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!