Hi,
I would like to apologize to my followers because I have not posted this week. This week has been horrible because I think I have developed a stomach flu, yuk. I am feeling better but I wanted to take a moment to say I'm sorry and I will post again soon.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Standing on the Lords Side of the Line
Today, I taught a lesson to the women at church about standing on the Lord's side of the line. We can see how close we are getting to the return of our Savior, (that probably won't be in December 21st this year), but we need to be deciding who's side we are on; no more straddling the fence.
https://www.lds.org/manual/teachings-george-albert-smith/chapter-18?lang=eng
What does that mean? It means we have to have a firm testimony of our Savior. We have to be willing to put Him first and trust that the commandments he has given us are for our good. He doesn't give us commandments because he wants to control us but he gives us commandments to bless our lives and help us find true happiness in a messed up world. His commandments are actually words of love and counsel to us. If we could view it that way it may help us to understand the need for these commandments in our daily lives.
It also means that we can't go to church on Sunday and then do worldly things after that saying, "at least I went to church today." That mentality will not get you very far in heaven. We have to make the Gospel of Jesus Christ our lives. Our choices need to reflect the good that the gospel brings in our lives. If we make righteous choices daily we will have made the decision to be on the Lord's side. Every time we keep and honor a commandment we are choosing to be on the Lord's side.
We aren't perfect but we can try to live the gospel the best we can. We don't give in to Satan's tricks. You know how he works, little by little. He convinces us to think that if we just do a few things wrong it won't hurt us but that is wrong thinking. One thing leads to another thing and then another thing, it doesn't stop unless we realize that we are heading the wrong way, then try to fix it, which can be very hard to do.
So we need to say now that we choose the Lord's side and give our best to Him by living the commandments that have been given to us out of his love for us. After all, His purpose is to "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). If that is the case then the commandments are for blessings and not punishments. Yes, there are consequences to our choices but we know all this before we make our choices. He makes it plain and clear in the scriptures that if we don't do it His way then this will happen, but if we do it His way then this will happen, it's our choice but we pay the price regardless.
I choose the Lord's side. Like Joshua I say, " Choose you this day whom ye will serve,... but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15) I love these words because there is no question about who's side you are on. Please make you decision today and stand firm and strong on the Lord's side.
https://www.lds.org/manual/teachings-george-albert-smith/chapter-18?lang=eng
What does that mean? It means we have to have a firm testimony of our Savior. We have to be willing to put Him first and trust that the commandments he has given us are for our good. He doesn't give us commandments because he wants to control us but he gives us commandments to bless our lives and help us find true happiness in a messed up world. His commandments are actually words of love and counsel to us. If we could view it that way it may help us to understand the need for these commandments in our daily lives.
It also means that we can't go to church on Sunday and then do worldly things after that saying, "at least I went to church today." That mentality will not get you very far in heaven. We have to make the Gospel of Jesus Christ our lives. Our choices need to reflect the good that the gospel brings in our lives. If we make righteous choices daily we will have made the decision to be on the Lord's side. Every time we keep and honor a commandment we are choosing to be on the Lord's side.
We aren't perfect but we can try to live the gospel the best we can. We don't give in to Satan's tricks. You know how he works, little by little. He convinces us to think that if we just do a few things wrong it won't hurt us but that is wrong thinking. One thing leads to another thing and then another thing, it doesn't stop unless we realize that we are heading the wrong way, then try to fix it, which can be very hard to do.
So we need to say now that we choose the Lord's side and give our best to Him by living the commandments that have been given to us out of his love for us. After all, His purpose is to "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). If that is the case then the commandments are for blessings and not punishments. Yes, there are consequences to our choices but we know all this before we make our choices. He makes it plain and clear in the scriptures that if we don't do it His way then this will happen, but if we do it His way then this will happen, it's our choice but we pay the price regardless.
I choose the Lord's side. Like Joshua I say, " Choose you this day whom ye will serve,... but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15) I love these words because there is no question about who's side you are on. Please make you decision today and stand firm and strong on the Lord's side.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Thoughtful Thursday: What if...
So I found this words of wisdom on Pinterest. It made me rethink my prayers. What do you think?
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Special Gifts from God
My oldest daughter shared a blog post with me yesterday from a woman who planned for and expected the perfect life and family. However, God saw fit to give her a challenge by sending her a special gift from heaven by way of her second child.
You can find this post, here.
Please read this uplifting message from her. It's long, but if you walk away without red eyes or at least a sniffling nose then you may have to rethink your values in life. It is well worth the time to read. I loved her beautiful message maybe because I too received a gift from God that was one of the most wonderful experience in my life.
My first child was this gift that I wish was still in my life at this time but I was only allowed to have her on this earth for just under 4 years. Those 4 years were full of heartache but most of all they were joyful moments filled with love. I wouldn't trade them for anything except the opportunity to have more moments like those.
I remember thinking why was this happening to me. I just couldn't understand why this was happening with my baby. I remember the first moment I realized that my baby really was sick. When I walked through the ICU in Birmingham Children's Hospital I remember thinking why is my child in here; she wasn't as sick as these other children, but she was. It was a wake up call to how precious life really was.
I am so grateful for every minute I had with her. There were some tough moments, a couple of those were stop and go moments, but the time we did have with her were the best. I learned so much from her and I will be forever grateful. I guess I can't say that enough.
But after she returned home to Heavenly Father I remember getting angry at Him. There were so many times that she had bad episodes and he could have taken her at that time but he took her at a time when she was doing so well. Her meds were under control, we saw new growth in her abilities to master minor skills because she was going to a new school, and she was trying to communicate better. I was so happy, then she was gone. I just didn't understand what happened.
I remember feeling at peace right after her death though because I knew I was being carried in the arms of my Savior during this time but once it was all over and I began to wake up from this dream, I began to feel the anger. It was my mother's aunt who helped me see the whole picture.
She helped me realize that we are all God's children and we were here on loan until it was our time. She helped me see that we all had our time to return home to Him, she helped me think of all the good things I had been blessed with and that it was not a punishment for anything I did wrong in the past.
And most of all, she helped me remember that we were sealed for all eternity and we would be together again; and I was promised that I would be able to finish raising her in the Millennium. I then began to be grateful to a Heavenly Father who understood the love of a mourning parent by giving us the gift of eternal families. He knew about losing children because so many of us refuse to turn our hearts to Him. He knew the heartache and planned to make it better for us as long as we did our part.
Oh, how my love for Him grew. I knew I had some heavy duty praying to do, I needed to know He forgave me for my anger. I wanted Him to know I understood and would except His will in all things and that I was so very grateful for the plan of Happiness and eternal families. I knew He forgave me for my shortcomings and weaknesses and that He loved me. I knew everything was going to be ok after that. I would still feel the heartache but I knew I was going to be ok and there were promises of eternity.
Life goes on and I am glad to have had my sweet baby girl for the time that I had her. I pray for all those who have had losses or will have losses in their lives. I pray that they will know that He loves them and that everything will be ok; that they just need to keep the faith and trust in Him that all is well. Take the time to tell all your loved ones how much you love them daily and accept God's plan for you if He sends you one of His Special Ones; for that is one of the greatest blessings ever; to know He trusts you with the care of this very special spirit.
You can find this post, here.
Please read this uplifting message from her. It's long, but if you walk away without red eyes or at least a sniffling nose then you may have to rethink your values in life. It is well worth the time to read. I loved her beautiful message maybe because I too received a gift from God that was one of the most wonderful experience in my life.
My first child was this gift that I wish was still in my life at this time but I was only allowed to have her on this earth for just under 4 years. Those 4 years were full of heartache but most of all they were joyful moments filled with love. I wouldn't trade them for anything except the opportunity to have more moments like those.
I remember thinking why was this happening to me. I just couldn't understand why this was happening with my baby. I remember the first moment I realized that my baby really was sick. When I walked through the ICU in Birmingham Children's Hospital I remember thinking why is my child in here; she wasn't as sick as these other children, but she was. It was a wake up call to how precious life really was.
I am so grateful for every minute I had with her. There were some tough moments, a couple of those were stop and go moments, but the time we did have with her were the best. I learned so much from her and I will be forever grateful. I guess I can't say that enough.
But after she returned home to Heavenly Father I remember getting angry at Him. There were so many times that she had bad episodes and he could have taken her at that time but he took her at a time when she was doing so well. Her meds were under control, we saw new growth in her abilities to master minor skills because she was going to a new school, and she was trying to communicate better. I was so happy, then she was gone. I just didn't understand what happened.
I remember feeling at peace right after her death though because I knew I was being carried in the arms of my Savior during this time but once it was all over and I began to wake up from this dream, I began to feel the anger. It was my mother's aunt who helped me see the whole picture.
She helped me realize that we are all God's children and we were here on loan until it was our time. She helped me see that we all had our time to return home to Him, she helped me think of all the good things I had been blessed with and that it was not a punishment for anything I did wrong in the past.
And most of all, she helped me remember that we were sealed for all eternity and we would be together again; and I was promised that I would be able to finish raising her in the Millennium. I then began to be grateful to a Heavenly Father who understood the love of a mourning parent by giving us the gift of eternal families. He knew about losing children because so many of us refuse to turn our hearts to Him. He knew the heartache and planned to make it better for us as long as we did our part.
Oh, how my love for Him grew. I knew I had some heavy duty praying to do, I needed to know He forgave me for my anger. I wanted Him to know I understood and would except His will in all things and that I was so very grateful for the plan of Happiness and eternal families. I knew He forgave me for my shortcomings and weaknesses and that He loved me. I knew everything was going to be ok after that. I would still feel the heartache but I knew I was going to be ok and there were promises of eternity.
Life goes on and I am glad to have had my sweet baby girl for the time that I had her. I pray for all those who have had losses or will have losses in their lives. I pray that they will know that He loves them and that everything will be ok; that they just need to keep the faith and trust in Him that all is well. Take the time to tell all your loved ones how much you love them daily and accept God's plan for you if He sends you one of His Special Ones; for that is one of the greatest blessings ever; to know He trusts you with the care of this very special spirit.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Thoughtful Thursdays: Images of Jesus
There are so many images of the Savior available.
I love so many of them.
I wish I could share all of my favorites. But I think the most important image is the one that has been created in my minds eye.
I love what I see and I hope I can continue to see Him as my constant example. If He is in my head then I have a better chance to be successful in my day.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Tips on Tuesday: Becoming more Christ-like
I found this website that answers questions about spiritual matters.
I have provided a link that talks about some ways we can become more Christ-like.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Righteous Women do not Condemn Others
Hello My Friends!!!
I just finished watching a short video that made me cry, of course, I cry at everything spiritual. But it was about Jesus' mercy and forgiveness. I have included the video for you to cry, I mean watch. It is very moving.
But it made me think of times that I have condemned others in my life, most of the time just in my thoughts. Why do I do that?
I have judged before I knew anything about the person. I truly believe that it is human nature to prejudge someone but I want something more. I want to be like Jesus and look at a person with unconditional love. How do I do this?
I think the first thing I have to do is to study the life of Jesus. I need to see who He served and how He served. I need to observe His wisdom and apply those principles in how I serve others. Well, I guess the key is to serve others without picking and choosing who I am serving. It's easy to serve children, it's a little less easier to serve the elderly, but it is still easy. It's not so easy to serve those who are dirty or smelly. It's not so easy to serve when I have to go out of my way. These are things I have to work on. I need to learn to put others needs before my own.
As I begin to study His life a little more, I have realized that I need to open my heart and not see with my natural eyes but I need to see with my heart. We are all God's children; this I have to remember first.
One thing I have come to realize is that in order to do this His way there are some important things I need to understand. One thing is to understand is the greatest commandment of all, which is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, might, mind and strength. And then the second greatest commandment to understand is to love all people more than myself. These commandments can be found in many different places within the scriptures, but what do they mean?
One thing it means is that we are to be answers to people's prayers. We need to act, when prompted, in behalf of our Father in Heaven and serve those who need help. We know that Heavenly Father can take care of their problems without our help, but who would that truly benefit? So, in His wisdom if we learn to serve all people, we then develop a love for them. By doing this we are showing Heavenly Father that we do love Him with all our heart, might, mind and strength because we are being obedient. And...we are showing that we can love our neighbor by our willingness to serve them. This helps us to become like Jesus and be able to return home with honor.
Its funny to me, but this week through my studies in the scriptures I have had several..."Oh, I get it" moments; this is another one of those moments. I understand how we become like our Savior through acts of service that not only save the lives of others but our own. I understand that service is the key to all things pertaining to the Saviors example of love for all people.
To become more like Jesus, I need to learn to love all people and be willing to serve them and not be quick to judge them. I may find that walking in their shoes may not be such an easy path. Who am I to judge my brother or sister unrighteously.
I am so grateful for a Father in Heaven who teaches me principles that help me to become a better human being and daughter of God. I know that I am going to work harder at being more Christlike by opening my heart and finding ways to serve those who are less fortunate in life, or even those who are very fortunate but have missed the mark. It is the way I will become more like the greatest man who ever lived on this earth, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
I just finished watching a short video that made me cry, of course, I cry at everything spiritual. But it was about Jesus' mercy and forgiveness. I have included the video for you to cry, I mean watch. It is very moving.
But it made me think of times that I have condemned others in my life, most of the time just in my thoughts. Why do I do that?
I have judged before I knew anything about the person. I truly believe that it is human nature to prejudge someone but I want something more. I want to be like Jesus and look at a person with unconditional love. How do I do this?
I think the first thing I have to do is to study the life of Jesus. I need to see who He served and how He served. I need to observe His wisdom and apply those principles in how I serve others. Well, I guess the key is to serve others without picking and choosing who I am serving. It's easy to serve children, it's a little less easier to serve the elderly, but it is still easy. It's not so easy to serve those who are dirty or smelly. It's not so easy to serve when I have to go out of my way. These are things I have to work on. I need to learn to put others needs before my own.
As I begin to study His life a little more, I have realized that I need to open my heart and not see with my natural eyes but I need to see with my heart. We are all God's children; this I have to remember first.
One thing I have come to realize is that in order to do this His way there are some important things I need to understand. One thing is to understand is the greatest commandment of all, which is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, might, mind and strength. And then the second greatest commandment to understand is to love all people more than myself. These commandments can be found in many different places within the scriptures, but what do they mean?
One thing it means is that we are to be answers to people's prayers. We need to act, when prompted, in behalf of our Father in Heaven and serve those who need help. We know that Heavenly Father can take care of their problems without our help, but who would that truly benefit? So, in His wisdom if we learn to serve all people, we then develop a love for them. By doing this we are showing Heavenly Father that we do love Him with all our heart, might, mind and strength because we are being obedient. And...we are showing that we can love our neighbor by our willingness to serve them. This helps us to become like Jesus and be able to return home with honor.
Its funny to me, but this week through my studies in the scriptures I have had several..."Oh, I get it" moments; this is another one of those moments. I understand how we become like our Savior through acts of service that not only save the lives of others but our own. I understand that service is the key to all things pertaining to the Saviors example of love for all people.
To become more like Jesus, I need to learn to love all people and be willing to serve them and not be quick to judge them. I may find that walking in their shoes may not be such an easy path. Who am I to judge my brother or sister unrighteously.
I am so grateful for a Father in Heaven who teaches me principles that help me to become a better human being and daughter of God. I know that I am going to work harder at being more Christlike by opening my heart and finding ways to serve those who are less fortunate in life, or even those who are very fortunate but have missed the mark. It is the way I will become more like the greatest man who ever lived on this earth, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
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