"That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day."
Doctrine & Covenants 50:24
“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.
“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divinenature…”
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.
We tried to convince my dad that hiring the job out was the best way to go. But dad has a bad habit of making things like this a "family project" that we all do together. I never quite understood why we didn't just get someone else to do it or take what I thought would be an "easier way". Then I read this article about a dad who takes a project and turns it into an opportunity to have some face time with his kids. (You can check out the article here or just read it below.)
"Living in a small country town has its advantages, but one disadvantage is the mud in the spring. In an attempt to keep the mud outside the house, I planned to spread gravel on my dirt driveway. I had 60 tons of gravel brought in and left in two piles, which looked even bigger when I stood in front of them. In our town, people commonly have big trucks, trailers, tractors, front loaders, and backhoes. Me? I’m the guy with a shovel and a wheelbarrow.
I asked Rory, my 15-year-old son, if he would come out and help. He wasn’t the picture of enthusiasm, but he agreed....He was a teenager whose world was getting larger than the one his dad used to fill. I had never had any real problems with him, but he was no longer the little boy who would hold my hand and chatter as we walked. His world now included many activities and friends that took him outside the home. We still enjoyed each other’s company but found it harder to spend time together. I wouldn’t have guessed that moving gravel would facilitate openness between us, but on that day it did just that.
As we shoveled, each to our own rhythm, Rory started talking. At first we discussed the job at hand, but then the talk turned to other things that were on his mind. We discussed music that he was interested in. He was active in certain forums on the Internet and described the posted conversations. In school he had a psychology class, and we discussed some of the ideas. Then there was the topic of his friends, and several funny stories followed.
As we talked we filled the wheelbarrow, and then I would lift the load, wheel it to a bare spot, and dump it. I was pleasantly surprised when Rory followed me during these short intervals in order to keep up the conversation. I am pretty sure he didn’t know how much his willingness to talk meant to me. I tried not to let on. His talking so freely to me didn’t happen every day.
As we worked, blisters formed on my hands, but they were just a reminder of the sweet time I spent with my children, especially my oldest son.
Across the street a young construction contractor was building his house. While I was working, he was using a front loader to push the earth around the foundation of his home. It would have taken 20 minutes to get our job done with his powerful machine, but I was afraid he was going to come over and offer to help. I would have looked foolish turning down his help, but accepting it would have robbed me of the unexpected experience I was having with my children. Toward the end of the job, when I was exhausted, I wasn’t sorry. My children were still there and were still talking to me. Manually moving that gravel was the sweetest hard work I had ever done."
I'm guessing this is a big reason why dad made us do the work (I'm sure there were lots of other good reasons too, Dad...) This video clip was another big hint as to what was so important about all of us getting out there and doing the work ourselves.
All in all, I'm grateful that my dad has always taken a "homegrown" approach to the jobs around the house (big and small). (That's easy to say now that I'm not living in the same state as my parents--can't get roped into a home improvement project for at least another 9 months haha) I have learned so much from my parents about how to work and take care of myself and those around me. The lessons learned and the time spent together were well worth the hours of manual labor.
This blog isn't very original (as if the other ones are...) but I read an article that one of my sisters sent me (you can read the whole thing here) and it had some wonderful pointers on how to grow closer to the influence of the Holy Ghost and how to stay focused on the most important things in our lives. I wanted to share the author's thoughts with you in the hopes that they affect you as much as they affected me when I read them.
* Embrace this day with an enthusiastic welcome, no matter how it looks. The covenant with God to which you are true enables you to become enlightened by him, and nothing is impossible for you.
* When you are physically sick, tired, or in despair, steer your thoughts away from yourself and direct them, in gratitude and love, toward God.
* In your life there have to be challenges. They will either bring you closer to God and therefore make you stronger, or they can destroy you. But you make the decision of which road you take.
* Put all frustrations, hurt feelings, and grumblings into the perspective of your eternal hope. Light will flow into your soul.
* God knows that you are not perfect. As you suffer about your imperfections, he will give you comfort and suggestions of where to improve.
* God knows better than you what you need. He always attempts to speak to you. Listen, and follow the uncomfortable suggestions that he makes to us--everything will fall into its place.
* Avoid any fear like your worst enemy, but magnify your fear about the consequences of sin.
* When you cannot love someone, look into that person's eyes long enough to find the hidden rudiments of the child of God in him.
* Never judge anyone. When you accept this, you will be freed. In the case of your own children or subordinates, where you have the responsibility to judge, help them to become their own judges.
* If someone hurts you so much that your feelings seem to choke you, forgive and you will be free again.
* Avoid at all cost any pessimistic, negative, or criticizing thoughts. If you cannot cut them out, they will do you harm. On the road toward salvation, let questions arise but never doubts. If something is wrong, God will give you clarity but never doubts.
* Avoid rush and haste and uncontrolled words. Divine light develops in places of peace and quiet. Be aware of that as you enter places of worship.
* Be not so much concerned about what you do, but do what you do with all your heart, might, and strength. In thoroughness is satisfaction.
* The pain of sacrifice lasts only one moment. It is the fear of the pain of sacrifice that makes you hesitate to do it.
* Be grateful for every opportunity to serve. It helps you more than those you serve.
* And finally, when you are compelled to give up something or when things that are dear to you are withdrawn from you, know that this is your lesson to be learned right now. But know also that, as you are learning this lesson, God wants to give you something better.
I know that some (or most) of these bullet points are easier said than done but I felt the truthfulness of these statements when I read them and I know that acting on them will lead to greater happiness. Even if you can only pick one to focus on, let that one idea change you and bring you closer to the person God wants you to be. As it says above, "God knows better than you what you need. He always attempts to speak to you. Listen, and follow the uncomfortable suggestions that He makes to us--everything will fall into its place."
Okay, this post was inevitable. I'm just too crazy about Institute classes to not say something about them when I have an audience. If you have never attended an Institute class or--perish the thought--never even heard of Institute, let me clue you in on what you've been missing all your life. :)
Let's start with the basics.
What exactly is Institute, you may ask? Well to quote the official web page...
"Institutes of religion provide weekday religious instruction for single and married post-secondary students. Other married and young single adults ages 18-30 are also welcome to attend. Adult religion classes are available for those over 30. A variety of free distance-learning classes, including religion courses are also available."
"With a worldwide enrollment of 350,000 students in over 2,500 locations, there is an institute of religion near you. Institute is a safe haven from the pressures, trials, and challenges of the world. Institute is concerned with education for eternity and provides an opportunity for students to be touched and nurtured by the Spirit through classes and activities."
If that wasn't enough to convince you that it's awesome, just ask Franc how cool Institute is...
This is how Franc describes institute:
(This video cracks me up by the way)
Institute is a safe place. :)
How do I describe Institute?
Institute is a place where I have come to know who my Savior is, who my God is, and who I am. The Insitute offers wonderful scripture-based classes on a variety of topics. Whether you want to learn the history behind the events in the Old Testament, understand the life of Jesus Christ more clearly, study the early beginnings of the restored Church of Jesus Christ, listen to stories of women recorded in the scriptures, or study the words of living prophets, Institute offers something for EVERYONE (and that list only mentions a few of the classes I've taken through the Institute). Not to mention the leadership opportunities you can take advantage of (which looks great on a resume, by the way) or all the free food (because let's face it, we're starving college students).
It's through institute that I've made friends, strengthened my relationship with Jesus Christ, and learned to better recognize the promptings of the holy spirit. Making Institute a part of my life during college also helped me to realize how many people believe the same things I believe and try just as hard as I do to live great lives. When you're in the 18-30 bracket, it's really easy to get caught up in school and work and life and feel like you're the only one trying to live the standards you've set for yourself. By involving yourself in Institute, you find yourself surrounded by people that not only accept your standards, they help you to live them!
Now, I know what you're going to say, "With my schedule I don't have time for Institute" or "The Institute building is too far away from where I live".
Those are just excuses.
Trust me.
I did the whole college thing full-time (16 credits a semester) for 5 years, plus a 15-20 hour per week job most semesters, and I lived 40 minutes away from campus. If I had given into those same excuses I would have missed some of the best experiences of. my. life. Don't make the mistake of losing out on some incredible experiences and friendships just because right now you can't see how far institute can take you.
President Thomas S. Monson (a prophet of God) gave us a promise if we make institute a priority in our lives. He says:
"Think of it. Friends will be made, the Spirit will be felt, and faith will be strengthened. I promise you that as you participate in institute and study the scriptures diligently, your power to avoid temptation and to receive direction of the Holy Ghost in all you do will be increased. Divine favor will attend those who humbly seek it. That is a promise which I leave with you." President Thomas S. Monson (April 21, 2009)
Did you catch all those promises? Friends. The spirit of God. Increased faith. Power to avoid temptation. Direction in life. Divine favor. If that's not something you want in your life, you're reading the wrong blog. I'm not sure if I've ever met someone that doesn't want those things. The hard part in life is to figure out where to find all that...
And I'll give you a clue:
I JUST TOLD YOU WHERE TO FIND IT.
So go get it. A prophet of God just promised you that's where you'll find it all. And I can tell you from experience that it's true. I found ALL those things when I went to Institute.
Now that I've got you hooked on Institute, what's the next step? I'm glad you asked. Simply visit the Institute of Religion website for info on classes, locations, FAQs, videos, and more info. Or if you already know where your local Institute meets, just walk right in. There's plenty of people to tell you about classes and upcoming activities. You won't regret taking an Institute class. It's free, it's wonderful, it's Institute.
I love a good quote. Douglas L. Callister said that we "thrill to hear...sublime thoughts in perfectly chosen words. I suppose that the language of heaven, properly spoken, may approach a form of music. Did C. S. Lewis have this in mind when he wrote: 'Isn’t it funny the way some combinations of words can give you—almost apart from their meaning—a thrill like music?'" That's how I feel about quotes.
So with that little prologue, I want to share something I learned today from one of my favorite quotes
(and yes, I have LOTS of favorite quotes).
Ralph Waldo Emerson said:
I've grown and improved so much in these last 4 months and I've seen the progress I've made in a lot of things that are hard for me. But I was reflecting on how far I still have to go and I was wondering why certain things haven't become easy for me yet.
Then I re-read the quote. Mr. Emerson doesn't say anywhere in there that the task will ever become EASY. Only that it will become EASIER.
And even though I still struggle with certain tasks, the things I've been working on have definitely become easier. So there is hope! Think about your own life and the things you're working on. Don't get discouraged when something you've been working on hasn't become easy for you yet. Look back on where you started and be grateful for the improvement you've made.
Have you ever had a time when you thought you received a spiritual prompting to do something and you decide to follow it?
And then nothing happens...
And in your mind you think, "Wait, what's going on? Didn't the Holy Ghost prompt me to do this? Shouldn't something have come of this to confirm that yes, I did the right thing?"
The whole experience is usually anticlimactic and confusing because then you start to second guess yourself and you wonder if maybe you just made the whole thing up.
Case in point: driving away from an appointment, a name pops into your head and you get the feeling that you should go visit them right now. That's silly, you think, they live in the opposite direction and we were already in that area earlier today. Why should we go visit them right now?
The thought feels like a prompting from the Holy Ghost though, so you shrug and say, "I'll go and do..." and then turn the car around and go visit this person like the Holy Ghost suggests. In your head you're imagining that they might open the door and burst into tears because they've been praying all day for someone to come help them and then you show up as an answer to their prayers...you can picture the whole scene and it's a beautiful sight...
AND THEY'RE NOT EVEN HOME!
What?! Why did you feel like visiting them was the right thing to do? What was the point of following that prompting if nothing happened because of it?
Here's what I think.
First of all, you never, EVER know all the results of your actions. Just because you can't see the direct result of a decision/action doesn't mean there isn't an effect.
Secondly, I think sometimes these "wild goose chases" are actually trust building experiences. Not to build our trust in the Holy Ghost, but for Him to gain trust in us. We have a personal relationship with each member of the Godhead. Sometimes it's easy to focus on our side of it but they need to be able to trust us just like we need to be able to trust them.
I feel like these experiences are almost like fire drills in school. There's no actual fire during the drill (so it may seem kind of silly and pointless) but when the time comes that it really matters, people know what to do. It may be the same with the spiritual promptings that we receive. If the Spirit knows that we will follow His directions no matter what, He will have more confidence that we will do what we're prompted to do when it matters.
So the next time you get a prompting that ends in a less-than-exciting finale, don't get discouraged. You showed the Holy Ghost that you are paying attention. That's totally worth it, don't you think?
