True Love

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I've been thinking a lot about LOVE ♥

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, a living apostle of the Lord, spoke on the subject of true love or charity (the pure love of Christ) in an address he gave back in February 2000.  Elder Holland is one of my favorite people on the planet, so I'll be borrowing some a lot of his words.

"True charity, the absolutely pure, perfect love of Christ, has really been known only once in this world—in the form of Christ Himself, the living Son of the living God. . .As in everything, Christ is the only one who got it all right, did it all perfectly, loved the way we are all to try to love. But even though we fall short, that divine standard is there for us. It is a goal toward which we are to keep reaching, keep striving—and, certainly, a goal to keep appreciating."

So how do I develop this Christlike love? As Elizabeth Barrett Browning might say,"How do I love thee?" Elder Holland continues...

"Love is a fragile thing, and some elements in life can try to break it. Much damage can be done if we are not in tender hands, caring hands. To give ourselves totally to another person, as we do in marriage, is the most trusting step we take in any human relationship. It is a real act of faith—faith all of us must be willing to exercise. If we do it right, we end up sharing everything—all our hopes, all our fears, all our dreams, all our weaknesses, and all our joys—with another person."

IF we do it right. How do we do it right? Well, lots of ways. One way we can love right (appropriately, correctly, etc.) is by following God's command to live the law of chastity.

Chastity is sexual purity, a condition that is “pleasing unto God” (Jacob 2:7). To be chaste, you must be morally clean in your thoughts, words, and actions. You must not have any sexual relations before you are legally married. When you are married, you must be completely faithful to your husband or wife.

Sometimes people try to convince themselves that sexual relations outside of marriage are acceptable if the participants love one another. This is not true. Breaking the law of chastity and encouraging someone else to do so is not an expression of love. People who love each other will never endanger one another’s happiness and safety in exchange for temporary personal pleasure.

When people care for one another enough to keep the law of chastity, their love, trust, and commitment increase, resulting in greater happiness and unity.

True to the Faith: Chastity

Decide now

to live the law of chastity.

When temptations come, stand true to the decision you made today to live a chaste life.

It is wrong to commit sexual sins with the thought that you will simply repent later. This attitude is a sin itself, showing irreverence for the Lord and the covenants you make with Him. 

True to the Faith: Chastity

Elder Holland closes with this POWERFUL paragraph:

"In Mormon’s and Paul’s final witnesses, they declare that “charity [pure love] never faileth” (Moroni 7:46, 1 Corinthians 13:8). It is there through thick and thin. It endures through sunshine and shadow, through darkest sorrow and on into the light. It never fails. So Christ loved us, and that is how He hoped we would love each other. In a final injunction to all his disciples for all time, He said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you” (John 13:34; emphasis added). Of course such Christlike staying power in romance and marriage requires more than any of us really have. It requires something more, an endowment from heaven. Remember Mormon’s promise: that such love—the love we each yearn for and cling to—is “bestowed” upon “true followers of Christ.” You want capability, safety, and security in dating and romance, in married life and eternity? Be a true disciple of Jesus. Be a genuine, committed, word-and-deed Latter-day Saint. Believe that your faith has everything to do with your romance, because it does. You separate dating from discipleship at your peril. Or, to phrase that more positively, 

Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, is the only lamp by which you can successfully see the path of love and happiness for you and for your sweetheart. How should I love thee? As He does, for that way “never faileth.”

God is our loving Father in Heaven. He wants us to love and be loved. He wants us to love right. He's shown us the way to love. Will you allow Him to bless your current/future relationships by developing CHARITY and living God's law of CHASTITY?

Faith Points to The Future

A lady from church recently shared this faith-promoting, inspirational message that she heard just days after she lost her sweet husband to cancer.

"Whenever we start something new--whether it's a new year, a new day, a new project, or a new goal--it typically means putting an end to something old. Even when it's a positive change, it can be hard to let go of the familiar past and step into an uncertain future. But while we certainly can't live in the past, we can always learn from it. Jeffrey R. Holland expressed this truth in these words: "We look back to claim embers from glowing experiences, but not the ashes. . . Then we look ahead and remember that faith is always pointed toward the future."

Faith is believing and hoping that no matter how things have gone in the past, they can get better. Faith is forward-looking; it empowers and inspires us to action; it moves us to do more and to become better.

This kind of faith is robust and realistic; it is not fairy-tale or make-believe. Consider the great challenges throughout history that have been overcome by courageous people--including yourself!Yes, you've made it through tough times and done hard things before. With that ringing endorsement from the past, you can face the future with faith. An overwhelmed new mother knows she can become a good mom because, if nothing else, she has learned how to love. A first-semester college student knows she can tackle a busy term because she has worked hard and managed her time before. A man bravely battles a crippling illness because he knows this is hardly the first challenge he has faced.

Even if the new year, new day, or new challenge seems more difficult than anything you've faced before, the fact that you've come this far reveals that you have it in you to succeed. Draw strength from the past, but don't get stuck there. Look to the future with faith, and remember that the seemingly small victories you collect now are laying the foundation of great success in the future."

Lloyd D Newell

As I've watched this brave woman move forward with faith, my testimony has been strengthened. She knows she will see her husband again. To learn more about how you can be with your family FOREVER click here or send me a message.

In His Arms

For  over a week, I've had a couple scriptures stuck in my head.

"...I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love"

2Nephi 1:15

"...encircles them in the arms of safety..."

Alma 34:16

Arms of love. Arms of safety. Arms of mercy. Those are the arms I want to be encircled in. Those are the arms that want to encircle me. My Heavenly Father--your Heavenly Father--and my Savior, Jesus Christ--your Savior, Jesus Christ--want to encircle you in Their arms.

I feel the Savior's loving embrace when I listen to a song like "I Feel My Savior's Love".

I feel the Savior's loving embrace when I pour out my soul in fervent, heartfelt prayer.

I feel the Savior's loving embrace when I embrace His gospel and live His teachings.

* When do you feel the Savior's loving embrace?*

If you have questions about this, or any other post PLEASE feel free to comment or send me a private message. I would love to answer your questions and help you on your personal journey to feeling His loving embrace every day.

Let go

I started writing this post a week ago. Day after day, it didn't feel right. I deleted it. Started over. And over. And over. I didn't know why I couldn't just feel satisfied with any of the many many topics I tried to write about. How come none of my ideas were working?

Doctrine and Covenants section 9 verse 9 says:

"But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me."

I'm not working on the translation of The Book of Mormon like Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were at the time they received this revelation, but I definitely think Heavenly Father was teaching me a lesson by sending a plethora of "stupor of thoughts" this week. It's a lesson I've been taught many times, but my oh so patient and loving Father in Heaven kindly re-teaches me again and again: "Let go" He pleads, "Let Me take control."

I'm learning. Slowly. When I started this post, for the final time, I intended it to be a post on prayer. Now as I look back at the words that have flowed from my typing fingers, I notice prayer is not the prevailing theme. That's okay. It's important that we relinquish control, because His ways are always better. 

What are you  holding on to maybe a little too tightly? Remember: we must let a kite have some string in order to fly. Let the string go a little more this week. Let Christ lift you and help you soar.

Trees and Trials

Lately, I've thought a lot about trees. Maybe it's because I just read an awesome article "The Best Time to Plant a Tree"  by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf (Second Counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), or maybe it's because of all the majestic Douglas Firs here in Oregon. Either way, I have trees on the brain.

I was reading in Alma 32 the other day, and the thought struck me "What if a seed decided it wasn't even going to try to sprout because it was too scared the rain would beat it down or a lawnmower would chop it into oblivion?" As I look out the window at all the trees, I can't help but  think "Way to go little seed! You did it! You faced the trials of life and you came out conqueror! You made it."

I don't want to be the seed that is too afraid to sprout. I want to grow into the person God created me to be. In his "tree" article, President Uchtdorf reminds us "You don't need to wait for permission to become the person you were designed to be." He goes on to say that although the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is now. So today, I will plant a seed. I will plant the seed of who I want to be.

*What seed will you plant today? Who do you want to be?*

I don't expect the seed of who I want to be to grow into the tree of me overnight. I recognize that it will take time and effort. I recognize that sometimes, I will fail. President Uchtdorf says, "We almost certainly will fail—at least in the short term. But rather than be discouraged, we can be empowered because this understanding removes the pressure of being perfect right now." It is okay to fall down every now and then. When a toddler first learns to walk we certainly don't punish him when, after a few wobbly steps, he tumbles to the ground. We applaud his effort and encourage him to try, try again. Likewise, our Heavenly Father is patient with our "wobbly steps". 

When trials come and the rains pour, I think of this poem (one of my personal favorites):

GOOD TIMBER

By Douglas Malloch

The tree that never had to fight

For sun and sky and air and light,

But stood out in the open plain

And always got its share of rain,

Never became a forest king

But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man who never had to toil

To gain and farm his patch of soil,

Who never had to win his share

Of sun and sky and light and air,

Never became a manly man

But lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow with ease:

The stronger wind, the stronger trees;

The further sky, the greater length;

The more the storm, the more the strength.

By sun and cold, by rain and snow,

In trees and men good timbers grow.

Where thickest lies the forest growth,

We find the patriarchs of both.

And they hold counsel with the stars

Whose broken branches show the scars

Of many winds and much of strife.

This is the common law of life. 

As we happily endure this life, may we be ever mindful that we are in the Maker's hands. He is shaping us into what He knows we can become.

Feeling God's Love

I yearn to feel my Savior's love. Although I know His love for me is always there, some days I struggle to feel that love. Do you ever feel a craving for reassurance that your Father in Heaven loves you...that He knows you?

I feel God's love for me most when I am on my knees pouring out my soul in prayer. I tell Him about my triumphs, my heartbreaks, and I plead for His help. He answers those heartfelt prayers with a quiet reassurance that I am known. Usually that answer is a peaceful feeling in my heart.

When do you feel God's love the most? Comment on this post and share your experiences with me.

A recent article in the Ensign (a magazine published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) tells about other way God's love might be felt. Click here to read about how other young adults feel that love.

"Heavenly Father loves you—each of you. That love never changes. It is not influenced by your appearance, by your possessions, or by the amount of money you have in your bank account. It is not changed by your talents and abilities. It is simply there. It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love. It is simply always there."

 --President Thomas S. Monson

(for the full text click here)

"We'll bring the world His truth"

It is an exciting time to be a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! We are just beginning to incorporate online resources into our efforts to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to all the world. I will be using this blog to post weekly messages that will be spiritually uplifting and, hopefully, will help you feel Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ's love for you. As we embark on this journey together, I ask for your support. Questions and comments are encouraged! Let's use the internet for good!

"You live in a world where technological advances occur at an astounding pace. It is difficult for many of my generation to keep up with the possibilities. Depending on how technology is used, these advances can be a blessing or a deterrent. Technology, when understood and used for righteous purposes, need not be a threat but rather an enhancement to spiritual communication."  

--Richard G. Scott, a living Apostle of Jesus Christ.