My Contribution to the Lancaster 1st Ward Facebook Relief Society Lessons

Since we can't go to church because of Covid-19, a member of the Relief Society presidency posts weekly general conference talks on Facebook.  We are all supposed to read the talks and comment about our thoughts regarding the talk.  I'm sure everyone is reading the talks...but sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who makes any comments.  Oh well!  Anyway, here is a sample of the comments that I make on Facebook.  I thought it would be good to put on here for my posterity.

When I was a very young teenager, for some reason I thought that once I had my testimony then I wouldn't need to read my scriptures any more. I didn't realize that there were adults who still studied their scriptures for their own personal enrichment. I thought that the purpose of adults in church was for them to teach the children and the youth, and that was it. I didn't realize that they did things individually to strengthen their own testimonies so that they could, as a result, help strengthen the testimonies of those whom they taught. I was SO wrong! Since then I have come to realize that studying the scriptures is a lifelong pursuit and that it actually keeps getting better the more life experience that you have.

We ALL need to study the scriptures. No matter our age. No matter how strong we think our testimony is. Nobody is immune to the temptations of the devil. Developing a strong testimony in our youth is so important, but we can't just let it slip away from us. We can't think that the older we are the more ability that we will have to resist temptation. Spending time in the scriptures is what will give us the strength and ability that we need. We can't do it on our own. There is power in the scriptures!

Have you ever played with Oobleck? It's a fun mixture of cornstarch and water that my kids have fun playing with. When you are constantly moving the mixture around in your hands, it stays firm. However, when you stop moving it and just let it sit in your hand, then it becomes like a liquid and slides through your fingers. This is how testimony is. If we are consistently reading our scriptures, saying our prayers, and participating in other testimony building behaviors, then our testimony will stay firm. If we choose to sit still and stop doing those behaviors, then our testimony will slip away.

"President Russell M. Nelson has promised: “As you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day, even the gripping plague of pornography and other mind-numbing addictions.”

"The Lord saw it all coming. He planned for it, step by step, as He has done with other changes in His Church...He is firm in the timing and the sequence of His intentions, yet He ensures that sacrifice often brings continuing blessings that we did not foresee."

I am just overwhelmed with gratitude that the Lord introduced the Come Follow Me program prior to this pandemic. It has been such an incredible blessing in our family. We read the scriptures and had family home evening before Come Follow Me existed...but I wouldn't say that my kids learned or felt the spirit very much. Not as much as they are now. I wouldn't say that I, myself, learned very much either. But since we started Come Follow Me, I have felt such a power come into our home. I have felt a new enabling power within myself. I feel empowered now when I teach my children. I feel like every scripture that we read together now has a purpose. We discuss aspects of the Come Follow Me lesson nearly every night together as a family, or as a couple. Since we started having church at home, it hasn't been all that different for us. Yes, we all miss associating with other people, but we are so incredibly blessed to still have the essential aspects of church still happening in our own home. I am overwhelmed with gratitude.

I know that the Lord knew that a pandemic would be coming and that it would require us to have church at home. He prepared a marvelous method for us all to continue to learn at home. Furthermore, we are all unified across the globe in what we are learning about and studying each week. I am blown away at how God has prepared us all and continues to bless us during this time.

This is so fitting for what's going on in our country today!

"President Ezra Taft Benson said: “We are commanded by God to take this gospel to all the world. That is the cause that must unite us today. Only the gospel will save the world from the calamity of its own self-destruction. Only the gospel will unite men [and women] of all races and nationalities in peace. Only the gospel will bring joy, happiness, and salvation to the human family.”

"Please note that Lehi did not leave the tree of life. He stayed spiritually with the Lord and invited his family to come where he was to partake of the fruit."

My maternal grandparents are such incredible examples of this principle. Of their 5 children who were raised in the church, only 2 remain in the church today (my mom, who passed away 6 years ago, and my uncle, who is a Bishop and BYU professor). My grandparents are getting up there in age and may not be around much longer. Despite their ages, they will never, ever, ever give up on their children or stop loving them. They are the best examples to me of parents who love their children unconditionally. They have stood by their children even when they have made some very poor choices. They are continuously learning and strengthening their own testimonies, making sure that they are spiritually strong. They are doing all that they can to help their children come unto Christ. Through their Christlike love and service, they have made significant progress with one daughter. Just today, my grandpa called me and was discussing an idea that he had regarding how he could help my uncle remember how he had once had a testimony (he had served a mission...but later claimed that he didn't really have a testimony). Through the examples of my grandparents, I understand how important it is to stay spiritually strong as parents. Our kids have their agency and they may not choose to partake of the fruit. However, if we remain strong and do our best to help our children come unto Christ, we can feel a sense of peace and place the situation in the hands of the Lord. Miracles can happen! Remember Alma the Younger?

"You don’t have to be perfect. You only have to have a desire to develop your faith and draw nearer to Him each day."

"God uses the weak and the plain to bring about His purposes. This truth stands as a testimony that it is God’s power, not man’s, that accomplishes His work on the earth."

Love this! We are nothing (void, powerless) without God. If we open up our hearts and let God in, than He can help us become so much more than we could ever be without Him. Opening up our hearts to God daily and letting Him work through us (even with all of our imperfections) is one method of continuously strengthening our conversion.

"Following this glorious vision, Joseph wrote: “My soul was filled with love, and for many days I could rejoice with great joy. … The Lord was with me.”

When I heard this during General Conference, I thought about the prophet Enos. After much prayer, he was able to feel the love of God. It was only AFTER he felt the love of God FOR HIMSELF that he was able to pray and truly care about his neighbors and his enemies. The Book of Mormon asks us to pray with all the energy of our hearts to be filled with charity, the pure love of Christ. We need to do all that we can to feel God's love deep within our own hearts...then we, like Joseph Smith, will be filled with joy and we will do all that we can to share that love with all those within our circle of influence. Sometimes it's difficult (for me, at least), but God wants us to love ourselves.

Another quote I liked:

“… Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.”

What can we offer the Lord? The scriptures teach that we can offer a broken heart and contrite spirit. We can pray to have our own will align with the will of God. How we choose to spend our time is an indication of how much we love the Lord. Are we sacrificing some time for Him each day?

Elder Maxwell said, "Real, personal sacrifice never was placing an animal on the altar. Instead, it is a willingness to put the animal in us upon the altar and letting it be consumed.”

What "animals" do we have in us that we can place on the alter to give the Lord today?

I liked this quote:

"Women do possess distinctive, divine gifts and are given unique responsibilities, but those are not more—or less—important than men’s gifts and responsibilities. All are designed and needed to bring about Heavenly Father’s divine plan to give each of His children the best opportunity to fulfill his or her divine potential."

It made me think about when Paul talked about spiritual gifts. All spiritual gifts are needed. Not everyone is given the same spiritual gifts. We use the gifts that we have been blessed with to serve those around us the best that we can.

In nature, there are many different types of plants. I don't think that plants compare themselves to each other. They don't wish that they were taller, shorter, or that they produced prettier flowers. The rose bushes don't think that they are more or less important than a pine tree. They just appreciate themselves for the way that God created them. Likewise, God made each of us exactly the way that we are supposed to be. It does no good to compare. Men and women are different for a reason, but we are both needed to help build the kingdom of God.

Great talk! There were so many good parts...here is a quote that stuck out to me:

"Elder Robert D. Hales, who had his own experiences with enduring storms, said: “Suffering is universal; how we react to suffering is individual. Suffering can take us one of two ways. It can be a strengthening and purifying experience combined with faith, or it can be a destructive force in our lives if we do not have the faith in the Lord’s atoning sacrifice”.

Nephi and Lamen and Lemuel all traveled through the exact same wilderness together. They experienced the same trials. The difference between these men is how they chose to react to their trials. Nephi chose to allow God to change him (in a positive way) through his challenges. Lamen and Lemuel chose to ignore God and their challenges ended up changing them in a negative way.

Which way will we choose? Challenges WILL change us...it's up to us to choose HOW.

I was recently listening to a book by Brad Wilcox...can't remember the exact quote but he said something like this: "Christ CHOSE to be born to this Earth, to descend below all things in order to become more like us...so that we will each have the chance to CHOOSE to change to become more like Him."

Because of Christ, we have the power to choose!