Individual Worth

I have always loved Doctrine and Covenants 18:10. Remember the ^aworth of ^bsouls is great in the sight of God. I find it very comforting that Heavenly Father cares about us as individuals. Then if that wasn't enough it goes on to say:

15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one ^asoul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

16 And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the ^akingdom of my Father, how great will be your ^bjoy if you should bring many ^csoulsunto me!

I can picture a loving father who is so excited when his child does something good and I know that is how He feels about us. He will always be excited and feel joy when somebody (whether it be us or another person) makes a change for the best. It makes me want to add to the joy and share the gospel with others and do my best to make good choices everyday.

In conference this year Elder Uchdorf said, "One woman who had been through years of trial and sorrow said through her tears, 'I have come to realize that I am like an old 20-dollar bill—crumpled, torn, dirty, abused, and scarred. But I am still a 20-dollar bill. I am worth something. Even though I may not look like much and even though I have been battered and used, I am still worth the full 20 dollars.' "

the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.”⁴ We cannot gauge the worth of another soul any more than we can measure the span of the universe. Every person we meet is a VIP to our Heavenly Father. Once we understand that, we can begin to understand how we should treat our fellowmen.

I love this talk and I have thought about it often. Sometimes at work I will meet somebody who has a big personality conflict with me. I tend to get frustrated and judgmental, but it is interesting how much my perspective changes when I try to remind myself how much Heavenly Father loves each of his children. Even if this person is making poor life decisions or is hurtful to others our Heavenly Father still see their worth and only feels sadness about the choices they make. He loves them and truly understands their value. I want to see others in the world in the same way Heavenly Father does.

Nothing Fancy

Today I taught primary and I read about this analogy and sort of adapted it to my own and I really liked it. So this is the story I told the children:

My husband's grandma was in town and she loves to go to antique shops. We went to a big antique shop and as we are walking though, I see this chair that is broken dusty. There are gouges in the wood. The seat is broken, stained and dirty. I looked at that chair and thought I could paint that with a bright color and put a new geometric pattern on the seat and maybe even do some vinyl lettering on it. I thought it would look really fancy like that. Then Richard's Grandma looked at the chair and she wanted to sand it and clean it and repair the seat, clean the fabric, stain the wood and RESTORE it to its initial condition.

This is what Joseph Smith did with the Church. He did not take what was existing on the earth and fancy it up, but rather he restored it. He restored it to what it was when Christ was on the earth. He brought back revelation through a mouthpiece of God such as a prophet or Christ. He restored the priesthood authority. He re instituted divinely inspired ordinances such as baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, the sacrament and temple ordinances. He made more scriptures and a new testament of Christ available to people for our edification. He restored the true gospel as it was when Christ was on the earth. I am so thankful for that knowledge.

Desire

Alma 32: 27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.

Recently I was reading about faith and came across this excerpt from Alma 32 and it made me reflect on an experience in high school. I had been in seminary and had a goal for my scripture reading during the school year. I felt that I was making a lot of spiritual progress and I could feel a difference in my outlook on life. I knew that when the Spirit was with me I was happier. I felt my testimony growing each time I read my scriptures. Then school ended and I no longer had to get to bed early and I didn't have Seminary anymore. I was staying out late with friends every night and when I would finally come home I would fall asleep reading my scriptures. I felt a halt in my spiritual progression. It took me a while to realize it and a few weeks turned into a month and I knew that I wasn't in the same place I had been during the school year. When I tried to read the scriptures I found myself browsing through the highlights and reading the words, but there was no searching, pondering or enlightening happening. One night I was getting ready for bed and I realized how tired I was of reading the words in the scriptures just so I didn't feel bad that I hadn't done it. I decided that I had to change, but I didn't know what to do. I felt frustrated and felt like I needed to be in a class or have somebody ELSE help me to feel the Spirit again. I prayed that night that I would get that feeling back. I prayed that I would be able to feel the prompting of the Holy Ghost while I studied. I prayed that I would be able to focus not just on the words in these holy writings, but on the meaning and specifically on the meaning for me. I prayed that Heavenly Father would help me continue to grow and strengthen my testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That night I pulled my scriptures out and it was like a switch had gone off. I felt the Spirit flood into my soul and I felt my testimony stir back into a place where it could grow. I was amazed at how fast it happened. I realized that all I had to do was to have a desire and a faith that Heavenly Father would allow the Spirit to be with me and it was. I am so grateful for that experience and I am grateful for this passage in Alma 32 that reminded me of that time of growing in my life and reminded me that all I have to do is desire for faith and He will help me.

This week for my scripture study I was reading in Alma 32 and I came across these verses that I think are so beautiful and well written. I pasted them below for your reading.


28 Now, we will compare the word unto a ^aseed. Now, if ye give place, that a ^bseed may be planted in your ^cheart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your ^dunbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to ^eenlighten my ^funderstanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.

30 But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow. And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow.

31 And now, behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own ^alikeness.

32 Therefore, if a seed groweth it is good, but if it groweth not, behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away.

33 And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good.

34 And now, behold, is your ^aknowledge ^bperfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your ^cfaith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your ^dmind doth begin to expand.

35 O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is ^alight; and whatsoever is light, is ^bgood, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good; and now behold, after ye have tasted this light is your knowledge perfect?

36 Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good.

37 And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.

38 But if ye ^aneglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.

39 Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your ^aground is ^bbarren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof.

40 And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the ^atree of life.

41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with ^apatience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree ^bspringing up unto everlasting life.

42 And because of your ^adiligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the ^bfruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.

43 Then, my brethren, ye shall ^areap the ^brewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth ^cfruit unto you.


I highlighted the part that I wanted to write about. As I read about the word being like a seed, I pictured a little tomato seed that I would plant in my garden. In these verse it is talking about the garden being your heart and the seed being the gospel. If the seed is a "good seed," it should grow and bring forth fruit and understanding. I thought about the gospel and church doctrines and how they are planted within my heart and as I learn my understanding grows and my knowledge and testimony of the truth of the gospel also grows. I pictured my own testimony plant growing with beautiful tomatoes of my knowledge. I thought about how true those verses were and how I initially had to pray and study and nurture my seed (the word/scriptures) to find out if it was true and would grow into something more. I thought about being in high school and deciding that I was going to read my scriptures and go to seminary. Then as I did those things I felt my testimony blossom and have fruit. I was feeling good about the effort I had put in over the years and the fact that my efforts had helped by testimony be fruitful. THEN, I read on further in verse 37 and it talks about an existing plant or testimony that has no roots or replenishment because the ground is barren. That plant dried up and died in the sun. Not to be overly dramatic but I started to picture my own testimony plant withering and shrinking until there is no purpose for it but to be weeded out and thrown away. It was actually a scary realization that I could have the word/seed planted in my heart and grow to the beautiful testimony/fruit, but if I didn't continue to nourish then it would all be for naught. I realized that I need to constantly be working on strengthening my testimony to keep its root in my heart where it can get the nourishment it needs.

Whatching out for us

Today a speaker at church discussed the Prophet and his role as a watchman and last week I read in the Gospel Principles manual the basics about prophets. I was touched in both instances that I need to really take to heart what the Prophet speaks about in General Conference. The messages that the prophet gives us in formal setting such as General Conference and in the Ensign and inspired words from our Heavenly Father to us. As I learned of these things I realized that I need to take extra care to heed these promptings. I need to obey them the same way I would if Heavenly Father appeared to me and gave me instructions. I have started to look back at old Conference talks from the prophets of my lifetime to find out what their counsel has been over the last few years and to know what things are watchmen and warning of. I have learned of the importance of service, the reasons we need to make gospel oriented life time goals, the importance of gratitude. I know that Heavenly Father has given up prophets to be a guide in our lives.

What is the motivation

John 6: "Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed."

The other day I was reading in the Gospel of John about the miracle of the Loaves and Fish. I love this verse after that when Christ calls them out on their motivation. He tells them that he doesn't think they are there for him or for the Gospel but rather for the food. How sad would that be? To be in the presence of Christ and have him say, "I know you are only here for the food." Or more appropriate for some, "I know you are only here for the social aspect or to look good to others." It made me really wonder, what are my motivations for going to church? or even why I am I a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints?
I know that I have felt the whispering of the Spirit tell me of the truth or Christ's gospel and specifically the Gospel restored to the earth by Joseph Smith. I know that the reason I go to Church is to worship, but on some days I do find I forget that and I start to let other motivation drive me. I am grateful for these verses where I am reminded to keep my motivations for church attendance to be about the miracle or the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am truly amazed and grateful for my Savior and his Atonement. I know that because of that Atonement I can be cleansed of my sins and have everlasting life. I know that Joseph Smith restored the fullness of the Gospel in these latter days, that we might be able to employ all the power of the Atonement in out lives. I will make my resolve to keep these things in mind from now on as I go to church and remember the "meat that endureth unto everlasting life."