Seek The Lord Often

We often have challenges that only the Great Healer can fix. Those challenges can be physical or spiritual. Many times we want to tell the Lord when or how we want to be healed. We must remember that the healing takes place in the Lord’s time and in his own way. In Isaiah 55:9, the Lord reminds us, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your way, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Today I wish to focus on the “how” of the healing by referring to one of Christ’s miracles in the New Testament. John 9 recounts the story of Jesus healing a blind man. My professor, Brother Griffin, gave some interesting insight into the “how” of the miracle. Jesus passed by a man who had been blind from birth. He spit on the ground and made clay and anointed the eyes of the blind man. Brother Griffin had us imagine what it must have felt like to be the blind man and hear someone spit right next to you and then shove mud in your eyes. I would personally be a litt...

"This is my beloved Son." Many Christians and students of the Bible have heard this phrase numerous times. Every time Heavenly Father presents his son, Jesus Christ, he says these words. We hear the phrase repeated so often in scripture and in discussions, but have we ever stopped to understand its meaning and implication? Heavenly Father didn't just say, "This is my son, Jesus." He emphasized that he was "beloved," meaning he was "greatly loved" or "dear to his heart." Our Father in Heaven taught us something very important. He reminded us how critical it is to let our loved ones know how much we love them in front of others. We may often feel it is prideful or embarrassing to tell people how much we love our family members. It is so easy to forget to express love. President Monson said , " Often we assume that they must  know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know." Jesus Christ cl...

This last week in my New Testament class, we went over the parable of the Good Samaritan. My teacher, Brother Griffin, reminded us that Joseph Smith said that one of the keys to understanding a parable is to see what question or concern brought it on. In this case, a lawyer asked Jesus what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus pointed him to the law of Moses which says to love the Lord and love your neighbor. To this, the man asked, " And who is my neighbour ?" I would like to briefly explore this question. Who is my neighbor? Many of us have likely asked this question. If loving our neighbor is a commandment to inherit eternal life, who do we need to love to get in to heaven? Jesus gave us some insight when he said, " Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you. " How can we obtain this love for all, even our enemies? Moroni, a prophet of God, gives us thi...

This is an essay I wrote in the Winter 2014 Semester for my Western Humanities class. I felt like I needed to share it. It is a bit long, but I assure you it's worth your time. Also, take some time to watch the quick video at the end. Jacob Hansen Professor Julie Ransom IHUM 201 Connection to Major 10 April 2014 The Cave of Mental Illness A mere seven months ago I had a different perception of reality. I found myself, as psychologist Kay Jamison puts it, “ enmeshed totally in the blackest caves of the mind ” (68). I, like Jamison, suffer from bipolar disorder. I was diagnosed about twenty months into my mission. Though I was in this cave, during the manic episode I experienced I felt more creative and energetic than I ever had. I felt little need to sleep and could think and make connections very quickly. I understood the world differently than others, and, so I thought, at a higher level. It was as if I had discovered a new revolutionary way of living and I was conf...