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).

Happy Pioneer Day!

Here in Utah it's Pioneer Day which is a state holiday that commemorates the day Brigham Young entered the valley and proclaimed, "This is the right place." At this very moment a huge parade is going on in Salt Lake City, but not being a parade fan I'm here in my air conditioned house enjoying the day.

But for me Pioneer Day isn't just about Utah history, it's an important day in our family history. Forty-three years ago today D2 was born and about two hours before she was born Mr. J received his draft notice telling him that in ten days he was to report to Fort Lewis for basic training. Because of that draft notice I walked into the hospital crying (make that bawling!). When the nurse saw me she said reproachfully, "It can't be that bad!"

"My husband just got drafted," I answered between sobs.

She jumped from her seat at the nurses station, ran around the desk, threw her arms around me, and said, "It's that bad." Less than an hour later D2 was born.

I thought life had ended. It was Vietnam and a cousin I was very close to had been killed in the war and all I could picture was myself a widow with two babies to care for. I went through some terrible times of doubting God and cursing life--creating unnecessary pain for myself. But as it turned out Mr. J was stationed in Germany instead of Vietnam and we got to go with him. I still look back on that year in Germany as one of the most fun and exciting years of my life.

I only wish that I knew then what I know now about Living in Truth. I would have been spared a lot of pain and suffering. That's one of the reasons I love Pioneer Day so much--because it helps me remember that "Everything is as it should be" and that if I (like the early pioneers) just trust in God everything works out fine.

PS - One of the things we are going to do to celebrate Pie-o-neer day is eat Pie. If you've seen the movie "17 Miracles," you'll understand more.

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.

This, Too, Shall Pass

The phrase “And it came to pass” appears in the Book of Mormon 198 times from the beginning of the book until 2 Nephi 5:30 and then it is never used again by Nephi. Later, in the book of Ether, Moroni uses the phrase 160 times, but he never uses it his own writings. 

What has been discovered from other writings originating in the Near East is that the phrase “And it came to pass” is used to indicate that a period of time has elapsed. This phrase is very useful  when writing history. Therefore when Nephi is recording the story of their leaving Jerusalem that happened several decades before he is writing he uses the phrase until he brings the record up to the current time and then he no longer needs it. Likewise, Moroni while abridging the Jaradite account uses it throughout the book of Ether, but when he is telling us what is happening to him he doesn’t use it.

This is interesting to me, but I like the phrase for another reason. “And it came to pass” are words of hope. Yes, today might be a down day. Things might be going wrong today. Horrible things might even be happening today. But . . . they will pass. There will be a brighter day, and eventually all days will be bright days. God has promised it. 

Remember, 

"Weeping may endure for a night, 

but joy cometh in the morning" 

(Psalms 30:5).

My Way Is Perfect

In 2 Samual 22:33 is one of my favorite verses of scripture, “God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.”


Having once been a terrible pessimist who is struggling to become an optimist I like how this verse instructs me that whatever happens is perfect for me. God is my strength. He is my power. Therefore, instead of getting upset or discouraged when things don’t go my way, I need to remind myself that His strength and His power don’t make mistakes. Therefore the things that happen to me are for a reason and I need to trust in His reasons. They are perfect.

My job is to learn from what happens and move on. Any other reaction to what happens sends me into the Pit and makes me miserable. When I got my new Ipad, I had these words engraved on the back, “Take what comes and love it.” And how can I love it? Because God makes my way perfect.

Just Let Go

Stop for a moment and feel your heart beating. Now notice how your lungs take in air and rhythmically let it back out. Look at the veins in your wrists and think about the gallons of blood that are flowing through miles of blood vessels in your body. Look at your hands and wonder at the fact that somehow the carrots and cheese you ate last week has now become your skin, fingernails, and hair. Such miracles and you did nothing to make it all happen.  You didn’t order it, nor were you even conscious that it was happening and yet it miraculously happened. 

Now look at the world around you. The sun comes up each morning and you did nothing to make that happen. Clouds come and go. The trees outside your window grow. The grass goes dormant in the winter and springs back to green life in the summer. Tulips sprout from brown bulbs, and tomatoes grow from green vines. You might have watered and fertilized to help the process along, but you didn’t make it happen. God did.

Now think: If God can do all that, don’t you think He can run your life also?

We don’t need to fret and try to control every little outcome. That only causes us Unnecessary Pain. When we start to worry and vex ourselves with life’s challenges, we need to stop, look at our hands again, and remember that God is in charge. If He can keep me breathing and my heart pumping without me doing anything to make it happen, He can certainly take care of everything else. As the scriptures say, 

“We know that all things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28).

So relax and let God do His work in you.

The Trees Are Applauding Me!

Photo by Carla Kimball

There is a famous passage in Isaiah that you all know: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). Often when I let vexation and stress push me into the Pit of Illusion I’m able to crawl out by thinking about how God’s ways are not the ways of the mortal world. I’m often able to push away the vexation by remembering that God is in charge and while I might not understand, He will make all things work for my good if I just trust in Him.

The passage in Isaiah goes on to say that those who trust in the word of God will “go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands” (Isaiah 55:12). I don’t take this to mean that trees will actually applaud. Instead I take this verse to mean that if I just relax—stay out of the Pit and its accompanying worry, vexation, and stress—things will work out. Someone will cross my path with the very answers I need to solve my problems. Someone will call or come to me with the very words of encouragement I need to press on and endure. Someone will teach me the very principles I need to progress at the very time I am ready to move on. What most people call happy coincidences will abound if I walk in Truth and stay far away from the Pit of Illusion.

In the meantime, I imagine trees applauding my efforts and mountains serenading me. Those happy thoughts bring a warmth to my countenance that sustains me and keeps me out of the Pit.

He Knows

As the semester begins I face the task of memorizing over 200 students’ names. I’m not very good at verbatim memorization so this is a daunting task for me. But I realize how important it is, so I pray for help and spend hours reviewing flash cards. What makes it even more difficult is that I’ll associate a name with a feature such as his or her hair and then get to class only to discover that he or she has cut or colored their hair. Or I’ll get the name down and the person drops the class. (I think there should be a rule that if the teacher knows your name you have to stay in the class!)

But I’m not just complaining here. All this work at memorizing has made me think about how our Father in Heaven knows each one of us by name. Not only that, He knows what is bothering us and what brings us joy. He knows where our weaknesses are, but most of all He knows what we need in order to overcome and transcend the weaknesses that hold us back and keep us far from Him. I don’t know how He does it, but I appreciate it more and more as I struggle to simply learn a few names.

Our Father in Heaven knows us. He loves us. And He will guide and nurture us if we just trust in Him and let Him love us.

It's Fair

A friend once told me that when the daily tribulations cause him to be vexed he laughs. He and his wife noticed that weeks, or months down the road the stories of these events were usually comical and were retold in order to give everyone a good laugh. So, he decided, why not laugh at them at the moment. “If you are going to laugh later,” he said, “you might as well laugh now.”

I like that philosophy, and recently decided it can be used in other areas also. The scriptures tell us that eventually “every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess” (Mosiah 27:31) that the judgments of God are just and fair. And in Mosiah 16:1 we are told that “The time shall come when all shall see the salvation of the Lord; when every nation, kindred, tongue, and people shall see eye to eye and shall confess before God that his judgments are just.” 

Therefore, if at one point we are all going to realize that everything that happens to us is just and fair, why not acknowledge that now? Why fight against it and cause ourselves pain?  It makes it so much easier to endure well when we realize that there is a plan and that we have to pass through trials, but that the justice of God will recompense us for every unfair thing that happens and that we need to endure the other things because they are fair.

Life may not at times seem fair, but the promise of Jesus Christ is that it will be. Trust in that. After all, "If you are going to trust later, you might as well trust now."

All Things Work For Good

I am more and more amazed at the beauties of Living in Truth. As I’ve explained before, necessary pain is going to come into our lives. That is just part of a mortal experience. And some of that pain is absolutely devastating and makes no sense. Like the righteous women who aren't married or who can’t have children. That pain is deep and real and is impossible to attach a meaning to. All we can do is trust in God.

But as we do learn how to trust in God even in the face of pain that has no meaning or reason to it, the wondrous thing is to discover how close we can be to our Father in Heaven despite the pain. When we Live in Truth there is no mental chatter to keep us from hearing and feeling the presence of God. Despite the pain, we know there is Someone nearby cradling us in His arms and comforting us with the thoughts that while we don’t understand, He does and that He is going to make it all right.

I love the verse in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Living in Truth allows us to trust in this statement and to know without a doubt that “all things work together for good” even if we can’t see at the moment how that could ever happen.

Taking a Leap of Faith

Stepping out of our comfort zones to do something new and different is often difficult. Giving a talk in church, teaching a Sunday School lesson, asking someone for forgiveness, or trying to comfort someone who has experienced tragedy can be daunting experiences. The feelings must be similar to the feelings of skydiving for the first time. The moment before the jump is filled with anxiety and fear and doubt. But once the diver has taken that first leap and is soaring through the air the anxiety is replaced with exhilaration and excitement.

Stepping out of our comfort zones is a lot the same way. The fear and anxiety exist, but once we have made the choice to step forward and do what we need to do the Spirit is there to help us and the exhilaration and excitement come. When we let go of the fear and trust God to lead us we can do whatever is required of us and have a good time doing it.

As the writer of Proverbs says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (3:5). Fear is part of the Natural Man and never comes from God. When we let go of fear and trust in Him, His love and peace and joy replace the fear and are enabled to do “all things through Christ which strengtheneth [us]” (Philip. 4:13).

Leaving the Ball

The music had ended, but the heart of the young princess still danced with delight as the memories of the beautiful ball swirled within her. The music, her dress, the flattering compliments, the food, the company, the laughter, everything had been perfect. Not wanting the evening to end, she lingered in the ballroom watching the servants clean away the last morsels of tasty delights and carefully put the silver back into the cloth pouches. Humming and watching, she didn’t notice the King approach until He stood beside her.

“You had a good evening,” He said.

“Oh, yes! The best possible evening!” she answered.

“Now it is time to go. You must move on.”

“But why? Isn't this everything you promised! It is so beautiful here. The music may have stopped, but I can still hear it. Listen!”

He smiled down at her. “That is good. Then you can take it with you, But if you are someday to be a queen, you must know all the rooms of the palace. Come. It is time to go.”

Reluctantly she followed, but as he opened the large iron door, she gasped. All that presented itself was darkness—a thick, uninviting blackness so heavy it even smelled of darkness. “But you promised me a kingdom!” the princess exclaimed.

“I did. But you must trust me. You must pass through the Dark Hall to get there.”

“But that can’t be so! You told me that there would be a prince and children and joy and laughter. You told me that peace and happiness were to be my lot. That’s what was here in the ballroom tonight! All I want is right here. But that hall holds none of those things. It holds nothing but terror and fear.”

“This room is not the kingdom. This is only the ballroom. All I can do is tell you the way to the Kingdom and help you to get there. You must decide if you are going to trust my advice or not. Will you enter? Or do you want to stay and relive the memories as you watch the servants continue to clear away the decorations from the ball?”

It was a difficult decision, but slowly the princess forced one foot forward and entered the dark unknown.

The moral of the story? If we want to be Queens or Kings, we must remember that “The goodness of God endureth continually” (Ps. 52:1), even while we are traversing the dark halls that seem to be void of all He has promised. God knows where He is taking us and He knows which halls will lead us there.

Trusting Father

Having some of the grand kids here has brought back a lot of memories of when my own children were young. I’ve watched my daughters and their husbands parenting, and I remember the feelings of longing I had to do what was right for each child. Usually the day to day activities kept me so busy I didn’t have time to ponder on it much, but when I stopped and did have time to think, the responsibility of helping my children return to their Heavenly Father was overwhelming. And when I made mistakes in my parenting, it hurt! In short, what I’m trying to explain here is that I tried to do my best and always wanted the best for my children and I see my own children demonstrating that exact same desire with their children.

These thoughts have made me think of a verse of scripture, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give good gifts, through the Holy Spirit, to them who ask him” (JST Luke 11:14). I made mistakes in my parenting, but our Father in heaven doesn’t make mistakes. He gives us good things and helps us through our problems in perfect ways. We can trust that what He gives and does is always right. Oh, the peace and hope that should give us. All we have to do is trust in Him.