Section 11

Doctrine and Covenants 11:12, 13-14

I opened up my scriptures today and verses thirteen and fourteen caught my eye. I read verse 12 after that and was touched. It was what I needed in the moment. The Spirit can do so much for us. It has felt like a hard time lately and I needed a reminder that The Spirit can do so many great things. I need to rely more on the Lord and remember that Heavenly Father hasn't forgotten me.

From lds.org:
(v. 11 added just for fun)

11 For, behold, it is I that speak; behold, I am the light which shineth in darkness, and by my power I give these words unto thee.

12 And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in thatSpirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit.

13 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy;

14 And then shall ye know, or by this shall you know, all things whatsoever you desire of me, which are pertaining unto things ofrighteousness, in faith believing in me that you shall receive.

Good Reminder

Isaiah 41:10

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

I read this last week and felt like there really is help out there. I have felt overwhelmed...as if life were just one thing after another. I wasn't sure how everything was going to get done. I'm still not sure everything is going to get done. I just know I was grateful for the reminder that God is there to help and strengthen. When He is with us we don't need to be afraid.

On Being Articulate

June 15, 2014

I wrote this when I was thinking about things that are in currently in the media. There are so many pieces to the puzzle that I'm not sure where to start or how things fit together. I just want people to be able to feel like they have a voice. I want respectful dialogue. Wouldn't that be nice? It sounds like the beauty queen giving the answer that she'd like world peace when asked about her goals.

I feel like there's so much to say about some of the current things happening. I'm not sure how to voice my opinions. Sometimes I'm not sure because I haven't clarified them enough to put into words. Other times, I feel like I don't want to say something that would be offensive. I'm not saying I don't want to have a different point of view - I'm saying I want to make sure I articulate things in a way that my views are clear and yet not be rude or sound hateful.

The Real Question

I was watching a video clip about a Bible story the other day and remembered an experience. The experience was being in the temple and seeing a man with dark hair that reached his shoulders. His hair was thick and healthy. (I remember that part because I might have been a bit jealous. Why is it men can pull off having long hair be healthy more often than women can? Maybe they don't do as much with it to damage it? I don't know. Done with tangent.)
I remember seeing this guy and thinking he looked familiar - I kept trying to secretly do the quick glance thing so I wouldn't get caught or look too odd or obsessed. I didn't think he would have felt comfortable knowing I was trying to figure out who he was while we were there. One of the women that was helping out, made a comment to him about having the day off or not performing that day. I can't remember. I do remember hearing the comment/question and wondering if the guy was in 'Savior of the World'. It's a play that's done at Christmas and Easter time at the Conference Center Theater on Temple Square. It's obviously about Christ. The setting is during the time period that he was on the earth. Most of the men in the production have long hair to go along with the more flowing wardrobe that was 'in' during that time.
Anyway, I wondered about that - decided at the time that I recognized him because I had seen the play and I moved on with my day. No more creepily sneaking glances.
As I watched the video clip the other day - I remembered seeing this man and a thought hit me. The guy I saw in the temple might have played the part of Christ in the play. But, as I think about that now, that can't be it because they purposely make sure the actor does not show his face. I wouldn't have recognized him anyway. Although, the man that played him when I saw it was taller than the gentleman I saw in the temple. I also had the thought that maybe the actor that played Christ in the video I was watching was the guy I saw 'in person' that day.
It was then that the real thought hit me. Or, maybe it was a very serious question. When I see Christ, will I recognize Him? Will I know him well enough to know that I'm in His presence? That's the real question - it's not what actor played who when - and I might have just happened to see one of the actors one day. It's about how well I know Christ. It's about my relationship with someone who has given His life for me and has asked that I give mine to Him. It's about what I'm doing to be closer to Him, know Him better, and follow Him closer. (I think there's a song I learned as a kid about that.)
"Oh Dear Lord, Three Things I Pray..." Anyone remember that one? I think we learned it at Vacation Bible School. Maybe - it might have been somewhere else too.
I am thankful for our Savior. I know that because of what He did I will also live again. I also know that he is the only way in which to obtain the goal of being with our family on a continual basis.

Randomness

I'm attempting to switch things up a bit and have several blogs together. This will be where I'll post the random thoughts that go around in my head. Some might be meaningful to you and others you might wonder about the meaning.

Do you know where you're going?

On the way home from school my daughter asked..."Mom, do you know where you're going?". I told her I did and asked if she was concerned. She told me that she was - I let her know that I knew just where to go and she didn't need to worry about it. Somehow, when she realized that I was quite confident in finding my way home she seems just fine and the conversation changed topic.

It made me think of my role as a parent. Do my children know where I'm going? Do I know where I'm going? It seems in order for there to be a 'yes' answer to the first there must be a 'yes' attached to the second. If we as parents do not know where we are going, we cannot lead our children there. I am given direction by the gospel. In an eternal sense, I feel like I know my way to my eternal home. Our children need to know that we know where we're going. We need to be clear in our directions of how they can get there too.

Another thing that came to mind was that there is more than one way to get home. There are several ways to get from our school to our house. They all work. There are many days I'm grateful for the variety...it would be bad if I fell asleep on the way. In the plan of salvation there are a variety of ways we can go. The path is laid out for us...but, how we travel the path is left up to us. We continue with principles and have an opportunity to work with preferences. Interesting how we can so many people can travel the same way and we all do it differently.

Weight Management Tip

I've found the solution!! In order to lose the weight - I have to cut down on the lemurs.:} (We saw this the other day at the zoo...just had to get a picture.)