Power in the Spirit

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we know that we have the Spirit of the Lord with us as we live righteously.  But do we fully realize that a literal portion of His Spirit dwells inside of us? And what about the true power that comes from that Spirit?

This was brought to the forefront of my mind from a scripture that hit me in a new way. I was reading the account of Ammon and King Lamoni's conversation in Alma 18, as Lamoni questions Ammon about the power he had to know his thoughts and slay so many robbers single-handedly.

King Lamoni asks him if he is the Great Spirit, and Ammon responds that he is not, but that he was called of God and had "a portion of that Spirit." Now in the past I thought this referred specifically to the Priesthood, but when I read it recently, felt it was to mean the Spirit we all have access to.

     "And a portion of that Spirit dwelleth in me, which giveth me knowledge, and also power according to my faith and the desires which are in God." (Alma 18:35)

A piece of Him is inside of us, His Spirit, His light. It is a gift from Him, power unto us to do great and marvelous things if we have and exercise faith. Using that Spirit, and being instruments in the hands of the Lord, Ammon and his brethren brought thousands of people to the knowledge of the truth and true conversion.

If only each of us would realize the privilege of this gift and use it to it's full capacity, our full capacity. Through many experiences the past year or so the Lord has shown me that I have more power to do good through that Spirit than I ever realized. He has shown me that He trusts me to follow that Spirit by giving me more and more of it. As He does, I have been more of an instrument in His hands.  Small and simple things have become great and marvelous. I hope to do more good with this amazing piece of God that dwells inside me.

A Return to Grace

Tonight I return to my favorite topic, the doctrine of Grace.  I love the grace of our Savior Jesus Christ, it is my "Motto word" for life. It is defined in the Bible Dictionary as "divine means of help of strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ." It is through the Atonement and our own repentance that we receive strength and assistance to do good works that we otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to our own means.  In the New Testament it is understood as "An attitude of goodwill that predisposes God to act positively towards" us.  It is nothing that we can trigger, manipulate, or control. We don't earn grace, we need it.

Today two things brought grace to the forefront of my mind. The first was something my Stake President said while teaching our Institute class about the Savior's time leading up to and in Gethsemane. The Atonement. That is what happened in Gethsemane all those years ago, our Redeemer covering all of our sorrows and our sins. President Featherstone closed the lesson with these words, "Nothing falls outside the realm of the Atonement. Absolutely nothing. Sometimes we don't believe that. But it is true."

There are a few particular people I know that do not believe that.  Some of their actions have been horrendous and they feel there is no way the Atonement could ever cover that. They have sinned too much, they are too far gone to make it back, they say. There is no way that God could love them after what they have done. Which brings me to the second thing, watching the latest Mormon Message, titled The Savior Wants to Forgive, about a man who felt that exact way.

In the video "a former addict and repeat convict shares his experiences with the Savior’s ability and willingness to forgive him again and again, even when he felt undeserving." I watched this not once, but three times because the message was so powerful. Click here to watch it, then read on:

http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=3446112587001

I watched this before going to Institute, and it was actually a perfect precursor to the lesson, as grace had been on my mind.  The man in this video thought more than once that there was no way God cared about him; that there was no way he could repent enough for what he had done. He was ready to end it all, hiding in the bushes on that night all those years ago. But Heavenly Father spoke to him, "I'm still here".  He was reaching out to, asking this man to come to Him and accept the grace he created when He atoned for us.  He was there for him, and He is there for us. There is not one soul whom He cannot touch, who He cannot save. But we must accept that grace. We must allow Him to save us. If we do not, we depreciate Him and the suffering He went through in that garden over two-thousand years ago.

I know this is true! I have experienced it in my own life, giving in to the only One who has the power to redeem me.  And I will continue to return to grace each and every day of my life. Because of it, I know I will be able to return to live with the One who created me. Won't you too return to grace?

The Hand of God

I saw the absolute coolest thing in the news this morning; an image of a star that exploded 17,000 years ago that looks like an x-ray of a hand. It has been deemed "The Hand of God" by NASA. Look at it for yourself...it sure puts the AWE in awesome, doesn't it?

W.O.W. Seeing images of space, of the universe, never fail to make me feel the grandness and omniscience of God. In fact, one of my favorite things to do is to plainly and simply look at the sky (and when one can do it against the backdrop of the Wasatch front mountains, the view is even better!). I have always loved looking at pictures of space, of the universe.
As I have grown older, I have become more aware of and grateful for God's creations. And not just what's here on Earth, but the whole universe. He truly is the Master painter, sculptor, artist.  I am in complete awe and cannot find words to ever adequately describe the incredible-ness of His creations.  

Last night I enjoyed clicking through photo after photo from the Hubble Telescope website-I just LOVE the internet! Here are a few of my favorite pieces of the universe.

This is the Eagle Nebula, and has been my favorite "piece" of space since I first laid eyes on it as a child.

The Butterfly Nebula. Can I just say...WOW.

The Orion Nebula

A pillar of gas in the Eagle Nebula. So intricate and amazing!

A Spiral Nebula. Gorgeous!!!

Looking at any images of space makes me feel the greatness of God, and mans own nothingness. It makes us seem so small and insignificant.  But truthfully, we came from that. We were what is called, "Intelligences" before God made our spirit and physical bodies. He carefully plucked us from out there somewhere and made the rest of us. Of all of His creations, we are His greatest. We are a part of this grandeur. Man may be "nothing", but we as children of God, have the greatness of God within us. We have the ability to become like Him and create worlds and universes with our own hands, if we live for it. How awesome is that?!?

The 6 Blessings Challenge

Jason Wright wrote an article challenging readers to count six blessings that filled 2013.  Amidst reflecting on the past rough year and hoping for better things for the one to come, I immediately thought this would be a great way to change my current thought patterns. So here's six of the blessings that filled my 2013.

First, I had the amazing opportunity to go on a cruise to the Western Caribbean at the beginning of the year. I thought it would be a lot of fun and a great time to socialize with hundreds of other LDS singles. To my surprise, the best part of this whole experience was seeing the beauty of these areas of the earth and meeting the people that live there.  After meeting and getting to know a shop keeper on our first stop in Cozumel, I decided to get to know one person in each place we docked. It was amazing to meet some of my brothers and sisters that live in places so far away. To me it was like touching heaven.

 

Second, while I had moved into a new ward in 2012, it was in the early months of 2013 that I felt established and accepted in my new ward. I have met new friends that have been through similar challenges as I and we have been able to support each other. We all know that God put us in each others lives for a reason. These will be long-lasting relationships, what a gift!

Third, I have had more health challenges plague me this year, but I have received absolutely overwhelming support from friends and family. I had a thought a few years ago when I became so ill I was in the hospital, that even if the only reason I had gotten sick was to show me how much I really am cared about, I would be grateful. I have been shown how much I am loved in times when I have really needed it.

Fourth, I finally approached a problem with my teeth that I had brushed under the rug for several years. I found out I needed jaw surgery to fix it. I felt it was the right thing to do, but didn't think having my jaw sawed in half was an exciting occurrence-can you blame me? But a week after surgery I got to see my new smile for the first time and couldn't hold back the tears. My smile was healthy and beautiful!  I now have a healthy bite that isn't damaging my teeth or causing more problems with my jaw. The surgery was life-changing, and was a blessing I didn't realize at the time I made the decision to have it. That makes my joy and gratitude all the greater!

Fifth, I have experienced some great heartache and heartbreak this year that have brought me to my knees. While there I asked for many things-great and small-that I desired. And time and time again my prayers were answered with what I asked for. I have learned that God will answer our prayers, and sometimes in better ways than we could expect, so maybe we need to just ask Him for more of what we desire!  He'll find a way to grant us things that will bless us.

Sixth, I lost someone very dear to me this year. The last but greatest blessing of this year has been the pure and perfect love I have developed from having this person in my life that I never could have imagined. If there was one word I could use to sum up this past year it would be Love.  Not because I received it, but because I have felt and developed the kind of unconditional love our Heavenly Father has for His children. This is one of the greatest blessings I have ever received, and I am eternally grateful.

What are six of the blessings that filled your 2013?

Our Own Eternities

I have been thinking a lot about marriage and family lately. I have always been a family gal and have always known that the truest happiness we will ever have comes from forming relationships, most of all, those in our own families.  Since I hit my 20's, I have longed-more like pined-to find my eternal companion and become sealed for time and all eternity.  I wanted to find the one person that would make me feel complete, that would be, as they say in Mexico, my Media naranja, or half-orange. A person that will love me for me and all my imperfections, and one I will love the same way.

Through the past year I have learned the sacred undertaking that starting our own eternal units really is. I have experienced many, many things that blessed me, tried me, stretched me, and showed me I was capable of a lot more than I ever imagined.  They showed me what in life really matters and how we must build and protect those things.

There are two messages that I want to communicate today. First:

 Marriage, starting, and more importantly preserving our own families is of the utmost importance in this world, because in the end, it is preserving our families that is going to preserve our nation, our society, our world.

I firmly believe and support fighting on the front lines to protect and defend our nation and other nations of the world from Satan's evil influence, for it is running rampant everywhere. But in the end, it is not military forces that are going to preserve our society, it is our families!!!!!!!! 

Read the Proclamation on the Family, listen to what all our Church leaders are telling us: The tiny family is what is going to save us, not the defense of our shores.
We must work towards this right now, for the second coming is only approaching ever closer. We must work to become better individuals, to be loving and honorable husbands and wives and to raise loving and honorable children. We, as individuals, have the ability to influence and change the world. To build these kind of individuals, we must build these kinds of families. So in a time when wars are being fought, our government is falling apart and our culture is becoming more lewd, vulgar and corrupt, focusing on preserving our families instead of allowing ourselves to be swallowed in the problems that are attacking the world is where we MUST put our effort!!!  

The Second but more important message is this:

It is only through uniting as a man and woman in marriage that we actually start our own eternity. It is those relationships that anchor us, ground us, grow us, exalt us, give us true happiness.

I had an "Aha" moment a few months ago that changed my course in life. I was jogging, with a gazillion thoughts on marriage running through my head. All of a sudden this thought came to my mind: That my eternal companion and I are meant to become a Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother. In The Church we are always taught that we are living to go back home to God, to become Gods and Goddesses ourselves. But for some reason, it didn't pierce me in such a literal sense. 

Whooaaah! I thought. The man I marry, he's to be a Heavenly Father. He's to be of the caliber of Heavenly Father!!! Holy Crap! (Yes, those were the actual words going through my head). Now I realize that none of us are at that "heavenly" caliber right now, but just thinking of the scope of becoming that blew my mind. That is a huge task, a huge thing! The huge thing! 

All of a sudden, certain men in my life I thought of when it came to dating and marriage seemed like the completely wrong decision. Every guy I knew seemed like the wrong decision! The gravity of my choice of my eternal companion hit me so hard and I stopped mid-jog like I had slammed into a concrete wall and I almost fell over. The physical pain in my heart that came along with it was also just as real. 

But the reality of that began sinking deep into my soul, and the joy that grew from that moment far outweighed that pain. I thirsted for more and started studying about marriage and the family from many different sources and have gained perspective and wisdom I absolutely treasure. I began to see how experiences I had been having had been molding me to become the kind of spouse I wanted to be, the kind Heavenly Father wanted me to be. My time on this earth became so much more precious because I know I have it to prepare and start becoming that Heavenly Mother. This is time to get a jump-start and work on my own eternity.  And I want to find a worthy man who is loving, honest, kind, and who is constantly striving to become like Christ to do it with.

The bonds that two people make as husband and wife, the selflessness that grows from deeply caring about another person's well-being above your own, the support, security and loyalty of someone who loves you always being by your side, that is where true happiness really comes from. And the little spirits that will enter your life and your home is another source of that joy.

Now some people say marriage is not for them, or they've tried it once, it didn't work and they are meant to be alone.  I am going to be completely uncensored and blunt: NO THEY AREN'T! God wants every single one of His children to have their own eternity.  He wants them to grow and obtain eternal salvation.  We can only do that united to another person, with your own family. That's the only way!!! Yes, some people, some of the most wonderful people in this world, do not marry while they are here. They will get that opportunity to do so in the next life. But do not use or accept the excuse that you are better off alone. That is a lie that Satan wants you to sink into so you deny yourself the greatest joy and happiness there is and will ever be. If you keep thinking and living that way and alienating yourself from that opportunity, the bitter feelings you incur in this life are going to follow you to the next. You may choose on the other side not to accept the gift of your own eternity, or you are going to have a hard time accepting and obtaining it, for however long a time it may be.
I am ready and I know God knows I'm ready to start my own family, and although I would rather be brought together with my companion asap, it isn't the right time yet. So I am using this time to the best of my ability to learn, grow and prepare. It is my most earnest hope and prayer that each and every one of you will realize and live for the gift of your own eternity. Your own eternity! Your own happiness!

See the Good in the World. Be the Good in the World.

With seeing all of the horrible things going on in the world these past couple of months-well, let's be honest, years-I've tried to look for and focus on the good that is in this world.  There is a bunch of bad stuff in this world, from moral crud that has taken over our media, to the worst evils known to man, abusing, terrorizing and killing for the sake of hatred, for the sake of power. The adversary is taking the hearts of men and turning them cold.  But just because that is running rampant doesn't mean that good isn't flourishing too!

We know good will conquer evil in the end, so some people ask, why fight? Because we have to fight the evil in order for good to win! So look for the good in the world, and focus on being the good in the world. That is how we will continue forward, that is how good will prevail. Here's some little ditties to drive this home. Hope you like 'em :)

We are More than Conquerors Through Him

I love a talk given by Elder Paul V. Johnson of the Seventy entitled, "More than Conquerors through Him that Loved Us".

 I came home from church one Sunday and thought I'd grab the Ensign to read. I skimmed through the address titles, decided upon this one and was blessed with a new perspective on the message, "After much tribulation come the blessings."
Here are my favorite passages from it:

• "At times it may seem that our trials are focused on areas of our lives and parts of our souls with which we seem less able to cope. Since personal growth is an intended outcome of these challenges, it should come as no surprise that the trials can be very personal-almost laser guided to our particular needs or weaknesses [ain't that the truth!]. And no one is exempt, especially not Saints striving to do what's right."

• "A pattern in the scriptures and in life shows that many times the darkest, most dangerous tests immediately precede remarkable events and tremendous growth. 'After much tribulation come the blessings.' The children of Israel were trapped against the Red Sea before it was parted. Nephi faced danger, anger from his brothers, and multiple failures before he was able to procure the brass plates.  Joseph Smith was overcome by an evil power so strong that it seemed he was doomed to utter destruction. When he was almost ready to sink into the despair, he exerted himself to call upon God, and at that very moment he was visited by the Father and the Son.  Often investigators face opposition and tribulation as they near baptism. Mothers know that the challenge of labor precede the miracle of birth. Time after time we see marvelous blessings on the heels of great trials."

• "In the midst of problems, it is nearly impossible to see that the coming blessings far outweigh the pain, humiliation or heartbreak we are experiencing at the time. 'No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.'"

• "Sometimes we want to have growth without challenges and to develop strength without struggle. But growth cannot come by taking the easy way...Not one of the trials and tribulations we face is beyond our limits, because we have access to help from the Lord. 'We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.' (Phillippians 4:13)"

So when the trials of life rain fire upon you and you don't understand why nor think you can get through them, remember this,