Post Halloween Contemplation

Recently I had a discussion with my youngest child about how much candy is an acceptable amount to eat.  I am sure many parents out there have had a similar one some time this week with their children.  Post Halloween can be a sugar madhouse with its sugar rushes, and downward emotional spirals.  If I went with my child's opinion, every meal would consist of candy, some raspberries, and some more candy.  Not the healthiest choice.  If only he was asking for something healthy, then I would be happy with his 'I want more' attitude.

So far, the best way to teach my children about healthy vs unhealthy, is to let them eat as much junk as they want in a short amount of time....... because, for some reason, they don't believe me when I tell them how awful they will feel if they eat too much junk food.  Somewhere-- TV, movies, those evil conniving commercials, they got the message that candy and junk food is fun.  But  I know it isn't.   It isn't enough that I know, they need to know, too.  So I let them have their firsthand experience, and after a day-- sometimes two-- they come to me asking for some 'real food'.  Lost of it, too.

Mission accomplished.

There is another kind of health food that we ingest: spiritual food.  We have to nourish our spirits and souls just as much as we do our physical bodies.  Do we start our day with a candy bar?  (Hopefully not, but all bets are off the week after Halloween).  How can we progress in our life and with our goals, if we fill our day with 'spiritual junk'?  We can't.

We need to start with the healthy spiritual elements, and continue to incorporate them into our day.

How do we start up our spiritual energy?  Do we pray?  Do we 'take in' nourishing spiritual food like scriptures?  What do you consider holy?  I know I try to 'take in' all that I find good and uplifting.  I have a Bible, but I also have a Book of Mormon. I read them both daily.

In 2 Nephi 29: 13 it says, 'And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews.'

I love this scripture because it reminds me that our Heavenly Father loves each one of us, no matter our heritage, no matter our location, and no matter where we stand in this world.  He wants all of us to find joy.  He wants all of us to return to Him.  He loves us all.

He wants to communicate that message to all of us.  Around the world, and through all time, He works to spread His message of love and redemption and peace.  We may find God's love shining on us in the smile or the kind words of a friend.  We may find words of encouragement from God in the words of a people long since past.  We will have to be on the lookout-- because God's ways are not our ways.  We have a lot to learn, but as we pull together as people of faith-- faith in Heavenly Father and His ways, we are blessed.  We can reach out to one another and strengthen each other, and spread the message of hope and peace.

There is a lot in the world that can be considered spiritual junk food. There is also a lot in the world that can be considered spiritual health food.  It is important to know the difference, and to take in the good.

Ancestors in Russia

So, on a whim, I checked the traffic of my blog.  Someone, or several someones, in Russia have visited my blog.  This is exciting to me, as my paternal grandfather was born in Russia, and immigrated to the United States in the early 1900's.  I'd like to find out more about my ancestors, but all the records I've seen are in Russian, and I don't know how to read them.   So if you're Russian....... or know how to speak Russian, please let me know.

Thank you :)

You Wild Child!

Have you ever danced on the wild side?  Was it thrilling?  Scary?  Did you feel daring and dangerous?  Did you feel brave or feel like a trailblazer?  

Or did you feel something different?  Did you feel alone?  Scared? Without hope? Did you feel isolated from the people around you?

Me too.

At first it was freeing-- less rules, or at least fewer that I was obeying or paying attention to.  I felt very grown up and mature about making 'my own life' and it was, for a time, very thrilling.....until I realized all I was giving up to be 'free'.  

Sometimes, if we grow up in a place and time that we don't understand, we try out new things, new paths, and new vistas.  But if they don't work out, we usually just move on, hoping that the next 'new thing' will offer what the last 'new thing' lacked.  We eventually realize that what is lacking in our lives isn't what is, or is not, on the outside-- it is what isn't in us anymore on the inside, and that lack, is what can be the difference between a meaningful life, and an empty one.

Knowing who we are-- having an absolute, supreme understanding of that, will change us forever.  If we are a musician, we will play until our fingers are numb-- and it will bring us joy to keep on playing.  If we are an artist, to create will be our driving force-- it will define our environment, and if they let us-- everyone else's environment too. 

 When we find our identity, we are in a perfect spot to make something of ourselves...... and no matter what anyone else says or thinks, we will continue with our passion-- because it is our passion in life.

Which brings me to the 'wild child'.  In 2 Nephi 15:4, it says, "....Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, it brought forth wild grapes."  Sometimes we walk on the 'wild side' because we don't know yet who we are.  We may have been told we are sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, but being told isn't the same as knowing it.  When we lack the pure knowledge of our divine heritage, we are not going to behave in the same manner as we would otherwise.  We are going to make more mistakes and make decisions that in retrospect bring tears of sadness when we look back at them.

But when that moment of understanding comes....our hearts will leap with joy.  "...yea, my soul delighteth in his grace, and in his justice, and power, and mercy in the great and eternal plan of deliverance from death."  2 Nehpi 11: 5

Walk in joy.  Be your best self. 

Eat the good grapes.

Heavenly Father loves you.

Are your windows clean?

I was washing dishes one morning, when the doorbell rang.  When I answered it, a young man stood at the door, asking if I would like my windows cleaned.  I looked over at the glass in the living room, and thought to myself, 'They look clean.'-- so I told the nice young man, 'No thank you', and he left.  

Six months later, the same nice young man came again.  'Would you like your windows cleaned?' Again, I looked, and knowing I had just used Windex less than five days ago, I said, 'No thank you'.  

This time, after he left, I stood inside my living room, and looked out.  I examined my windows around the house, I walked slowly past each one, and really looked.  You know what?  My living room window was sparkling clean.  My kitchen windows were pretty clean, but in the rest of the house.....those windows weren't so clean and sparkly.  They had smears, cobwebs and dust in the corners, and there was a dead fly in more than one window in the back of the house.

Maybe I should have said, "Yes."

 

How often do we take the time and energy to clean what can be seen by others on our public image, but leave our private, and personal areas less than clean and tidy?   Do we allow the dust and dirt to build up over time, or even worse: do we purposefully add to the grime?  I am speaking of living our lives in such a way as to have our public and personal identity be equally full of integrity-- of honestly living what we claim to hold dear.

Our eyes are the windows to our soul.  But sometimes our 'windows' get a little dirty.  It can be hard and difficult to stay close to our Heavenly Father if we are trying to see Him in our lives with dirty windows.  Things get clouded, and dull.  We can no longer see clearly, or even see and understand His directions for us if we choose not to consistently clean our act up.  

What does it mean to 'clean up'?  It means saying 'No,' a lot. It means saying, 'No,' to such public poisons like porn.  It means saying, 'No,' to big and little lies.  It means saying, 'No,' to acting in anyway contrary to what you know to be right.  It means keeping your private life just as clean and tidy as your public one.  

Wouldn't that change so many dynamics in our society if everyone did this?  

Cleaning our 'windows',  also means saying, 'Yes' a lot.  Yes to all the good things around us.  It is choosing people over things.  It is choosing to allow the Atonement of Christ to actively work in our lives.  It means us personally taking responsibility for keeping our eyes on the things that bring peace, hope, and faith.  

We are all sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, and as such, we have the divine right to inspiration and guidance from a loving Heavenly Father.  However, we must not forget what Peter Parker learned, "With great power, comes great responsibility."  We need to speak up, and speak out about what we are choosing for ourselves.  We don't get to sit down on the couch and expect everything on the T.V. to be a perfect fit for us-- and we certainly don't have to applaud those shows or movies that have so many people enthralled, if we know that there are going to be parts in them that we know will add grime to our souls. Instead, we take responsibility for what our eyes will see, and what our ears will hear.  

Here is a line I came across this week:  The real life we are preparing for, is eternal life.--  President Henry B. Eyring.   

I want to see life-- and I want to see it clearly.  

Pass the Windex.  

Faith Vs. Doubt : the winner is.....?

Most of us at some time or another have doubted.  Whether it be doubting ourselves, our abilities, others, or any one of a million things-- we have had moments of doubt.  But what good did that ever do us?  Honestly, did doubt ever help us win a race?  Ace a test?  Get a job?  In all the self-help books out there, is doubt listed as a great asset to building character, developing skills, or appreciating self-worth?  No, no it's not.  

And there is a reason why. 

Doubt is the oppressor of all our good intentions.  It sticks to our mind like mud, and is just as helpful. 

Then why would anyone ever doubt?  That is the ultimate question.  I can tell you why I doubt--  sometimes I think that I'm too small in the big scheme of things for me to really matter-- or even that what I do is going to really matter.  Sometimes I honestly forget that God knows a plan for me to do it-- and so I forget to try to figure out what that plan or way is.  Sometimes I am so overwhelmed by what lies before me, that I take it more seriously than I should.  Sometimes, I let the seeds of doubt take strong root over my mind...... but that is just the 'mud' talking. 

But I'm not alone.   There were (a long time ago-- but not in the next galaxy), four brothers who were in a tough situation.  And their prospects of coming out of it-- alive-- were not so good.  In fact, in the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi chapter 3, verse 31 it says: "...Laman and Lemuel again began to murmur, saying: How is it possible that the Lord will deliver Laban into our hands?  Behold, he is a mighty man, and he can command fifty, yea, even he can slay fifty; then why not us?"    These brothers were men-- not young children, and yet they were overcome by doubt.  They had allowed the 'mud' to cloud their thinking.

We need to take the 'mud' seriously if we are going to overcome it. 

Faith, on the other hand, works miracles.  It channels the Power of God into our mortal selves, and brings us to a higher playing field.  When we allow faith to work within our hearts, we are also forming a partnership with God--  and that is when the miracles start to happen.

In  the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 3:7  it says: "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."  *

If God gives a commandment, God is going to make a way for it to be possible.  Our part is to have faith that this is so.  God loves us, He wants us to succeed, but we must have faith in this-- because when we have faith, He can channel His grace, His glory, into our hearts.  When we are working to do our best to have faith-- and not give power to the muddy doubts-- we are able to think more clearly, take stock of our possibilities, and move forward with our lives to make the most of them.



*If you have a Book of Mormon handy, check out the location of these two scriptures-- you will find they are on page 6 and 7..... facing each other, eternally as polar opposites.

  

Honesty

Honesty is being true, speaking truth, and acting true.  It doesn't actually cover all of that in the BYU-I Honor Code-- it mostly is about not cheating, not making up references, and giving credit where credit is due.   

 

But here's the thing: honesty is so much more.  It is about having what is in your heart and mind match with what is coming *from* you-- written word, spoken word, or actions-- and having all of that match what you know to be right and true.    There are times when I've been immensely overwhelmed with things in life, and I have thought: does it *really* matter if I just  _______?   So, depending on how in tune with the Spirit I am, will determine who I am listening to-- Satan or the Holy Spirit.  

 

The Holy Spirit does not lie.  It can't.   But if we choose to listen to the other guy, well...... he lies all the time.  But he is tricky about it-- because he knows we are smart, so he doesn't always outright lie, he weaves truth and lies together; he mixes it up.  And if we are leaning into his temptations, we are giving him control-- over many parts of our lives, including our own honesty-- remember even Adam and Eve went and hid in fear-- so they were trying to conceal things too.  The Holy Spirit, by contrast, likes us to share -- that we may share one another's joys, but also that we may share one another's burdens, too.

 

I think real honesty comes in those moments when we are living what we know to be good and true, and when those moments come, they come with joy-- joy of not only knowing that we are acting with true and honorable integrity, but also I think we feel the joy that comes from our Savior who is thrilled when we are following Him.  He knows what we need, and when we are acting in accordance to that truth, we feel the joy that He has for us.  The more we act honestly with what we know to be right and true, the greater our opportunity for joy.  

Between You and God

Between You and God

by J. Wester

A new twist on my favorite quote by Mother Theresa

 

 

There may be a day when all the seeds you plant will either rot, wither, or get eaten;

Plant anyway.

 

There may be a day when you are asked to do something above and beyond your skills;

Try anyway.

 

There may be a day when a friend needs more than you think you can give;

Give anyway.

 

There may be a day when no one smiles back at you;

Smile anyway.

 

There may be a day when you fear the coming day;

Greet it anyway.

 

There may be a day when you give your heart away and it may be broken;

Love anyway.

 

There may be a day when your faith in humanity is shaken to the core.

Hope anyway.

 

There may be a day when you wonder if prayers are answered;

Pray anyway.

 

There may be a day when you are struggling to know if God knows you;

Believe anyway.

 

 

"You see, in the final analysis, it's between you and God;

It was never between you and them anyway."