What are you looking forward to in 2021?

Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately three minutes to read from start to finish.

What are you looking forward to in 2021? - Well let me ask a proper question, what are you looking forward to achieve in 2021? I know that I would be looking forward to achieve a lot in 2021. If everything goes smoothly and well for me; I think 2021 would be a great year for me. 

I know that I would be looking forward to hopefully finally getting my Green Card and my Social Security Number in the mail because I have been waiting for my Green Card approval and my Social Security Number approval for over a year since I have applied for my Green Card, and my Social Security Number. I think that I would have to reapply for my Social Security Number after receiving my Green Card, but I would not know for sure until that moment of time happens. 

I know that after getting my Green Card approval and arrived in the mail; I know that my husband is happy for me to decide whatever I want to do next. It would certainly open up more opportunities for me to achieve throughout 2021. 

I know that I would be really looking forward to finally getting a current Driver's License, and indeed it would be a Texan Driver's License not Australian Driver's License. It felt so weird for me to go through 2020 without having a Driver's License and not being able to drive anywhere where I would like to and where I needed to go. It has been over a year ago since my Australian Driver's License has expired - to be exact my Australian Driver's License has expired in September 2019 to be exact.

I would be really looking forward to finally legally allowed to work. I do not know how I managed of not going insane for not being able to work for over a year. I do miss working, I do miss earning an income from having a job. I know that everytime I saw places like Domino's, Pizza Hut, Walmart, etc - it seems like everywhere I went had job openings and it was always seeking for full-time positions to be filled. Darn at times I really wished that I had my Green Card already so I could have worked throughout this year. 

I would be really looking forward to finally legally allowed to study. I have been thinking about studying again, I do plan to study online because a course or courses that I have in mind to sign up to and studying is only offered online and it is based on one of the BYU campuses. 

I would be looking forward to more blogging, I would do my best to be more persistent and constant of keeping up to date with this blog. I enjoyed blogging a lot over the past seven years on and off, so I do want to continue with the habit of blogging. 

I would be looking forward to do more vlogging, and creating vlogs. I have enjoyed so much of vlogging on and off for over the past three years. I love sharing videos and photos of excitement and fun times, and also highlights. 

I would be really looking forward to getting into more of my photography. I have been hoping for a very long time to become successful into photography one day. I would like to claim myself as an easy going, budget friendly, caring, and understanding photographer one day. I know that it certainly take time to get there but I would get there eventually. I would be looking forward to make some income from doing photography after receiving my Green Card. 

I would be looking forward to turning twenty-five years old. I always look forward to my birthday each year, but I still do not look like my true age, and maybe just maybe I may look like my true age one day. 

Stay Tuned until next time.

Summary of Some Achievements in the Past Decade

 Good Morning, or Good Afternoon, or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately three minutes to read from start to finish. 

What has been the proudest achievements that you have accomplished duration the past decade? 

I have seen posts by more than five friends to share what they are proud and what they have achieved for the past decade. I would like to make a post that focuses on what I have been proud and achieved for the past decade. 

2010 - I successfully passed my first year of Seminary, and  I have attended my first stake youth conference from ages fourteen years old to eighteen years old).

2011 - I obtained Certificate I in Information, Technology and Communications, and I volunteered at The Coffee Club for work experience.

2012 - I have attended EFY (multi-stake youth conference that goes for five days and four evenings, and it is for ages from fourteen years old to eighteen years old) in January, and I have made many new friends. I came second place in Butterfly Stroke 50 metres out of my age group; I have made it into Districts but I was so close and I did not make it into Regionals. 

I gotten approved to Griffith University to study Bachelor of Communications, I have attended my first annual multi-stake Priest and Laurel's Ball, and I have obtained Certificate II in Business. 

"I HAD A GOOD DECADE." - Brady Anderson.

2013 - I have graduated High School, I went to my ever first date, I had a learners permit, and I have graduated Seminary. I accomplished some Certificate Courses. I obtained Certificate II in Hospitality, Certificate II in Retail,  and Certificate II in Workplace Practices. I worked at Cottone's Discount Feed Shed for temporally. 

2014 - I turned eighteen years old, I went to my ever first group date, I gotten my Australian Driver's License after my second attempt of doing the Driving Practical Test. I flew to Perth and I went to my ever first YSA End of Year Convention. 2015 - I lived in Perth for short period of time, I purchased my first ever car (Mazada 121, 1994), and I had my first ever car accident/car wreck. 

2016 - I completed a degree in Digital Photography, I have graduated Institute successfully. I have submitted my full-time mission papers, and I gotten accepted into a job at Richlands Domino's in Australia. 2017 - I turned twenty-one years old, I received my endowments, I was promoted to be in management position in Richlands Domino's in February, I was in management position in July, and I met my husband on LDS singles website in November.

2018 - My husband and I have started dating as boyfriend and girlfriend stage in January, I finished the BYU-Idaho Pathways Program in April, my husband applied for my k-1 visa in September, I had my first ever experience of Thanksgiving in November, we finally met in person in February, and we gotten engaged which made us fiancé and fiancée in November as well.

I gotten set apart and called as a Temple Ordinance Worker in Brisbane Latter-Day Saint Temple.

2019 - I turned twenty-three years old, I gotten honorable released as a Temple Ordinance Worker in Brisbane Latter-Day Saint Temple, I attended my k-1 visa interview in early July, I gotten my k-1 visa in the mail within just two days after the interview, my k-1 visa gotten approved when I landed in Dallas in July, I flew to Dallas United States from Brisbane with one way plane ticket, my husband and I gotten married in September, my husband and I applied for my adjustment to status as known as my Green Card in October. 

I have accomplished two Self Reliances courses; I have completed Personal Finances in December, and I have completed Starting and Growing My Business in December as well. 2020 - I have lived in Texas United States for a year, and I finally gotten updates about in relation to my Green Card. Let us hope that I would get my Green Card in 2021.

Stay Tuned until next time.

What am I Grateful for in 2020?

Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately three minutes to read from start to finish.

Have you thought about what you were grateful for in 2020? What were you grateful for in 2020? Did you appreciate all of the memories or even some of the memories that you have made throughout this year?
Did you made met and created new friendships throughout the year?

This year must have been a tough year for everyone because we all went through to learning about and knowing about Coronavirus, some people went through lockdowns, most stores has reduced their hours from sometime in March this year, fast foods including dine in restaurants does not offer dine in option to customers - they would have to go through drive thru, places where it has been enforced of wearing face masks, weekly worship places has been closed, schools has been cancelled - students has been taught at homes via Zoom, and so forth. 

"The more grateful I am, the more beautiful
I see." - Mary Davis.

I would like to share with you some of things for what I was grateful for in 2020.

I am grateful for all of the memories that I have had throughout this year; 

I know that I have enjoyed bike riding by myself at times, and with my husband at times. I enjoyed video calls to my family members, and my close friends. 

.
I am grateful for meeting and creating new friendships that I have made throughout this year; I could not think of how my life would be like without the new friendships that I have made throughout this year. 

I am grateful for being diagnosed and experiencing small Ovarian Cyst on my left ovary because I was able to be diagnosed early enough without needing to go in for a surgery.

I remembered that I did some research online about what was an Ovarian Cyst shortly after finding out that I have Ovarian Cyst, and I know what symptoms that I should watch for so I can be aware of what to expect if I went through an Ovarian Cyst in the future.

I am grateful for having a dental appointment that involved of me having three fillings to be done because I have not had any fillings done since 2015 when I was focusing on dental requirements for my full-time mission papers - first attempt.

I am grateful for my husband for having a reliable full-time job. There has been some long days, and there has been some short days but by the end of the day, I am grateful for him to be able to work to make an steady income and provide to pay for finances. 

I am grateful for finally being able to go inside Dallas Latter-Day Saint Temple after over nine months for not being able to go to the Temple due to the coronavirus. I enjoyed attending an Endowment session (it has been almost over a year since I last attended an Endowment session) and I enjoyed attending Jonathan and Taylor Lindsey's sealing. 

I am grateful for my in-laws for organizing family gatherings. It has always been good and fun to get together at least once a month, and spend some time together. The fun parts are catching up with each other, playing games, and eating meals together. 

I am grateful for Heavenly Father hearing my personal prayers, and the couple prayers that my husband and I have together. I have personally felt that he has answered my personal prayers by several ways that I did think of before. 

I am grateful for blogging and vlogging throughout this year. I certainly learned so much while reading past General Conference talks, and Devotionals. I know that I had so much fun with sharing my own inputs as well. 

Stay Tuned until next time.

The Real Christmas

Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish. 

This post focuses on BYU Devotional in December 1972, and it is called "The Real Christmas" by Elder Howard W. Hunter. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

Elder Hunter mentioned the following: "... Christmas is a busy season. Streets and stores are filled with people making last-minute preparations. Travelers on the highways increase, airports are crowded all Christianity seems to come to life with music, lights, and festive decorations. ...

The Meaning of Christmas Today

How is Christmas regarded today? 

The legend of Santa Claus, the Christmas tree, the decorations of tinsel and mistletoe, and the giving of gifts all express to us the spirit of the day we celebrate; but the true spirit of Christmas lies much deeper than these. It is found in the life of the Savior, in the principles he taught, in his atoning sacrifice which becomes our great heritage. 

Many years ago the First Presidency of the Church made this significant statement: Christmas, to the Latter-day Saint, is both reminiscent and prophetic - a reminder of two great and solemn events, which will yet be regarded universally as the mightiest and most wonderful happenings in the history of the human race. 

These events were predestined to take place upon this planet before it was created. One of these was the coming of the Savior in the meridian of time, to die for the sins of the world; and the other is the prospective event of the risen and glorified Redeemer, to reign upon the earth as King of kings. [Millennial Star, 70:1 (January 2, 1908)]

"Christmas means giving. The Father gave his Son, and the
Son gave His life. Without giving there is no true Christmas, and
without sacrifice there is no true worship." - Gordon B. Hinckley.

... It is possible for Christ to be born in men’s lives, and when such an experience actually happens, a man is “in Christ” - Christ is “formed” in him. This presupposes that we take Christ into our hearts and make him the living contemporary of our lives. 

He is not just a general truth or a fact in history, but the Savior of men everywhere and at all times. When we strive to be Christlike, he is “formed” in us; if we open the door, he will enter; if we seek his counsel, he will counsel us. For Christ to be “formed” in us, we must have a belief in him and in his atonement. 

Such a belief in Christ, and the keeping of his commandments, are not restraints upon us. By these, men are set free. This Prince of Peace waits to give peace of mind which may make each of us a channel of that peace. The real Christmas comes to him who has taken Christ into his life as a moving, dynamic, vitalizing force. 

The real spirit of Christmas lies in the life and mission of the Master. I continue with what the writer defines as the real spirit of Christmas: It is a desire to sacrifice for others, to render service and to possess a feeling of universal brotherhood. 

It consists of a willingness to forget what you have done for others, and to remember what others have done for you; to ignore what the world owes you, and think only of your duties in the middle distance, and your chance to do good and aid your fellow-men in the foreground to see that your fellow-men are just as good as you are, and try to look behind their faces to their hearts to close your book of grievances against the universe, and look about you for a place to sow a few seeds of happiness, and go your way unobserved. [Baird, p. 154]

... John Wallingford penned these lines: Christmas is not a day or a season, but a condition of heart and mind. If we love our neighbors as ourselves; ... if our charity vaunteth not itself, but suffereth long and is kind; ... if each day dawns in opportunity and sets in achievement, however small; then every day is Christ’s day and Christmas is always near.

A wise man has said: The most amazing thing about the Christmas story is its relevance. It is at home in every age and fits into every mood of life. It is not simply a lovely tale once told, but eternally contemporary. ... It is as meaningful in our time as in that long-ago night when shepherds followed the light of the star to the manger of Bethlehem. [Joseph R. Sizoo, Words of Life, p. 33] ...

Find the True Spirit of Christmas

If you desire to find the true spirit of Christmas and partake of the sweetness of it, let me make this suggestion to you. During the hurry of the festive occasion of this Christmas season, find time to turn your heart to God. Perhaps in the quiet hours, and in a quiet place, and on your knees alone or with loved ones give thanks for the good things that have come to you, and ask that his spirit might dwell in you as you earnestly strive to serve him and keep his commandments. He will take you by the hand and his promises will be kept. ..."

If you would like to read the whole Devotional either now or in your own time, here's the link below.

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/howard-w-hunter/real-christmas/

Stay Tuned until next time.

Enduring Joy ~ Part Three

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening,

this post should take three to five minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on BYU Devotional in January 2020, and it is called "Enduring Joy" by President of Brigham Young University - Kevin J. Worthen. This post is part three. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

President Worthen mentioned the following; "Third, recognize and remember that true joy, enduring joy - the joy that many visitors to campus sense ultimately comes only through keeping God’s commandments. Remember, King Benjamin indicated that joy describes “the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God.” 

... As Joseph Smith explained: Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God.

It is only when we live in accordance with celestial law that we are able to experience celestial joy. ... And one of those commandments is to love our neighbors and to demonstrate that love through serving them, whether it be through formal ministering assignments or just through simple deeds of kindness for a roommate or a stranger. 

Focusing on the well-being of others increases our joy, regardless of our external circumstances. ... It is concern for the well-being of others that gives God joy. It is in following Him and His example that we will experience that same fulness.

President Nelson summed up the connection between joy and keeping the commandments with this very practical, but powerful, observation: Every time we nurture our spouse and guide our children, every time we forgive someone or ask for forgiveness, we can feel joy. Every day that you and I choose to live celestial laws, every day that we keep our covenants and help others to do the same, joy will be ours.

"God's doctrine shows that we are all his children
and that he has created us to have joy."
- President Dallin H. Oaks.

Fourth, because we will not in our mortal state keep the commandments perfectly, repentance is a critical part of experiencing enduring joy. Many in the world, and too many in the Church, view repentance as an unpleasant, even dreaded process, confusing the consequences of failing to repent with repentance itself. 

... One stake president wisely observed that “if we really understood the doctrine of repentance, we would run to repent.” ... This does not mean that repentance is easy or that it should be done casually. President Nelson has taught, “To repent from sin is not easy. But the prize is worth the price.”

Repentance always stretches our souls, sometimes beyond what we think we can stand, ... So if we want to experience joy, we need to repent - and to even repent joyfully. Because, as President Nelson observed, “when we choose to repent, we choose to . . . receive joy - the joy of redemption.”

Fifth, we need to recognize and remember that joy is a principle of power. Joy is not just a reward for a lifetime effort to follow God’s commandments and to repent when we fail. Joy can increase our ability to stay on the covenant path that leads to enduring joy, to do things we might not otherwise be able to accomplish.

... Similarly, we can bring God’s power into our lives by focusing on joy. President Nelson asked: If we focus on the joy that will come to us, or to those we love, what can we endure that presently seems overwhelming, painful, scary, unfair, or simply impossible? 

... What repenting will then be possible? What weakness will become a strength? What chastening will become a blessing? What disappointments, even tragedies, will turn to our good? And what challenging service to the Lord will we be able to give?

Sixth, and finally, all of this is possible only because of Jesus Christ. President Nelson summed it up: “How, then, can we claim . . . joy? We can start by ‘looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith’ ‘in every thought.’”

Let me repeat again, with a little different emphasis, the quote that so many Church leaders have recently shared:

The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.

When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation . . . and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening or not ­happening in our lives. 

Joy comes from and because of Him. He is the source of all joy. . . . For Latter-day Saints, Jesus Christ is joy! Thus Christ is not only “the author and finisher of our faith” but is, in one sense, the author and finisher of our joy. We begin to have joy when we focus on Christ. We can then bring the power of Christ into our lives by focusing on joy.

I bear witness that He lives and that because He lives, we can, in the world to come, experience the fulness of joy that is part of our eternal destiny, if we so choose. And in this life we can, through joy, survive and flourish spiritually. ..."

If you would like to read the whole Devotional either now or in your own time, here is the link below.

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/kevin-j-worthen/enduring-joy/

Stay Tuned until next time.

Enduring Joy ~ Part Two

 Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish.  

This post focuses on BYU Devotional in January 2020, and it is called "Enduring Joy" by President of Brigham Young University - Kevin J. Worthen. This post is part two. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

President Worthen mentioned the following; "Thus, even though we may not experience a complete fulness of joy until the next life, it is very much in our interest to do what we can to experience all the joy we can in this life both because it will make our current lives better and because it will better prepare us for our ultimate destiny to experience the fulness of joy that God wants to share with us.

So how do we do that? How can we cultivate more joy in our lives now and thereby increase our capacity to experience joy in the next life? Let me share six suggestions.

Cultivating More Joy in Our Lives

First, we need to recognize, and constantly remember, that our ability to have joy in this life and in the eternities is not dependent on external conditions.

As President Nelson so eloquently put it: The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives. When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation . . . and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening or not happening in our lives.

This is the quote that Elders Christofferson and Andersen cited in their most recent general conference talks. This is the quote that Elder Kearon shared in the Christmas devotional and that Sister Bingham shared in her most recent BYU devotional.

It is so contrary to what many in the world think and that erroneous thinking diverts us from joy that it bears repeating: The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus

of our lives. When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation ... and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening or not happening in our lives.

The JOY we feel has little to do with the CIRCUMSTANCES
of our lives and everything to do with the FOCUS of our lives."
- Russell M. Nelson.

This is not a mere abstract concept. It is to be taken literally. ... This is what President Nelson invites us, as well as all the world, to experience what he calls “enduring joy” joy that can exist even when we fail a test, feel rejected, or face ridicule. ... So don’t wait for your circumstances to change before experiencing an increase of joy. Draw 

on the power of joy in every situation.

Second, we should recognize and remember that enduring joy constant joy does not mean uninterrupted bliss and a life free of challenges. Suffering and adversity are part of the eternal plan, a part of the process by which we come to develop enduring joy. Joy helps us transcend temporary trials; it does not eliminate them from our lives.

... Even God, who is the very essence of joy, experiences sorrow.

... So don’t let Satan fool you into thinking that you are failing in your quest for joy because you have tough days. All of us do. Satan wants us to be miserable like unto him, and one way he strives to do that is by discouraging us into thinking that the challenges and difficulties we experience are the result of our own inadequacies and prove that we are not worthy of joy. 

But many of life’s events are beyond our control. We may struggle with mental health issues or be radically affected by the inadvertent, or even intentional, misdeeds of others, or maybe we just struggle because of the vicissitudes of life. If so, we should not blame ourselves or think ourselves beyond God’s reach. Instead we should recognize that with the Savior’s help, we can still experience joy even in the midst of our afflictions.

As President Nelson explained, because of Christ “we can feel joy even while having a bad day, a bad week, or even a bad year!” When you experience the inevitable challenges that lie ahead, believe in God and believe that He is concerned for you individually. He will weep with you, even as He bids you to “lift up your heart, and be glad.”

And when you are struggling, do not overlook the positive impact that you can have on others even while you are feeling inadequate. You are probably doing much better than you think, and others around are uplifted even when you are struggling inwardly. ..."

Stay Tuned until next time.

Enduring Joy ~ Part One

Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish.  

How do you endure JOY? How does an immediate relative endure JOY?

This post focuses on BYU Devotional in January 2020, and it is called "Enduring Joy" by President of Brigham Young University - Kevin J. Worthen. This post is part one. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional.

President Worthen has mentioned the following; " ... President Nelson summed up Lehi’s life in terms that may sound a bit like your life at times: “Clearly, Lehi knew opposition, anxiety, heartache, pain, disappointment, and sorrow.” President Nelson also noted that, in these trying circumstances, “Lehi taught a principle for spiritual survival” by declaring “boldly and without reservation a principle as revealed by the Lord: ‘Men are, that they

might have joy.’"

There it is. Joy is the key to our spiritual survival in the trying times in which we live, as well as in the trying times that lie ahead of us. When we experience “opposition, anxiety, heartache, pain, disappointment, and sorrow” things all of us are likely to face in this coming year - how are we to survive? By tapping into the power of joy.

Experiencing “a Fulness of Joy”

I believe we often underestimate the importance of the concept of joy. Without much thought, we sometimes casually wish others a joyous holiday season or invite them to spread joy. But I am not sure we fully appreciate how central joy is to God’s plan for us. 

... So my request for this coming year is that we focus more on joy; that we seek to understand it better; that we come to view it not just as a mental or emotional concept or feeling of comfort but as a principle of power - power to survive and thrive spiritually and otherwise; and that we come to experience what President Nelson has called “enduring joy.”

"The greater our sorrow, the greater our capacity to
feel joy." - Mormon Messages, "The Refiner's Fire."

So we begin by asking, “What is joy?” ... Part of the difficulty is that language is a little imprecise and ultimately inadequate to capture the concept fully. ... However, this much seems clear: joy is not merely a temporary emotion but rather a more permanent and constant condition. 

As stated in the Guide to the Scriptures, joy is “a condition of great happiness coming from righteous living.” It is not some momentary sensation of rejoicing but a condition a state of being. 

King Benjamin described it this way: Consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness.

President Dallin H. Oaks explained it this way: Joy is the ultimate sensation of well-being. It comes from being complete and in harmony with our Creator and his eternal laws. The opposite of joy is misery. Misery is more than unhappiness, sorrow, or suffering. Misery is the ultimate state of disharmony with God and his laws. 

Joy and misery are eternal emotions whose ultimate extent we are not likely to experience in mortality. In this life we have some mortal simulations, which we call happiness or pleasure and unhappiness or pain.

Notice three common elements in King Benjamin’s and Elder Oaks’s descriptions:

1. In its fulness, joy is a condition or state of being; it is a constant.

2. It comes from living in harmony with God’s laws, from keeping His commandments.

3. We may not experience it fully in this life. Indeed, because of the limits of our mortal bodies and finite minds, we likely cannot even fully describe or understand this condition.

... In fact, the scriptures indicate that we can completely experience “a fulness of joy” only after resurrection, when our perfected bodies and spirits are “inseparably connected.” Thus joy is in one sense a description of our ultimate destiny. 

Joy is at the center of God’s plan for us. ... Note that the scripture indicates we shouted for joy and not with joy. It may well be that we were not just generally rejoicing at the announcement of the plan but rather were celebrating the concept of joy itself, shouting for joy, overwhelmed at the beauty and depth of the concept of joy and our realization that we, too, might enter into that state of being that our Heavenly Parents enjoyed. 

As Joseph Smith put it, joy or “happiness is the object and design of our existence.” Joy is the very purpose for which we, and everything else in the cosmos, were created. Thus it should be no surprise that it was the “good tidings of great joy” that the angel pronounced to the shepherds at Jesus’s birth.

However, just because we may not completely experience a fulness of joy in this life, it does not mean that we are without joy in the world. Adam and Eve both recognized that their choices in the Garden of Eden made it possible that “in this life [we] shall have joy,” even “the joy of our redemption.”

Indeed, one of the purposes of this life is to develop our capacity for joy and the extent to which we do that will impact the degree to which we will experience joy both in this life and even more in the world to come. As Elder Jack H. Goaslind once observed, “Our joy in God’s kingdom will be a natural extension of the happiness we cultivate in this life.”

Thus Moroni taught that our level of joy does not automatically change with death. When the Judgment comes, he wrote, “he that is happy shall be happy still; and he that is unhappy shall be unhappy still.”

Stay Tuned until next time.

Serving the Lord

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening,

this post should take three minutes to five minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on October 1999 General Conference talk, and it is called "Serving the Lord" by Elder Adhemar Damiani. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the talk. 

Elder Damiani has mentioned the following; "When Joshua’s life was coming to a close, he gathered the tribes of Israel and recalled the mercy and blessings which God had bestowed upon them. Because of the kind of life they were living, Joshua admonished them and said: "... "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; … but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

In our day, we are being admonished in the same manner through apostles and prophets. We are to fear the Lord, serve the Lord, put away worldly gods, and choose whom we will serve. Fearing the Lord means to be reverent and to love Him and to keep His commandments. 

We show that we serve the Lord by the way in which we live the commandments received from Him, by the work we do to help establish the kingdom of God on earth, and by the way we act towards our neighbor. Putting away worldly gods means keeping impure thoughts out of our minds, shedding all hateful feelings from our hearts, and ridding our lives of everything which may prevent the Holy Ghost from being always with us. 

For some, putting away worldly gods may mean giving up a small habit. For others, it may mean giving up serious sins they are committing. For others still, it may mean forgetting sad events which happened earlier in their lives. Whatever the situation, in each one of us there is the power to change our life, the power to transform the bad feelings we have in our hearts. The Lord Jesus Christ will give us this power and will help us. 

"Service is the real key to JOY!" - Heber J. Grant.

All He asks from us is that we have faith in Him, follow His example, and obey His commandments. When we love God, serve the Lord sincerely, and give up the things of this world, we become true followers of Christ.

... Serving Christ is not in itself a way to escape the hard reality of life. ... Both the person who serves the Lord as well as the one who disdains Him live in a world ruled by the same laws of nature.

Many are the things that come upon him who is a saint as well as upon him who is a sinner - disease, death, catastrophes, accidents, and so forth. ... Physical suffering is not evidence of wickedness, nor is it punishment for sin.

What then are the rewards of serving the Lord? The gospel of Jesus Christ does not promise that we will be free from tribulation. But it does strengthen our spirit so that we can accept adversity and face it when it comes. ... The person whose life is founded upon the gospel of Jesus Christ is able to: Face adversity with hope; Withstand offense with forgiveness; and Face death with serenity.

The person who chooses to follow the Lord and who keeps His commandments: In his weaknesses, he knows where the source of his strength is; In his strength, he remains humble; ... A person who can live this way, without fear or hate but with love, is a happy person.

The fruits obtained from serving the Lord are essentially spiritual. ... Jesus promised eternal life to His followers: “Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, “Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.”

In this life, we are building our eternal dwelling. Are we building upon the rock which is the gospel of Jesus Christ, or are we building upon the sand which lies in the falsehoods of this world? Each moment we must choose whom we will serve, for we have been placed upon this earth to be proven and tested.

We cannot choose to serve God and the world at the same time. If we want to follow the Lord, we should keep His commandments and follow our prophet and his teachings: “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; … but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” ..."

If you would like to read the whole talk either now or in your own time, here is the link below.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1999/10/serving-the-lord

The Joy of Unselfish Service

  Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately three minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on October 2018 General Conference talk, and it is called "The Joy of Unselfish Service" By Cristina B. Franco. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the talk. 

Sister Franco has mentioned the following; "... Sometimes as we serve, we get to sit in different seats. Some are quite comfy and some other ones are not, but we have promised our Father in Heaven that we will serve Him and others with love and do His will in all things. 

A few years ago, youth in the Church learned that “when you ‘embark in the service of God’ [Doctrine and Covenants 4:2], you’re joining the greatest journey ever. You’re helping God hasten His work, and it’s a great, joyful, and marvelous experience.”

It’s a journey available to all of any age and is also a journey that takes us along what our beloved prophet has spoken of as “the covenant path.” Unfortunately, however, we live in a selfish world where people constantly ask, “What’s in it for me?” instead of asking, “Whom can I help today?” or “How can I better serve the Lord in my calling?” or “Am I giving my all to the Lord?”

... Widow's Mite

... Sisters, are we giving our all to the Lord without reservation? Are we sacrificing of our time and talents so the rising generation can learn to love the Lord and keep His commandments? Are we ministering both to those around us and to those we are assigned with care and with diligence sacrificing time and energy that could be used in other ways?

"Simple acts of service can have profound effects on
others as well as on ourselves." - Jean B. Brigham.

Are we living the two great commandments to love God and to love His children? Often that love is manifest as service. President Dallin H. Oaks taught: “Our Savior gave Himself in unselfish service. He taught that each of us should follow Him by denying ourselves of selfish interests in order to serve others.”

He continued: “A familiar example of losing ourselves in the service of others … is the sacrifice parents make for their children. Mothers suffer pain and loss of personal priorities and comforts to bear and rear each child. Fathers adjust their lives and priorities to support a family. … 

“… We also rejoice in those who care for disabled family members and aged parents. None of this service asks, what’s in it for me? All of it requires setting aside personal convenience for unselfish service. … “[And] all of this illustrates the eternal principle that we are happier and more fulfilled when we act and serve for what we give, not for what we get.

“Our Savior teaches us to follow Him by making the sacrifices necessary to lose ourselves in unselfish service to others.” President Thomas S. Monson likewise taught that “... In reality, you can never love the Lord until you serve Him by serving His people.” In other words, sisters, it will not matter if we sat in the comfy seats or if we struggled to get through the meeting on a rusty folding chair in the back row.

It won’t even matter if we, of necessity, stepped into a foyer to comfort a crying baby. What will matter is that we came with a desire to serve, that we noticed those to whom we minister and greeted them joyfully, and that we introduced ourselves to those sharing our row of folding chairs reaching out with friendship even though we aren’t assigned to minister to them. And it will certainly matter that we do all that we do with the special ingredient of service coupled with love and sacrifice. ..."

If you would like to read this talk either now or in your own time, here is the link below.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2018/10/the-joy-of-unselfish-service

Stay Tuned until next time.

Convenient Service ~ Part Two

 Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on a BYU Devotional in July 2014, and it is called "Convenient Service" by Sister Sherry Patten Palmer. This post is part two. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

Sister Palmer has mentioned the following;
"How did you change their lives or help them in times of need? How did you serve your brothers? Did you even notice when they needed help?” ... So, how can we make service convenient? We start by practicing with “automatic responses." ... Giving service and having it become “convenient” is a work in progress. 

... Service is a stepping-stone toward these two great doctrines of our religion. It is up to us how big this stepping-stone of service is. ... If we treat service like helpful small pebbles that line our pathway back to the Savior, we may find that these pebbles become convenient guides that will help us along the way. If we can master the task of providing service to those around us, how much easier, then, is it to sacrifice for others and consecrate what we do for the Lord.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie gave a talk in April 1975 about obedience, consecration, and sacrifice. He said: 

We have covenanted in the waters of baptism to love and serve him, to keep his commandments, and to put first in our lives the things of his kingdom. In return he has promised us eternal life in his Father’s kingdom. We are thus in a position to receive and obey some of the higher laws which prepare us for that eternal life which we so sincerely seek.

Elder McConkie then went on to say: “He who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory.” (D&C 88:22.) The law of sacrifice is a celestial law; so also is the law of consecration. Thus to gain that celestial reward which we so devoutly desire, we must be able to live these two laws. Sacrifice and consecration are inseparably intertwined. [“Obedience, Consecration, and Sacrifice,” Ensign, May 1975, 50; emphasis in original]

I would like to add: How can we ever get to the laws of sacrifice and consecration without first applying service in our lives? When we are physically serving our brother, we are sacrificing whether it be our time, our physical abilities, or our material blessings.

When we perform service with the right kind of spirit, we practice consecration. We are consecrating our time, our physical abilities, and our material blessings to others and in essence to the Lord. Service in our lives is similar to stepping-stones; the way we perceive or encounter service determines the size of those stones.

Are they helps or hindrances to our eternal progression? Just like we consciously work on other fine attributes in our lives, we need to put in place a conscious decision to make service convenient. We need to plan on this behavior. ... When we act and serve as Jesus did, we become more like Him.

How can we make service our way of life? How can we have it be an immediate reaction instead of a thought-out action? How can we make it convenient? We can prepare for service. We may start out with creating a habit of always being willing to or being ready to do something extra.

Maybe you enjoy mowing the lawn, so if a neighbor needs help, that can be your automatic reaction you can mow their lawn. ... Maybe you have a keen listening ear and enjoy conversation that can be your automatic reaction when a family member is in need. The key is to create automatic reactions within ourselves. They do not have to be big service activities.

"The world tells us to seek success, power and money; 
God tells us to seek humility, service and love." 
- Pope Francis. 

President Spencer W. Kimball said: It is vital that we serve each other in the kingdom. .. So often, our acts of service consist of simple encouragement or of giving ... help with mundane tasks, but what glorious consequences can flow ... from small but deliberate deeds! 

[“Small Acts of Service,” Ensign, December 1974, 5; quoted in Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2006), 82]

Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone gave a talk about serving when it is inconvenient. He said: Now my young friends, ... think of all the opportunities you will have to serve at inconvenient times. I promise you that most of the service you render to the Lord will come at times not convenient to you. Think about some of them:

Your call to serve an 18-month mission, right in the middle of your schooling, courting, and vocational training.

... An invitation to speak at church. Home teaching visits. Early-morning seminary, which in many stakes begins at 6:00 a.m., not a convenient hour.

... Someone with a flat tire or other auto problems on the highway. It generally is not a convenient time to stop. Shoveling snow or mowing a lawn of someone in need a widow or neighbor when your day is already too full.

Elder Featherstone went on to say: I could list many, many more opportunities that may well come to all of us in a lifetime but most often at an inappropriate time. You can make a decision that you are too busy, but that is generally only an excuse. ...

My beloved young friends, determine to serve one another. Listen to the spirit when your flesh is weak. ... The blessings are tenfold when we do those good, kindly acts of Christlike service when it is inopportune or not convenient. [“The Message: Why Now? Why Me?” New Era, January–February 1984, 7]

... I have experienced memorable acts of service. I have been the giver and the receiver. Yet even with many years of experience, I still struggle with how “convenient” the service is. I have felt my heart pierced with love, compassion, thankfulness, and the Spirit. Shouldn’t these feelings be enough motivation?

... Yes, service becoming convenient is a work in progress. Giving service throughout our lives is like being led down a beautiful path of stepping-stones. However, to make service convenient, we must practice and practice. ..."

I would like to encourage you to read the whole Devotional either now or in your own time. Here is the link below.

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/sherri-patten-palmer/convenient-service/

Stay Tuned until next time.

Convenient Service ~ Part One

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening,

this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish.

What does "Convenient Service" means to you? What does "Convenient Service" means to a immediate relative? This post focuses on a BYU Devotional in July 2014, and it is called "Convenient Service" by Sister Sherry Patten Palmer. This post is part one. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

Sister Palmer has mentioned the following; "... President Thomas S. Monson said, I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives. Those who live only for themselves eventually shrivel up and figuratively lose their lives, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish and in effect save their lives. [“What Have I Done for Someone Today?” Ensign, November 2009, 85]

Furthermore, we read in Revelation 2:19: I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. Notice how “works” is in this scripture twice actually, I believe it is in there four times, as charity and service could also be “works.” 

Heavenly Father is saying here that He knows our works. So what works or service are we personally known for? Do we hesitate when confronted with the opportunity to serve? Is it convenient to serve? Or is service something we sign up for once in a while when the sign-up sheet is passed around?

... What of these people who are less fortunate than we are? How do we serve them? In my travels I have wondered why there is so much variation of wealth, health, or material blessings. What do others desire when
they appear to have so little? 

"As we serve, we draw closer to God." - Carl B. Cook.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell said something that has helped me understand: God thus takes into merciful account not only our desires and our performance, but also the degrees of difficulty which our varied circumstances impose upon us. [“According to the Desire of [Our] Hearts,” Ensign, November 1996, 21]

Of course everybody has similar desires, but it is the performance and the degree of difficulty it takes for us to perform that God considers. God takes into account the degrees of difficulty. 

So what does that say when it truly is quite easy to give a little service because of our blessings and fortune? ... We have a low degree of difficulty, and we should really be getting off the couch, so to speak, and providing meaningful service. We are blessed for a reason. 

If it is only a little difficult to render service, should we not do it more often? If it is only a little inconvenient, why can’t we do it more frequently? What about those who have a higher degree of difficulty in providing service? Think of those who are struggling in the world. 

I am sure many missionaries can relate to the experiences I had while I was on my mission years ago. Families who had little to eat would prepare food for the missionaries. Surely these families have a different degree of difficulty when it comes to giving and rendering service. ... Even though there are material inequalities in the world, we all can have the righteous desire to serve.

And it is the pursuit of these righteous desires that measures our reward in heaven. We do not have to travel abroad to have fascinating and memorable experiences of service. We can and should start right here in our homes and neighborhoods. Jesus did not travel very far; often He served those very near to Him.

We have opportunities to serve by simply being sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, and brothers and sisters. We serve through our church callings and by being members of our wards. I often think that Heavenly Father will ask me, “What did you do to serve the women you visit taught?"

Stay Tuned until next time. 

Opportunities to GIVE and RECEIVE Service in the Past

Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately three minutes to read from start to finish.

Do you remember how you felt when you gave service to your immediate family members and your extended in the past? If yes, how did it made you feel? Did you felt happiness?  

Do you remember did you feel when you gave service to your friends in the past? If yes, how did it made you feel? Did you felt happiness?  

Do you remember did you feel when you gave service to strangers in the past? If yes, how did it made you feel? Did you felt happiness? 

Did you remember how you felt when you have received service to you? How did it made you feel? 

"It's not where you SERVE, but how." 
- President J. Reuben Clark.

Duration of my friend Jordan's mission; I had an opportunity to meet his Mum Helen and his Grandma Marjorie one day.  We had great memories together. I had multiple opportunities to serve Helen which always made me feel happy. I remembered constantly putting Helen's name and Marjorie's name on the Temple Prayer Roll each time when I went to the Temple. I added other names on the Temple Prayer Roll as well.

I was able to go with Helen when she went out to go groceries shopping, I watched over Marjorie in the car while Helen had to go to the bank, I went with Helen to visit Marjorie when she was in hospital, and so forth. I was able to live with Helen for a short time frame. I still kept in touch with Helen these days. It was recently when I found out the sad news, and that was Marjorie has passed away. I felt disappointed that I was not able to attend to Marjorie's funeral. I felt privileged to meet Marjorie when I did. 

I have reflected over the years that my parents has given me countless of times for service. One of the services that has helped me as I progressed in this life was when they taught me how to drive and supervised me while I was learning how to drive. They did not ever give up on me, and I was always willing to drive whether it was to short distances, or long distances, I was happy to drive at any time of the daytime and night time.

I remembered being employed at three Mount Ommaney Domino's, Calamvale Domino's and Logan Central Domino's; all of those stores has something in common for what I have done for giving service in the past. At least one in-store employee from each store that I had the opportunity to take them home after I have finished my shift if I have finished working roughly at the same times they did. 

I made me happy that I was able to do that for them. I know that they were always grateful and relied on me to take them home from work. I am grateful for the friendships that I have made with them. 

I remembered being called and set apart as a Temple Ordinance Worker. Most times, I enjoyed serving in the Temple. I always feel happy and seeing church members feeling happy while they're inside the Temple. Out of all the evenings that I have served in the Temple, there was one evening was a great a reminder to myself. 

Let me to share that evening about it was a great reminder to myself. While I was waiting for the sisters to come for an endowment session, I noticed that the evening was so quiet. I did not see any sisters coming. I waited for a little longer. I saw a sister named Sister Wood. She wanted to do an endowment session.

I immediately apologized to her that there was no other sisters for endowment session and I offered to her if she would like to do a different session inside. I mentioned about that she could do initiatory session instead. She felt grateful that she was still able to do another session in the Temple in replacement of not being able to go to an endowment session. 

You probably wondering why that evening was a great reminder to myself. That evening has helped me to remind myself of my purpose why I have chosen to become a Temple Ordinance Worker, and that was to help others to feel when there is no session available of what they are wanting to do, there are always other sessions that they can do instead. 

I remembered the same evening of my first car accident, and I was driving home from a former friend's home. It was not long after my car accident when my friend Monique's Dad was driving past the car accident scene and Monique has recognized it was me looking scared.. I am glad that friend was able to tell her Dad to stop and turn around. 

I am glad Monique and her Dad was able to help me out. Heavenly Father put two people that I knew on my path to provide a lift to the local chapel. I felt shakened, and disappointed because that car was my first ever owned vehicle but I felt so happy for Monique and her Dad was able to reach out and gave service to me.

I somehow was not able to contact to anyone at home by using my own phone so I thought to ask Monique if I could borrow her phone. She allowed me to, I was able to call Emma if she can pick me up at a local chapel. I am confident that I had a priesthood blessing for comfort after arriving at the local chapel. 

Stay Tuned until next time.

All Things Does Take Some Time to Heal

Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post may take longer than five minutes to read from start to finish.

I know that everyone has experienced of feeling their heart has been broken, and we do know that it does take some time to heal a broken heart. I know that everyone has experienced of having injuries, we do know that it does take some time to heal and recover from those injuries. I know that everyone has experienced of feeling sick, and we do know that it also does some time to feel better.

I would like to share some questions and followed by, I would share experiences when I have felt that it took some time for my body to heal. 

Close Chest Infection Experience: 

Have you ever faced of having a close chest infection in the past? If no, you can skip reading the following two questions. If you have; what was the steps did you took to allow yourself to feel healed from having a close chest infection? Do you remember how you felt when you had a close chest infection? 

I remembered the experience when I was diagnosed of having a close chest infection and I was eighteen years old at the time. During my first ever group date that I have attended, my asthma was playing up and I was not too sure why. 

I knew that it certainly was uncomfortable for me to have shortness of breath and coughing most times when I was talking to my date that I had. At one point; my mind just wanted to end the date and go to the hospital because I was worried that I was having another asthma attack. 

I felt scared because when I took my asthma inhaler, it felt like I was getting worse. I knew that it was somehow difficult for me to try to have my asthma under control. After the group date; I went ahead and called my doctor to book a appointment. I was able to attend my appointment as soon as I can and I am glad that I did.

CILAMOX - antibiotics. 

My doctor did several tests and he diagnosed me of having a close chest infection. I was shocked because I was certainly not expecting to have a close chest infection. I know that if I didn't see my doctor sooner, I think I would've diagnosed of having a chest infection. 

He has prescribed me with antibiotics - CILAMOX to take each day until the box is empty. It took some time to heal, Overtime, I gotten better and I was so happy to feel better. I have not have a close chest infection ever since then. 

Ovarian Cyst Experience:

Have you ever gotten asked of some questions by some people in relation to pregnancy topics and having children topics when you were not expecting? How did those questions has made you feel when those people has asked you those type of questions?

Did it made you feel uncomfortable? Did it made you feel upset? 

When I was twenty-three years old; I just gotten married within a few weeks when several people has asked me if I was expecting. I went to Dallas Latter-Day Saint Temple as a routine for going once a month with church members that I know. One particular time; my Mum and my grandparents had an opportunity to go to Dallas Latter-Day Saint Temple sometime shortly after I have been sealed to my husband. 

I know that I wasn't feeling the greatest, I felt unwell. I refused for not attending any sessions in that morning. I prayed about a certain question in the Temple before my Temple Recommend gotten scanned, I cried so much. My Mum has comforted me. During the endowment session that my Mum, my grandparents and the church members who came with me to the Temple are in, I was able to talk to the Temple President's wife. 

Despite how sick I was; I tried to be positive, and I felt privileged of having a conversation with the Temple President's wife. We have talked about having children topics, I cried again, and I knew that there was no way of me to be pregnant so soon after getting married. 

Clear Blue Pregnancy Test reads
"Not Pregnant"

Fast forward to around this time last year; I was gaining weight ridiculously a lot, and my stomach was growing. I eventually had to get my husband to purchase sweet and sugary foods for me to eat. I knew that my body was going through some changes. 

I did my best to listen to what my body wanted. My body was experiencing some pregnancy symptoms because I had mood swings, I was feeling morning sickness,  I was feeling tired more than normal, I was going through sweet cravings, and I have missed a period cycle. 

As my stomach was growing; I kept getting asked if I was pregnant by more people. I kept saying to who has been asking me that I was not pregnant. I gotten emotional about it. A sister in my stake has suggested me to go and see a OB/GYN doctor sometime.

I remembered in January this year; my husband and I was watching Brother Bear movie together and somehow I felt inside of my stomach that it was moving. My husband felt the same thing. My left rib was starting to hurt a lot around that time, and my hips was starting to be painful. It was uncomfortable feeling. 

I was not able to see my OB/GYN doctor until sometime in February this year. Each visit to seeing my OB/GYN doctor; she gotten me to take a pregnancy test and those pregnancy tests came up negative. I was upset. One time, she pressed down on my stomach to feel if there was any babies in there and she told me that I was not pregnant. 

I suggested one time for her to get me to get an ultrasound and I gotten blood work done prior to when I went in for my ultrasound appointment. Sometime after my OB/GYN doctor gotten the results from the ultrasound appointment, she mentioned to me "You have a small left side ovarian cyst ..." I was so shocked. 

I knew that I was certainly not expecting to hear that I have ovarian cyst, I was upset. I kept it to myself, I told my husband straight after he gotten home from work. He comforted me. Within a week; I told my immediate family members that I had ovarian cyst, and they felt sorry for me. I told several close friends about it, and they also felt sorry for me. 

Throughout from April this year to October this year; I just completely changed my diet. I made sure that I was eating more healthier foods, I was able to lose weight by bike riding eventually and I had experienced times when I was able to maintain the same weight. It certainly took some time to heal. I am still healing at this present time with physically and emotionally. About a month ish ago, I started opening up to several friends about that I have experienced ovarian cyst. 

If you ever wanted to know what triggered my body to have an ovarian cyst; I would like to share with you those triggers now. I was feeling extreme and sharp rib pain enough for me take two to three acetaminophen tablets and the pain was not going away, extreme and sharp hip pain for me to take two to three acetaminophen tablets and again the pain was not going away, and I was gaining a lot of weight within a short period of time (within six months). 

I strongly feel and know that pregnancy topics are sensitive to me ever since that I have experienced ovarian cyst. I felt healed sometime about six months or longer after having diagnosed with ovarian cyst and I changed my diet. I was not eating pasta, I was eating a lot of rice dinner meals, I changed of the meal times for me to eat meals, I gotten into a routine of eating healthier snacks such as eating fruits instead of a lot of lollies. 

I would really appreciate for people to stop asking me if I was pregnant, and accept the answer to be "no." I know that my husband and I will share pregnancy announcement when we feel comfortable and ready for it. I know that every woman experience pregnancy different, and also different or similar symptoms from each time when they are expecting. 

Stay Tuned until next time. 

Healing = Courage + Action + GRACE ~ Part Four

  Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 
this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on a BYU Devotional in January 2014, and it is called "Healing = Courage + Action + Grace" by Jonathan G. Sandberg. This post is part four. I would like to share with you some highlights whilst I was reading the Devotional, and I hope that you would be able to read something new whilst reading through this post. 

Jonathan has mentioned the following; "...  Grace

... What is grace? I love the definition provided by David A. Bednar in a devotional given while he was president of BYU–Idaho. He quoted the Bible Dictionary, which states that grace can be defined as divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ.

... It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals ... receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power. After reading this definition, President Bednar then added, “Thus the enabling power of the Atonement strengthens us to do and be good and serve beyond our own individual desire and natural capacity.” 

The scriptures are full of examples of the grace of Jesus Christ as He ministered to people struggling to do and be good but coming up short. The scriptures teach of Him reaching out to His people at their breaking point and providing strength, patience, joy, comfort, assurances, peace, faith, hope, courage, and determination and even wiping away the tears from their eyes.

The grace of Jesus Christ, His bounteous mercy and love, is available to us if we but have the courage to reach out to Him. Sometimes that grace comes directly through the Holy Ghost, and we can feel His clear and specific love for us. Sometimes that grace comes as Christ touches another person’s heart and prompts her or him to share, bless, and uplift another. 

In other words, grace is often made manifest through the courage and action of a person who reaches out to serve another. ... President Monson was a minister of grace, and we can be one too. Grace is the power by which healing occurs. In every aspect of His mortal and postmortal ministry, Christ went about healing all manner of afflictions. 

His part is to be our atoning Savior, and our part is to be courageous enough to act. He then provides the grace and healing. However, sometimes we may not appreciate the manifestations of His grace because healing blessings do not always come in the form we ask. 

"Captivated by his Grace."

Sometimes His grace is made manifest by letting us sit and struggle with an issue. Again, our Heavenly Father and Savior are more interested in our growth and progression than in our comfort and convenience. Moments of struggle often bring the greatest growth. 

Permit me to illustrate this point with an example from the life of my sweetheart and best friend, Sharon. In April 2002, Sharon’s fifty-six-year-old father, Mike, suffered a major heart attack one day at work. As a result of a lack of oxygen to the brain, he was in a coma for a week. 

Many friends and family members prayed and fasted, he received multiple blessings, and his name was placed on the prayer roll at multiple temples, but, regardless of these efforts, it was his time to die (see D&C 42:43–48). As the months passed, we came to some measure of peace regarding his early and unexpected death.

At the time, Sharon was working with the young children at church as the Primary president. It was her turn to teach the children, and the topic was “God Hears and Answers My Prayers.” We talked a lot about that lesson and the dilemma it presented for her, and Doctrine and Covenants 18:18 and 88:64 were particularly helpful at the time.

My wife said, “I know God hears and answers our prayers, but if in the end He is going to do what is His will, why should I pray for what I want and need? My dad died anyway because it was God’s will. My prayers have not been the same since he died.”

If you have not yet experienced that kind of despair in your prayers, you likely will. For some of you that moment is now. So what did Sharon teach the children? Up until the night before she was not sure what to say. When the day came, she simply taught, through her tears, “I know that God hears and answers every prayer. 

He does not always give us the answer we want, and that really hurts. But I believe you will do better in your life by praying than by not praying. That is why I pray every day.” Acting on true principles, even when your heart says otherwise, takes true courage. And as a result, Sharon received a measure of healing that day through the grace of Jesus Christ. 

One of my favorite parts about being married to Sharon and there are many is to listen to her pray in faith for our children, extended family, and others in need. She knows how to talk to Heavenly Father. ... By way of conclusion and testimony, I know that Jesus Christ is the great Healer. 

Over many years, in numerous settings, I have seen wounds of horrific abuse, long-standing addiction, loss that has shattered the soul, and heartache beyond description be addressed, overcome, and resolved through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I know He is a real, living, loving God.

I love and honor Him. I know His grace is sufficient meaning big or powerful enough to help us with all our problems. I know His promises to us are real and true. He can and will cleanse and heal us as He has said (see Ezekiel 36:25–28). ..."

If you would like to read the whole Devotional either now or in your own time, here is the link below.

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/jonathan-g-sandberg/healing-courage-action-grace/

Stay Tuned until next time.

Healing = Courage + ACTION + Grace ~ Part Three

 Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on a BYU Devotional in January 2014, and it is called "Healing = Courage + Action + Grace" by Jonathan G. Sandberg. This post is part three. I would like to share with you some highlights whilst I was reading the Devotional, and I hope that you would be able to read something new whilst reading through this post. 

Jonathan has mentioned the following; "...  Action
... Action is essential to healing. To act instead of merely being acted upon was a key issue in the War in Heaven before we came to this earth (see Revelation 12:7–11). According to the scriptures, “God gave unto man [and woman] that [they] should act for [themselves]” (2 Nephi 2:16), ...

When pondering these scriptures, I realized that when I choose to be inactive or place myself in a state of being acted upon, I give Satan greater power in my life. A number of scriptures describe clearly the need to act and not be acted upon (see 2 Nephi 2:26; D&C 43:8–9), 19 but how is action related to healing?

I have come to see that action is the point at which belief turns into faith. When we act in faith, moving ahead on a good path, we open the door to grace. Having the courage to act opens the door to grace, which is the key to healing. Learning to act in faith is one of the great challenges of mortality. 

"Action is the foundational key to all
success." - Pablo Picasso.

What then are the major roadblocks to acting in faith? I would suggest that procrastination and fear are two of Satan’s greatest tools to keep us in the “acted upon” position.

If Satan can convince us that our fear is too great to be able to act or that to act is a great idea but we should do it later, he can prevent us from opening the door to grace.

Think about how he does this. Maybe you tell yourself, “I totally plan on getting married. It is a great idea and I am pro-marriage, but I have to do these other things first.” Or, “My life is in a holding pattern right now. I am not sure where I should go or what I should do until I get married. I am stuck.” 

... Or, “I cannot go to my bishop to resolve this sin because I am afraid he will see how far I have fallen and he will not want or will not be able to help me.” Can you see how effective procrastination and fear are in meeting Satan’s objectives in our lives? Remember, the longer we remain in an inactive state, the further we drift from the Lord and His Spirit. 

As C. S. Lewis astutely described, “The more often [a person] feels without acting, the less he will be able ever to act, and, in the long run, the less he will be able to feel.” How then can we overcome the tendency to procrastinate or shut down in fear? Let me propose that prayer is the simplest form of action. 

Remember the truth in this hymn: “Prayer will change the night to day. So, when life gets dark and dreary, Don’t forget to pray.” When you pray, you act in faith and open the door to “blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them.” 

In your prayers, be sure to speak openly, sincerely, and directly to Him who is your loving Father. ... We need to learn how to offer mighty prayer. For example, you might fervently plead, “Heavenly Father, I am procrastinating again. I am getting stuck in that old pattern. Please help me to break free. Please give me the strength to just get started and then the stamina to stick with the task.”

Or, “Heavenly Father, I am totally shut down in fear. I need to move forward and act, but this prayer is all I can muster up right now. Please help me find the courage to act.” I promise those prayers will be heard and help will come. We call that help grace. 

And remember, you can still act, even if you are afraid or feel like procrastinating. My favorite example of this type of action is Mother Teresa. I love this quote about her from writer Marcus Goodyear: Mother Teresa doubted. Her spirit wavered. . . . Some days she questioned herself.

Some days she questioned God. And this is the biggest encouragement of all. Even Mother Teresa had doubts. ... Her doubt gives me hope; not that my own doubt will go away but that feelings of doubt are not as powerful as a faithful decision to act. I may doubt, but I still pray. I still go to church. I still worship. 

... Doubt is a feeling, but faith chooses to act no matter our feelings. ... I have since asked myself, “Am I in the right place doing the right thing, willing to act as God prompts so I can do the work He has given me?” ... I love that phrase “see herself as an agent and claim a space of choice.”

When we have the courage to act, we open the door to healing. Mrs. Parks’ courageous act opened the door to the civil rights movement, a movement that brought a large measure of needed healing to this country." 

Stay Tuned until next time.

Healing = COURAGE + Action + Grace ~ Part Two

 Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on a BYU Devotional in January 2014, and it is called "Healing = Courage + Action + Grace" by Jonathan G. Sandberg. This post is part two. I would like to share with you some highlights whilst I was reading the Devotional, and I hope that you would be able to read something new whilst reading through this post. 

Jonathan has mentioned the following; "Courage

... Simply defined, true “courage is not the absence of fear; it is the making of action in spite of fear.”  In order for healing to occur, we have to be courageous enough to move forward when we are afraid. I have chosen three examples in which courage is needed for healing to occur.

First, we have to be courageous to face the truth regarding what needs to change in our lives. This type of intense introspection requires tremendous honesty with ourselves. As Jesus said, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32; see also 2 Nephi 28:28), but that is usually only after it hurts us first. ... It takes courage to be honest with ourselves.

Second, it takes tremendous courage to be congruent to live a life in which our public and private priorities are in sync and in which what we experience on the inside is consistent with what we show on the outside. ... As James in the New Testament said, “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). 

"Fear is a reaction. Courage is
a decision." - Winston S. Churchill.

... I had to figure out what I believed not what my parents had said was right or the Church or my employer, but what I believed was right. I had to get right between God and me. 

Then I had to learn to live congruently so that my actions were in harmony with my moral beliefs which took courage. But oh, how refreshing it is to live a life of integrity! Healing requires the courage to find out that what we believe is true and live according to that truth. 

As the therapist Brené Brown has astutely observed: Trying to co-opt or win over someone ... is always a mistake, because it means trading in your authenticity for approval.

You stop believing in your worthiness and start hustling for it. I have learned over the years that posturing, posing, peacocking, and pretending are exhausting and bring unhappiness. Having the courage to be congruent brings a settled and peaceful feeling. ...

Third, we have to develop the courage to live counter to the world’s dominant culture. ... We live in a world in which appearance and approval are the keys to social status and power. In order to find healing, we have to develop the courage to say no to this dominant culture.

I love what Morrie Schwartz said to Mitch Albom about living counter to the culture in the book Tuesdays with Morrie: The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. We’re teaching the wrong things. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn’t work, don’t buy it. Create your own. 

... In two devotionals given last year, both Tyler J. Jarvis and Kristin L. Matthews encouraged us to be more accepting of our imperfections and to be more pleased with our best approximations, our bodies, our gifts, and

our differences. I encourage you to reread their talks. 

... President Thomas S. Monson said ... "Let us have the courage to defy the consensus, the courage to stand for principle. Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God’s approval. ... A moral coward is one who is afraid to do what he thinks is right because others will disapprove or laugh."

... Marjorie Pay Hinckley described the peace that comes when we refuse to compare and despair, as the dominant culture teaches: Fifty was my favorite age. It takes about that long to learn to quit competing to be yourself and settle down to living. It is the age I would like to be through all eternity! 

In order to find healing, we have to develop the courage to avoid the culture that says there is only one acceptable way (i.e., a specific size, hair color, or ACT score) to be a good person or even a good Christian. There are many, many ways to be a righteous, positive influence in the world. If enough of us say no to the dominant culture, it will lose its power (see Joshua 1:9)."

Stay Tuned until next time.