"Lo, I am with you"

At the end of Matthew, Christ promises His apostles that as they go about doing His will He will be with them; He says “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen”. This same promise applies to us as well and it brings me so much comfort and peace. When we live worthy of the Spirit we will be blessed with guidance and direction from on High.  There have been many times in my life that I haven’t known the ending or how things would turn out, but I have trusted in the Lord and have been blessed beyond measure.

At a particularly important juncture in my life, when I was going through some difficult changes, I saw so clearly how living in harmony with the gospel brings the companionship of the Spirit and loving guidance from our Savior. At that I wasn’t sure where I should go or what I should do with my life. All I knew was I needed to work on myself physically and spiritually. I did my very best to be worthy of the Spirit so I would have it’s guidance in my life. Even though I didn’t know what the end result would be I read my scriptures daily, prayed, went to the temple every week and followed the promptings I received. By following those promptings I moved to another state, started going to school again, and went to a singles ward. I was in the right place at the right time and because of that I met my now husband and eternal companion.

I know that we all have access to this incredible promise and that no matter how many times we get off the path and lose our way we can come back and still have access to His love, direction, peace, and comfort. He wants to help us; He wants us to never have to be alone on this journey through life. We are all His and He loves us all so much.

Sorrow and Joy

John 16:21 is a short, but beautiful verse of scripture where the Savior likens His death and resurrection to childbirth. He says “A women when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into this world.” As I personally know the pain and suffering that come along with labor and childbirth and in the end the absolute joy and beauty of having your newborn child laid on your chest this is a particularly touching symbol to me.

Every time I read of our Saviors time in the garden, the brutal assault on His body before His death, and finally His crucifixion I am overcome with emotion. It’s difficult to know and fully comprehend that He suffered so much pain and aguish on my behalf and on the behalf of all mankind. My heart aches because of the sacrifice He made for me personally and everyone that has ever lived or ever will live. I am filled with gratitude and I feel small and unworthy of such love and sacrifice.

In this small verse though Christ reminds us that there is joy beyond measure because on the third day He was resurrected and the chains of sin and death were broken. My heart is filled with peace and happiness because He descended below all things and was raised up so that we can have a remission of sin and eternal life. Out of overwhelming sorrow and heartache for the death of a perfect Savoir comes unimaginable joy and beauty because He lives.  

Be Prepared

In Luke 21:34 Christ issues a warning saying: “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.”

            Like I mentioned in last week’s blog post, there are countless things to occupy our time with. Many of these things are good and even necessary, but it is all too easy to get caught up in day-to-day things of the world. They become so important to us that they consume our thoughts and efforts.

            Because of this we loose sight of what has eternal significance and is most important. That is becoming a Christ like individual who is constantly striving to become a better person. He doesn’t want us to be careless with our precious time here on earth and waste this life with worldly pursuits and cares.

            None of us know when He will come again. We don’t know if it will be in our lifetime or if we will be long gone from this earth, but either way is beside the point. We need to be working on ourselves now and focusing our life on the Savior so we can become as much like Him as possible.  

Choose The Better Part

Luke 10: 38-42

“38Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. 40But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

            This small selection of verses teach a powerful lesson and I feel It is often over looked. The Savior is telling Martha that the things she was filling her time with weren’t bad but they were taking her time away from better, more important things. As a mother this especially resonates with me.

            As a mother there are so many things to fill my days with and many tasks to accomplish. I often feel overwhelmed and guilty because of all there is to get done and all that I inevitably do not get done. I have a marriage to nurture, a child to love and care for, personal development to maintain, house hold home chores to do, food to prepare, and other miscellaneous tasks to do and errands to run. 

            These are all important and good things, however, the most important of them all is the nurturing and spiritual development of my marriage, child, and self. For me this is the “good part” that the Savior is talking about and is something that will last for eternity. This doesn’t mean that we abandon all other pursuits and demands on our time, but we need to know what our priorities are and then act accordingly.

Inclusion

One of my favorite scriptures passages from this week’s reading is found in Luke 9:46-50 “46 Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest. 47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him, 48 And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great. 49 And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. 50 And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.”

In these verses Jesus lovingly teaches us about humility and inclusion. He shows us that He loves all of us equally and that none of us is greater than another. I also feel He is asking us to not turn our nose up at anyone’s good works regardless of their religious affiliation, which I think is a common problem, especially in the religious community.

            Throughout the New Testament the Lord tells us to love others, be humble, and always forgive. It seems like an overwhelming task at times to be perfect like He is. He doesn’t expect that we will be perfect, but He does expect us to try. Setting goals and practicing these principles will help us to, over time, master them or at least get close. In this case of inclusion, reminding ourselves regularly that every person we come in contact with is a child of God and that He loves them just as much He loves us is a good place to start.

Forgiveness

From this weeks study of the New Testament the principle that caused deep thought and strong feelings for me is found in Matthew 6:15 and in Luke 6:37. Christ taught that if we do not forgive we will not be forgiven.

When we don’t forgive others we are denying that they too have access to the atonement and in turn denying ourselves it’s full power in our lives. The atonement can and does apply to all people. Christ suffered and died for us all. Forgiveness is for the individual doing the forgiving and never for the person who did the wrongdoing. It helps us to heal and to strengthen our relationship with Christ.

I wish forgiveness were always an easy process, however, in my experience, it takes practice and is a learned skill. Forgiving freely and easily isn’t something that the majority of us are able to do without many years of life experience. 

Forgiveness can be a delectate topic for many people. The pain others cause is real and at times seems insurmountable. The sorrow we experience in this life is so incredibly personal and how we cope with this pain just as unique. Christ can heal our broken hearts and with His help we can learn to forgive.

The Lords Timing

Our Father in heaven sees the big picture and knows us personally. He wants to bless us and help us though this difficult journey of mortal life. We often can’t see and don’t understand His plan or His timing for us. We get frustrated and impatient; at least I know I do.

            As I was studying about the priest, Zacharias, and his wife, Elisabeth, in Luke, chapter 1, their situation touched me deeply. I am a mother to one beautiful boy with another on the way. Knowing the joys and sorrows of motherhood I couldn’t imagine life any other way. I wish all those that had the honorable and righteous desire to become parents could. Infertility is something many people struggle with even in this day and age and it is an incredibly heartbreaking trial.

 Zacharias and Elisabeth are an excellent example of trusting the Lord, accepting His will, and remaining faithful despite trials. It says in Luke 1:6, “And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.”

Trusting the Lord’s timing isn’t easy, especially during the midst of trials and tribulation. When we are suffering, it’s hard to see outside ourselves and to trust God. I hope that someday I can master this and that I am known to be righteous before God, regardless of my trials, just as Zacharias and Elisabeth were.