Jewels to God

One of the things that I know, with every fiber of my being, is that Heavenly Father lives.  Along with that knowledge, I have come to know that he revers his children in such a high and esteemed manner.  In D&C 60:4 He refers to his children as jewels. We are his jewels because have infinite worth. I find it interesting that the world seeks after money and riches, and Heavenly Father uses this metaphor to describe his children.  He wants us to know how much we are worth to him.

But more than that,  we are also his jewels in the sense that we are his special treasure.  We have literally been bought and paid for--purchased--by the blood of his son.  Would God let his son sacrifice his life for the souls of those whom he did not consider of great worth? Certainly not. He allowed Christ to suffer such great pain and agony because he also loves us--and because we are of great worth to him-- we are his jewels.  God loves us.  He loves me. And I love him.  Why?  Because he loved me first. 

D&C 60:4 For I, the Lord, rule in the heavens above, and among the armies of the earth; and in the day when I shall make up my jewels all men shall know what it is that bespeakesth the power of God.

1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.

The Power Within Them

I wonder if we recognize the power that each of us has within us.  We are all children of our Heavenly Father--the divine being of the universe.  Think of that.  It's kind of a big deal.  As I think about what it means that I am a child of the greatest being in the universe, and that his power is in me, I realize that it is a huge responsibility to have that power.  Along with that responsibility comes great expectations.  The expectation is that we will use that power to do good--to help others, to edify, to build up those who are around us and the Lord's kingdom. But having that responsibility and expectation is also a huge blessing.  As we use that power for good, we ourselves are also uplifted and edified. Furthermore, it is by choosing to use the power that has been given to us righteously that helps us gain our eternal salvation.

I feel as though the Lord gave us the power to do good so that we can help those around us, as well as to help ourselves.  My amazing Doctrine and Covenants professor said something that really made me ponder this the other day. He said the point of this life is not to come to earth and merely keep the commandments.  We were already doing that in the pre-mortal existence.  The point of this life is to see what else we can do!  I loved that. And I agree completely. Keeping the commandments is a wonderful and noble cause, but there are so many other things that need to be done.  Why settle for being comfortable, and merely doing the things that we have already mastered?


D&C 58:28 For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.

When I Don't Stand Alone

Virtue. By definition, it's a pattern of living that encompasses high moral standards.  It's much more than just chastity. It's much more than just doing what is right when it's easy or when others are watching you.  It's doing what is right all of the time. No matter the circumstances or the consequences. I've been thinking about virtue a lot lately.

As I've been thinking about virtue, and how I can become more virtuous, I have discovered something very interesting-- virtue attracts virtue.  Those who are willing to live a virtuous life seem to pull together.  It's the whole "light attracts light" notion.  While those who are not seeking to live a virtuous life, scorn those who are.  This latter truth is what I'd like to talk about first.

Sometimes, when I'm trying my hardest to do what is right, I feel like I get accosted for it... and quite frankly, it sucks.  It's difficult to know that those who you consider to be your friends do not support you in your quest to be a better person--it's even harder when you realize that they are mocking you for your decisions to live righteously. These times are hard, and it offers an excuse to shrink back into old, comfortable, easy habits--but that's not why I came to this life. I did not come here to be comfortable. I did not come here to please those think I'm trying too hard to be too good. I came here to please my God. 

I'd also like to talk a little about how light attracts light.  Sometimes, as I have been trying to do the right thing, I have felt completely and utterly alone. It seems like every time I am feeling alone in the fight for good, the Lord has a way of reminding me that there are others who are very much like me, close by my side, fighting for the same cause that I am.  Sometimes I get these impressions while I'm at devotional and I see the entire congregation singing, or I feel it after having a talk with a friend, or sometimes, I just see people do good things on campus that remind me that I am not alone.  I love that reassurance.  I love seeing a throng of good people trying to do their best. I love that they, like me, do not have to be perfect yet, only trying to be.  I love talking to my friends, because when we get to know those who surround us, we come to realize that the emotions we feel are much the same as those who surround us. Sometimes the experiences that bring us to feel those emotions are much different, but the emotions associated with those experiences are the same, and those similar emotions are what allows us to help create bonds with those who surround us.  And I love seeing people do good things.  The good acts of strangers have often inspired me to do a little better, and have given me hope that I am not alone in the cause.

I am so grateful that when I feel like I am standing alone, I am not. I know that I always have the Lord and my Heavenly Father on my side, but there are a ton of good people all around me too. 

Trials are My Biggest Blessing

I don't profess to know everything.  I am made aware on a daily basis just how much more there is for me to learn.  But one thing that I have learned for certain is that rather than asking for my trials to be removed from me, it's better to pray for strength to endure them, to pray to be able to learn the lessons that I need to from them, and to pray that I will be able to continue to be happy while I patiently wait for them to pass. My dearest friend once described it to me as "learning to ask the Lord to give me a stronger back to carry my load rather than lifting the load from me."

The prophet Joseph Smith did an excellent job illustrating the principle I speak of.  Rather than asking the Lord to remove his problems, he asked him how much longer he would need to endure them.  I feel as though the key to finding happiness in trials and in learning to endure trials well is to stop asking the Lord to remove our trials from us.  Trials are what lead us to grow, and growth is what brings us closer to our Savior.  We are brought closer to our Savior not only because we learn we can rely on him, but also because if we allow them to, we can learn Christ-like attributes from our trials: patience, love, empathy. I feel like that is the point of this life. To do a little better, to learn a little more from each trial, and to be happy through it all.

** This original post was written as a response to D&C Section 57 as a homework assignment. But in Gospel Doctrine today, we read 1 Peter 1: 7-9 which I feel like illustrate the same point :) Awesome find! So I'll throw them down here :)

7) That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

8) Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

9) Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

I've loved thinking about how trials are good for us because they teach us Christ-like attributes, and that is why they are more precious to us than gold.  I also know that mastering those Christ-like attributes is what is going to lead us to eternal salvation. And that makes me totally stoked!  Trials aren't all bad.  They really are a blessing.  Life is better than we realize. :)

Ramblings on Coveting

D&C 56: 16-20

Thou shalt not covet. It's one of the ten commandments. If it was important enough to make it into one of the things that the Lord wanted his people to work on ever since the time of Moses, it's probably still pretty important now. One of the many problems with coveting is that it ruins relationships. The first relationship that it damages is that of ours with our Lord. When we covet, we are not recognizing what we do have, and thus we cannot have a thankful heart. Who, being thankful can look at what they have and want more? Who being truly grateful for what the Lord has blessed them with can lust after what another has? Covetousness puts a wedge in our relationship with our God because it is as if we are saying that what he has given us is not enough.

Another relationship that covetousness damages is that of the one who possesses the object or quality we are coveting. If we covet our neighbors clothes, their spouse, their home... if we are jealous of them in any manner, then we put our relationship with them in jeopardy. We will no longer be able to view them as people who have accomplished great things, but rather as competition; and competition never fosters a loving relationship.

The lord does not want us to look at what others have and be jealous. He wants us to recognize what we have and be happy with what he has given us. He knows what we need. He will make sure we have the things that are essential for our happiness and progression. It's important that we don't get caught up in all of the "stuff" of the world, and that we focus on what really matters most.

This is What Family is All About

Family is so much more than just those people you grow up with.

They're the ones who you can turn to when your life is turning inside out.

They're the ones who share your deepest sorrows and your greatest joys.

The ones who will sacrifice what they have to make it possible for your greatest dreams to come true.

I'm not delusional. I've been part of a family for a very long time now. And it's not all rainbows and butterflies.

Sometimes family drives you nuts.

You weep for them.

You wish like crazy they would make different decisions.

Sometimes family can be the source of your deepest anguish.

But they're yours. And there's something beautiful about that.

I'm so grateful for my family.

They're the best.