Compassion

This is the spirit of compassion: that we love others as ourselves, seek their happiness, and do unto them as we hope they would do unto us... We can speak of love all day long—we can write notes or poems that proclaim it, sing songs that praise it, and preach sermons that encourage it—but until we manifest that love in action, our words are nothing but “sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”

-Pres.Uchtdorf

Being Happy Now

So - we made this blog a long time ago and haven't used it much. I'm going to start using it to write down quotes and scriptures that are on my mind at that particular time. I don't expect too many readers, but I am excited to use this to manage my current spiritual thoughts and my growing testimony.

Here's a favorite quote from Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin. Skyler and I are trying to really embrace this attitude even though we are living in a bit of a transition state right now. It is a great reminder for everyone.

"We have so much to smile about, be happy about, yes even to laugh about. So many of us are always waiting to be happy. 'If only I could graduate, if only I could afford a car, if only I could get married...' For too many, happiness is just over the horizon, never reachable. Every time we climb one hill, happiness beckons just beyond the next. It is a terrible thing always to be waiting for tomorrow, always depending on tomorrow, always excusing our todays because we are sure that only in the future will we possess the things that will fulfill us."

"Don't wait for tomorrow. Don't wait for the right job, the right house, the right salary, the right dress size. Be happy today. Be happy now. Abraham Lincoln said, 'Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.' Make up your mind to be happy -even when you don't have money, even when you don't have a clear complexion, even when you don't have the Nobel Prize. Some of the happiest people I know have none of these things the world insists are necessary for satisfaction and joy. Why are they happy? I suppose it is because they don't listen very well, or they listen too well - to the things their hearts tell them. They glory in the beauty of the earth. They glory in the rivers and the canyons and the call of the meadowlark. They glory in the love of their families, he stumbling steps of a toddler, the wise and tender smile of the elderly. They glory in honest labor. They glory in the scriptures. They glory in the presence of the Holy Ghost. One thing I know for certain: the time we have here goes by far too quickly. Don't waste any more time sitting on the bench watching life pass you by."

(-"Lessons Learned in the Journey of Life" 7 Nov 1999)

A Favorite Quote

"We have every reason to be optimistic and full of hope - hope for this life, hope for our children, and hope for the eternities to come... never let Satan's power of belittlement, discouragement, or disillusionment direct your lives. Never, never, never lose hope."
-Bishop Richard Edgley

This quote has meant a lot to me over the past couple months. It is so easy to get caught up in feelings of discouragement and for me, stress! Stress about everything - work, school, future, you name it. Those feelings are exactly what brings me down and keeps me feeling negative and unhappy. Hope is what helps me to be positive. Instead of worrying, I can be filled with hope for the future. Just wanted to share :).

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

General Conference was a few weeks ago and I wanted to share some thoughts that I had from one of my favorite talks. This is from the Saturday afternoon session by Elder L. Tom Perry.

He gave a talk entitled, "The Gospel of Jesus Christ" that really stood out to me because his words reminded me a lot of what we taught people on my mission in Brazil. The gospel teaches us what we need to know to return to live with our Father in Heaven again. Elder Perry gave an analogy of a cookbook recipe. Pictures in cookbooks help us envision the outcome if we follow the directions closely. If the directions are not followed or an ingredient is left out, the taste and appearance are different than the picture. Elder Perry relates this analogy to 5 ingredients to the recipe of our vision of eternal life.

1) Faith in Christ and His Atonement
"In order to embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, people must first embrace Him whose gospel it is. They must trust the Savior and what He has taught us. They must believe that He has the power to keep His promises to us by virtue of the Atonement. When people have faith in Jesus Christ, they accept and apply His Atonement and His teachings."

2) Repentance
Sincere and true repentance is required for forgiveness of our sins. Repentance begins with an attitude of humility. We must come forward with a "broken heart and a contrite spirit" to prepare for the cleansing process of baptism. However, repentance is a principle that must be practiced daily to be worthy of the Holy Ghost's presence.

3) Baptism
Baptism is a gate to heaven. It is "an ordinance denoting entry into a sacred and binding covenant between God and man." To enter this gate, baptism must be performed by one who has authority and in the proper way Christ taught us. Being baptized by immersion is a symbol of Christ's death and resurrection (Romans 6:4). Immersion into the water symbolizes the death of our past sins, while rising out of the water symbolizes the resurrection of a new life and forgiveness of our sins.

4) Gift of the Holy Ghost
Upon baptism we promise to "forsake the world, love and serve their fellowmen, visit the fatherless and the widows in their afflictions, proclaim peace, preach the gospel, serve the Lord, and keep His commandments." In turn, Heavenly Father promises to "pour out His Spirit more abundantly upon us." We receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands by those with authority to do so.

5) Endure to the end
After the ordinances of the gospel are performed, we enter the straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life. Enduring to the end is not easy, in fact, it is intended to be difficult. "We must always maintain faith and hope in Christ to endure to the end, and among the many ways we do this are praying, fasting, and reading the scriptures. These practices will fortify us against the subtle schemes and fiery darts of the adversary."

We can take comfort in knowing that we are not alone in our quest to return to our Father's presence. The whole purpose of an earthly life is that we can be tried and tested to prove our worthiness to enter our Father's kingdom. It is a marvelous and perfect plan. I am grateful for living prophets and apostles who act as the Lord's mouthpiece on the earth to teach us the way to eternal life.

For a full copy to this talk follow:
http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-851-16,00.html