The Reality of Faith

I stumbled across Elder Richard G. Scott's talk, "The Sustaining Powers of Faith in Times in Uncertainty and Testing." And if ever there was a time that we were in times of uncertainty, now was it. I find that when I take these principles into action, my faith is increased and I am filled with joy. When I don't, confusion surrounds me.

"...never doubt the reality of faith. You will gather the fruits of faith as you follow the principles God has established for its use.

Some of those principles are:

• Trust in God and in His willingness to provide help when needed, no matter how challenging the circumstance.

• Obey His commandments and live to demonstrate that He can trust you.

• Be sensitive to the quiet prompting of the Spirit.

• Act courageously on that prompting.

• Be patient and understanding when God lets you struggle to grow and answers come a piece at a time over an extended period."

Reminder of Faith

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” - Hebrews 11:1

"Only when our faith is aligned with the will of our Heavenly Father will we be empowered to receive the blessings we seek." - Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin October 2002 Conference

“Faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.” - Ether 12:6

Good Things To Come

I am pretty sure I have posted this video before but I had to post it again. It's one of my favorites. I sure love Elder Holland and his reminder that good things are to come. Stay with it. Have faith and be believing.

"Don't you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead. Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come till heaven. But for those who embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they come. It will be alright in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come."

Girl America To The Rescue!

Life is interesting. One moment, you're blissful and content, the next you're in the throws of sadness and confusion. It's not that I am bipolar or anything, it's just that every so often, my buttons get pushed. Lately that button has been the "why am I not married with kids" button. And it's come at a weird time. I have been so grateful for my life - good job, close friends and family, church, callings, hobbies...everything is good. And then out of nowhere it seemed, my button got pushed.

I called my friend Girl America and poured out my heart and soul. (As an aside, one of the things I love about my friendship with Girl America is that I can call and say "my world is falling apart" or "my heart is broken" and we start the conversation there. We don't have to spend 30 minutes working our way into a conversation.) Anyway, one of the things I love about Girl America is her constant connection with the Gospel. She immediately recognized that Satan, or as she calls him, Uncle Lui (Loui, Lewey...not sure how she spells it) was whispering in my ear and hopping up and down all over my insecurities. She was 100% correct and after a few tears, I had regained my perspective. I have a good life. I have been blessed. My Heavenly Father loves and blesses me. And I will be faithful no matter what, even if things don't happen in my own time.

The blessings of the Gospel are true. You can ignore them or run from them but the truth of the matter is if you are faithful and endure to the end, Heavenly Father will bless you. Heartache in this life due to sin and missteps can be avoided. Eternal joy is possible. Sometimes I just have to be reminded. :)

To Be Who We Are Supposed To Be

Wow, it has been a long time since I last wrote. My computer caught a virus and it's taken me this long to get it fixed. I procrastinate things I don't understand and something I don't understand well is computers. :)

The lesson in Relief Society today was amazing. It was based on a talk of Elder Maxwell's that discusses foreordination. The point the teacher was making was that there is a role that we have been foreordained to do. Our job is not to look at other's roles and be envious or to try and be something we are not, but rather, to be the best version of who Heavenly Father wants us to be. As we do, HE will plug us into the roles that are best for us. This hit me hard because I have been suffering a little from the green monster - envy. This last week, I was feeling like other people were just so much more advantaged than me in a number of areas - money, marriage, looks, opportunities, etc. As a way to shake it, I have been counting my blessings. The lesson learned through this experience is that I don't know that I will be my version of perfection because what I see is not the full picture. What I pray for is that I can become who Heavenly Father needs me to be. And only at the end of this existence will I see the full tapestry, as President Monson would say. So, in the meantime, I will take step after step, confident in my faith and counting my blessings, like health, family, and wildflowers.

Response to Adversity, cont.

Still thinking how we are supposed to respond to trials and tribulations. I was re-reading the talk that inspired this blog and felt impressed to share the last little bit of it (for the full talk, click here).

"What does the Lord expect of us with respect to our challenges? He expects us to do all we can do. He does the rest. Nephi said, "For we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."

Stephanie Nielson's Adversity Response

As a follow up to the adversity post, I was thinking again about Stephanie Nielson. I think of her often when I think of adversity. She is the sister who was in a plane crash with her husband and a flight instructor when the plane crashed. The instructor was killed and she and her husband were burned severely. Stephanie was burned on 80% of her body and has had all sorts of surgeries since then. I am amazed as I read her blog and hear how she handles her trials and struggles...her but if not moments. (Click here to watch the video she taped with the Church to share her story.)

Responding To Adversity

"As part of Heavenly Father's plan of redemption, all people experience adversity during their lifetime. Trials, disappointments, sadness, sickness, and heartache are a difficult part of life, but with the help of the Lord they can lead to spiritual growth, refinement, and progress.

NieNie

If you haven't watched the video I posted a few weeks ago, I highly recommend that you do. It is about a remarkable woman, Stephanie Nielson (NieNie). I was introduced to her blog over a year ago by a dear friend who knew I would love it.

But If Not...

So I thought I would write a little bit about the name of the blog...