#33: F is for Forgiveness

A while back I read a article in the Ensign called "Finding Peace Through Forgiveness".  The author talks about the difficulty of forgiving someone that hasn't had to face any consequences for their wrong actions. A couple of lines in the article really stood out to me when I read it but the article had slipped my mind until this morning when my companion found the same talk during her studies. Apparently I needed to be reminded of this talk for some reason so I'm sharing it with you (and no, I haven't been seriously--or even slightly--wronged lately....so don't worry about me).  :)

This is the section of the article that really caught my attention:

"Forgiveness was not primarily about restoring my relationship with the person who had offended me. Instead, its focus was restoring and improving my relationship with God. It was about trusting—really trusting—that He would take care of me and that He hadn’t allowed anything to happen to me that wouldn’t eventually work out for my benefit. Forgiveness centered on drawing close to Heavenly Father, understanding the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and laying everything on the altar—and doing this cheerfully, with confidence that I was safe in Heavenly Father’s care."

How profound is that statement?! I had never thought about forgiveness in that light before but it makes perfect sense. No matter what happens to us we can find peace simply by strengthening our relationship with our Heavenly Father. As long as we have a relationship with God that is built on mutual trust, we can find the patience and strength to bear the trials and burdens that come our way. And we can find peace through knowing that Heavenly Father will always take care of us--always.

F is for Forgiveness

#32: E is for Evergreen

"Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid rocks weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the morning stars sing together, and let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever!"

Doctrine & Covenants 128:23

I love Christmas. I love the lights and the decorations. I love the treats and goodies that we eat. I love that everyone becomes kinder and more giving. What I love most of all is that everything about Christmas points to Christ.

One of my favorite Christmas carols is the German carol, "O Tannenbaum". In the song we sing about the evergreen tree and how it's needles are unchanging. No matter whether it's summertime or in winter when it snows, the needles are always green. In the carol, we thank the evergreen tree for it's wonderful example of how constant we need to be in our faith.

While we're still on the subject of evergreen trees, the branches point upward to heaven. The shape of the tree itself directs the eye heavenward.

This is just one example of the many aspects of the season that points to the Savior. Look at a candy cane. The shape represents both the Shepherds' crook and the letter J. The white stands for the purity of the Savior's life, while the red stripes represent His sacrifice for us.

Strings of lights represent the light seen in the sky the night the Savior was born. The tradition of gift-giving finds its origin in the gifts that the wise-men brought to the Christ-child. Or perhaps it originates with Heavenly Father giving us the ultimate gift--His firstborn Son as our Savior and Redeemer. Whatever the object, everything points to Christ.

Look for the symbolism around you this Christmas season. Just like the Wise-men of old, the signs are there leading you to Christ. You just have to notice them.

E is for Evergreen

#31: D is for Divine Nature

“There is something of divinity within each of you. You have such tremendous potential with that quality as a part of your inherited nature. Every one of you was endowed by your Father in Heaven with a tremendous capacity to do good in the world. Train your minds and your hands that you may be equipped to serve well in the society of which you are a part. Cultivate the art of being kind, of being thoughtful, of being helpful. Refine within you the quality of mercy which comes as a part of the divine attributes you have inherited.

Some of you may feel that you are not as attractive and beautiful and glamorous as you would like to be. Rise above any such feelings, cultivate the light you have within you, and it will shine through as a radiant expression that will be seen by others.

You need never feel inferior. You need never feel that you were born without talents or without opportunities to give them expression. Cultivate whatever talents you have, and they will grow and refine and become an expression of your true self appreciated by others.

In summary, try a little harder to measure up to the divine within each of you. As Alma said, “Awake and arouse your faculties” (Alma 32:27).”

President Gordon B. Hinckley gave this inspired message several years ago. Even though he was speaking to the young women of the church, his message is to all. Each one of us is a child of God. YOU are a child of God! He loves you because you are His child. And just as in any other parent/child relationship you have inherited certain qualities from Him.

2 Peter 1:4 says

“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature…”

We have been given so many unique gifts and traits because of our relationship to our Heavenly Father. We can discover what specific talents and qualities we have been given through sincere prayer and careful scripture study. And I hope that each of you will take the time to ask Heavenly Father what you have inherited from Him. He’s waiting to tell you and to help you expand your divine nature.

D is for Divine Nature

#30: C is for Conversion

The parable of the 10 Virgins. I think it’s one of the more well known parables in the New Testament. (If you’d like a refresher on the story, look here.)

We’re told to apply the scriptures to our own lives so that they gain deeper personal meaning. And it bothered me when I was younger that the 5 wise virgins didn’t just share their oil with the other girls. So I decided to change the parable slightly because I don’t use oil lamps often enough for me to relate to them. Now instead of lamps, the 10 virgins own flashlights. And they’re going camping (because why else would they need flashlights?) And these flashlights, of course, use batteries.

Now if you know anything about camping, you know that you should always take fresh batteries for your flashlights. Because the woods are dark and scary at night and without a good flashlight you might get eaten by something.

So here we have our 10 Campers and they each have a flashlight. Only half of them have extra batteries though. And they’ve been camping for a while. Now the story makes more sense to me because it’s not that the 5 wise campers are being selfish with their extra batteries. You can’t really share extra batteries. When your flashlight goes out, you need all 4 of your extra batteries. (yes, I know it’s still not a perfect analogy, but if you don’t like it, you can make up your own. That’s what’s so great about life—EVERYTHING relates to a gospel topic somehow)

In October 2012 general conference Elder David A. Bednar from the Quorum of the 12 Apostles shared his interpretation of the parable of the 10 Virgins. His explanation is one of my favorites now. He compares the lamp/flashlight to our testimonies and the oil/batteries to our spiritual conversion.

Were the five wise virgins selfish and unwilling to share, or were they indicating correctly that the oil (batteries) of conversion cannot be borrowed? Can the spiritual strength that results from consistent obedience to the commandments be given to another person? …The clear answer to each of these questions is no.”

So there you have it. When it gets spiritually dark out, you need a good flashlight with extra batteries. And you have to bring your own batteries on the camping trip. That’s the ground-rule. And you can get batteries at church, and in your scriptures, on your knees in prayer and on your feet in service to others. So go get your extra batteries before it gets dark!

C is for Conversion