A Prayer of Faith

I have been thinking a lot about the gospel–what it is and how to live it and how to deal with the ups and downs of life and so forth. Four scriptures have struck me in a juxtaposition that I hadn’t considered before. The scriptures are these:

For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. (Moses 1:39)

24 And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;
25 And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them; (Abraham 3:24-25) (emphasis added)

And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. (D & C 122:7)(emphasis added)

Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength: (Isaiah 26:4)

This seems to me a very basic summary of this mortal life–what it is for and how to get through it. First, the Lord’s purpose–to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. Second, how the Lord will fulfill this purpose–by testing, trying, and proving man. Third, a reminder to man of what is happening to him–all these things shall give thee experience and shall be for thy good. Fourth, a reminder to man of where help is–trust in the Lord because He has everlasting strength. (Naturally, man means mankind and includes women.)

You will be able to think of other scriptures that fit in, as well, but these four stood out to me. Sometimes as we read and study the scriptures, we forget to look at the big picture–or at any rate, I do. If we can remember where we come from, why we are here, and where we are going, we can cope better with our current situation in mortality. We have heard those three questions so often that we may not even notice them anymore, but they can help us focus on our purpose in life and remind us to keep an eternal perspective, which is so important to doing well in our lives.

We all struggle with something–it will be different for each person–but if we can remember why we have struggles and trials and adversity, and do our best to learn lessons and develop strength and virtue from these situations, we will be progressing in our journey back to our heavenly home and our Heavenly Father.

It’s not easy, but that eternal perspective sure helps!

This was written by Marilynne, one of our new writers. Welcome, Marilynne!

The Book of Jarom in The Book of Mormon teaches about economic cycles wherein the righteous prosper, pride grows, sin abounds, and afflictions such as war, natural disasters, and/or famine come. Then prophets preach, hearts mellow, repentance follows, and peace and prosperity return. The pattern repeats itself over and over, with succeeding generations often failing to learn the foremost lesson of history: violate the laws of God and negative consequences are inevitable. Read the rest of this entry »

This is dedicated to my parents, particularly to my dad to honor him for Father’s Day.

As a parent, sometimes I wonder what it is that my children will remember from their childhoods. I reflect on my own childhood and struggle to remember specific details, but some memories are embedded in my soul. I remember things like family vacations (to the cabin and the beach — to this day two of my favorite sounds are the wind rustling through aspen trees and the sound of waves crashing). I remember family game time and family home evenings every Monday. (Mom’s testimony of FHE still resounds in my ears: The prophets have promised blessings to families who hold FHE!) I remember birthday bashes and Christmases where Santa was always a little (or sometimes more than just a little) out of control (Mom always went all-out for holidays).

I also have fond memories of talking with my parents through the years while I sat on the kitchen counter or plopped on their bed where I would decompress about my day, about my life. There are few memories I treasure more than conversations where the gospel was the focus and perspective on the stuff of life was gained. Read the rest of this entry »

Rebekah (4 yrs) had her first ballet recital on Friday. She made us laugh when she periodically went into turbo speed during her routine. While we were at the recital, Daniel introduced me to a colleague from work just as my wrap around pants fell off!

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After leaving a friend’s house, David (5 yrs) told me: “I’m sick and tired of not being able to make my own choices. I can’t choose when I leave or when I go. I can’t choose whether I clean my room or not. I want to move out!”

Me: “I would be really sad if you moved out. I really enjoy having you live with me. How would you move out anyway?”

David: “I would need a house, so I’d need money; I guess I’ll get a job.”

Me: “Do you think a 5 year old can get a job?”

David, laughing: “No! I guess I’ll just have to build my own house. Don’t worry mom, I’ll just build it across the stream.”

I wonder what life will be like when he actually reaches his teenage years?

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Lenora’s 18-month appointment revealed that she is in the 100% for height and weight. . . .

A few weeks ago my oldest son and I exchanged good-bye waves and smiled at each other as he backed out of our driveway for the last time. My husband and I had sold our house, and were moving out of state to live nearer our grandchildren.

As he drove off, my son’s head was held high, and he didn’t look back.

He had recently been laid off at work; but he was now excited about beginning a new career as a writer. Despite the known difficulties of breaking into the ranks of literary professionals, his success in getting several stories published during the last few years spurred him to consider the loss of his increasingly joyless job as an opportunity to jump wholeheartedly into that other field. With concerted effort, determination and a bit of luck, he was hopeful that he would soon be able to make his living doing what he truly loved to do. Read the rest of this entry »

My grandmother on my mother’s side has always been a great inspiration to me. She was 75 when I was born and lived another 18 years, so I had a chance to know her and spend some time with her, although we had moved halfway across the state when I was five.

Grandma came to northwestern Oklahoma in a covered wagon from Kansas. She and her husband (who died before I was born) lived in a dugout for some time before they could build a house. They were farmers and raised wheat and cattle.

Life was filled with hard work for Grandma. Read the rest of this entry »

Such was the theme of this year’s BYU Women’s Conference. Some of the talks are now available online. I have been listening to some of the talks the past week or so, and have been inspired and moved by several of them. Tonight, I listed to Elder and Sister Holland, two of my favorite speakers. For any woman needing a boost of inspiration, reasurrance in their roles and goals, and perspective on the Atonement and God’s love, I highly recommend this talk.

Another talk that greatly inspired me was by Sister Fogg’s talk: “Touch Our Eyes That We May See.” What an message (and example) of faith, courage, endurance, and service she gives! The principles she discusses are so powerful. I found my eyes really were opened a bit by what she had to say.

Scroll to the bottom of this page for that talk and other talk links. Come back and share what you found inspiring or helpful!

David (5 yrs) loves discussing superheroes and their powers. Recently he asked me: “Why doesn’t God give us superpowers? I mean, he wants us to be like Him, right?” I didn’t realize that James had associated God’s omnipotence and omniscience with superheroes and their powers. . .

Rebekah (3 yrs) and I were discussing the meaning of the word “popular” today. When I told her that it means that a lot of people like you she said: “I don’t think Satan is popular because he makes bad choices, but I know that God is. Everyone loves God.” This discussion followed her question: “Why does God create tornados when people get sucked up in them?” I’m glad she still feels Heavenly Father is popular despite his lack of obvious interference in some natural disasters.

We’d like to welcome a new guest writer, Kirsi. Following is her first submission.

And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness…. (Ether 12:27 )

Ether 12:27 is one of those oft-read and little understood scriptures. I learned it first as a scripture mastery verse in seminary, but I have yet to truly learn it. Some time ago, when trying to discover what to do with my life, it came to me that my profession didn’t matter. What I wanted to be was a disciple. I wanted my life to be a dedication to my Savior. I got rid of my music. I changed my clothing. I changed my friends. I made a covenant with the Lord to guide me on the path of discipleship. But coming “unto the Lord” is not a romantic, beautiful trip when one is on the path. It is rocky, seems to twist and turn so you do not know what is ahead, and is sometimes downright dangerous. But the Lord never promised otherwise. Read the rest of this entry »

“Mamma,” my then-seven-year-old daughter said to me, “I need more loves from you.”

“Sweetie, you keep saying this at the end of the day. It’s time for sleeping now; we need our rest. I keep trying to give you more loves during the day, but you just shake me off and keep playing. Now, it’s late; it’s bedtime.”

“I know,” she sighed.

“I’m always happy to hold you and cuddle you, give you lots of kisses. Really, my love is always there for you, and I do try to give it; you just have to take the time to accept it. It’s like Heavenly Father’s love that way.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. He’s always there, always loving us; we just have to take a moment to stop and feel it. Just like right now, you’re holding still and I’m holding you, and you can feel my love, right? All cozy in your heart?”

“Uh-huh.”

“It really is the same with His love; all we need to do is hold still and feel it.”