Scripture Pondering

Today my scripture study was in 3 Nephi 25 the Savior quotes Malachi, he is speaking of the last days.

verse 2 "But unto you that fear my name, shall the Son of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves in the stall."

I cross referenced grow and found:

D&C 45:58 "And the earth shall be given unto them for an inheritance; and they shall multiply and wax strong, and their children shall grow up without sin unto salvation."

The meek shall inherit the earth. As I think about these scriptures I feel that at the Saviors Second Coming the meek will be protected. When I think of calves in the stall I think of protection or safety. Being meek and remembering our covenants or thinking of the Lord always will give us this protection. Growing up without sin unto salvation sounds pretty good to me. What if my children in heaven were promised because of their faithfulness that they could grow up at that time? Its an interesting thought...but then I wonder what can I do to work on my meekness?

I Want to be Made Into a Jewel

Today I read:

3 Nephi 16-17 "Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another, and the Lord hearkened and heard; and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.
And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him."

I highlighted the parts that really stood out to me today. Earlier in the chapter I read:

verses 2-3 "But who may abide the day of his coming, and who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap.
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness."

I want to be made into a jewel for the Lord. I know that this is symbolic and that I'm not going to be some emerald or ruby, I want to be made into something of value to the Lord. I know that I have infinite worth already but I want to be something beautiful to the Lord. I think that for this to happen I need to be willing to submit to the refining that the Lord wants for me. I feel like the experience that I am going through right now is part of that refining. With Bob being out of work and at home all of the time we seem to be getting on one another's nerves, I think that this is a normal part of the human experience, as I learn to rely on the Lord and pray for help to manage negative thoughts and angry retorts I think that I become more refined through the experience. This is really painful somedays I don't do as well and I don't like myself as much as I would like.

Another key part of being made a jewel is attending our meetings and thinking of the Lord. I am so glad that Bob, Heather and I had the chance to do our part and speak in sacrament meeting. The Lord wants us to share our testimony with others, the Lord hears what we say and it will be recorded in the book of remembrance. I am trying hard to think of the Lord more and pay attention to the promptings that I receive that I may help those around me. I know that if we continue to do these things the promise that the Lord will spare His jewels will apply to me, to all of us.

I survived giving a talk in sacrament meeting!

I gave a talk in sacrament meeting last Sunday, I turned red in the face but I survived. It had been 20 years since I was asked to speak so I'm sure that I was overdue.

I mainly spoke about opposition (maybe I feel like I'm experiencing a little of that right now :D) I shared our experience of going through the adoption process and how we almost had the chance to adopt a baby. If Heavenly Father had allowed me that blessing we would not have had the money to support ourselves through the job reversal that we are going through right now. I think of that Garth Brooks song about unanswered prayers.

Here is an excerpt from my talk:
Elder Wirthlin shared some counsel that his mother gave to him “Come what may, and love it.” I really like this counsel and I am going to try to remember it as I go through the various challenges of life. I believe that I will be happier if I do. He went on to describe four ways that we can handle adversity in our lives: Learn to laugh, seek for the eternal, the principal of compensation and trust in the Father and the Son.

The principal of compensation was the most interesting to me; Elder Wirthlin taught “That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way.” I love the Lord and as I thought back on our adoption experience I realized that I had been compensated and right away too. A day or two after that sorrowful news we found out that our nephews and niece would be able to visit with us for a month in the summer. This gave us the opportunity to establish a relationship with them greater than we previously had. We had so much fun together, I’m so grateful for this blessing.

I was reading the Ensign last month and I came across a great quote that is in For the Strength of Youth “The Lord will make much more out if your life than you can by yourself. He will increase your opportunities, expand your vision, and strengthen you. He will give you the help you need to meet your trials and challenges.” What a relief to know that through my trials I can be made into something better if I will just trust in the Lord.

I am really glad that I was able to give a talk, it was good for me to think about and apply what Elder Wirthlin taught in General Conference. I hope that I won't be asked to do this again for another 20 years ;)

Logan Temple Trip

Bob and I have been working on our temple tour, so far we have been to the Salt Lake, Mt. Timpanogos, and Provo temples. Saturday we drove two hours to visit and serve in the Logan Temple. This is the temple that Mom and Dad Walker were sealed in. It was the fourth temple built. Bob told me that in the seventies they renovated it and took everything out of the inside until it was just a shell and rebuilt the interior. It was very wonderful to go there, it feels wise somehow. I kept thinking about how many people have passed through its doors. We enjoyed the spirit of this temple and look forward to visiting it again in our fond memories (I don't know if we'll actually be able to visit this one again).

Thoughts as I was walking

I was walking the other day around my ward and I was listening to some music on my phone. One of the songs that came up was "Breath of Heaven" by Amy Grant. I really love this song, it makes me think. Something that I thought on this day came to me as I heard the words:

Do you wonder as you watch my face
If a wiser one should have had my place
But I offer all I am
For the mercy of your plan
Help me be strong
Help me be
Help me
Breath of Heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me
Breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven
Lighten my darkness
Pour over me your holiness
For you are holy
Breath of Heaven

Mary had a specific task to do for Heavenly Father's plan, I'm sure that she wondered if she was equal to it. I don't think that what Heavenly Father has asked me to do equals in importance to what Mary did but I believe that it is important to Heavenly Father that I complete my task. When I think about all of the things that I have experienced or the things that I feel that I have been asked to do, I wonder the same thing. Surely there is someone more capable than me that He could ask to do this job. In the same moment I also know that He has not left me alone to the task and He is ever with me to help me. I don't want anyone to get the idea that I am comparing the things that I have been asked to do with what Heavenly Father asked Mary to do but I can relate to her as one woman to another. If she could rely on Heavenly Father and do that huge thing than surely I can hang on, have faith and do the small daily things that I am asked to do.