The Pleasure of What We Enjoy Is Lost....

The pleasure of what we enjoy

is lost by wanting more.

“Someone has said that life is what happens to us while we are making other plans. Because of things over which we have no control, we cannot plan and bring to pass everything we desire in our lives. Many important things will occur in our lives that we have not planned, and not all of them will be welcome. The tragic events of September 11th and their revolutionary consequences provide an obvious example. Even our most righteous desires may elude us, or come in different ways or at different times than we have sought to plan….

So what should be done in the meantime? Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ prepares us for whatever life brings. This kind of faith prepares us to deal with life's opportunities--to take advantage of those that are received and to persist through the disappointments of those that are lost. In the exercise of that faith we should commit ourselves to the priorities and standards we will follow on matters we do not control and persist faithfully in those commitments whatever happens to us because of the agency of others or the timing of the Lord. When we do this, we will have a constancy in our lives that will give us direction and peace. Whatever the circumstances beyond our control, our commitments and standards can be constant.”

Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints  given at Brigham Young University on 29 January 2002.

Dispair...

Despair--how many of us suffer from it?  Yet we do not realize that it is purely the absence of faith.  We cannot despair as long as we are willing to turn to God for help in our extremity.  When we are troubled, and can’t see a way out, it is only because we imagine that all solutions depend upon us.  We must remind ourselves that our human wisdom and ingenuity have often failed to bring the hoped for results.

Perhaps our too-heavy burdens have made us lose what faith we once had in our Heavenly Father.  Perhaps faith was never a part of our lives and we are not convinced we need it.

The reality and efficacy of faith, as a force for good, can be demonstrated.  When we let go of an overwhelming problem and let God handle it for us, we find that Divine Principle truly has a part in our lives.

A natural faith is indeed a gift, yet it is never denied to those who feel the need of something to cling to and are willing to reach out for it.  Knock and it shall be opened, seek and ye shall find, ask and ye shall receive.   When I consciously surrender my will to God’s will, I see faith at work in my life.

God answers our prayers for our best good.  When what we perceive as a bad outcome may be exactly what needs to happen so that we (or our loved one) can become who God knows we can become.  Where there is no struggle there is no strength.

“One Day at a Time in Al-anon”

HE WHO ANGERS YOU, CONTROLS YOU!

HE WHO ANGERS YOU, CONTROLS YOU!

You Need To fall and Fear.......

It is not expected that you go through life without making mistakes, but you will not make a major mistake without first being warned by the promptings of the Spirit. This promise applies to all members of the Church.

Some will make critically serious mistakes, transgressing the laws of the gospel. Here it is time to remind you of the Atonement, repentance, and complete forgiveness to the point that you can become pure again. The Lord said, “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.”13

If the adversary should take you prisoner due to misconduct, I remind you that you hold the key that will unlock the prison door from the inside. You can be washed clean through the atoning sacrifice of the Savior Jesus Christ.

You may in time of trouble think that you are not worth saving because you have made mistakes, big or little, and you think you are now lost. That is never true! Only repentance can heal what hurts. But repentance can heal what hurts, no matter what it is.

October 2011 General Conference, Boyd K. Packer,  Despite the opposition, trials, and temptations, you need not fail or fear

Different Types of Burdens.......

Burdens

In a general sense, our burdens come from three sources. Some burdens are the natural product of the conditions of the world in which we live. Illness, physical disability, hurricanes, and earthquakes come from time to time through no fault of our own. We can prepare for these risks and sometimes we can predict them, but in the natural pattern of life we will all confront some of these challenges.

Other burdens are imposed on us by the misconduct of others. Abuse and addictions can make home anything but a heaven on earth for innocent family members. Sin, incorrect traditions, repression, and crime scatter burdened victims along the pathways of life. Even less-serious misdeeds such as gossip and unkindness can cause others genuine suffering.

Our own mistakes and shortcomings produce many of our problems and can place heavy burdens on our own shoulders. The most onerous burden we impose upon ourselves is the burden of sin. We have all known the remorse and pain which inevitably follow our failure to keep the commandments.

No matter the burdens we face in life as a consequence of natural conditions, the misconduct of others, or our own mistakes and shortcomings, we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father, who sent us to earth as part of His eternal plan for our growth and progress. Our unique individual experiences can help us prepare to return to Him. The adversity and afflictions that are ours, however difficult to bear, last, from heaven’s perspective, for “but a small moment; and then, if [we] endure it well, God shall exalt [us] on high.”1 We must do everything we can to bear our burdens “well” for however long our “small moment” carrying them lasts.

L. Whitney Clayton, “That Your Burdens May Be Light,” Ensign, Nov 2009, 12–14

Sinner or Someone Who Has Sinned, The Difference......

This has helped us. Perhaps it will help you-Linda and Allen

I have been asked the question, “Isn’t it depressing to have to review the sins and transgressions of people involved in such difficulties?” It would be if I were looking for sins and transgressions. But I am working with people who are repenting. These are sons and daughters of God who have made mistakes—some of them very serious. But they are not sinners. They were sinners in the past but have learned through bitter experience the heartbreak that results from disobedience to God’s laws. Now they are no longer sinners. They are God’s repentant children who want to come back to Him and are striving to do so. They have made their mistakes and have paid for them. Now they seek understanding, love, and acceptance.

Let Mercy Temper Justice  Elder Theodore M. Burton, Ensign, Nov., 1985

The difference between a sinner and a person who sins is:

A Sinner loves to sin, the other is a person who has made a wrong choice.

We Are Not Perfect.....it Takes Time.....

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  there yet. Keep working on it, but stop punishing yourself.

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