Emma Smith

Emma Smith's life was so full and she did so much that I could spend the next month just studying her.  There are so many life lessons that I could apply to myself it's hard to know where to start.  A huge thing that jumps out at me from her life is that she buried a lot of her children, including her first.  That one thing alone breaks my heart for her.  I don't know how she bore it.  On top of that she suffered a lot of persecution with the other saints and with her husband.  I can't imagine how strong she had to be all the time just to keep moving forward, to keep trusting the Lord and having faith, to keep supporting Joseph, etc.  And on top of that she organized the Relief Society and assembled a book of hymns, among so much else.  She was very generous, giving, and kind.

I learned several new things about Emma as I studied. I didn't know that she remarried three years after Joseph was martyred. I have a book called "The Emma Smith We Know".  It was written by her descendants and tells stories and comments on different things from her life.  Her descendants say that she married for protection but that she did love her second husband.  Unfortunately he had an affair which resulted in an illegitimate child. Emma raised this child as her own and when she was near death she instructed her husband to marry the other woman. I think it says a lot about Emma's character that she would take this child in as her own.   One of her descendants talks about a personal experience he had as he struggled with questions of why Emma did not continue traveling with the saints to Salt Lake. He said the answer came to him that she was too tired to continue on.  The book was full of love and admiration for the woman that Emma Smith was. She was a remarkable lady.

Three Women and Gifts of the Spirit

I have fallen a bit behind in my scripture reading and blogging/journaling. However, the three women that I have studied recently have a lot in common. They each have unique spiritual gifts, they each used their gifts to help their partner which ultimately blessed a lot of other people too, they are each women of great faith that acted on the things that they know and believe.

Queen of King Lamoni-
We are introduced to King Lamoni's queen after King Lamoni had laid as if dead for three days. Others around him wanted to bury him but his wife didn't think he was dead because to her he "doth not stink" (Alma 19:5). I always thought that was pretty funny. Others have said they thought it was very romantic. I still think it's funny . . . anyway . . . She had heard her servants talking about Ammon and had heard that he was a prophet and had "power to do many mighty works in his name" (Alma 19:4). Ammon told her that her husband was not dead and would rise the next day. He asked her if she believed him. I love her answer. She said, "I have had no witness save thy word, and the word of our servants; nevertheless I believe that it shall be according as thou hast said." In the Doctrine and Covenants we learn about different spiritual gifts. D&C 46:13-14 says, "13 To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world. 14 To others it is given to believe on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful." The queen of King Lamoni had absolutely no proof that what Ammon was saying was true. She had no reason to believe. Yet she did. Her gift was to believe on others words. Because of her gift both she and her husband were able to teach and testify to their people of the things they had learned and were able to lead so many others to Christ.

Eve-
There is a lot that I could say about Eve. She had many spiritual gifts that she used to bless her children and her husband. One gift that I think she had to have was the gift of discernment. Not a lot is known or talked about with Eve. We know she was given to Adam as a help meet. We know she ate the fruit which led to the fall which led to fulfilling the Lord's plan for all of us. Elder Russell M. Nelson gave a really good talk in a women's conference called Lessons From Eve. In talking about the creation of Eve he said, "I presume another bone could have been used, but the rib, coming as it does from the side, seems to denote partnership. The rib signifies neither dominion nor subservience, but a lateral relationship as partners, to work and to live, side by side."  I love that.  Later he talks about how Eve worked and labored side by side with Adam and how they both studied and prayed together, among other things.  Adam and Eve are an excellent example of how a marriage relationship should work.

Deborah-

Deborah's story is in Judges 4-5.  She was a judge and prophetess in Israel.  On the blog Women in the Scriptures she notes that Deborah's title was political not spiritual.  She also speculates that Deborah held this position because there weren't any worthy males to do so at that time.  In the book Daughters of God by S. Michael Wilcox he talks about Deborah using her spiritual gifts to judge the people and how women today do the same thing.  He talks about her using the gift of discernment to determine the people's needs and using gifts of compassion and wisdom to best serve them. 

Deborah and Barak were not married but they worked together to accomplish the Lord's purpose.  Barak trusted and relied on Deborah's guidance as he led his army to battle and Deborah relied on Barak's strength.  Together they were able to get the job done.  Their story is a good example of how men and women should work together and use their different gifts and attributes to work towards a common goal.

I love the stories and examples these three women teach.  They are women of great faith and courage who used their spiritual gifts to accomplish the Lord's work.

Eve

Here are just a couple things I learned/thought about Eve as I read in Genesis and the Gospel Principles manual.

• Eve was created because it is not good that man should be alone. This principle has stuck through the ages, and it's one of the first ones we were ever taught by God. We, as wives, have a specific role- to be THERE for our husbands! So they are not alone.
• Eve was a help meet for Adam. Meet means suited for, worthy of, or corresponding to him. I love that explanation. It wasn't just that she was there to help him- to cook and clean and make sure he took a bath. No, she was specifically meant for him. She was worthy of him. And to me, saying that she was corresponding to him means that she held similar character traits, but also complemented him. like a puzzle piece. Puzzle pieces fit together but aren't exactly the same.
• I wish there were more about Eve specifically in our church doctrine. I know that Eve was a chosen woman, chosen from the beginning. I also know that her role in the Fall was essential... otherwise it might not have ever happened. I just wish that there was more explanation about the fact that Eve didn't make a mistake that ruined things. She got the ball rolling! If Eve had not been so righteous and worthy of Adam, God would not have had her be his wife. He wouldn't have put Eve in the garden if she was going to be a "bad influence," leading Adam further from God. Yes, their choice did temporarily take them farther from God, but it made it possible for them to be closer than ever to Him at the same time. In fact, it was the only way for them to become like God. 

I would really love a look inside Eve's head. All we have are the scriptures and temple portraying what happened, which is fine, but I think she knew a LOT more than the story lets on. I think she understood the ins and outs of the gospel and their role in the garden, she didn't just make some random "mistake." 

So in applying this to me? As a wife and a mother, it's important that I understand my own role in our earthly family and our eternal family. I think that learning as much as I can about the gospel, teaching my kids, and studying my patriarchal blessing will help me understand my identity better. 

catching up...

This might not be a super thoughtf provoking entry, but better than nothing? Sorry I haven't been keeping up as well.

So the three women we have studied over the past two weeks are Puah and Shiphra and King Lamoni's wife, Queen...Lamoni. 

The two midwives remind me a lot of people in the Old Testament whose stories get a lot of attention for the same reasons- following God instead of the King. Daniel in the lions den, Shadrak Meshak and Abednigo, to name a few. But these are women, which unfortunately means no one has really heard their story, at least not as much. Anyways, what impresses me about them is that they had the courage to disobey the kind in order to fulfill the laws of God. That can be one of the scariest things anyone is asked to do, especially because one of our beliefs is that we obey the law of the land. It's kind of like Nephi kililng Laban- he had to break that one commandment - because God told him to - to fulfill another commandment. I doubt I'll ever really be put in a situation like that, we are blessed to live in a relatively religion-friendly nation (though many times it doesn't seem like that), but I guess I could compare it to things we do that go against social norms. Tying in with the story, having more than two children- or even having children at all- is kind of looked down on by our society for so many reasons. It's by no means against the law (which it IS in other countries- I can't imagine...), but people will call you crazy, selfish (uhh cause our kids are taking up their precious space?), sex-crazed, whatever it be, just if you have a large family. And that can be disheartening. So fulfiling God's commandment to multiply and replenish the earth is something that takes courage and selflessness.

Moving on to the Queen of Lamoni. The two things that stand out to me are her exceeding faith- Ammon even tells her that she has more faith than any Nephite in the land- and her devotion to her husband. When even his servants (who I feel respected him and were on good terms with him) and others around him kind of gave up on him, The Queen stood by him. She was in tune enough to know that there was something larger going on, something with meaning, and that he was not dead. She knew that something important was happening and that she wanted to be a part of it. I hope that in times where I need to stand by my husband even when no one else does, I will have the faith and spiritual guidance that King Lamoni's wife had. 

Trust in the Lord

In my scriptures next to Exodus 1:17 I have written, "[Puah and Shiphrah] became a world conscience that takes away the whole argument of 'I was just following orders'." Verse 17 says, " . . . the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them . . ." Because these women trusted God they were able to save a whole nation. I love so much of what Heather from the Women in the Scriptures blog has to say about these two women.

She speculates: 

• Some scholars say that midwives in Israel were always barren women, who in order to find their place in a society where family was valued above all else, were given the responsibility of helping other women bring life into the world. If this is true then it makes the fact that God gave them "houses" or "posterity" as a reward for their faithfulness an even more beautiful blessing. 
• They may have been the midwives who attended the birth of Moses and consequently saved his life. Moses was the one who wrote the book of Exodus and it is probable that the reason we know their names and so much about them is because he was grateful to them for sparing his life as a baby. 

She also gives her thoughts:

• Righteous women of God have always chosen, and always will choose, to conceive, deliver, and protect life above all else. This is because righteous women understand the value of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan. They also know that each life, male and female, is sacred to God and that to bring life is one of the most noble and sacred callings God has given on this earth. Righteous women also understand that without women who are willing to bear, deliver and raise children none of God's plans could come forth. Without their courage and sacrifice there would be no hope for a future and no purpose for the present. 
• It may appear that it is always the men in the scriptures who always do the delivering out of bondage, the saving, and the rescuing, but the truth is that God's plans usually start with women. For example, without the courage and dedication of Puah, Shiphrah, and other midwives like them who chose to ignore the commands of the Pharaoh and do what they knew was right, Moses would not have survived to lead the children of Israel out of bondage. In fact, one could say that these women were the "first delivers" of Israel because they delivered the deliverer. 

I love these women's examples of doing the right thing no matter what, trusting completely that the Lord will take care of you.

Woman at the Well

I really love the Saviors use of symbols and analogies in His teachings. For me, it makes the gospel so easy to understand, AND it helps me to understand why everything is so logical. There are two types of water in this story. There is the water that we need to physically stay alive, and there is the water that we need to spiritually stay alive. We all know and accept the fact that if we go even two days without water we are putting ourselves in serious physical danger. And that's a fact. Well why would we then think we could go days or weeks or months without partaking of the Living Water? Spiritual decline happens so slowly that even if we were to stop doing what we should cold turkey, I don't think it would be instantly awful. That's one thing that makes it so easy to get lazy. But then one day we wake up and realize that our faith isn't where it used to be, and we have to build that spiritual strenght back up. 

I feel like that is what has happened to me over this past year. I stopped personal scripture study a while ago. Probably... more than two years ago. But life was fine and good and great and I didn't really notice a difference. Then this year when I've had some things that have really required a lot more faith on my part, I realized that my faith is not as strong as it used to be. It was really upsetting for me to feel so easily discouraged and mad at the Lord and any other negative feelings, because I knew that wasn't me. It's just so true that no one can stand still in their spiritual growth or decline. We are either moving towards The Lord or away. And I wouldn't say I got too far away, but it was enough that my faith felt extra tested.

One thing that strikes me about the woman at the well, and about all of the other women we have studied so far, is that she was prepared. She had heard about The Messiah. She knew He would come. When she learned who she was, she didn't really need further explanation about why that should be significant to her. She knew! I was not prepared for the trials of this past year. So I needed so much extra reassurance and I had to sometimes rely on the faith of others. Not that it's a bad thing, but I hope that from now on I am always spiritually prepared. It doesn't necessarily make hard things easy, but it makes it easier to make it through. 

Living Water

The woman at the well was one of the first few people that Christ openly declared himself the Messiah to. The woman was a Samaritan and was living in sin. She was also perceptive to spiritual truths. She asked if Christ was a prophet and when he told her he was the Messiah she believed him. When she learned this truth she ran to her village to tell others and have them come learn from Christ.

A few weeks ago my bishop told us a story during Sacrament Meeting. He told us that he commutes via the train to Salt Lake for work each day. On his rides to and from work he had observed a woman that also travels back and forth each day. This woman would engage with those around her during their commute and take opportunities to talk to others about the gospel. He said that she eventually started talking to him. He said that as she talked and shared the gospel with him he didn't reveal any personal information about himself, including that he is LDS and a bishop. He let this woman "teach" him the gospel over the course of several weeks. Eventually she asked specific questions about him and learned that he is a bishop. He said that she was so excited to share the gospel with everyone around her and that even though he is a faithful member he enjoyed hearing her enthusiasm. He then talked about how we should all be excited about gospel truths so much so that we can't contain it within ourselves and we just have to share it. I thought back to a few years ago when I wanted to serve a mission. I tried to prepare myself by studying diligently every day. I devoured the scriptures. I loved them. I loved learning from them. That is a time when I was excited about the gospel and couldn't contain it within myself. I didn't end up serving a mission and life caught up to me, or I got caught up in life is more like it and that passion and excitement that I felt has slowly been dwindling, unfortunately. The woman at the well was excited and had to run and share her news with others.

Christ still offers us living water. Elder Bruce R. McConkie defined living water as “the words of eternal life, the message of salvation, the truths about God and his kingdom; it is the doctrines of the gospel.” He went on to explain, “Where there are prophets of God, there will be found rivers of living water, wells filled with eternal truths, springs bubbling forth their life-giving draughts that save from spiritual death.” Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin said, "We are blessed to live in a day when prophets and Apostles live on the earth. Through them we are refreshed continually by an abundant stream of eternal truth that, if obeyed, brings the living water of the Lord into our lives."

Rebekah

My sister finished reading the Divergent book series last week and was anxious for someone to talk to the books about. I told her I would read them as quick as I could. They were incredibly easy to get through due to the writing style and story being very basic. However, at the beginning of this week as I was finishing up the series I found myself putting off my scripture study to read those books instead. I was so mad at myself at the end of the third book. Those books are about a girl, Tris, that is trying to figure out who she is in a dystopian society and she goes back and forth so much that it is dizzying. The books also describe her romantic relationship with another character to the point of wanting to gag and roll my eyes anytime they were near each other. It was pretty ridiculous.

As I studied Rebekah the rest of this week there was a very stark contrast between Rebekah and Tris. Rebekah was amazing. She knew who she was and she knew what she needed to do. When she had the option to stay with her family a little longer, or to go with Abraham's servant she didn't hesitate. She simply said, "I will go (Genesis 24:58)". Her relationship with Isaac was also a much better love story then Tris'. Tris' relationship was immature, there were way too many descriptions about how they always had to be touching each other, and it seemed unhealthy the way they were constantly fighting and disagreeing about something. Again, ridiculous. On the other hand you have Rebekah who had proven to be very charitable and faithful, and who had prepared to make and keep sacred covenants. Sister Elaine S. Dalton talked about Rebekah and Isaac's love story in General Conference last year. She said, "Now the moral and ending of this love story: Rebekah was prepared and worthy to make and keep sacred covenants and to become a covenant wife of Isaac. She did not have to wait and prepare herself. Prior to her departure from her family, she was given a blessing, and the words are stirring to me, for she was promised that she would become “the mother of thousands of millions.” But the best part of this love story is when Rebekah first saw Isaac and he first saw her. It doesn’t say this in the Bible, but I think it was love at first sight! For “virtue loveth virtue; [and] light cleaveth unto light.” When Isaac went out to meet the caravan,Rebekah “lighted off [her] camel.” And then it says, “And he loved her.” This is where I sigh!"  

The spirit that was felt while reading about these two different heroine's was very distinguishable.  It was another lesson that I learned about the importance of studying the women in the scriptures and putting scripture study first.  

Recognizing The Spirit

As I read the story of Rebekah and Isaac and then Rebekah and Jacob, a few things stood out to me. Once again, like all of these women, Rebekah had a lot of courage. It may have been "the thing" back then to marry someone you had never seen in your life, but I'm sure that didn't make it easy! And to leave your family, possibly forever? With such a willing heart. Between that and the story of her helping Jacob to receive the blessings from his father, I feel like Rebekah was a woman who was very in tune with the Spirit. She would have to have been in order to have so much faith to leave her family, and to know how to help her son. 

As women and mothers it is so important that we are in tune with the spirit, and teach our children how to be in tune as well. I read a talk by Vicki F. Matsumori called "Helping Others Recognize the Whisperings of the Spirit" Here are some things that stood out to me:

-Even though we are given the gift of the Holy Ghost, it isn't always as natural and obvious as we would like it to be to recognize when we are feeling the spirit

-It helps others when we bear our testimonies of the Holy Ghost and explain how it makes us feel

-It is important for us personally to have quiet time where we can listen, pray, and learn (even if it's at 11:00 at night or during precious nap time!!)

-We should also provide a similar environment for our children. It's hard to turn off the tv and the music and everything entertaining, but that is what distracts us from feeling the spirit sometimes.

I really liked this talk. It reminded me that even simple gospel principals need to be explicitly taught in our homes. These sweet babies of ours are starting at square one with their gospel knowlege! It's kind of feels like a lot of pressure, but if we just do it one day at a time and just take every opportunity to teach, it'll come. 

Week 5

This week we are studying Rebekah and reading D&C 93:1-2:
1 Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am;
2 And that I am the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world;

Motherhood

A few years ago I was sitting in a Sunday School class at church.  The class was talking about Mary, Christ's mother and women kept making comments along the lines of "I can't imagine being Christ's mother, I bet Mary felt so inadequate, etc".  I don't think the women making these comments were meaning to bash Mary at all, but the overall tone and feeling of the comments was that she was completely unprepared and couldn't possibly have known what to do.  However, the scriptures teach us that Mary was called and chosen to be Christ's mother.  She was "a precious and chosen vessel (Alma 7:10)."  We know that the Lord prepares us for our divine missions here on Earth.  The scriptures talk about different qualities and characteristics that Mary possessed that would have prepared her for her great calling as Christ's mother.

This week I've been thinking a lot about motherhood and how I have been prepared for it, just like Mary was prepared.  When we were younger my mom would try and wake us up each morning for scripture study.  My dad has always been a strong priesthood leader in our home, but for some reason he never got up to join us for scriptures.  Usually it was just me falling asleep on the couch, one or two other siblings and my mom.  At the time I felt like it was so pointless and I didn't know why she tried so hard to have scripture study when I wasn't listening and no one else bothered to come.  Now that I'm the mom and the wife I understand that it was important for her to set that example and to teach by example how important daily scripture study is.  Her example is one that I often think of now that I'm a wife and mother.

Sheri Dew gave a talk in 2001 called, Are We Not All Mothers? She says, "Never has there been a greater need for righteous mothers—mothers who bless their children with a sense of safety, security, and confidence about the future, mothers who teach their children where to find peace and truth and that the power of Jesus Christ is always stronger than the power of the adversary. Every time we build the faith or reinforce the nobility of a young woman or man, every time we love or lead anyone even one small step along the path, we are true to our endowment and calling as mothers and in the process we build the kingdom of God. No woman who understands the gospel would ever think that any other work is more important or would ever say, “I am just a mother,” for mothers heal the souls of men."

Mary, Joseph, and Marriage

I have a long list of characteristics of Mary that I could/should study and this isn't the first one that came to mind. But I got on LDS.org and on the main page that popped up there was a mormon message about marriage...

http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=1699267361001

So I watched it. And in thinking about how it connects with Mary, I realized that her relationship with Joseph shows such a good example for both husbands and wives. If you think about it, their engagement probably could have gotten off to a really really rocky start. She came to Joseph and told him she was pregnant. (Or did an angel come to him first? possibly....maybe.) Either way, she was pregnant and he knew that it was not his son. However, Joseph had faith and integrity and reacted in a way that showed that he loved and trusted Mary, and The Lord. 

The scriptures don't have a whole lot about Joseph and Mary after the first few years of Christ's life. What we do know is that Joseph took care of Mary, that Mary and Joseph taught Jesus about both spiritual and temporal things, and that they loved him. There were some really hard times, even just giving birth to Christ had to be terrifying and difficult, but together they did it. 

Going back to the Mormon Message, I think every marriage has rough times. That's what makes it real.  And the thing that makes it better and better is overcoming difficulties and becoming stronger together. I feel like a marriage is a lot like our own spritual growth. There's no standing still and staying the same. You either progress or take steps back. So to consciously progress is so important and it's not something I always remember and think about.

Week 4

The woman we are studying this week is Mary, the mother of Christ. The scripture is Alma 5:14-16:

14 And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?

15 Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you? Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption, to stand before God to be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body?

16 I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth?

Abigail

Abigail is one of my favorite people in the scriptures.  She has so many admirable qualities about her and is not as well known as she should be.  Some things that stand out to me about Abigail are: she was smart and pretty, she was courageous, she is an example of a type of Christ, and she was a good wife and watched out for her household.  I also think it says a lot about Abigail's character that the servant came to her for a solution after Nabal refused to help David.

Abigail acted as a type of Christ when she interceded on behalf of her household and asked that David spare her husband.  She asked that David forgive Nabal for his offenses and accept her peace offering.  I have been thinking about forgiveness a lot lately.  There is a person in my life that I have felt very hurt by over the last year and a half and have began harboring some very negative feelings towards.  This person can be very selfish and very thoughtless at times and it has been very hurtful.  Elder Uchtdorf gave an excellent take about forgiving others and being merciful in conference two years ago, "The Merciful Obtain Mercy".  In this talk he says, "The more we allow the love of God to govern our minds and emotions-the more we allow our Heavenly Father to swell within our hearts-the easier it is to love others with the pure love of Christ.  As we open our hearts to the glowing dawn of the love of God, the darkness and cold of animosity and envy will eventually fade."  This is definitely something that I need to work on and apply in my life.  

Abigail demonstrates the type of love that Elder Uchtdorf talks about.  She could have been very resentful towards Nabal and could have let David destroy him and it sounded like Nabal deserved it.  But because she was "a woman of good understanding (1 Samuel 25:3)" she knew that it was not up to her or David to deal justice but up to God.  I don't necessarily think that the person in my life needs any kind of punishment or judgment but it is a good reminder that all things are in God's hands and that all that is required of me is to trust him and to forgive. 

Abigail, being bold, and some other thoughts

First of all, this was an interesting story. I've never read the story of Abigail, so I had no clue really who she was or what she did. Here are a few things I gathered about her from the story in 1 Samuel 25:

-She was a woman of good understanding. To me, I think that means that she was educated and had an understanding of the gospel. And not only an understanding, but a testimony.

-Beautiful countenance. It sounds cliche, but I think this means that she was beautiful on the inside. Probably the outside too, but inside is what counts :)

-She was brave and bold. David was a pretty powerful guy at this point in his life. He wasn't just a random nobody. So for her to go to him and speak so boldly and convince him to stop his retaliation is pretty impressive! Not to mention the fact that she was a woman- probably not the most powerful thing a person could be back then.

-She protected others. In a way this kind of also shows that she values justice. She didn't want these men to be punished, maybe even killed, for something her jerk husband did.

-She was close to The Lord. If there is one thing I've noticed about all of the women we have studied so far is that they were all close to The Lord. They weren't waiting for their husbands to tell them stuff (thought that is fine and husbands to receive revelation for the family if they are righteous, don't get me wrong), they were personally close to The Lord.

So all that being said, the thing that stood out most was how bold she was. So I wanted to find some latter-day teachings about being bold, and I found a talk by Bruce R. McConkie from October 1974 called Be Valiant in the Fight of Faith. Go read this talk! I think it's actually pretty famous, there is a LOT of stuff in there I've heard before, but man. If you want a talk that really whips your butt into shape, read it. So he talks a lot about how we can't be lukewarm saints. We are either for the church or against it. There's nothing in between. And to be for the church, it requires more than just "being a good person" or even going to church on Sundays. So here's a quote....

Members of the Church who have testimonies and who live clean and upright lives, but who are not courageous and valiant, do not gain the celestial kingdom. Theirs is a terrestrial inheritance. Of them the revelation says, “These are they who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus; wherefore, they obtain not the crown over the kingdom of our God.” (D&C 76:79.)

Well dang! He's talking about MEMBERS of the church! That means that we can't just go through the motions, do the checklist of things that qualify us for the Celestial Kingdom, and expect to just be sitting pretty. We HAVE to be courageous and valiant!

So of course my first thought was "Great. I'm not courageous. I might feel a little valiant by taking a toddler to church every week, cause that's hard, but... really I'm not courageous or valiant." Well that's what Satan would have us think, right!? Being a mother is courageous. Being a mother is scary! The thought of bringing children into the world we live in right now downright terrifies me, especially when I'm pregnant. So that alone is courageous. And maybe it IS valiant to not give up even when three hours of church once a week is harder than running six miles. So I know there's more I can do to be courageous and valiant, but I'm also on the right track. And I hope that I am as bold and brave as Abigail was when it comes to standing up for the right.

*A thought that doesn't have a lot to do with what I was talking about... this was an interesting part of the talk, mostly because it was written FORTY years ago...

Am I valiant in the testimony of Jesus if my chief interest and concern in life is laying up in store the treasures of the earth, rather than the building up of the kingdom?

Am I valiant if I have more of this world’s goods than my just needs and wants require and I do not draw from my surplus to support missionary work, build temples, and care for the needy?

Am I valiant if my approach to the Church and its doctrines is intellectual only, if I am more concerned with having a religious dialogue on this or that point than I am on gaining a personal spiritual experience?

Am I valiant if I am deeply concerned about the Church’s stand on who can or who cannot receive the priesthood and think it is time for a new revelation on this doctrine?

Am I valiant if I use a boat, live in a country home, or engage in some other recreational pursuit on weekends that takes me away from my spiritual responsibilities?

Am I valiant if I engage in gambling, play cards, go to pornographic movies, shop on Sunday, wear immodest clothes, or do any of the things that are the accepted way of life among worldly people?

Hmmmm. The priesthood thing. I'm guessing this was before blacks go the priesthood, and... they eventually did, but it doesn't change the fact that we don't need to tell The Lord when it's time for a change. Also... I didn't know that owning a boat or living in a country home was bad.... hahah

Week 3

Last week went so fast! This week we are studying Abigail and 3 Nephi 13:19-24:

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal;
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22 The light of the body is the eye; if, therefore, thine eye besingle, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If, therefore, the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.

Keeping the Commandments

There is very little written about the women at Christ’s tomb.  What is known is that they loved our Savior very much.  They followed him and “ministered unto Jesus of their substance (Luke 8:3).”

This week I have been asking myself how I show the Savior that I love him.  Part of our scripture this week is John 14:23 which says, “. . . If a man love me, he will keep my words . . .” So another question I have to ask myself is how am I keeping Christ’s words, or keeping the commandments?

One way that I am trying to “keep His words” is through personal scripture study and prayer and by working to make my home more Christ centered.  In the last week and a half since we started this challenge and I have been more diligent in my scripture study I have felt an increase in the spirit and have felt more at peace.

Right now I feel like I am in a weird place in life.  For the first time in 13+ years I’m not working and I’m not in school.  I have chosen to stay home and take care of my adorable baby boy and I feel like this is where I am supposed to be.  However, it is very hard because Michael is working his butt off for our family right now just to make ends meet while also going to school.  If I were to work and use my degree he wouldn't have to work so hard, but Nathan would have to be left with a sitter.  I feel very strongly that right now for our family “keeping Christ’s words” means that I stay home.  And just like with all of God’s commandments there are blessings that come when we obey and I know that he will take care of my family.  

Knowing Christ

As I read the four accounts of the women at Christ's tomb, it struck me how devoted and concerned they were. These women knew Christ like we know our own family and friends. They cared for him and loved him and had strong testimonies of Christ our Savior. 

My scripture study today was reading a conference talk by Robert D. Hales from the 2009 October conference titled "Seeking to know God, our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ." These women were so blessed to be in the presence of Jesus Christ and to learn directly from him. So were many others. We, on the other hand, must rely on the Holy Ghost and the scriptures to learn of Christ and to gain a testimony of him. Some people might think that we have it harder- that it's hard to know someone or believe in someone who you have never seen in your life, only heard about. But think of how many people spent SO much time with Christ, were taught at his feet, lived near him, yet still did not believe. He was still crucified by those who knew him. So I guess my thought on this is that knowing Christ and believing in His power has everything to do with our open hearts and open minds. If we don't seek to know Christ with real intent, then it doesn't matter if we see him in person or rely on the spirit- we wont know him. 

Week 2

This week we're studying the women at Christ's tomb and reading John 14:23-27:

23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Gifts of the Spirit

As I was reading Judges 13, I tried to think about the qualities that Sampson's mother had that we could strive to have ourselves. Since there isn't a whole lot of information about her character, I didn't come up with a giant list of topics. However, one of the things that stood out to me was how readily she believed something that seemed impossible. An angel of The Lord appeared to her. She was barren, which probably means that she was a little bit older and was pretty certain that she would not be blessed with a child in this life. But instead of doubting what the Lord's servant said to her, she believed and went and told her husband. From there they inquired more and learned more, and, at least according to the story, never once thought "this is just a big joke." 

This made me think about the gifts of the spirit talked about in 1 Corinthians 12, Moroni 10, and Doctrine and Covenants 46 (all pretty much the same scriptures). D&C 46:14 says "To others it is given to believe on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful." I like this gift. To me it is basically the gift to be able to trust and believe others. In our church we often get criticized for blind faith or just going along with what we're told, never questioning. While it is of course important to know WHY we are believing and following, it is also important to be able to trust others and learn from them. The gift of discernment goes right along with this spiritual gift, because we need to be careful about who we trust and follow, but if we have a testimony and faith that the prophet is the prophet of The Lord, then it should stand to reason that it is okay to follow what he says and to easily believe the things that he teaches us. If we are in tune with the Holy Ghost, then the gift to believe the words of others, just like Sampson's mom believed the words of the angel, should be something we seek after and use in our lives. 

In my life, there are times where I find it hard to believe even things that are NOT so crazy. For example, Micah keeps getting rejected for jobs over and over and over again. Now, deep down inside I know that The Lord isn't going to leave us stranded. We pay our tithing, we do everything we can, something is going to come along. But because we keep getting disappointed over and over, it is hard for me to keep believing in those promised blessings. If an angel of The Lord appeared to me today and said "Look. Don't worry about it, he'll get a job soon." Would I believe him right away? I hope so! Because right now part of me thinks I would say "Uhh I'll believe it when I see it. Until then, I'm not going to plan on anything." So I've tried harder to be believing. To have faith. Even when it seems like whatever it is I'm having faith in is a long shot. 

The Mother of Samson

Four things that stood out to me as I studied Samson's mother that I can relate to or that I would like to improve in my life:
1-She was barren.
2-She received counsel on how to care for her body and her baby during pregnancy.
3-She seemed to have a good relationship with her husband and they seemed to be unified in their desire to raise a righteous family.
4-She and her husband asked for guidance on raising Samson and helping him fulfill his purpose here on Earth before he was even born.

1-The first thing we learn about Samson's mother is that she is barren.  Being barren is a very common thing among the women of the Old Testament.  When I was going through my struggle with infertility it was one of the hardest trials I have ever faced. I was able to find some comfort from the stories of these women that struggled with the same thing.  However, I didn't know until I began my study of Samson's mother that she was included in the barren women category.  I still find strength in reading these scriptures and I feel like I can understand and empathize with these women a little better because of my own trial.

2-An angel appeared to Samson's mother and told her that she would conceive and bear a son.  The angel counseled her on how to take care of her body and her baby while she was pregnant.  Now a days you can find more advise and counsel than you could possibly want in that subject, but back then there was very little known on things like the effects of alcohol on a fetus.  While I was pregnant I tried to be very cautious about the things I ate and drank.  And now that I am breastfeeding I still need to be aware of the things that I'm putting in my body since these things also effect my son's health and nourishment.

3 and 4-After Samson's mother spoke with the angel she went and told her husband, Manoah.  He asked the Lord to give him the same information.  As a side note: I found it interesting that even though Manoah asked the Lord to show him the same things, the angel again appeared to Samson's mother.  After the angel appeared she went to get her husband and they were able to speak with the angel and asked him about how they should raise Samson.  Samson was foreordained before birth.  The angel told his mother and father that he would be a Nazerite and that he would help save Israel from the Philistines.  He had a big mission to fulfill and his mom and dad wanted to know how to help prepare him for it.  I think about my relationship with Michael and how we want to raise Nathan.  We both want to teach him the gospel, teach him to work, to serve, to love the Lord, among a lot of other things.  Sometimes I think that he is too little for us to begin teaching right now because he's only now beginning to reach for toys and hold his head up better.  However, Samson's parents began asking for guidance before Samson was even born.  I think we can begin now to establish good habits of reading scriptures, praying, having family home evening, etc. so that when he is old enough to understand we won't have to make big changes and it will already be apart of his routine.

Just one last thing- as I studied Samson's mom I kept wondering how Samson turned out the way he did.  I had an institute teacher in college that referred to him as "a big, stupid jock that never learned his lesson."  His mother and father seemed like wonderful, faithful people that did their very best to raise him in the gospel and according to God's will.  The Old Testament Student Manual  summarizes it pretty well, "Heralded by an angel, born of a barren woman, blessed with tremendous gifts from the Lord, Samson should have lived one of the greatest lives in scriptural record.  Instead, his life was one of self-indulgence, immorality, selfish seeking for revenge, and violation of the covenant.  Samson's life is truly one of the great tragedies of history."  His parents did the best they could, but ultimately we all have our agency and Samson used his to make some pretty dumb choices.

Women to Study

Along with the 13 week scripture challenge we have chosen 13 women in the scriptures that we would like to study.  We want to study the woman/women, her background, her traits, etc.  and then use those things as a study topic for the week.  I believe as we read and learn about our female heritage it will increase our testimonies of our divine role as women and help us gain strength through the trials that we face. 

Here is our schedule:

Jun 29-Jul 5     Samson's Mother 

Jul 6-12           Women at Christ's Tomb
Jul 13-19         Abigail
Jul 20-26         Mary, Mother of Christ
Jul 27-Aug 2    Rebekah
Aug 3-9           Woman at the well
Aug 10-16       Puah and Shiphrah
Aug 17-23       Queen of King Lamoni

Aug 24-30       Eve
Aug 31-Sep 6  Deborah
Sep 7-13          Emma
Sep 14-20        Ruth
Sep 21-27        Esther

A great resource for studying these women, besides the scriptures, is this blog: http://www.womeninthescriptures.com/p/old-testament.html

13 Week Challenge

The 13 week challenge comes from this blog: http://www.allisonkimball.com/my_weblog/2011/01/knowing-where-to-grip-and-download.html

"For the next 13 weeks read the scripture that is listed below for that week as part of your daily scripture study. Read that same scripture every day for one week, and switch to a new scripture each Sunday. (See schedule below.) Ponder what it means to you personally. Take a moment, sometime during each week, to write down your feelings about each scripture in a journal. Answer the questions provided if you feel prompted to."

Jun 29-Jul 5     Helaman 5:12
Jul 6-12           John 14:23-27
Jul 13-19         3 Nephi 13:19-24
Jul 20-26         Alma 5:14-16
Jul 27-Aug 2    D&C 93:1-2
Aug 3-9           2 Timothy 3:15-17
Aug 10-16       Moroni 10:32
Aug 17-23       Matthew 7:7-8
Aug 24-30       D&C 6:14-16
Aug 31-Sep 6  Philippians 4:6-8, 13
Sep 7-13         Revelations 7:15-17
Sep 14-20       Mosiah 4:9-12
Sep 21-27       Colossians 3:15-17

Questions:
*How do I show love for the Savior?
*Do I keep ALL of His commandments?
*Have I put any other "Gods" before Christ?
*How can I seek the guidance of Christ more in my life?
*How/who does the Lord want me to serve?
*Is the Lord first in my life?
*What am I doing to help build the kingdom of God on the Earth?
*Where does true happiness come from? Do I have it now?
*How can the Savior help me improve my thoughts and attitude?
*How can I be a better example to others?
*From whom do I get my strength?
*How does the Lord speak to me? Am I listening?
*Am I too busy with worldly matters and neglect what's important?
*How can I invite the Savior into my home?
*Do I pray with integrity and sincerity?
*Do I feel spiritually nourished? If not, how can I change that?
*Do I have a testimony of Jesus Christ?

If you would like a print out of each of the scriptures to hang on your mirror, or somewhere you'll see it every day, let me know and I can email you a copy.

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