Month: November 2017

“And it came to pass that there came a voice unto them, yea, a pleasant voice, as if it were a whisper, saying: Peace, peace be unto you, because of your faith in my Well Beloved, who was from the foundation of the world.” (Helaman 5:46-47)

This scripture stood out immediately to me today, but as I tried to write about them the words just weren’t coming out right. I have been feeling unsettled and just in a funk lately and peace seems hard to come by. So today, I will rely on the brilliant Emma Lou Thayne whose inspired words just keep coming to my mind.

“And it came to pass when they heard this voice, and beheld that it was not a voice of thunder, neither was it a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but behold, it was a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul” (Helaman 5:30)

When I was younger I remember feeling as though I didn’t really have a testimony. I believed what I had been taught, and I wanted to feel like I knew it was true, but I had never had that big moment. You know, that moment that you “always” heard about in testimony meetings or read about in the New Era or the friend magazine. That moment where the spirit hits you like a brick wall and all doubt is erased. I hadn’t had my “brick wall” moment and I was waiting for it to come, but wondered if it ever would. I still often feel like I am just stumbling through this life. I make plans and decisions and I pray about them, but rarely do I receive the kind of confirmation I want or expect. More often than not it is just a feeling that I need to keep moving forward. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t and usually I can see the Lord’s hand in it all from the other side.

But what I have learned is that those big momentous experiences with the Spirit are the exception, not the rule. Most of the time the whisperings of the spirit come in quiet moments answering one of the millions of questions my future lawyer children ask me every day. Or they float through in a moment of peace washing over me in my nightly prayers – releasing anxiety I didn’t even know I was holding inside. They nudge my thoughts gently toward a person I hadn’t thought of in a long time or a memory resurfaces out of the blue. Joy D. Jones said in our most recent General Women’s Conference, “We may seldom, if ever, receive huge spiritual manifestations in our lives; but we can frequently savor the sweet whisperings of the Holy Ghost verifying the truth of our spiritual worth.” (“Value Beyond Measure,” General Women’s Conference, October 2017)

Our Heavenly Father loves us unconditionally. We have worth simply because we are His. If we take the time to slow down and pay attention, we will recognize the gentle whisper of the Spirit confirming this to us every day.

Meditation/Journaling Prompt: Notice and take the time to write down the small whisperings of the Spirit today–moment of peace, joy and reassurance sent from your Father who loves you.

“And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.” (2 Nephi 28:21)

We took our toddler to the beach last week. He is a boy who LOVES the water, but this was no 90 degree swimming pool like he is used to for swimming lessons. The water was cold and there were waves. But my strong willed little boy would not be deterred. He wanted in that water! I held his hand and we walked in the sand where the waves lapped around our ankles. Sets of waves rolled in and out and he would run further and further out to meet them. Most of the time the water was just at his feet, but as he followed the pull of the under tow he would get out further and further. Then with little notice, a bigger wave would crash in and rush toward us and suddenly the cold water would be at his chest. The water was cold and the current strong. Where he had been fighting to shake off my hand when the water was shallow, he clung to me as he tried to keep his feet and catch his breath from the shock of the cold. Of course it didn’t phase him one bit and he laughed and continued to frolic in the frigid water until I literally carried him off kicking and screaming because he couldn’t stop shivering.
I couldn’t help but think of this scripture as I watched my baby and tried to keep him safe, while still letting him have fun and experience the wonderful joy of the ocean and the water that he loves. How often do we think we can handle it alone? We cheerfully skip our way deeper and deeper, skirting the edge of danger and trying to shake our hands from the grip of the “rules.” We are sure they are just there to spoil the fun, or keep us in line, or control us. Maybe we see the guidelines and commandments as antiquated or we don’t agree with how they came about. We tell ourselves we are just fine, we become comfortable where we are. But eventually that big wave will come crashing in. Will it knock us off our feet? Will we have something to hold onto to keep our head above the water? Or will we be so far away from the shore, having shaken off the “chains” that we felt so constrained by and be swallowed up in the frigid depths of the winter sea? We must cling to His hand and allow Him to guide us so that we can enjoy the wonderful things this life has to offer, without being swallowed up by it. Without being carefully led away by the wiles of Satan who seeks our destruction and misery.

Meditation and Journaling Prompt: Can you see a place in your life where Satan has you feeling comfortable, but might be leading you into dangerous waters?

I need thee every hour,
Most gracious Lord.
No tender voice like thine
Can peace afford.

I need thee every hour;
Stay thou nearby.
Temptations lose their pow’r
When thou art nigh.

I need thee every hour,
In joy or pain.
Come quickly and abide,
Or life is vain.

I need thee every hour,
Most holy One.
Oh, make me thine indeed,
Thou blessed Son!

I need thee, oh, I need thee;
Every hour I need thee!
Oh, bless me now, my Savior;
I come to thee!
Text: Annie S. Hawks, 1835–1918
Music: Robert Lowry, 1826–1899

May we come to Him. In the joyful times, the painful times and the boring, mundane, run-of-the-mill times. Every hour. Every day. Oh how we need Him.

Meditation and Journaling Prompt: Free write today. Start by writing “I need thee every hour…” and just let the words flow. If you can’t think of anything to write, just write “I need thee every hour” over and over.

“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?” (Matthew 7:1-4)

We spend an awful lot of time judging. Often times completely unintentionally so. As humans it is in our nature to categorize and label. It is the way our brains are wired and it makes for efficient thinking.  When we see people around us we might notice something amiss, or  find ourselves gravitating away from someone. Sometimes we mistake discernment (which is something we MUST do) for judgement. We turn away from people whose sins are more visible because we don’t want to be associated with the sin. Somehow, loving that person means we are condoning some behavior we disagree with. Our intentions are not evil, but we still pass judgement and withhold our love and justify it to ourselves.

It is not our job. It is not our job to judge their choices or their lifestyles. What a blessing that is! What a burden it would be to be responsible for that! Fortunately, all we have to do is try our hardest to love God and love our neighbors. No matter what they are doing or how they are behaving or how they are dressed or who they love. Our job is just to love and be kind. God knows their hearts and He will be fair and just in the end. We can rely on that and just spend our time loving our brothers and sisters. It is certainly easier said than done, but it is so important and doing so will lift our own spirits as much as it will help others, if not moreso.

President Monson said, “None of us is perfect. I know of no one who would profess to be so. And yet for some reason, despite our own imperfections, we have a tendency to point out those of others. We make judgments concerning their actions or inactions. There is really no way we can know the heart, the intentions, or the circumstances of someone who might say or do something we find reason to criticize. Thus the commandment: ‘Judge not.’” (Charity Never Faileth, General Women’s Conference, October 2010).

Meditation and Journaling Prompt: Where and when do you find yourself judging when you could be loving? How can you soften your heart?

“What man is there of you, who, if his son ask bread, will give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (3 Nephi, 14:9-11. See Also Matthew 7)

It’s that time of year. My kids are making Christmas lists and I am scouring the black friday ads trying to make their little dreams come true. I long for the days when my kids had simple requests – like the year all my 3 year old wanted was “a belt with a shiny gold buckle like dads.” Now he wants a ridiculously expensive video game console (sorry buddy, it isn’t happening!). I spend months planning and searching for the gifts I know they will love and that will light up their little faces on Christmas morning, but that are also going to help them and not break the bank. They don’t get everything on their list, but there hasn’t been a Christmas yet where they weren’t happy with their treasures. I know my kids well. I know what they like, what they need and what will make them happy on Christmas morning, and in the year that follows.

Our Heavenly Father knows us. He loves us. He knows what will make us happy now, in the long run, and for the rest of eternity. And He waits with open arms ready to shower those blessings upon us if we will ask Him. He might not give us exactly what we think we want, but what He gives us will make us happy and be better for us in the long run than the thing we think we want, because He knows what is coming up next for us. If we will trust Him, speak to Him and ask Him He will give us “good things.”

Meditation and Journaling Prompt: What’s on your wish list from your Heavenly Father? Have you asked in faith lately?

“Faith also causes us to stop worrying so much about what others think of us and begin to care far more about what God thinks of us.” (Brian K. Ashton, “The Doctrine of Christ,” General Conference, October 2016)

We live in the world of Pinterest moms and perfectly curated Instagram feeds. The constant connectivity that social media provides can be a great thing, but it also comes with a price. It is so easy to compare ourselves with others and the amazing things they are doing every day. We find ourselves worrying so much about what the picture will look like and how to caption our post that we miss precious moments of living. This constant comparison inevitably leads us to think and believe that we are not enough — that we will never be as good, or have as much and that that somehow makes us less worthy.

God doesn’t care how pretty your perfect family dinner was last night, or whether the straws matched the balloons at your sons 2nd birthday party. He doesn’t care if you have the perfect outfit or what amazing outing you took your family on this weekend. He loves you when your hair is a mess and your makeup is smudged. He loves you when you forgot to workout and when you fed the kids cereal for dinner again. He loves you because you are His. You have divinity inside you. His is the only opinion that matters. As we come to trust in Him, believe Him, and exercise faith in Him, we can understand our own divinity. How many likes we got on our last Instagram post becomes completely irrelevant and no longer has any power over us. Faith, then, liberates us from the pressures we place upon ourselves to live up to the expectations of others.

Meditation and Journaling Prompt: Where do you find yourself comparing yourself to others? What areas of your life do you feel the most insecure about? How can you turn that insecurity over to God? What do you think He would say/think about it?

Call to Action: Take a break from social media today. Don’t look, read or post at all. Notice if it makes a difference in how you feel about yourself.

“And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins.” (Enos 1:2)

The book of Enos is one of my favorite passages of scripture. Enos only had a little bit of room on the plates that he could use to record everything he thought was most important for the spiritual well being of his posterity. I am certain he chose his words very carefully. It makes his brief message carry so much weight. I find it interesting, then, that one of the first things he tells us is that he “wrestled” with God, and then received a remission of his sins.

I think Enos is teaching us that it is ok to wrestle. It is ok to doubt and question and take the time to work things out. The important thing to remember is that we must wrestle WITH God. We have to include Him in the process so that He can teach us through the process and answer our questions. The trouble comes when we try to do it all on our own, relying on earthly resources. They will not lead us to the answers we seek.

Meditation and Journaling Prompt: Are you including God in your wrestling? If you only had a couple of pages to write the most important spiritual guidance you could for your posterity what would you include?

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yeah, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” (Isaiah 41:10)

It is the greatest miracle of all. The Atonement of Christ. That he would stand in our place, take our lashes for us and allow us to return to our Father in Heaven clean and unblemished. He satisfied the need for justice and that could have been enough. But the other part of the atonement is just as miraculous and was done entirely out of love. Christ took upon us, not just the sin, but the hurt and pain. The struggle and stress. The hardship of this human existence. He took upon Him suffering of all kinds: suffering that comes from our sin, or from the sin of others. Hurt from betrayal, bullying, accident or intentional. He did it just so that we wouldn’t have to be alone. Satan wants us to feel like we are all alone in the world—that there is no one who understands, no one who cares and no one who will help us. But even when we cannot find a friend on Earth who we can share our burdens with we are still never alone in our suffering. Christ understands and He is always there with us. Elder Dallin H. Oaks tells us, “And so we see that because of the Atonement, the Savior has the power to succor—to help—every mortal pain and affliction. Sometimes His power heals an infirmity, but the scriptures and our experiences teach that sometimes He succors or helps by giving us the strength or patience to endure our infirmities.”

Meditation and Journaling Prompt: Remember the times when Christ has carried your burdens for you. Record them.

Call to Action: How is your daily, focused gratitude practice going? Try playing a game with one of your family members- my kids love this. Take turns saying something you are grateful for—rapid fire. You can set a time limit if you want. Trade back and forth as fast as you can. No repeats!

“Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said? —If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you.” (1 Nephi 15:11)

“The way to receive personal revelation is really quite clear. We need to desire to receive revelation, we must not harden our hearts, and then we need to ask in faith, truly believe that we will receive an answer, and then diligently keep the commandments of God.

“Following this pattern does not mean that every time we ask a question of God, the answer will immediately appear with every detail of what to do. However, it does mean that if we diligently keep the commandments and ask in faith, answers will come in the Lord’s own way and in His time.

“As a child I thought personal revelation or answers to prayers would come as an audible voice. Indeed, some revelation does come by hearing an actual voice. However, I have learned that the Spirit speaks in many ways.” (Barbara Thompson, “Cleave Unto the Covenants” General Women’s Conference, October 2011)

Meditation and Journaling Prompt: Do you believe you will receive the answers you seek or do you doubt the Lord, or doubt your own ability to receive those answers? When do you doubt? How can you exercise more faith in your seeking? How does the Spirit speak to you? What questions do you have right now that you are seeking answers for?

Call to Action: Ask the Lord in faith, not doubting and then go forth following the commandments.

Mindfulness Tip: After you have asked the Lord for revelation, take the time to sit quietly and practice mindfulness. Notice how your body feels. Notice any thoughts or feelings that come to you, without judging them. Notice when doubt comes in, without judgment. Spend some time journaling the process.