Love and Marriage...

Now one piece of advice to those of you who have never had a companion through no fault of your own, or to those of you who have lost companions in death or through divorce or desertion: Do not despair or think that all is lost! Remember that you are children of God. Have faith in your Heavenly Father. Don’t worry about what will happen to you after death. Don’t worry about who will have inheritance of your children who are born in the covenant. People make themselves miserable over such questions that cannot be answered at present because earth life is not yet over. Death does not end our possibilities for solutions to often very difficult present problems.

When people tell you that all such problems must be solved during earth life, just ask them this question: “Why then are we to have a thousand years of peace before the final judgment is made?” I think it will be during this period of time that under the direction of a loving Father in Heaven and a devoted, loving, understanding Savior—who will be our advocate with the Father—that all these problems will be worked out to our best advantage. Those great men and women who will be officiating on earth in the power of the holy priesthood will be in constant communication with the heavens. Directions can then be given to those on earth to make necessary adjustments in the temples through which all these marital and other problems can and will be solved.

The present solution is a simple one. Have faith! As Jesus said so positively: “Believe!” Remember that God loves you enough to have given his Only Begotten Son to atone for your sins if you will just try, try, try to repent! Jesus in his great mercy was willing to give his life for you because he loved you enough to make that atonement for you if you will only repent. No matter how desperate your personal situation or your marital problems may appear to be to you, there are solutions possible if you will just keep the faith!

Love and Marriage, Elder Theodore M. Burton, BYU, June 03, 1986

For Peace at Home!! Recognize the Good in others.....

I offer some final thoughts for those who love a family member who is not making good choices. That can challenge our patience and endurance. We need to trust in the Lord and in His timing that a positive response to our prayers and rescue efforts can occur. We do all that we can to serve, to bless, and to submissively acknowledge God’s will in all things. We exercise faith and remember that there are some things that must be left to the Lord. He invites us to set our burdens down at His feet. With faith we can know that this straying loved one is not abandoned but is in the watchcare of a loving Savior.

Recognize the good in others, not their stains. At times a stain needs appropriate attention to be cleansed, but always build on his or her virtues.

When you feel that there is only a thin thread of hope, it is really not a thread but a massive connecting link, like a life preserver to strengthen and lift you. It will provide comfort so you can cease to fear. Strive to live worthily and place your trust in the Lord.

For Peace at Home BY ELDER RICHARD G. SCOTT, ENSIGN, MAY, 2013

I must Do My Par.... Let Go Let God.....

Let Go and Let God

(One Day at a Time)

Our slogans are so clear and simple, yet they may still mean different things to different people.  We naturally color them somewhat according to our own experience and reaction to the words and ideas.  For example, the slogan Let Go and Let God may suggest to some people that all we have to do is sidestep the challenges that confront us and somehow, by a kind of spiritual magic, God will do all the work.

There was a purpose in His giving His children free will, intelligence and good sense; we can fulfill ourselves only by using these gifts in dealing with the daily problems that arise.

Today’s Reminder

I may be ready to submit to God’s guidance, I may humbly ask for it, but along with being willing, I must cooperate by doing my part.  If I am truly receptive, He will make His will known to me step by step, each day, but I must carry it out.

I Much Wisdom Is Much Grief......

In much wisdom is much Grief

(Making Sense of Suffering)

Physical imperfections present all sorts of distractions relating to pleasure, pain, and fatigue.  But we are dual beings.  The finer part of us must get control of the coarser part before the two fuse together in resurrection.  The daily question is “Shall I do with my physical temple what God would ask?”

This earthly school offers us our finest hours, even on ordinary days.  The lab of the bitter cup teaches us to discern good from evil, polish from stain, living water from poison.  Our hearts develop perfect hearing and bearing.  Graduation with highest honors awaits every learner who wears the garb of flesh with patience and faith.

In much wisdom is much grief

The Lord gave Joseph Smith a sample list of troubles that might be permitted in the life of a righteous person, such as being hunted by bloodthirsty men, opposed by the forces of nature, or jailed unjustly. Then the Lord explained that trouble serves two purposes.

All these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

Trouble teaches.  What did Joseph learn from his troubles?  Above all, he learned that “the God of my fathers delivered me out of them all, and will deliver me from henceforth.”  Serious trouble can give us serious experience.  Experience reveals the living God to be a faithful God.

But trials will only give us the knowledge necessary to understand the minds of the ancients.  For my part, I think I never could have felt as I now do, if I had not suffered the wrongs that I have suffered.

Trouble transforms.  We are here to do more than experience the goodness of God.  We must acquire it.

It seems to me my heart will always be more tender after this than ever it was before.

Because of the matchless ways it teaches and transforms, a mortal life rich with difficulty is the best educational bargain in eternity.  It fits us to be witnesses, heirs, and friends of God.  That is why it is worth the trouble.

SOMETIMES GOD CALMS THE STORM

SOMETIMES GOD LETS THE STORM RAGE

AND CALMS THE CHILD

LET HIMIn Much Wisdom Th

Get Through A Phase or Day at a time...

“First of all, I do not want you to give in to the pressure of the moment. Whenever you’re hurting bad, just hang in there. Finish the day. Then, if you’re still feeling bad, think about it long and hard before you decide to quit. Second, take it one day at a time. One [phase] at a time.

“Don’t let your thoughts run away with you, don’t start planning to bail out because you’re worried about the future and how much you can take. Don’t look ahead to the pain. Just get through the day, and there’s a wonderful career ahead of you.”

Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson, Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 (New York: Little, Brown, 2007), 124.

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.....

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.

When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.

They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support,

To aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.

They may seem like a godsend and they are.

They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.

Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.

Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.

What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done..

The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.

They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.

They may teach you something you have never done.

They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.

Believe it, it is real, But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.

Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.

Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life..

Thank you for being a part of our life, whether you are a reason, a season or a lifetime

Why Me.... We do not have the Numbers....

Although you may at times have asked, why me? it is through the hardships of life that we grow toward godhood as our character is shaped in the crucible of affliction, as the events of life take place while God respects the agency of man. As Elder Neal A. Maxwell commented, we cannot do all the sums or make it all add up because “we do not have all the numbers.”1

Faith, Fortitude, Fulfillment: A Message to Single Parents , David S. Baxter, April 2012 Conference

Parents Concerns for Children....

Second, we should remember that errors of judgment are generally less serious than errors of intent.

Third, even if there was a mistake made with full knowledge and understanding, there is the principle of repentance for release and comfort. Rather than constantly dwelling on what we perceive as a mistake or a sin or a failure to the detriment of our progress in the gospel or our association with family and friends, it would be better for us to turn away from it. As with any mistake, we may repent by being sorrowful and by attempting to correct or rectify the consequences, to whatever extent possible. We should look forward with renewed faith.

Fourth, don’t give up hope for a boy or a girl who has strayed. Many who have appeared to be completely lost have returned. We must be prayerful and, if possible, let our children know of our love and concern.

Howard W. Hunter, “Parents’ Concern for Children,” Ensign, Nov. 1983, 63;

Holy Ghost / Atonement...

“If you have felt the influence of the Holy Ghost during this day, or even this evening, you may take it as evidence that the Atonement is working in your life. For that reason and many others, you would do well to put yourself in places and in tasks that invite the promptings of the Holy Ghost. Feeling the influence of the Holy Ghost works both ways: the Holy Ghost only dwells in a clean temple, and the reception of the Holy Ghost cleanses us through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. You can pray with faith to know what to do to be cleansed and thus qualified for the companionship of the Holy Ghost and the service of the Lord. And with that companionship you will be strengthened against temptation and empowered to detect deception.”

Elder Henry B Eyring, BYU, 10 Sept, 2006

People You think Are Perfect....Forget me not........Pres Uchtdorf

I want to tell you something that I hope you will take in the right way: God is fully aware that you and I are not perfect.

Let me add: God is also fully aware that the people you think are perfect are not.

And yet we spend so much time and energy comparing ourselves to others—usually comparing our weaknesses to their strengths. This drives us to create expectations for ourselves that are impossible to meet. As a result, we never celebrate our good efforts because they seem to be less than what someone else does.

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses.

It’s wonderful that you have strengths.

And it is part of your mortal experience that you do have weaknesses.

God wants to help us to eventually turn all of our weaknesses into strengths,1 but He knows that this is a long-term goal. He wants us to become perfect,2 and if we stay on the path of discipleship, one day we will. It’s OK that you’re not quite there yet. Keep working on it, but stop punishing yourself.

October 2011 General Conference,  Forget Me Not,  Dieter F. Uchtdorf

A Picture Perfect Family.....

f you consider success to be only the most perfect rose or dazzling orchid, you may miss some of life’s sweetest experiences.

For example, insisting that you have a picture-perfect family home evening each week—even though doing so makes you and everyone around you miserable—may not be the best choice. Instead, ask yourself, “What could we do as a family that would be enjoyable and spiritual and bring us closer together?” That family home evening—though it may be modest in scope and execution—may have far more positive long-term results.

Our journey toward perfection is long, but we can find wonder and delight in even the tiniest steps in that journey.

October 2011 General Conference,  Forget Me Not,  Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Getting Past The Hurt.....

How does one survive the loss of a serious relationship? Three factors can help us overcome any painful loss or misfortune:

The first is a personal commitment to finding meaningful purpose in life…. As we commit ourselves to faith in the plans and purposes of God, we learn to endure the pain of life’s disappointments, and we are buoyed up by the eternal perspective of the covenants He has made with us.

The second factor is a belief in one’s ability to influence one’s surroundings and the outcome of events. The gospel teaches that our efforts, when coupled with faith in God, can help us overcome trials and afflictions and can bring about much good. “For the power is in them,” says the Lord, “wherein they are agents unto themselves” (D&C 58:28).

The third factor is a belief that one can learn and grow from both positive and negative life experiences.  For example, in a profound statement to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord lists the calamities that had befallen or could befall the Prophet and then emphasizes that even these hardships can benefit him: “Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?” (D&C 122:7–8).

Here the Lord teaches that our mortal suffering, in some degree like the suffering of the Savior himself, can have significant purpose, meaning, and value that can enhance our growth and our development toward godhood.

Getting Past the Hurt, BY ROBERT F. WILLIAMS, ENSIGN, JULY, 2006

Some trials come from Him and some from Me...

I believe that trials come from many sources and for many reasons. It is true that some of our trials are sent directly from our Father in Heaven in the hope that they will refine us and draw us closer to him. However, some of our trials are self-imposed because of our own poor judgment. These errors are a part of the learning process. They may not necessarily result from an evil act. Whatever the source of the trial, if properly approached and handled, it will draw us closer to God. 

It may be helpful and comforting to refer to some of the promises of the Lord as we struggle through these experiences. We read, as Paul recorded: 

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God (who?) God is faithful, who will (who will? God will) not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. [1 Corinthians 10:13] 

Remember Paul's two points: (1) There will be no trial--there will be no challenge--beyond our ability to handle. (2) As we turn to him, God provides the way for us to escape, or to get through the trial. (We must turn to God in order to get through and for help with our trials)

Come unto Christ Through Your Trials

H. Burke Peterson was an emeritus member of the First Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when this devotional address was given at BYU on 16 February 1996