"Be Strong and of Good Courage" ~ 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 (Brigham Young University) Devotional in June 2008, and it is called "Be Strong and of Good Courage" by Elder Donald L. Staheli. This post is part two, and I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional.

Elder Staheli has mentioned the following; "... Equally important in our pursuit of happiness and a secure testimony is the daily habit of reading and pondering the scriptures. The busier life becomes, the more difficult it is to stay connected to this important part of our spiritual growth. Yet making the scriptures a part of your daily life is another foundation stone of your testimony.

King Benjamin sternly admonished his people, “If you believe all these things see that ye do them” (Mosiah 4:10). Living to be worthy of the Spirit and then responding to its promptings is an essential ingredient to a strong and vibrant testimony. To be worthy of the Spirit embodies the bottom line of obedient living. To truly accomplish this is the quest of a lifetime.

... The important point is that Nephi had made the decision as to how he was going to respond to the Lord’s commandments. From that point forward he was steadfast. I suspect Satan worked on him, just as he does each of us today, yet the scriptures indicate that Satan was totally unsuccessful in affecting Nephi’s decision to do the Lord’s will. ... Great blessings come to those who follow Nephi’s example.

Understanding and responding to the principle of obedience has singular importance in preparing us for success and eternal happiness. As the Lord promised Joshua, He “will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” as long as you are striving daily to obey His commandments. ... The same is true of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

It gives us agency and ample freedom of choices, but the ultimate success of those choices depends on our diligence in keeping the commandments and covenants we have made with the Lord. As you pursue your educational goals, it is essential that you keep focused on your spiritual commitments. 

The challenge with most of us is the tendency to become casual or to lose focus on those non-negotiable or non-compromising commandments from which promised blessings flow. ... Satan works constantly on this principle of blurring our focus relating to gospel principles. 

He seductively encourages our casualness by helping us feel secure that “this won’t matter” or “that won’t taint my mind.” This is especially true as he casually leads young people down the slippery slope of immorality. I believe Satan has a dominant influence on the media - television, movies, and the Internet. 

Each becomes seductive in its own way. ... It is clear that frequent exposure tends to legitimize that which we see and hear. It dulls our sense of conscience between the acceptable and unacceptable. It is Satan’s way of leading you down the slippery slope toward immoral thoughts and actions.

And those parts of the Internet that move you into pornography serve as the devil’s trump card. It only takes a few viewings of pornography and he has you hooked. Then he begins to work his evil power, because what you have seen and heard becomes paramount in your thought processes. And the more you see, the more addicted you become.

You young people, especially you young men, have become Satan’s target audience. ... Pornography can become one of the most destructive elements of your marriage. We plead with any of you who are in any way involved in pornography to see your bishop so that he can help you find your way out of the cesspool of filth that is designed to destroy you.

Be careful that you don’t let Satan use his influence to control your thoughts and actions, and ultimately your future. When you are able to recognize and overcome any personal irritants you may have toward certain principles of obedience, you will feel God endowing you with the power of the Spirit to resist the inappropriate things of the world that Satan would have you enjoy.

When we are able to declare as the people did to King Benjamin that there has been “a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually” (Mosiah 5:2), then we will be well on the road to success and eternal happiness.

The companionship of the Spirit and the strength of your testimonies will depend on daily nurturing of your faith, praying, studying the scriptures, and obeying the commandments. As you do so, you will be moving toward achieving the spiritual and temporal blessings the Lord has in store for you.

... The Lord wants each of you to find joy and happiness and success in your professional and vocational pursuits. But He wants you to do it in a way that your ambitions for success do not supersede your priority for living gospel principles.

"Decisions are constantly before us, to make
them wisely, COURAGE IS NEEDED."
- Thomas S. Monson.

President Thomas S. Monson painted the picture as follows: “We have been provided divine attributes to guide our journey. We enter mortality not to float with the moving currents of life, but with the power to think, to reason, and to achieve” (“Invitation to Exaltation,” Ensign, June 1993, 5).

These are the years when you must take responsibility for who you now are and what you want to become. Think carefully about where you are. Remember, education is the key to the door of opportunity. The Savior’s parable of the talents is so applicable to you at this stage in your lives. 

Jesus knows there are differences between you intellectually, emotionally, and physically. Therefore He only expects you to magnify and develop whatever talents and abilities you have. But He expects you to be accountable for your actions in so doing. 

He will not measure your progress against others. He does not grade on the curve! Rather He blesses you for what you are doing to magnify whatever gifts and talents you have been given. ... Take control of your actions and prepare to succeed at whatever you are capable of doing.

... This is also a time in your life when counsel from others can help you decide what you should be doing that will move you toward achieving your full potential. ... As you recall, the Lord counseled Joshua to “be strong and of a good courage” as he took on his new responsibilities. That same counsel applies to you as you prepare to pursue careers that will take you to different parts of the world.

Periodically you will be placed in situations that will require you to “be strong and of a good courage” in order to stay true and faithful to gospel principles. ... Worldly standards will always be in a state of flux. The only true and unchanging standards are those set by the Savior and His teachings and principles of the restored gospel.

... Yet, with a few exceptions, once people understood our principles and standards and our desire to stay true to them, they respected us for them. As you have the courage to be true to your beliefs, your exemplary conduct will not go unnoticed. 

While you will be tried and tested, your faithful adherence to the Lord’s standards will be seen as a beacon in the night to those around you. ... President Hinckley is an impeccable example of courageous leadership. He is steadfast and true to principle and courageously forthright in his convictions. 

Yet with unwavering courage he has the ability to express his commitments to gospel principles in clear but acceptable terms to those not of our faith. Hopefully his example will help you to “be strong and of a good courage” when pushed to compromise your standards. You will be respected for your integrity. 

And if occasionally you are not, you need not worry, because that is not the kind of association you will want or need in your future. “As the finest generation in the history of the Church,” much is expected of you (Gordon B. Hinckley, CR, April 1992, 96; or “A Chosen Generation,” Ensign, May 1992, 69). 

And we have confidence you will live up to those expectations. ... As you keep His commandments and follow the counsel of the prophets and your leaders, He will be there to guide you through the challenges that lie ahead. He “will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” ..."

If you would like to read the whole Devotional, here is the link below.

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/donald-l-staheli/strong-good-courage/

Stay Tuned until next time. 

“Be Strong and of Good Courage” ~ Part One

 Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

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

This post focuses on BYU (Brigham Young University) Devotional in June 2008, and it is called "Be Strong and of Good Courage" by Elder Donald L. Staheli. This post is part one, and I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional.

Elder Staheli has mentioned the following; "... The Lord’s hand has truly been in our lives. But with these blessings have come tests and challenges just as most of you periodically experience and will continue to experience in the years ahead.

This is a special time in your life when choices are made and patterns and habits are formed that will have a major impact on who you will become. ... Some of you know exactly what you want to do with your life. Others are still pondering and discovering opportunities for the future. 

In either case, it is essential to your future success and happiness that you keep your minds and your hearts open to the promptings of the Spirit. As you live to be worthy of those spiritual promptings, the Lord has promised that He will be with you.

... As you acknowledge that the Lord “will not fail thee,” as long as you are obedient to His teachings, then I would ask, Are you happy with the present conduct of your life? What changes or course corrections should you make in order to take full advantage of your daily opportunities for learning and personal spiritual growth?

Now is the time to set the course for what you want to be five or 10 years or even 50 years from now. During our few minutes together today, it would be my prayer that something might be said or felt that will help you crystallize your thoughts as to who you are and what you have the potential to become.

It has been said that one of the greatest tragedies of our time is that so many people live so far below their potential. ... President Gordon B. Hinckley continually counsels, “Do your best.” And then he has added: “But I want to emphasize that it be the very best. 

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

We are too prone to be satisfied with mediocre performance. We are capable of doing so much better” (“Standing Strong and Immovable,” World Leadership Training Meeting, 10 January 2004 [Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2004], 21).

The late Elder Neal A. Maxwell said it another way: “The Lord loves each of us too much to merely let us go on being what we now are, for he knows what we have the possibility to become!” (“In Him All Things Hold Together,” BYU 1990–91 Devotional and Fireside Speeches [Provo: BYU, 1991], 107).

... As you further refine your plans for the future, you will not only find success in a temporal sense but you will be moving toward achieving a relationship with your Father in Heaven and Savior that prepares you for an eternal relationship in the celestial kingdom.

First and foremost in your pursuit is the development and nurturing of a strong personal testimony. 

I assume that each of you has a basic testimony of the gospel. Some periodically struggle. Many are strong as you have returned from missions or have focused on prayer and study that have brought you to an undeniable testimony of the truth. ... Hopefully you feel that your testimony is vibrant and growing stronger each day. 

... I would suspect that many of you are being challenged by the “things of the world” with which you periodically deal. I am referring to the daily bombardment of worldly messages and enticements from the media of TV, movies, and the Internet that tend to tempt or distract you from keeping your testimony strong and staying completely true to gospel principles and covenants. Certain kinds of peer pressures can also be challenging.

... Just claiming to know the gospel is true is not always enough. ... I cannot think of a greater loss to anyone than the loss of the promptings of the Spirit. Our testimonies grow through faith, prayer, scripture study, and obedience to the commandments. The daily exercise and nurturing of these principles is key to a strong and resilient testimony and commitment to gospel principles. Let me comment on each of these principles.

President Gordon B. Hinckley speaks often about our need for faith. ... President Gordon B. Hinckley frequently encourages us to have “the kind of faith that moves one to get on his knees and plead with the Lord and then get on his feet and go to work” (“God Shall Give unto You Knowledge by His Holy Spirit,” Speeches of the Year, 1973 [Provo: BYU, 1974], 109; see also TGBH, 186).

... As we follow his counsel, our testimonies and our commitments to make right choices will grow. When I reflect on my youth and the initial development of my testimony, I realize nothing had a greater impact on its development than the faith of my mother and father and their daily application of that faith in their prayers. 

The Lord responded to their faith and prayers, and as children we witnessed the hand of the Lord in our family. We came to know the meaning of what Moroni meant when he said: “I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith” (Ether 12:6).

The faith of our family was tried time and again. And, periodically, special spiritual experiences too tender to tell followed. I bear testimony that the Lord does hear and answer prayers - prayers from the hearts of His faithful children. When your lives become crowded with other activities, it is easy to periodically skip a prayer or to use an abbreviated version of your prayers. 

Don’t shortchange the Lord on your prayers. Nothing you will do during any day of your life will be more important to your temporal success or your eternal progress than consistent, humble, sincere prayers offered at least morning and night of every day."

Stay Tuned until next time.

How have I applied agency in my life?

   Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

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

I have often asked myself "How have I applied agency in my life?" It gets me thinking about the many choices that I have made throughout my life. I would like to share some of those examples about how I have applied agency throughout my life. 

~ I am very grateful for my parents allowing me to attend schooling from when I was in Preschool until I was grade 12 (senior). Duration of my schooling years; I have chosen to allow my parents, most of my teachers and my teacher aides to help me with my studies. Sometimes I would just encouraged myself to feel motivated to get assignments to be completed and submitted on the due dates. 

I remembered when there was some afternoons and evenings after school when I did not feel like focusing my time on doing homework, assignments, and studying for exams; and I have allowed some distractions to stop me from doing homework, assignments, and studying for exams. Those distractions was spending too much time on one of my family's computer with playing online games and spending too much time on Facebook

~ When I was fourteen years old, I have chosen to do seminary. I am so grateful that I was able to do seminary from when I was fourteen years old to when I was seventeen years old. I have been able to learn so much about the scriptures. It has helped me to gain spiritual knowledge while I was in high school. I am very grateful that I was able to graduate seminary when I was seventeen years old. 

~ I remembered making the choices of attending EFY when I was fifteen years old and SMYC when I was seventeen years old. I am very grateful for attending because I was able to meet and make a lot of new friends. Some of the friends that I have met and made during EFY and SMYC, I was able to see them and catch up with them during my YSA years. It has been a small amount of friends that I still stay in touch these days. 

~ The year that I was turning eighteen years old, I have made the decision to start attending institute. I have made several commitments to make myself available on the same evenings when institute was held because I wanted to continue gaining spiritual knowledge after graduating from seminary. I was able to graduate institute when I was twenty-one years old. 

~ When I was nineteen years old, I have made the decision to move away from my family for temporary. I have been able to stay in Perth for six weeks, I have made some new friendships, and I have made the decisions to go on dates about getting to know other guys. I had more dating opportunities while I was in Perth than I was living in Queensland. 

~ I remembered when I have made the decision and felt right for me to start filling out my full-time mission papers online because I had a very strong desire to serve a full-time mission when I was eighteen years old. I have completed and submitted all the full-time mission papers to the bishop, followed by he passed it onto the stake president. I had both interviews with the bishop and the stake president. 

I have made my decision to feel very upset, and very disappointed when I was twenty-two years old that my full-time mission papers did not got submitted to Salt Lake City Church Headquarters by the stake president who interviewed me. 

I ended up finding out by a phone call that I received from a new stake secretary of the new ward that I was in. Jacob and I had a dream about me leaving to go and serve a full-time mission. Prior to speaking with my new bishop, I have made the decision to get a priesthood blessing for guidance. I felt very strongly and knew from then what Heavenly Father would like me to do. I am very grateful for the priesthood holders to be worthy to give me a blessing. 

I have been guided to take a different path to take and that was not to serve a mission. I went ahead with my plans to fly to visit Jacob, meet his family, Jacob purposed to me, and I felt so happy for being engaged. Of course that engagement ended and turned into Jacob and I to be married. 

~ After graduating institute, I have made the decision to apply BYU (Brigham Young University) Pathways program that was run by the church. I am grateful for getting an email for acceptance into the BYU Pathways program, and I was able to start in the first spring semester. I am grateful for studying BYU Pathways program because I was able to learn so much about things that I did not know before, and it has helped me to continue gaining spiritual knowledge after graduating institute. 

~ When I was twenty years old, I have made the decision to receive my endowments on my twenty-first birthday. I am very grateful for receiving my endowments when I was twenty-one years old because within a few weeks after I have received my endowments, I felt privileged to attend a sealing session with my Mom's parents. My Nanna was able to get SEALED to her parents, my Poppy was the proxy for Nanna's father and I was being the proxy for my Nanna's mother. 

~ When I was twenty-three years old, I have made the decision to get sealed for all time and throughout all eternity with Jacob. I am very grateful for making that decision because I always have been excited and looking forward to be sealed to my eternal companion since during my teenage years. 

I have shared with those examples because it has helped me how I have applied agency in my life that has helped me to become for who I am today, and I have learned so much. Agency can teach us a lot of things that we did not know before but also remembering that whatever decisions that we go with, we can not go back to the past and change our minds to find out what our choices would have been like if we made a different decision and path that we have taken. 

Stay tuned until next time. 

You and Your Free Agency ~ Part Two

  Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

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

This post focuses on a BYU (Brigham Young University) Devotional in June 1984 and it is called "You and Your Free Agency" by Elder Angel Abrea. This post is part two. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

Elder Abrea has mentioned the following; "Procrastinators

... What is procrastination? In simple terms it is postponing unnecessarily, and in an irrational way, something that one knows should be done. Why do people procrastinate? Many reasons can be given, but it all boils down to the protection of a vulnerable feeling of self-esteem. ...

Test Avoiders. These are people who fear they will fail in their attempts to reach their own standards, standards which demand outstanding effort each time. By waiting until it is too late to do a great job, they justify the situation by convincing themselves, “I didn’t have sufficient time.” ...

Rebels. These are the people who believe that if they follow in someone else’s footsteps they are being controlled or dominated. For them, to procrastinate becomes a way of retaining a feeling of power and control. ... I think it is much better and more honorable for us, whether children or adults, youthful, middle-aged or old, it is better to live by and better to die by, to have our hearts pure, and to yield strict obedience to the principles of life which the Lord has revealed, than be a slave to sin and wickedness. [JD, 18:246]

Myopics. Some people procrastinate because they believe that certain jobs, obligations, or assignments are not rewarding, or that they demand too much sacrifice. So they decide to put their efforts in other directions that appear to be more worthwhile or necessary. They seek immediate rewards rather than rewards obtained in the long run, though they are more valuable.

The words we find in Doctrine and Covenants 78 show the promised blessings for those who live with their vision toward eternity: ... And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours. And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; ... And he that is a faithful and wise steward shall inherit all things. Amen. [D&C 78:17–22]

... Self-Defeaters. Some people become so depressed that they postpone working toward goals because they have a fear of being successful, then that procrastination guarantees that they don’t attain the success they fear.

If people who behave in this manner would apply the words of the Savior to their lives, it would totally change their attitude. “Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you” (D&C 68:6).

"We have agency. What happens in our lives
and in our pattern of eternal progression is
just what we decide it will be."
- Boyd K. Packer. 

Excuses for Not Acting

If you will analyze the before-mentioned cases, you will notice that without fail each one of them condenses down to fear of doing the job as an excuse for not acting, or to an irrational assumption such as, “I’ll be able to get that work done the night before it is due.” The solution is simple (the Prophet has said it), “Do it now.”

Slaves to Customs

There is another false concept, an idea frequently implanted in the minds of many persons, not necessarily placed there by themselves, but by others and by customs. 

I refer to the tendency to do certain things because everyone else does them. Even though this seems to be a simple matter ... We often become slaves to routines, we act conforming to custom or as the surrounding conditions dictate. 

Just because most of the people do it does not mean that it is right. The important issue in determining our salvation is to be certain and know with a clear conscience what the motives are that move us to actions, and what the thoughts are that we hold within us and which later lead to actions.

Agency Regarding Our Minds

We exercise our agency in our thinking process just as much as we use our agency in our actions. ... If we do not learn to grow from within and make effective use of our agency regarding our thoughts, our actions will lack direction; they will lack significant meaning, since what we wish to accomplish will not be clearly defined in our mind, and our mind will not be trained in setting goals, desires, and objectives.

Opposition

There is also another of Satan’s snares which lures many people, another of the common phrases used as justification for not acting, for not getting the job done, for not exercising fully the right of free agency. How many people do you know that say (with a type of defeat and resignation), “The opposition is strong, and I’m only human.”

... How can anyone justify himself with such reasoning to fail or to not act positively? How can anyone think of the opposition as a limiting factor or condition in exercising our free agency?

... The trials, the opposition, the conditions which some would define as unfavorable, will ever be with us throughout this life of probation. It is a principle which has been with us from the first; therefore we must not complain we must not lament or fail to act positively when we are confronted with one of these situations in our lives.

There are those who believe that because we are human, that is justification for our weaknesses. This is to deny the wisdom and justice of God, since that is implicitly saying or thinking that he has sent us here to earth on the preconceived condition that we would fail, yielding inevitably to the temptations of Satan. ...

Let us see what the Prophet Joseph Smith said in regard to this point. 

He commenced his observations by remarking that the kindness of our Heavenly Father called for our heartfelt gratitude. He then observed that Satan was generally blamed for the evils which we did, but if he was the cause of all our wickedness, men could not be condemned. The devil could not compel mankind to do evil; all was voluntary.

Those who resisted the Spirit of God, would be liable to be led into temptation, and then the association of heaven would be withdrawn from those who refused to be made partakers of such great glory. God would not exert any compulsory means, and the devil could not; and such ideas as were entertained [on these subjects] by many were absurd. [Teachings, p. 187]

There are various other examples which we could analyze. However, we will consider only one more aspect of free agency.

Proceed with Vigor

In the Doctrine and Covenants we read: For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward. Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness. ... [D&C 58:26–29]

I believe that these verses clearly indicated the attitude which we should develop as we confront each task or undertaking an attitude of proceeding with enthusiasm, vigor and good will. In that quotation from the Savior we find several word phrases such as compelled in all things, anxiously engaged, own free will, the power is in them, and do good, ... but all of them together motivating us to use our talents and our free agency willingly.

In those words the Savior indicated that we should serve willingly because of a desire to do so which we have developed, rather than doing the job dutifully because we are obligated. In order to find the joy of living in accordance with the Savior’s will, there should be a sincere desire to please him, doing it correctly, since this will bring us peace of mind and a rewarding feeling which cannot be obtained in any other way.

... And so we have reviewed several concepts which I am sure are well known by you, but at times forgotten the purpose being to pause in the midst of our daily careers and meditate on the great blessing that free agency is in our lives.

Be Found on the Lord’s Side

It is my desire that in our daily struggle to make decisions, we will always be found on the Lord’s side. As President George Albert Smith expressed it, There are two influences ever present in the world.

One is constructive and elevating and comes from our Heavenly Father; the other is destructive and debasing and comes from Lucifer. We have our agency and make our own choice in life subject to these unseen powers. ... If we live on the Lord’s side of the line Lucifer cannot come there to influence us, but if we cross the line into his territory we are in his power. 

By keeping the commandments of the Lord we are safe on His side of the line, but if we disobey His teachings we voluntarily cross into the zone of temptation and invite the destruction that is ever present there. ... [George Albert Smith, “Our M.I.A.,” Improvement Era, May 1935, 38:278]

Brothers and sisters, the purpose of this life is to prove ourselves, to allow us the opportunity of choosing and to gain a dwelling place in the mansions of our Father. I testify to you that this will be our reward if we have the faith, the determination, and the deep desire to follow the words of the Lord to Enoch, “Choose ye this day, to serve the Lord God who made you” (Moses 6:33). ..."

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/angel-abrea/free-agency/

Stay tuned until next time.

You and Your Free Agency ~ Part One

  Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

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

What is your definition of the word agency? What does agency means to a immediate relative? 

What does agency means to a friend? How do you apply agency in your life? 

This post focuses on a BYU (Brigham Young University) Devotional in June 1984 and it is called "You and Your Free Agency" by Elder Angel Abrea. This post is part one, and I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

Elder Abrea has mentioned the following; "... A Good Moral

There’s a story told to the children in Argentina that will serve to introduce the theme I wish to present. ... A pack of dogs was gathered on a street corner. The dogs were telling each other the woes and troubles they had suffered in their lives. There was a large number of them and the conversation became very loud. 

Suddenly the most observant one let out a loud cry, “The dog-catcher!” Immediately animals scattered in every direction as fast as they could go. About one or two blocks away one of them stopped and asked, “Why am I running? I’m a cat.” It’s a story for children, but it has a good moral, don’t you think?

Many times we act like that cat of that group that are swept along with the current, as the style may be, and, because of what others do, we lose our individuality and don’t exercise one of the greatest gifts God has given to man, that of making choices the gift of free agency, or standing on one’s own feet.

We all have our free agency and we will each be responsible before our Heavenly Father for what we gain from it, since our exaltation depends on it. Let us see if with the help of some good examples, some reasoning, and a few passages and comments from the scriptures, we can stop for a few moments and ask ourselves, “Why am I running?” and analyze the use we are making of our free agency.

We Are Constantly Faced with Decisions

Concerning the misuse of free agency, I have observed many times that the error is not necessarily what others do to limit our free agency, but rather our lack of making the correct decisions; it is the lack of courage to exercise this agency.

From the time the power of reasoning first begins in the early stages of the journey through life, men are continually faced with decisions, with the constant challenge of choosing, of determining which of two roads to take the right one leading to progress and happiness or the wrong one leading to frustration and unhappiness.

Man determines his own destiny by the decisions and choices he makes, which is definitely an eternal law. Our success or our failure, our peace of mind or our anxiety, all depend upon the choices we make day by day.

Certainly Samuel the Lamanite expressed emphatically and clearly that same concept:

... He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you. [Helaman 14:30–31]

President Wilford Woodruff emphasized the responsibility that each individual assumes when he exercises his right of free agency: This agency has always been the heritage of man under the rule and government of God. ... By virtue of this agency you and I and all mankind are made responsible beings, responsible for the course we pursue, the lives we live, the deeds we do in the body. [Millennial Star 51:642]

President David O. McKay said, “So fundamental in man’s eternal progress is his inherent right to choose, that the Lord would defend it even at the price of war” (CR, April 1942, p. 73). The reason is that without this gift the responsibilities of men having to answer for their own acts would be totally invalid. 

"As precious as life itself is our heritage of individual
freedom; for man's free agency is a God given gift."
- David O McKay."

No one can be judged for acts committed under circumstances and conditions which deprive the individual from exercising completely his ability to choose, in determining the direction to follow.

President John Taylor explained this idea in the following manner: If man be not a moral agent, he cannot be responsible for the present position of the world; and it would be unjust in God to punish him for acts that were not his and for circumstances over which he had no control. [Daniel H. Ludlow, ed., Latter-day Prophets Speak (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1977), p. 157]

So free agency then makes it possible to exercise justice to the fullest extent, and this results in what James E. Talmage explains: Man’s accountability for his individual acts is as complete as is his agency to elect for himself. 

The ultimate result of good deeds is happiness, the consequence of evil is misery; these follow in every man’s life by inviolable laws. ... [The Articles of Faith, 12th ed. (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1924), p. 55]

Through Our Choices We Determine Our Future

We need to remember when we make decisions that as we sow, so shall we reap. ... We cannot sow seeds of the slothful and of less effort and expect to receive the blessings of dedication and diligent effort. By our daily decisions we determine whether we will live according to God’s commandments or whether we will just follow along with, as Paul said, “commandments of men, that turn from the truth” (Titus 1:14).

Each day of our life, through the choices we make, we determine whether we will augment the building of our eternal dwelling with Heavenly Father or whether we want to slide along on a path which deprives us of the blessings of life eternal.

As everyone knows, frequently it is easier to go along with the current than to row upstream toward the mountain. However, once recognizing the importance of free agency, we come to the conclusion that self-discipline is fundamentally important in the task of making decisions.

We often see examples of how free agency is inhibited. For instance, sometimes we slip backward, instead of going forward, by letting others make decisions for us. We follow the decisions and goals of others and do not appreciate the blessings of free agency.

We Have All the Time There Is

Let us consider first those who go along with commonly used phrases, those who use them without reasoning through their meaning phrases which become popular, and in many cases determine one’s manner of action.

Let’s talk a few minutes about those who say, “There is not time for anything,” and see if they are not a typical example of those who unthinkingly leave it to others to make their decisions for them. ... Many persons declare daily that they do not have sufficient time. Nevertheless, each one has all that there is.

Others say that time flies when actually it moves at a set rate. Or they speak of saving time, but time cannot be saved, lost, or borrowed. How many times have you heard someone say that they want to make up for lost time? Once time has passed it cannot be replaced. Still others say, “The time just goes.” The truth is that we are the ones who go, and time remains the same.

... The fact is that time is on our side the very minute we have it organized. You have heard it said, “There is not sufficient time.” We have all the time that there is; it all depends on how we distribute it. All of these erroneous ideas lead to wrong actions, and if we think about that for a moment, we realize they are commonly used in some cases we ourselves use them unthinkingly. 

What we need to ask ourselves is this: “Is the problem with the time or is it with myself?” ... Unless we use our head and are not fooled by these meaningless phrases, we will be caught in the current with those who do not make decisions, but allow others to make them for them; we will not be standing on our own feet. ..."

Stay Tuned until next time. 

A Joyful Heart ~ 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 BYU (Brigham Young University) Devotional in June 2004, and it is called "A Joyful Heart" by Elder Dale E. Miller. This post is part three and I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

Elder Miller has mentioned the following; 

"Peace and joy come from pondering scripture. You can sense the joy that prophets describe within themselves. It is a marvelous thing to contemplate the joys coming to Joseph Smith as revelation after revelation poured upon him from heaven. What joy he expressed in receiving visits from the Savior and the great prophets of old! 

Just one example in his life can give you a flavor: Immediately on our coming up out of the water after we had been baptized, we experienced great and glorious blessings from our Heavenly Father. ... We were filled with the Holy Ghost, and rejoiced in the God of our salvation. [JS—H 1:73; emphasis added]

... There is a great spiritual enrichment in pondering scripture not just reading nor just studying but truly pondering. When you get it fixed right in your minds, your hearts begin to open up to feelings that bring lasting joy. Pondering scripture also stores up great knowledge useful throughout life in solving the everyday problems that vex you.

It helps keep a pure conduit to heaven, allowing joy to replace indecision and lack of direction. Pondering scripture is a discipline to learn early in life and insist on maintaining throughout. Now let’s talk about love. It seems like such a short time ago that Laurel and I were sitting in your seats listening to similar speakers. 

We were engaged to be married and very much in love. Over the years we have learned much more about love. We have learned that “being in love” is a wonderfully blissful state. But eternal companionship is much more. The term being in love uses the word love as a noun, a state of being. 

"Stay joyful."

The other meaning of love is in its condition as an action verb. To love and be loved transcends “being” in love. ... Although you may feel love toward the Savior, feeling love is not enough. You must demonstrate your love in a contractual way. 

It is the giving of that love that brings true and lasting joy. The same is true in marriage. Paul’s counsel to the Saints in Ephesians underscores this principle: Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; ... Loving others means helping them to become better. Lasting joy comes from combining the “being in love” with a loving behavior. 

In the words of C. S. Lewis: Love as distinct from “being in love” is not merely a feeling. It is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit; reinforced by (in Christian marriages) the grace which both parents ask, and receive, from God. 

... “Being in love” first moved them to promise fidelity: this quieter love enables them to keep the promise. It is on this love that the engine of marriage is run: being in love was the explosion that started it. [C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: Macmillan, 1952) 99; emphasis added]

Love is both a noun and a verb in the celestial kingdom. ... Let us return now to our earlier statement: “Certainly the power of the Atonement, coupled with our true and full conversion, is the greatest ingredient in finding joy.” Our baptism does not necessarily indicate conversion. Having a testimony does not necessarily indicate conversion. 

I quote from President Marion G. Romney’s general conference talk given October 4, 1963: As used in the scriptures, “converted” generally implies not merely mental acceptance of Jesus and his teachings but also a motivating faith in him and in his gospel - a faith which works a transformation, an actual change in one’s understanding of life’s meaning and in his allegiance to God - in interest, in thought, and in conduct. 

While conversion may be accomplished in stages, one is not really converted in the full sense of the term unless and until he is at heart a new person. “Born again” is the scriptural term. [CR, October 1963, 23; emphasis in original]

... President Romney continued: Conversion ... is the fruit of, or the reward for, repentance and obedience. ... His spirit is healed. ... Sometimes there is also a healing of the nervous system or of the mind. But always the remittance of sins which attends divine forgiveness heals the spirit. 

... “And after their temptations, and much tribulation, behold, I, the Lord, will feel after them, and if they harden not their hearts, and ... they shall be converted, and I will heal them.” (D&C 112:12–13. [Emphasis] added.) ... Somebody recently asked how one could know when he is converted. 

The answer is simple. He may be assured of it when by the power of the Holy Spirit his soul is healed. When this occurs, he will recognize it by the way he feels, for he will feel as the people of Benjamin felt when they received [a] remission of sins. 

The record says, “The Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience.” (Mosiah 4:3.) [CR, October 1963, 24–25]

President Romney concluded by saying: Getting people’s spirits healed through conversion is the only way they can be healed. I know this is an unpopular doctrine and a slow way to solve the problems of men and nations. ..."[CR, October 1963, 26]

... True and full conversion is the only way to bring complete peace and healing to the soul. ... Laurel and I find great joy in the great goodness of God. He is merciful. He stands ready to heal you when you need healing. He offers peace of soul through the Atonement of His Son, Jesus Christ. 

Truly joy and happiness are the objects of our existence. May you capture the pathway to that happiness, becoming “as a river” in your constancy of pursuit. ..."

If you would like to read the whole Devotional, here is the link below. 

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/dale-e-miller/joyful-heart/

Stay Tuned until next time. 

A Joyful Heart ~ Part Two

    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 BYU (Brigham Young University) Devotional in June 2004, and it is called "A Joyful Heart" by Elder Dale E. Miller. This post is part two and I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

Elder Miller has mentioned the following; "Allow me to mention other patterns in your lives to build joy. These patterns have greatly helped Laurel and me in our journey through life together. You always have to keep humor as a significant part of your lives. We often reflect on humorous moments. 

... Home movies attest to the joyful times, particularly during family gatherings. These moments we treasure; they lift us when we are apart. We encourage you to keep humor and the memories of good times as a part of dealing with the everyday vicissitudes of life.

One caution: Don’t ever use humor at the expense of someone else! ... You may not know that there is occasional humor mixed into our work at Church headquarters. The General Authorities and officers are typically happy, optimistic people. Humor shows up at times in unexpected ways.

... Let me recommend another ingredient of joy. I was fortunate to marry a girl with music in her soul. As she sits at the piano playing the classics and hymns, it brings a great sense of peace and enjoyment. Incidentally, she could step up to this pulpit and sing almost every popular song written in our time excluding grunge, hip-hop, and rap, of course! 

To keep our relationship harmonious, I won’t ask her to receive your requests now. Each of our children and now our grandchildren has learned to play musical instruments. Our experience leads us to recommend that you steer your children away from learning to play drums. Let them take that up when they move into their own homes!

... I have come to recognize much later in life the importance of bringing into my soul the melodies and words of our hymns and other uplifting music. Now as I sing sacrament hymns, they become my words, my prayers, and my thanksgivings.

We possess particular hymns especially written to bring peace and healing to our souls. Let’s listen for a moment as the Tabernacle Choir sings to lift our souls. ... Uplifting music is designed to bring peace into our lives. Another lesson about happiness occurred while I was serving as a mission president in Venezuela. 

"If you carry joy in your heart, you can heal
any moment." - Carlos Santana.

The assistants came into my office one day and said, “ President, there are two types of missionaries in our mission: those who use most of their week preparing for PDay and those who use their P-Day to plan their week.” 

There is a message here. You returned missionaries know what I am talking about. We notice a great difference in those who come into the mission prepared to work hard because they have had earlier experiences of working hard. They gain satisfaction in life from accomplishing worthwhile goals.

President David O. Mc Kay commented on the importance of work in bringing happiness: One source of happiness springs from the realization of having accomplished something worthwhile. ... The accomplishing of a fixed determination in the quest for truth and nobility of soul always produces happiness. [Pathways, 107]

That is why effective missionaries do not want to leave their missions and always look back on mission life with satisfaction. When you look back from the other side of the veil, will you feel likewise? ... Has it occurred to you that sincere and heartfelt prayer brings discovery, and discovery brings joy?

Of all the challenging times in our lives, I think Laurel would agree with me that our three-year mission in Venezuela would count high on the list. We had our young family with us. Their happiness and well-being were an ever-important issue balanced with the everyday challenges of the missionaries, culture, language, illness, crime, political turmoil, and so forth.

I remember so well a particular day on the island country of Trinidad and Tobago. We were trying to gain official recognition for the Church. After many failed attempts I remember falling to my knees in my hotel room in the capital city, Port of Spain. I poured out my heart to God, saying, “Heavenly Father, I can’t do this alone! The obstacles are too great.”

... A voice came to my mind saying, “Be patient. I will open the pathway to establish my Church here.” The Spirit spoke to my mind, bringing great peace and consolation to my heart. Prayer indeed brings peace, healing, and a sense of joy.

Please consider prayer as an active and open channel to a loving and listening Heavenly Father. It helps at times to have the image of His countenance before you, the Savior at His side advocating on your behalf. He does listen. ... He always listens to the prayers of your heart."

Stay Tuned until next time. 

A Joyful Heart ~ Part One

    Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

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

This post focuses on BYU (Brigham Young University) Devotional in June 2004, and it is called "A Joyful Heart" by Elder Dale E. Miller. This post is part one and I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

Elder Miller has mentioned the following; "What I will say to you today will only have meaning as you make room in your heart for the Spirit. You surely have many things on your mind as you come to this devotional. ... You probably will not remember much of what was said. As the Spirit prompts you with a feeling or thought to attach to your life, please don’t let it pass you by.

Our message today is simple: God wants you to find and keep joy in this world and in the world to come. You have been specially endowed with a celestial nature that is to grow into a fullness of joy. That thought can get lost too easily in today’s world.

These are turbulent times. ... The kingdom of God on earth and the kingdom of the adversary are on a collision course of great proportions. ... However, God has a work for you to do! Within that work and because of it - you are promised great joy.

You are principle players in this great contest between good and evil. How we pray for you that you will be heavily armed with the standard of truth and righteousness! ... You pray more; you study the scriptures more; you are more obedient to the commandments of God. You have a great destiny ahead of you. 

Although this will become more important to you as life moves on, how great the need is now to develop yourself into the peaceable followers of Christ. How much this world, your future family, and the people around you need the strength of your righteous influence and your joyful countenance.

So let’s discuss today how to obtain lasting joy in your life.

On June 24 of this year, Laurel and I will have been married for 44 years. ... We share our experiences with you, hoping that you will think on these experiences and, where appropriate, apply them to yourselves. From our experience, developing joy brings emotional rewards of inner peace and the healing of pains that often can beset you. 

"A joyful heart is like the sunshine of God's love,
the hope of eternal happiness." - Mother Teresa. 

Let’s see if we can understand how this works doctrinally. 

Undergirding the gospel of Jesus Christ is the concept of eternal and permanent happiness. 

Joseph Smith stated the doctrine in very few words: Happiness is the object and design of our existence; ... and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God. [Teachings, 255–56]

... The Book of Mormon contains more than 150 references to joy. To quote an early reference in the Book of Mormon: “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25). 

I am indebted to Elder Bruce Hafen for a thought he left us in the last general conference: So if you have problems in your life, don’t assume there is something wrong with you. Struggling with those problems is at the very core of life’s purpose. 

... If you’re seeing more of your weaknesses, that just might mean you’re moving nearer to God, not farther away. [Bruce C. Hafen, “The Atonement: All for All,” Ensign, May 2004, 97] There is great peace of mind in that thought. Trials and tribulations are part of the formula for getting us back to God. 

In this mortal life He does work within you, moving you into position to face and overcome your personal challenges. ... You are to grow your happiness here in mortality, primarily by being nurtured and enlightened by the good word of God. This doctrine lays out a pathway toward happiness markedly different from that of the world.

President David O. McKay clarifies a significant difference between our doctrine of happiness and that of the world: It is true that wealth and friends and material success may make [happiness] the brighter when it is already shining within ... [David O. McKay, Pathways to Happiness, comp. Llewelyn R. McKay (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1957), 107]

We are to look primarily within ourselves to build joy.

True doctrines bring joyful hearts to an intensity unknown to the world. ... Alma holds out great hope to you. There is joy to be felt exceeding the greatest of pains. He also implies that you can build for yourself high pain thresholds through understanding the Atonement. 

... Alma is telling you that the Savior’s Atonement holds full power to grant mercy sufficient to completely cleanse the mind and soul. What is profoundly crucial to you is to understand that this mercy holds sufficient power for you to achieve complete peace and healing.

Many scriptural evidences demonstrate that the Atonement gives healing to both body and soul. Think on the miracles performed by the Savior wherethrough He healed physical infirmities, at the same time forgiving the repentant sinners and bringing peace to their souls. ... Both body and soul were healed in his conversion. 

In our day the Lord has entrusted you with His power to heal by faith and by the power of the priesthood to bring about this peace and healing. Time isn’t sufficient today to name all the ingredients for bringing peace and healing to the soul. Certainly the power of the Atonement, coupled with our true and full conversion, is the greatest ingredient in finding joy."

Stay Tuned until next time.

Reach for Joy

    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 April 1982 General Conference talk, and it is called "Reach for Joy" by Sister Elaine Cannon. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the talk. 

Sister Cannon has mentioned the following; 

"Part of our precious legacy to be remembered and renewed is that though deepening trials throng our way, we know that our afflictions can be consecrated to our good. Good can come from trouble. ... “Weeping may endure for [the] night,” sang the psalmist, “but joy cometh in the morning.” (Ps. 30:5.) 

My dear sisters, the daily work of the Lord involves changing hopeless to hopeful for all of us. And it is for us to find at last that in the midst of winter we have within us an invincible summer. In a world filled with adversity we can reach for joy.

My heart responds to you - to you who are young women, so beautiful and so refreshing; to you wise and wonderful ones who have lived a little longer and suffered some; to you with many dreams and to you whose dreams have been dashed; and to some of you who have given way for a time to the temptings that are unleashed upon all of us in these latter days; ... 

To all of you, ... I give you my blessed witness that our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ live and sustain us and that the Comforter witnesses within us even now that our personal joy can be full. But first the testing - the bitter so that we can appreciate the sweet. First the trial - and then the witness of our faith. (See Ether 12:6.)

It is our understanding that in the world before this one we all heard the plan of life presented by the gods. We had our agency and each of us voted to come down to earth to be proven herewith. To me that means something like: “I will go down and I will take up my life no matter what comes. I will go down and suffer a learning disability or watch the man I love marry someone else; ... or I’ll live my life working hard all my years without apparent success. 

But I will go down to earth to be proven and to learn.” (See Abr. 3:25.) Trials come in different ways at different stages of life. ... But whatever life offers, it is to be lived, it is to be learned from. We need to get on with it and reach for joy. One certainty of life is that each of us will meet some mighty test. 

... Another thing that we can count on is that neither here nor hereafter are we suddenly going to emerge with qualities we haven’t developed or a pattern of living for which we have not prepared ourselves. Adversity is an important part of the preparation for at least three reasons. 

One, God knows whom he can trust and who, like Job, will stand firm and love him unconditionally. 

Second, adversity well handled can increase our understanding and compassion. And we will be more effective in helping others when we’ve had a few challenges of our own. We just may need to be an answer to somebody else’s prayer.

And third, we draw closer to our Heavenly Father when we are in deep need. Our prayers of thanksgiving and joy of course should be part, and are a part, of our worship, ... Attitude in adversity turns hopeless to hopeful.

"We have to embrace obstacles to reach the next stage of
joy." - Goldie Hawn.

... Or we can find our way by asking that all-important question: “Which of my Heavenly Father’s principles will help me now?” And when we find that appropriate principle, the next step is to live that law, “irrevocably decreed” upon which the particular blessing that we need is predicated. (See D&C 130:21.)

God’s plan is a plan of ultimate joy for each of us. His principles suffice in any situation. But each one of us, young and old, must rise to her challenges in her own way. Each one of us must reach for her own joy.

... For thirty years and more, Sister Louise Lake, who has now passed away, lived alone trapped in a wheelchair. A parade of problems plagued her constantly. But she made it, beautifully prepared to meet our Heavenly Father. And this is how she did it. 

Each morning over the years she practiced an “exercise in joy” a kind of fervent blessing-counting session upon awakening. Imagine! An exercise in joy under those circumstances. She didn’t curse God and die. (See Job 2:9.) She gave thanks and lived anyway touching many of us in remarkable ways because of what she had learned about trouble.

... Find the principle, sisters. Live it! Reach for joy. A special friend of mine was left with the burden of being a single parent, not by her choice. One day she was particularly desperate for help. She was very much in need of comfort and direction. 

And yet she felt so alone: her parents were away on a mission, the bishop was busy, her home teacher was out of town. And finally, tear weary, she turned to the scriptures and read the beloved words “Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you.” (D&C 88:63.) Here she found her answer. She prayed and she was helped. It was wonderful. It worked!

Today we women of all ages can draw upon the powers of heaven. We can seek strength through the priesthood, find solace and direction in our patriarchal blessing, be guided by studying the scriptures. Life may not always be exactly what we had in mind, but we are not alone. 

This special promise is recorded in Mosiah: “Lift up your heads and be of good comfort. … And I will … ease the burdens … upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.” (Mosiah 24:13, 14.)

... I know that our Heavenly Father keeps his promises. I, like you, have been sorely tried in a variety of ways. But this kind of seasoning teaches us that every burden on the back can become a gift in the hand. This I firmly believe, and I earnestly pray that in time of trial we may stand firm, sisters, in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that we may stand as witnesses of Christ and of peace in the plan of life. 

And thus reach our joy. ..."

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/1982/04/reach-for-joy

Stay Tuned until next time.

Domino's Industry in Australia Experiences

  Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

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

From November 2016 to July 2019, I was employed in Domino's industry in Australia. Overall, I was employed at total of eight different Domino's stores, but I have worked at total of eleven different Domino's stores. Overall, I always just wanted to work so I can get paid and various work schedules has kept me busy. 

I had some great fun times, I had some bad times, I had funny moments, I have faced disappointing customers who have complained about their orders was wrong, I was not supposed to make any friends with several customers but a several customers wanted to become friends with me and catch up with me outside hours of work, and I have faced great customers who always seemed to be happy that I would be their constant delivery driver. 

You may ask me, "Why were you employed at that many Domino's stores?" 

I was employed at that many Domino's stores because each store has gotten me to work for a period of time whether it has been a few short months or it has been more than three months. Most causes for me to change stores is because the team management has been changed, they have dramatically changed my working hours from the weekly income that I can rely on for living and saving, to barely able to afford the cost of paying my bills.

Other causes for me to change different stores was because whenever it was not caused of change of the team management, another store was offering more hours than the current Domino's store that I was employed at and sometimes the Domino's stores would be located shorter distance to commute to each shift. 

You may ask me, "Why is the numbers that I was employed at has different total to how many total of stores that I have worked at?" 

I remembered there was several times that I had shifts when I have been rostered on, and I was expected that I would be working at the Domino's store that I was employed at. Shortly after I have arrived to work and I was about to clock in to start my shift; I have been informed by the store manager for me to go and work at a 

different Domino's store. 

I have been told the main reason why for me to go and work at a different Domino's store. I still got paid for the time that I was working at a different Domino's store and the main reason why was my store manager bas been requested by someone from the management team of the different Domino's store for having a few delivery drivers because they were understaffed on busy evenings. 

While I was employed at Domino's in Richlands, I was not expected to train a new delivery driver one evening because I have reflected from my experience as a new delivery driver that I was trained from someone from the management team. I enjoyed the opportunity to train that new delivery driver. 

I remembered when I was promoted to be a store manager by a store manager within a week after my twenty-first birthday. The store manager has asked me about how I would feel to become a store manager. I know that I would not have enough confidence to become a store manager because when I was asked, I was employed for less than three months as a delivery driver, and I knew that I did not have any experience of being a in-store. 

It was matter of short days when the management has changed, and I was still a delivery driver. Although about three months later, I was employed at Logan Central Domino's store. I was working there for several weeks until the store manager has decided to have a short conversation with me via messages one evening. 

I was informed that the store manager has something to tell me on my next shift and I would have to wait for what he has to say. I kept guessing to myself about what would my store manager has to tell me, and I knew that I did not do anything wrong. When I was about to start my next shift, my store manager has told me that "You are a marketing manager." 

It felt unreal for me and it has taken me to feel reality a week later because I knew that I was not expecting to have a new position at work. I know that I felt happy for not just to be known as a delivery driver, I was also known as a marketing manager. 

I was able to get more hours because I was a marketing manager, and I felt so grateful for all of the opportunities for me to fulfill the responsibilities of both positions (delivery driver and marketing manager) that I have held. I had another opportunity to train another new delivery driver at a different Domino's store, and that was fun because it was on Halloween evening. 

The new delivery driver and I was given some candies from one of the customers and has told us that we can either keep the candies to ourselves or share with everyone who is also working on that evening. We certainly kept the candies to ourselves, and it felt like a great reward. 

Stay Tuned until next time.

The Blessing of Work ~ Part Two

 Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take four minutes to seven minutes read from start to finish.

This post focuses on a BYU Devotional in March 2005, and it is called "The Blessing of Work" by Elder David E. Sorensen. This post is part two, and I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

Elder Sorensen has mentioned the following; "Learn to Love Work

One of the best ways I know to enjoy life is to learn to love work. ... The happiest people I know are those who enjoy their work whatever it is. ... Remember the old saying, “Your attitude determines your altitude.” 

We should be able to find ample purpose in our work, no matter what it is. In any honest work we can serve God. King Benjamin, the Nephite prophet, said, “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 2:17).

Even if our work simply helps to provide for the necessities for our families, we are still helping God’s children. The Lord is not pleased with those who are lazy or idle. ... True Latter-day Saints will not voluntarily shift the burden of their own support to someone else. You should determine, young friends, right here and now, that to the extent possible in your own situation, you will be self reliant all of your life. 

Many of you young women are now or will become mothers and may be blessed to spend many years at home raising children. Others of you sisters may not be able to become mothers or, if you are mothers, may not be able to stay at home full-time. 

Whatever your situation, I would encourage all of you young women to follow our prophet’s counsel and get as much education as you can. Education itself is valuable. Your education will give you a sense of security if you are home raising children. 

Should your future lead you into the paid workforce, generally speaking, education will allow you to have more meaningful and more rewarding employment. Our work itself must have integrity and be for worthy purposes. 

Our Heavenly Father is not happy when we receive gain from evil or idle pursuits. 

... President Kimball defined the difference between honorable work and evil work: 

Clean money is that compensation received for a full day’s honest work. It is that reasonable pay for faithful service. It is that fair profit from the sale of goods, commodities, or service. It is that income received from transactions where all parties profit.

... Today there are many who offer the lure of easy money, suggesting shortcuts to quick riches and a life of ease. We hear about them all of the time. These offers are illusions, and the prophets have consistently counseled against falling prey to the temptation of “easy money.”

... In the workaday world there are many who are spiritually insensitive because they are carnally minded. Try to avoid them. How tragic it would be if, because of our employment, we were put in contact with those who would destroy our spirituality. ... Naturally we should find the proper balance between work, rest, and relaxation. 

Without work, rest and relaxation have no meaning. There’s an old saying: “Doing nothing is the hardest work of all.” Not only is it pleasant and necessary to rest, but we are commanded to rest on the Sabbath day (see Exodus 20:10). 

... Some of you may know that Sister Sorensen and I spent a few years in Asia. While living there we heard an old adage: “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” For the most part I believe that is wishful thinking. ... But the reality is that work is not always naturally appealing. 

I think a more appropriate maxim might be President Thomas S. Monson’s counsel. He said, “Choose your love; love your choice” (CR, October 1988, 82; or “Hallmarks of a Happy Home,” Ensign, November 1988, 71). He was actually speaking about marriage, but I would submit that this advice applies to your chosen vocation as well.

"The only way to do great work is
TO LOVE what you do." - Steve Jobs. 

Choose the job you love, then love your choice. ... When the going gets tough as it inevitably will - they start thinking that perhaps their chosen work isn’t really all they thought it would be. ... You’ll find these folks saying, “If I only had decided to study medicine instead of the law, I could have been a great doctor.” 

... If I were the boss like him, I’d work at it really hard and treat people well and be successful.” People who can’t get out of this rut often have difficulty achieving excellence in any profession. They fall in love with a career but then become disenchanted with the small and simple things and end up quitting to pursue their fantasy over the next horizon. 

They drift from job to job, never settling long enough to truly achieve excellence. ... Once you have chosen your work, love it! No job is perfect. Every job has its challenges and its days of drudgery. Just like marriage, success and excellence at your work will likely require years and years of dedicated and persistent effort.

... You will find more success if you enthusiastically persist in your work despite the shortcomings of your job and despite the daily small and simple things. Focus on the career at hand and resist the temptation of wandering eyes. In fact, I am so bold as to say it doesn’t matter so much what job you choose. I promise you that if you stick with it and pursue excellence in your chosen career, you will indeed enjoy a large measure of success and you will end up loving your work more than you might have imagined.

Words of Counsel

... First, work hard to get along with others. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Indeed, be a light, not a judge. Studies confirm over and over that people generally do not lose their jobs because they lack the technical know-how or skills. More frequently, the difficulty is that they can’t get along with other people.

... Second, remember that people seldom improve when they have only their own yardstick to measure themselves by. ... Learn to measure yourself with someone else’s yardstick occasionally. If your boss comments that you lose your temper too easily, take it seriously. 

If your spouse comments that you lose your temper too easily, and your friends comment that you lose your temper too easily, it is likely that you lose your temper too easily. When you hear such feedback, listen before you deny it. Evaluate it. Weigh it. Do you think changes are in order? Regardless of criticism, learn to get along with other people. If you want to get along with them, you can.

Third, be an optimist. Do not accept pessimism, especially when it is directed at you personally. Do not accept pessimistic statements about your Heavenly Father. Consider their source they come from Satan. ... It takes work to reject Satan’s messages, but such work will lead to happiness.

A word to the returned missionaries: Do not abandon the principles or the habits or the great experiences that you learned in the mission field. Do not abandon your appearance. ... Dress for success! When your personal habits reflect the cleanliness, the dignity, and the principles of the gospel you taught as a young missionary, they will serve you well in the workplace.

Summary

My message this evening could be summed up in two statements. The first is from President David O. McKay. He said, “Let us realize that the privilege to work is a gift, that power to work is a blessing, that love of work is success” (Pathways to Happiness [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1957], 381).

The second is from our own dearly beloved living prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley. He said: The major work of the world is not done by geniuses. It is done by ordinary people, with balance in their lives, who have learned to work in an extraordinary manner. [“Our Fading Civility,” Brigham Young University inauguration and spring commencement exercises, 25 April 1996, 15]

It is a given that there will be disappointment and discouragement along the way, brothers and sisters. Orson F. Whitney comforts us: No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. 

All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God . . . and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven. [Quoted in Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1972], 98]

... I promise you and bless you that as you work at keeping the standards the Lord has set through the scriptures and His prophets, as you study, as you pray, as you pay your tithes and offerings from the money you earn from your work, you will be more successful in all of your life as well as in your daily work. 

You will become a better worker. You will be a more productive worker. You will be a more effective worker. All because the Spirit of the Lord will be with you and aid and strengthen you. ... President Hinckley said: “Things are not as bad as we sometimes think. 

... We do not need to fear. We have nothing to fear if we will live the gospel, if we will make our decisions in the light of the gospel. If we will get on our knees and pray to the Lord for His enlightenment, understanding, direction, and courage, we do not need to fear.” ... I know Jesus Christ can help each of us in our work if we will help Him in His work. 

... I know and testify that we have a living prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, who can help us in our work if we heed his counsel. ... You are the hope of the communities where you live. You will become the future leaders of this Church, the future leaders of the communities, of the world. 

I bear you my humble testimony that if you will work for our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, that He will bless you and watch over and keep you all the days of your life. ..."

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/david-e-sorensen/blessing-work/

Stay Tuned until next time.

The Blessing of Work ~ Part One

 Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

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

This post focuses on a BYU Devotional in March 2005, and it is called "The Blessing of Work" by Elder David E. Sorensen. This post is part one, and I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

Elder Sorensen has mentioned the following; 

"... We are here to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. ... As you study the true Church and allow the Spirit to work within you, you will have the answers and come to know how to respond to the various situations you will face. Concerning the Book of Mormon, a young missionary shared this thought with me, which I have found to be true over the years: Remember that the Book of Mormon is not on trial - we are.

... It is my hope that what I say will help guide you in the work you are now doing or may be doing in the future.

Those of you who are graduating from high school or college, or are otherwise in the workforce, may be asking yourselves questions like this when you apply for employment: “What are my working hours?  

... Will I have enough time to hang out with my friends or pursue my hobbies?” With questions like these, however, when you focus on your leisure hours instead of your working hours, you may be prevented from seeing a much greater opportunity.

God’s Work

Work is an eternal principle. Whom do you know who has all the riches of the earth and more and yet is continually working? Our Heavenly Father! He is a worker. ... Jehovah worked to create the heavens and the earth. ... But Their work did not end with the Creation. 

In the Pearl of Great Price we read, “This is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39; emphasis added). This, of course, includes every man, woman, and child. Of all the things He could concern Himself with, our Heavenly Father has chosen to labor for the benefit of our eternal souls your soul and my soul. ...

"the Harder you work the Better you get."

Work Is a Blessing

You and I also have a work to accomplish. Satan would tempt us to believe that our work is not worthwhile or that we have no need to work at all. He is wrong on both counts. We do have a need to work. 

We have a responsibility to take care of our own needs and the needs of our families. This tradition of being self-sufficient has been the Lord’s way since Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden. 

... But providing for ourselves is not the only purpose of work. Suppose you were given a great sum of money or for whatever reason became instantly financially self-sufficient. Even then the command to labor has not been lifted.

... As Elder Neal A. Maxwell described, “Work is always a spiritual necessity even if, for some, work is not an economic necessity” (CR, April 1998, 50; or “Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel,” Ensign, May 1998, 38).

Work is not a curse but a blessing; by work we not only obey the commandment of God but also enable ourselves to participate in God’s saving grace. ... Have you ever thought about what would happen if people did not work?Would our schools function? Would our government run? 

Would our televisions have programming? Although we sometimes think it would be nice to have all the money we ever wanted and never have to work again, I can assure you that is not the path to true happiness. ... Work is a family responsibility. I know some of you are away from home. I remind you that right now you are benefiting from the work of your family. 

Your parents have worked hard to provide for your physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being. They do not expect anyone else to take over this responsibility for them. They do expect you to share some of the load. ... You have received much. In turn, you are expected even required to offer similar support and love to your own children and families. 

... As you grow older, your parents expect you to provide for yourselves and become independent. We all share in the work. Remember it is important to start early in life to teach your children that they should do their part in the work of a family. 

Those of you who have had the experience of growing up in a home where you were taught to work can bear testimony to its value in your life today. ... So far as we are able, Church members should do their best to provide the basic necessities of life - food, clothing, and shelter for their families.

We understand that in some places in the world you may encounter hardships when trying to provide for your families. These trials could include chronic illness, the loss of a spouse, the addition of an elderly parent, or providing for your children’s education. Our Heavenly Father is mindful of families in these situations. It is my conviction that He will give you the strength to carry on. He will always bless us if we ask Him in faith.

Work Is a Service

Good work attitudes, habits, and skills are learned through successful work experiences. ... As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent” (Points to Ponder, Reader’s Digest, February 1963, 261). You control your own attitudes - especially you young people in your attitude about work. Self-confidence and empowerment can serve you well—in the classroom, on State Street, or on Wall Street.

Instead of thinking of our daily work as an imposition, we should think of it as an opportunity. That’s just the way my father taught me to feel about the cows. Those teachings have remained with me all my life, and I continue to visit the ranch and its memories as often as possible. ... If my father could find purpose in a few cows, surely each of us can find purpose in our work."

Stay Tuned until next time.