Seek The Lord Often

 Today, we reviewed Elder Matthew Holland's talk entitled The Exquisite Gift of the Son.  As we did, here are some thoughts that came to my mind How did we feel when we left the pre-mortal realm to come down here? How did we agree to all this difficult stuff? That took a lot of faith. And kudos to all of us for even choosing to come down here. Christ is here with us. But he does let us feel pain and agony. He doesn’t take it away immediately because we might need it to become perfected, but he does sit there with us and help us. He supports us. He is right there with us. He knows how we feel, perfectly. I encourage all of you to watch the Pixar movie, Soul. It has some incredibly deep stuff about life, living in the moment, and touches on the feeling of uncertainty and fear we had when we came down to earth, away from a place we knew and down to a place where we knew things would be gut-wrenching, soul-stretching, and emotionally difficult. From Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Miss...

These are taken from Moroni 10 1. Remember how merciful God has been all the way from Adam to today  2. Ask God if the Book of Mormon is true with a sincere heart, with real intent, and with faith in Christ 3. Deny not the power of God, but have faith  4. Deny not the gifts of God 5. Remember that every good gift comes from Christ 6. Remember that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever and that spiritual gifts will never be done away except by unbelief 7. Remember I can't be saved unless I have faith, hope, and charity 8. Come unto Christ and be perfected in him and lay hold upon every good gift and touch not the evil gift or unclean thing

By now, it's clear more people are aware that police brutality against African Americans is a problem. That's no secret. And yes, it's great that awareness seems to have spread. It's not bad that people are protesting. Or that they're making a post about how Black Lives Matter. In fact, it's good. It's the evidence that we're aware. And it shows in at least some way that we're willing to stand against this injustice. What I think we need to remember is what we are protesting. What's the real issue? What the specific incident (and frankly numerous others in the last short while) brought up is the issue of police brutality and profiling against African Americans. I'm not saying it's the only issue, but it's the one that most directly ties to what happened. So it's great that you personally believe that black lives matter. But at the end of the day, that doesn't get to solving the root problem. It's a step in the r...

Christ is the one who cleanses us. He is the one who "molds us and makes us after his will" and "fits us for heaven to live with him there." Just how then do we submit ourselves to Christ and let him do that? It sometimes seems like a less-than-concrete thing, especially since we can't see Christ. But I think it all starts with humility. It starts with telling him that we want to change. It starts be asking him to show us our weaknesses. It starts by listening to the promptings of the Holy Ghost. He will help us know what we need to change. What helps me is telling Heavenly Father my desires, thanking him for the gift of his son, and then trying each day. Telling him that I'm trying. Expressing why I'm wrestling with the struggles I'm having, and just continually telling him I want to improve. Asking for Christ to be there and take on my burdens. To give me strength against temptations. Ultimately, Christ wants our heart. He wants to know that ...

Maybe the cross I've been given is riches and prosperity. Heavenly Father wants to see what I will do with the time and money I've been given. He wants to see if I will use my resources to help and serve others around me. He has given me a calling to care for the brothers in the ward and ensure everyone is taken care of. He wants me to understand and bear others burdens. He wants me to help those who are struggling. That's what the priesthood or order of the son of God is. It's about turning outward and lifting others. It's about service and selflessness instead of self-serving and selfishness. There are so many distractions and bright shiny objects all around. I can spend my time and money on so many different things. I can continually buy the latest video games or sports cards or other fun things for myself. Or I could use my means and time to help other people. That's what it's all about. It's not just a thing I do. It should be my main focus. It...

I think the fruits of our repentance are good works. Bringing forth fruit means doing something  to show Heavenly Father your desire to improve. To me, the first two things that came to mind are scripture study and service. When we show him that we are willing to sacrifice even a small portion of our day to seek him and to help someone in need, he immediately blesses us. He opens our minds up to more ways we can lift those around us and in turn draw closer to him. I've thought a little more deeply lately about how doing it unto someone else is doing it unto Christ. Do I ever ignore people or write them off or feel I'm superior? Then in a way I am denying Christ. But the beauty of it is that he knows my fears. He knows my anxieties. He will give me help along the way. He will give me small promptings here and there and I can follow them without fear. He's not looking to condemn. He only wants to lift and help.

If we DO NOT understand something, if we are not taught, we CAN NOT progress. And if we CAN NOT, then at a certain time, we may decide that we WILL NOT believe or progress. It's important to seek truth and teach it to our children and families. We are all nobodies. Even the apostles. They are humble and understand this fact and ask of God what they should do. This is the Church of Jesus Christ, not the church of President Nelson. Pray to have your heart changed. It can happen in a moment, but it also happens over time.

I've been thinking a lot about how satan is so very good at making us feel productive when we really aren't doing anything to improve or make the world a better place. He's so good at creating the feeling, the illusion. Here are a few examples I've been thinking about: Finishing a TV series It's eye-opening to me how we so often feel accomplished for finishing a TV series. It's like with every episode we've accomplished something more. We are working toward the goal of finishing the series. We feel good. Because we finished something. But really all we did was sit and do nothing. Animal Crossing, Pokemon Go, and video games We complete daily tasks, goals. We grow things. We pick weeds. We make our little town beautiful while our real lives are sitting stagnant and still. We are remaining in the same spot which means we're moving backward as time marches on. Why are we so busy all the time when we have so little to do? We don't have to hunt fo...

I've been thinking about how I hear the voice of God and I've realized that it is as I seek him. It's as I pray. It's as I work on the things I feel gently prompted to work on. I've felt that I need to take more time to step away from the distractions of the world and give him some space to speak to me. And it's not just something where I can take thirty minutes here and there. Rather, it's a new way of life that I need to find. I need to seek God first and not let the world drown out his voice. The Spirit wants to speak to me, but I have to give him room to do so. I've felt that he is there so quickly as I step away, repent, and recommit. I plead for help and I'm given it, but it comes in greater abundance as I do my part. For instance, if I want to exercise more and I pour out my heart to God about my struggles in that area, he gives me an initial boost, some ideas, and some clarity of mind. After that, I need to act. And then I often struggl...