A Prayer of Faith

I never cease to marvel at how amazing visiting teaching can be. I rarely (if ever) feel like going, but always end up feeling uplifted, strengthened, fed.

This month, the lesson is on being an instrument in God’s hands by helping the poor and the needy. I must confess that I have a sort of gut reaction to this topic — not because I don’t care about helping the poor and the needy, but because sometimes I care too much. I can so easily feel overwhelmed, because I don’t have the spare cash I would like to have and because there is always so much need. Sometimes my heart can’t handle the pain that people are constantly in. I’m grateful for church funds that help many in such effective ways, but still, there is always more to be done. Read the rest of this entry »

When I met Daniel, I was in love with another man. I was pretty sure I was going to marry this other guy and when my mom practically begged me to give Daniel a chance I remember thinking: “Why bother? I’ve already found my true love.” When that man asked me to marry him and I prayed about his proposal, it became very clear to me that I should not marry the guy that I’d known for 8 years; if Daniel chose to love me, he was the one I should be with and could love forever. I recognized Daniel’s great potential and I knew that together, Daniel and I had the potential to be a powerful force for good in building the kingdom of God.

My own revelation was reinforced by my grandmother who was afflicted with Alzheimer’s. She met Daniel the day that I met him and the first thing she said to me was: “Isn’t it wonderful that you have found your true love? I know what it’s like to be married to my true love for 50 years!” At the time I felt mortified. I didn’t even know Daniel, let alone love him! She had met the guy I was dating multiple times and said nothing of this sort to him! She met Daniel again a few weeks later, on his birthday and said to him: “Isn’t it wonderful that you’ve found the person you’re going to spend the rest of your birthdays with?” It turns out that people with Alzheimer’s can sometimes be quite lucid and inspired. Just last week we celebrated Daniel’s birthday together, the ninth such celebration.

Some of us have not had the opportunity to find an eternal companion. Some of us have divorced and are alone. Some of us are married to people who do not believe as we do. Some of us are married for eternity in the temple, yet we are still unhappy in our relationships. I have many dear friends who have found their expectations of marriage unfulfilled.

For people who never have the opportunity to marry, Elder M. Russell Ballard explains: “Through your faith and personal righteousness in keeping the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ, you can qualify for all of the blessings our Heavenly Father has promised to His obedient children. Some of you may not have an opportunity in mortality to fulfill every righteous desire of your heart. But you can be certain that no eternal blessing will be denied you if you remain faithful and live the principles of the gospel throughout your earthly life.”

There is also hope for those in challenging marriages. Working with unhappy couples for LDS Family Services has opened my eyes to the myriad things that can go awry in our relationships. But President Spencer W. Kimball said: “While marriage is difficult and discordant and frustrated marriages are common, yet real lasting happiness is possible and marriage can be more an exultant ecstasy than the human mind can conceive.” Read the rest of this entry »

The other night David (5 yrs) asked his Daddy: “Who created God?” (The appearance of parental omniscience is certainly hard to maintain when faced with questions like that!) David later told me that he thinks there are some kids who don’t believe in God. He said: “I don’t usually ask people about what they think about God, but it’s good to believe.” He asked why some people don’t go to church and expressed concern that they wouldn’t be able to learn about God if they didn’t go. Daniel and I explained that some people learn about God outside of religion and some people who believe in God don’t go to church. I think we’ll wait to explain agnosticism and atheism for at least another six months. . . .

Rebekah (3 yrs) jumped into bed with us Sunday morning and cheerfully announced: “I would be really happy if I could live with Jesus! So would you, you would give him like, a big hug!”

Daniel read “The 3 Billy Goats Gruff” to Rebekah (3 yrs) the other night. He wanted to teach her about how a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush, so he asked her: “What did the troll do wrong?” Rebekah immediately answered: “The troll did not share his bridge. He should have shared his bridge.” Daniel smiled and said: “Rebekah, that’s a wonderful lesson–I guess we can save the other lesson for another time.” I’m really glad he didn’t tell her she was wrong and insist that the lesson she should have learned involved the troll eating the littlest billy goat, not sharing the bridge. . .

Lenora (16 mos) has become very possessive lately. She was about 30 feet away when she noticed another baby in her swing; she immediately started running to the swing and yelling “mine!” I didn’t even know Nora knew that word. I think the lesson of “The “3 Billy Goats Gruff” has yet to sink in for her.

I felt like we had made progress this morning when both Rebekah and David (5 yrs) wanted to sit in the same chair and David willingly allowed Rebekah to sit down. It’s amazing how much easier life is when someone is willing to share!

The online archives of General Conference are up and ready, in text and audio formats. You can find them here. Isn’t technology great?

One of my favorite chapters of scripture is 2 Nephi 31. In it, Nephi speaks of the doctrine of Christ. In verse 2, he writes:

Wherefore, the things which I have written sufficeth me, save it be a few words which I must speak concerning the doctrine of Christ; wherefore, I shall speak unto you plainly, according to the plainness of my prophesying (emphasis added).

Then in verse 21, he writes:

And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen (emphasis added).

This tells us that the doctrine of Christ is discussed between those two verses. What is the doctrine of Christ? Basically, it is faith, repentance, baptism, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. It is also enduring to the end. There are, of course, details–keeping the commandments, praying, studying the scriptures, and so forth. We can learn all the details and nuances through studying all the scriptures and attending church (and listening to General Conference!).

I love this chapter, though, because it concentrates on the key items of the gospel that will get us into the strait and narrow path and help us to stay there. Read the rest of this entry »

The other day at church, I watched David (5 yrs) put his arm around Rebekah (3 yrs) and walk her up to the stand so that they could sing “Holding Hands Around the World” with the other Primary children. As they heartily sang “we are led by His light and we love truth and right,” I felt moved by their pure faith. Read the rest of this entry »