hearts to the music of the gospel. When they are present, the dance steps will be performed more naturally and joyfully by all of the dancers in the family, without the need for threats or intimidation or compulsion.When our children are little, we can sing them the lullaby of love unfeigned, and when they are obstinate and refuse to go to sleep at night, we might need to sing the lullaby of long-suffering. When they are teenagers, we can tune out the cacophony of arguments and threats and, instead, perform the beautiful music of persuasion—and perhaps sing the second verse of the lullaby of long-suffering. Parents can perform in perfect harmony the tandem attributes of gentleness and meekness. We can invite our children to sing along with us in unison as we practice kindness toward a neighbor who is in need.It won’t come all at once. As every accomplished musician knows, it takes diligent practice to perform beautiful music. If early efforts at making music seem dissonant and discordant, remember that dissonance cannot be corrected by criticism. Dissonance in the home is like darkness in a room. It does little good to scold the darkness. We must displace the darkness by introducing light.So if the basses in your family choir are too loud and overbearing, or if the string section in your family orchestra is a little too shrill or a little bit sharp, or if those impetuous piccolos are out of tune or out of control, be patient. If you’re not hearing the music of the gospel in your home, please remember these two words: keep practicing. With God’s help, the day will come when the music of the gospel will fill your home with unspeakable joy.Even when performed well, the music will not solve all of our problems. There will still be crescendos and decrescendos in our lives, staccatos and legatos. Such is the nature of life on planet earth.But when we add music to the dance steps, the sometimes complicated rhythms of marriage and family life tend to move toward a harmonious balance. Even our most difficult challenges will add rich plaintive tones and moving motifs. The doctrines of the priesthood will begin to distill upon our souls as the dews from heaven. The Holy Ghost will be our constant companion, and our scepter—a clear reference to power and influence—will be an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth. And our dominion will be an everlasting dominion. And without compulsory means it will flow unto us forever and ever (see D&C 121:45–46).

May it be so in each of our lives and in each of our homes is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

I too say this in His Holy Name. Amen.

Nourishment to Roots

In Jacob 7:5 we see Sherem an anti-christ leading away many and attempting to lead away Jacob from belief in Christ.

We see instructions here in Jacob's experience about how to be prepared and protected from falling short in the strength of testimony that we must have since we live among numerous anti-Christs that will attempt to lead us astray.

Jacob explains that he was protected because he had " heard the voice of the Lord from time to time. "

To me that means that Jacob had spiritual experiences with the spirit and personal revelation that he could hold onto when times were hard.

Jacob 5:7

And he had hope to shake me from the faith, notwithstanding the many revelations and the many things which I had seen concerning these things; for I truly had seen angels, and they had ministered unto me. And also, I had heard the voice of the Lord speaking unto me in very word, from time to time; wherefore, I could not be shaken.

Another example of this truth was explained in the previous chapter. In the Allegory of the Olive Trees we are told by the servant in the vineyard why the tree started to be corrupt.

Jacob 5:

48 And it came to pass that the servant said unto his master: Is it not the loftiness of thy vineyard—have not the branches thereof overcome the roots which are good? And because the branches have overcome the roots thereof, behold they grew faster than the strength of the roots, taking strength unto themselves. Behold, I say, is not this the cause that the trees of thy vineyard have become corrupted?

To me this can be likened to ourselves as the tree in this example. The top of the tree became too heavy for the root to provide adequate nourishment to hold it up.

In our lives if we allow ourselves to be weighted too heavily with belongings, responsibilities for work, our homes, maybe even by activities and friendships - then our tree is too full for us and we may not make time to recieve strength from our roots. Our roots also may not be taken care of either as we do not take time to go to our Savior who strengthens them.

If I dont allow myself time needed in the scriptures or prayer, I could begin to become lofty or prideful like the tree exemplified here.

My roots will not have nourishment to give if I do not go get the nourishment of living water from my Savior through prayer, repentance, and scripture study.

 Since our testimonies are like a plant we must continually feed, we need to go to the Savior to prune and feed us.

I hope that I can do better to spend more time in meaningful prayer and scripture study where the Lord has as truly does speak to me in the scriptures and in my heart.

I say this in the name of Jesus Christ.amen.