Lord, I Would Follow Thee

When the song says, "Savior may I Love my brother as I know thou loves me, find in thee my strength my beacon for thy servant I would be," it makes me want to reflect on how the Savior actually loves me:

*always, no matter what, probably more when I am obedient (but is that only His right? So, am I supposed to love unconditionally?), regardless of my weaknesses, or my past, without holding anything over my head, not just to see what I am going to do about it, not to test me, knowing all my strengths and needs and feelings, with understanding, righteously, not in an enabling way, still gives consequences for my actions 

In studying the parable of the talents, I learned that the talents I have been given are the Lord's. And I am capable of things that others aren't. And I will be judged accdg to how I use or don't use these talents. I am capable of loving a certain amount, and if I don't love to that amount, then I am an unprofitable servant. 

Look and Live

I really really loved Alma 37 this time. Alma tells Helaman in several different ways how when we have faith in Jesus Christ and when we trust in every father and her being obedient to his Commandments and have faith in the son, essentially, if we look and move, we will be able to withstand every temptation of the devil, the lead in everything that we do, and progress in our lives. It's a really powerful chapter. At the beginning of it, Alma testifies of the book of Mormon records and why they are important. And then he proves his testimony to be personal by using the example of the Liahona later on in the chapter. He shows that when the people had faith in God and believe that he would lead them, the Liahona would point where they should go. But if they were slothful, meaning if they forgot to exercise faith and turn to God to counsel with him and ask for help, they did not progress and were afflicted. It's such a simple principle, but it is easy to forget.

Boasting in God

I have a lot of things to be grateful for, and a lot of incredible blessing in my life. Sometimes I feel uncomfortable talking about them to others, like I am going to make them feel bad. That may be the discomfort is similar to Amann and Aaron's conversation about posting in the flesh versus posting in God. Somebody might mistake my gratitude or expression of all of my blessings as boasting in my strength. When it really is boasting and rejoicing in the blessings every father has given me. Blessings that I don't deserve and don't understand why he is given them to me. I'm realizing that may be my mission in life is to express that gratitude to God, and then express it to others humbly and only when I feel prompted to do so. I think I am so blessed because I need to use my blessings and talents and gifts and perspective on life to bless and lift others, kind of like my patriarchal blessing says about sharing love to others and being a beacon of light to the world. I'm realizing that the gratitude that I feel and the magnitude of my blessings are both sacred, and I need to keep it that way and often keep it between me and Heavenly Father. 

Savior May I Learn to Love Thee

I think I have been focusing on the wrong thing with speaking no ill of others. Although it has been a useful and a valuable lesson to learn the song "Nay Speak No Ill," I still have found it hard to apply it fully. I realized that it's been hard because I have been focusing on not saying bad things--an inaction--instead of focusing on serving and loving and obeying Jesus--an action. So, I'm going to start working on "Lord I Will Follow Thee" in addition.

The Lord was testing me this weekend, and I failed the test. I had a lot of animosity in my heart toward others. It was an awful feeling, but I couldn't eschew it, even though I wanted to. I need to (1) repent and (2) focus on the Savior more. 

I also learned something else about Heavenly Father's love for His children. I saw something unkind about Jesus today. It broke my heart. And I can't inagine what Heavenly Father thinks and feels when He sees hints like that all over from His children. Yet, He still loves them and blesses them with breath, life's things that make them happy... I should have that kind of love for those who offend me. 

General Conference, April 2015

Henry B. Eyring

He gave a beautiful talk on the law of the fast. From his words and the Spirit, I had a few thoughts. When we fast, we get closer to Heavenly Father. His testimony of that was so sweet, and I knew that it was true. I need to work on fasting, and on my testimony of it. I have a testimony of prayer; I know that by praying, I can get questions and needs answered. Well, fasting does the same thing! I just need to pray for good experiences with fasting and for a testimony. 

He also shared how much fast offerings help those in need. They really do! I've never thought about where our $20 a month goes, to whom, how, where it helps. But it does. Dollar for dollar. I want to think about/talk about with Joseph where it might go. Paying the fast offering is one way I can help the poor and needy, and directly help Heavenly Father. President Eyring talked about that connection, our service to others and our service to God.

Another testimony of the fast: while Jesus was fasting for forty days, he was able to resist the temptations of Satan. That story should lift and inspire me. 

Linda K. Burton

Praise your spouse in front of your children. Bite your tongue when tempted to say unkind things. Forgive him. Apologize sincerely. 

This was a sweet talk about companionship, especially about fathers and husbands."Thee lift me, and I'll lift thee, and we'll ascend together." I'm so grateful for Joseph.

Dallin H. Oaks

He spoke on the parable of the sower. How fertile is my ground? Do I search for what I can do better rather than think about what others need to improve. Do I hear the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit?

I  need to pray and ask Heavenly Father to help me notice things I'm putting before Him. I want Him to be first. I don't want to put the pleasures of man or material things before Him.

L. Whitney Clayton

Belief is a choice, an action. We don't accidentally pay tithing; we don't accidentally believe. Embrace belief. Actions evidence our belief. We choose to believe when we obey commandments, when we repent...

 

Doubt is easy. You can slip into it. It comes naturally, sometimes. Belief takes work and effort, constant work and effort. But it is so, so worth it. 

David A. Bednar

The fear of the Lord is honor and respect. Real, righteous fear doesn't make us afraid of the judgment bar. The only fear we will feel then is ourselves; we will see our self-deceptions clearly, then. Fearing God only means that I know I will be held accountable for my every thought, word, and action.

D. Todd Christofferson

This talk was amazing, and I totally needed it. He talked about the importance and sanctity of marriage. People need to get married to show commitment, to create a safe, secure unit for children, to bind each other to each other to help each other through life, to link families together (for family history and memories and honor).

Marriage is from heaven. Satan hates it and does everything he can to break it up.

Wilford W. Andersen

"I can teach you to dance, but you have to hear the music." Dancing without music is awkward and unfulfilling and embarrassing. We can teach our families the dance steps, but sometimes we forget to teach them how to hear the music for themselves.

 

The dance steps require knowledge and discipline; it's from the mind. The music is in the heart; hearing it takes knowledge and choice, but feeling and conviction more so. 

We must always be working hard to keep our radios tuned to the right frequency. "Have ye felt to sing the song of redeeming love? Can ye feel so now?" When we are on the right frequency, we can hear the music, and it fills us with joy. 

D and C 121 (includes power and authority of being a parent; it can't be maintained without the spirit) (when the kids hear the music, we won't need to threat or give compulsion... well, we shouldn't us those methods anyway). 

It takes diligent efforts to get good at music. And even when it is performed well, there will still be crescendos and decrescendos. Wow! I loved this talk! There are lots of symbolisms in music.

Dale G. Relund

"'Twas I, but 'tis not I." Shakespeare. So good. We can change. We can try again.

"The church is like a hospital; we are all sick in our own way. We come to church to get helped." We need to be tolerant of others' sicknesses or habits or weakness or differences. We need to let them grow in their own way, and understand that it is different from us. And we need to remember our own beams.

Compared to God, I and some homey that bugs me or is really imperfect are not that different. Remember that Jesus is without guile or hypocrisy. I shouldn't be a hypocrite either; I shouldn't judge others, have unrealistic or uncharitable expectations for them.

#without guile

A seventy (I don't remember his name) gave a talk about serving humbly instead of for the praise and honors of men. It reminded me of Joseph. It was an awesome talk

Quentin L. Cook

 

Work out your salvation, Alma 32 through 34

I think it's really cool how alma talked about faith being like a little seed, and then everybody asked how to plant that seed. And he just basically testified of Jesus Christ and then concluded with, choose to believe in him. Then Amulek talked about prayer and repentance and believing in Christ and the atonement. Then he says that we need to work out our own salvation in verse 37. We do this by receiving the Holy Ghost and taking the name of Christ a promise and humbling ourselves and being grateful and praying often and obeying.

Thinking with this perspective, that we are each responsible to work out our own salvation, helps me in visualizing missionary work. It helps me respect other people's agency and recognize that it is is there responsibility, but that I can help them if they accept it.