A Prayer of Faith

This was something sent to me by my brother-in-law. I was deeply moved by his words; I asked if I could share them here. He kindly consented. -Michelle

I recently attended a Sunday School class in which the teacher solicited stories of personal sacrifice. She had no takers. Most of us shifted awkwardly in our seats and hoped that somebody else would raise a hand. As I considered my own reticence, I realized that I don’t really think of everyday obedience as a sacrifice. For me (and for many, I imagine) paying tithing, obeying the word of wisdom, and keeping the Sabbath day holy don’t really feel like sacrifice because I give up so little and get so much in return. In almost every instance, obedience to gospel principles seems less like a sacrifice than an investment. And a pretty solid investment, at that. Rarely do I worry whether I will be blessed for keeping basic gospel laws or covenants. The peace of mind and spiritual happiness that immediately follow my obedience provide plenty of payoff, and this initial return is often compounded by fairly tangible increases—in health, in wealth, and in wisdom.

Nevertheless, sacrifice is supposed to be a central part of every saint’s life. Indeed, we are all under covenant to render sacrifice to the Lord. If everyday obedience, however, is less a sacrifice than an exercise in enlightened self-interest, where does this sacrifice occur? What do stories of sacrifice sound like? Read the rest of this entry »

I thought I would share a poem that I wrote last year. This was written after attending the temple. And it was written during a particularly difficult time. (It has been modified slightly from the original.) Read the rest of this entry »

I just added a link in the sidebar to a really interesting blog post about the blessing the Internet can be, especially in furthering the Lord’s work. The author of the post shares many thought-provoking quotes and thoughts. Consider the following, for example:

I believe this modern explosion of inventions and technology really puts us in “new pioneer times.” In 1862, President Brigham Young said, “Every discovery in science and art, that is really true and useful to mankind, has been given by direct revelation from God. … We should take advantage of all these great discoveries … and give to our children the benefit of every branch of useful knowledge, to prepare them to step forward and efficiently do their part in the great work.” (Deseret News, 22 October 1862, 129)

Read the rest of this entry »

Most of President Packer’s recent General Conference address was comprised of scriptures from Alma 39-42, where Alma is counseling and teaching his son, Corianton. The somewhat unique style of his talk caught my attention, as did something President Packer said near the end:

“The account of this loving father and a wayward son, drawn from the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, is a type, a pattern, an example.”

Read the rest of this entry »

I thought I would share about my absence this past couple weeks. My family and I live in Albania where medical care is no more than basic. My son had been sick for some time with a low grade fever and general grumpiness. He then developed a few very swollen glands that were hard to the touch. We visited a couple of doctors here who decided to fly us to London within one night’s notice to see a specialist. My son was admitted to the hospital immediately for intervenes antibiotics for infected lymph nodes. I was distressed once I was informed that I had to be away from my daughter and husband for two weeks alone in a place I had never been with a sick child while six months pregnant. Well, to my surprise, my in-laws from the states were conveniently visiting London on business at the same time! My mother-in-law subsequently was able to stay for my entire visit there. My own mother warned me not to take this coincidence for granted. ”God puts people places,” she said. Pondering further on her comment I grew tears in my eyes in gratitude for the people God has put in place in my life to help me overcome or make up for my many weaknesses. I also wonder what places He has put me in order to be of help or comfort for others. I hope to be more in tune to recognize opportunities to be there for others.

(Sorry this has been so long in coming. I’m now back from vacation (sigh) and I am anxious to get this posted.)

In Part 1 of this little series, I shared part of a conversation my husband had with a bishop of a young single adult ward (whom I am calling Jerry). Jerry spends most of his time counseling those who have broken the law of chastity. (He was actually warned beforehand that he would do little else as a bishop of this ward.)

Not only was I struck by how many people in his ward had succumbed to sexual sin, but I was also stunned to hear Jerry’s answer to my husband’s question (which is where we left off in Part 1): “What do you think is driving such a high percentage of young adults to break the law of chastity?” Read the rest of this entry »

By JKS

Teach me to walk in the light of his love;
Teach me to pray to my Father above;
Teach me to know of the things that are right;
Teach me, teach me to walk in the light.

“Teach Me to Walk in the Light,” Children’s Songbook, p.177

My brother recently mentioned that he and his wife had been discussing how to teach their son to pray. His wife wanted to have one parent say the words that their son would then repeat. My brother’s opinion, however, was that perhaps a child should wait until he really understands prayer and can pray on his own. As I like to think of myself as being a “wiser” older sister, and his only older sibling with children, I went ahead and gave him my two cents. Read the rest of this entry »

We all breathed a sigh of relief last Saturday as we got to the CO-145 spur, indicating that we were down to the last sixteen miles of our six-hour journey. It doesn’t sound like much, but six hours of driving had worn us out. (This was no ordinary drive on straight, you-can-drive-75-miles-an-hour freeways. After navigating through the winding, treacherous roads in the majestic Colorado moutains (with children who had never been in a car long enough to cross our state border), we were ready to be done.)

At sunset, we arrived at the place we are calling home for a week. I have to admit that the thought of getting up early to drive another hour and a half to get to church was hardly stomachable. But on Sunday morning, we dutifully readied ourselves (packing a cooler since the drive would be as long as the meetings) and headed off to worship with people we had never met. Read the rest of this entry »