God Knows What's Best

This week in my New Testament class we have been talking about the suffering, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We learned about all the physical pains that He had to feel for our sake and the torture inflicted upon Him. This physical suffering was essential so that Jesus could know personally all of the pains that mankind feels. But to me what is even more touching is the mental and spiritual torture and suffering that He was called to endure. We know that Jesus has felt all of our sorrows, grief, pain, afflictions, and remorse (see Alma 7:11-13). He knows what it feels like to be rejected, wrongfully judged, guilty, and distant from the Spirit. As part of His sacrifice for us, He had to not only overcome physical death, but also spiritual death. Spiritual death is basically the complete separation of a spirit from Heavenly Father's presence and Spirit. Because we live on Earth, all of us are separated from the presence of God. We can feel glimpses of it through the light of Christ and the Holy Ghost. But, for us to be able to return to the presence of the Father, Christ had to overcome this spiritual death. In Matthew 27, we read about the Crucifixion and death of Christ. In these moments of extensive physical pain and suffering, Jesus was required to overcome it alone. The Father had to withdraw His Spirit so that Jesus could feel and overcome a complete spiritual death. In verse 46, Jesus cries out, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Even the Son of God, the Savior of the world, questioned the Lord's will a few times. However, He never forsake it and was perfectly obedient and trusting that the Father knew best.

Like the Savior, we too must trust in God's will. It is OK to have doubts, fears, uncertainties, and questions. Don't keep them to yourself! The Lord wants us to have questions and seek the answers to them. He wants us to learn and gain a testimony for ourselves. Sometimes in the search for guidance and answers we may feel like we aren't getting anything in response. We may feel abandoned, hopeless, and confused. We may wonder if the Lord is really even there, if He really cares, or if He will ever answer our questions. There are some things in this world that will take us a long time to understand; there are others that we will never understand in this life. I testify that although sometimes we may feel distant from the Lord, He truly has our best interests in mind and will never let us fail without first offering us help. Sometimes He is silent in answering our pleadings not because He doesn't love us or care about our concern, but because He wants us to grow from making our own choices and using our agency. It's like learning to ride a bike. When a father teaches his child to ride, he lets go once the child becomes comfortable and strong enough to pedal on her own. This is not because he doesn't care about protecting his child. He knows that she can do it on her own, and that if she does begin to wobble and fall he can always swoop in to catch her. I know from personal experience that the Lord loves us and knows what we most need to grow and develop. I know that sometimes this requires Him to pull back a little and let us "ride" on our own. He loves us so much that He lets us have our agency. He does not want us to be His "robots" whom He controls ; He wants us to become self-sufficient and capable.

Coming unto God

This week in our New Testament class, we are reading and discussing about Jesus' last few days here on Earth. We are learning about the injustices and pains He had to face and the true depth of His sacrifice for mankind. He "fell on his face, and prayed, saying "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matt. 26:39). As I have been reading the New Testament this semester, I have noticed that Jesus always gives the glory, honor, and respect to the Father after He performs any sort of miracle. He never tries to boast, brag, or do His own will. Jesus knew His purpose and did not want to do anything to detract from fulfilling it. He came to Earth to perform what we call the "Atonement." This word literally means "the process of becoming at one", particularly with God. Therefore, Jesus came to Earth to help all of us be able to become "at one" with God the Father. Without Him, we would not ever be worthy to live with God. In order to be able to lift us up, Jesus had to descend below the depths of all sin, guilt, shame, sorrow, bodily pain, sickness, and temptations. He had to experience these feelings and rise above them. I always thought it was quite admirable that Jesus went through all these difficult things, yet all along was giving the credit to His Father. I used to wonder, "Why doesn't He take some of the credit for Himself? After all, He is doing a lot."

But, I have come to better understand that Jesus, like all of us, strives to serve the Father and do as He commands. While it is true that He underwent the utmost agony and sacrifice for the world, He gave the glory to the Father because it is He who makes it all possible. He pays the ultimate price. A great analogy that my professor gave this week helped me to understand this. He prompted us to think of the story of Abraham sacrificing his son, Isaac. Whenever we read this story, to whom do we give more respect and credit -- Abraham or Isaac? Of course, Isaac was the one that was going to die as a sacrifice. But, do we not revere Abraham for his strength and courage in being the one to perform the sacrifice? This is similar to the relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ. Jesus is the mediator between God and man. He makes it possible for us to come to God because of His Atonement. However, if it were not for the Father and His great and eternal plan for our salvation, none of it would be possible!

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.

Listening and Love

"Jesus wept."

This is the shortest verse in all of canonized scripture, yet to me it has one of the deepest meanings. The context of this scripture is the story of Lazarus and when Jesus raises him from the dead. Jesus was well acquainted with Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha, who were all followers of the Savior. He had shared His teachings with them before and it seems like they were His friends too. When they told Jesus that Lazarus had been dead for at least 4 days, He already knew this. He knew that He had the power to bring Lazarus back to life as well, and that He would do that. From Jesus' perspective, there was no problem. There was not anything to be sad about. However, when He saw these people whom He loved crying and in despair over the loss of their family member, He had compassion and wept with them. Some people may think that they cannot relate to Jesus because He led a perfect life. But, it is important to note that although Jesus had great knowledge and understanding, He also felt human emotions. He wanted to understand the sorrow, pain, frustration, confusion, loneliness, joy, faith, hope, and love that mortals experience.

In this story, Jesus also shows us a great example that we can apply in our daily lives. Sometimes, like I'm sure all of us have experienced, a friend will come to me with a concern or issue of theirs. They may complain about it and express their feelings of fear, low self-confidence, sadness, and pain. From my perspective, the answer to their problems can often seem quite clear or it may seem like they are overreacting. My first instinct is to tell them that it isn't as bad as it seems, or to offer reasonable solutions for the issue at hand. However, what most people truly need is just to feel loved and understood. They will figure out the solutions to their problems over time and with patience, work, and faith. God gives us these problems to work through so that we can grow. Sometimes, we just need to let others work out their own concerns. Most often what we can do to truly help is give a listening, compassionate ear and mourn with them. Jesus clearly knew that everything would work out with Lazarus. He could have told Mary and Martha that they did not need to be sad because Lazarus would live again. But, He is loving and compassionate and wants to give us comfort and assurance. He feels sad when we are sad, even though everything is under control in the eternal scheme of things. In the same way, we should all strive to be a little more patient and compassionate with those around us. Criticism never helps anyone. When we love others and help to carry their burdens, that is when true power comes. So many barriers can be broken down through a simple act of listening and love.

Answers to our Prayers

In Matthew 15, we hear the story of the Canaanite woman pleading for Christ to heal her daughter. This was pretty significant for the time because she was not a Jew by birth or religion, but instead a Gentile. Christ's ministry on Earth was specifically to the Jews, as He explains in Matthew 15:24, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel [the Jews]." At first, Christ completely ignores the woman's pleading for help and does not answer her at all. However, this silence does not deter her, as she then goes to the disciples and asks them to get her help. They refuse her and Christ tells her He was not sent to help Gentiles. But, she is evermore persistent and shows her faith in Christ as she asks for just the smallest bit of help that He could possibly give. Finally, Christ sees her faith and heals her daughter.

This story is a great metaphor for the ways in which we can receive answers to our prayers. The woman first was faced with silence. Often times, we may feel that our prayers are going unanswered because we have not received a specific "yes" or "no". This seems to happen especially when we are praying for help to make a decision. We may feel lost, confused, or like God isn't there or isn't listening. But, I know that this is just a chance for us to prove our faith, like the Canaanite woman. When we receive silence as our answer, we have to move forward according to our own choices and feelings and trust Him to catch us if we fall. We each are blessed with the power to choose, called agency, and the point of our life on Earth is to learn how to use this power correctly. So it only makes sense that God would not "spoon feed" us the answer to every single decision we have before us. If all you're getting is silence to a question, take heart! It shows that the Lord trusts you to decide for yourself and that He will guide you if you go the wrong way.

Many times, we are given a "no, not yet" or even a flat-out "no" for our answers. This can be disheartening when you really wanted to hear a "yes". But again, it is an opportunity to exercise your faith and trust that the Lord just has something better in store for you! Finally, we can also receive "yes" answers. Even these require us to stretch our faith by going outside of our comfort zone to act on the answer we receive. All in all, the purpose of God's responses to our prayers are to help us to trust Him and to exercise our faith in some way. We never know exactly what is coming our way, but as we seek the Lord's help and trust in our ability to follow it, we will never be steered wrong.

Stay in the boat!

36. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.
    

36. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
37. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
38. And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
39. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?
40. And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

This is a story found in Mark 4 in the Bible that teaches us a lot about faith and trusting in the Lord. If we place ourselves in the position of the apostles, we can understand how this message applies in our own lives. Often, we experience challenges or struggles in life that overwhelm us or go beyond what we feel like we can manage. These “storms” beat on us until we may feel like we are sinking in the tumultuous “waves”. I can imagine how frightening it must have been for the disciples – their ship was filled completely with water and their Lord and Savior was asleep. Here they were, presumably, in a state of panic, confusion and fear. They could see the problem but had no idea how to get themselves out of it. The one person they relied on did not seem to be aware of or care about their struggle. However, we see that the Savior was aware of them the whole time. He knew that everything would be alright. The ship wouldn't sink, the storms would eventually calm, and they'd make it through. But, He still calmed the sea, stopped the storm, and showed the disciples His power.

We are not capable of understanding all the reasons for our struggles and challenges. In the middle of them, we may not recognize a way out. We may not see “the light at the end of the tunnel”. Sometimes we may even begin to question God, wondering where He is during these hard times and why He doesn't just make it all go away and be calm again. Christ's two penetrating questions can help us to reconsider our trust in the Lord: “Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?” Although it can be easy to give in to fears and doubts, this is not the Lord's way. He is not setting us up to fail, but instead to learn and to grow from our experiences. He knows the end from the beginning and that it will all work out. I know that as we put our trust in God's will and timing, everything will turn out alright. Even when the winds beat down on you, and the rains and storms seem unending, there is always hope in the light of God's love. The disciples had no reason to fear – Heavenly Father would not let a ship with Christ on it sink. Therefore, as long as we stick with Him, we won't either! The key to “staying afloat” during our struggles is quite simple – just stay in the boat!

"Remember Who You Are"

So, I haven't posted too much on the blog recently...but I've decided to start it up again! I am taking a New Testament class at BYU and will be posting my thoughts about our reading weekly here! :)

There is one question that all of us has pondered or will eventually confront at some point in our lives. It is the question of our identity, or in other words, "Who am I?" We yearn to know our purpose, our potential, and how to direct our lives. In the scriptures, these questions are answered in powerful ways. In the LDS version of the scriptures, in Moses chapter 1, we read of Moses' interactions with God and with Satan. We learn that God has a body that is glorified and perfected; we learn that He is infinite and almighty (v. 2-3). He tells Moses, "...I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands; but not all, for my works are without end, and also my words, for they never cease. / Wherefore, no man can behold all my works..." (v. 4-5). The expanse of God's creations are so vast that we are not capable of seeing or comprehending them all. Yet, He is personally and perfectly aware of each and every one of us. He repeatedly refers to Moses as "my son" and tells him "...this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (v. 39). I find it incredible that the almighty, infinitely powerful and glorious God of the universe finds His purpose in helping us -- the weak, imperfect, small creatures He created -- to become better and ultimately to receive eternal life in His presence. As children of God, we have a limitless potential to become like Him. Satan, however, is stuck. Because of the decisions he has made, he cannot progress or reach any higher potential. Therefore, he will do everything in his power to lead us astray and tempt us to choose the same fate. He lies to us about our worth, striving to drag our self-esteem down and demotivate us from reaching our noble dreams and goals. He flashes doubts and fears past us and makes us question our potential, our capabilities, and even our own identity. He wants us to feel like we cannot and will not grow and improve, when in all reality we are infinitely capable of this with God's help. I know that each of us has an individual mission here on this Earth. God has sent us here to learn, grow, make mistakes and improve. He wants us to feel His love and be motivated by it. No matter where we're at or where we've been, it is never too late to get better.

God is our Loving Heavenly Father

Have you ever wondered about the nature of God? People talk about Him as if He is an obscure, all-encompassing blob of something that cannot be defined. However, God is our Heavenly Father. We are His spiritual children, and Jesus Christ is our elder brother. Heavenly Father loves and knows each of us personally and individually, and wants us to be able to live with Him again. He has a body of flesh and bone, just as we do. In Genesis 1:26, we read of how God created man in His own image and after His own likeness. This means that our appearance and form is modeled after that of God and that He is a distinct physical being. We lived with our Heavenly Father before we came to Earth. He has provided a plan for us in which we can grow, progress, and learn. This plan involves us coming to Earth, receiving a body, and living a mortal life. We have the opportunity to follow God's commandments and make righteous decisions, showing that we love Him and want to obey Him. As we obey Heavenly Father's commandments, we grow a closer relationship with Him and get to know Him better. We learn of our individual and important purpose of living and what we need to do to help others live righteously. Heavenly Father gave us our free will to make decisions. He does not force us to do what is right; we have the power to choose. This life is a time of testing to see if we will come back to Him and serve Him. He sacrificed His Son, Jesus Christ, to come to the Earth and atone for our sins. Jesus Christ died so that we may repent and be forgiven of our wrongdoings and become purified, better people. In this Atonement, Jesus also suffered all the pains of the world. We can look to Jesus Christ for support and compassion because He has literally felt all of the pains, sorrows, discomforts, and anxieties of our lives. He is the only person that has a perfect understanding of what we are personally going through, and this knowledge gives us faith, hope, and strength to press on when the going gets tough. I know that Heavenly Father cares about all of us deeply, in a fatherly loving way, and He pays attention to our lives. He mourns with us as we suffer, celebrates as we do what is right and are prosperous, and encourages us to persist. Heavenly Father is always there for us, and any feelings of distance from Him are a result of us walking away, not from Him leaving us behind. I invite you to develop a relationship with your Heavenly Father, just as you would with an earthly father. Get to know Him by talking to Him through sincere prayer, reading His word in the scriptures, and doing His will by following the commandments He has given us. As you make an effort to come to God and to follow Jesus Christ, you will be blessed and inspired.

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.

Faith in God

In my reading this week, two main ideas stuck out to me. First, is the idea that "all things denote there is a God" (Alma 30:44). As Korihor the Antichrist desires a sign of God's existence from the prophet Alma, Alma instead counters with his testimony. He points out that the testimonies of the prophets of old, the scriptures, the earth, all that is on it, the planets and their orbital motion -- in essence, everything -- shows that there must be a Supreme Creator and that we are not just on this earth by chance. Beautiful nature and creations that are around me, with complexities and intricate processes, denote the existence of God. The human body itself, with such harmonious systems and magnificent abilities, shows to me that we have a purpose on Earth. As Alma later states in Chapter 34:32, "this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God" and become closer to a perfected state through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

The nature of faith and how to obtain it is also very important. "Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true" (Alma 32:21). Waiting to see physical and absolute proof is not having faith in something or someone. If we could know everything, there would be no reason to believe or hope for things. But of course, humans do not have the ability to know all. If we base our lives around Jesus Christ, we cultivate hope. If we have hope, we have a future and can learn from the mistakes of our past. Satan's plan is to start by knocking down the first domino -- belief and faith in Jesus Christ. Once he has accomplished this, hope falls away, and soon after we have no future. Faith in Jesus Christ is a choice, either you have it or you don't. But, it can be strengthened with time, experiences, and effort. Just like a tree must be constantly nourished or else it will die, so must faith in God and Jesus Christ be maintained. Once faith is acquired, it still must be nourished through prayer, study, and repentance. If we want happiness, faith is the first step towards it.