"The Life You Save May Be Your Own"

When Sister McCall invited me to write a post about what I have learned in my 18 months of full-time missionary service one scripture came to mind...

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it:

but whosoever will lose his life for my sake,

the same shall save it." Luke 9:24

This scripture has become somewhat cliché in relation to missions and missionary work. I have always believed it to be true because the Savior said it and I know His words are true, but I could never say that I knew it for myself until now. I have done my best to "lose [my] life for [His] sake" over the past 18 months and I have felt that my life has been saved.

I have had so many experiences that have proved the truth of that for me. I remember one Sunday morning, early in my mission, I felt really low. I didn't want to do anything or talk to anyone. But rather than curl up in bed and not do anything, I went to church and did everything I could to help others around me have an uplifting time. Amazingly, by the end of church that day I felt great. The debilitating feeling I'd had that morning was just a distant memory. That is just one example but I have had dozens exactly like it where I stopped focusing on myself and felt happiness.

This principle is not just applicable to missionary work. I know it can be applied universally. Whenever we are focused on our self, our own desires, or our own needs we often become depressed that everything isn't working out perfectly, but when we lose ourselves in the service of others (or in the service of the Savior,) we can find great joy despite our own challenges.

My goal for the next 18 months of my life is to learn how to apply this scripture to "regular-non missionary" life. While I will have to do some focusing on myself as I go to school and work and take care of other necessary life things I hope to make much of my life focused on serving others. I know that as I do this I will be able to find great joy as I have the past 18 months. I invite all of you to do the same, put your life in His hands, lose it in His work and I know that you will find your life saved.

I am a Mormon Woman.

I love this video! it is ture. I know that God loves me and I can do anything He expects of me!

Check out this, and other great videos on my new Featured Videos page!

Some things I've learned so far...

I just finished watching the first session of the 182nd Semi-annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I heard several talks by some wonderful disciples of Christ, including some Special Witnesses of Christ, (the Prophet and some Apostles).

My General Conference notebook.
I love the cover because it reminds me of what I need to
do in order to learn the Lord's will for me.

Here are a few quick highlights of what I've learned...

A great way gain confidence in my identity as a daughter of God and follower of Christ is to immerse myself in the scriptures and strive to live the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ more fully.

Apathy can be fought with repentance and increased righteous living.

I need to follow the promptings of the Spirit that I receive because I may be the means that the Lord uses to answer someones prayer.

A desire to serve is a natural consequence of my own conversion.

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal;
"But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.
"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." 3 Nephi 13:19-21

How I spend my time is a reflection of my priorities. The way I can show the Lord that He is my priority is by doing the things that will strengthen my relationships with my loved ones, finding happiness in the blessings the Lord has given me now, and striving to develop Christlike attributes to become more like Him.

After typing that all up it is amazing to me to see all that I learned in that short 2 hours, (and what I put on here were only the highlights!) I know that as you approach conference looking for what the Lord wants you to learn you will be able to compile your own list of personal revelation. I'm excited to see what the Lord has in store for me next!

Fear Not

By Elder Tad R. Callister

Of the Seventy

---

From Mary and Joseph we learn that we need not fear; for every problem, there is a solution.

http://www.lds.org/liahona/2010/12/fear-not?lang=eng

I've noticed several quotes from this article popping up on facebook today. I think it is definitely worth reading.

Elder Callister is an inspired man, several inspired men and women like him will be speaking in the General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints this weekend. You can stream it live online at gc.lds.org or go to your local Latter-day Saint meetinghouse at 11pm and 3pm (CDT) Saturday and Sunday (October 6th and 7th, 2012).

The Prophet and Apostles will be speaking as well. Come and see what they have to say, (John 1:46).

Don't hold back...

I saw a movie once that tells a story of two brothers. They would go to a lake near their home and swim a sort of race. The object of the race was not to finish first, but it was to not be the first to turn back.

Part of the story was that the younger brother was stronger because of a genetic advantage that he had. The older brother had asthma and several other things that held him back so he always lost when they raced.

Looking back on his experience the older brother explained that the crux of the game was saving enough energy to be able to make the swim back to shore, only going as far as you knew you could swim back.

Finally, there was one instance when the older brother won. Years later the younger brother asked the older brother how he was able to win in spite of all his challenges. In answer to his question the younger brother responded that he didn't save any energy for the swim back. He was so focused on his goal that he used all of his energy to achieve it.

I saw this movie several years ago and I've often pondered the wisdom of his decision. After all, it is kind of dangerous to use up all of your energy to swim to the middle of a lake with no way of getting back other than using your own -now depleted-energy. When he decided to not hold anything back he had enough trust that everything would work out to outweigh the risk of drowning in the lake.

The movie doesn't really specify what he was putting his trust in, but when I apply the story to myself I put my trust in the Lord. There are some things that the Lord asks me to do that seem too hard for me because of my weaknesses. I am often afraid to use up all of my energy in attempting to do the Lord's will for fear of "drowning" (failing). BUT, deep down I know that I won't ever really fail if I put my trust in the Lord.

There are some great scriptures that help me to remember that having trust in the Lord always works out.

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:13

"I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." 1 Nephi 3:7

I know that the above is true. We can do anything the Lord expects of us if we just put our trust in Him and exert all of our energy in accomplishing it. I invite all of you to test the Lord, put your trust in Him and see if everything won't just work out for your good. I know it will.

"Shut da door..."

I have this song that randomly pops up in my head sometimes. It is an African-American Spiritual that some of my friends sang in choir in 7th grade, it goes...

Shut da door, keep out de devil.
Shut da door, keep de devil in de night.
Shut da door, keep out de devil.
Light the candle everything's alright.
Light the candle everything's alright.

They would sing it all the time so I picked it up and I still sing it almost ten years later. I think a big reason why this song has stuck with me so long is the uplifting message it contains. I love that it teaches that we have power to keep the devil out of our lives, all we need to do is "Shut da door" to his influences.

It goes on to suggest that we need to do something in addition to "Shut[ting] da door" before "everything's alright," we need to light the candle. When speaking to His disciples and others in Jerusalem the Savior said,

He taught something similar to the people in ancient America when He visited them,

"Behold, I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life." 3 Nephi 15:9 (emphasis added).

I know that as we "light the candle" and invite the light of the Savior into our lives, we will have the power to "keep out de devil," and ultimately, we will be blessed with eternal life where "everything [will be] alright."

Patterns of Light

I just watched this three part series about Light and the Savior. I loved how an Apostle of the Lord, Elder David A. Bednar, so beautifully explains how the Lord communicates with and influences us. I invite all to watch these videos and share your insights and feelings.

"Roads? Where we're going, we won't need roads."

So I just noticed that my last post was the eighty-eighth published on my blog. Immediately the quote, "Doc, I don't think we'll have enough roads to get up to eighty-eight," popped into my head.

It's funny how we have so many ideas/memories in our heads and the simplest little thing will trigger them. The number 88 triggered a flood of memories of a movie from my childhood. We all encounter these types of situations every day. You may drive past a bakery and remember your grandmother's house or see someone that looks like your best friend from kindergarten. Sometimes we are reminded of good things, and sometimes we are reminded of not-so-good things.

A very wise King and disciple of Jesus Christ once said,

"But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not," Mosiah 4:30 (emphasis added).

So that's the challenge, we need to watch our thoughts. But how do we do that? How am I supposed to concentrate on what I am doing when something as simple as a number causes my brain to bring a bunch of memories to the forefront? Even more important, how am I supposed to keep those not-so-good memories and ideas out? We know that controlling our thoughts is important because as the above scripture teaches,  thoughts lead to words and words lead to actions. So how do we stop it at the source?

There is a simple remedy that I know works, it just takes persistence. Preach My Gospel gives this advice on how to control our thoughts,

 "Your mind is like a stage in a theater; in the theater of your mind, however, only one actor can be on stage at a time. If the stage is left bare, thoughts of darkness and sin often enter the stage to tempt. But these thoughts have no power if the stage of your mind is occupied by wholesome thoughts, such as a memorized hymn or verse of scripture that you can call upon in a moment of temptation. By controlling the stage of your mind, you can successfully resist persistent urges to yield to temptation and indulge in sin."

It is simple, whenever a thought enters your mind that you don't want there, just invite something else into your mind, sing a hymn or recite a memorized scripture. Any good thought can help us avoid any negative and/or distracting thought.

I know this works because I have done it. When I have negative thoughts or ideas, I just start singing some of my favorite hymns and the Spirit of the Lord comes to help me banish that thought.

Now for invitation time! Will you try this out in your life? Will you pick a favorite hymn or scripture and use it whenever those unwanted thoughts arrive in your mind? I know that as you do you will enjoy the peace of mind that comes from following the Savior's example.

The Challenge to Become Part 3: Prayer

As I was studying in the missionary guidebook the other day I came across these quotes...

"Sincere prayer implies that when we ask for any virtue or blessing we should work for the blessing and cultivate the virtue." -David O. McKay, Secrets of a Happy Life, pages. 114–115.

"Our deeds, in large measure, are children of our prayers. Having prayed, we act; our proper petitions have the effect of charting a righteous course of conduct for us." -Bruce R. McConkie, "Why the Lord Ordained Prayer."

Ever since I read them I've been pondering the connection between prayer and becoming. I've come to a couple of conclusions on the subject and I'd love to have your input.

First,  I'd like to submit the idea that the statement, "you are what you eat" could be modified to say, "you become what you pray." I know that Heavenly Father always answers our prayers, so as we pray with the intent to do His will, we will become who He wants us to become.

Second, as we pray, our relationship with our Heavenly Father will grow stronger and we will have a greater desire to become like Him. As that desire grows we will be so much more motivated to pray for His attributes like humility or patience.

So, I just shared with you a small fraction of my thoughts on the subject. What do you think?

• How are prayer and becoming related? 
• Are they related at all? 
• What instances do you know of prayer changing a person?

I look forward to seeing what everyone has to say! 

The Challenge to Become Part 2: Present(s)!

I get migraines and one of the things I have learned to combat them is something called "LIVING IN THE PRESENT." Basically when I get a migraine, rather than worrying about what caused my migraine (the past) or worrying about when my migraine will go away (the future) I focus on my migraine. I think about it and think about it and work on making it smaller and smaller until it goes away.

I think this is true in life in general and not just for headaches. As we face challenges in our life it may be easier to think about the "good old days" or to hope for the future when our challenge will be gone. But I know that the best way to overcome a challenge is to face it, to focus on it and to focus on "making it smaller."

The Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson said this,
“Sometimes we let our thoughts of tomorrow take up too much of today. Daydreaming of the past and longing for the future may provide comfort but will not take the place of living in the present. This is the day of our opportunity, and we must grasp it.”*

I have found that a huge part of becoming is doing things now. As we focus on doing what we can do now to achieve our goals we will be able to accomplish them, and ultimately, we will become what Our Father in Heaven wants us to become.

Invitation time! Go back to the list of goals that you made and pick one thing you can do right now to work toward achieving that goal, then share your experiences of living in the present in the comments.



*In Search of Treasure, Ensign May 2003

The Challenge to Become Part 1: Goals

I have been pondering goals and goal setting lately. I have even set up a little chart to measure my progress on a bunch of little things that I try to do every day. I have found myself being more motivated by the thought that I will get to put a little check mark in the box next to "write in my journal" or "make my bed." It has amazed me how something as simple as a visual reinforcement has gotten me doing things that I don't usually do.

There is a quote that I really love that says,

“When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates.” – President Thomas S. Monson

I have found this to be true as I have used my chart to measure my progress. I want to improve and I am able to recognize specifically where I need improvement. I plan on reporting my progress to my teaching companion weekly and I know that as I do my improvement will "accelerate."

I am being very cautious with all of this though. It is part of my nature to impose very high standards on myself which I can never seem to measure up to. I found this quote today from a prophet of God that really helped me in this department.

I know that is true. Our Heavenly Father loves us because we are His children and He doesn't want us to be hard on ourselves, all He expects is our best effort.

So, my challenge to you today is to set a measurable goal of something you would like to improve on. Write it down and tell someone you trust about it. After a week of working on that goal, report to your friend how it went. I know that as you do this you will be able to become the person your Heavenly Father wants you to become.

Joseph Smith...

168 years ago today (June 27, 1844) the Prophet Joseph Smith was martyred for standing up for what he knew to be true. I know that he saw what he said he saw. I know he was called by Jesus Christ to be a prophet. I know he translated the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God and I know that anyone who reads it can come to know their Savior Jesus Christ for themselves. I have read the Book of Mormon and have prayed to know if it is true. I have received that answer that it is true. In the process I have come to know and love my Savior. I am so grateful for this man who gave everything as a testimony of his belief in the Son of God.

A Recommendation

This is just a really short post inviting you to go read Sister Heidi Jensen's Blog. She just posted about repentance and how the Savior can truly heal us. The post is called Made New, I know what she shares in that post is true. To learn more about repentance, click here.

Gospel Caption Contest Round 6: Winner!

Thanks for everyone who participated! The winner of this round was Elder Michael Bennett. 

Want to learn more about having a happy family? Click here- Strengthening Families. 

Watermelon: Quenching Hunger and Thirst?

This is the watermelon I had for a mid-morning snack today. It was delicious.

Heavenly Father has blessed us here with so many wonderful foods we can eat to keep our bodies going, but he sent us something more important to bless our spirits.

This morning I read something that Jesus Christ taught on the subject. He said,

"...I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." John 6:35

That watermelon did a great job of satisfying my hunger and my thirst at the moment, but by lunch time I was hungry and thirsty again. I am so grateful that that is not how it works with the bread of life. As I do the things the Savior taught, my Spirit will always be filled and I will have joy. I know that this is possible for all of us who believe in Jesus Christ and strive to follow His teachings.
Now here is my challenge for all of you.

Will you come up with one thing you can do today to eat of the bread of life? (ie. pray, study the scriptures, watch a Mormon Message or Bible Video, etc.)

 I know that as you do so you will have a taste of the joy that our Savior wants all of us to have.

Gospel Caption Contest Round 6!

 

Here is a special Father's Day edition of the Gospel Caption Contest! Submit you ideas in the comments for a scripture/quote caption by Monday 6/11/2012 at 11:59 PM CDT.

Gospel Caption Contest Round 5 Winner!

The winner of the Gospel Caption Contest Round 5 is Elder Rian Barnes! Thanks for playing!

Gospel Caption Contest Round 5!

Time for the Gospel Caption Contest Round 5! Submit your ideas by Saturday June 2nd!

Gospel Caption Contest: Round 4 Winner!

Gospel Caption Contest Round 4! Winning Quote submitted by Elder Rian Barnes.

Mormonism 101

I really like this article (Mormonism 101: FAQ) that explains common questions about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I invite all of you to read it.