Treasure the Gift of Love and Life

1 John 4:21 states,"And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also."

Principle:In loving God , we must also love our fellowmen.

Lately the things on my mind are:1. What am I doing to love and serve God? 

2. Am I loving and serving my fellowmen? 3. Am I spending my time wisely? 4. Do the people around me know how much I love and care about them? 4. Life is precious and very short.

Death has been on my mind. I lost a classmate last week to skin cancer. Today, I went to a funeral of a five year old boy who was a student in the classroom next to mine. The thing which stood out to me was the legacy this boy left and how many lives he changed. He lived each day to the fullest and always cared about the feelings of people around him. We can make a difference in our world by being kind, smiling, and helping those around us. There have been too many dark and evil attacks which have violated people's right to live. We don't have to be a black hole absorbing the darkness, but we can be a bright  sunbeam emitting love and hope to our sphere of influence. I sometimes think we downplay the affect and good we can have in our society just because we may not have the social recognition/title to affect thousands. If we change a life, that in turn can affect generations. I had a good friend tell me recently that I may not be the definition of a mother, in the sense of having children, but I do mother many children in my classroom. I also love and support my sisters by loving my nieces and nephews so much. My nieces and nephews are some of my greatest blessings. Don't be afraid to lift up one another and see the good in this world! I got this quote from here. https://www.facebook.com/PresidentMonsonQuotes/photos/a.825736924116439.1073741829.820263274663804/1124423570914438/?type=3&theater

Patience is a virtue

In Hebrews 10:36 we are told "for ye have need of patience." I find this so true in my life. Things happen that are out of our control in our daily lives. I can only control how I respond/my attitude towards my life circumstances. In December, our upstairs neighbor flooded us which in turn we flooded our downstairs neighbor. We were not home when this happened. Our upstairs neighbor doesn't have insurance and doesn't speak English very well. We got our insurance estimator out and we got a check for the estimate minus the deductible. Fast forward a few months and I call the company which fixed our downstairs neighbor's place. We have major damage and have to have an asbestos test done. I know we have asbestos because our downstairs neighbor did. Asbestos removal alone is around $3,000. I will be spending the rest of my summer dealing with the insurance company and getting our place fixed. I am very upset because my trip to Utah may be canceled. I want to go to Utah to see my grandparents because they are quite elderly (95, 93, and 87 years old). My ninety five year old Oma who will be ninety-six in October was just put into a home. I know our hardships can turn into blessings. We can become humble and refinement of divine virtues such as love, kindness, charity, patience, diligence, and long-suffering may occur within us. On a lighter and positive note my bathroom will look amazing and will be safer to our health. I can't stay in darkness too long with negativity. I must look towards the light and be positive. How can you stay positive and let life refine you while going through hard times? I am so grateful that my becoming project this summer deals with patience and the developing of this virtue. I am getting good practice with patience. I love this quote/photo, so here is the link.
https://www.facebook.com/TimeOutForWomen/photos/a.322224847048.180008.61144507048/10154353004897049/?type=3&theater

Politics & Proper Communication

Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”

Principle: We must use pure and clean communication which edifies both the speaker and the listener, so we may feel God’s grace towards us.

Words are important and must be used properly and wisely. In our daily interactions with others are we using words to edify or words which destroy and tear down one another? I have politics on the brain, since I just voted in our primary election. I really dislike politics and the slandering which accompanies it. I am grateful for my husband who studies the issues and reminds me how important it is to have our voices heard. What does my voice say about me and my character? Most people teach their children to be kind and use clean language, but why do the expectations change and become nonexistent as people run for office? Why would I want to elect a political candidate to run a country who can't even respect his/her own political opponent? Rumors and slander have become a normal part of the political debates. Gossip can ruin a person's reputation and injure a family's name. We must not take part in this. We need to let people know they are valued and loved. 

Another area where I see a lack of edifying communication is in the media.In our society, swearing, not respecting men and women's differences, and crude humor is prevalent. I feel this is a canker to our souls, and lowers our intelligence in selecting and spending time in worthwhile activities. Words are powerful and can uplift a soul. Be a soul healer and not a soul destroyer. What words will you use today to empower another individual? 

The photo came from here https://www.facebook.com/TheFamilyAProclamationToTheWorld/photos/a.554077274657382.1073741824.179341505464296/988999307831841/?type=3&theater

Our Daily Choices Affect Our Lives

Romans 6:16- "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"
Principle- Whom we choose to obey whether Christ or Satan is whose servant we become. We can choose spiritual death through Satan or spiritual life by becoming obedient and righteous through Christ. 
We have the power to become what we wish to be. We choose our daily actions and steps that lead us towards our goals or away from our goals. If we want to become like Christ we must try to do what He taught. Taking time each day to study and meditate in/on the scriptures and praying to God for His guidance and comfort is imperative. In my New Testament class, my semester project is becoming patient through doing God's will. I am looking for ways where I can learn and grow. One of these areas is having patience with myself and with others. The last few months have been very trying. I went to my retina specialist a few months ago and it finally hit me that I have an autoimmune disease/disorder of the eyes. I would have to deal with this the rest of my life. There will be times when my floaters will flair up and other times when my floaters are inactive. Around the same time, I was having severe stomach aches. Food was making me sick and I wanted to stop eating. The Spirit confirmed to me that I needed to take gluten out of my diet. I am now gluten-free, and I feel wonderful. This has been a big change for me. I love to bake and make bread. I am still trying to perfect a gluten-free yeast bread. I have not been successful with this yet. I don't like the taste. Just as I have to be careful with the foods I consume on a daily basis, I need to be careful with how I spend my time each day. What forms of media, music, books am I watching, reading, or listening to? Does this material make me feel good towards myself or towards others? One of my goals this summer was to not be a bum and waste my time. In the summers I have time off from my job, so I go from being extremely busy to being a little busy. I do not do well when I am idle. Being in a New Testament class this summer was a wise decision, so I don't waste my whole time on things that don't matter.
This picture came from https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=271972463156435&set=a.101726020181081.1073741827.100010310491281&type=3&theater.

Giving Provides Greater Blessings than Receiving

Acts 20:35 "I have shewed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive."
Principle:

1.      The Lord has shown us how to be self-reliant, and then in turn we are able to uplift and help the poor. Giving provides greater blessings than receiving. (Acts 20:35)

I have found this principle to be true in my life. I am trying to better myself through obtaining my degree through BYU-Idaho's online program. This is very difficult for me because as many of you know I struggle with online learning. Through my struggles and inadequate computer skills, I have gained new computer knowledge and confidence. I am a perfectionist when it comes to my educational pursuits, and I am trying to work through this so my weakness does not interfere with the knowledge I am gaining. It takes sacrifice and patience to better ourselves. After we are able to care for ourselves, then we can have a desire to reach out to others. There are many ways to do this. We can donate our time, talents, and money to organizations we believe in.  We can also call, write, or visit a friend who may need a listening ear or who is lonely. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we have a woman's organization called the Relief Society. We are given a list of women who we fellowship each month. Through these visits we edify each sister through a message of Christ, build friendships, and see if any physical, temporal, or spiritual needs the sister may have. This is a great opportunity for me to focus on another person. Maybe right now you need to focus on a family member who may need your love and guidance. Sometimes the people who are near us might need our love and forgiveness the most, since we know them the
 best. I hope we can find ways to give to those around us. Giving from the heart is what truly matters and through these acts of love we can change our selfish desires.

Healing Through the Power of Christ

The second part of my semester has begun online through BYU-Idaho. I am taking a blocked second half of the New Testament. We will cover Acts through Revelation. My knowledge of the New Testament is limited, so I want to be more educated about the events of Christ's Church after He was resurrected. My readings for this week began in Acts 1-Acts 18.  I have a favorite story from this week's reading. This story starts in Acts three and it is about the lame man who is sitting at the temple gates  seeking money. (Acts 3:2-3) Peter and John see him and offer him a better gift of being healed through the power of Christ. (Acts 3:6-7) The lame man is so happy he is healed and gives praise to God. (Acts 3:8) This lame man had the faith to be healed. I wonder if there are times in our lives where we want God to bless us with material wealth, instead of giving us wonderful opportunities to grow spiritually and refine our character. Do our trials and burdens seem to weigh us down and make us have pity parties, or do they refine us and make us better to serve in our homes, and communities? You decide if you will focus solely on things which money can buy or balance your time wisely building worthwhile friendships, while being on the path God has for you. Peace and healing can only come through the Savior. I know the Savior can heal us and give us peace. Sometimes the trials and burdens aren't taken away, but the Savior gives us the strength to rise above them. In my life, gratitude and a positive attitude have helped me overcome discouragement about things I can't change.  One of my life changing events occurred in February of 2012. I was approaching my thirty-fifth birthday, and I was extremely discouraged and depressed. This is unusual for me because I don't stay down in the dumps for too long. This was a hard birthday year because we still didn't have a baby, and when a women reaches the age of thirty-five fertility rates decrease dramatically. I knew I had to get on my knees and pray to my Heavenly Father in earnest prayer. I plead with Him to help me find joy. The prayer was answered a day or two later when a kitten came into my home. We named her Pinkie since she had been dyed pink. We couldn't find her owners. I know God loves me and my husband and had blessed us with our beautiful, furry princess. Pinkie has brought so much joy into our home and hearts! God loves you and wants you to be happy.