The Road to Carmel & Abigail's Gift

I'm reading this book called The Peacegiver: How Christ Offers to Heal Our Hearts and Homes by James L. Ferrell. My friend, Ann, let me borrow it to read. In this book, the story of these two characters talk about how Abigail (in 1 Samuel Chapter 25) is a Type of Christ. I quote from the book the conversation between Abigail and David (future king of Israel):

"Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be."
"Upon you be what iniquity, woman?"
"Please my lord, I saw not the young men you sent to Nabal, my husband. But see, I have provided. Please accept of my offering, that this hsall be no grief unto thee."

A few things to point out that the characters pointed out.
Abigail --> Type of Christ
Nabal --> 1st Sinner
David & his men --> victims who were sinned against, 2nd sinner by failing to forgive.

When we feel we have been wronged it is important to remember that Christ is at our door wanting to take upon the sins and burdens placed against or on us. He wants to make up for the "burdens those sins are placing upon [us], or at the very least would include the blessing of having those burdens made light."

Jesus took upon him all the sins of the world. When we feel wronged by someone, Jesus is pleading for us to place the sin upon Him instead of the actual sinner and then also asking us to forgive the sin.

Upon me let this iniquity be. Let me deal with it if there is any dealing to be done. But you, my dear son or dear daughter, let it go. Let me take it, as I already have done. Forgive.

So the real question is how does one let go of any hard feelings or enmity and truly forgive?

Twitter on Elder Wirthlin's Talk

It's funny that the day after I read Elder Wirthlin's talk, I received a quote from it in my LDS Gems emails. Anywho. A sister in my ward sent me this twitter about that quote:

With the passing of Elder Wirthlin and with challenges we all face in life, this was a timely message for me. I hope it will inspire you all as it did me. May you all have a wonder holiday season. I love you all. The credit goes to some of the mothers with missionary out in the mission field and of course Elder Wirthlin. What a great man. I know that many of you are facing challenging times! Like us, some of you have been layed (laid?) off work, or your husband is out of work, and more layoffs are being announced. Sue Hurt sent this timely quote to one of my email groups:"The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude." Joseph B Wirthlin, "Come What May, and Love It," Ensign, Nov 2008We are going to miss Elder Wirthlin!Last night during our family scripture study, we read King Benjamin's speech where he said, "For even at this time, my whole frame doth tremble exceedingly while attempting to speak to you; but the Lord God doth support me..." (Mosiah 2:30)We discussed how Elder Wirthlin was held up by Elder Nelson(?) while he was speaking during our last conference. We have watched our leaders speak in Conference and heard their testimonies, even when it was too difficult for them to stand and testify and had to speak while sitting down. What powerful testimonies and examples they are to us!Let us move forward with faith, and hang on to the Iron Rod, the words of God!

Come What May and Love It

I have a new motto. "Come what may and love it!" Two days ago our oldest Apostle, Elder Wirthlin, passed away and there was a link to his last General Conference talk in the article. He gave an amazing talk on this subject and I really felt it was written for me at this time. :-)

http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-947-9,00.html

What stuck out to me:

The way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy and
successful we can be in life.

The next time you’re tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead. It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more enjoyable.

My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment.

And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes

the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude.

“God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.”2 The Lord Jesus Christ is our partner, helper, and advocate. He wants us to be happy. He wants us to be successful. If we do our part, He will step in.

March Challenge

I've been such a slacker lately. If I could keep this blog up as much as my family blog, I would be doing so much better! :-p I've been procrastinating on a lot of things. Mostly, I just need to step up to the plate, stand a little taller, stop thinking and start DOING! So, here I am stepping up to the plate and finally going to DO something. I think having this blog open to my friends and family will help me stay accountable to a degree.

My challenge is to pray with a purpose like my previous post (two down). I want to pray in the morning about what I'll work on during the day and then "report" back in my evening prayer about how I did. I think this will help me see any progress I have done. It'll give me hope in knowing I am moving somewhere and not just staying stagnant in a moat of laziness. Anyone else up for the challenge?

My To-Do List of 2007

(I'm cleaning up my blog but didn't want to lose this list. )

My To-Do List
1. Take time for breathers
2. Fasting and prayer in times of solemnity
3. Action is required to build testimony
4. Don't get so busy you forget to enjoy the peace
5. Turn to my Heavenly Father for strength and support
6. There is no room for complacency in living the gospel of Jesus Christ
7. Be patient for answers to prayers
8. Humbling yourself is bettern than being compelled to be humble
9. Nourish a particle of faith
10. Don't get caught in the SuperWoman Syndrome
11. Have the Lord shine through my countenance
12. Don't give in or give up fighting for your values/standards!
13. Keep a more positive, productive, and loving attitude
14. Learn to love His law to bring greater peace into my life
15. Maintain my oil in my lamp
16. Strive to be merciful, deal justly, judge righteously and do good continually
17. Find, read, ponder, and act upon the current/recent words of our prophet today

Spirituality

Spirituality is the consciousness of victory over self and of communion with the
Infinite.

President David O. McKay

1. Desire to change
2. Pray for strength to change
3. In prayer, report on what you are working on that day in the morning and report your progress at night.
4. Post reminders
----------
Write down what FIRST comes to mind when you read the word(s) below:

1. Home
2. Smile
3. Messy
4. Temple
5. Your Bedroom
6. Darkness
7. Music
8. Parents

----------

We have the ability to control our attitude in:
1. Physical Environment
2. Attitudes of the Occupants

Righteous vs. Wickedness

As for the message, have you noticed that when most scripture-reading, church-going people talk about themselves, they consider themselves to be "the righteous" and others to be "the wicked?" I guess it is a natural tendency for all of us. But what kind of criteria does God use to determine if we are righteous or wicked? In 1 Nephi 16:3, Nephi lists several such criteria:
1. If we are willing to listen to the Truth.
2. If we are willing to make changes in our lives.
3. If we do not complain that God's ways are just too hard.

"And now my brethren, if ye were righteous and were willing to hearken to the truth, and give heed unto it, that ye might walk uprightly before God, then ye would not murmur because of the truth, and say: Thou speakest hard things against us. " 1Nephi 16:3

Thoughts given to me on my Birthday that Touched Me

How to make a Beautiful Life: Reflections for a Daughter on Her Birthday

Love yourself.
MAKE PEACE with who you are
and where you are
at this moment in time.

Listen to your heart.
If you can't hear what it's saying
in this noisy world,
MAKE TIME for yourself.
Enjoy your own company.
Let your mind wander among the stars.

Try.
Take chances.
MAKE MISTAKES.
Life can be messy
and confusing at times.
but it's also full of surprises.
The next rock in your path
might be a stepping-stone.

Be Happy.
When you don't have what you want,
want what you have.
MAKE DO.
That's a well-kept secret of contentment.

There aren't any shortcuts to tomorrow.
You have to MAKE YOUR OWN WAY.
To know where you're going
is only part of it.
You need to know where you've been, too.
And if you ever get lost, don't worry.
The people who love you will find you.
Count on it.

Life isn't days and years.
It's what you do with time
and with all the goodness and grace
that's inside you.
MAKE A BEAUTIFUL LIFE...
The kind of life you deserve.

Fill In the Blank

Dear Sisters,

O.K. This is a multiple choice test...have fun with it...see if you can fill in the blank correctly:1. _____________will bring upon us the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

A. Disregard for the legal system
B. Lack of religion
C. Disintegration of the family
D. War and economic problems

So...do you think you know the right answer? It is in "A Proclamation to the World." It reads, "...we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets."Wow! The success of the family as a unit of society is more important than our nation's military power, our healthcare, our educational system, our financial position, etc. What can we do as individuals to help ensure strong families? Elder Ballard made three suggestions in the 1995 November Liahona:"1. Be consistent in holding daily family prayer and weekly family home evenings. Both of these invite the Lord’s Spirit, which provides the help and power we need as parents and family leaders. The Church curriculum and magazines have many good ideas for family home evening. Also consider holding a family testimony meeting where parents and children can express their beliefs and feelings to each other in a private and personal setting.2. Teach the gospel and basic values in your home. Establish a love for reading the scriptures together. Too many of our parents are abdicating this responsibility to the Church. While seminary, auxiliaries, and priesthood quorums are important as a supplement to parental gospel instruction, the main responsibility rests in the home. You might want to choose one gospel subject or a family value and then watch for opportunities to teach it. Be wise and do not involve children or yourselves in so many activities out of the home that you are so busy that the Spirit of the Lord cannot be recognized or felt in giving you the promised guidance for yourself and your family.3. Create meaningful family bonds that give your children an identity stronger than what they can find with their peer group or at school or anyplace else. This can be done through family traditions for birthdays, for holidays, for dinnertime, and for Sundays. It can also be done through family policies and rules with natural and well-understood consequences. Have a simple family economy where children have specific chores or household duties and receive praise or other rewards commensurate to how well they do. Teach them the importance of avoiding debt and of earning, saving, and wisely spending money. Help them learn responsibility for their own temporal and spiritual self-reliance."It is exciting that in these troubled times each of us has a great role to play in the most important work that can be done on Earth or in the heavens...the work of building strong families! It is getting harder and harder...but there is One who is on our side...and I believe He will guide us completely as we humble ourselves and listen to His voice.

Love to all,
Sister A. L.
First Counselor Alexandria Stake Relief Society

Standard of Truth

"You always hold the key of repentance to unlock the prison door. If they throw
the word diversity at you, grab hold of it and say, “I am already diverse, and I
intend to stay diverse.” If the word is tolerance, grab that one, too, saying,
“I expect you to be tolerant of my lifestyle—obedience, integrity, abstinence,
repentance.” If the word is choice, tell them you choose good, old-fashioned
morality."

--Boyd K. Packer, "The Standard of Truth Has Been Erected", Liahona Nov 2003, 24–27
D&C 101:78, True to the Faith, Hymn #254

Hope Grows Out of Faith

"As we put our faith and trust to work, hope is born. Hope grows out of
faith and gives meaning and purpose to all that we do. It can even give us the
peaceful assurance we need to live happily in a world that is ripe with
iniquity, calamity, and injustice."

--M. Russell Ballard, "The Joy of Hope Fulfilled", Ensign, Nov 1992, 31

As long as I can exercise my faith and trust in my Lord, in my family, and especially in myself...I can bring hope into my life...which is exactly what I need right now.