Fear vs. Faith

Last weekend I had the opportunity to see Glenn Beck's production "Man in the Moon." It was a show that really impacted me! Recently, I have felt a lot of worry and stress in my life about the future and what will happen to us as a country and a people. From things shown on Facebook to hearing stories and things from neighbors and family, I found myself fearing. I knew that everything would alright in the back of my mind, but that fear remained, until that night. I felt peace and comfort. I was reminded that as long I am doing what is right and following what the lord asks of me, that I have no need to fear. Fear does not come from God and the only way to replace that fear is through faith. All I need to do is put that faith and trust in him and he will lead me through, he will lead us through.  President Thomas S. Monson puts it perfectly in his message for July:

For many, the pioneer trek of 1847 didn’t begin at Nauvoo, Kirtland, Far West, or New York but rather in distant England, Scotland, Scandinavia, or Germany. Tiny children could not fully comprehend the dynamic faith that motivated their parents to leave behind family, friends, comfort, and security.

A little one might ask, “Mommy, why are we leaving home? Where are we going?”

“Come along, precious one; we’re going to Zion, the city of our God.”

Between the safety of home and the promise of Zion stood the angry and treacherous waters of the mighty Atlantic. Who can recount the fear that gripped the human heart during those perilous crossings? Prompted by the silent whisperings of the Spirit, sustained by a simple yet abiding faith, those pioneer Saints trusted in God and set sail on their journey.

They finally reached Nauvoo only to set out again to face hardships on the trail. Tombstones of sage and rock marked graves the entire route from Nauvoo to Salt Lake City. Such was the price some pioneers paid. Their bodies are buried in peace, but their names live on evermore.

Tired oxen lumbered, wagon wheels squeaked, brave men toiled, war drums sounded, and coyotes howled. But the faith-inspired and storm-driven pioneers pressed on. Often they sang:

Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear;

But with joy wend your way.

Though hard to you this journey may appear,

Grace shall be as your day. …

All is well! All is well!¹

These pioneers remembered the words of the Lord: “My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion.”²

The passage of time dims our memories and diminishes our appreciation for those who walked the path of pain, leaving behind a tear-marked trail of nameless graves. But what of today’s challenges? Are there no rocky roads to travel, no rugged mountains to climb, no chasms to cross, no trails to blaze, no rivers to ford? Or is there a very present need for that pioneer spirit to guide us away from the dangers that threaten to engulf us and to lead us to a Zion of safety?

In the decades since the end of World War II, standards of morality have lowered again and again. Crime spirals upward; decency careens downward. Many are on a giant roller coaster of disaster, seeking the thrills of the moment while sacrificing the joys of eternity. Thus we forfeit peace.

We forget how the Greeks and Romans prevailed magnificently in a barbaric world and how that triumph ended—how a slackness and softness finally overcame them to their ruin. In the end, more than they wanted freedom, they wanted security and a comfortable life; and they lost all—comfort and security and freedom.

Do not yield to Satan’s enticements; rather, stand firm for truth. The unsatisfied yearnings of the soul will not be met by a never-ending quest for joy amidst the thrills of sensation and vice. Vice never leads to virtue. Hate never promotes love. Cowardice never gives courage. Doubt never inspires faith.

Some find it difficult to withstand the mockings and unsavory remarks of foolish ones who ridicule chastity, honesty, and obedience to God’s commands. But the world has ever belittled adherence to principle. When Noah was instructed to build an ark, the foolish populace looked at the cloudless sky and then scoffed and jeered—until the rain came.

Must we learn such costly lessons over and over again? Times change, but truth persists. When we fail to profit from the experiences of the past, we are doomed to repeat them with all their heartache, suffering, and anguish. Haven’t we the wisdom to obey Him who knows the beginning from the end—our Lord, who designed the plan of salvation—rather than that serpent, who despised its beauty?

A dictionary defines a pioneer as “one who goes before to prepare or open up the way for others to follow.”³ Can we somehow muster the courage and steadfastness of purpose that characterized the pioneers of a former generation? Can you and I, in actual fact, be pioneers?

I know we can be. Oh, how the world needs pioneers today!

I hope that we can always keep this message in our hearts and minds, always remembering that we are strong and that this is the way that we defend our freedoms, through faith and trust in the Lord and following and obeying his word.  We have a light within each of us which is the light of Chirst.  We have the power to strengthen one another and help each other come to know him. We are brothers and sisters. We are children of God. 

Happy Independence Day!

"When we safe guard the heavenly virtue of freedom, when we honor it, when we protect it, we will walk with washington, we will pray with patriots, and we shall peace on earth, good will to men." 

-Thomas S. Monson

May we never forget those who fought for the freedoms we have today and may we rise up and continue to defend our country despite the trials we may face! God Bless America! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q65KZIqay4E

Building Up

Glenn Beck shared a powerful video this week that I hope all of you will take the time to watch. He has lost his voice due to paralyzed vocal chords and has shared some inspirational words through his silence.

http://now.msn.com/glenn-beck-loses-voice-makes-tearful-announcement#scpshrjwfbs


Something I really liked about what he says in this video is that when you begin to change and to grow the people around you don't like it and begin to bash on you for trying to better yourself. I have always wondered why that is? Why would anyone want to criticize someone for trying to become a better person, to become more like Christ?

Satan seems to think he can bombard our minds with thoughts that bring anger, confusion,  hold grudges, jealousy, etc.  If we let him he will cause us to feel feelings towards even our closest friends and loved ones to tear us a part and to keep us from lifting one another.

I've noticed this same pattern in my life, the more I try to become like Christ the more people, even my closest family, seeks to tear me down and make themselves feel better. When they see me growing and stating my own opinion, trying to be better, they feel they have to defend themselves. What kind of happiness does that bring...NONE! It only brings tension. We are all striving to become better. We all have changes and goals we are trying to reach. So why not help each other and cheer on one another.

Glenn Beck has found his path and has decided to make a change in his life that will bring him great joy as he continues to do so despite what others think. I am reminded often of how Christ was treated throughout his life. He was perfect and did everything he could to serve and to love and yet he too was bombarded with people trying to tear him down. I'm sure there were many nights or days when Christ took time to be a lone so he could get away from the persecution thrown at him.

We shouldn't tear others apart because of the changes they are determined to make and will make. You can make changes too! If you strive to build others up, you will find that they in turn will build you up.

Loving Yourself

"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you?...The temple of God is holy, which temple are ye?"
 1Corinthians 3:16-17

Each of us has the spirit of God within us. Our bodies are a temple, a temple that we are to take care of. If we defile it in any way we are not able to have the holy ghost with us always. Imagine that you were inside a beautiful temple. Ready to serve and ready to grow. Think of that feeling of cleanliness and peace. That is how are bodies need to be. We need to fill our minds with good...more good then bad. The more good we fill inside of us, the more we grow and the happier we become. Something really important in keeping a clean body is taking care of the outside of our bodies.

In today's world we see women dressed in bikini's walking around almost naked on the beach, women wearing short shorts that barely cover the butt, women with cleavage pouring out, etc.(I think you get the idea.) When we dress immodestly showing off our bodies to the world we are telling people that we do not respect ourselves. We don't care if someone thinks of us as a toy to play with. We don't care that we are setting ourselves up to get a man who only lusts after us rather then being loved. It's too hard to look around for something that will be modest. We are telling the world that we are not important. We don't have values and we absolutely don't have any standards.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtzIcz7MOkc&feature=youtu.be

Now, I know what you are thinking. It's not fair to judge everyone who dresses immodestly...that's not their intention. But that is exactly my point. You may not see yourself as trying to receive attention and such, but take a minute to think about it. Wouldn't you want to feel like you are in power of yourself? Dressing modestly brings happiness and joy. You are seen as a strong and confident woman when you dress appropriately. You will find that people like to be around you and feel comfortable in your presence.

When you start with just the simplest change in your values you will feel more and more self conscious and unhappy and will begin to think 'where did I go wrong and how can I get back?"

The good news is you can get back! Our Heavenly father did not intend for us to stray forever. There is no line where he says 'no way." That is what the atonement of Jesus Christ is all about. Coming closer to him and becoming like him. We will stray and we will struggle, but the lord will always find a way to lead you back to him...even in your darkest hour!

When you dress modestly you are baring testimony that you respect and honor yourself and your savior. Although you may feel it is hard, it is so worth it to keep your standards and values high!


https://www.lds.org/youth/for-the-strength-of-youth/dress-and-appearance?lang=eng

If We Could See

If you could look inside a persons heart and mind what do you think you would see? We all have trials and things we are struggling with. There are times when I walk down the street and I wonder what the person next to me is thinking about me. While I am out and about running errands, I like to look at the person who seems to be having a hard day and think, what is it that has made their day so bad? They could have just lost a loved one, lost a job, broken a bone or failed a test.
 I'm not perfect, no one is, but each day I try my best to look at everyone in such a way that they feel loved.  It's not fair of us to judge someone, because they are having a bad day, if they are famous and stuck up or just cut you off in traffic.  I ran into a woman this morning who looked tired and ready to go home already and it was only 8:30 in the morning.  What could be going on in her life that makes her so tired of the daily grime?

President Gordon B. Hinckley told of a story of a handcart company in 1856 that I want to share with you. He words what I am thinking perfectly!

I take you back to the general conference of October 1856. On Saturday of that conference Franklin D. Richards and a handful of associates arrived in the valley. They had traveled from Winter Quarters with strong teams and light wagons and had been able to make good time. Brother Richards immediately sought out President Young. He reported that there were hundreds of men, women, and children scattered over the long trail from Scottsbluff to this valley. Most of them were pulling handcarts. They were accompanied by two wagon trains which had been assigned to assist them. They had reached the area of the last crossing of the North Platte River. Ahead of them lay a trail that was uphill all the way to the Continental Divide with many, many miles beyond that. They were in desperate trouble. Winter had come early. Snow-laden winds were howling across the highlands of what is now western Nebraska and Wyoming. Our people were hungry, their carts and their wagons were breaking down, their oxen dying. The people themselves were dying. All of them would perish unless they were rescued.

I think President Young did not sleep that night. I think visions of those destitute, freezing, dying people paraded through his mind.

The next morning he came to the old Tabernacle which stood on this square. He said to the people:

“I will now give this people the subject and the text for the Elders who may speak. … It is this. … Many of our brethren and sisters are on the plains with handcarts, and probably many are now seven hundred miles from this place, and they must be brought here, we must send assistance to them. The text will be, ‘to get them here.’

“That is my religion; that is the dictation of the Holy Ghost that I possess. It is to save the people.

“I shall call upon the Bishops this day. I shall not wait until tomorrow, nor until the next day, for 60 good mule teams and 12 or 15 wagons. I do not want to send oxen. I want good horses and mules. They are in this Territory, and we must have them. Also 12 tons of flour and 40 good teamsters, besides those that drive the teams.

“I will tell you all that your faith, religion, and profession of religion, will never save one soul of you in the Celestial Kingdom of our God, unless you carry out just such principles as I am now teaching you. Go and bring in those people now on the plains” (in LeRoy R. Hafen and Ann W. Hafen,Handcarts to Zion [1960], 120–21).

That afternoon food, bedding, and clothing in great quantities were assembled by the women.

The next morning, horses were shod and wagons were repaired and loaded.

The following morning, Tuesday, 16 mule teams pulled out and headed eastward. By the end of October there were 250 teams on the road to give relief.

Wonderful sermons have been preached from this pulpit, my brethren and sisters. But none has been more eloquent than that spoken by President Young in those circumstances.

Stories of the beleaguered Saints and of their suffering and death will be repeated again and again next year. Stories of their rescue need to be repeated again and again. They speak of the very essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I am grateful that those days of pioneering are behind us. I am thankful that we do not have brethren and sisters stranded in the snow, freezing and dying, while trying to get to this, their Zion in the mountains. But there are people, not a few, whose circumstances are desperate and who cry out for help and relief.

There are so many who are hungry and destitute across this world who need help. I am grateful to be able to say that we are assisting many who are not of our faith but whose needs are serious and whom we have the resources to help. But we need not go so far afield. We have some of our own who cry out in pain and suffering and loneliness and fear. Ours is a great and solemn duty to reach out and help them, to lift them, to feed them if they are hungry, to nurture their spirits if they thirst for truth and righteousness.

There are so many young people who wander aimlessly and walk the tragic trail of drugs, gangs, immorality, and the whole brood of ills that accompany these things. There are widows who long for friendly voices and that spirit of anxious concern which speaks of love. There are those who were once warm in the faith, but whose faith has grown cold. Many of them wish to come back but do not know quite how to do it. They need friendly hands reaching out to them. With a little effort, many of them can be brought back to feast again at the table of the Lord.

Sometimes we just need to set our own ideas and thoughts about people aside and show a little compassion and love towards the person next to us. The next time you find yourself saying "Wow what was that person thinking?" and get upset, take a minute and stop to think "How can I make a difference in this person's life today?"

This video goes along with the thoughts I had today:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=447028668722073

Homeless

As I walk down the streets of downtown Salt Lake City, I see many homeless people on the streets. Many of whom stand on the same corner everyday and ask for money.  I realized that I have grown up with this idea that homeless people are ALL lazy, dirty, smelly people who don't try to make it in life by finding a job.  Once I noticed this, I decided I needed to fix this idea and put it into a different perspective.

 Society has taught us to hate and look down upon people who are different then us. But this is not what the Savior has taught us. He taught us to love one another despite our differences.  We are all unique and we all have trials we are facing. Who are we to judge a person by the way their life "seems" to be.  We have to look under the surface to really see the person they really are.

I am one who notices pretty much everything. I'm an observer and I know when a person is looking down on me. When I was pregnant, I would go shopping in the grocery store and noticed almost everyone looking at my tummy and never at my face. I became self conscience about wearing my wedding ring so that no one would assume I got pregnant out of wedlock. Every where I went I felt like I was being judged. As a pregnant woman you become very self conscious of what others are thinking of you and it just makes you feel worse about yourself.

President Dieter  F. Uchtdorf has said a phrase that has stuck everyday as I see and meet other people. He said : "Don't judge me because I sin differently than you do."
We tend to judge people immediately, whether it is a negative or a positive thought we judge them as we see them.  When I meet someone new or if someone cuts me off on the road or whatever, I try to look at the positive and give them the benefit of the doubt.

For these homeless people more often than not they are people who are struggling emotionally, mentally and physically.  One person may have a disability in which case their family didn't want to take care of them any more and they ended up on the street. In other cases they may have been abused as a teenager and struggling to find a way to learn principles that will help them make it through life.  You never know the circumstance of a person.  It is not our place to judge whether a person is lazy and just won't try in life or not.  Give them the benefit of the doubt. In deciding who to help and who to not I try to listen to the spirit.  If I feel the need to give some money to someone I do it, if not I leave it to fast offerings and tithing.

Yesterday I saw a homeless man with a sign that said "You are beautiful." That put a smile on my face and made me feel so good. Like this man, many homeless people are just looking for love and a friendly smile.   You never know the difference you can make. Share a smile or a friendly wave.  You will brighten someones day...trust me! :)

More Precious Than Rubies

In our world today we are bombarded everywhere we go with people, thoughts, words, Television, Music, etc. who think that all that is important is looks.  I have felt so overwhelmed with the things I see and hear from people about makeup, hair or whatever it is just to make themselves "more beautiful."
I went to California this last week and we went shopping in the outlet mall. The stores were far more expensive then I had ever seen before and I felt so out of place with my simple, non-fancy attire  As I was leaving one of the stores I turned and noticed that the woman right behind me stared me up and down with a look of disgust. In my head I wanted to say to this lady "I'm sorry I don't look like you, but I'm afraid I don't have the money to afford a one hundred dollar T-shirt."
This woman was an example of what each one of us tends to do at some point or another in our lives.  We judge a persons hair style, clothing style, eyes, make up or whatever. With this experience I shied away the rest of the trip from shopping so I wouldn't feel so self conscience of my body shape and style.

I tell myself almost everyday that I am not pretty enough or beautiful enough. But I have officially decided that I have had enough of this idea that I am not beautiful, because of the way I look on the outside.  When feeling that stare of someone behind me looking me up and down judging me for my body type or what I am wearing on the outside I begin to feel so small and insignificant. But then I remember that there is someone whose opinion of me is far more important then the rest of of the world. This person is my Father in Heaven. He loves me and knows me better then anyone and doesn't care so much about the way I look, but rather he cares far more about what I am learning and how I am growing.
 I have great potential and I try to remember that each day through all of my ups and downs. Who cares what others think of me because "I sin differently then they do." Who cares if my clothes don't match at least one day out of the week. Who cares about perfection of the body on the outside, all I need to care about is perfecting myself and becoming more like Christ on the inside. As Elder Holland has said:

"I plead with you young women to please be more accepting of yourselves, including your body shape and style, with a little less longing to look like someone else.  We are all different. Some are tall, and some are short. Some are round, and some are thin...in the Kingdom of God the real you is more precious than rubies."
-Jeffery R. Holland