Thoughts for Today!

Today I read the scriptures and in the D&C 50:41-42
"Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath given me;
And none of them that my Father hath given me shall be lost."

I really like this reminder. I think that because of the Saviors sacrifice none shall be lost except the son of perdition. This is a big comfort to my heart.


I was also reading in the Ensign and I have a couple great quotes from Elder Ballard:
"The voice of the Lord is clear and unmistakable. He knows you. He loves you. He wants you to be eternally happy. But according to your God-given agency, the choice is yours. Each one of you has to decide for yourself if you are going to ignore the past and suffer the painful mistakes and tragic pitfalls that have befallen previous generations, experiencing for yourself the devastating consequences of bad choices. How much better you life will be if you will follow the noble example of the faithful followers of Christ such as the sons of Helaman, Moroni, Joseph Smith and stalwart pioneers--and choose, as they did, to remain faithful to your Heavenly Father's commandments."

"And how do you get such a testimony? Well there's no new technology for that, nor will there ever be. You cannot do a Google search to gain a testimony. You can't text message faith. You gain a vibrant, life-changing testimony today the same way it has always been done. The process hasn't been changed. It comes through desire, study, prayer, obedience and service. That is why the teachings of the prophets and apostles, past and present, are as relevant to your life today as they have ever been."

These are just the ones that stuck ou tot me today. I am so grateful for living prophets and apostles that remind us of the way that we should go. That guide us toward the path of true happiness.

Heavenly Father Hears Me

Last week when I was at my sisters house in Oregon City I got locked out of their house while bare foot and in my jammies. Here is the story of what happened.

When I woke up Tuesday morning they had all left for work. It was about 7:30 am. I could see their dogs outside in the back, the whole back of their house is windows so I knew that they could see me so I thought I would just step outside to say Hi. I had on a sweatshirt, pink and green plaid pajama bottoms and no shoes. I put my hood up because my hair wasn't brushed and went out the back door to say hello to Colby and Tucker. We tossed and stick a bit and when I was ready to go back in I gave it a hard toss and turned to quickly go in. The handle clicked but didn't move I was locked out. "O no I thought! They are not going to be home until 3:30." I had planned to spend the whole day with my mom, I knew the rest of the week would be busy with wedding plans and preparations. I checked all of the doors in the back just in case one happened to be open. No luck. I made my way barefoot through the drizzle to the gate, figured out how to open it and went around to the front. I sat down on the porch and cried about my bad luck. I thought of all of my ruined plans.

Then I thought to pray. I said Please Heavenly Father tell Jared to come by the house and check on things. I waited and I could hear cars on the side street. I thought that any second he would pull up. Then I thought I will go find the hide a key on the van. I would drive to my moms and just hang out in jammies until I could come back to Mardi's and change. I was creeping all around the van but I couldn't find it at all. I went back to the porch crying. I sat down and I prayed again Please Heavenly Father tell Jared that he needs to stop by the house. Jared is a police officer and is patrolling and could easily do that. In my mind I clearly heard "The Lord helps those who help themselves." "No I thought. I don't want to go to a neighbor." My feet were getting cold I knew I had to go to a neighbor. I looked to the left, empty houses, then I remembered that Conner had a friend next door. I went to the right and knocked on the door. The woman opened the door a crack so her dogs wouldn't get out. I could tell by the look on her face how I looked. I burst into tears and said "I'm Mardi's sister and I got locked out of her house! I went out to say hello to their dogs, and I got locked out, can I use your phone?" She said "you poor thing come in."

She looked around for the key, she thought that she might have one and then she loaned me her husbands crocs so that we could go look for the spare outside. When we couldn't find it she called her husband and got Jared's cell number. She asked "do you want me to talk to him." I said that I could and she handed me the phone. Jared answered "Hi Bobby!" I said "It's Dani, I got locked out of the house in my pajamas with no shoes on. I went out to say HI to the dogs." He said "I'll be right there. Mardi's friend Michelle said do you want to wait here and I thanked her but said that I would wait on the porch for Jared. Do you think that he could be alone in his patrol car? No, he had a ride along. He unlocks the door then showed me where to find the key. It was right over my head the whole time. Then he showed me how to make sure the back door doesn't lock on me again.

Later that night when I told him the whole story, he said that at about 7:30 he did feel like he should go back by the house but because he had the ride along with him he didn't want to. Heavenly Father answered my prayer exactly as I asked. This experience was just a strong testimony builder for me. After Mardi and Jared went to bed and I was alone, I thanked Heavenly Father for answering me exactly. I know that He hears me, He may not always answer exactly but He always hears me.

Change of Focus

I read a talk from President Monson in the last conference issue of the Ensign.

"Said one well-known author: 'Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscience choice which secret garden we will tend... when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present---love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]---the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.' (Sarah Ban Breathnach)"

I really liked this message sometimes I focus too much on what I lack in life, I don't think that I have been ungrateful for what I do have, I just haven't given it the proper focus. I think the time has come for me to change my focus, I'll probably be a lot happier if I do.

I want to be Like Nephi!

1 Nephi 17:7-9
"And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had been in the land of Bountiful for the space of many days, the voice of the Lord came unto me, saying: Arise, and get thee into the mountain. And it came to pass that I arose and went up into the mountain, and cried unto the Lord.
And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which I shall show thee, that I may carry thy people across these waters.
And I said: Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me?"


This is a scripture from my scripture study today. The Lord asks Nephi to go into the mountain, which is a metaphor for the temple, and commands him to build a ship. Nephi responds by asking where he should go to find ore to make tools.

I want to be like Nephi. When the Lord commands me to do something, I don't want to be bogged down by the impossibility of it, I want to go to the temple with a prayer in my heart and say "Okay, tell me where to go to find the tools I need to do it."

Liahona

Today I was reading in 1 Nephi 16:28-29:
"And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the pointers which were in the ball, that they did work according to the faith and diligence and heed which we did give unto them.
And there was also written upon them a new writing, which was plain to be read, which did give us understanding concerning the ways of the Lord; and it was written and changed from time to time, according to the faith and diligence which we gave unto it. And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things."

I feel like the scriptures are a liahona to me, the words do not change but the way that they make me feel does. Sometime I get these great a-ha moments over verses that I have read before. I know that the Lord directs our path and when we have faith and are diligent in our scripture study we will feel His guidance and see His hand in our very lives.

The Ministry of Angels

Today I read a talk by Elder Holland from November 2008 General Conference.

"I ask everyone within the sound of my voice to take heart, be filled with faith, and remember the Lord has said He 'would fight [our] battles, [our] children's battles, and [the battles of our] children's children' (D&C 98:37; emphasis added). And what do we do to merit such a defense? We are to 'search diligently, pray always, and be believing[. Then] all things shall work together for [our] good, if [we] walk uprightly and remeber the covenant wherewith [we] have covenanted' (D&C 90:24). The latter days are not a time to fear and tremble. They are a time to be believing and remember our covenants."
"My beloved brothers and sisters, I testify of angels, both the heavenly and the mortal kind. In doing so I am testifying that God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challeges that we face. '[N]or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man [or woman or child] upon the face thereof to be saved' (Moroni 7:36). On accasions, global or personal, we may feel distanced from God, shut out from heaven, lost, alone in dark and dreary places. Often enough that distress can be of our own making, but even then the Father of us all is watching and assisting. And always there are those angels who come and go all around us, seen and unseen, known and unknown, mortal and immortal."

I really believe this, I feel the Spirit testifying of the truth of it. I pray that I may be a mortal angel and aid and assist those around me. I am thankful for all of my mortal angels and the heavenly angels too.

The Best is Yet to Come!

Today I was reading in Mathew 13:33
"Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened."

I really like this verse, its funny how different things stand out to us a various times in our life. The leaven is the gospel, I am the woman, the meal is the world or those in my sphere of influence. Leaven makes things rise, the gospel will raise us all to new levels of peace, happiness and joy. I feel like making bread now :).

I also read in D&C 39, the blessing recorded here is for James but I believe in likening all scriptures to myself. I believe that parts of this blessing can be mine if I am true and faithful to the covenants that I have made.

Verses 7-8
"And now, behold, I say unto you, my servant James, I have looked upon thy works and I know thee.
And verily I say unto thee, thine heart is now right before me at this time; and, behold, I have bestowed great blessings upon thy head;"

I feel like I have had great blessings bestowed upon my head. I know that Heavenly Father can look upon my heart and I pray that I may live in such a way that my heart is ever before Him.




Verse 12
"And it shall come to pass that power shall rest upon thee; thou shalt have great faith, and I will be with thee and go before thy face."

If I have the Holy Ghost and I am living worthy of that blessing then power will rest upon me and I will have great faith. There have been times in my life where I have felt that the Lord was with me, sometimes I feel rather far away from Him but I know that it is me keeping myself from Him and that He ever reaches for me. I think that I should reflect upon the things that I can eliminate from my life that will allow us to be closer for I believe the time speedily cometh where I will need to have Him go before my face.

Verse 23
"And again, it shall come to pass that on as many as ye shall baptize with water, ye shall lay your hands, and they shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and shall be looking forth for the signs of my coming, and shall know me."

This is a scripture that really gives me hope, I have been baptized and I am looking for signs of His coming. When He comes I will know Him!

One more quote from November 2008 General Conference
"One of the challenges of this mortal experience is not to allow the stresses and strains of life to get the better of us---to endure the varied seasons of life while remaining positive, even optimistic...We can't predict all the struggles and storms of life, not even the ones just around the next corner, but as persons of faith and hope, we know beyond the shadow of any doubt that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true and the best is yet to come."
Elder L. Tom Perry