Luke 12:7 even the very hairs of your head are numbered- wow! And how is it that we can worry and sweat the small stuff when God is obviously in control and aware of our concerns?
Tues 3/1
"The Church is designed to nourish the imperfect, the struggling, and the exhausted. It is filled with people who desire with all their heart to keep the commandments, even if they haven’t mastered them yet." --I love this. We not only have the gospel to help us and teach us but the actual organization of the church is a huge blessing to us. We are ALL imperfect and struggling to implement the principles of the gospel; no one is above anyone. "Don't judge me because I sin differently than you." We are all in need of the Savior's grace and mercy. How does this truth affect my attitude towards my coworkers? Friends? Strangers on the bus?
"first doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. We must never allow doubt to hold us prisoner and keep us from the divine love, peace, and gifts that come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ." --faith brings divine love and peace. Choose to overcome your own doubts by doubting them-- a lesson in cognitive therapy! Haha. You can attack any faulty thought processes by identifying the source and then using your own logic to discount them. Beautiful!
"One of the purposes of the Church is to nurture and cultivate the seed of faith--even in the sometimes sandy soil of doubt and uncertainty. Faith is to hope for things which are not seen but which are true." This is one of the purposes of the church! To nourish my faith. I love the word nourish here. Reminds me of Alma 32:30 "sprouteth and beginneth to grow"- same principles apply to relationship with Samuel (v. 31-35) you know something is good by the fruits of the decision! I know this without a doubt from what I have felt all weekend and throughout our relationship. This chapter is gold!!
Wed 3/2
Grateful in Any circumstance (Dieter F Uchtdorf)
Thurs 3/3
"any circumstance, our sense of gratitude is nourished by the many and sacred truths we do know: that our Father has given His children the great plan of happiness; that through the Atonement of His Son, Jesus Christ, we can live forever with our loved ones; that in the end, we will have glorious, perfect, and immortal bodies, unburdened by sickness or disability; and that our tears of sadness and loss will be replaced with an abundance of happiness and joy, “good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over.” What
A beautiful look at life. Our gratitude should be based and rooted in things and principles of the gospel that we always have through all trials.
"Being grateful in our circumstances is an act of faith in God. It requires that we trust God and hope for things we may not see but which are true." How is gratitude linked to faith? If I don't have faith in the principles of the gospel, I will easily feel upset with nonideal circumstance. If I nourish my faith in God's promises, circumstance will not affect my gratitude.
5 things I am grateful for:
1. God answers prayers. When I feel I am facing an unsurmountable task or problem or feel stressed, I am so grateful that God eventually answers prayers with peace and calm.
2. Challenges. They push me to challenge my faith and test it which always ends in stronger faith.
3. My mother/father- they are wonderful examples of repentance, patience, and forgiveness. I would not be anywhere without their guidance.
4. Samuel- can not even say the difference it makes in life to have someone on my time to support, love, listen, and share with me. Let alone someone that I love deeply and enjoy a similar life view with. And I have a feeling I am just barely realizing what a huge thing this is- contact me in three months and I am sure I will feel even more grateful! Love is a beautiful thing.
5. Hope. I love this principle. There is always hope, no matter how dire it may seem in the moment.
Fri 3/4
Alma 32:37-38 what you nourish will grow, and what you neglect will wither. What do I nourish in my life? How do I nourish what is important (God, Samuel, and my other relationships with everyone)? What else can I do to nourish those things?
Alma 32:41 How do we nourish that which is good? "By your 1. faith with 2. great diligence, and with 3. patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof" it will take root. We must nourish our testimonies with these three principles. How does building a testimony take faith? Diligence? Patience? The same goes for anything good that we pursue (personal change, overcoming weakness, buildling relationships like with Samuel). How does my relationship with Samuel take faith, diligence, and patience?
Alma 32:41-43 Blessings of nourishing with faith, diligence, and patience= 1. take root, a "tree springing up unto everlasting life" 2. pluck the fruit which is sweet above all that is sweet 3. feast upon this fruit until ye are filled and hunger not/thirst not
-When we know something is good/right and we pursue it, we will come closer to Christ and "eat of the fruit of the tree"-->my relationships are similar. What can I do to nourish my most important relationships?
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