Come Unto Him, Rejoice....

Step 3: Decided to turn our will and our life over to the care of God the Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.

My dear brothers and sisters, there will be days and nights when you feel overwhelmed, when your hearts are heavy and your heads hang down. Then, please remember, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer. He wants you to succeed. He gave His life for just this purpose. He is the Son of the living God. He has promised:

“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

“For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee” (3 Nephi 22:10). “I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer” (3 Nephi 22:8).

My dear friends, the Savior heals the broken heart and binds up your wounds (see Psalm 147:3). Whatever your challenges may be, wherever you live on this earth, your faithful membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the divine powers of the gospel of Jesus Christ will bless you to endure joyfully to the end.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Have We Not Reason to Rejoice?,” Ensign, Nov 2007, 18–21

Personal Persistence...

“Personal persistence in the path of obedience is something different than achieving perfection in mortality. Perfection is not, as some suppose, a prerequisite for justification and sanctification. It is just the opposite: justification (being pardoned) and sanctification (being purified) are the prerequisites for perfection. We only become perfect “in Christ” (see Moro. 10:32), not independently of Him. Thus, what is required of us in order to obtain mercy in the day of judgment is simple diligence (one step at a time). As the Prophet Joseph Smith counseled from the dank prison of Liberty, Missouri: “Let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed” (D&C 123:17; see also Mosiah 4:27).”

D. Todd Christofferson, "Justification and Sanctification", Ensign, June 2001, 18

Worrying.......

WORRYING.........
does not take away tomorrow's!
TROUBLES... takes away today's PEACE

Do You Choose To Be A Victim........

When will I realize that I need not permit anyone’s behavior to confuse my life and destroy my peace of mind?  When will I learn that there is no compulsion, in law or ethics that forces me to accept humiliation, uncertainty and despair.  Have I perhaps accepted it because I have a subconscious desire for martyrdom?  Do I secretly relish feeling sorry for myself and want sympathy from others?

I have a right to free myself from any situation that interferes with my having a decent life and pleasant experiences.  Every human being is entitled to live without fear, uncertainty, and discomfort.  I should take a firm stand and hold fast to whatever decision I make, to help not only myself and my family, but the suffering addict as well.  Constant wavering can only hinder me from breaking out of my present thinking patterns. 

“God guide me to make the right decision and give me the fortitude to cling to it against all pressures and persuasions.”

Change, Atonement......

“…we must change anything we can change that may be part of the problem. In short we must repent, perhaps the most hopeful and encouraging word in the Christian vocabulary. We thank our Father in Heaven we are allowed to change, we thank Jesus we can change, and ultimately we do so only with Their divine assistance. Certainly not everything we struggle with is a result of our actions. Often it is the result of the actions of others or just the mortal events of life. But anything we can change we should change, and we must forgive the rest. In this way our access to the Savior’s Atonement becomes as unimpeded as we, with our imperfections, can make it. He will take it from there.”

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Ensign, May, 2006

Gifts of The Spirit......

“Too often people feel that answers to their prayers and their pleading for guidance and direction will be given in dramatic manifestations or through a direct voice giving specific directions from a heavenly host. My personal experience and my observation of the Brethren as they guide and direct the Church and solve problems has taught me that the answers come oftentimes over an extended period of time with almost a natural solution whereby people take actions on the feelings of their hearts—which bring them peace and comfort—rather than through dramatic revelation….

Remember that the reason we want to have the stability and strength of the gifts of the Spirit is that we want to weather the storms when they come. We will be tried in this mortal probation. We don’t want to decide to learn how to swim when the boat is already sinking. When a severe disability or problem comes to a family or an individual, a high percentage of families and individuals break up, disintegrate, because they are overwhelmed and unprepared. That is why we are faithful, and that is why we remain strong and have those spiritual gifts.”

Robert D. Hales, "Gifts of the Spirit", Ensign, Feb. 2002, 12

Thank the Lord for just letting you have the ride.”

“Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed.  The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to be just people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, most jobs are more often dull than otherwise.  Life is like an old time rail journey---delays, side tracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas, and thrilling bursts of speed.  The trick is to thank the Lord for just letting you have the ride.”

Finding Joy In Life........

Sadness, disappointment, and severe challenge are events in life, not life itself. I do not minimize how hard some of these events are. They can extend over a long period of time, but they should not be allowed to become the confining center of everything you do. The Lord inspired Lehi to declare the fundamental truth, “Men are, that they might have joy.” 1 That is a conditional statement: “they might have joy.” It is not conditional for the Lord. His intent is that each of us finds joy. It will not be conditional for you as you obey the commandments, have faith in the Master, and do the things that are necessary to have joy here on earth.

Your joy in life depends upon your trust in Heavenly Father and His holy Son, your conviction that their plan of happiness truly can bring you joy. Pondering their doctrine will let you enjoy the beauties of this earth and enrich your relationships with others. It will lead you to the comforting, strengthening experiences that flow from prayer to Father in Heaven and the answers He gives in return.

A pebble held close to the eye appears to be a gigantic obstacle. Cast on the ground, it is seen in perspective. Likewise, problems or trials in our lives need to be viewed in the perspective of scriptural doctrine. Otherwise they can easily overtake our vision, absorb our energy, and deprive us of the joy and beauty the Lord intends us to receive here on earth. Some people are like rocks thrown into a sea of problems. They are drowned by them. Be a cork. When submerged in a problem, fight to be free to bob up to serve again with happiness.

Finding Joy in Life , Elder Richard G. Scott, Ensign, May, 1996

Improving Myself.....

TODAY’S REMINDER:

If I want to make a major change which affects other lives as well, let me first consider the possible outcome.  Have I really tried to examine and correct my own faults?  Is there a way for me to improve my attitude?  I will let the great decision wait until I have tried that!

“The truly wise solution may lie in improving myself.”

Intentions ....

Today let’s think about our intentions. The word suggests to many of us the vast gap between what we intend to do and what we actually do. We intend to be kind and tolerant, but some uncontrollable impulse changes our attitude into something we later find ourselves regretting. We intend to accomplish so much, but unless we start out with a realistic estimate of what we are capable of doing, we fall far short of our expectations. We intend to make a good life for ourselves and our families, but we seem constantly to be deflected from it by others. Or we permit the actions of others to prevent us from fulfilling what we hoped to do.

My intentions are good. When I do not fulfill them, I am disappointed; I may even be weighed down by a sense of guilt. How can I avoid this? I will try to clarify my intentions. Decide what I really mean to do, say and accomplish. This will help me keep my life on a satisfactory, productive course.

“Let me first be sure what I intend and the reasons for my choices; this will guide my thoughts into constructive channels, and keep me from attempting the impractical or impossible”.
(Celebra Tueli)
Again, remember that when we set our expectations too high, we set ourselves up for disappointments.