Pride cometh before the Fall

Have you ever felt heartbroken? Like someone had taken your heart and stomped it on the ground? Well, my companion and I felt just that way after leaving the home of a less active couple who had held a grudge for 25 years. They had been offended by another member of the church and had denied themselves the blessings of a temple marriage and serving in the church in consequence.  Heartbroken, we listened to every "reason" they had for not coming back. We extended our deepest apologies on behalf of the church and then left, heartbroken.

I have often wondered what has kept myself at times and those I love dearly from completely taking hold of the blessings that come from honoring our covenants. The definition of a Covenant is a  "sacred agreement between God and a person or group of people. God sets specific conditions, and He promises to bless us as we obey those conditions." The answer to my often pondered question is five letters long: p-r-i-d-e.

In 1989 the prophet of the church, President Ezra Taft Benson, gave a monumental talk on the sin of Pride. Simply stated, pride is the universal sin. We are all guilty of it to one extent or another. President Benson teaches us that pride boils down to emnity between us and God. It is our will above God's will. Pride is the root that cankers relationships, the mold that spoils our progression towards Heavenly Father. Pride is a damning sin. Said Benson:

"Pride adversely affects all our relationships—our relationship with God and His servants, between husband and wife, parent and child, employer and employee, teacher and student, and all mankind. Our degree of pride determines how we treat our God and our brothers and sisters. Christ wants to lift us to where He is. Do we desire to do the same for others?"

So, how do we overcome the pride that causes us so often to stumble? Our beloved prophet gave us the answer to that as well."The antidote for pride is humility—meekness, submissiveness. (See Alma 7:23.) It is the broken heart and contrite spirit. (See 3 Ne. 9:20; 3 Ne. 12:19; D&C 20:37; D&C 59:8; Ps. 34:18; Isa. 57:15; Isa. 66:2.)" Service overcomes selfishness. As we choose to forget ourselves, roll up our sleeves and serve those that we have qualms with, our hearts will be enlarged and our souls will be healed.

As we diligently work to be humble, our Savior will give us a new heart. He will perform the surgery needed to see things the way He sees them and to love others the way He loves them. One day, we will find that His image is engraved upon our countenance. All He is asking is that we start today.

What will you do today to take part of the blessings that Heavenly Father has in store for you?

Entangled in Sin

Last week, Sister Nealy and I went berry picking for our workout in the morning. As we were picking blackberries, I began to notice a few things. It seemed that the ripe, juicy blackberries were always just beyond reach and required me to step into the thicket just a bit. Though I was not very far in, I quickly realized that I was entangled in blackberry thorns that had lodged their way into my clothes. At first I ignored it and continued to pick these sweet treats. When it came time to move on, I would have to stop and take time to painstakingly remove each thorny vine. As I repeated this process over and over again I began to think how this applies to sin.

We live in a time when Satan has placed so many temptations just out of our reach that require taking one small step into the thicket. Upon obtaining our "sweet treat" we are able to move around just a bit, snacking on the delicious treats around us. But when it comes time to move onward and upward, our progress is hindered, slowed down by the briers lodged into our clothing. Thankfully, we have the miracle of forgiveness and repentance that allows us to remove the thorns and move onward.

Our beloved prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, leaves us with this inspired counsel:

We live in a world where moral values have, in great measure, been tossed aside, where sin is flagrantly on display, and where temptations to stray from the strait and narrow path surround us. We are faced with persistent pressures and insidious influences tearing down what is decent and attempting to substitute the shallow philosophies and practices of a secular society.

Because of these and other challenges, decisions are constantly before us which can determine our destiny. In order for us to make the correct decisions, courage is needed—the courage to say no when we should, the courage to say yes when that is appropriate, the courage to do the right thing because it is right.

Q: How have you used the atonement to become 

untangled from thorns in your life?

Chase the Darkness from Among Us

          The other morning I was reading a conference talk on hope and faith. The speaker shared the scripture D&C 50:25, which counsels us to chase the darkness from us. When we exercise our faith, we are walking into the light and away from the darkness. This week I was able to be a part of something wonderful. A dear woman whom we have grown to love and have been sharing the gospel with decided to follow the example of her Savior Jesus Christ and be baptized. Every day we have seen her, she has been beaming ear to ear. She has decided to take a leap of faith that has moved her out of the darkness and into the light of our Savior. Elder Russell M. Nelson counseled " It matters not that giants of tribulation torment you. Your prayerful access to help is just as real as when David battled Goliath". Science has taught us that it is against the laws of physics for light and dark to coexist, where one is, the other cannot be. The light of Jesus Christ truly does chase away darkness.

           As we take on Christ's character, we chase away the darkness and the shadows. We are taking that leap of faith that will help us to become like our Savior. Taking that jump is scary and takes a lot of courage. However, courage is the secret ingredient for a life full of satisfaction and free from regret. Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the mastery of it. As we put our fear behind us, we are free to make that jump across the chasm to the person Christ knows we can be.

Will you jump?

Be YOU

          This week we celebrate the Resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. We celebrate the fact that the tomb is empty and that He lives. Because of Him, we have the opportunity to become like Him. He broke the bands of death, He leads and loves us today. A couple of weeks ago we had a Zone Training Meeting where we were taught how to become. Our zone leader walked up to the chalk board and began to draw a very simple diagram.

Thoughts---------->Actions ---------->Habits-----------> Character

       
 The Book of Mormon not only testifies of our Savior Jesus Christ, it teaches us how we can become like Him. In Mosiah 4: 30 King Benjamin warns us to watch our thoughts. No action we make will ever happen without it first being a thought. There is power in our thoughts, they become who we are. I can still remember my Cross Country coach in high school telling us constantly that "As you think, so you become." We are what we think. This Easter season we invite all to turn their thoughts to our Savior, to become even as He is. 

          As we change our thoughts to mirror our Savior, the actions we take will change as well. Actions that would have reflected the world around us will change to reflect He who created the world. We will choose to serve one another, love one another and lift one another each day. Our words will be kinder, sweeter and helpful rather than hurtful. Christ taught us to lift where we stand.

           Our actions lead us to our habits. Elder Alvin R. Dyer once said:

"Man is the sum result of what he thinks and does. Habit is the instrument that molds his character and makes of him essentially what he is. Habit can become a monster to tarnish and destroy, yet proper behavioral traits can bring lasting joy and achievement. To say no at the right time and then stand by it is the first element of success."

Habits are like the autopilots of our lives. What actions do you do without even thinking? When I wake up, I roll out of bed, say my prayers, get ready to exercise and brush my teeth without even opening my eyes. Auto pilot kicks in every morning, pushing me through my groggy, not-awake-yet moments of the day. These habits have been ingrained by daily consistency. It takes 21 days to make or brake a habit, but once established it will take over our actions and build into our character.

         Character, is defined in the Websters Dictionary as "the way someone thinks, feels, and behaves : someone's personality." As we focus our thoughts on the words of Christ, and change our actions to mirror His actions, we will develop habits that will help us take on Christ's character. The character of Christ is to turn outward when the natural man would turn inward. Christ never thought about himself, he never acted in a way that would benefit him or cast the glory on himself. Christ turned the glory to His Father and He always acted in a way that benefited mankind. 

How will you allow Him to change you?

#BecauseofHim

Click the link to see how Christ changed the world. 

Defending Family

          So I was reading in my favorite book of Alma the other day and a verse jumped out at me that provoked a lot of thought. "The Lord hath said that: Ye shall defend your families even unto bloodshed." -Alma 43:47 I paused and began to think about what that really meant to me. I am not a soldier fighting for my God, my religion, my family and my freedom as they were. But then again, are we not? The battle each of us face today is not one of swords and lances, rather it is of choices and consequences. We battle against the enemy of agency, right and truth. Our adversary is Satan and the stakes are high. The precious item at stake is our families and the happiness that can be had in our homes. We are commanded to defend our families even unto bloodshed. How do we do this? We do this by living the commandments God has given us and following the prophet He has sent to guide us today. I defend my family by living the word of wisdom, keeping the law of chastity and listening to a living prophet today. With each act of obedience I take a step towards our Savior and defend my family, even unto bloodshed.

In 2005 Elder Neil L. Anderson gave a talk titled "Beware the Evil Behind the Smiling Eyes". The enemies we face aren't going to appear as battle rugged and scarred people. The choices are not going to be covered in slime. Rather, they will be shined and polished, put on display for all to see, enticing and delicious to the eye. Those who present opportunities to disobey commandments given by God will not be scary looking, they will be smiling, charming and come  across as caring for you. But therein lies the trap. Does what they present align with the commandments that God has given for our protection? We have been taught in Ephesians(Ephesians 6:11) to put on the whole armor of God. Does what I am watching on TV, reading in a book or talking to with my friends help me to put on the Helmet of Salvation?

You may think, "Well what about those of us who have messed up? I lost the battle, put up the white flag, there is no way out now". WRONG. There is ALWAYS a way out, there is ALWAYS a way up. Christ is the healing balm of Gilead. He has the master key to any chain of sin or addiction that may be draped upon our necks. Though torn by sin, our families can be healed and mended. Though the action or decision cannot be taken back, love, peace and happiness in our lives can fill that gap. No matter what our choices have been in the past, we can choose now to be defenders of our families and of our faith. I choose each day to defend my future family. One day I will be married and have children of my own, but today I choose to live my beliefs and honor my covenants for them. 

Is it worth it?

May I echo the words of our beloved apostle Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and say

"YES IT IS!"

Be the Change You Want to See in the World

       Does that phrase ring familiar? Those words have been written in the fabric of history by Gandhi. I meet new people everyday from every walk of life imaginable. I see the good, bad and ugly of life and the consequences of choices and actions. I have thought a lot about that phrase lately, of being the change I want to see in the world. Those thoughts pointed me to the ultimate change this world has ever seen, our Savior Jesus Christ. He lived a life of hope and light, a life of perfect example and obedience. Because of His life, we are each effected. His life, His choices and His gift of the Atonement have left each of us changed.

      Have you ever heard someone say "I can't believe they did that" or "Did you hear what so and so did?" or my personal favorite "I would never let my kids_______"? Each of us has found something flawed with the world and with those around us. How grateful I am for a Savior who showed us how to fix the flaws around us, by fixing the flaws within ourselves. He came into a imperfect and spiritually shattered world and made it whole by his actions. We too can heal the broken pieces around us by turning to Christ and by choosing to live as He did.

How will you change the world today?

Phineus the Frog

Oregon is very....wet. It is not unusual to get a big drop of water on your face while walking under a tree or out of a building. The kind of drop that makes you wipe off all of the make-up on your face and smears your mascara so you resemble somewhat of a raccoon. Beautiful.
        One evening my companion and I were driving to the church in the pouring rain when low and behold we saw a small creature catch the light of our headlights as he hopped across the road. What was this little hopping creature? His name is Phineas and he is a frog. My companion instantly hit the breaks, bringing our vehicle to a solid stop in the middle of the road. We look around, hop out and hurriedly catch our newly found friend.

        As a little girl, I grew up hearing fairy tales about frogs and princesses. You know how the story goes,  the frog finds a princess and he turns into a prince when the princess kisses him. The past few days I have been thinking about our new friend Phineas.  I feel like we are the frogs in the story of life. To the world, we look like a frog, nobody can see the divine DNA that dwells within each of us. We are sons and daughters of a Heavenly King, each with the potential to be as He is. So many of us go through life content with being "frogs". Our Savior Jesus Christ is the key to unlocking our divine nature as children of God. As we seek him out, we shed the frog skins and take hold of the happiness that God has in store for us.

 What will you do this week to take hold of your divine potential?