That we will hear Him

"The value of consistent prayer is not that He will hear us,

 but that we will hear Him."

I Can't Find My Keys!

by Hilary Weeks

Do you know someone who is always happy, never sad,

always looking on the bright side of things, never down on life?

I have only ever met one or two people who claim to be that happy all the time. 

Actually, now that I think about it, I can only name one person.  And technically, I don’t “know” her. 

I can’t remember her name, but I heard her speak at Women’s Conference several years ago and her topic was being happy.  She said she was the type of person that was just always happy. Simple as that – she was just a happy, happy person. That stuck with me.

I admit it.

I’m not like that.  Wish I was…

My emotions are, how shall I say it, a little less “structured.”  I remember a period of a couple weeks last year when I had the blues.  There were three things that helped to restore a little sunshine to my spirits.

The first was prayer.  I kept right on praying – even when I didn’t necessarily feel like it .  I prayed that Heavenly Father would lift my spirits.  I pleaded with Him to get me through the blues.  And…I felt Him near me.  I felt His support and the whisperings of the Holy Ghost getting me through.

Second was gratitude.  One Sunday during this “blues” period,

we talked about gratitude in Sacrament Meeting and then again in Sunday school. 

Elder Cook, who is in our ward, said

“If we want to overcome sorrow and chase away the blues we need to count our blessings. 

We need to not just let them run through our minds,

but run through our hearts.”

Now that was a tender mercy – hearing those wonderful words of advice while attending Sunday school. 

Elder Cook didn’t know how I was feeling, but Heavenly Father did and He knew how to communicate something to me through someone else.

Later that Sunday night, at a Young Women’s program,

the Bishop talked about the one thing we all search for in life, above anything else.  Guess what it was?

Happiness.

As the Bishop spoke, another tender mercy unfolded.  He said the key to being happy is to have the Spirit with us.  Taking the Sacrament is key to having the Spirit with us always.  I realized that because of a family vacation and sickness I had missed the last three Sundays in a row.  It had been three weeks since I had taken the Sacrament.  That had definitely affected my happiness.  What a blessing to have the gospel in our lives and to see ourselves, our lives, even our emotions through its light.  The gospel provides answers and solutions.

Three keys to happiness.

Prayer.  Gratitude.  The Sacrament.

"Sometimes, the Lord sends His blessings in such a highly unusual,

dramatic, or precisely timed manner that it's as if the Lord 'signs'

the blessing personally so we know with a certainty that it came from Him."

Gerald Lund

"Prayer is more than words; it requires faith, effort, and a proper attitude".

Marion G Hanks

All these things shall be added unto you

All These Things

by Emily Freeman

Luke 9:46 – Luke 12:30

I heard the email arrive at 3:35AM.

I knew it was from Croatia.  You’d think after 23 months I would have learned to sleep all the way through a Sunday night…but I haven’t…not since the day he left.

3:35AM in Lehi, Utah happens to be 11:35AM in Zagreb, Croatia, and my son is writing home.  As much as I need my sleep, I can’t wait for the sun to rise to see what he has to say.

I roll over and open my email.

I read about golden hearts, moments of inspiration, and miracles.  I picture the people in my mind, I carry their stories in my heart.  That is the way it has been for these 23 months.  Him there and me here, but both of us uniting in prayer for each of them.

It is just as I finish reading the words his hands were typing moments ago,

but half a world away, that I hear the email chime once again.

The subject reads: ruined things.

The message is simple…I don’t need new ones, but you can decide…it’s almost over.

The photos bring tears to my eyes.

It’s not the holes that provoke the tears.

Nor the stitching coming undone just there above the toe.

What becomes crystal clear in this moment is how many miles my son has walked.  

How many neighborhoods he has passed through.  How many doors he has knocked.

Day after day after day.

Until he has worn through, and used up, and wore out.

And if this is how his shoes look, then how must his heart look?

A familiar hymn whispers through my soul, “More used would I be…”

And then I read the verses in Luke 12:22-35…

“And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you,
Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat;
neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not;
If then God so clothe the grass…how much more will he provide for you, if ye are not of little faith?
And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind…
But rather seek ye the kingdom of God;
and all these things shall be added unto you.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning.”

There are 71 days left.  My mind fills with the memories of the moments our hearts have treasured over these past two years…all these things that have been added unto us from this experience.  

The blessings the Lord has provided…the lilies in the field.

And then I picture my son, half a world away, who laced up those shoes this morning,

girded up his loins, and with his light burning began to walk.

I reach. I search.

Faith Tried, Purified, and Perfected

by Emily Freeman

Mark 2:4 – Mark 6:20

Sometimes our search to find the Savior can be complicated.  We seek Him for direction and advice, searching through the maze of our everyday life to feel His Spirit.  Looking back on my life, I realize that the most demanding and relentless moments of the search have done the most to teach me to treasure His companionship.

The scriptures are filled with story after story, telling of man’s ongoing search to find the Lord.  One of my favorites is the story of Jairus, one of the “rulers of the synagogue,” whose only daughter was on the verge of death.

With no time to lose, Jairus traveled through the night, never stopping, ever searching to find the Lord.  At the journey’s end, the distraught man fell at the Savior’s feet saying, “My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.”  (Mark 5:23)

Immediately, Christ set off with the worried father.  I am sure the journey toward home must have been just as nerve-wracking as the father’s journey to find the Lord.  Having left when his daughter was close to death, Jairus’s every thought must have been consumed with the hope that his daughter would be alive when he returned.  How discouraging it must have been to realize that the journey home would take him down a street thronged with people.

The crowd was dens and probably loud.

I am sure Jesus moved down the street surrounded by His disciples, determined,

just as Jairus was, to arrive at His destination.

In the commotion one woman sat quietly and watched.

Suffering from an illness that had debilitated her for twelve years, she had tried all she could to relieve the suffering.  Only one option remained, and so she waited.  With faith prompting her actions, she reached out and touched the hem of the Savior’s robe at the precise moment He stood closest to her.  ”For she said within herself, if I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.  But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole”  (Matt. 9:21-22)

In this brief encounter, I imagine that Jairus learned a great deal.  This woman had come to know the Savior and therefore had enough faith to know that He would heal her.  In her illness she had tried everything she possibly could on her own to resolve the issue ––she had seen physicians, she had done all.  Through the process she had reached the point where the only relief she could find would come from her faith in the Lord.  In this case, “faith had to be called out, tried, purified, and so perfected…because the thing sought for was, humanly speaking, unattainable.”  (Alfred Edersheim)

What encouragement this must have brought to Jairus’s worried heart, for he also sought healing from the Lord.  It was but a small moment but one that must have had a profound effect on his faith.

The scriptures do not tell us what Jairus did while he waited.

But we do know that just after the woman was healed, a messenger arrived from Jairus’s house, saying, “Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?” (Mark 5:35)  What father would not be devastated after hearing that news? But “Even these dread tidings of certainty failed to destroy the man’s faith; he seems to have still looked to the Lord for help.”  (James Talmage)

How could Jairus deny that he had just witnessed a miracle?

Perhpas what he had thought to be a detour was part of a process he needed to experience before he could exercise the faith required for his own daughter to be made whole.

Christ encouraged, “Be not afraid, only believe.” (Mark 5:36)

Upon entering the home, they were met with great disbelief, even laughter, as people mocked the Lord.  But Jairus’s faith remained firm as he and his wife went with Jesus into their daughter’s room and watched in gratitude and wonder as Jesus took their daughter’s hand and said:  ”Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.”

Imagine their amazement and joy when the young girl arose and walked.  I am sure the gratitude that overwhelmed Jairus’s heart must have brought him to his knees.  The demanding and relentless journey had been worth it his precious daughter had been restored.

Both Jairus and the woman who touched Christ’s robe were steadfast in one desire to become close enough to Christ that they could obtain the miracle they needed.  Both desired a miracle that was humanly unattainable.  They had come to believe that Christ could provide a healing that could not be provided in any other way.

Jairus was relentless in his search to find the Lord.

The woman who touched Christ’s robe stretched until she received the miracle she longed for.

We too can cultivate a relationship with Christ by applying these same principles.

Most likely the answer will not come easily.  The woman was plagued by her illness for more than twelve years before the answer came.  Image how trying it must have been for Jairus when, even though he was with the Savior, his situation became worse before it got better.

No matter how long or hard the search, if it brings us closer to Christ it is worth it.

Sometimes, in that moment when my heart grasping for what once was certain is forced to reach for possibilities undefined, in that moment when I find myself turning corners with knowledge insufficient,

when I feel safety falling away…

Like the woman, twelve years ill, who spent all she had, and instead of growing better, grew worse. 

Like Jairus who sought diligently until he found the Lord,

I reach.

I search.

Isn’t that just what they did? Two separate stories.  One faith filled chapter.  But I find the similarity.

The willingness to reach.

For strength.  For healing.  For something more.

Today, I will learn from them.

The greatest comfort in this life

"As we go through life, even through very rough waters, a father's instinctive impulse to cling tightly to his wife or to his children may not be the best way to accomplish his objective. Instead, if he will lovingly cling to the Savior and the iron rod of the gospel, his family will want to cling to him and to the Savior.

Russell M. Nelson

"The gospel of Jesus Christ answers the heart's longing for fulness. The Father of our spirits knows where we belong where our core being can say, "I was made for this." To that end, God would have us fulfill our deepest eternal yearnings and know the meaning of our very existence."

Bruce C. Hafen

"Don't think of the things you didn't get after praying. Think of the countless blessings God gave you without asking."
‎"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude." 

"Counting blessings is better than recounting problems."

Russell M. Nelson
"Wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it.

Right is right even if no-one is doing it."

"Better to light a candle, than curse the darkness."

"The light of the gospel illuminates the path of life to eternity that otherwise would be dark and non-directing. We can be like a mirror and direct light even into dark places. We are not the sources of light; nevertheless, through us light can be reflected to others. "

"God not only forgives our failures; he sees successes where no one else does, not even ourselves. Only God can give us credit for angry words we did not speak; temptations we resisted, patience, and gentleness little noticed and long forgotten by those around us. Such good deeds are never wasted and not forgotten,

because God gives them a measure of eternity."

-Rabbi Harold Kushner-

It is so easy to be self-critical and unfortunately, all too often, we have a perfect memory when it comes to our shortcomings and mistakes, even replaying them over & over again in our minds. It is good to know that Heavenly Father has a perfect memory of our efforts to improve and the untold desires of our hearts too. Thank goodness He loves us perfectly and sees who we really are!

Before you act, listen. Before you react, think.

Before you respond, earn. Before you criticize, wait.

Before you pray, forgive. Before you quit, try.

"We should not be discouraged or depressed by our shortcomings. No one is without weakness. As part of the divine plan, we are tested to see whether we master weakness or let weakness master us. Proper diagnosis is essential to proper treatment. The Lord gave us this remarkable assurance: "Because thou hast seen thy weakness thou shalt be made strong." But wishing for strength won't make us strong. It takes faith and work to shore up a weakened cord of integrity."

Russell M. Nelson
‎"It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves."

"A person's attitude is perhaps the hardest of all personal attributes to change. If your attitude is right, then your life is made right. If your heart is touched, your mind and way of thinking will change and your life will change for the better accordingly.
I believe we must become so immersed in the gospel of Jesus Christ that we become physically as well as mentally more and more like the Lord himself. We must yield our whole hearts to him. What we then do is done not because we are asked to, nor because we are forced to, but because we want to. Neither pressure nor force can be exerted upon us from outside, when what we do is done because it is our own choice and desire. It then makes no difference to us what other men may think, or say, or do. Our hearts being committed wholly to God, what we do is done out of our love for and our trust in him".

‎"The greatest comfort in this life is having a close relationship with God."

David O. McKay

"As we increase our interaction with Him, we learn for ourselves that He will never betray us, never turn away, never change His criteria for coming unto Him. His attention is riveted on us."

Sheri Dew

Sacred and Divine

"You are a child of God. He is the father of your spirit. Spiritually you are of noble birth, the offspring of the King of Heaven. Fix that truth in your mind and hold to it. However many generations in your mortal ancestry, no matter what race or people you represent, the pedigree of your spirit can be written on a single line.

You are a child of God!"  

Boyd K. Packer

God has put something noble and good into every heart His hand created.

Mark Twain

"How marvellous a thing it is to contemplate that each of you is a daughter of God, a girl with a divine birthright and a divine destiny....  "I wish you-each of you, wherever you are-to know that you are loved.  You are loved by your Father in Heaven, of whose divine nature you have partaken. And He desires that His Holy Spirit will be near you wherever you go if you will invite it and cultivate it. "There is something of divinity within each of you. You have such tremendous potential with that quality as a part of your inherited nature. Every one of you was endowed by your Father in Heaven with a tremendous capacity to do good in the world. Train your minds and your hands that you may be equipped to serve well in the society of which you are a part. Cultivate the art of being kind, of being thoughtful, of being helpful. Refine within you the quality of mercy which comes as a part of the divine attributes you have inherited. "Some of you may feel that you are not as attractive and beautiful and glamorous as you would like to be. Rise above any such feelings, cultivate the light you have within you, and it will shine through as a radiant expression that will be seen by others.  "You need never feel inferior. You need never feel that you were born without talents or without opportunities to give them expression.  Cultivate whatever talents you have, and they will grow and refine and become an expression of your true self appreciated by others. 

"In summary, try a little harder to measure up to the divine within each of you"

Gordon B. Hinckley

"I want to tell you, each and every one of you, that you are well acquainted with God our Heavenly Father.... You are all well acquainted with him, for there is not a soul of you but what has lived in his house and dwelt with him year after year; and yet you are seeking to become acquainted with him, when the fact is, you have merely forgotten what you did know."

Brigham Young

"I want you to know that I know that whenever one of Heavenly Father's children kneels and talks to him, he listens. I know this, as well as I know anything in this world which Heavenly Father listens to every prayer from his children. I know our prayers ascend to heaven.

No matter what we may have done wrong, he listens to us."

H. Burke Peterson
 

"You are second to none. You are daughters of God. There has come to you as your birthright something beautiful and sacred and divine. Never forget that. Your eternal Father is the great Master of the universe. He rules over all, but He will also listen to your prayers as His daughter and hear you as you speak to Him."

Gordon B. Hinckley

 

"To be a daughter of God means that you are the offspring of Deity,

literal descendants of a Divine Father, inheriting godly attributes and potential."

James E. Faust

"Know that you are daughters of God, children of a divine birthright.

Walk in the sun with your heads high, knowing that you are loved and honored,

that you are a part of his kingdom."

Gordon B. Hinckley
 

I am certain our Heavenly Father is displeased when we refer to ourselves as nobody. We do ourselves a great injustice when we allow ourselves, through tragedy, misfortune, challenge, discouragement, or whatever the earthly situation, to identify ourselves. No matter how or where we find ourselves, we cannot with any justification label ourselves as nobody. As children of God we are somebody. He will build us, mold us, and magnify us if we will but hold our heads up, our arms out, and walk with Him. What a great blessing to be created in His image and know of our true potential in and through him! What a great blessing to know that in His strength we can do all things!

"In God's eyes, nobody is a nobody.

We should never lose sight of what we may become and who we are."  

 Marvin J. Ashton

I would charge you to say again and again to yourselves,

I am a daughter of God and by so doing begin today to live closer

to those ideals which will make your life happier and more fruitful because of

an awakened realization of who you are.

Harold B. Lee

 

Over the years I have enjoyed collecting gems of wisdom from movies and musicals.

I always have with me a pen and a piece of paper so that I can write down any quotes I

might find worthwhile. I have quite a collection. On one occasion some years ago I was

watching the animated movie The Lion King with a few of my grandchildren. I took many

notes, for I found lessons there. That which I desire to share with you is an exchange which

takes place between a grown-up Simba and the spirit of his departed father, Mufasa, as Simba

is doubting himself and his destiny. Says Mufasa's spirit, "Look inside yourself, Simba.

You are more than what you have become. . . . Remember who you are. . . . Remember."

To all who are here today, I say, "Look inside yourself. You are more than what you

have become. Remember who you are." You are a son or daughter of our Heavenly Father.

You have come from His presence to live on this earth for a season and to live in such a

way that you are an example of the believers and a true light to the world. When that

season has ended, you will be able to return to live with Him once again. May this be your

blessing as you nurture your testimony and as you follow the example set for you and for

all of us by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, "the true Light, which lighteth every man

and woman that cometh into the world." Of Him I testify: He is our Savior and our

Redeemer, our Advocate with the Father. He is our Exemplar and our strength. He is the

light that shineth in darkness. That each of us here today may pledge to follow Him and to

be His lights among men and women is my prayer.

In His holy name even Jesus Christ the Lord amen.

Thomas S. Monson

"You can do hard things."

Emily Freeman

"I may be one, but one becomes two,

when you stand with me, and I stand with you..."

Hilary Weeks

"It is true that some have greater power of resistance than others, but everyone has the power to close his heart against doubt, against darkness, against unbelief, against anger, against hatred, against jealousy, against malice, against envy. God has given this power unto all of us, and we can gain still greater power by calling upon Him for that which we lack. If it were not so, how could we be condemned for giving way to wrong influences?"

George Q. Cannon

"Listen to the quietest whispers of your mind.

They are telling you the choices that will help you the most."     

When something bad happens we have 3 choices:

we can either let it define us,

let it destroy us, or

we can let it strengthen us.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is not think, not wonder, not imagine, not obsess.

Just breathe, and have faith that everything will work out for the best.

‎"The remarkable thing is that we have a choice every day

regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day."

Thomas S. Monson