Of Things that Matter Most: Eternal Truths.
I've been thinking a lot lately...about lots of things. I haven't been feeling well, so I've kept to myself this whole weekend and have had a lot of time to just sit and think. That can be a bad thing for me, because I tend to over-analyze, but today I am grateful for it.
In sacrament meeting today, some people were asked to bear their testimonies because they were released from their callings. I didn't know them very well since I just moved into this ward, but I was struck by what they said. They specifically said, "I would like to bear my testimony..." and then went on to speak mainly about people in the ward, and experiences they have had in the ward. And honestly, it made me kind of sad. I don't mean to sound rude or judgmental or condemning, but a testimony needs to focus on our Savior, on the Atonement, the Restoration of the Church....you know what I mean? Again, I don't mean to sound judgmental or rude, because that is not what I mean to be. The reason I bring this subject up is because it got me thinking about the sincerity of my testimony and how seriously I take my relationship with God and my Savior, Jesus Christ. Sometimes, it gets too casual. I go through periods where I am less serious about developing my relationships with them and about sincerely study and learning and growing in the gospel. Sometimes I have more faith, sometimes I have more compassion and love for others. Sometimes I am more patient, sometimes am more faithful. Sometimes, I get so overwhelmed and I just break down about how inadequate and imperfect I am, and about how much progress I need to make in my personal life. Sometimes I wonder how I can ever be a wife and mother, with all of my imperfections and flaws. And to me, it comes down to continual, constant prayer and scripture study. It's a daily thing, or else I find myself swimming in my overwhelming inadequacies. I am so grateful for the Atonement, because with it, the Lord can make up for where I fail, but only if I am willing to do my part.
And then, tonight, the CES fireside focused on standing up for our values and beliefs in a rapidly degrading society, because the gospel of Jesus Christ speaks of eternal truths that have eternal consequences. Elder Holland said, "This Church cannot dumb down it's Doctrine." It cannot dumb down its doctrine because we teach of sacred truths, of eternal truths that have consequences whether or not people choose to accept them. The commandments must never be compromised, our values must never be simplified. We cannot afford to compromise and be lax in our daily study and prayers and testimony, because this world is not stopping. It's so easy to get sidetracked by things of this world, things that gradually slip our focus away from the eternal truths. We cannot get casual in our relationship with God. We cannot get casual in following the Commandments. We cannot get casual in sharing what we know to be true, because these things have ETERNAL consequences for ALL people!
All people.
I don't know, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I need to be better at all times, and in all things, and in all places. There is always room for improvement. Always. It is sooo important to keep an eternal perspective at all times. It is absolutely essential.
Absolutely essential.
The greatest desire of my heart is to serve God all of my days on this Earth. It is my greatest desire, and directs all of my goals. And if that is really my ultimate desire, then I need to always be fully invested. Every day. Every hour.
I've been thinking about my baptismal covenants a lot lately, and how we are promised that we will always have the spirit to be with us if we strive to do our best and stand as a witness of God always. When we have that spirit with us always, we can overcome every obstacle--from the tiniest of tinies to the tsunamis that seem to destroy our hope and happiness. We can keep an eternal perspective at all times, and we can receive constant revelation as to what God needs us to do. It is like constant light in our lives, teaching us and guiding us every step of the way. When that light is constant in our lives, the things of the world cannot sidetrack us. Take each day as it comes, and the Lord will guide each step through faith.
My goal: "Try a little harder to be a little better." Keep my focus on the Atonement, my Savior, and the eternal gospel principles every single day, and I know I will be safe from the storms of the world.
I know, without a doubt in my mind, that the Lord blesses me every day. I know that He blesses me as I strive to do my best. I know that I mess up every single day, but I also know that the Lord still loves me regardless. I know that the Atonement is real, and that it allows me to live and breathe each day. I know that we must spread the gospel to all the corners of the earth so that ALL people can learn of the Atonement and the sacrifices of our Savior. That is the focus of our Church--teaching others of the Atonement and other ETERNAL principles essential to the salvation of all mankind. The Church is not a cult that simply wants to gain more members--we want to save the souls of ALL people by showing them the redeeming love and sacrifices of Jesus Christ, so that they can feel of His love and live their lives according to the Eternal principles that God set in place before the creation of this Earth. We want to show them the wondrous, healing powers of the Atonement so that their lives can be filled with lasting happiness and hope.
This gospel is about faith, and hope. It is about love, and forgiveness. All of these things are made possible because of Jesus Christ's Atonement. He understands our pains and weakness, and our sins, and wants to make us whole.
Please, don't let the things of this world make you forget what this gospel is truly about. I know that life gets busy, and I know that sometimes, for a moment, I forget who I truly am and what I truly stand for. With diligence and faith, I know that I can remain strong even when the weight of the world seems too much to bear.
Those are my thoughts. I think too much, I know, but I felt like sharing. ;)
-emily
In sacrament meeting today, some people were asked to bear their testimonies because they were released from their callings. I didn't know them very well since I just moved into this ward, but I was struck by what they said. They specifically said, "I would like to bear my testimony..." and then went on to speak mainly about people in the ward, and experiences they have had in the ward. And honestly, it made me kind of sad. I don't mean to sound rude or judgmental or condemning, but a testimony needs to focus on our Savior, on the Atonement, the Restoration of the Church....you know what I mean? Again, I don't mean to sound judgmental or rude, because that is not what I mean to be. The reason I bring this subject up is because it got me thinking about the sincerity of my testimony and how seriously I take my relationship with God and my Savior, Jesus Christ. Sometimes, it gets too casual. I go through periods where I am less serious about developing my relationships with them and about sincerely study and learning and growing in the gospel. Sometimes I have more faith, sometimes I have more compassion and love for others. Sometimes I am more patient, sometimes am more faithful. Sometimes, I get so overwhelmed and I just break down about how inadequate and imperfect I am, and about how much progress I need to make in my personal life. Sometimes I wonder how I can ever be a wife and mother, with all of my imperfections and flaws. And to me, it comes down to continual, constant prayer and scripture study. It's a daily thing, or else I find myself swimming in my overwhelming inadequacies. I am so grateful for the Atonement, because with it, the Lord can make up for where I fail, but only if I am willing to do my part.
And then, tonight, the CES fireside focused on standing up for our values and beliefs in a rapidly degrading society, because the gospel of Jesus Christ speaks of eternal truths that have eternal consequences. Elder Holland said, "This Church cannot dumb down it's Doctrine." It cannot dumb down its doctrine because we teach of sacred truths, of eternal truths that have consequences whether or not people choose to accept them. The commandments must never be compromised, our values must never be simplified. We cannot afford to compromise and be lax in our daily study and prayers and testimony, because this world is not stopping. It's so easy to get sidetracked by things of this world, things that gradually slip our focus away from the eternal truths. We cannot get casual in our relationship with God. We cannot get casual in following the Commandments. We cannot get casual in sharing what we know to be true, because these things have ETERNAL consequences for ALL people!
All people.
I don't know, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I need to be better at all times, and in all things, and in all places. There is always room for improvement. Always. It is sooo important to keep an eternal perspective at all times. It is absolutely essential.
Absolutely essential.
The greatest desire of my heart is to serve God all of my days on this Earth. It is my greatest desire, and directs all of my goals. And if that is really my ultimate desire, then I need to always be fully invested. Every day. Every hour.
I've been thinking about my baptismal covenants a lot lately, and how we are promised that we will always have the spirit to be with us if we strive to do our best and stand as a witness of God always. When we have that spirit with us always, we can overcome every obstacle--from the tiniest of tinies to the tsunamis that seem to destroy our hope and happiness. We can keep an eternal perspective at all times, and we can receive constant revelation as to what God needs us to do. It is like constant light in our lives, teaching us and guiding us every step of the way. When that light is constant in our lives, the things of the world cannot sidetrack us. Take each day as it comes, and the Lord will guide each step through faith.
My goal: "Try a little harder to be a little better." Keep my focus on the Atonement, my Savior, and the eternal gospel principles every single day, and I know I will be safe from the storms of the world.
I know, without a doubt in my mind, that the Lord blesses me every day. I know that He blesses me as I strive to do my best. I know that I mess up every single day, but I also know that the Lord still loves me regardless. I know that the Atonement is real, and that it allows me to live and breathe each day. I know that we must spread the gospel to all the corners of the earth so that ALL people can learn of the Atonement and the sacrifices of our Savior. That is the focus of our Church--teaching others of the Atonement and other ETERNAL principles essential to the salvation of all mankind. The Church is not a cult that simply wants to gain more members--we want to save the souls of ALL people by showing them the redeeming love and sacrifices of Jesus Christ, so that they can feel of His love and live their lives according to the Eternal principles that God set in place before the creation of this Earth. We want to show them the wondrous, healing powers of the Atonement so that their lives can be filled with lasting happiness and hope.
This gospel is about faith, and hope. It is about love, and forgiveness. All of these things are made possible because of Jesus Christ's Atonement. He understands our pains and weakness, and our sins, and wants to make us whole.
Please, don't let the things of this world make you forget what this gospel is truly about. I know that life gets busy, and I know that sometimes, for a moment, I forget who I truly am and what I truly stand for. With diligence and faith, I know that I can remain strong even when the weight of the world seems too much to bear.
Those are my thoughts. I think too much, I know, but I felt like sharing. ;)
-emily
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