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.