The Broken Washer

"But behold, I ... will show unto you that the tender mercies of

the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their

faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance."

1 Nephi 1:20

A few weeks ago, after the expenses of moving to a new home we realized that our washing machine was leaking water from underneath. My brave husband checked the bottom of the washer and after discovering a plethora of bugs, he also found that he had no idea how to fix the problem. We decided that we should probably call a repairman since our piles of dirty clothes were quickly multiplying.

Our repair team soon arrived and after looking at the machine for about five minutes they determined that it was probably cheaper to buy a new machine than to fix the problem. While I was trying to muster the resolve to fork out more money, the repairman stopped and asked if we knew about the problem with our heating flue vent that was directly above the washer. After saying that I didn't he quickly explained that there was a sizable hole in it and it was probably leaking carbon monoxide into our home. Because of his willingness to tell us of a problem we were able to get heating specialists in our home that day and after the flue collapsed when they were inspecting it they were able to quickly rebuild a safe one.

After the initial shock of having a carbon monoxide leak and the extreme danger this posed to my family, I have been humbled to remember the hand of the Lord in my life. Even though I didn't initially see the broken washer as a blessing, I realize that this repair's timing was a tender mercy to keep my family safe. I am grateful that I am not in this life alone, but that Heavenly Father continues to watch over each one of us.

Earthly Tabernacles

A professor at Utah State University begins each semester by showing a series of architectural marvels. He speaks about the amazing strength of the design and the workmanship in the building of these masterpieces. This is probably not an unusual occurrence in a classroom, however this is for a class on human anatomy. He concludes his architectural showcase by explaining that however amazing these structures are, the human body is infinitely more complex and perfectly made.

It amazes me to think about the things our bodies can do, and just do do, all of the time. In this age when so many of us criticize ourselves for not looking precisely like an airbrushed magazine I think that we need to teach our children and ourselves to truly appreciate the amazing gift of bodies that we have been given (as these great researchers have pointed out, "negative self talk" about ourselves is not only depressing, but actually has other detrimental results).

I know I do not have the "perfect" body by the world's standards, but I have really started thinking about how blessed I am. Some of the small things that I have been noticing that I usually take for granted are: singing lullabies, typing, playing instruments, walking, hugging, tasting delicious foods, hearing laughter, breathing (I'm not totally taking this for granted after just having a baby with croup!), a beating heart, and seeing others' smiles. I am certainly not saying that we don't want to make our body as healthy as we can through eating right and exercise, I just hope that we can all take a step back and really think about the gifts given to us by our Father in Heaven.

Photo Credit

We Seek After These Things...

The Articles of Faith outline 13 basic points of belief of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Prophet Joseph Smith first wrote them in a letter to John Wentworth, a newspaper editor, in response to Mr. Wentworth's request to know what members of the Church believed. They were subsequently published in Church periodicals. They are now regarded as scripture and included in the Pearl of Great Price.

If I could leave one message for my children, I think it would be this. And I don't think I could say it any better. The message comes from the 13th article of faith which reads, "We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous. And in doing good to all men. Indeed we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul. We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." There just really is no room for darkness in our lives.

Daughters in My Kingdom

I was reviewing Sister Julie Beck's great talk from our last General Relief Society Meeting and I was struck with the warnings she gives. I know that this is a long quote, but I thought that it was very interesting, she says, "

Because we are living in the last days of this earth, there are signs of a great struggle everywhere. Myths and misperceptions regarding the strength, purpose, and position of Latter-day Saint women abound. Prevailing myths imply that we are of lower importance than men, that we are generally sweet but uninformed, and that no matter what we do, we will never be enough to be accepted by our Heavenly Father. As the Apostle Peter said, there are “false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denyingthe Lord that bought them.”

The Book of Mormon describes what is happening: “For behold, at that day shall [Satan] rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.“And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security,that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.“And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains.”

In the growing climate of entitlement, excuse, apathy, and enticement, daughters of God who are not watchful, prayerful, and inspired are increasingly at risk of becoming what the scriptures describe as “silly women” who worship a variety of “strange gods.” Sadly, as a result of life’s difficulties and the world’s popular heresies, many sisters believe the myths more than the truth. Their misalignment with God’s plan is demonstrated in findings that many are not doing essential things such as praying and reading scriptures. The Lord Himself has said that “this is a day of warning, and not a day of many words.”"

Looking over those myths I have to admit that I have let myself believe at least some of them at different points in my life. Sister Beck goes on to say that reviewing our history with the great women that our church has had will strengthen us in these days. I know that for myself looking to other strong women has taught me more than just about anything else concerning who I want to become. I know that Heavenly Father expects amazing things from His daughters and I know that through the gospel we can deliver what he needs for us to do.

For Sis. Beck's full article check out this link.

Kingdom of God

This was written for a stake conference by Haily and is a great reminder - especially at this busy time of year. We would love to post any others from our readers (you can email submissions to particlesoffaith@gmail.com). Thank you Haily!

When Jesus Christ visited the Nephites in the America’s after his resurrection, he called twelve disciples to direct the work of the kingdom in that part of the world. After calling those twelve, Jesus began toteach the multitude. He hadn’t gone very far, however, when he again, “looked upon the twelve whom he had chosen” and gave them this advice in 3 Nephi 13:31-33. I have been thinking a little bit about these disciples and what thoughts must have been going through their minds as they were given these new responsibilities and what comfort this bit of advice must have given them. This scripture has also brought me comfort and perspective many times as I have sought balance with the different demands oflife, while striving to become a disciple of Christ.

We live in a very busy world. There are constantly many different things vying for our attention. How do we, then, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness while having faith that all these other things shall be added unto us? A few years ago when my oldest 2 sons were ages 1 and 3 and my husband had a busy calling, I often felt like I was the only one who was too busy to cope. I wondered how I could accomplish all that I felt I needed to, especially when it seemed like my husband was never home. Then, one day, in a conversation with a friend, she casually started talking about her husband’sbusy schedule. He worked late hours at his job and was attending school. My friend wasn’t complaining, she seemed to understand that everyone was busy and that we all did the best that we could. In talkingwith this friend I realized that I had been so caught up in my schedule that I had neglected my commitment to bear one another’s burden’s. My lack of focus had caused me to lose power in organizing my time and in searching for the peace and joy that I craved. When we are weighed down with responsibilities we tend to turn inward, focusing only on ourselves and forgetting the needs ofthose around us. We develop a condition that Elder Dallin H. Oaks refers to as an “excessive pre-occupation with self”. The cure for this condition is simple service, not in deed only, but also in attitude. As we come to understand that others struggle with busy lives as well, we learn to RSVP a no-thank-you to our self appointed pity parties and, putting our shoulder to the wheel, we begin to look for ways that we can organize our efforts and make the most of our time. We learn that serving others and striving to seek first the kingdom of God is about what the Lord wants for us, and not following our list of to-do’sbut the Lord’s list for us. Then we can truly feel the joy that is associated with becoming a disciple of Christ.

So we’ve discovered that we’re not alone in our busy state and that new thought gives uscourage and hope that we can balance our schedule successfully as others have before us. What’s the first step? What’s the key to feeling satisfaction that we’ve organized our lives in such a way that ourHeavenly Father knows that we seek first his righteousness? I’ve determined that the constant companionship of the Holy Spirit is the key. I remember, a few years ago, taking a walk in my neighborhood and walking by the home of one of my friends and thinking about her and wondering how things were going for her. This friend of mine is not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ and I found myself thinking that I was failing in my responsibilities as her friend and an example to her of a memberof our church. Almost immediately, upon thinking about her, I had new thoughts like: “How can I fulfill my duty toward her, when I have sisters that I visit teach that could use more care and love than I am giving them?” I started to think of not only my duties as a visiting teacher but my responsibilities in my other callings and responsibilities toward family and other friends, my home and my community! As you can see, I quickly became overwhelmed! It’s amazing how your mind can take one simple thought ofdoing more and run away with it! In our regional conference just three months ago, Sister Julie B. Beck taught us that “The ability to qualify for, receive and act on personal revelation is the single mostimportant ability that can be acquired in this life.” When we have the spirit as our daily companion these overwhelming thoughts that sometimes come can quickly be put into perspective as we re-examine our lives and do a quick mental check to see if we are following the Lord’s plan for us. When wefollow the Lords plan things that are most important seem to fall into place more easily. We feel peaceat the end of each day, knowing that, although we may not have accomplished everything on our list, wehave done our best with the Holy Spirit as our guide, and are therefore entitled to the love and approval of our Heavenly Father.

In order to have the Spirit with us constantly, Sis Beck suggests prioritizing our tasks into threecategories: essential’s, necessary’s and nice-to-do’s. She explained that she is amazed when she put’s the essentials first, how many necessary’s and nice to do’s she is able to accomplish. Remember thepromise? “…all these things shall be added unto you.” Sis. Beck also explained that when our priorities are out of order we lose power!

Since our goal is to know the mind and will of our Heavenly Father through the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, than our list of essential’s would include: prayer, scripture study, and temple attendance. If we live in families, especially with children at home than our goal as parents should include sharing that constant companionship of the Holy Ghost with our children and teachingthem to recognize the influence of God’s spirit. So our list would grow and include FHE, family prayer and family scripture study. Given the state of our world I’m sure you have all had experiences in whichyou felt the influence of Satan in your home and family. A few years ago my husband and I had an experience like this and I felt that our goal of an eternal family and life with God and our Savior was being threatened. No longer was family scripture study and family prayer considered simply, a good idea; it became essential. Without doing all in our power to seek first the kingdom of God how can we and those for whom we have stewardship have “hope for a better world, even a place at the right handof God”? (Ether 12:4)
While preparing for this talk, an article in this month’s Ensign caught my eye. It’s titled “All things in wisdom and order” by Elder John C. Taggart of the Seventy. He says: “To persist or persevere means to remain on the path. Those who do so find, to their delight, that the journey brings moments of surprising joy and great blessings, even as the way grows rocky or steep.” Brothers and Sisters, I testify that this is true because as we seek first the kingdom of God our natures change. We are able to eliminate the non-essentials not because we have to, but because we want to. Suddenly who’s getting kicked off our favorite reality show isn’t quite as important as spending a few more minutes in the scriptures or taking one more trip to the temple. I testify that God lives and that he loves us. His is the great plan of happiness. He knows of the joy that awaits us, but also of the joy and peace available today, in this life, if we choose to follow him in all things. This is made possible through the Atonementof our Savior Jesus Christ. I know he lives. I know that he stands at the head of this church and that he will come again. I pray that we may prepare ourselves for that day, in the name of Jesus Christ.

Stop and listen, especially when it's important

On Sunday in Relief Society we were discussing the story of Mary and Martha.  You know, the one when Martha is busy working and Mary is listening to Jesus and Martha gets kind of mad at Mary for not helping, then Jesus reprimands Martha?  Poor Martha always gets a bad reputation because of that story. 

In RS, it was pointed out that when Lazarus died, Martha was actually very faithful and believing. She'd probably just been caught at a bad moment when Jesus reprimanded her.  We talked about how we can't judge others without knowing the full story, just like if we forget how faithful Martha was at Lazarus' death.

It also made me think, though, how when we have the opportunities for something special like General Conference, or listening to Jesus in Martha's case, we should take them.  I know Conference is over, but we can still apply the principle to choose the better part in all areas of our lives.

We Are Sowing

Lately, I have been trying to recognize my impact on others and the words of the hymn We Are Sowing made me think about this even more:

We are sowing, daily sowing countless seeds of good and ill,
Scattered on the level lowland, cast upon the windy hill;
Seeds that sink in rich, brown furrows, soft with heaven's gracious rain;
Seeds that rest upon the surface of the dry unyielding plain.

Seeds that lie unchanged, unquickened, lifeless on the teeming mold;
Seeds that live and grow and flourish when the sower's hand is cold.
By a whisper sow we blessings; by a breath we scatter strife.
In our words and thoughts and actions lie the seeds of death and life.

Thou who knowest all our weakness, leave us not to sow alone!
Bid thine angels guard the furrows where the precious grain is sown,
Till the fields are crown'd with glory, filled with mellow, ripened ears,
Filled with fruit of life eternal from the seed we sowed in tears.

I am simultaneously thrilled and terrified that even little things that I do can make such an impact on others. We really never know when something that we say, write, or do will make a difference for someone. I love that this hymn not only reminds me of how important the seeds I sow are, but that I am not alone in what I need to accomplish. Heavenly Father wants to help us and rejoices when we do good in this world. No matter how small or seemingly insignificant at the time, our acts of goodness can grow into something wonderful.

D&C 6:33-36 ~ "Fear not to do good, my sons, for whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow good ye shall also reap good for your reward. Therefore fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are build upon my rock, they cannot prevail...Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not."

Picture Source