A few thoughts for your day...

I've just started re-reading No Doubt About It by Sheri Dew. I've been feeling excited, but also a little unnerved by all the changes happening in my life, and a few quotes stuck out at me as I was reading, so I thought I'd share them with you. They brought me immense peace last night.

"President Gordon B. Hinckley [said], 'You are good. But it is not enough just to be good. You must be good for something. You must contribute good to the world. The world must be a better place for your presence. And that good that is in you must be spread to others' (BYU Speeches of the Year, 1996)."

"I have felt grief. You have felt grief. But I can't imagine pain greater than stepping across the veil and realizing I had not done what I had come here to do - or realizing that I had given up my life to little or nothing, only then to find that it was gone. We have the magnificent blessing, and the accompanying responsibility, of knowing precisely what we are here for. ...How critical, then, that we be wise and not waste this marvelous but challenging opportunity to prepare and prove ourselves worthy of returning to live with our Father and His Son (No Doubt About It, 3)."

"From the adversary's point of view, we are dangerous. Righteous women and righteous men dedicated to the Lord and united in the cause of goodness threaten Satan's work. Of course he would target and attempt to deceive us, women who have a clear understanding of who we are. For we are not ordinary women. ...Satan won't end up with much, and neither will those who are duped into following him. Hence our challenge to walk the straight and narrow path until the end of our probation. To not fall out by the way. To do what we have come here to do. And to leave the people we meet and the places we visit better than we found them (No Doubt About It, 8-9)."

"Brigham Young taught: 'To be sealed up to the day of redemption and have the promise of eternal lives, is the greatest gift of all. The people do not fully understand these things and have them not in full vision before their minds, if they did I will plainly tell you, plainly and in honesty, that there is not a trial which the Saints are called to pass through that they would not realize and acknowledge to be their greatest blessing' (Journal of Discourses, 2:301)."

"Lorenzo Snow said: 'The Lord...will try us until He knows what He can do with us. He tried His Son Jesus. Thousands of years before he came upon the earth the Father had watched His course and knew that He could depend upon Him when the salvation of worlds should be at stake. ...He will continue to try us, in order that He may place us in the highest positions in life and put upon us the most sacred responsibilities' (Millennial Star; 24 August 1899, 532)."

"It is in moments of disappointment, heartache, and loneliness that we often make the decisions that forge our faith, mold our character, and fortify our convictions about the only source of strength and solace that satisfies. And that is Jesus Christ. How do we know if we are honest, unless our honesty is put to the test? How do we know if we are filled with virtue, unless there are opportunities to choose a nonvirtuous path that we then resist? How do we know if we can bear up under challenge and trial, unless we have challenge and trial? And how can we expect to feel and taste the pure sweetness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, meaning specifically the power and peace of the atonement of Jesus Christ, unless there are times in our lives when we desperately need and seek that power? (No Doubt About It, 10)."

"Elder Neal A. Maxwell said that 'though we have rightly applauded our ancestors for their spiritual achievement...those of us who prevail today will have done no small thing. The special spirits who have been reserved to live in this time of challenges and who overcome will one day be praised for their stamina by those who pulled handcarts' (Nothwithstanding My Weakness, 18)."

"When confronted by challenge, President Hinckley typically utters his trademark phrase, 'Things will work out.' This statement to General Authorities is indicative of countless others: 'We have critics, not a few. They come and go. They do little hurt to anyone but themselves. It all works out to the blessing of the work. This has become the motto of my life. It will all work out. ...We are in the hands of the Almighty, whose cause this is. ...He who is our God, and whose Church this is, will prevail' (meeting with General Authorities, 3 April 1997)." 

"As faith increases, and hope fills our souls, our concern for others intensifies. The natural extension of faith and hope is charity, the pure love of Christ. Said the Prophet Joseph, 'The nearer we get to our heavenly Father, the more we are disposed to look with compassion on perishing souls' (History of the Church, 5:24)."

I am so thankful for these words that apply to me at this point in my life. I am so thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ - it grounds & gives me purpose, direction, & confidence daily. When I am doubtful of some things & worried about others, I still know for a surety that the Atonement is real & applies to my life. And that has made such a difference in how I live my life & in who I am.

I am also so grateful for the awesome examples of men & women in my life who are working hard to make the world a little better than they found it - whether through rearing children & grandchildren, through service, or through hard work. 

I think I might just try to adopt President Hinckley's motto: "It will all work out." Because, in the end, I know it will.

Have a great day...till the next batch of pictures/quotes! :)