He Overcame the World

The world we live in is a crazy place full of crime, injustices, tragedies, and sorrow. We hear so much every day about worldwide calamities and scary events. Confusion abounds in the media and sometimes it is difficult to know who or what is right or what we should do. In our own personal lives and families we experience trials as well. We may become unsure of our future and worry about how we will make it through. These hardships are very real and should certainly be considered seriously. We have to decide where we stand and how we will react in difficult situations. But I know that as long as we have faith in Jesus Christ and put our trust in Him and His teachings, we will not be led astray. We will be inspired to know which way we need to go or how to handle all that is thrown at us. In the end, if we are good and faithful to the gospel, we have nothing to worry about! This is not to say that believing in Jesus is easy, or that once you commit to follow Him you will never have sadness or troubles again. The world is meant to be a place of testing. However, we have been given a map of sorts to follow in order to navigate ourselves safely through the confusion. This "map" is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the steps of having faith, repenting of our sins, being cleansed through baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring obediently for the rest of our lives. If we will stick to this path, no matter what troubles come we can know for a surety that we will be safe in the end.

In John 16:33, Jesus sums this up very well. He says, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." Jesus sacrificed Himself for this purpose. Because of Him, all things evil and bad will eventually lose. Light always overcomes darkness. It is frightening to walk in darkness, not quite knowing where you are headed along the way. But, as we look ahead to the "light at the end of the tunnel", we will make it safely back to God. Even more, this knowledge can bring us peace and joy in this life too. The understanding that Jesus overcame the world gives one an eternal perspective. They can work through trials with faith, knowing that whatever hard things they must endure, everything will work out in the end. Jesus does not want us to be sad or scared of the world we live in. He wants us to hope, have faith, and "be of good cheer". There is nothing to worry about if we are living the Lord's commandments and following His chosen prophets.

"The Tree Is Known By His Fruit"

Recently in my New Testament class we have been talking a lot about the miracles that Christ performed during His earthly ministry and what we can learn from them. This week, we spoke about how He would perform miracles even on the Sabbath, or holy, day. He was often criticized by the Pharisees for doing this, since they thought He was doing some form of work on the Sabbath day. They even went so far as to accuse Christ of healing people and casting out devils by the power of the devil himself. Christ explains, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? (Matthew 12:25-26). In other words, Satan cannot be a cause for goodness because it would contradict his very purpose and mission. He would fail to be the devil and would instead be following God if He were to encourage or give power to good actions. Therefore, Christ must have been working through the power of God.

This principle is applicable to our daily choices as well. As Christ said, "Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit" (Matthew 12:33). We are constantly bombarded with opposing voices, influences, and decisions in this world. Sometimes it is hard to tell which one we should choose. It is important to consider the consequences and results of each option we face. Will it bring goodness to us? Will it help other people, or take away from their happiness? Does it make us grow and improve, stagnate, or fall backwards in our progression? The merit of an action is measured by its fruits. In the same way, we can decide what kinds of people are good influences in our lives based on the fruits that they bear. This does not mean that we use these "fruits" as a sign and remain paralyzed in our action until we receive such a sign. But, as we begin to see the results that may come from a choice, we must move forward and trust in the Lord to guide our path.

Look up!

This week, we learned a lot about the beginning of Christ's life and His preparation for His mortal ministry. My instructor shared an interpretation of part of Luke 2 that really clicked with me and I would like to share it with you all. In Luke 2:41-52, we read about when Christ and His family traveled to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover when he was 12 years old. After spending their time there, the family packs up and leaves. Jesus stays behind, unbeknownst to Joseph and Mary. After a day of traveling, they finally realize that Jesus is not present in the group. They first go to their other family members who are with them to see if anyone knows where to find Jesus. Nobody does. Then, they go back to Jerusalem and seek for Him in the city. After three unsuccessful days looking in the streets of Jerusalem, they find Him in the temple of God. When Joseph and Mary ask why He has done this, Jesus responds, "How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" (Luke 2:49).

Joseph and Mary were seeking for Jesus, just as all of us do. Sure, not everyone may claim a belief in Jesus Christ, but we all seek for what He brought to the world. We all seek for peace, love, happiness, acceptance, and a better life. Whether we know it or not, we need what He can bring to our lives. We need to be cleansed, to be forgiven, to be strengthened, and to be saved. But Joseph and Mary didn't find Christ in their search around the city, in the worldly places created by man. They ultimately found Him in the temple, the house of God. This is where we too will find Christ. As we seek out the good things in life -- church, scripture reading, selfless service, love, eternal families -- this is where we find Christ. And as we seek these things, we gradually improve. Just as Christ did, we too will increase "in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man" (v. 52). When we put sacred things at the center of our lives, we become smarter, stronger, and more spiritual. We have better relationships with others, including our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. I know that it is easy to get distracted in this world. But, I testify that as we seek after the good things of God, we will find peace and happiness.

Sacrifice

I have thought a lot recently about what it means to sacrifice something. Typically, the word "sacrifice" has a negative connotation in our minds, but it does not have to be so. To me, sacrificing one's time, effort, resources, comfort, and countless other things in order to promote a just cause will bless beyond measure. Sure, you may miss out on something you want to do or have, but I think this is outweighed by the impact you can have. For example, sacrificing an afternoon of watching television to volunteer at a homeless shelter. Temporally, there is no reason for you to do so. But, such service will help you grow, widen your perspective, and make you happier. It's amazing how giving up a small portion of what you have helps you to recognize how much you truly do have and how blessed you are. Here's the catch though, you can't just physically sacrifice something in order to be changed. If your heart is not in it, or you give it up begrudgingly or just to appease others' expectations, you will not be as effective as you could be. You may certainly help someone and meet their needs, but imagine how much sweeter of an experience it would be to sacrifice what you have with a humble heart and a loving attitude. In life, especially I think at my stage of it, we get so caught up in trying to plan our futures, take care of our needs, and make sure that we are getting everything that we want, that we forget to serve others. I know from experience that this state of mind is ultimately more stressful and unhappy. Helping others, making sacrifices, and giving service with love makes you feel more fulfilled and allows you to worry about others instead of yourself. Turning your thoughts to other people widens your view, puts your problems into perspective, and helps you learn that maybe you aren't as bad off as it seemed before. Of course, we do have to reasonably take care of ourselves, but there are many supposed "needs" that we attend to that are probably more like "wants" in our daily lives. Sacrifice takes trust in the Lord that He will help you and bless you to accomplish all that you truly do need to do, along with serving others. If you think about it, if everyone in the world gave service to those around them, everyone would have several people helping them and thinking of their needs and providing support, instead of trying to take on only their own worries all at once. Sacrifice brings people together and deepens their love and compassion. Jesus Christ made the ultimate sacrifice for all of mankind. This supreme act of love brings Christ close to us, as He has felt and understands all of our pains and sorrows. If Jesus Christ could suffer and sacrifice everything for everyone, how selfish is it of us to not give up a small, insignificant want for a fellow human's need? Finally, I believe the key to serving and sacrificing for others is respect. You may not agree with or be in the same situation as another, but they are still a person of worth and deserve to be treated with respect. It is easy to be angry, it is easy to be offended -- what is hard is to love someone despite the differences you have. I am definitely not any where near being good at this, but I understand now that I want to be. Everyone on Earth is God's child, and we all deserve to be treated as such. We all need love, help, and validation. I invite you to try sacrificing something for someone this week that you may have trouble dealing with, or that you usually do not get along with. Do something to serve someone who is not close to you, and see the change that can develop in both of you.

5 weeks!!!

I can't believe how fast time has flown by! I leave for the MTC (Missionary Training Center) in 5 weeks!! As the time comes sooner and sooner each day, I am getting so excited! These past few months have also been some of the hardest, but I know that it will all be worth it. As I prepare to preach the gospel, I feel more capable to do so. Reading the Book of Mormon daily, along with praying, studying Preach My Gospel (the manual that missionaries teach off of), and learning Portuguese has been such a blessing. As I have built my life around preparing to serve God and teach others of Christ, I have been able to accomplish all that I need and want to. I have been blessed with the ability to deal with all the challenges thrown my way. It reminds me of the scripture Helaman 5:12 in the Book of Mormon. (See here: http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/hel/5?lang=eng). No matter what forces of opposition may come upon me, if I build my foundation on Jesus Christ I will be able to get through it. Many little miracles have occurred in my life to allow for me to go on a mission. From the beginning, this whole process has been such a test of patience. Currently, I am still waiting for my visa to go through. Even though I may not get it on time to go to the MTC in Brazil, and I may end up going to the MTC in Provo, Utah instead, I know that whatever happens is for the best. I am content with whatever outcome and just hope and pray that my visa will come when God needs it to. I love the gospel and know that it is true. I am privileged to be able to serve a mission and share the truth with others!

Trust in His Plan

For the past few weeks I have been thinking a lot about God's plan for us on Earth and as individuals. I know that we are all on the Earth for a purpose and that is to learn, grow, make choices, and come to know our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. They want us to be able to come back and live with them after we die, and have provided a way to do this through the Plan of Salvation. (See this post to learn more about the Plan of Salvation: http://searchingandfindingtruth.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-way.html). This plan gives me comfort because I know that I am not just wandering aimlessly here on Earth for maybe seventy to eighty years for no reason. It gives me reason to live, to work hard, to change, to grow, to endure tough times, and to keep pressing forward. I love that God is so organized and has given us exactly what we need to do to find happiness and salvation. It's no mystery and is open for all to learn, believe, and know.

Similarly, I believe that we all have different things to accomplish in our lives. Things that we can do to serve others and to change the world. I have recently discovered how little I truly know about the world, and really the universe in general. Though it may be a hard thought, I really do not have much power over the world around me. Of course, I have the power to control my own decisions, actions, and behavior. But, I cannot control what others do or what challenges come my way. My knowledge and faith in God gives me hope that everything will work out as it should. Anything that I could plan and hope for my life may certainly be good, but I know that if I follow God and serve Him, He will bless me beyond what I could dream of. He will refine me and make my life so much more meaningful and important. Sometimes, I worry about the future. It bothers me not to know exactly how my life will turn out sometimes. But, I realized that I do not need to know every little detail of the future to have hope that it will be good. As long as I follow the commandments of God, I will be guided and directed through the darkness of this world to happiness and light. As humans, we naturally want to feel in control. Psychologically it gives us confidence and eases our anxiety to feel like we have all the power in our lives. Think how much more secure of a feeling it is to know that the Supreme, All-Knowing, Creator of the Universe knows YOU, loves YOU, and wants to take care of YOU. He has set forth the way to follow. All we have to do is choose it and act on it.

I'm back!

So I know that I have kind of been neglecting this blog for the past month...I guess final exams, moving, and being crazy busy with things to get done will do that to you. But I'm home and have a lot more free time! I guess I should give a bit of an update on the many events that have been happening in my life recently. I received my mission call on my 19th birthday (how fitting, right?) and opened it with my family and roommates. Here's the video: Mission Call Opening!


It was such a special moment and has made me even more excited to serve the Lord as a missionary. I have already grown to love Brazilian culture, the Portuguese language, and the people there. I can't wait to bring happiness and knowledge to others about the great blessings of our Heavenly Father that await them. Ever since I have received my mission call, my testimony of the gospel has strengthened as well as my knowledge that I really am supposed to go on a mission. I have felt the attacks of Satan in my life ten-fold, but also the blessings of the Atonement and of a loving Heavenly Father. I know that any stumbling blocks that appear in my life trying to prevent me from going on a mission are surmountable if I keep the faith and continue to do what Heavenly Father wants me to do. An example of this is my visa paperwork. Obtaining a visa for Brazil is especially difficult, and the Church Travel Office impressed to me that if I did not have all of the paperwork they gave me sent back to them by May 7, that my visa would be delayed and I would probably not be able to go on my mission on time or would have to go elsewhere. This stressed me out at first because I wasn't returning home until April 30, giving me exactly 1 week to gather over ten documents, most of which needed to be signed, notarized, and authenticated by the State. I was worried, but prayed that I would be able to get it all done in time. Though it was not an easy process, everything did work out and fell into place. I was able to get my paperwork in a day early even! Of course, it isn't definite that I will get my visa on time still, with the complicated laws of Brazilian visas, but I am confident that whatever does happen will be right and that I can go forward with faith that things will turn out as they should. I am so excited to serve as a missionary, and Heavenly Father has blessed me so much even just in the past week that I know that He loves me and is watching over me and my family.

Charity Never Faileth

In our world today, the word "charity" is often regarded simply as giving aid or help to someone, typically in the form of money. However, it has a much broader, deeper, and important meaning than that. Charity, as defined in the Book of Mormon, is the "pure love of Christ" (Moroni 7:47). This phrase can be interpreted in several ways. I love to think of charity as our love towards Christ, which we show and express through our prayers and testimonies of Him. In another sense, the word "of" indicates possession, in which charity is the pure love that Christ possesses towards mankind. This manner of love is perfect and lasts forever. In Moroni 7:45-46, a description of charity is given. If we replace the word charity with "Christ", this description becomes a depiction of our Savior and His nature: "And Christ suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not His own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. / Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not Christ, ye are nothing, for Christ never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto Christ, which is the greatest of all". As we pattern our lives after that of Jesus Christ, we will be able to love others and help to build them up. Christ does not just love those who loved Him, He loves everyone. This includes the sinners, the outcasts, and those who revile against Him. Though we will not be able to reach that pure and perfect kind of love that Christ showed in His life and the Atonement, we can try our best to improve. In following this example, we must try to remember that everyone we meet is a divine child of God, and treat them as such.

Overcoming the Struggles of Life

No person can go through life without having difficult times. Even the happiest, most successful people have struggles and times of hardship, often called "trials". Though a normal part of life, these events and problems can strongly influence our lives and choices and should not be discounted as unimportant. Every time we encounter a time of trouble, we are given a choice. Most of the time, we have little to no control over these trials occurring. But, we have the ability to choose our reaction and attitude towards such tribulation.

In the Book of Mormon, the sons of the people of Ammon, often called the "stripling warriors," were a group of young men who devoted their lives to the service of God and defense of the liberty of their people. They fought valiantly and courageously against the Lamanites, their former brethren, who in many cases were much stronger, larger in numbers, and more skilled in battle strategy than the young men. They did not wish to kill their former brothers, but being continually provoked by the constant threat of the Lamanite efforts to destroy their liberty and freedom, they defended the inherent rights of the Nephites. This struggle would be not only physically, but mentally and emotionally taxing. However, instead of blaming or complaining, the warriors went forth in faith. They "did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their own lives" (Alma 56:47). These young men, only teenagers and young adults, were firm, undaunted, and "put their trust in God continually" (Alma 57:27).

Not only did the stripling warriors have faith, they acted on it. These young men risked their lives for the cause of truth and righteousness. At the same time, Moroni was still leading his force to fight against the Lamanites in other places. His army was experiencing a lack of provisions and a time of struggle. But, when they heard about their brothers' success in fighting in other lands, these men "rejoiced because of their welfare" (Alma 59:1). Thus, as my professor says, in times of trial we can either become better or bitter. There is never a neutral time of stagnancy in our character and righteousness; either we are improving and working harder to become more like Christ, or we are slipping, no matter how slightly, and falling towards evil. It is vital that in times of troubles, we remember the eternal perspective of our existence. Jesus Christ atoned for our sins so that we could improve, repent, and become more like Him. We are provided with struggles in life as a test, and can either learn from them, or become resentful and angry because of them. As always, the choice rests in our hands.