Come unto Christ

I have realized that as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I have been as guilty as any member of any religion can be. I can falsely assume that my activity in the church is my saving grace and that which qualifies me.  It is not.

Being an active member of the church can allow me to have experiences in which I come to know and have a testimony of and faith in my Savior and His healing power to redeem me, but it isn't my activity that does that. I can be actively engaged and still not actually have faith in and rely on His saving grace.

My involvement in my religion is just a means to that end, which is what I believe is meant by "enduring to the end." It is my relationship, faith, and trust in Him which allows His atoning sacrifice  to redeem me. 

I am grateful that each week I can go and worship and be reminded of His ultimate sacrifice on my behalf. I am grateful that I have scriptures which testify of Him and help me feel His love and increase my desire to serve Him. It isn't even my service that will save me. It is just a way to feel closer to Him as I love the people He loves and as I do what He wants me to do. My works only increase my love and dependence on Him and helps me feel His presence.

Light

In the last few days, the message of bringing light into a darkened world keeps showing up for me. It reminded me of this sampler from my primary years as a child in the 60's.

My sampler is long gone but today I reflected on the message of that sampler and how profound it is.

I want to be like the stones that the brother of Jared used to light the vessels as they crossed the ocean. I want to be the light in a ever-increasing darkened world.

I want to be the light of the kind of love and compassion that the Savior brought into this world. No, He didn't condone sin and he was especially hard on those who vainly just lived the letter of the law and judged others if they didn't. He also stood up strong and forceful to those who would defy the holiness of the temple and everything it stands for.

Because I am weak and imperfect, I need to draw upon His grace in order to be His light. Please don't ever judge Him or His gospel by my weaknesses or the imperfections of other members of His church because we are all imperfect. But please, look to His light. The light of love and goodness. We need more goodness and I am striving to be a reflection of goodness.

I want to give thanks to all those people in my life who are the light--who share His light with me. I am surrounded by incredibly Christ-like people who reflect His light.  

Jennifer Lawrence, just say NO to Hollywood

It is no surprise that the morals in our country are slowly going down hill. But I just read something that was extremely troubling to me.

A news feed said that Jennifer Lawrence admitted she had to get drunk in order to do a sex scene for a movie. I guess it bothered her that her costar was married and she felt uncomfortable doing it. I can't help but think that her internal sense of being was going to be violated and it appears she had to alter it with alcohol so she could do something that was possibly against her inherent moral code.

It is time we collectively stand up for our moral values and courageously stop this trend. Jennifer Lawrence, you are a gifted actress and if you stand up and say, "this doesn't make me feel comfortable," then maybe we can reclaim the moral values in movies that will positively support individuals, marriages, families and communities. 

Relieving Stress

I love it when some frivolous thing I have decided to do has some powerful benefits. A recent article in USA Today talked about how activities such as crocheting, writing, or painting (things that have brought me great joy) are also ways to relieve stress. I have found that we are all born to create something, and if in the process it also alieves stress; then BINGO. I have always maintained that something worthwhile has a multitude of benefits.

My talents

I have always declared that I have two talents. I fall asleep easily and sleep really deeply and I don't have to use the restroom very often. Now that I have an app that reminds me to drink water more often and after reading an article that says that people with higher IQs have trouble falling asleep, I now realize I was just dehydrated and dumb. So much for those two talents. I will just hang onto my talent of being able to put away a lot of food at a buffet.  

Pay attention

In the last couple of days I keep getting the message over and over again; pay attention.

Pay attention to what brings me joy. 

Pay attention to what brings peace. 

Pay attention to the needs of others. 

Fulfilling the needs of others will bring me joy and peace. 

I want to write a book

For the last couple of years I have planned and been building a new home. It has been an exciting and exhilarating process. I love house plans, I love organizing, and I love decorating.

But now that it is coming to an end, I want to look forward to my new project--the self-help book I have always wanted to write. I wouldn't be writing it to really help anyone else. I recognize that I need the most help but in writing I hope to gain the most. Just like a teacher always gains the most. I guess that means it will kind of be a selfish pursuit but I hope along the way it will benefit other people.

I wanted to make the declaration that coming January 1 of this next year I will put my heart and soul and spare time into writing a book in hopes of completing it by the end of the year. Okay, I've put it out there, now I need to just "DO IT!"