#15: Embrace this day!

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."

#14: 'TUTE!

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.

What are you waiting for?

#13: That which we persist in doing...

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.

I'll bet you've come farther than you think.

#12: A sabbath day throwdown? Not quite!

Maybe you've noticed by now that the Old Testament is pretty harsh. Take this passage for example:

Exodus 31:12-17 

12 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.

14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.

16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.

17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

Everyone that defileth the sabbath shall surely be put to death?!  Ouch. Whatever happened to that merciful Father that is loving and forgiving? Oh well, you think, it's just the Old Testament, it's not like that part's really applicable anymore...

But aren't we supposed to "liken the scriptures" to ourselves? So that means there's got to be a connection somewhere, right? Maybe there is. Try this one on for size:

Nowhere in this passage does it say that you'll suffer physical death if you don't keep the sabbath day. There are two kinds of death: physical (which we're all aware of) and spiritual (which is separation from God because of the choices we make). Perhaps the scripture is talking about the second one. When we don't make time for church, we are separating ourselves from our Father in Heaven (spiritual death).

The second part of verse 14 makes sense in that context as well. If you don't go to church, you're cutting yourself off from that association and fellowship with those that share your values and beliefs. Why would you do that to yourself?

This Easter Sunday make the effort to go to church. Then keep coming back! Make sabbath day observance (including church attendance) a priority in your life and watch God work miracles with the rest of your week.

#11: Fire drill!

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?

#10: Driver and Co-driver...it's a beautiful thing

Being a missionary brings lots of different experiences. For one thing, you're with the same person 24/7 for as long as you're assigned to work together. And you do everything with this person. Including driving. How does that work? Well let me tell you. In a normal car situation, you have a driver and a passenger. In a missionary car you have a driver and--are you ready for this?--a co-driver. Pretty exciting right? The driver is the one that's actually steering the car but the co-driver is there to help them navigate and to basically do whatever they can to make sure the driver gets where they need to go.

What does any of this have to do with you, you say? Well, let me tell you.

The other day we were driving around and I was giving my companion directions to our next appointment. See, I'm the co-driver and I'm the one with the map in hand so periodically I would tell her turn right at this stop sign...take a left at the next light...and so forth. It hit me that I was only giving her one direction at a time. I wondered if she was bothered by the fact that she really didn't know exactly where she was going. I didn't give her all of the details at once on how to get to our destination; I only gave her one turn at a time and she was fine with it. She knew that I would tell her when to turn and which direction to go when it was relevant for her to know and she was content to wait until it mattered.

Have you figured out where I'm going with this yet? Life is exactly like this! We have the best Co-driver in the universe to guide our decisions in life and He will get us where we're going one turn at a time. I didn't know a year ago that I would be serving a mission right now but I didn't need to know at the time. I don't know where I'll end up after my 18 months is done here but I don't need to know right now. When I get to the point where those decisions need to be made my Co-driver will speak up and let me know which direction to go. I just need to make sure that I'm keeping that line of communication open with Him so that when He speaks I can hear Him.

Have you checked in with your Co-driver lately?

#9: No half-hearted prayers, please

"Ye must pray always, and not faint" (2 Nephi 32:8-9)

Heard this one before? I've heard this scripture plenty of times in many lessons and there are many different ways that this one line could be interpreted based on an individual's circumstances. I've heard it explained that we should pray always and not give up; that we should pray always and our prayers will sustain us; these are all very nice and very applicable but I never felt that this scripture really spoke to me. Until it was explained to me in a whole different way.

Turns out there's a few different definitions of the word faint (I love looking up definitions if you can't tell by now). The definitions below made this scripture light up like a firework for me!

faint

/feɪnt/ adjective

1. lacking brightness, vividness, clearness, loudness, strength, etc.

2. feeble or slight

3. feeling weak, dizzy, or exhausted; about to lose consciousness

4. lacking courage; cowardly; timorous

"Pray always, and not faint"... it's almost like the Lord is saying "Pray, yes, but I don't want any half-hearted prayers. Give me the real thing. Really talk to me."

Now it makes sense. The Lord is giving us specific instructions on how to get the most out of our prayers. We can pray all day long but if our prayers aren't clear, loud, strong, and heartfelt, what are we really going to get out of it?  Not nearly as much as if we really talk to Heavenly Father. He wants the real thing. A real conversation with us.

Let us pray always...and not faint!