Healing

Credit LDS Media Library
Jesus saith unto him,
wilt thou be made whole?
(John 5:6)

Abundance

Credit LDS Media Library
I am come that they might have life,
and that they might have it
more abundantly (John 10:10).

Whole

Credit LDS Media Library
Daughter, be of good comfort:
thy faith hath made thee whole;
go in peace (Luke 8:48).

The Voice of God

"When things are too crazy, the only voices I hear are the voices of fear and shame. I stop being able to hear the voice of God,the voice of rest, the voice of hope and healing and restoration, the voice that gives new life to dry old bones.

"The voice of God invites us to full, whole living—to rest, to abundance, to enough. To say no. To say no more. To say I'm going to choose to live wholly and completely in the present, even though this ragged, run-down person I am right now is so far from perfect."

— Shauna Niequist

Where Can I Turn for Peace?

When I woke up this morning, the first thing I did — as I do most days — was check my iPhone for texts from my college-aged kids. At 6:23 my 18-year-old son Jonathan and my husband Dan had had this conversation:

Every morning, it seems, there is more bad news. A hurricane. An earthquake. The testing of a nuclear bomb. Another hurricane, and another. The suicide of a co-worker's teenage son. The deadliest mass shooting in recent history.

Sometimes it is hard to have hope, and when my heart is breaking, it's hard for me to feel whole.

What is the antidote? Where do I find peace amid the turmoil?

---

Credit LDS Media Library
Where Can I Turn for Peace?
Emma Lou Thayne (1924-2014)

Where can I turn for peace?
Where is my solace
When other sources cease to make me whole?
When with a wounded heart, anger, or malice,
I draw myself apart,
Searching my soul?

Where, when my aching grows,
Where, when I languish,
Where, in my need to know, where can I run?
Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish?
Who, who can understand?
He, only One.

He answers privately,
Reaches my reaching
In my Gethsemane, Savior and Friend.
Gentle the peace he finds for my beseeching.
Constant he is and kind,
Love without end.

Beloved poet Emma Lou Thayne wrote the text for this hymn during a troubled time in her family, with a daughter struggling with mental illness and physical health problems of her own, on top of the daily challenges of leading busy lives.

Who, who can understand? He, only One.

Jesus is the source of wholeness. He is my hope!

Invigilation as Spiritual Discipline?

All three of my children have participated in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in high school. As part of my responsibilities as a parent volunteer, I have spent a number of hours over the years invigilating. (Go head and look it up!)

This afternoon I was one of two invigilators for Spanish examinations. Although I have always put my cell phone away during the exams I've been assigned to oversee, this time the program coordinator specifically requested that we do so. I'm sure she made the request so that we could more effectively fulfill our responsibility — which literally, from the Latin verb vigilare, was "to stay awake."

What this meant is that I had over two hours during which I did almost nothing besides stand or sit or pace in a quiet room with only my thoughts to keep me company.

We live in an age when it's nearly impossible to find anyone waiting in line at the grocery store or sitting in a doctor's waiting room without a smart phone to occupy their hands and minds. I even find myself reaching for my iPhone at stop lights. Checking text messages and email might be productive use of our time, and the Kindle app can both inform and entertain. But just how beneficial is "just one more game" of Threes or mindless scrolling through Facebook?

Forced to "be still" (Psalm 46:10) this afternoon, I first prayed for each of the test-takers — that they would be able to do their best, that they would take the opportunity seriously, and that they would each be a contributor to a better world as they grow into adults. For a brief time, I tried to clear my mind and focus on my breathing, but mostly I let my mind wander through my current goals and hopes and desires — books I want to read, trips I'd like to take, words I'd like to write. I also counted the weeks between my son's graduation and his entrance to the university and considered what I'd like his summer break to be.

A list-maker and calendar-keeper by nature, I rarely just think about things without writing them down. I'm a big believer in the power of records, including journaling about impressions from the Holy Spirit. But today — as during my prior experiences as an invigilator — I felt the benefits of simply pondering in the stillness and being open to personal revelation.

#HisDay

The prophet Isaiah called the Sabbath "a delight" (Isaiah 58:13). Modern revelation indicates that the Sabbath Day was given to us "that [our] joy may be full" (D&C 59:13).

Learning to make the Sabbath more of a delight for me and my family is one of the things I've wanted to do during my Year of Yes.

God told Moses that the children of Israel were to keep the Sabbath as "a sign" between them and Him, so that they would know that sanctification comes from Him, in other words, that they — and we — are literally "set apart" for a special use or purpose. Sabbath observance was to be "a perpetual covenant" between God and His people. (See Exodus 31:13, 16.)

Jesus said that He is Lord of the Sabbath. (See Luke 6:5.) It is His day!

How can I say Yes to a Sabbath of joy and rejoicing? What kind of "sign" do I want to give God of my commitment to this eternal covenant?

Here are a few thoughts:

Rest. The word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word shabat, meaning "cessation" or "time of rest." When I finally do my experiment in Loving My Actual Life, one of my priorities will be on rest.

Worship. I need to be in the proper frame of mind when I attend church services so that I can have a heart to know and eyes to see and ears to hear. (See Deuteronomy 29:4.)

Music. "Is any [among you] merry? let him sing psalms (James 5:13). Music can be such a great way for me to be filled with the spirit of the Lord — both listening and singing.

The Word. I love God's Word! I want to be more intentional about being in the Word, and I want to experience the Word in new ways.

Connection. Building and maintaining relationships takes time and effort. I want to improve familial relationships and friendships. I also want to make connections to my ancestors.

What ideas do you have for keeping and hallowing #HisDay?

Expanding My HorizonsPart 2

Another idea I had for The Year of "Yes" was to try my hand at Bible journaling. (If you'd like an introduction to the concept, here is an article entitled "What is Bible Journaling and Why Should You Care?")

I honestly do not remember where I first learned about this approach to exploring God's Word, but I was intrigued. I'm not a crafty person, and although I've done some scrapbooking and card making and I enjoy digital photography, I am not particularly artistic either. Nevertheless, because of my desires to be more creative and to study the Word in new ways, I decided to say "Yes" to trying something new in 2016.

Because I didn't want to invest much money in something I viewed as an experiment, I decided to pick up an inexpensive large print copy of a KJV Bible. (By the way, I grew up with the KJV and it's the text used at my church, but I've been using the NIV quite a bit in my personal study.) I'd looked at journaling Bibles but they cost more than I wanted to spend, figuring I'd be more willing to try my skills if I wasn't worried about ruining the Bible. I went with the large print version as a means to give myself more space to create. I also like its heft.

I started the year with a 31-Day Bible Journaling Challenge from Move the Mountains, and while I didn't create something all thirty-one days, I did get a good start on this project.

I've done a lot less work in my Bible since then (more planning than executing) — but I've used Illustrated Faith as a resource, my teenage son Jonathan has helped with some artwork, and I've joined a local Bible journaling group on Facebook and even met with them in person once.

I'm not giving up on Bible journaling. I've just got to figure out how to better utilize the 168 hours I have in each week!

"But Now I See"

Two events in Luke's account of Jesus' ministry illustrate the idea that our faith in Him grows as we are willing to see the object of our faith. Jesus invites us to come to Him, to learn of Him, and to walk with Him (see Matthew 11:28-30). That's how our faith in Him grows!

In Luke 18:35-43, we read of a blind man who sits begging at the side of the highway as Jesus and His disciples travel the road. This man — identified as Bartimaeus by Mark (see Mark 10:46) — asks about the noise of the crowd, and when he learns that it is Jesus of Nazareth, he begins pleading, "Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me." Bartimaeus had never seen Jesus. He had never followed Him. But somehow he had come to believe in the power of this miracle worker from Galilee. Somehow he had come to believe in the promise we find in Luke 11:9 — "Ask, and it shall be given you." Jesus responds, "Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee." "And immediately he received his sight, and followed [Jesus], glorifying God."

Mark recorded a brief exchange between Jesus and a father seeking a blessing for his son. "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth," Jesus says. And the father replies with tears, "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." (See Mark 9:23-24.) Our belief, no matter how small or weak, enables us to see Jesus as He passes by. "Even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you" (Alma 32:27). One writer puts it this way: "The issue is not the quantity, or 'bigness,' of my faith so much as Who I've put my faith in."

In Luke 19:1-10, we read of an undersized tax collector named Zacchaeus in a tree. He couldn't see Jesus as He passed because of the crowd and because of his size. Determined to catch a glimpse, however, he runs ahead of the crowd and climbs a sycomore. Remarkably, Jesus stops under the tree and, looking up, issues an invitation: "Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house." Jesus knew him by name, and He wanted to spend time with him! Zacchaeus did hurry down "and received [Jesus] joyfully." Once Zacchaeus was able to see Jesus, Jesus was able to change him forever.

"All things are possible to him that believeth" (Mark 9:23)! I have to start living like what I believe is true! What is keeping me from seeing Jesus?

Reference
Stone, Diana. "Faithfulness." She Reads Truth, May 19, 2015.

"I Stand All Amazed"

To marvel at the wonders of the gospel is a sign of faith. It is to recognize the hand of the Lord in our lives
and in everything around us.

- Gérald Caussé

At church yesterday, we sang one of my favorite hymns. Written in 1905, with both music and lyrics by Charles H. Gabriel, "I Stand All Amazed" summarizes perfectly the "good news" of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,
Confused at the grace that so fully He proffers me;
I tremble to know that for me He was crucified,
That for me, a sinner, He suffered, He bled and died.

I marvel that He would descend from His throne divine
To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine;
That He should extend His great love unto such as I,
Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify.

I think of His side, pierced and bleeding to pay the debt,
Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget?
No, no! I will praise and adore at the mercy seat,
And testify all my desires He doth fully meet.

O it is wonderful that He should care for me
Enough to die for me!
O it is wonderful, wonderful to me!

It is indeed wonderful to me! I don't ever want to cease discovering or rediscovering the truths of the gospel. I want to always see, feel, and marvel!

Three Gifts of Stone

• "Remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation" (Helaman 5:12).


• "Wherefore, I am in your midst, and I am the good shepherd, and the stone of Israel. He that buildeth upon this rock shall never fall" (D&C 50:44).


• "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which 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" (Matthew 7:24-25).

#1000Gifts #JoyDare

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A Gift of Life, Growth, Decline

The year 2006 was a year in which I truly felt "to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

In July I became an aunt for the thirteenth time when my nephew JT was born, and his birth mother gave the incredible gift of life to my sister Cathy and brother-in-law James. (See photos here and here.)

In September I grieved at the death of my long-time friend Laraine - and yet (as I wrote here) I also realized that even my grief testifies that there is "a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted . . . a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance" (Ecclesiastes 3:2,4). It's all part of the circle of life.

When, on November 2, JT died from SIDS, it was only my faith that brought me any comfort. A few weeks before I had told my family about a song that I had heard during the women's meeting at our church. The son-in-law of our pianist had written the song when his baby died, and the title was "I'm Not Suffering." When I heard the title, I assumed the "I" was the baby, and I thought the song was going to be a trite statement about how the baby had gone to a better place. Instead, the "I" was the father, grieving over his child, and the lyrics were based on the promises of Jesus Christ to "not leave [us] comfortless" (John 14:18), that He "hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows . . . and with His stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:4-5), and that while life is hard, He is with us and will give us the strength we need to carry on.

Still today I have to believe in those promises! Throughout the circle of life, He is with me!

#1000Gifts #JoyDare

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Three Gifts in Weakness

Faith. Humility. Grace.

"My grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them" (Ether 12:27).
#1000Gifts #JoyDare

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A Gift of Challenge, Conflict, Change

• A dare to live more fully.


• A belief in Christ and reconciliation to God.


• A new creature, spiritually born again.

#1000Gifts #JoyDare

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What Happy People Do Differently

Quote of the Day

"I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go."

~Barack Obama in 2012,
quoting Abraham Lincoln

"Give Me Patience, and Give It to Me Right Now"

I've been feeling frustrated the past few days by the lack of resolution to a situation in my life. So this afternoon I am appreciating this reminder from my friend Holly - in a form of a prayer in a blog post - to be patient and content with the present, to let go and let God.

Lord, teach me to be patient—with life, with people,and with myself. I sometimes try to hurry things along too much, and I push for answers before the time is right. Teach me to trust Your sense of timing rather than my own and to surrender my will to Your greater and wiser plan. Help me let life unfold slowly, like the small rosebud whose petals unravel bit by bit, and remind me that in hurrying the bloom along, I destroy the bud and much of the beauty therein. Instead, let me wait for all to unfold in its own time. Each moment and state of growth contains a loveliness. Teach me to slow down enough to appreciate life and all it holds. Amen.

To Lift Me Up When I'm Down

"If thou art sorrowful, call on the Lord thy God with supplication, that your souls may be joyful" (D&C 136:29).

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me;for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).

"You know, brethren, that a very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm, by being kept workways with the wind and the waves. Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed" (D&C 123:16-17).

"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed"
(Isaiah 53:4-5).

"Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee" (Deuteronomy 31:6).

"Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath given me; And none of them that my Father hath given me shall be lost. And the Father and I are one. I am in the Father and the Father in me; and inasmuch as ye have received me, ye are in me and I in you. Wherefore, I am in your midst, and I am the good shepherd, and the stone of Israel. He that buildeth upon this rock shall never fall"
(D&C 50:41-44).

"Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me"
(Isaiah 49:16).

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God" (Romans 8:28).

"Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee" (Psalm 55:22).

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind"
(2 Timothy 1:7).

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord"
(Romans 8:35, 37-39).

"For verily I say unto you, that great things await you"
(D&C 45:62).