So, I have about 5 books I am reading right now simultaneously. I know that seems kind of nuts, but most of them are non-fiction, spiritual, improving yourself, type books. The way my thought process works, I have to read it in chunks. I can't just sit down and read through the book. This is thinking material!
Anyway, one of the books is "Choose Higher Ground" by Henry B Eyring.
At one spot in the book, where he is talking about increasing our faith, he makes what I felt was an interesting point.
He wrote: "Great faith has a short shelf life."
I think too often we gain a testimony and then just let it sit. Just like a muscle that goes unused atrophies and becomes weak, so can our testimony if we don't constantly nourish it.
Then, when we need to rely on that strong testimony...it isn't there, and our faith crumbles.
I've thought about that a lot this week.
It's been interesting how many people have told me to "have faith and everything will be all right."
What does that mean to you?
I do have faith, and I do have trust, but rather than put a stipulation on it, I put that faith and trust in the Lord. Sometimes, things aren't "all right" sometimes, we have to go through sorrow, pain, illness, loss, etc... because there is something that we need to learn, that won't come any other way. Sometimes, that is the very experience that strengthens our faith and intensifies our determination to follow the Lord.
Instead of thinking, "please let everything be all right" I find myself thinking "please help me to be strong and willing to go through what I need to. Please help me to be calm and at peace with the things that I need to deal with...and help me learn what I need to from this experience."
I'm not perfect at doing this...but, when I find myself feeling a little anxious or scared, I think, "I have faith in the Lord's plan for me." The fear leaves, and I feel comforted.
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Saturday, March 29, 2014
The Light of the World
Yesterday I was preparing to go visiting teaching and it was my turn to prepare the lesson. I knew that the people we were going to go visit had most likely already had the lesson, but I still felt it was important to prepare. In my experience, you never know where the Holy Ghost will lead you, and just because you've heard the same lesson 4 times, doesn't mean you can't learn something more, if your heart is ready to receive it.
Once we got to whom we were visiting, she did let us know that yes, she had heard the lesson a few times. I pressed on. I didn't feel inspired to give most of the lesson, because I knew she'd heard it. What I did feel inspired to give was the scripture. Unlike everything else in the article, scripture references are written but you have to look them up. (I know, work!) Still, when I had read one particular scripture it had stood out to me more than anything else, so that was what I shared.
It came from D&C 50:24
Once we got to whom we were visiting, she did let us know that yes, she had heard the lesson a few times. I pressed on. I didn't feel inspired to give most of the lesson, because I knew she'd heard it. What I did feel inspired to give was the scripture. Unlike everything else in the article, scripture references are written but you have to look them up. (I know, work!) Still, when I had read one particular scripture it had stood out to me more than anything else, so that was what I shared.
It came from D&C 50:24
24 That which is of God is a light; and he that b receiveth c light, andd continueth in God, receiveth more e light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.
Then, I also felt like I should share an insight that I had had, in trying to sort out my thoughts with things that people had told me in the past.
This is how my mind works. It's how I learn. I look at ways people live their life (I'm not excluded from this) and I look at what occurred and how it's affected their life, and I think, do I want that to happen to me? Then I take that information and apply it to my own life.
There once was a person with a strong testimony. Because they were scientifically minded, (which isn't bad) they decided they needed to find proof if the church was false, if religion was false, that God doesn't exist, and that Jesus Christ isn't real. Guess what? For them, they found proof of all these things, and their testimony was gone.
There once was a person with a strong testimony. Because they were scientifically minded, (which isn't bad) they decided they needed to find proof that the church was true, that religion has merit, that God is all powerful and loves us, and that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. Guess what? They found proof of all these things and their testimony was strengthened.
Here is what I shared: You will find what you are looking for.
If you are looking to prove something false, you will find things to support your claim, if you are looking to prove that God exists, you will find it. So what's right? What's true? I can't tell you that. I know that for me, I have a sincere testimony that the gospel is true, that Jesus is the Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, the Light of the World, that He is our brother and that He loves us dearly. I also firmly believe that if we search for good, we will find it. If we search for miracles we will find them. If we look for proof that God has a vested interest in our choices and beliefs, we will find them.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Cultivating Faith
After I completed yesterday's post, I began thinking and pondering about the last quote I had put in there : "Cast out doubt, cultivate faith." As I thought about it, the phrase kept entering my mind, How can I cultivate faith? Many things begin to enter my contemplation, so I thought I would share some of them.
A lot of them are what people call "Sunday School Answers" but I dug a little deeper. I didn't just think, read the scriptures, I thought about why reading the scriptures was important. So, here are a few ways I thought about cultivating faith.
First, I thought about how important it is to have the desire to believe. In Alma 32:27 it states: But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.
It is important to me to note though, that this is just the beginning of faith, not the ending. This is where you plant the seed, hoping that it will result in more faith. Hope is a precursor that is linked to faith, and desire is the precursor to hope. You have the desire, you hope, and then you begin to have faith.
Another quote from the book"Bringing Elizabeth Home" states:
"Hope, like faith, is the evidence of things not seen. You can't have faith without hope. Hope is like the precursor to faith, and faith becomes the sustaining power. If you give up hope, you give up faith. None of those things are diminished by the outcome of whatever happens in our lives. We will all have adversity. We can either become stronger and better because of it, or weakened because of it. Our faith can be strengthened through our hard times."
By reading the scriptures, you are allowing yourself to learn by the best teachers. Past prophets who prophesied of God and of our Savior Jesus Christ. If you immerse yourself in the scriptures, allowing the Holy Ghost to teach you, your faith will grow, and you will be taught.
There are many ways to read and ponder the scriptures though. I think sometimes we get stuck on reading them in order. I find what works for me, is to pick a topic and study it. So, for example, since I'm writing about faith, I look up all the scriptures that are about faith and I study them.
Another way to cultivate faith, is to go to church. I think this is a huge thing. Yes, it isn't always possible, and many times when you have small kids, you begin to wonder if it is worth it, but it is. I find that often when I go to church, I am taught by both the scriptures and the Holy Ghost. If I have a question that has been weighing on my mind, or a concern, or a thought, there have been many times where what I need to learn and what I need to know will be brought to my mind. It's quite amazing really.
Our stake president once taught us in stake conference, that if we are mentally prepared horizontally, we will be taught by the spirit vertically. I can always tell when I am mentally prepared!
Prayer is definitely a way of cultivating faith. When we pray intently to our Heavenly Father, about our problems, hopes, desires, gratitude, etc., we become closer to Him. Our trust in Him is increased, and as a result, our faith is increased. You have to have trust in God, to have your faith increase, trusting that He knows best, and that all we experience is for our good.
I could have partially wondered that at the beginning of last year, but because of experiences that I had, and continue to have, I feel stronger. Yes things are still hard at times, there is still adversity, but there is also a greater desire to continue on and continue to grow.
There are many other ways to cultivate faith. I really feel like I've just scratched the surface. As I continue to search and ponder, I may have to write another post on more ways to cultivate faith.
A lot of them are what people call "Sunday School Answers" but I dug a little deeper. I didn't just think, read the scriptures, I thought about why reading the scriptures was important. So, here are a few ways I thought about cultivating faith.
First, I thought about how important it is to have the desire to believe. In Alma 32:27 it states: But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.
It is important to me to note though, that this is just the beginning of faith, not the ending. This is where you plant the seed, hoping that it will result in more faith. Hope is a precursor that is linked to faith, and desire is the precursor to hope. You have the desire, you hope, and then you begin to have faith.
Another quote from the book"Bringing Elizabeth Home" states:
"Hope, like faith, is the evidence of things not seen. You can't have faith without hope. Hope is like the precursor to faith, and faith becomes the sustaining power. If you give up hope, you give up faith. None of those things are diminished by the outcome of whatever happens in our lives. We will all have adversity. We can either become stronger and better because of it, or weakened because of it. Our faith can be strengthened through our hard times."
By reading the scriptures, you are allowing yourself to learn by the best teachers. Past prophets who prophesied of God and of our Savior Jesus Christ. If you immerse yourself in the scriptures, allowing the Holy Ghost to teach you, your faith will grow, and you will be taught.
There are many ways to read and ponder the scriptures though. I think sometimes we get stuck on reading them in order. I find what works for me, is to pick a topic and study it. So, for example, since I'm writing about faith, I look up all the scriptures that are about faith and I study them.
Another way to cultivate faith, is to go to church. I think this is a huge thing. Yes, it isn't always possible, and many times when you have small kids, you begin to wonder if it is worth it, but it is. I find that often when I go to church, I am taught by both the scriptures and the Holy Ghost. If I have a question that has been weighing on my mind, or a concern, or a thought, there have been many times where what I need to learn and what I need to know will be brought to my mind. It's quite amazing really.
Our stake president once taught us in stake conference, that if we are mentally prepared horizontally, we will be taught by the spirit vertically. I can always tell when I am mentally prepared!
Prayer is definitely a way of cultivating faith. When we pray intently to our Heavenly Father, about our problems, hopes, desires, gratitude, etc., we become closer to Him. Our trust in Him is increased, and as a result, our faith is increased. You have to have trust in God, to have your faith increase, trusting that He knows best, and that all we experience is for our good.
I could have partially wondered that at the beginning of last year, but because of experiences that I had, and continue to have, I feel stronger. Yes things are still hard at times, there is still adversity, but there is also a greater desire to continue on and continue to grow.
There are many other ways to cultivate faith. I really feel like I've just scratched the surface. As I continue to search and ponder, I may have to write another post on more ways to cultivate faith.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
A Quote Within A Quote
So, it's kind of fun working at the library because I see all kinds of books come through, and when one catches my eye I check it out for myself to read it. Of course, I still find other books too, when I'm not working.
One such book "Bringing Elizabeth Home" which is about when Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped, written from the perspective of her parents, was one that I had always intended to read, and then just didn't for whatever reason. Since it was available, I checked it out, and then put myself on the hold list for the one written by Elizabeth Smart that came out this past year.
Anyway, as I was reading it, they quoted a part of a book written by Spencer W Kimball called, "Faith Precedes the Miracle," (which I also want to read!)
"Some reservoirs are to store water. Some are to store food. There should also be reservoirs of knowledge to meet future needs; reservoirs of courage to overcome the floods of fear that put uncertainty in lives; reservoirs of stamina; and reservoirs of faith--especially reservoirs of faith--so that when the world presses upon us, we stand firm and strong; when the temptations of a decaying world about us draw upon our energies, sap our spiritual vitality, and seek to pull us down, we need a storage of faith that can carry us over the dull, difficult, terrifying moments, disappointments, disillusionments and adversity, want, confusion, and frustration."
When I read that quote, it made me pause for a moment and think about my own reservoir of faith... how full is it? What do I need to do to fill it up further?
It is something that I am still thinking about as I contemplate ways I can improve. Then as my mind traveled over songs that I knew, the one that came to mind was this one: The Light Divine
http://www.lds.org/music/library/hymns/the-light-divine?lang=eng#
If you click on the audio tab you can hear it with the words. Otherwise it just plays the music without words.
I also thought about this video clip:
"Cast out doubt, cultivate faith."
Good words to live by. :)
One such book "Bringing Elizabeth Home" which is about when Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped, written from the perspective of her parents, was one that I had always intended to read, and then just didn't for whatever reason. Since it was available, I checked it out, and then put myself on the hold list for the one written by Elizabeth Smart that came out this past year.
Anyway, as I was reading it, they quoted a part of a book written by Spencer W Kimball called, "Faith Precedes the Miracle," (which I also want to read!)
"Some reservoirs are to store water. Some are to store food. There should also be reservoirs of knowledge to meet future needs; reservoirs of courage to overcome the floods of fear that put uncertainty in lives; reservoirs of stamina; and reservoirs of faith--especially reservoirs of faith--so that when the world presses upon us, we stand firm and strong; when the temptations of a decaying world about us draw upon our energies, sap our spiritual vitality, and seek to pull us down, we need a storage of faith that can carry us over the dull, difficult, terrifying moments, disappointments, disillusionments and adversity, want, confusion, and frustration."
When I read that quote, it made me pause for a moment and think about my own reservoir of faith... how full is it? What do I need to do to fill it up further?
It is something that I am still thinking about as I contemplate ways I can improve. Then as my mind traveled over songs that I knew, the one that came to mind was this one: The Light Divine
http://www.lds.org/music/library/hymns/the-light-divine?lang=eng#
If you click on the audio tab you can hear it with the words. Otherwise it just plays the music without words.
I also thought about this video clip:
"Cast out doubt, cultivate faith."
Good words to live by. :)
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