The Lord Searches the Heart

I’m in beautiful California enjoying the sunshine. Yesterday when I left Utah they finally had sunshine. I’m counting on it still being there when I get home.

It is interesting how every time I prepare to do the Truth Seminar I learn more. For the past few months my daily scripture study has consisted of reading and marking a new set of scriptures with anything I find that has to do with Living in Truth. I’m using a green pencil to mark the verses and suddenly my scriptures are green.

One thing that appears over and over again is that the Lord judges us more by our motives than by our actions. We’ve all had experiences when we’ve desired and planned to do something good and it back fires. The recipients misunderstand or pride makes them react in adverse ways. But the Lord still credits the act for our good because He knows our intentions.

As He says in the book of Jeremiah, “I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doing” (Jeremiah 17:10). He gives us the agency to do what we want and then judges us by the actions we choose but also the heart or the motivations that prompt the actions.

Reach for the Stars

picture from: http://art-canyon.com/motivational/

There is a song in the musical play Mary Poppins that I love. The song is “Anything Can Happen” and the line goes, “Anything can happen if you let it.”  That is a very good way to sum up the consequences of Living in Truth. Anything CAN happen, but too often we don’t let it because we are in the Pit of Illusion.

Throughout my life I’ve failed more than I’ve succeeded, but I’ve discovered that if I let discouragement push me into the Pit I only bring on more failure. When I stay in the Realm of Truth despite the failure I discover that there are important lessons I’ve learned from the experience, and I then can move on to new possibilities and experiences. Sure, that has sometimes meant another failure, but I prefer to think of it as another learning experience. I’m growing. I’m learning. I’m living.

The sad thing is when we let failure keep us from trying again. Anything CAN happen if you live in Truth. The Realm of Truth is where miracles occur; where life happens. Much learning takes place in the Realm of Truth and opportunities abound. But when you live in the Pit of Illusion, nothing good happens.

So sing along, “Anything can happen if you let it!”

Motivating Myself

Way back in the days of manual typewriters—before word processing and before electric typewriters—I learned to test out the touch of a typewriter by typing this sentence: “Now is the time for all good boys to come to the aid of their country.” Supposedly this sentence covers most of the keys on the typewriter so you can get the feel of it. To this day, every time I put my hands on a key pad those words go through my head.

Touching my fingers to alphabet keys also brings back another memory every time I touch them. In my freshman year of college I was taking a linguistics class where we had to memorize the phonetic symbols. I transcribed the "good boys" sentence into phonetic symbols figuring if it had most of the keys it would be an easy way to learn most of the symbols. To my surprise the final exam asked us to write out that “good boys” sentence in phonetic symbols. I aced the exam!

The fact that forty-plus years later the simple act of putting my fingers on a key pad brings back those memories is intriguing to me. Our minds are powerful and if instead of just letting things happen we recognize the power of the mind and memory we can make them work for us. We can purposely make associations that will constantly remind us of the things that will make us better, bring us closer to God, and help us remember His ways.

I’ve told you before that glancing at my side-by-side refrigerator reminds me that I am yoked side-by-side with Jesus Christ. I know that sounds a little strange, but it works to motivate and encourage me. And writing this has given me an idea I wish I'd thought of years ago. I'm going to change the “good boys” sentence into something meaningful for me so that every time I put my fingers on the keys I’ll think “Now is the time for me to be the best that I can be.”

Wow! That's a good one. Thanks for being out there so I could think this up to share with you!