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...

As I was doing some research for a project in my New Testament class, I came across an article that talks about perfectionism. It reminded me of the battle I have had throughout my life. I used to struggle immensely with perfectionism. I used to think my imperfections were sins and that I was required to become perfect simply by trying harder. Christ was there to help me, but he needed me to do all the work. I definitely tried to be perfect for others and not for Heavenly Father. I tried to be perfect for my teachers and for my mission president. I wanted them to think I was intelligent and capable. I failed to realize that falling short is inevitable and that it is part of living in a fallen world. I strived so hard on my mission to please my mission president; so much so that I sometimes lost sight of why I was really doing the missionary work. I lost the love part and just did things out of fear that I would never measure up. I remember that one of my companions reminde...

To open up my New Testament class today, we sang "Master the Tempest is Raging" a Capella. The harmonies were beautiful and the message and spirit of the hymn overtook me. There is something about music that touches the soul. The First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is very adamant about the power of music to inspire, protect and convert. Sometimes the Holy Ghost can just fill us with so much joy and excitement that we can't help but sing and smile. I have felt the Holy Ghost lift me more times than I can count.  When I contemplate the beauties of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I think of President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk in October 2007 entitled " Have we Not Reason to Rejoice ." Sometimes I am saddened by what I see on campus at BYU. Instead of seeing joy and excitement on the faces of students, I often see worry, pain and discouragement. Brigham Young University certainly provides a rigorous education and inspi...

I would like to expound on a few miracles of Christ in the second chapter of John that illustrate how he can take us as the dirty sinners we are and make us clean. The first account I wish to address is that of Jesus turning water to wine at a wedding in Cana. The water that Jesus turned to wine was “after the manner of the purifying of the Jews.” In other words, it was dirty bath water. Brother Griffin reminded us of the symbolism in this. He talked of how Christ took the bitter cup (dirty bath water) and made it sweet (wine). This reminds me of the song entitled “ Savior, Redeemer of my Soul .” Here is the first verse: 1. Savior, Redeemer of my soul, Whose mighty hand hath made me whole, Whose wondrous pow'r hath raised me up    And filled with sweet my bitter cup!    What tongue my gratitude can tell,   O gracious God of Israel I love the part that says “and filled with sweet my bitter cup.” O...