8/24/09

A few things I'm thinking about...

*We cannot avoid adversity, says Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve. “The only question is how we will react to it. Will our adversities be stumbling blocks or stepping-stones? … Like the mortal life of which they are a part, adversities are temporary. What is permanent is what we become by the way we react to them. Our adversities can be the means of obtaining blessings unobtainable without them” (Ensign, July 1998, 7, 9).

*“There is help. There is happiness. There really is light at the end of the tunnel. It is the Light of the World, the Bright and Morning Star, the light that is endless, that can never be darkened (see John 8:12). It is the very Son of God Himself. … To any who may be struggling to see that light and find that hope, I say: Hold on. Keep trying. God loves you. Things will improve. Christ comes to you in His ‘more excellent ministry’ (Heb. 8:6) with a future of better promises. He is your ‘high priest of good things to come’ ” (Heb. 9:11) (Ensign, Nov. 1999, 36).—Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve

*President Harold B. Lee said, “You cannot lift another soul until you are standing on higher ground than he is” (Stand Ye in Holy Places [1974], 187).

*“We have every reason to be optimistic in this world,” President Gordon B. Hinckley has said. “Tragedy is around, yes. Problems everywhere, yes. But look at Nauvoo. Look at what they built here in seven years and then left. But what did they do? Did they lie down and die? No! They went to work! They moved halfway across this continent and turned the soil of a desert and made it blossom as the rose. On that foundation this church has grown into a great worldwide organization affecting for good the lives of people in more than 140 nations. You can’t, you don’t, build out of pessimism or cynicism. You look with optimism, work with faith, and things happen” (quoted in Jeffrey R. Holland, “President Gordon B. Hinckley: Stalwart and Brave He Stands,” Ensign, June 1995, 4).

*"Something wonderful happens when we really know, without a doubt, that God loves us—our questions completely change. Instead of asking, 'Why did this happen to me?' or 'Why doesn’t God care about me?' we say, 'Well, I know God loves me; I know that. So what can I learn from this experience?' Sometimes we think our trials come because we did something wrong. That’s not always true. Adversity is simply part of earth life. From it we can grow and progress if we choose to. Yes, some trials come because of our own disobedience, but many trials are simply part of life" (John Bytheway, "Five Scriptures That Will Help You Get through Almost Anything," New Era, September 2008.)

*“When you find yourselves a little gloomy,” said President Lorenzo Snow, “look around you and find somebody that is in a worse plight than yourself; go to him and find out what the trouble is, then try to remove it with the wisdom which the Lord bestows upon you; and the first thing you know, your gloom is gone, you feel light, the Spirit of the Lord is upon you, and everything seems illuminated.” (In General Conference, 6 April 1899.)

*“Brethren,” said Paul, “but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philip. 3:13–14.)


*“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1 Cor. 10:13.)

*“O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities” (2 Ne. 4:17). ... “If the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath visited men in so much mercy, why should my heart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?"… "Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul? Why am I angry because of mine enemy?”... “Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul." ...“Do not anger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions." ...“Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation” (2 Ne. 4:26–30).

*"We often don't realize the positive influence we can have on others, or how even simple acts of kindness can cheer another's day. Let me tell you of an incident that happened in our home several years ago. To set the stage, it had been a long, hard day. The keys were locked in the car, the washer overflowed, the baby had colic, the dog had thrown up on the carpet, our two-year-old had flushed her shoe down the toilet, and Rex called to say he would be late for dinner. Finding the only safe sanctuary a frazzled mother has, I closed the bathroom door behind me to cry for a minute. I thought it was a silent cry, but in no time at all a piece of red construction paper came sliding under the door. I picked it up and there, in bright blue marker, was a smiley face drawn by a perceptive eight-year-old. I couldn't help but smile, dry my tears, and reenter my wonderful, yet sometimes hectic world. How often a small gesture of hope, encouragement, and humor can cheer a day of discouragement." - Janet Lee, fireside devotional at BYU

*As Rabbi David Backlock said, "God not only forgives our failures, he sees successes where no one else does, not even we ourselves. Only God can give us credit for angry words we did not speak, temptations we resisted, patience and gentleness that have been little noticed and long forgotten by those around us. Such good deeds are never wasted and not forgotten, because God gives them a measure of eternity."-Rex Lee, fireside devotional at BYU

*"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2 Corinthians 4:17).

*I want to make another point regarding our reliance on the Lord to carry us through the trials of life. Learned men and women of the world have developed coping strategies to help people endure the trials of life that do not always involve faith. Unbelievers do not go off the deep end the moment adversity strikes because they do not rely on God. Most see their way through. But the believer who turns to God for refuge not only finds the comfort he or she seeks but gains an increase in testimony of the reality of the Savior and of the Atonement. This is the higher purpose of trials in God's plan--to bring his children to the knowledge of him and his son. This is affirmed in Helaman 12:3, which reads, 'And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, . . . they will not remember him.' When we have endured in faith, then our knowledge becomes more sure. This is what Moroni meant when he said, 'I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith'" (Ether 12:6) (Robert K. Conlee, devotional at BYU).

4 comments:

Teresa said...

Thanks for reminding us of the great counsel that's available for all to feast on. In our hurry to carry on in this sometimes stressful world, we need all of the great tools Heavenly Father has given us so that we may know what to do, how to grow & what we need to learn in order to return to Him.

Love you - Thanks for your wisdom & caring

Mom

Nicole said...

Hi Katie!

Great to see that you're doing well. What a sweet girl you are and we didn' get to know your hubbie but he seems awesome too!

Take Care and say Hi to your folks for us,

Nicole Ballou

Lenore said...

Thanks for all of your quotes- you are always so fun! Love it! you and Jared are so cute! And... you married a band geek?! :) ha ha! awesome! Quilt: I just cut out a square in cardboard and used it as a template to cut all of the shirts the same size. Then I sewed each square together to make a row and each row together and it was a quilt! Then i sewed a twin flat sheet on the back inside out (like a pillow case) and then pulled it through a hole... if that makes any sense!

Marisa said...

thanks KT. i kinda needed to read this. love you!