Motivation

Alma 38:12

"Use boldness, but not overbearance; and also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love; see that ye refrain from idleness."

There is something to be said for having motivation in life, for having a purpose, for having a reason to be more than you would otherwise be. It is different for different people, and there is nothing wrong with that, because everyone is different. I believe that I have finally found mine. It struck me today, and it honestly changed my outlook on my day and the reasons I was doing what I was doing, no matter what it was that I found myself doing. It's like my perspective on life has suddenly changed, for the better. I need this in my life, I have needed it for a long time. Happiness has taken on a whole new meaning for me, and I look forward to this happiness growing even more, for I know that it undoubtedly will.

Oh Happy Day!

Alma 37:6-7

"Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.

And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls."

Oh what a wonderful weekend. Abigail's parents and friends are absolutely wonderful people. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting them and getting to know them. Even though I did not get much time to get to know them, it was enjoyable nonetheless. I foresee many more chess matches between her father and I! I am so glad that her family loves musicals and the such just as much as I do. Music is such a big part of my life, and it is comforting to find out that Abby was raised to love music just as much as I do (if not more!).  Going to her home branch was also a great experience. The people she grew up with are such wonderful people. I instantly felt welcome. In fact, I had a crazy experience there. We had a missionary by the name of Elder Christianson in our singles ward for about 5-6 months, and he transferred out not 2 weeks ago. Well who would you guess was there in the chapel playing the piano when we arrived? The very same elder that I had come to know and love! It was simply awesome!

I look forward to future plans. This really is getting me excited. The Lord certainly does have a greater plan for his children than we realize most of the time. I believe his plan for me is beginning to pan out and reach fruition.

Hamilton

Alma 36:19-21

"And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!
Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy."

That is a great summation, in my opinion, of how wonderful the power of the atonement and the amazing healing power of repentance are. The pain of sin, and sorrow, which we have all felt are terrible. However, once we repent and are forgiven, and recognize that forgiveness in our lives, we can have an equal amount of joy in our lives due to that act of faith. For repentance truly is an act of faith. If we didn't believe that repenting would do anything for us, we wouldn't humble ourselves down to our knees and ask for forgiveness.

That is how the Lord works, by rewarding us based on our demonstrations of faith. Faith is not simply hope in great and good things, it is recognizing what we should have hope in, and then going out and getting it. And upon accomplishing that thing which we set out to do (whether it be asking for forgiveness, following a prompting of the spirit we may have felt, etc), giving thanks unto God for helping you to have the faith to carry out that which he has desired you to do.

My goodness I love the plan of salvation. It really does deserve it's pseudonym of the plan of happiness.

Parental Hope

Alma 35:6

"And it came to pass that after they ahd found out the minds of all the people, those who were in favor of the words which had been spoken by Alma and his brethren were cast out of the land; and they were many; and they came over also into the land of Jershon."

I trust that the Lord is taking care of my parents right now. They love Him so much, their hearts are in the right place, as they have been for a long time now. I look forward with anticipation to the aftermath.

269

Alma 34:32-34

"For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.
And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.
Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in the eternal world."

I think that scripture is quite often mistaken. Or rather not so much mistaken as that I believe it applies to a principle that gets over looked quite often, one that in my opinion could help people find a source of strength far greater than they would otherwise attain. From my experience when people read that scripture they mostly think that it is not meet that people should wait until they are on their deathbed to begin their repentance process. But if that is all they perceive from this, they are missing a very valuable nugget of wisdom.

If this scripture were a discussion on when to, or not to, begin the repentance process it would not talk about "the time that ye go out of this life." That is because the repentance process is just that, a process. It does not happen over night, and therefore cannot be attained on one's "death bed."

What I believe this scripture discusses is a person's view on the way they live their life, not the way they view their death. Repentance is an every day thing, it is a refiner's fire, it should become an attribute of ours just as much as mercy, love, happiness, sadness, and the whole array of emotions. A repentant attitude is a humble attitude, it keeps one's pride in check because if we are prideful then we will think and feel as though we have nothing to repent of, no one to answer to, and we will possibly get a "holier than thou" syndrome when it comes to interacting with other people. Especially other people whom we KNOW are "sinners." (Which leads me to another thought, are not we all sinners?)

The underlying principle that I gather from this discourse is that of enduring. Of enduring through the trials of our day. Our respective days in fact, because enduring is necessary no matter the struggle. If we successfully endure, with a repentant attitude, there will be no need to hope for a "death bed repentance" of sorts because we will have performed our righteous labors in the time given to us to do so. The spirit that is mentioned at the end of that passage is that of either a lethargic one (one that does not take the business of repentance seriously) or that of a devout and God-Respecting one. I pray each day that my spirit within will eek out of my body and overflow into my actions and my words. That my person will carry out the desires of my heart, the desires of my spirit. And I have faith that in doing so, I will carry the image of Christ on my countenance, and that the spirit which doth possess my body in the eternal world is one of love, charity, and faith.

Eight to Nine

Alma 33:8

"Yea, thou art merciful unto thy children when they cry unto thee, to be heard of thee and not of men, and thou wilt hear them."

Ugh, tonight was not a night I want to repeat at work. Apparently Wednesdays can get CRAZY. Anyways... I'm making the best of this situation, work is awesome. I love it.

I am completely looking forward to this weekend, it is going to be amazing. I really have never been happier than I am right now, this is an awesome feeling. It's new but it's not new. The feeling itself isn't new, but the intensity and the luminescence of it is new, and I look forward to it getting even stronger and brighter and better.  But, I work early in the morning, so tonight I bid adieu.

Personal Trees

Alma 31:38

"But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out."

I am finding out more and more how true that scripture is. We must not neglect our testimonies, especially in the early stages. We may have all the belief and hope in the world, but if we simply go on hope and desire, and do not back it with faith it is all for naught when the winds of oppression blow our way. Faith is not simply hoping. Faith is putting your hope and desire into action. Things such as daily feasting on the scriptures, learning to love the living prophets, not only attending church but being attentive and desiring to be spiritually fed. This gospel is more than just a passive spectator sport, it is a living, breathing, exciting thing that we need to take part in. 

Those simple steps have been what has brought me back to the church and kept me there. Once I understood what it took to be a member of the church as opposed to simply being listed as "baptized once upon a time," that's when I started noticing changes within my heart. For if my heart had not been changed, had the seed not taken root, I would have been an example of what Alma was talking about in this scripture. For truly the sun has attempted to scorch my testimony over the past short while, and if I did not understand who I am and why it was important for me to have the standards, morals, and beliefs that I do have - I surely would have caved in to temptation and would be much a lesser person because of it.