Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Don't Forget!

Let’s take a quick moment to remember that God is always more concerned about who we’re becoming than where we are. It’s comforting to know that he doesn’t measure the way the world does. He knows who we really are and what we really want. Although things like what we do for a job and how well we do in school are of course important to Him. But that’s not what really defines is. When we take away all of that, who are we, really? Have we become more like Christ?
It’s also comforting to know that we have an infinite number of second chances. Thanks to the Atonement, we can keep getting up again and trying again. It doesn’t matter if we get a bad grade on a test or don’t pass the interview we wanted to. It’s all part of the process. I’ve shared Moroni 10:32 but I recently rediscovered it and we all need to be reminded at some point of what we knew before.
32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.
We’re in a long, long journey to be perfected. The great thing is that it doesn’t necessarily matter if we stumble and fall here. What matters is if we get back up and keep trying. I’ve found this to be personally very important lately with my school work. It’s given me a better perspective.
And while we’re at it, let’s serve one another! The Church’s Light the World campaign has been great so far. I’ve eagerly checked on it every day to see what I can do to help. It’s a simple truth that when we care more about others we forget about ourselves. Some thoughts to help in this sometimes-stressful part of the year.

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Miracles

I attended one of the devotionals early on in this semester, where Matthew O. Richardson spoke. I loved what he had to say, especially a story he shared of his experiences at BYU. He shared how he was experiencing many of the hardships that are common to students and was feeling very down on himself. By a remarkable set of circumstances, he ran into then-President Holland, who after talking with President Richardson, assessed him and offered advice. President Richardson recounts that Elder Holland said:

“You just believe that God will work His mighty miracles for everyone but you.”

His assessment was right.

And then he said with his typical fervor, “You gotta believe, Matt. You gotta believe.”

Don’t we all think like that, sometimes? I know I have. I was reminded a little bit of this as I read in Mormon 9:

19 And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles.
20 And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust.
We believe in God, don’t we? Do we really, truly believe that he can make miracles happen? Maybe that’s why we read our scriptures and say our prayers and partake of teh sacrament - to remember what He can and will do for us if we only ask.
I know that God is a God of miracles. I know that this is His gospel. I know that Christ has overcome death and that through him we can all find peace for our souls. It just takes some remembering, sometimes.