My sister called today. She's working on a presentation and wants to quote me.
“You want to what?” I asked.
“Quote you,” she said.
Such a thing has never been done before.
(Well, actually it has. Once when I was giving a Relief Society lesson I quoted something from a previous talk. It made me giggle to quote myself, --and everyone else too. But it was kind of cool.)
“You know,” she said, “about the mountain thing.”
So I emailed her a quote-—not mine but Henry B. Eyring’s. It is one of my all-time favorite quotes that I have used many times. It gives me a vision of what is really going on here, and how I need to respond to it.
"We are like mountaineers, bound to each other as children of God."
We are all trying to reach the summit of eternal life.
We cannot climb by stepping on one another, or by pushing each other down, for in doing that we all fall down.
We must work together, help each other, lift one another.
But no, that wasn’t it. She really did want to quote me. She likes my philosophy of life.
For what it’s worth, this is how I see it:
Life, it seems to me, is like climbing a mountain. The longer you live, the higher you climb. The higher you climb, the more you see. The more you see, the greater your vision. The greater your vision, the greater your understanding.
The ascent is hard work, it demands a lot of us, and it’s mostly uphill.
Often we are looking ahead, focusing on how hard the climb is and how far we have to go. Sometimes all we see is the daily laboring up the hill.
Sometimes we should stop and look back and see how far we’ve come. Pausing at plateaus helps us rest, enjoy the new view, and remember the journey and it's lessons. Journals are good for that.
People that are older than you, like parents or leaders, may not be smarter than you, but they are higher up the mountain. They have seen more. Their vision is greater. And they can help guide you safely up the trail.
Some people will stay in the valley, afraid or not willing to make the climb. Others will plod slowly, or take divergent paths; some will pause a long time on plateaus. But to those who are willing to take the high road, the vistas are out of this world.
And you can quote me on that.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Friends are the Bacon Bits in the Salad Bowl of Life
I wonder --
if friends aren't almost as important, in the eternal scheme of things, as family.
Christ describes himself as our Friend.
Christ called Abraham, his apostles and other faithful men his Friends. He wants us to be his follower, his servant, his child, and his Friend.
Sounds pretty important to me.
Where would we be in life without good friends?
Can we even begin to name the ways we have been blessed by friends?
Can we count the times we have been helped by them?
Can we measure the depth and breadth of their influence in our lives?
Friends are more than "the bacon bits in the salad bowl of life".
They are more than that which "makes of this earth a garden" (Goethe).
Friends may have as much to do with our eternal salvation as our family.
I've had some very special friends in my life.
Among my very best friends are my sisters and my daughters.
The love and learning I experience with them makes an eternal difference in my life.
I hope I can be that kind of friend.
I'm glad that
A friend is one who knows you and likes you anyway.
I feel safe knowing that
A friend loveth at all times.
I have faith that
Families can be together forever, and so can friends.
Ahh, then it will be Heaven.
See you there!
if friends aren't almost as important, in the eternal scheme of things, as family.
Christ describes himself as our Friend.
Christ called Abraham, his apostles and other faithful men his Friends. He wants us to be his follower, his servant, his child, and his Friend.
Sounds pretty important to me.
Where would we be in life without good friends?
Can we even begin to name the ways we have been blessed by friends?
Can we count the times we have been helped by them?
Can we measure the depth and breadth of their influence in our lives?
Friends are more than "the bacon bits in the salad bowl of life".
They are more than that which "makes of this earth a garden" (Goethe).
Friends may have as much to do with our eternal salvation as our family.
I've had some very special friends in my life.
Among my very best friends are my sisters and my daughters.
The love and learning I experience with them makes an eternal difference in my life.
I hope I can be that kind of friend.
I'm glad that
A friend is one who knows you and likes you anyway.
I feel safe knowing that
A friend loveth at all times.
I have faith that
Families can be together forever, and so can friends.
Ahh, then it will be Heaven.
See you there!
Monday, February 20, 2006
Unorthodoxy
My father ran his doctor’s office in a very unorthodox way:
One didn’t make an appointment to see him. You just came to the office and waited your turn.
This could be good or bad. If you came at the right time, you got right in to see him; but if you came at the wrong time, you could wait for hours.
The secret about my Dad is that he would wait at home until the office was full of patients, then he would come in and work really hard to see them all. Then when the office cleared out, he would go get lost for a couple of hours until it filled up again, and then come in and work really hard until he had seen everyone.
I figured out that my Dad liked to be busy. He didn’t like to wait around or waste his time. He liked this system because when he worked he worked hard, and when he didn’t have to work, he was free to be busy doing something he wanted to do.
No one really knows what he did in the in-between times. On his free afternoons he often hopped in his car or private plane and went to see something interesting or beautiful.
Mostly, I’m not like my Dad. But, along with oily skin, I seem to have inherited this trait from him:
I don’t like to go early and sit around waiting for something to start. I like it to be up and running and in full steam when I arrive.
It doesn’t work very well when I wander late into meetings, but it works great for ward dinners, baby showers, parties, and book club.
I even lived by this principle when I had my babies. I always went to the hospital at the last minute because I didn’t want to sit around and wait. I wanted things to be happenin’!
I had only one baby at home under this system, but I paid for it when, for the next baby, I was made to go too early to the hospital and sit around and wait and have a perfectly lousy delivery because of it. It was ever so much better to rush to the hospital and in a very short time deliver the baby.
I just thought you should know this about me, so if the party is getting started without me, you can give me a call. I wouldn't want to miss anything good.
One didn’t make an appointment to see him. You just came to the office and waited your turn.
This could be good or bad. If you came at the right time, you got right in to see him; but if you came at the wrong time, you could wait for hours.
The secret about my Dad is that he would wait at home until the office was full of patients, then he would come in and work really hard to see them all. Then when the office cleared out, he would go get lost for a couple of hours until it filled up again, and then come in and work really hard until he had seen everyone.
I figured out that my Dad liked to be busy. He didn’t like to wait around or waste his time. He liked this system because when he worked he worked hard, and when he didn’t have to work, he was free to be busy doing something he wanted to do.
No one really knows what he did in the in-between times. On his free afternoons he often hopped in his car or private plane and went to see something interesting or beautiful.
Mostly, I’m not like my Dad. But, along with oily skin, I seem to have inherited this trait from him:
I don’t like to go early and sit around waiting for something to start. I like it to be up and running and in full steam when I arrive.
It doesn’t work very well when I wander late into meetings, but it works great for ward dinners, baby showers, parties, and book club.
I even lived by this principle when I had my babies. I always went to the hospital at the last minute because I didn’t want to sit around and wait. I wanted things to be happenin’!
I had only one baby at home under this system, but I paid for it when, for the next baby, I was made to go too early to the hospital and sit around and wait and have a perfectly lousy delivery because of it. It was ever so much better to rush to the hospital and in a very short time deliver the baby.
I just thought you should know this about me, so if the party is getting started without me, you can give me a call. I wouldn't want to miss anything good.
Sunday, February 19, 2006
On My Own
I am the only one who has been with me everywhere I've been.
All that I've done is knowledge that only I have.
What I do with that knowledge is entirely up to me,
But the result will be me--
Eternally.
I wrote this profound (?) thought when I was a teenager.
I thought of it today when someone quoted her grandmother as saying,
"Everyone at some point in the day must lie down, close their eyes, and be alone with themselves....
For years I have had in the back of my mind the words to a poem by Edgar A. Guest:
I have to live with myself, and so,
I want to be fit for myself to know;
I want to be able as days go by,
Always to look myself straight in the eye;
I don't want to stand with the setting sun
And hate myself for the things I've done.
Whatever happens, I want to be
Self-respecting and conscience free.
We are born into this world alone.
We will leave this world alone.
We will stand before the Judgement Bar alone.
Other people have a great deal to do with every step of our journey.
But ultimately, we are on our own.
Sleep well.
All that I've done is knowledge that only I have.
What I do with that knowledge is entirely up to me,
But the result will be me--
Eternally.
I wrote this profound (?) thought when I was a teenager.
I thought of it today when someone quoted her grandmother as saying,
"Everyone at some point in the day must lie down, close their eyes, and be alone with themselves....
For years I have had in the back of my mind the words to a poem by Edgar A. Guest:
I have to live with myself, and so,
I want to be fit for myself to know;
I want to be able as days go by,
Always to look myself straight in the eye;
I don't want to stand with the setting sun
And hate myself for the things I've done.
Whatever happens, I want to be
Self-respecting and conscience free.
We are born into this world alone.
We will leave this world alone.
We will stand before the Judgement Bar alone.
Other people have a great deal to do with every step of our journey.
But ultimately, we are on our own.
Sleep well.
Friday, February 17, 2006
I'm late ...again
Ok, I admit it. I’m a late person. It’s not my fault.
I had a mother who always ran late. (Mothers with 8 kids oughta be excused.)
Growing up in my house, our clocks were always set 10-15 minutes fast, so we could try to be on time.
My Dad, a busy doctor always on call, regularly snuck into meetings that were half over.
Let’s not forget that I was in the middle of five sisters trying to get their hair done and be beautiful in not-enough bathrooms.
Now I’m all grown up, and I’m still late. (Mothers of 8 oughta be excused.)
I have learned that being late is rude, disruptive, and selfish, and you miss good stuff and get bad seats. So I have tried to change. I’m much better (kinda like I’m better at being organized), but it’s still a battle. I don’t have kids to blame any more, but I still have trouble getting out the door. There's just stuff to do. And I’m sure there is a gremlin that moves the clock ahead when I’m not looking -- whole chunks of time just disappear into a black hole.
My analysis: I think Time is my way of defying the world and defining myself. When I waltz in late, I’m saying, my time is more important than yours, I had more important things to do. It's my delusion that I have some control of my life--it's my time. The irony is, I am really out of control.
And to send the message that your time is as important as mine is infinitely kinder, more responsible and more mature than being late.
So it is my fault. It's my responsibility. I make the choice.
Oh, I gotta run, or I’ll be late for work……again.
I had a mother who always ran late. (Mothers with 8 kids oughta be excused.)
Growing up in my house, our clocks were always set 10-15 minutes fast, so we could try to be on time.
My Dad, a busy doctor always on call, regularly snuck into meetings that were half over.
Let’s not forget that I was in the middle of five sisters trying to get their hair done and be beautiful in not-enough bathrooms.
Now I’m all grown up, and I’m still late. (Mothers of 8 oughta be excused.)
I have learned that being late is rude, disruptive, and selfish, and you miss good stuff and get bad seats. So I have tried to change. I’m much better (kinda like I’m better at being organized), but it’s still a battle. I don’t have kids to blame any more, but I still have trouble getting out the door. There's just stuff to do. And I’m sure there is a gremlin that moves the clock ahead when I’m not looking -- whole chunks of time just disappear into a black hole.
My analysis: I think Time is my way of defying the world and defining myself. When I waltz in late, I’m saying, my time is more important than yours, I had more important things to do. It's my delusion that I have some control of my life--it's my time. The irony is, I am really out of control.
And to send the message that your time is as important as mine is infinitely kinder, more responsible and more mature than being late.
So it is my fault. It's my responsibility. I make the choice.
Oh, I gotta run, or I’ll be late for work……again.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Girl Scout Cookies
I got my Girl Scout cookies today from the neighbor girl. I didn't get too awfully many because there's no one at home to help me eat them. Samoas are my favorite, followed by thin mints. I like the plain shortbread cookies, but this year I got a box of the new cinnamon-flavored shortbreads. I also did my civic duty and put in for a box to be sent to the soldiers at Fort Hood.
We didn't have the usual rush of little girls knocking on our door this year. I wonder if, like many good things, Girl Scouts is a declining institution. Too bad.
I guess it's also time to start looking for the Girl Scout cookie-flavored ice creams, which I will seek with interest but not buy, because who here would eat them?
If I really had my druthers, I would prefer to have Campfire Girl mints. But the old ones, not the ones they have now, if indeed they still have them as I haven't seen any in several years. That institution may be extinct. Yum, they were good. Really creamy in the middle.
I don't think I ever joined Girl Scouts, but I was a Campfire girl. I think I was an entry-level Bluebird. We met in someone's house on the opposite corner of Kitsap Lake from where I lived. I was never much of a joiner, but it was something to do for a little while.
I'm going to have a GS cookie now. And if I eat too many and run out, I'll go find the little girls in green in front of the grocery store. I won't have money on the way in, but I'll get change for on the way out. Their mothers will be very happy to get rid of all those boxes of cookies.
We didn't have the usual rush of little girls knocking on our door this year. I wonder if, like many good things, Girl Scouts is a declining institution. Too bad.
I guess it's also time to start looking for the Girl Scout cookie-flavored ice creams, which I will seek with interest but not buy, because who here would eat them?
If I really had my druthers, I would prefer to have Campfire Girl mints. But the old ones, not the ones they have now, if indeed they still have them as I haven't seen any in several years. That institution may be extinct. Yum, they were good. Really creamy in the middle.
I don't think I ever joined Girl Scouts, but I was a Campfire girl. I think I was an entry-level Bluebird. We met in someone's house on the opposite corner of Kitsap Lake from where I lived. I was never much of a joiner, but it was something to do for a little while.
I'm going to have a GS cookie now. And if I eat too many and run out, I'll go find the little girls in green in front of the grocery store. I won't have money on the way in, but I'll get change for on the way out. Their mothers will be very happy to get rid of all those boxes of cookies.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Happy Un-Valentines Day
I had a very un-Valentines Day today. I didn’t give a single paper Valentine, I didn’t get a single Valentine, I didn’t eat anything related to Valentines, I didn’t put out my only Valentines decoration, and I didn’t even leave the house.
I did see that everyone in Martha Stewart’s audience was wearing pink, so when I finally got dressed I put on a pink t-shirt. And even though my fridge is full of left-overs, I did cook dinner for my honey, though nothing special. Other than that, I saw no one and had a very unproductive day.
Does that mean I don’t feel loved? No, not at all.
Does that mean I don’t love some special people? Surely not.
Valentines Day is, after all, a very contrived, commercial holiday.
We can say "I love you" any day in any way.
So for any of you who doubt it, or didn’t hear from me today,
I LOVE YOU!
And I know you love me.
But I did miss having a frosted sugar cookie.
I did see that everyone in Martha Stewart’s audience was wearing pink, so when I finally got dressed I put on a pink t-shirt. And even though my fridge is full of left-overs, I did cook dinner for my honey, though nothing special. Other than that, I saw no one and had a very unproductive day.
Does that mean I don’t feel loved? No, not at all.
Does that mean I don’t love some special people? Surely not.
Valentines Day is, after all, a very contrived, commercial holiday.
We can say "I love you" any day in any way.
So for any of you who doubt it, or didn’t hear from me today,
I LOVE YOU!
And I know you love me.
But I did miss having a frosted sugar cookie.
There is no love sincerer than the love of food.
–George Bernard Shaw
Sunday, February 12, 2006
"May I quote you on that?"
When I was a teenager going to Mutual, they wanted spiritual talks in opening exercises, so they would call on one of us to give one extemporaneously. Not wanting to look like an idiot, I started a small notebook of quotes to keep handy.
It wasn’t hard to do because I used to help my Dad gather material for the talks he gave as a high councilman from the many books we had in our house. My little notebook grew into a small index-card file.
When I went to BYU and they had a filing system available from the book store, I thought I had found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It was then that I became serious about collecting, keeping and organizing (yes, me) quotes and other stuff. It was then that many things started coming together for me intellectually about the gospel.
Some people collect coins, or stamps, or dolls, but I have collected quotes all my life.
To have fed on the thoughts and ideas of great men and women of all ages has been a great feast. It has allowed me to stand on the shoulders of giants to view the world.
If I had a memory for all I've read, I’d be dangerous.
The very first quote I saved has been a guide to me all my life:
It wasn’t hard to do because I used to help my Dad gather material for the talks he gave as a high councilman from the many books we had in our house. My little notebook grew into a small index-card file.
When I went to BYU and they had a filing system available from the book store, I thought I had found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It was then that I became serious about collecting, keeping and organizing (yes, me) quotes and other stuff. It was then that many things started coming together for me intellectually about the gospel.
Some people collect coins, or stamps, or dolls, but I have collected quotes all my life.
To have fed on the thoughts and ideas of great men and women of all ages has been a great feast. It has allowed me to stand on the shoulders of giants to view the world.
If I had a memory for all I've read, I’d be dangerous.
The very first quote I saved has been a guide to me all my life:
What I am today is God’s gift to me;
But what I will be tomorrow is my gift
to God.
Today I Am Thankful
A friend of mine was telling me that when she lived in Alaska there was no milk available because it was too cold to keep cows. Can you imagine life without fresh milk? They didn't have it when she lived in the Phillippines either, but I'll bet there's other things they don't have there, and a lot of things a lot of people in a lot of places in the world don't have.
It was the same day I was reading that we should keep a journal every day because everyday we receive blessings from the Lord and every day we should be thankful.
So today I'm especially grateful for fresh, pasteurized milk. and raspberries and cream in winter. and a good supply of drinking water, sanitation systems, garbage pick-up, and aspirin.
Today I'm grateful to live in this country and to live in this time.
And having just come from the World Wide Training meeting and stake conference, I am, for the gazillionth time, grateful for the gospel and all that goes with it.
It was the same day I was reading that we should keep a journal every day because everyday we receive blessings from the Lord and every day we should be thankful.
So today I'm especially grateful for fresh, pasteurized milk. and raspberries and cream in winter. and a good supply of drinking water, sanitation systems, garbage pick-up, and aspirin.
Today I'm grateful to live in this country and to live in this time.
And having just come from the World Wide Training meeting and stake conference, I am, for the gazillionth time, grateful for the gospel and all that goes with it.
--J. Reuben ClarkHold fast to the blessings which God has provided for you. Yours is not the task to gain them, they are here; yours is the part of cherishing them."
Saturday, February 11, 2006
On Being Organized
I told my college roommates once that I was getting more organized. They laughed at me.
I don’t know what they could see in a college student that made them think I was SO unorganized, but I guess I had farther to go than I thought.
If I were to try that line on anyone who knows me now, they would laugh too.
Personally, I think being organized is overrated. I also think it's misunderstood.
I have a sister who everyone, including herself, thinks is very organized. But if you open her linen closet, watch out! Some people are organized at work but not at home; some organize their spices but not their bills. I think everyone is organized about the things that matter to them, which isn't every thing. Not everyone organizes their Hard Rock shirts alphabetically.
Besides, it really boils down to where you get your energy. People we call "organized" get their energy from organizing things, and their energy is drained when there is chaos. People who are "disorganized" can live with the mess, but are drained by organizing things. That's me.
So today, in light of my new year's resolution to clean my house up a bit, I worked on some piles. Now I'm exhausted and must rest.
If you saw how little I actually got done, that I never got to the bottom to clean underneath, and where I put the mess, you would really have yourself a good laugh.
So go ahead and laugh. I'm going to bed.
P.S. Have you looked in your junk drawer lately?
I don’t know what they could see in a college student that made them think I was SO unorganized, but I guess I had farther to go than I thought.
If I were to try that line on anyone who knows me now, they would laugh too.
Personally, I think being organized is overrated. I also think it's misunderstood.
I have a sister who everyone, including herself, thinks is very organized. But if you open her linen closet, watch out! Some people are organized at work but not at home; some organize their spices but not their bills. I think everyone is organized about the things that matter to them, which isn't every thing. Not everyone organizes their Hard Rock shirts alphabetically.
Besides, it really boils down to where you get your energy. People we call "organized" get their energy from organizing things, and their energy is drained when there is chaos. People who are "disorganized" can live with the mess, but are drained by organizing things. That's me.
So today, in light of my new year's resolution to clean my house up a bit, I worked on some piles. Now I'm exhausted and must rest.
If you saw how little I actually got done, that I never got to the bottom to clean underneath, and where I put the mess, you would really have yourself a good laugh.
So go ahead and laugh. I'm going to bed.
P.S. Have you looked in your junk drawer lately?
Friday, February 10, 2006
Food for Thought
"You have no idea
what a poor opinion
I have of myself--
And
how little I deserve it. "
--W. S. Gilbert
what a poor opinion
I have of myself--
And
how little I deserve it. "
--W. S. Gilbert
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
You Can Do It!
I have been asked, not once but twice in my life, to teach a class on how to dip chocolates.
I don’t dip chocolates. I don’t even eat chocolates! I’m one of those rare birds that don’t particularly like chocolate.
But I said yes.
That's because I had a Dad that said, "Can't means won't." If we say we can't, it's only because we aren't willing to make the effort to try.
There aren’t many things in life we really can’t do, but there are things we just haven’t learned how to do yet. So I've learned, especially in the Church, that unless there is a really good reason, don't say no to anything. The Church and life give you many opportunities to stretch and grow and make more of you than you would make of yourself.
I heard of an article once called "It's Okay to be Mediocre." We don't have to be the best at something; we don't even have to be really good at it. But if we want to do it, and enjoy doing it, then it's okay if we aren't The World's Best.
I'm glad about that because I like to play the piano. I'm not good at it, but I like it. And I can enjoy it without feeling guilty that I'm not better. I wish I was, but I'm not going to stop playing because I'm not a concert pianist.
And when they ask me to play in church, and I want to say "I'm not very good and I really can't," I think of my Dad and say, "I will try, and do my best." That I can do.
I don’t dip chocolates. I don’t even eat chocolates! I’m one of those rare birds that don’t particularly like chocolate.
But I said yes.
That's because I had a Dad that said, "Can't means won't." If we say we can't, it's only because we aren't willing to make the effort to try.
There aren’t many things in life we really can’t do, but there are things we just haven’t learned how to do yet. So I've learned, especially in the Church, that unless there is a really good reason, don't say no to anything. The Church and life give you many opportunities to stretch and grow and make more of you than you would make of yourself.
I heard of an article once called "It's Okay to be Mediocre." We don't have to be the best at something; we don't even have to be really good at it. But if we want to do it, and enjoy doing it, then it's okay if we aren't The World's Best.
I'm glad about that because I like to play the piano. I'm not good at it, but I like it. And I can enjoy it without feeling guilty that I'm not better. I wish I was, but I'm not going to stop playing because I'm not a concert pianist.
And when they ask me to play in church, and I want to say "I'm not very good and I really can't," I think of my Dad and say, "I will try, and do my best." That I can do.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Truth
When I was about 10 years old, my Sunday School teacher told a story about someone who didn’t believe the church was true. I blurted out, “How can anyone not know the Church is true?”
In her wise voice she said something like, “You just wait. There will come a day when you start to question it too.”
“Not me,” I said. “I’ll never question it.”
Well, she was right. When I was about 13 I started wondering about some things and having some questions. I was surprised at first—surprised at myself. But I remembered that she had said that, so I took it that it must be a normal thing.
Somehow I also knew I had options. I could ignore my questions, or be ornery about the Church, or look elsewhere, or I could honestly seek for the answers to my questions. I chose the latter and I have followed that path ever since.
I have learned in teaching and in life that the best learning occurs when there is enough thought and interest to have a question.
I have also learned that truth can take whatever scrutiny you give it. You can look at it from all sides and test it all you want. Sometimes you have to look at it’s opposite to see it and to appreciate what it is. He who is afraid of truth will never find it.
God said, “Prove me herewith….”
In asking and seeking and testing, we prove God, and we prove truth, and we prove ourselves.
In her wise voice she said something like, “You just wait. There will come a day when you start to question it too.”
“Not me,” I said. “I’ll never question it.”
Well, she was right. When I was about 13 I started wondering about some things and having some questions. I was surprised at first—surprised at myself. But I remembered that she had said that, so I took it that it must be a normal thing.
Somehow I also knew I had options. I could ignore my questions, or be ornery about the Church, or look elsewhere, or I could honestly seek for the answers to my questions. I chose the latter and I have followed that path ever since.
I have learned in teaching and in life that the best learning occurs when there is enough thought and interest to have a question.
I have also learned that truth can take whatever scrutiny you give it. You can look at it from all sides and test it all you want. Sometimes you have to look at it’s opposite to see it and to appreciate what it is. He who is afraid of truth will never find it.
God said, “Prove me herewith….”
In asking and seeking and testing, we prove God, and we prove truth, and we prove ourselves.
Those who know the truth are not equal to those who love the truth,
and those who love the truth are not equal to those who live it.
Monday, February 06, 2006
Sure Knowledge
While sitting in a recent Fast and Testimony meeting, listening and thinking about beliefs, I thought, "There are many things I believe, but what do I really know--absolutely, without any doubt--know to be true?
It boiled down to a short list, but at the top of that list is my absolutely, no-doubt-about-it knowledge that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's true church. I have not one iota of doubt about that in my whole soul.
I have been in the Church all my life. I have almost always believed it to be true. Yet after more than five decades of activity in the Church, I still have moments driving down the road when I shake my hands and say, "Is it all really true?"
I do this for three reasons.
One, it isn't the Church I doubt, but the accuracy of our perception of God and of eternity.
Two, because I'm still basically a two-year-old and I think we should question and test everything, especially when we stake our whole life on it.
Third, because our human mind alone cannot know these things; they are known only by the Spirit of God.
So in my questioning and searching, in my testing and proving, and most of all in my serving, I have seen the Spirit of God divers times in every corner of His Church.
I saw it this past week in the miracle of dividing and organizing new wards, and all the incredible things that happen so quickly and so well because of the Spirit and the listening hearts and willing hands of the members.
I feel it when I listen to prophets, seers and revelators in General Conference, in our stake, and even in Sacrament meeting.
I've experienced it consistently in the sometimes inconvenient, soul-stretching opportunities to serve in the Church.
God is in the details. It is His work. Of that I am sure.
Howard W. Hunter queried,
"The Church of Jesus Christ is the true and living Church. Are you a true and living member?"
Ah. That is the question.
It boiled down to a short list, but at the top of that list is my absolutely, no-doubt-about-it knowledge that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's true church. I have not one iota of doubt about that in my whole soul.
I have been in the Church all my life. I have almost always believed it to be true. Yet after more than five decades of activity in the Church, I still have moments driving down the road when I shake my hands and say, "Is it all really true?"
I do this for three reasons.
One, it isn't the Church I doubt, but the accuracy of our perception of God and of eternity.
Two, because I'm still basically a two-year-old and I think we should question and test everything, especially when we stake our whole life on it.
Third, because our human mind alone cannot know these things; they are known only by the Spirit of God.
So in my questioning and searching, in my testing and proving, and most of all in my serving, I have seen the Spirit of God divers times in every corner of His Church.
I saw it this past week in the miracle of dividing and organizing new wards, and all the incredible things that happen so quickly and so well because of the Spirit and the listening hearts and willing hands of the members.
I feel it when I listen to prophets, seers and revelators in General Conference, in our stake, and even in Sacrament meeting.
I've experienced it consistently in the sometimes inconvenient, soul-stretching opportunities to serve in the Church.
God is in the details. It is His work. Of that I am sure.
Howard W. Hunter queried,
"The Church of Jesus Christ is the true and living Church. Are you a true and living member?"
Ah. That is the question.
Self-consciousness
"What if you could wake up one morning and take a pill that would
completely remove your self-consciousness? One little gulp, and your fear
of being judged, embarrassed, or looking foolish would complete
disappear."One of the most pivotal changes we make in our life is when we go from child-like unawareness into a consciousness of self that forever tortures us and externally guides what we do in life. It robs us of our innocence, our spontaneity, and our real selves. Some of that is good, as our fear of others and a desire to "fit in" civilizes us to some degree. But we are never again able to let go of the grab that the opinions of others has on us.
Someone once said that we give up 80% of our real selves to be like others.
If there were such a pill to rid you of your self-consciousness,
"What chances would you take?
What new things would you try?
What fun would you allow yourself?"
Our only chance to tame the dragon may be to confront it, face it straight on, look it in the eye, and conquer it! Sometimes, don't Give a Hoot.
God has put a high premium on being child-like, on being real, on being true to your self, and in finding joy in life.
The only opinion that really matters is His.
So, go be you, and have some fun.
(Quotes from Cheryl Richardson in Life Makeovers)
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Imperturbability
Some days seem to have themes. Some days the random things you pick up to read, the tidbits you hear on the radio, the conversations you have, all start to have something in common. I recently had one of these days.
These are the thoughts I happened upon:
I think almost everyone thinks that "the good life" is a problem-free life of ease and comfort. We have trouble believing otherwise. It is not in our nature to rejoice in adversity or to be grateful for our trials. In this we err.
It seems to me we would be a lot happier as we trek through this vail of tears if we could set our minds straight about this, --if we remembered the big picture of why we're here, and what God is trying to make of us (see C. S. Lewis).
Only then can we find courage and peace for the journey.
These are the thoughts I happened upon:
- Sheri Dew is often asked how she, a single woman, can be happy in a family-oriented church. "Frankly," she says, "I don't understand the question." She wonders if they think she would be happier without the church (of course not), and, it "implies that happiness comes only to those whose lives are ideal, which would make, incidentally, a very small group."
- "Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he's been robbed. The fact is that most putts don't drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just ordinary people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise.... "'Life is like an old-time rail journey -- delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.' " (quoted from Jenkin Lloyd Jones by Gordon B. Hinckley, BYU devotional, Sept. 25, 1973)
- "The way to exaltation is not a freeway featuring unlimited vision, unrestricted speeds, and untested skills. Rather, it is known by many forks and turnings, sharp curves, and controlled speeds. Our driving ability is being put to the test." (Thomas S. Monson)
- "The great test in life is to see whether we will hearken to and obey God's commands in the midst of the storms of life. It is not to endure storms, but to choose the right while they rage." (Henry B. Eyring, Oct 2005 General Conference)
I think almost everyone thinks that "the good life" is a problem-free life of ease and comfort. We have trouble believing otherwise. It is not in our nature to rejoice in adversity or to be grateful for our trials. In this we err.
It seems to me we would be a lot happier as we trek through this vail of tears if we could set our minds straight about this, --if we remembered the big picture of why we're here, and what God is trying to make of us (see C. S. Lewis).
Only then can we find courage and peace for the journey.
"To be untested and unproven is also to be unaware of all that we are." (Neal A. Maxwell)
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