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 Real You

The nature of our personal existence in this telestial world is that there are two parts to each of us. The temporal part that is our body and the spiritual part which is our spirit. Part of the test of mortality is to determine which one of those "selves" we are going to consider our real self. The temporal part of us is influenced by the circumstances, ideas, and situations around us. The spiritual part of us is influenced by the Spirit and the teachings of the Savior communicated to us through scripture, prophets, and teachers.

Along the path of life each of us begins to define ourselves in certain ways. In doing this we think things like "I am a procrastinator," "I am a caring person," "I am a person who eats too much," "I am a perfect housekeeper,"  "I am a sickly," "I am sensitive," and many other things. But look at those things. Most of them have to do with the temporal self. But the temporal self is by nature temporary and therefore can't be the real self. The real self is the lasting, eternal, spiritual self and to define ourselves with anything but our spiritual self is a mistake.

In Buddhist teachings the temporal self is considered the constructed sense of self and it can undermine our happiness. It is self-destructive and gets in the way of us finding our highest potential.

So when we start to think, "I am . . ." stop and ask yourself is that true? Is that the real, lasting, spiritual me or is it the temporal, temporary me? That's the only way to discover who we really are.

Happy Words

Our bodies are amazing. Our bodies are made up of trillions of cells that work together to keep us alive and functioning. Each cell has its own tasks to perform, but at the same time all cells are dependent on other cells in order to function. Each cell "understands" exactly what to do and some, such as the white blood cells, actually sacrifice themselves for the good of the whole body.

But even more interesting is the fact that our cells communicate with each other through electrical messaging that is conducted by minerals and chemicals that act as neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters flow through every cell in the body and transmit messages through out the body. This means that if you are thinking happy words and thoughts that happiness is communicated to every cell in your body. Happiness isn't only about your heart or your mind. Every cell is influenced by positive words and thoughts.

Necessary Pain

When we are Living in Truth we jettison all Unnecessary Pain, but we can still expect to encounter Necessary Pain. Necessary Pain will always be part of a mortal world. But unlike Unnecessary Pain, when we encounter Necessary Pain and endure it well there are actually benefits and blessings that come to us. Research has shown that strong emotional events such as a death of a close friend or family member, a child who does something wrong, or even life events that also have a positive side to them such as sending a child away to serve a mission while painful can lead to deeper self-awareness and to spiritual and physical well-being if we endure them well.

None of us go through life without stress, loss, or sadness. Those are Necessary Pains in life. But if we turn to the Savior in prayer and scripture study, patiently wait to be healed, and accept what’s happened, we learn more about ourselves and about life.

We all know that when we’re experiencing Necessary Pain, it feels like it will never end. But the Savior uses time to help us heal so that we again begin to feel the happiness in life. When we experience this it becomes for us the greatest miracle the Savior has ever performed.

Look for the Witness

I love a verse in the Pearl of Great Price that says, "And behold, all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me" (Moses 6:63).

Years ago that phrase, "all things bear record of me" struck me and I began walking through my days asking of the things I encountered, "What does this teach me of Christ?"

It is often surprising what comes to me. I remember one day while working in my garden picking up a simple rock and thinking, "Wow! These weeds and trees and flowers are temporary. They come and they go, but this rock was around the day the new star appeared in the heavens announcing the birth of Jesus Christ. This rock was around whe the earth shook at His death. This rock has been on this earth for thousands of years--ever since Jesus Christ brought it into being in the beginning.

It was a special moment that I will never forget. Looking for testimonies in the things around us teach us much and surprisingly a small thing like this as beought a lot of love and joy into my life.

Charity

The Good News! of Jesus Christ teaches us that we should have charity.   "But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. (Moroni 7:47). The advice is very good but since we call groups that are organized to help others "charitable" organizations we sometimes confuse the meaning of the word. We think charity means giving to the poor. But charity is a way of living.

If we look at the history of the word we find that its root is the word dearness. If people are dear to us, we do for them what is best for them. And that brings us back to the pure love of Christ. He does for us what is best for us. Sometimes that means chastizing or reprimanding, but most of the time it means blessing and healing and helping.

Take the Opportunity

Image from: FreeDigitalPhotos.net by Scott Chan

When we Live in Truth we see life differently. For example instead of seeing situations around us as problems, we see them as opportunities.

The word opportunity itself teaches us a lot about this concept. Opportunity means, "a favorable juncture of  circumstances." That's a good definition, but there is something more to this word. You may have noticed that there is a "port" in the middle of the word. That is significant. Sail toward it!

Opportunity comes from the Latin word opportunus which consists of the prefix, op- meaning "toward" and portus meaning (You guessed it!) "port or harbor." If traveling by ship, a port is your entry into a city which means you are approaching your destination which means you are now going to be able to carry on the business you came to do, or to enjoy visits with friends and family, or to start a new life, or to refuel the ship, or to take on needed supplies, or even to invade and conquer. But to do what you had come to do, you have to first take advantage of the port and enter it. You have to more toward the port.

When we think of what we sometimes call problems as "ports of call" or stops along the itinerary of life used to refuel, restock supplies, and unload and/or exchange cargo, we are Living in Truth. These opportunities become exciting adventures that prepare us for the rest of the journey.