He is always ready to receive us

I was reminded of the empowering story of Christ walking on water when I was taught by the sister missionaries at the TRC. I remember having studied this chapter in my religion class. For some reason, it made more of an impact on me this time around. It is found in Matthew 14 when the disciples are at sea, caught in a storm. Christ comes to comfort them; he is spotted walking on the sea as he approaches them. Peter, acting in firm faith, walks on the water also!
"But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him..."
Verse 30-31 mean a lot to me. Although Peter shows this great act of faith, he immediately doubts afterward. I think we have all experienced the doubt and fear that Peter experienced in that moment, whether in the short or long term.
In the midst of his doubting, he calls out for the Lord's help! How beautiful is that? And Christ immediately stretches forth His hand to catch him. As I reread this, I was reminded of my brother. He has fallen away from the church, from God. Although it hurts me to see his strong faith and testimony of God falter, I know that the Lord is waiting with OPEN hands to catch him. The Lord's love is forever. Quoting this same brother's mission email from years ago, "He never forgets. He never forsakes."
I know that just how he saved Peter during his doubts and fears, that the Lord saves us too. Even in the little doubts. However, we MUST seek Christ. He will deliver us. He will never forget us. I know that is true.

Pray one by one

Pray one by one
There is a chapter is the Book of Mormon that has always touched me. 3 Nephi 17. Christ prays for the Nephite children. We can learn so much about Christ's character from this chapter and we can learn how we are to emulate Him. One verse that struck me while reading it this time around was verse 24.
"And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes toward heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them."
Immediately after Christ prays and weeps for them one by one, the heavens open and they are encircled by angels that minister unto them. First of all, that imagery is beautiful! Second, the principle we can learn from this is that prayer is powerful! It brings greater blessings than we realize. I believe that there is great power that comes from praying for others by name.

On my mission, I remember feeling great love for an investigator as my companion and I prayed for him/her by name. Whenever I've heard my mission president, a family member, or a companion pray for me by name, I felt a stronger love from Heavenly Father. We essentially feel the Lord's angels encircling us. There are many examples of people praying for others in the scriptures, like Enos. There is so much love felt as we read these verses: "wherefore, I did pour out my whole soul unto God for them." After he follows through with his heartfelt prayer, his "faith began to be unshaken in the Lord". And then the Lord tells him, "I will grant unto thee according to thy desires, because of thy faith."
Too often, we think to only pray for ourselves and our needs. I know that as we pray specifically for others in our lives, we will feel a greater abundance of God's love because we are striving to become more like Christ in this manner. We, as Enos, will strengthen our faith and have our prayers be answered! Angels are among us and God will bless us more abundantly with their presence as we pray for others by name!

He lives!

"And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And He will take upon Him death, that He may loose the bands of death which bind His people; and He will take upon Him their infirmities, that His bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that He may know according to the flesh how to succor His people according to their infirmities" Alma 7:11-12

This passage of scripture has made an amazing impression on me in the last week. I had the opportunity to see a life-changing, incredible film, "Silence". The international cinema presented the edited version of this film. It boosted my hope for the good and faith that exists in the world. It is the story of Jesuit priests who preach their Christian faith to the people of Japan at a time when people were persecuted, tortured, and killed for living this way. It really moved me to see how people had such a strong faith in Christ that they were willing to die for Him. It made me reflect on my relationship with my Savior, but more than anything it made me reflect on Him and His sacrifice.

Most faiths focus on the fact that He was crucified for us. He was, indeed. However, He also suffered EVERY pain and sin imaginable for EACH of us. Yes, the people of this story suffered willingly and horrendously; however Christ not only suffered every pain ever felt by man. He suffered all of it in a moment's time or an hour. It blows my mind that as Alma describes, "He shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind." And He does all of this so that He "may be filled with mercy." I love that. He is a merciful God. He did all of this, so that He could understand ALL of our pains. He could comfort us and be there for us when others literally and figuratively cannot.

I know that Christ walks with us. He carries us when we feel burdened, dejected, alone. He loves us more than we can imagine.  He loves you Morgan. He is with you every step of the way! Preach His perfect word with that incredible faith that you have! You will touch so many lives (companions, leaders, Chileans) with your testimony! I am so excited for you! Love you!

sent to a new-convert friend who just left for her mission

We can be His hands.

Recently I have become well acquainted with 2 Nephi 4. This chapter is so beautifully written, it is like poetry. The chapter is basically Nephi's lament and I know that we can all relate to it. I particularly love verses 23-24."Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the night-time. And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me."
As long as we seek God in our lives, He will speak to us. As we offer up our sincerest desires in sacred and humble prayer, He absolutely hears us. In fact, He listens and answers. From my experience, He definitely doesn't answer in the timing or the way I'd like, but He always answers.

One thing I know for sure is that God uses His angels, on both sides of the veil, to answer those prayers. It's been amazing to me to see how people have touched my lives through their actions, words, testimonies..etc. I have also been blessed to see God guiding me in the words I say. We must first recognize the Lord's influence in our lives through other people. Then we must realize that He uses us as instruments to serve His children. Once we do, we will recognize opportunities to uplift someone. We can be EVIDENCE of God's love. Isn't that beautiful?

I was reminded yesterday of how unaware we are of the trials of those in our midst. A girl in my ward expressed the heartache she experiences from those not sympathizing with her and her depression. She advocated the importance of not only doing missionary work with investigators, but with members as well. There are many that are struggling, and many may be struggling with their own testimonies. I believe that these last days are for bringing the gospel to the whole earth, but I also believe that our missionary efforts will be focused on those members struggling with their faith.
That is why we MUST be ready to receive God's promptings. We must seek and pray to be His hands, His angels in these last days. He expects great things of us! I know that this is His great work. This is the way in which we can become more like Christ.

His Grace

Now is the time of my life that I am faced with what feels like, a million decisions. As a graduating senior, I have quite a few decisions to make in the next few weeks. It is really stressing me out. Sometimes, actually oftentimes, Satan creeps in and tells me that I'm not enough, that I won't succeed...etc. Any form of doubt creeps in. It is very discouraging. Even during the smallest feat, I allow myself to stress and doubt my abilities. When I'm working on a goal that seems insurmountable, I question the power of change. I was reminded of a scripture found in 2 Nephi 25:23 where Nephi says, "For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." First of all, I love the first focus, that is essentially the purpose of the scriptures: it is to persuade US to believe in Christ. Christ truly is the center of the gospel, of the Book of Mormon, of His restored church in these latter-days.

Although we are often reminded that Christ has the power to save us, we often only rely on our efforts. We need to strengthen and renew our faith that Christ can heal and save us. At the end of the day, it is Christ who will deliver us. After ALL we can do, after we do our best, by the Lord's grace, we will be saved us and given the greatest, most joyous, path that will polish and refine us. We will reach a divine potential! That is the whole purpose of this life. I am so grateful for the knowledge of Christ's Atonement. I pray that I can better reflect on it's power in my daily life. I know that through Christ, we can be saved and changed in the day-to-day matters.

He never forgets. Never forsakes

My thoughts have been focused on having a testimony of Jesus Christ. At stake conference yesterday, we sang very powerfully the hymn, "How Firm a Foundation". Elder Lawrence spoke at the conference. Having triumphed over "mormon standard time", my roommates snagged great seats. I will never forget how I felt while singing the last few lines of the seventh verse and witnessing Elder Lawrence's reaction. "I'll never, no never, I'll never, no never, I'll never, no never, no never forsake!" I looked up to see the emotion and strongest conviction in Elder Lawrence's eyes. I felt it. And I know that he felt it. It was so sweet to see this leader of the church truly feel the power of those words. It strengthened my testimony of who Christ is and that I would never deny Him as my Savior.

I read a beautiful verse from the visiting teaching message that references Isaiah 49:16 and Christ's inability to forget us: "Christ has 'graven [us] upon the palms of [His] hands". I love what these words mean literally and symbolically. He allowed His scars to remain as a reminder to us, to God, to Himself of the great love He has for us. His sacrifice is so much a part of Him and His love so eternal, that He will never forsake us!

I think it's important that we remind ourselves of the love that Christ has for each of us! It's a love that is real and powerful. I think that we can do our part to graven Christ upon ourselves figuratively. Our relationship with Christ is so precious, but there is always more we can do to better make Him a part of our lives. I'm so grateful for Him. I know that He lives. I know that He knows and loves me more than I can comprehend. I know that if we actively come unto Christ, we will strengthen our relationship with Him and feel more joy because of it!

The most desirable above all things..

I've been jumping a bit around the Book of Mormon in my daily reading. I read in 3 Nephi 19:9 about the disciples praying to God for that which they most desired, i.e. the Holy Ghost. That is such a profound and beautiful gift that the Lord can give us. This weekend I was just thinking about how truly amazing the gift of the Holy Ghost is. We literally have the companionship of a personage of the godhead. Isn't that incredible? I had an amazing gospel chat with my roommates last night. We philosophized and talked about our questions and testimonies of the gospel. The Spirit filled the room. I don't think I realized how strong it was until we had finished and I sat there thinking about how happy and peaceful I felt.

For a reading assignment in my religion class, I came across 1 Nephi 11:22-23. Nephi discovers the meaning of the fruit of the tree of life: "yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things....Yea and the most joyous to the soul".
I then made the connection between the two scriptures. It is through the Holy Ghost, that we TRULY feel of God's love. The disciples desired the companionship of the Holy Ghost because it was HOW God shows His love to them. I was very touched to be reminded of the importance and beauty of this gift that God has given me.

On another note, we have the privilege to share the LOVE of God with others around us through missionary efforts, home/visiting teaching efforts...etc. When we speak with the power of the Holy Ghost, we are essentially manifesting God's love unto these people. It's an amazing process! I know that God can speak to us, but we must not only pray for it but DESIRE it.

Choose Christ

Recently I have been thinking about the power of the adversary in our lives. Several focused their thoughts on Satan's influence in fast and testimony meeting yesterday. It was a very timely reminder to me as I have felt contention arise in my heart over a few things. Someone said something that really stood out to me. He said how we do not have the power alone to rid ourselves of Satan. It reminded me of Moses and how Satan NEVER departs until he says "through the authority of Jesus Christ". It was a reminder to me that Satan's power is real AND even more so, Jesus Christ's power is very real. It is through His Atonement, that we can rid ourselves of Satan and withstand temptation.

In chapter 7 of Moroni, Mormon talks of the importance of faith, hope and charity and how they are all connected. It's a beautiful chapter that brings to focus the power of the adversary. I specifically liked verse 19 "Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ."

The way by which we can discern good from evil is to seek Christ and search Him diligently. The closer we come to Christ and understanding His Atonement, the greater our faith will be. We will be more filled with the Spirit as we come unto Christ. Our resistance to temptations will be stronger. Christ is the KEY source to overcoming Satan's power. It's quite a simple, yet profound thought. I know that Jesus Christ is our true Savior. He is THE light to our eternal happiness. If we become a child of Christ, we will "lay hold upon every good thing". That is such a beautiful promise!!

The Power of Change

The Power of Change
When we think of change, we should think of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I have been pondering on the idea of change lately. I have my own weaknesses and oftentimes I find myself succumbing to those weaknesses again and again. It is a very frustrating process. I often question whether I will ever be able to conquer this weakness. I am reminded of the infamous verse in Ether 12:27. We read of the prophet Ether prophesying to the people to come to know and believe in God. He shares a powerful verse,
"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."
The purpose for our weaknesses is that we may humbles ourselves before God and ask for help/forgiveness in humility. We were INTENDED to have weaknesses. It is only when we humble ourselves and have enduring faith, that the Lord will bless us. Our weaknesses may not become PERFECT in this life, but they can be stronger. We can have a stronger ability to resist temptation. That is an empowering thought.

I was speaking to a woman the other day about the Atonement. She paraphrased a talk of one of her stake leaders. She said, "Our faithfulness to the commandments unlocks the powers of the Atonement of Christ." It is only when we are faithful and ACTING by keeping the commandments/covenants that we can experience the power of the Atonement in our lives. I think that the biggest thing is consistency. I know that if we make a consistent effort to pray for humility, to be more Christ-like, that we will see great things come to pass!

Miracle of Miracles

The other day I read from Mormon 9 about how God continues to be a god of miracles. Moroni delivers a powerful sermon to those who are unbelieving. Afterward, I seemed to notice the beautiful miracles of nature all around me, e.g. the breathtaking mountains, the perfectly fallen snow. I thought about how a new born baby is the greatest miracle that happens every single day. These are just reminders to me that God is real!

There was one verse that particularly struck me as I was reading. Vese 20 says, "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." I immediately thought of the people I met in Italy who refused to believe that miracles exist today. I explained and testified to them that God does indeed answer prayers. Miracles do not have to be this massive healing experience that Christ performs. It can be something as simple as being protected while driving that day. However, often as a faithful people we dwindle in unbelief. At times, our faith can be weaker. We have to do our part to nourish the faith we do have. We have to develop a strong trust in God EVERY day. We do this by EXPECTING a miracle, coming unto Christ through prayer and scripture study. The more that we believe and develop trust in God, the more miracles we will recognize and be blessed with. That is a simple, but profound thought. It is essentially saying that God will bless those who believe. God will bring miracles as we come to know God!