Salvation and Exaltation

"We rejoice in all the Savior has done for us. He has made it possible for each of us to gain our salvation and exaltation."
Quentin L. Cook

When has such a short simple statement had so much meaning? I need to sit and ponder all that this statement means, I don't often enough. What our Savior has done for us is everything. He has made our whole life meaningful and worth living. May we always remember Him and live our lives to show our deep gratitude for His gift.

Just Try

I stole this quote from Samantha Holt, she posted it this morning on facebook.

"Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try."

Our Savior

Today in Sunday School we had a excellent lesson on prayer. Our teacher phrased something in a way I'd never heard. We were talking about the atonement and how we are each precious to our Heavenly Father. Our teacher said, "we are so important to our Heavenly Father that a God (Jesus Christ) was sacrificed for us. Of course I knew that Jesus was a God and that he was sacrificed for us, but I'd never heard or thought of it worded this way. This statement had a profound effect on me, once again reminding me how blessed we are to have the love of our Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ. Each and every one of us is loved and eternally important. We have great infinite worth, I don't think that we can truly comprehend our divine worth and the love that our Heavenly Father has for us. I hope and pray that I will never take for granted what has been given to me. We have been promised if we but keep his commandments and do all that we can the grace of our Lord will make up for our imperfections and shortcomings and we will return to Him in glory.

Doctrine and Covenants 14:7
"And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God."

Moroni 10:32
"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."

"Try not to become a man of success but a man of value."
Albert Einstein

A man of value has great character. Elder Richard G. Scott had a great quote about character.

"...In life's adventure the central problem is character building-which is not a product of logic, but of faith in ideals and sacrificial devotion to them"

Do Not Squander Time

"Dost thou love life?
Then do not squander time,
for that is the stuff life is made of."
Benjamin Franklin


Sometimes it strikes me how incredibly fast time goes by. I can't believe how the kids have grown. Lilah loves lying in bed at bedtime watching "Upside Down". I can't believe she is at the age to start watching TV! Anyway, I really wanted to get some stuff done around the house, but paused, thinking how fast the time will fly. It won't be that long before I don't have the opportunity to snuggle with my children when they are watching a show. I decided I need to seize the moments I have with my kids and take full advantage.

Come Follow Me

"His is a simple message: 'Come, follow me.' And he does not speak with a powerful megaphone but with a still, small voice. It is so easy for the basic gospel message to get lost amidst the deluge of information that hits us from all sides."
President Dieter F. Uchdorf

Receive the Holy Ghost

"The simplicity of this ordinance may cause us to overlook its significance."

"These four words—“Receive the Holy Ghost”—are not a passive pronouncement; rather, they constitute a priesthood injunction—an authoritative admonition to act and not simply to be acted upon."

"The Holy Ghost does not become operative in our lives merely because hands are placed upon our heads and those four important words are spoken. As we receive this ordinance, each of us accepts a sacred and ongoing responsibility to desire, to seek, to work, and to so live that we indeed “receive the Holy Ghost” and its attendant spiritual gifts. “For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift?"

These quotes are taken from a conference talk by Elder Bednar, they made me think. I know that we need to be worthy to have the Holy Ghost and use it in our lives, but I never really thought about it the way Elder Bednar stated. I love how he worded this, "an authoritative admonition to act and not simply to be acted upon." Another reminder that it is a gift, our responsibility and privilege to use. Remember He is the third member of the Godhead, this is an incredible power we've been given. If we work to be worthy and use the Holy Ghost how close to God we can become.

Condoleeza Rice

This is how out of it I am. I had no idea Condoleeza Rice came to BYU to speak. I would think that is something one would hear about. I don't know much about her, but for what I do know I really admire her. I love that she is intelligent and has been in a position of power without being in your face, like so many other female politicians. Here are a couple of quotes from her address at BYU.

"You are fortunate that you are in a place here at Brigham Young University that believes that faith and reason go together, that does not see your intellect and your faith as enemies of each other, but sees them as integrally related in what you are.”


“I’ve learned from my father that it was fine to ask questions, fine to learn the whole range of human knowledge… but there were some things that one could not see; there are some things that one could not prove. The essence of being human is the knowledge of what is, combined with the belief of what might be.... Take advantage of this place of faith and reason….The world too easily dismisses the role of faith in our society and in our world.”
Isn't it wonderful to hear words about faith from a leader (even former) of our country?

“You might not be able to control your circumstances, but you can control your response to your circumstances. If you can keep that in mind, you will not give way to aggrievement and entitlement, both of which rob you of your ability to control your own life.”

Such wise words! It is nice and refreshing to hear these words of wisdom from someone who has been at the forefront of our country.

You Are What You Think

I needed a little pick me up today, kinda blue. Maybe one of those days you think about dropping the kids off at grandmas and driving, just driving away, not to a destination, just driving......
I'm not sure why, but this quote helped me feel better. Maybe because its one of those quotes that helps you believe you can be whatever you set your mind to. It also reminds me, even if I want to hole up in my house and read in my bed all day, its not always a good idea!

"You cannot be passive in life, or in time the natural man will undermine your efforts to live worthily. You become what you do and what you think about." Elder Richard G. Scott

"The Divine Gift of Gratitude"

"The Divine Gift of Gratitude", was a talk given by President, Thomas S. Monson in the last general conference. Its great, its just what all of need to hear. Its advice, scripture, principles we need on a daily basis! Here are a couple of quotes:

"We have all experienced times when our focus is on what we lack rather than on our blessings. Said the Greek philosopher Epictetus, “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”

"Regardless of our circumstances, each of us has much for which to be grateful if we will but pause and contemplate our blessings."

"A grateful heart, then, comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His blessings and to those around us for all that they bring into our lives. This requires conscious effort..."

"Someone has said that 'feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

New Year's: Look Not behind Thee

This is a little late for New Year's, but I feel like New Year's is January/winter and since its still cold and snowy it still is the New Year!
Hope is a wonderful thing. Thanks to our Savior we can have hope continually. He wants what is best for us and if we just trust in him, follow him and have faith, we may have peace in our lives.

How Firm A Foundation

I think all would agree that music can bring the Spirit and make you feel the words like nothing else. I love this song. The third verse is especially beautiful.

"Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.
I'll strengthen, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, upheld by my righteous,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand."

Promptings

I need to write this down so that I remember it and its importance. Always be close enough to The Spirit to receive promptings. Whether great or small, never ignore a prompting. It may not be a big deal to you, you will most likely forget about it. However, the lasting effects of your inaction may be of utter importance to another.

Turn to the Lord

A couple of weeks ago I read the talk "Turn To the Lord", by Donald L Hallstrom. It was given in April 2010 General Conference. I loved it, it spoke to my heart. It gave words of peace, words to help with any earthly trial. In all truthfulness, we can have everything taken from us in this life. Everything can be taken, except our testimony and our relationship with our Heavenly Father and his son, Jesus Christ. Therefore, this is my quote for the day.

"In the most difficult circumstances of life, there is often only one source of peace. The Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, extends His grace with the invitation “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He further promises, “My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you” (John 14:27)."

These words bring me peace in knowing all will be well. Hopefully, they may bring all that same peace and comfort through our Heavenly Father.

I Need More Inspiration In My Life!

My life is great! I truly have nothing I should complain about, but, that doesn't change the fact that life is hard. I have been blessed immeasurably. I have loving, supporting parents who gave me a childhood close enough to perfect. I have a loving husband, four healthy kids and a home. Most importantly, I have the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. And the infinite blessings this brings me. So what's the problem, why is life so difficult? The problem is, I don't recognize or look for the wonders in life as I should. We all get caught up in the ins and outs of daily life, our crazy, I repeat, crazy schedules. Sometimes it seems just surviving is all we can do. (I frequently feel I am in survival mode.) I needed to find something to ground me. Something to help me pause on a daily basis and feel the meaning of life and my relationships. Hence, the blog. This blog is for me. It is to help me to look for and record inspiration. The inspirations that will help me to realize the many blessings I have in my life and use them to grow. Many of these blessings are: My Heavenly Father, his son Jesus Christ, the gift of the Holy Ghost, the priesthood, family, friends and inspiration from others.
My first post is about gratitude. I know, a little cliche, but important all the same. The wonderful thing about posting an inspiration is that I need to find them and hence, spend time reading words that are valuable to my spiritual well-being. This quote is from President Thomas S. Monson in the October General Conference. It struck me because we all say we are grateful. We learn that we are to give our thanks when we pray, but is that enough? It doesn't feel like it. When considering the infinite number of blessings I have in my life, is just a simple "thank you" enough? I don't think so. In speaking of Jesus Christ, President Monson explains:

"He taught us how to pray. He taught us how to live. He taught us how to die. His life is a legacy of love. The sick He healed; the downtrodden He lifted; the sinner He saved.

Ultimately, He stood alone. Some Apostles doubted; one betrayed Him. The Roman soldiers pierced His side. The angry mob took His life. There yet rings from Golgotha’s hill His compassionate words: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”

Who was this “man of sorrows, … acquainted with grief”? “Who is this King of glory,” this Lord of lords? He is our Master. He is our Savior. He is the Son of God. He is the Author of Our Salvation. He beckons, “Follow me.” He instructs, “Go, and do thou likewise.” He pleads, “Keep my commandments.”

Let us follow Him. Let us emulate His example. Let us obey His words. By so doing, we give to Him the divine gift of gratitude."

How could it be said any better and eloquently than that? Our true depth of gratitude is shown by how we live our lives. If we are truly grateful for all our Lord and Savior has given us (and that is everything) we need to follow, emulate and be obedient. May I strive to take it a day at a time and do all I should to give my Heavenly father my gift of gratitude.