Storms

It is difficult to relate to the stories of storms in the east when here the sun is shining in a clear blue  sky that holds only a hint of autumn and no trace of winter. I wish everyone was experiencing what I am, but they aren't and my heart breaks for the news I keep hearing. It would be so easy to let that kind of news get us down and sink us into the Pit of Illusion. Situations like this often do. They cause some people to wonder, "If there is a God, why does He let things like this happen?"

It is a good question, but it has a good answer. God has the power to heal and recompense and restore. So even though we are in a telestial world and must pass through the adversity and necessary pain of a mortal world, He knows he can make it up to us. He knows He can make it all better. He knows everything will eventually be all right. He knows.

But for Him to make it all right, we must turn to Him and let Him take care of us. That is why He begs us to come to Him. He loves us and like any loving parent He wants us to be better. But we must go to Him or He can't make us better.

The Essence of Spirituality

I hope you enjoyed the LDS General Conference as much as I did. I especially enjoyed it because of the research I've been doing on words and the power of words. As the Lectures on Faith teach us, "Faith works by words." And hearing the words of prophets always increases my faith.

But there was something more this conference. I was making some connections that I've never made before. The Hindu holy book, the Vedas, is believed by its followers to be divinely revealed. Many of the writings in the Vedas obviously correspond to our Biblical teachings, but others have indirect correspondence and can enlighten our own understanding of what is meant.

One of these is the Vedic teaching that “Speech is the essence of humanity.” According to this all of what humanity thinks and becomes is determined by the words that are spoken. In other words, everything has its birth in words. You cannot do something until you have first thought it and formed it into words. When we connect this idea to the teachings of John in the New Testament it expands our understanding of what John means in his gospel when he writes, "In the beginning was The Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God..."

By the same token, our words determine who and what God is to us. He is born in us by the words we choose to think and speak. We can create Him in our own image by thinking of Him as someone who acts and reacts like we do, or we can let Him give us the words of love and peace that allow Him to unfold His divine nature within us. It is then that we are changed to be like Him.

Speech is not only the essence of humanity, it is the essence of spirituality.

Healing

Good news! At first the doctor thought my foot was broken, but the x-rays showed that it is not. There is a lot of swelling in the joint and tissue damage, but no break! For a couple of days after the fall I ached everyplace-my hip, shoulder, foot toes, arm, and hand. I have several bruises and one scratch, but the amazing thing is watching this body heal.

Without me directing it or even knowing how to make it happen somehow my body is actively healing itself. Already, just four days after the fall, swelling is decreasing, bruises are diminishing, and pain is disappearing. It is such a miracle! Likewise, every day my body breathes, my heart beats, my blood circulates, my cells regenerate and I am doing nothing to make that happen. If God can make all that happen, certainly He can direct the rest of my life also.

all this reminds me that there is Someone in charge who knows what He is doing and that I am being cared for at all times. It is only my own thinking that gets in the way. When I relax, trust in God, and cling to the positive in life things take care of themselves in good ways.

Things eventually work out for good. As Paul explained to the ancient saints, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God" (Romans 8:28).

You

Who are you?

We all find ourselves answering that question at various times in our lives, 

but as you read it just now how did you answer? 

Some people answer, I am a mom or a dad, I am a teacher, I am a doctor, I am a businessman or woman, I am a graphic designer,  I am a nurse, I am a mechanic, I am a bookworm, I am a secretary, I am a writer, I am an artist, etc. In these instances we respond by explaining our occupation, talent or relationship to others. But is that really who we are or is it something we do--a role we play?

In other cases  we think of ourselves in terms of "I am" by thinking such things as I am an alcoholic, I am gay, I am psychotic, I am unlovable, I am depressed, I am overweight, I am divorced, I am pretty, I am smart, I am talented, I am rich, I am lovable etc. In these instances we explain ourselves according to our circumstances. But is that really who we are or is it something that has happened to us?

When Living in Truth we let go of these circumstantial ideas of who we are and realize that what we really are is a child of God. We just are. This means that despite the things we do or the things that happen to us whether genetic or experiential, the core that is us is god-like. God identified Himself in the Old Testament as "I Am." And perhaps it would help us all to stop thinking of ourselves as some thing and start thinking of ourselves as a be-ing that through various roles and circumstances is developing into much more than a word, words, or even a phrase can communicate.

There's Help!

When the Lord explains to the Brother of Jared that he needs to build barges and cross the waters to reach the Promised Land he also tells him that "ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea" (Ether 2:25). When we look at Jared and his brother's journey through the wilderness as a metaphor of our own journey through the wilderness of telestial life, we realize that we, likewise, cannot make the journey unless the Lord prepares us to withstand the adversity we will encounter.

Taking the metaphor one step further, we realize that we can't Live in Truth without the Lord's help. He will guide us to recognize Truth, to identify and stick to the verity (the Truth) of any situation, and to understand how to deal with the Truth. We can't do it alone and if we are trying to do it alone, we will fail.

God wants us to succeed. He wants us to make the journey through life and reach our Promised Land, the celestial kingdom. And, most importantly, He will help us daily to Live in Truth if we turn to Him.

The Power of Memory

This isn't the wood pecker I saw, but it is similar.

Just outside my 2^nd floor window is a balcony and three feet from the balcony grow two large, beautiful quaking aspen trees. Yesterday while watching the wind gently rustle the aspen leaves two wood peckers landed in the tree and began pecking at the trunk. I’ve never seen a wood pecker that close before and was startle by the how brilliant the blue feathers sparkled in the sun. There is an awe and reverence that comes when I see nature up close and for some reason the magnificence of that sight filled me with more awe than usual as I watched the two beautiful birds.

After a few minutes the birds flew away, but the sight and feeling has not left me. God has given us such an amazing world and I am grateful for it. I’m also grateful for the power He has given me to remember the beautiful moments so that when times aren’t as wonderful as they were yesterday I can recall the beauty and bring it into the present. What a blessing! A beautiful world and the gift of memory to recall the beauty when the storms come. God thought of everything, didn’t He!

I hope you are all having a wonderful day, and if you aren’t I hope you remember!

Because He Loves Me

In the book of Hebrews in the New Testament, we read, "My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him" (Hebrews 12:5). In English that word chastening carries with it a feeling of punishment, but in the Greek from which our New Testament was translated the word means, "instruction which aims at increasing virtue." That settles into my heart a lot better than the feeling of punishment. We all, being parents and teachers, know the importance of giving and receiving instruction intended to help the person being taught, and when we are Living in Truth we welcome such instruction.

Paul goes on to say, "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby' (12:11). I say, "Amen to that!" Exercised means "the act of bringing into play or realizing in action."  So chastening brings about righteousness.

Paul also draws a comparison between an earthly father (12:7) who chastises because he loves his son and wants his son to grow up to be a happy, functioning, capable adult. If the father didn't think the child could comprehend the lesson and grow from it, he wouldn't instruct him. Likewise, God chastens because He loves me, and because He wants me to grow into a happy, functioning, celestial being.

As Paul says, no one likes being chastised, but the consequence of such correction is worth everything we endure. Being chastened means God loves us and that he knows we can do better.

God Knows the Way

Yesterday when my son told his three-year-old son that their new baby was going to be a girl, my grandson broke out in tears. He wanted a brother, not another sister. But after talking through the situation with his dad, my grandson is now happy that he will have two little sisters to love and protect.

When my son first told me of this I laughed. It was cute, but the more I’ve thought about it the more I realize that I’ve cried about a lot of situations in my life that later turn out to be not only right, but the very best, right thing for me. As a matter of fact, some of the times when I thought God had forgotten all about me have turned out, down the road a few years, to be actual answers to my prayers. 

This has taught me to trust more. God knows where I am supposed to be doing better than I do, and if I relax and trust in Him, I’ll get there a lot faster and with a great deal less pain and vexation.

Love Languages

A long time ago I wrote about love languages. For those of you who haven’t heard of them click here and it will take you to an explanation. 

Understanding the love language of the people close to us is important, but the exciting thing to me is that I’ve come to understand that God knows my love language.  In 2 Nephi 31:3 we are taught that “the Lord God giveth light unto the understanding; for he speaketh unto men according to their language, unto their understanding.” That doesn’t just mean that He speaks to me in English and someone from Mexico in Spanish. It also means He speaks to me through the things I know about and study, through the things I see and do every day, and He speaks to me through my love language which is gifts.

I know that sounds very materialistic, and for a long time I wouldn’t admit that to anyone, but it is true. I feel loved when people give something to me. It doesn’t have to be anything big or costly or even a material object. I love the gift of a smile! And the gifts mean the most to me when they come from the givers heart. I remember speaking once when a woman came up afterward, hugged me, and with tears in her eyes took a bracelet off her wrist and said, “I want to share something with you now.” It wasn’t an expensive bracelet, but oh the meaning it has for me. I still have that bracelet and look at it often with fond memories. I think that is why gifts are my love language—whenever I see them again all the feelings of love come back to me.

But I’m getting side tracked. What I really wanted to say is that daily God sends me gifts that confirm His love for me. This morning He set a special one. I arrived at work about 6:15 in the morning, opened my car door, climbed out, locked the car, and when I looked up there was a small deer about ten feet in front of me watching me get out of the car. He (or she) stared at me for a moment as if to say, “Good morning, Sherrie!” and then bounded off, and to my surprise two more deer came out of the shadows and followed him down the dark road. I’m still smiling and feeling the warm-fuzzies from that special gift!

But this isn’t just about me. Identify your love language and then pay close attention. I guarantee you that God is sending you love every day through your love language.

I Am A Creator of Good

In the beginning of the Bible we are told that we are created in the image of God. We are also told that God created us as well as this whole earth and everything in it. From this it is apparent that God is a creator, but there is a “hidden” message here.  If we are created in God’s image and God is a creator, we are creators. It is in our nature to be creators.

On the other hand the adversary is a destroyer. Everything he does is meant to tear down, destroy, abolish, and obliterate. 

Understanding this difference becomes very helpful when assessing our own lives and progress. At any point in a day we can determine who we are following by simply asking, “Am I creating or destroying?” If I find myself gossiping, I’m obliterating good thoughts others may have toward the person I'm gossiping about. If I find myself being critical, I’m tearing down. If I find myself getting angry, I’m destroying.

But if I find myself loving, or serving, or giving the benefit of the doubt, or finding the good in whatever is happening, I’m creating. I’m creating good. As children of God, it is intended that we be creators of good just as our Father in Heaven is.  The power to be creators has been given to us through the Atonement. We just have to choose to do it.

Knowing I have the power, right now I’m going to create a good day. How about you?