Words of Living Apostles of Jesus Christ

If you refer to my last post, you know that I'm a Mormon. (If you want to know more, check out my profile on Mormon.org. You can find it here.) Yay!! I love being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints with all my heart. Over the weekend, the entire church membership had the opportunity to hear from God's living prophet on the earth and His living apostles. I love this opportunity that we get twice a year. I love the men and women who lead this worldwide church. They are called of God and are divinely inspired.

This weekend brought answers to prayers and huge tender mercies to me. I have noticed how often, when life is particularly trying, the Lord gives us some extra powerful, poignant blessings and experiences to help us through and to reassure us that He is there. The talk below was one of those for me this weekend. I had been praying about serving a mission and Heavenly Father helped me know that my role and "mission" as a woman is enough. I would suggest to all women, everywhere, that your identity as a daughter of God is real and powerful. You are enough. You are good enough just because of who you are. Listen to this talk. Feel of the truth of who you are and of what you can do if you will follow the Lord's plan for you. I am so grateful to be a woman. I look forward to the missions I will fulfill as a wife and a mother someday and I know that those are the most important things I will ever do in my whole life.

Seeing as I have brought Elder D. Todd Christofferson into this post, let me continue with some of his recent stories and thoughts that I have been clinging to lately. First, "The Will of God." I love this story.  It is about Elder Hugh B. Brown and I am ever so grateful for his example. There have been days in my life that I too have "bitterness in my soul" when things do not go the way I hoped. I am trying so hard to learn to accept God's will and not let my personal feelings and desires affect my obedience, or my gratitude or my submissiveness. I love Him and I know that when He "cuts us down" it is because He loves us and in His Omniscient wisdom, He has a future prepared for us that is more grand and glorious than we can imagine. We just have to TRUST Him. 

In my efforts to try and be better at submitting to the will of God, I have found great counsel in the following video: To ask for my daily bread, rather than anguishing in trying to find peace about the future. I have found great solace in asking for just enough faith for this day, in asking for the experiences I need to help me learn and love God and my fellowman today. Praying like this has helped me come closer to God, and has kept me more humble and less fearful. I know that the Lord can give me what I need to get through today. I pray that you'll find the same power in the concepts presented in these videos. 

In closing, may I quote President Dieter F. Uchtdorf who gave some of the wisest counsel I have ever heard. He said:

"DOUBT YOUR DOUBTS BEFORE YOU DOUBT YOUR FAITH."

Laugh.

I am a piano teacher. Today, one of my little students who is particularly "bouncy" pointed to a note in one of the songs she was playing and said "That's an H."

 I laughed. And I am still laughing inside.

Laugh a little today. It will make your day better ... and it will make your soul better.

This is What I Believe...See For Yourself!!

If you're not a member of or not familiar with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I encourage you to check out the website, LDS.org. This weekend is our General Conference, where the living prophet of God on the earth today speaks to us, as do modern-day apostles and other general authorities of the Church. Check here to find out more and to find out how to watch General Conference. The messages you will hear about Jesus Christ, families, faith, and other topics are inspired and true. If you have questions or would like to know more, feel free to leave a comment or visit lds.org or mormon.org.

I give you my witness that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church of God upon the earth today. Priesthood power - the power and authority of God- has been restored upon the earth today. The Book of Mormon is true and serves to draw us nearer to Jesus Christ through its witness of Him. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that He is our Savior and Redeemer. He has covered our sins and redeemed us from them. I love Him and I know that He loves you and wants us all to come to Him so that our lives may be made clean and whole.

I invite you to find out for yourself if these things are true.

-Megan

BE Brave

There is a quote on a sticky note next to my bed that I see every morning and every night, and every other time in the day that I sit or lay on my bed. 

It says:

"Do one thing every day that scares you." -Eleanor Roosevelt

The last few days this has seemed particularly applicable for me. I've always been somewhat of a cautious person. I have tried to be safe, tried to not take too many risks. The only thing I've really risked willingly has been my heart...Which is sometimes the scariest thing to risk. However, I think the longer we live, the more we realize how resilient we are, and how good it feels to do the things that scare us, even if we don't have complete success on our first try. I heard someone once say something like "You haven't really started living until you've gone out of your comfort zone." I like it. I agree with it. Something of the Divine told me how selfish I am today. This is true. I stay in my comfort zone sometimes because I am scared to go out of it.... I get scared to be my true self. The Divine said "You are the way you are for a reason. I made you to love people the way you do for a reason, why do you sometimes withhold that extension of love because you are afraid of how others will perceive you? Don't be afraid of your own gifts!"

Today I did something that scared me. It was a small thing, but it required serious courage in the moment. But you know what...It turned out awesome. It was exactly what I needed and I almost missed it because of my fears.  So, I was thinking today "You know what, I'm gonna be ok. I can be brave in my life. I can take risks. I can be me. I can love the challenge of doing something scary every day." 

So, my challenge to you is: "Do one thing every day that scares you," and maybe, just maybe, you will start to see your world through different eyes. Maybe you'll love a little more. Maybe you'll laugh a little more. Maybe you'll love yourself a little more because you weren't afraid to be expand yourself. 

Life is good. Oh so good. 

BE Brave. 

This is What Life is About

I read the words of the LDS hymn 'Lean on My Ample Arm' tonight and I tell you what...its message is what life is about. It is powerful and sweet.

"Lean on my ample arm, O thou depressed! And I will bid the storm cease in thy breast. Whate'er thy lot may be on life's complaining sea, if thou wilt come to me, thou shalt have rest. If thou wilt come to me, thou shalt have rest.

Lift up thy tearful eyes, sad heart, to me; I am the sacrifice offered for thee. In me thy pain shall cease, in me is thy release, in me thou shalt have peace eternally. In me thou shalt have peace eternally."

I love it. I love it, I love it, I love it.

I am amazed at Jesus' infinite Atonement and how He can constantly and continuously and eternally take my burdens from me. HE bids the storm cease in my heart. HE gives me rest on my life's complaining sea. HE lifts up my tearful eyes and my sad heart to the hope of his sacrifice for me. HE takes my pain, HE releases me from it. HE gives me peace. EVERY TIME. Every Single Time. That alone makes me weep. I have pain a lot. I turn my tearful eyes and sad heart to him a lot. And He takes it every time. He will do this eternally. Forever and Ever. He is Endless and Eternal. These names He has make me think of this little song.

Let me just tell you, I know He lives. I KNOW HE LIVES. Eternal and Endless. Provider and King. I know that He is our release, our rest, our peace, and that all this is because He offered himself for us. All he wants us to do is to come to him, to give him all of our burdens and all of our fears and all of our pains so that we can better know him. He just wants us to trust him and to love him and to let him take everything that he suffered for on our behalf.

His arm is ample.

Grateful

I just had to share a quick thought about my gratitude for the opportunities God gives us in life to learn to love Him more and to learn to love other people. I've realized that in order to learn to love other people in a deep way, I have to come to love God more and be closer to Him. I have to have a relationship that is such that His love flows through me ... that I get closer to Him and that His love fills me so that I have love to give to others.

I am grateful for the good people God prepares for us to have in our life. Sometimes life seems so unsure, and the outcomes of certain things in our life are so uncertain that we may become afraid, however, God reminded me today of two things. The first was about how to love and it comes from Luke 6 in the KJV of the Bible.

Jesus says, "Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you. Bless them that curse you, and pray for them that despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye?...and if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye?....and if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? ....But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father is also merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." 

I love this pattern of love that God lays out in these verses. They are truly holy to me. I love them beyond expression. I am going to try harder to pattern my relationships after this kind of love. 

The second comes from the Book of Mormon from the book of Moroni in chapter 7, verse 16. "For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God." This reminded me that I don't have to be able to see all the outcomes, but that I can have faith and trust in the good things in my life at the present time.  

I am grateful for God, a loving family and an amazing boyfriend who bring light and hope and joy to my every day!

"Every Breath"

Every Breath by Jenny Phillips

His hands are
Catching your tears
And even without any words
He hears
You feel so far
But he's right where you are
And He knows

Every breath
Every pain
He knows your heart and
He knows your name
The giver of life
Light in your soul
Oh come home
Come rest
Let Him bless
Your every breath

Silence your voice and be still
And even without any words
You will feel
You think you're far
But he lives in your heart
And he knows

Every breath
Every pain
He knows your heart and
He knows your name
The giver of life
Light in your soul
Oh come home
Come rest
Let Him bless
Your every breath

There's nowhere you can go
That He hasn't been below

Every breath
Every pain
He knows your heart and
He knows your name
The giver of life
Light in your soul
Oh come home
Come rest
Let Him bless
Your every breath

He Hears Every Word

He Hears Me

I just wanted to share tonight a few songs that always help me feel closer to my Heavenly Father. Though life is hard, the connection we have to our Heavenly Father can literally be a lifeline. We really are His children. He loves us so much. I'm grateful for the whisperings of the Spirit and for good people in my life who help me see who I really am. I love my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ.