Religious Freedom - LDS Newsroom

This talk is amazing and perfect. I highly recommend other LDS members to read it. It is so important! It personally means a lot to me that one of our Apostles spoke on this subject and I'm very grateful that he did.
Religious Freedom - LDS Newsroom

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Some Great Thing - Part 2

"We have in the modern history of the Church contrasting examples of men who were highly favored of the Lord. One, Hyrum Smith, remained totally faithful and committed, even to the giving of his life, while the other, Oliver Cowdery, despite having witnessed 'some great things' in the history of the Restoration, became blinded by his personal ambition and lost his exalted place in the leadership of the Church.

". . . No one except the Prophet Joseph was more honored with the ministering of angels than Oliver Cowdery.

"But when the Prophet Joseph fell upon hard times, Oliver was critical of him and became estranged from him. . . .

". . . Even though Oliver came back, he lost his exalted place in the Church.

"In contrast, President Heber J. Grant said of Hyrum Smith: 'There is no better example of an older brother's love than that exhibited in the life of Hyrum Smith for the Prophet Joseph Smith. . . . They were as united and as affectionate and as loving as mortal men could be. . . . There never was one particle of . . . jealousy . . . in the heart of Hyrum Smith. No mortal man could have been more loyal, more true, more faithful in life or in death than was Hyrum Smith to the Prophet of the living God' ("Hyrum Smith and His Distinguished Posterity," Improvement Era, Aug. 1918, 854–55).

"He responded to every need and request from his younger brother, Joseph, who led the Church and received the revelations which we have today. Hyrum was steadfast day to day, month by month, year in and year out."

James E. Faust, "Some Great Thing," Ensign, Nov. 2001, 46–47

I love the word steadfast. It is so powerful and describes something we most need to be in the Gospel. Couple it with immovable and you catch a glimpse of the strong force of a mountain the Lord wants us to be as servants of Him.

This quote ties in quite well with the previous related post (both quotes coming from the same talk). But the point that stands out to me more is who stayed steadfast--with no jealousy, full of faith, giving all trust and support. Joseph's very own brother. His elder brother. Sadly too often the people we are most contentious with in this life are those of our own family. Those whom we should love more than any other. Jealousy has a stronger tendency to arise in familial relationships than in others. And yet Hyrum did not do such an un-Christlike thing.

O to be like Hyrum, and Sam, and the other brothers who loved their siblings and leaders with full devotion and whole purpose of heart!

Bungee Jumping

“All of us can find enjoyment in a wide range of wholesome, entertaining, and engaging activities. But we diminish the importance of our bodies and jeopardize our physical well-being by going to unusual and dangerous extremes searching for an ever greater and more exhilarating adrenaline ‘rush.’ We may rationalize that surely nothing is wrong with such seemingly innocent exploits and adventures. However, putting at risk the very instrument God has given us to receive the learning experiences of mortality—merely to pursue a thrill or some supposed fun, to bolster ego, or to gain acceptance—truly minimizes the importance of our physical bodies.” David A. Bednar, “Things as They Really Are,” CES fireside for young adults, May 3, 2009 I know some hear, think, and feel different things when our leaders speak to us. Hopefully those are things of the Spirit that we use as a personal guide to help us make the best decisions and choices for ourselves. It may be silly to some, but as soon as I heard Elder Bednar say this, I knew that my desire (and reasons for that desire) to want to try bungee jumping some day were wrong. In general I am fairly protective of the body Heavenly Father has placed me in charge of. But I occasionally do like the thrill of something fast and exhilarating. But for mine own self, I know that at least this one desire is wrong. It pushes boundaries of safety and goes into dangerous, thus being something I know I am not to pursue. Others will feel this means something else to them. What is most important is if what you feel is the Spirit guiding you, and then following that spiritual prompting.

Some Great Thing

"As persecutions came and Joseph fled the mob at Nauvoo in 1844, Hyrum went with him. As they stood on the bank of the river, contemplating whether to return, Joseph turned to Hyrum and said, 'You are the oldest, what shall we do?'

"'Let us go back and give ourselves up and see the thing out,' Hyrum replied.

"They returned to Nauvoo and were taken to Carthage, where they died as martyrs within minutes of one another. Hyrum had been faithful to his trust even to the laying down of his life. In all respects he was a disciple of the Savior. But his day-to-day striving made him truly great. In contrast, Oliver Cowdery was great when handling the plates and being attended to by angels, but when called upon to faithfully endure day-to-day trials and challenges, Oliver faltered and fell away from the Church.

"We do not prove our love for the Savior only by doing 'some great thing.' If the prophet personally asked you to go on a mission to some strange and exotic place, would you go? You would probably make every effort to go. But what about paying tithing? What about doing your home teaching? We show our love for the Savior by doing the many small acts of faith, devotion, and kindness to others that define our character."

James E. Faust, "Some Great Thing," Ensign, Nov. 2001, 48

This is precisely how I feel concerning the way we should be living the Gospel. An absolute "Amen!" from me.

(From my online journal today)

What is not taught

will be forgotten,

and what is forgotten

cannot be defended.

May We Never Forget

(Created for Memorial Day, but I think it is appropriate for Patriot Day, too)

P.S. Many, many thank yous to Jack for helping me keep my Freedom Tree tradition.

Strength through Adversity

“The Savior said:

"‘Therefore, whoso heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock—

"‘And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock.

"‘And every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand—

"‘And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell, and great was the fall of it' (3 Nephi 14: 24–27).

“It is interesting to notice that the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew against both houses! Living the gospel does not mean that we will everlastingly escape adversity. Rather, it means that we will be prepared to face and endure adversity more confidently.”

Rafael E. Pino, “Faith in Adversity,” Ensign, May 2009, 42

Absolutely! I have a very strong testimony of this one.

He Always Knows What I Need

[from my online journal today]:

Self worth is one of the hardest trials I believe any woman deals with. Why? Because we are so precious to our Father, and vital to His work, thus the adversary chooses that as one of the best ways to destroy us. Convince a woman she isn't of worth, and you've not only drastically affected the lives she touches, but also dealt a terrible wound on generations to come. It sounds exaggerated. It's not.

It is good to know that I'm not the only one who has my days where I struggle with feeling good about me, and what I do, and how I try. A woman may try harder than anyone, but will also beat herself more when not reaching the often unreachable goals she sets for herself. If that doesn't apply to every woman, I know it applies to me. In the last 3 or 4 weeks, I have moved leaps and bounds past my intense personal struggles of feeling of worth. For that I owe immense gratitude toward my Savior, and to Molly Gibson. :-)

Isn't it absolutely amazing how wonderful our Savior is? How He really does know what is happening to/with us, what we struggle with, and best of all how to help us? Yesterday I opened my brand new Ensign. That's always such a sense of excitement. About 75% of the time, I read the First Presidency message first. This changes only if there is an article that leaps off the page saying "Read Me Now!" Yesterday, I couldn't have felt more strongly that I needed to read the First Presidency message before anything else, especially as the "Read Me Now!" impression was so strong as I read the title: "The Influence of Righteous Women."

I'm not saying the article was not magnificent, because, of course, it was. But it was going right along where I had expected it to. And it was something I knew all sisters needed. And I was thinking of how wonderful a Father we have to inspire the Church leaders to include this article at this moment. And then I read a passage that--though I know it is to every single Daughter of God--at that moment, it was only for me.

"May I invite you to rise to the great potential within you. But don’t reach beyond your capacity. Don’t set goals beyond your capacity to achieve. Don’t feel guilty or dwell on thoughts of failure. Don’t compare yourself with others. Do the best you can, and the Lord will provide the rest. Have faith and confidence in Him, and you will see miracles happen in your life and the lives of your loved ones. The virtue of your own life will be a light to those who sit in darkness, because you are a living witness of the fulness of the gospel (see D&C 45:28). Wherever you have been planted on this beautiful but often troubled earth of ours, you can be the one to 'succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees' (D&C 81:5).

"My dear sisters, as you live your daily life with all its blessings and challenges, let me assure you that the Lord loves you. He knows you. He listens to your prayers, and He answers those prayers, wherever on this world you may be. He wants you to succeed in this life and in eternity."

Is not that the most perfect thing I could have heard right now? I, who am a major fan of rising to potential. I who try to reach it, and run faster than I'm able--especially with my own "feeble knees"...spiritually as well as physically. This counsel touched on almost every trial I have been enduring in my life of late--all of my own making, of course. There are problems I create because I go about reaching my potential in the wrong way. I highlighted with color each one for emphasis and as a reminder to me of what to and what not to do. And I know if I am obedient to exactness (Alma 57:21) in this, I will achieve even more happiness through and in the Lord than He has already been blessing me.

This is a quote I need to put every where around me in my life. Memorize it, remember it, and apply it. For I need every word. I believe every one of my Heavenly Sisters needs it, too.