Gratitude: remember the Lord

 I was reading in the Book of Mormon today at the end of Alma. The 20 or so chapters before this are full of stories of war and injustice and God's hand in the lives of the faithful. In chapter 62, Mormon makes an observation that stuck out to me today(Alma 62;41, 48-51):

41 But behold, because of the exceedingly great length of the war between the Nephites and the Lamanites many had become hardened, because of the exceedingly great length of the war; and many were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility.48 And the people of Nephi began to prosper again in the land, and began to multiply and to wax exceedingly strong again in the land. And they began to grow exceedingly rich.49 But notwithstanding their riches, or their strength, or their prosperity, they were not lifted up in the pride of their eyes; neither were they slow to remember the Lord their God; but they did humble themselves exceedingly before him. 50 Yea, they did remember how great things the Lord had done for them, that he had delivered them from death, and from bonds, and from prisons, and from all manner of afflictions, and he haddelivered them out of the hands of their enemies. 51 And they did pray unto the Lord their God continually, insomuch that the Lord did bless them, according to his word, so that they did wax strong and prosper in the land.

 In verse 41, Mormon compares two kinds of people who went through the same experience: ones that grew bitter with hate and disappointment and ones who became deeply humbled. What made the difference? According to C. Max Caldwell, it was the way they viewed God:

"These people all had basically the same experience. The war was the same length for all people; yet out of the same experience some were hardened and some were softened. What made the difference? It was what they thought of God and His Son."

All throughout the Book of Mormon there are stories describing how people react to trials and blessings alike. Many times, pride is a ruling factor in bringing down nations through hate, complacence, greed, etc. But there are yet other times when humility reigns and the people prosper. So I asked myself as I read these verses, "Where am I?" Am I like those who hardened their hearts and stop seeing the hand of God in front of me, or am I like those who see God as a being who loves unconditionally, looks for His hand, and trusts in it come what may? Sometimes I think I lean towards the first, in moments of intense frustration or sorrow, but thankfully, I usually fall under the second category. So what's the secret? I think it all has to do with remembering God and having gratitude for what we have.

Pres. Spencer W. Kimball once said, " When you look in the dictionary for the most important word, do you know what it is? It could be remember...our greatest need is to remember."

On a similar but deeper strain, Sister Susan L. Warner said, "Satan wants us to be slow to remember what we have received and heard. He wants us to minimize and even forget the quiet witnesses of the Spirit that have told us who we really are."

If God wants us to remember and Satan wants us to forget, remembering must be a pretty important principle. A main reason why the Nephites were blessed so abundantly was because the remembered what the Lord had done for them and they LET that memory humble them.

I realized that in whatever circumstances we are placed, with whatever blessings we are or are not given, it is crucial to our happiness and eternal growth to remember the Lord our God always and be grateful for what He has given us. That's why it is a covenant that we make every week when we partake of the sacrament, because if we keep our Heavenly Father and Brother close to us, Satan has a hard time getting in.

Really though, we need to remember Him because He is there. Because He is the one who gave us all we have. He is the one who can take it all away or give us even more. He is the one who knows us better than anyone else. He knows our innermost needs better than we do and He will give us those things. By serving Him and His children, studying His words, and talking with Him everyday we show Him our love and gratitude for the countless tender mercies the Lord has poured down upon us.

He is my rock and my mountain of peace. He is my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is His Son. I cannot contain my gratitude for all they have blessed me with. Thank you.

winter wonder falls

So this post is just to show off some pictures I've gotten to take recently at Bridal Veil Falls. A few posts ago I said I loved capturing moments. Well, I also love capturing the beauty of nature, the works of God's hands. So this post is for doing just that: capturing the beauty of nature, this time in a winter setting (plus a couple of moments). I have to give credit to my friend Jared who helped edit some of these and posed for one too. And also my roommate Emily who willingly modeled for a couple photos.

exactness in obedience

 On my mission I heard one phrase repeated probably more that any other phrase (well, except for "I know that...", "It's in the Lord's hands", and "Dear Heavenly Father..."). That phrase is, "Obedience brings blessings. Exact obedience brings miracles." While this is a concept I trusted in and practiced full-heartedly during my mission days, it's one that I have not really thought about in normal life until recently. I became a temple worker late last year and have had several experiences that have taught me about the importance of obedience in my life. There are promised blessings great and small that I want dearly in my life. Obedience will open doors and make me worthy of those blessings, and probably make me a happier person anyway.

I won't talk about the experiences mentioned above in detail because of their sacredness, but I want to discuss a couple general ideas that have been swimming around my head recently. The first is the importance of being obedient simply because we are in the service of God, a perfect being, and we want to be worthy of His blessings. Whether we are currently called as a full-time missionary, a temple worker, or just a small calling in a ward, we are still participating in the work of God. Each calling, great or small, has an effect in the eternities in the lives that calling touches. The Lord has the canny ability to use imperfect, weak people to bring about amazing things, but I have found in my life that the closer I am to the Lord, the more opportunities I am given in my life to serve and be the Lord's hands. As a visiting teacher, I have two sisters and my companion who might be touched by my warm smile on a hard day, a friendly moment of random chatter at a lonely time,  or my testimony on a principle that they are struggling with. Yet, if I am not doing what I need to have the Spirit with me, would I give that smile, take the moment to reach out of myself and talk with that sister, or give the right message during a visit? Similarly, in the temple, VERY sacred ordinances are performed there in which I get to participate. My personal worthiness and way of living affects how well I can perform my duties and what type of Spirit I am able to feel and share in the house of the Lord. The way I dress, how I use my time, and what media I watch/listen to affects me in ways I didn't always realize before. When we are obedient to the Lord, He can trust us with the children He loves so dearly, and He can trust us to be His hands.

Obedience, perfect obedience is not easy. I have my favorite transgressions just like the next person, and it takes a lot of humility, and sometimes heartbreak, to give those stumbling blocks up and hand them over to Jesus Christ. Sometimes its a TV show, a song, or a favorite pass time. Sometimes its laziness, holding onto a past sin and guilt, or withholding love from yourself. Sometimes its giving up without even trying, denying someone else love, or not magnifying a calling. As I typed this, several of these were revelations to myself too. What are we not giving up? What are we not doing? We have a Savior who took everything onto Himself so that we wouldn't have to suffer as He did. He took on Him our pains, our sins, our weaknesses, our mistakes, etc. and His invitation is for us to let Him into our lives so that we can taste of that Atonement, of the peace and cleansing and strengthening. How do we receive that power in our lives? Obedience to God's commandments--those of commission (actively doing something wrong) and omission (not doing something right).

This is all fine and dandy, but does obedience really work? Is it really worth it to watch what I wear or what media I choose? Is it worth it to take time to think about what I'm praying or actually study my scriptures? Is it worth it to attend FHE or go to the temple often? The answer is simple: yes. Following the commandments and guidance of God brings meaning to life, peace in hard times, an added measure of the Holy Ghost to answer questions and guide our steps, more true love and joy, and many other blessings we couldn't even imagine. So next time you think you want to slip on your study that day, think twice. What blessings are you passing up?

There is a small picture in our hallway that my roommate put up. It is a simple sketch of a little girl holding on tightly to a small teddy bear. Christ is standing in front of her with one hand held out to her and one holding a huge teddy bear behind His back. Written above the little girl are the words, "But I love it God," and above Christ, "Just trust me,.." The little girl didn't realize that God wanted to give her an even greater blessing than what she had, but she had to give up what she had in order to have the other. Faith means taking a step into the dark and watching God light the next step in front of you. "Exact obedience brings miracles."

in the house of God

On the side of each temple there is a phrase that says: "Holiness to the Lord. The House of the Lord." If memory serves me right, these words were first coined by Brigham Young to be engraved on the Salt Lake City Temple. These words describes these building perfectly.

I have always known that temples were holy places, and I have often gained spiritual strength from spending time within those walls. I have times that have little significance beyond that little boost, times when I have sacred experiences I can't write down here, and times when I sit and have all out "heart to hearts" with my Heavenly Father about my life and the way it's going. Today was one of those latter times. I had the day off and felt drawn to the temple. So I went, and the Spirit I felt there was powerful, moments that filled my soul with deep warmth. The Lord was touching my heart, preparing it for something-- inspiration, revelation, I'm not completely sure, but I stayed there a long while after I finished the work I went there to do and had one of my heart to hearts. It had been a while since I had done that, and it felt good to talk in depth through things with my Heavenly Father. I know what you're thinking: I don't have to go to the temple to pray like that; and usually, I would say you were right. Yet today it was a refuge for me, a place devoid of distraction like food, sleep, roommates, and technology. I needed that. I needed to be in a place where I had nothing better to do than turn my thoughts to spiritual, eternal things. I am so grateful for my time at the temple today.

Interestingly enough, I have been finding that the more I spend time there, as a temple worker and as a patron, the more comfortable I get in the house of the Lord and the closer I draw to Him. I guess it is kind of like when we spend time in someone's home. The more time we spend there the more comfortable and familiar we are with the paintings on the walls, the feel of the couches and chairs, the personalities of the people who live there, and the presence of the Spirit that may or may not be there. I count my blessings for the opportunity I have to spend so much time in my Heavenly Father's home, to grow more comfortable there and to feel His holy
presence so often.

let the blessings fall

Have you ever experienced a moment. A breath. A twinkle. A touch. And wanted to capture it? I have. Those moments mean everything to me. And they are the things I want to remember and hold close, forever. Those moments compound into one great whole. All the joys. All the heartaches. All the trials. All the amazing, tragic, difficult, challenging, stretching, touching, breath-taking experiences. All the places and things and lives that intertwine. These things create our LIFE. And this life is one of the most amazing gifts ever given to Man. Hearing my nephew laugh, seeing my niece crack a cheesy grin, sharing an intimate conversation with a dear friend, feeling the snow kiss my cheek, watching two people madly in love experience the happiest day of their lives, playing a game with my family, listening to a group of strangers create great music, watching the setting sun spatter color across the sky, taking a few moments on my knees every morning and night to share my innermost thoughts and desires with my Heavenly Father, feeling the touch of the Holy Ghost as I ponder spiritual things... These things make up my life. Through times of trial, change, doubt, or loneliness, these moments remind me that this life is beautiful. It has a purpose: to help me become like my Heavenly Father. It's not easy by any means. The path is hard to see at times, and I have to muster up enough trust in God to walk by faith. But those times build me. They turn me into a stronger woman and prepare me to be a tool in God's hands, to accomplish tasks He needs me to do while I'm here in this life.

While I enjoy the cleansing rain, snow has a touch of magic to it. The soft falling crystals remind me to slow down a little. The white color reminds me of the purity of heaven. And the activities that snow allows remind me that life is full of wonder and joy. At this crossroads in my life between school, looking for a full-time teaching job, and trying to find someone to begin a family with, there are many days full of impatience for the righteous desires of my heart. I have been drawn to much reflection trying to figure out my life, but I have no idea how my path will go. Tonight, as I walked back from FHE, the cool snow fell all around. I had an umbrella in my hand and had it up at first, but then, I closed it and reveled in the cool touch of each flake on my hair and face. I let the snow fall.

I am learning how to let the blessings of God fall too. I do not have complete control of my path, but I have a Heavenly Father who can see what I cannot, and He is simply waiting for the right time to pour out certain blessings on my life. I am learning how to put my full trust in Him, in His timing, in His complete love. Just because things do not turn out the way I want them too does not mean that my life is or will be devoid of blessings. On the contrary, God is holding me, preparing me, for the best blessings He has to offer, the best blessings for me. I have already experienced some amazing things that were not in my life-plan and there are many things to come, many more moments that makeup this wondrous gift of life.

So I'll let the snow fall. I'll live my life with purpose and take whatever twists and turns the Lord sends my way. Every trial. Every blessing. Every experience. Every moment that will make up my life.