Tragedy

Sometimes tragedies make us reflect more on what the plan of salvation is all about. Unfortunately tragedies can come at all times of the year and this Christmas I had a dear friend that experienced a tragedy (and by her experiencing it, I too felt the pain of it.) As I sat in the Chapel listening to a speaker talk about tragedy and God's plan and I felt comfort about this tragedy. I don't think that God wants bad things to happen, but he sometimes he allows them to happen. He knows more about our inner strength than we could ever imagine. We don't always understand His plan and His plan isn't always pretty and fluffy. We don't always get our way and sometimes things are difficult to shape us into something miraculous. It is not up to me to judge His wisdom. We aren't responsible for understanding the entire plan, but we are responsible for having faith that He does love us, His Son has provided us a way to have a happiness, and one day (maybe not in this life), if we trust Him ,we will be able to understand His wisdom in all things. For this understanding I am grateful.

Praise to the Man

I know it is Christmas time and a post about Christ is more befitting of the season, but I had to most my testimony about Joseph Smith and why I praise (not worship) him. I was reading the Sunday School lesson about Josheph Smith today and there is a quote from President Benson that really touched me: “The First Vision of the Prophet Joseph Smith is bedrock theology to the Church. The adversary knows this and has attacked Joseph Smith’s credibility from the day he announced the visitation of the Father and the Son. … You should always bear testimony to the truth of the First Vision. Joseph Smith did see the Father and the Son. They conversed with him as he said they did. It is the most glorious event since the resurrection of our Lord. Any leader who, without reservation, cannot declare his testimony that God and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith can never be a true leader, a true shepherd. If we do not accept this truth, … if we have not received a witness about this great revelation, we cannot inspire faith in those whom we lead.”

I was thinking about this as a primary leader and just as a member of these Church. If I can't say within my heart that I know that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His Son, then all the other truth's in the church are nice principles. Without a true testimony of Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon is just a neat book with some good lessons. BUT I do have a testimony of Joseph Smith. I have felt the Spirit burn within me and witness that Joseph Smith did go to the Sacred Grove, he did pray for instruction on which church to join and he did receive an answer from God. I know all of these things in my heart and in my head. I have felt it when I pray and I have understood it when I read and ponder. It is because of this knowledge that I know that I belong to the restored Church of Jesus Christ on this earth today. I praise Joseph Smith for his courage and faith. I praise him for his strength and persistence to share what he knew despite persecution. It it because of his strength that I was raised in a family and taught from a young age about his visitation from God and Jesus Christ. I cannot express my feelings of gratitude for the lessons I was taught as a child and for the testimony that I gained as a teenager (and continue to gain daily.) I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and deserves to be praised.

Watch this video.

The baby Jesus

I am preparing my primary lesson today and we are trying to get the kids in the spirit of Christmas. We are doing a nativity scene and I was thinking about Christmas and why it is such an important Holiday. I also read a great article about families and Christmas. The article talks about how much we love the Christmas season because it means spending time with our families and that, because of Christ, we can live eternally with them.

We celebrate the birth of Christ because it heralded the beginning of Christ descending from his throne on high to become a humble mortal. This was the first step of showing the Christ truly knows and can empathize what it is to be mortal. Sometimes it is hard for me to picture Christ as a baby that had to be fed, cradled, cleaned, and taken care of in everyway. It seems conterintuitive to think about my Savior, who is powerful and almighty, as a helpless infant. But that is part of the miracle. He came to earth to be able to save and succor his people. He humbled himself to be a baby that could not survive without a mother and father . He humbled himself to be baptized, even though he had no sin. He humbled himself to be tempted by Satan, but over came it. He humbled himself to wash the feet of his disciples. He humbled himself to be treated as a criminal. He humbled himself to be mocked, spit upon, disrobed, beaten and killed on the cross. He humbled himself to feel the pains of sins, sorrows and pains in Gethsemane, despite the fact that He was perfect and did not deserve the suffering that he felt. He humbled himself in all these ways, so that I, an unperfect person, could live with my family again for eternity. I am thankful for the Christmas season and my testimony of the Savior and the miracle of His birth and His life that ultimately was all for me and you.

Knowledge

Today I listened to a Conference talk about the Book of Mormon. I heard Elder Holland say (he may have been quoting somebody else) that any man who would be decietful enough to make up the story of the Book of Mormon would not have written the amazing and simple truths that are found in it.

I know that arguements can go back and forth constantly about the Book of Mormon and its truthfullness and as I have mentioned before that there is a feeling in my heart that tells me it is true. Well, that still applies, but I want to say right here that I KNOW with my heart and my mind that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I KNOW that it testafies of Jesus Christ. I KNOW that many simple eternal truths are found in the Book of Mormon. I KNOW that Joseph Smith translated (not wrote) the Book of Mormon. I KNOW that the Book of Mormon has defined me as a person more than any other book on earth. I KNOW that I gained a testimony of these things through my own knowledge and not based off of my parents testimony. I KNOW that God loves us and that is why He restored the gospel to the earth and gave us prophets on earth tody.

I am so thankful for the Book of Mormon! I know I am a better person for reading and studying the Book of Mormon.

Grace

Today I was reading in 1 Corinthians and I read something that touched on the principle that I had discussed with my coworkers. In Chapter 15 verses 9-10 Paul says, "For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

I think this brings up two important things. God's grace is enough to help anybody. It can turn somebody who persecutes the church to an apostle. God's grace is powerful and nobody (minus those who knowingly deny God) is beyond help.

It can't stop there, though. We have to be willing to god beyond being and saved and make sure that it is "not in vain" and we have to "labour abundantly." It isn't just a matter of mental being "saved" but letting your sould be changed and then labor abundantley in good works.

I believe we still need Him

Heb. 13: 8.
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

In Hebrews it proclaims that Christ is the same and unchanging. I know that He is the most solid and reliable thing I can count on. No matter how much my husband, parents, family and friends love me there is always the chance that they may chose not to love me, but my Savior is unmoveable and somebody that will always be there for me. I believe that we need him just as much today as the people of ancient times and I believe that he has provided a way that we can one day return to our Father in Heaven. I know that He has given us prophets on the earth today because we still need direction. We still need revelation that is applicable for today. The world is in a state that we need to have instructions and reassurances from His servants.

Listening to General Conference and to the video below are reminders to me that the Savior loves us today!

Lifting Burdens

Lifting Burdens

I know that Christ loves us so much and has Atoned for our sins and can lift our burdens. Please watch this youtube video.