In the miracle at the wedding in Cana in John 2:1-11, Christ turns dirty water used to wash off the dust on the hands of the guests into the most delicious wine of the evening.The physical part of this miracle is truly amazing, but the Spiritual aspect is absolutely beautiful. In this story, we are the barrels of filthy water and Christ is the miracle worker who is able to make us so much more. Through the Atonement, we are not just made clean. We could settle at using the Atonement just to make us clean and pure, which is wonderful and beautiful. But Christ offers so much more than that, most of the time we just don't understand that. His Atonement offers us the chance to not only be made pure, but to become something beyond what the world tells us we are limited to be. Through the Atonement we have the opportunity to be as Christ and Heavenly Father are; to be the best wine at the party.
We can seek to understand the Atonement greater and learn how to use it to the fullest, that we might stretch ourselves and strive to be even better than man ever thought we could.
Monday, March 6, 2017
Monday, February 20, 2017
The Barrier Between us and God's Love
God's love for His children is evident through all that He does for us in both the scriptures and modern day. The greatest manifestation of that love was God sending His Only Begotten Son to live and be an example unto us and to suffer pain and die for our sins that we might live again. But why is it that most of us have felt a distance and separation from that love? Some people have thought it's because they're not good enough; others have thought it's because God isn't kind enough. We see in Romans 8:35, and 38-39 that such things are not the case. It says, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?...
"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"
So why do we still suffer the pain of feeling forgotten by God? If nothing can stand between us and the love of Christ, why do so many fell abandoned? IN reading this scripture I realized that we are the only thing that can separate us from feeling the love of Christ.
We often hold ourselves back from accepting that love because we don't think we deserve it. But His love in infinite and will always be there waiting for us to open our hearts to it. As we share love, we accept love.
Don't allow anything to stifle the love that God wants to pour upon us, for it is the very thing that allows us to do anything.
"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"
So why do we still suffer the pain of feeling forgotten by God? If nothing can stand between us and the love of Christ, why do so many fell abandoned? IN reading this scripture I realized that we are the only thing that can separate us from feeling the love of Christ.
We often hold ourselves back from accepting that love because we don't think we deserve it. But His love in infinite and will always be there waiting for us to open our hearts to it. As we share love, we accept love.
Don't allow anything to stifle the love that God wants to pour upon us, for it is the very thing that allows us to do anything.
Monday, February 13, 2017
To Whom He Forgave Most Loved Most
"There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.
"And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
"Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged." (John 7: 41-43)
This account left me to wonder, "Is there not a better way to love Christ deeper without having to perform a worse sin and undergo greater repentance?" I didn't like the idea that we would have to commit greater sins in order to truly love Christ even deeper. I began thinking about how I personally could come closer to Christ in different ways.
The reason greater sin and greater debt allow you to love more is because the Atonement is being used more. It brings you closer to Christ because He has done even more to save you and and you become more indebted to him, yet he frees you of all that debt. The gratitude for salvation feeds the love you have for Him who saves you.
Coming to that conclusion of why a person being forgiven of a greater debt loves more led me to understand that it's the use of the Atonement that deepens that love, not the sin committed and forgiven. Using the Atonement brings us closer to Christ; it opens our hearts to Christ and allows us to trust Him completely, relying wholly on Him to save us. We get to know Him and feel His love for us and we begin reciprocate that love as our hearts are softened and given to Christ.
We should learn to use the Atonement everyday, whether it be through seeking forgiveness for sin, gaining strength to do the things we can't do on our own, serving others, or just striving to be more like Christ. We can all love Him more, just by using the greatest gift He gave us more often and more fully.
"And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
"Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged." (John 7: 41-43)
This account left me to wonder, "Is there not a better way to love Christ deeper without having to perform a worse sin and undergo greater repentance?" I didn't like the idea that we would have to commit greater sins in order to truly love Christ even deeper. I began thinking about how I personally could come closer to Christ in different ways.
The reason greater sin and greater debt allow you to love more is because the Atonement is being used more. It brings you closer to Christ because He has done even more to save you and and you become more indebted to him, yet he frees you of all that debt. The gratitude for salvation feeds the love you have for Him who saves you.
Coming to that conclusion of why a person being forgiven of a greater debt loves more led me to understand that it's the use of the Atonement that deepens that love, not the sin committed and forgiven. Using the Atonement brings us closer to Christ; it opens our hearts to Christ and allows us to trust Him completely, relying wholly on Him to save us. We get to know Him and feel His love for us and we begin reciprocate that love as our hearts are softened and given to Christ.
We should learn to use the Atonement everyday, whether it be through seeking forgiveness for sin, gaining strength to do the things we can't do on our own, serving others, or just striving to be more like Christ. We can all love Him more, just by using the greatest gift He gave us more often and more fully.
Monday, January 30, 2017
Do What You Know, Try What You Don't
Most of us have been inspired by the story found in Moses 5:5-8 when Adam is asked by an angel why he is performing a sacrifice and he responds, "I know not, save the Lord commanded me." It teaches us exact obedience to commands that we don't fully understand. I always took that lesson as a lesson in what some might call "blind obedience"; simply obeying because we love and trust the Lord even if we don't know why we do it. This week, however, I learned how to apply the teachings of this scripture to myself in a more meaningful way.
It's not only about "blind obedience" it's about doing what you know and letting that drive you to try what you don't know. Adam knew what he was doing and how to do it, having learned how to make animal sacrifices from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. But he didn't know the why, which for many people prevents us from actually doing something. But he took what he knew, the how and the what of sacrifice, and decided to try it, even if he didn't have all the answers.
So it is with us. We rarely know all three aspects of a commandment: What, How, Why. That's where faith is meant to make up the difference. If we knew everything why would we need faith? What
would the point of coming to this earth be if God gave us everything right away? We are made better when we are given the opportunity to show our faith and commitment to our loving Father in Heaven that we trust Him enough to give Him a chance, to let Him play an essential role in our lives. Let us all show more commitment to our God Who does so much for us and try a little more to be a little more faithful and obedient.
It's not only about "blind obedience" it's about doing what you know and letting that drive you to try what you don't know. Adam knew what he was doing and how to do it, having learned how to make animal sacrifices from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. But he didn't know the why, which for many people prevents us from actually doing something. But he took what he knew, the how and the what of sacrifice, and decided to try it, even if he didn't have all the answers.
So it is with us. We rarely know all three aspects of a commandment: What, How, Why. That's where faith is meant to make up the difference. If we knew everything why would we need faith? What
would the point of coming to this earth be if God gave us everything right away? We are made better when we are given the opportunity to show our faith and commitment to our loving Father in Heaven that we trust Him enough to give Him a chance, to let Him play an essential role in our lives. Let us all show more commitment to our God Who does so much for us and try a little more to be a little more faithful and obedient.
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Love Thy Neighbor
Most of us are very familiar with the commandment found in Mark 12:30-31 (also found in other books of scripture) that states, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all they heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
"And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, There is none other commandment greater than these." We've come to understand better what it means to love God and His children and how to show and greater develop that love. But I wonder how truly we actually understand what that means. In my house we have a huge window that faces the street and I get to people watch while doing my homework. This past week I watched as people passed each other on the street and didn't even acknowledge the existence of the other human being and I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed; disappointed in myself, because I know I do it all the time, and in how that is the social norm in our society and world today.We tend to shut out the world around us when going from place to place, which is okay sometimes. We need that time to be by ourselves and think and figure things out as we walk. Too often, however, it's just to get to where we're going a little "faster" by not having to bother with the exhaustion of personal interaction.
There were two men specifically that caught my eye as they passed each other. They weren't just avoiding eye contact or ignoring one another, there was simply no recognition of the fact there there was another living human. I couldn't help but think, "but we were all together in heaven! That's your brother! How can you just ignore him like that?!"
What I'm trying to say in all of this is that we all knew each other and we're all here on the earth now trying to make sense of it all, trying to become better and overcome the hardships of life. I think the least we can do to show and feel a little more of that familiar love we had once felt for each other before this life is acknowledge each other. Make eye contact and smile. We'll all feel a little better. Love God and His children with a little more heart and soul, a little more thought, and a little more strength.
"And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, There is none other commandment greater than these." We've come to understand better what it means to love God and His children and how to show and greater develop that love. But I wonder how truly we actually understand what that means. In my house we have a huge window that faces the street and I get to people watch while doing my homework. This past week I watched as people passed each other on the street and didn't even acknowledge the existence of the other human being and I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed; disappointed in myself, because I know I do it all the time, and in how that is the social norm in our society and world today.We tend to shut out the world around us when going from place to place, which is okay sometimes. We need that time to be by ourselves and think and figure things out as we walk. Too often, however, it's just to get to where we're going a little "faster" by not having to bother with the exhaustion of personal interaction.
There were two men specifically that caught my eye as they passed each other. They weren't just avoiding eye contact or ignoring one another, there was simply no recognition of the fact there there was another living human. I couldn't help but think, "but we were all together in heaven! That's your brother! How can you just ignore him like that?!"
What I'm trying to say in all of this is that we all knew each other and we're all here on the earth now trying to make sense of it all, trying to become better and overcome the hardships of life. I think the least we can do to show and feel a little more of that familiar love we had once felt for each other before this life is acknowledge each other. Make eye contact and smile. We'll all feel a little better. Love God and His children with a little more heart and soul, a little more thought, and a little more strength.
Sunday, January 15, 2017
Mary the Mother of Christ
Mary is universally known as the mother of Jesus Christ who is our Lord and Savior. She has been revered, respected, and at times even worshiped for having performed the amazing task of bearing and raising the Redeemer of the World. She was courageous in accepting this calling but also humble. In St Luke 1:38 Mary responds to the angel Gabriel, saying, "...Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to they word..." When I read this my mind thought of when Christ suffered in Gethsemane and pleaded with God that He might not drink from the bitter cup but then said, "nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (St John 22:42). This scripture about Mary's humility and submission to the Lord's will helped me to understand her better. She knew fully well that few people would believe her and if Joseph had called off the marriage, no one would have had her. Her humility and faith that the Lord would take care of her is incredible. She was willing to sacrifice her life and all her comforts to perform this incredible act. Might we follow the examples of Christ and his wonderful mother in having enough faith in our Heavenly Father to trust His will and submit ourselves to living worthy of performing in behalf of the Lord.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Italy, Week 70 (3/9/16) - The End of Another Chapter: The Mission
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
That's really the only way I can describe it.
Anyway, I'll give a quick summary of the week and then get on to the sappy, emotional stuff. Wednesday we went to Trento, expecting to go on a hike. Instead we got there and realized that there was no chance of getting to the hike. So we just hung out and walked around Trento. The worst part was that we were in pants. I felt so scandalous. We ran and put skirts on as soon as we got home.
That night the Sorelle from Mestre came over for scambio! We saw Giulia and talked more about recognizing the Spirit and really letting it enter and touch our hearts. It was gooood! After lunch we did some role plays in Italian for lingua study (the Mestre Sorelle is a training coppia). After, Sorella Burgess and I went to go do finding and while we were at the door praying, we felt inspired to ask that we could find someone to whom we could teach the restoration and set a bap date with. We went to a little park near our house to discover that there was pretty much no one there, and the five people that we tried to talk to wouldn't listen. So we started heading out when we saw a woman sitting on a bench down yonder, so we went to talk to her. And guess what. Yup. We taught her the whole restoration. And she loved it! She said she was going to come to church! So for weekly planning Sorella Bradshaw and I picked a date for her :) And then the rest of the week was spent visiting people and eating gelato and everything I could get my hands on. Nothing new :)
Well, it's strange. That's really the only way to explain it. I can't really believe it's over. Like, this is my life. I don't know anything other than this. Normal life has become a thing of the past, something I can hardly remember.
This past year and a half has been nothing less than amazing. It's funny looking back at all those times where I would cry about how hard it was. You forget the pain, really. It's like when you stub your toe. A day later you remember that you stubbed your toe, and you've done it multiple times, and it hurt like no other. But you don't remember the
pain. That's how it is now. I remember crying and why I was crying, but it wouldn't make me cry now thinking about it. It was just for a small moment in reality, although it may have seemed like an eternity. But the most beautiful moments I remember so clearly and they still have an effect on me. It's because those moments were able to touch my heart. Even if all those moments weren't so beautiful. It was in those moments that I turned to the Lord, that my heart was opened, and the Spirit entered. Those moments still bring me to tears because they were so powerful. It was THOSE moments that changed me. That made me into who I am today. Sorrows only make you grow when you open your heart and just follow the Lord.
I have met and come to love so many people here. I can officially say that my heart is scattered all around Busto Arsizio, Trieste, Milano Cimiano, and Verona. And there will forever remain a very large part of my heart here. A part that I can never get back, mostly because I don't want it back. That spot had been filled with those people, with
those cities.
It's hard to go because you truly are leaving your heart behind with these people. You put so much of all that you are into this work, into trying to help these people. You're number one worry is their salvation and happiness. What greater work is there? But I know that this chapter must come to a close. They're not kidding when they say these are the "best two years" of your life. What other set of 18-24 months of your life teach you so much? Humble you so
much? The more you give, the more you get out. That applies to everything in life! The more time and effort you put into your studies, the more information and education you have. The more effort you put into your callings, the more joy you get out of it and the more you benefit others. I'm not saying it's easy. The Lord doesn't ask us to do a lot of easy things. Because He knows that we will only grow if we overcome difficulties. But it's all so very simple and beautiful. And with the Lord's help, we can do it. I don't even know what to say more, what really is there to say? I
love my mission. I can say without a doubt and with 100% conviction that this was the absolute best choice I have ever made. I love my mission. Yes, it did do so much for me. But I love it even more for the COUNTLESS number of opportunities I had to do so much for others. And above all for my Heavenly Father, who gives me so much, and for my Savior, to thank Him.
For you missionaries still out in the field: DON'T STOP. Give all of your heart might mind and strength. Do all you can to overcome your natural man that tells you to go home because your feet hurt or literally no one will listen. THIS WORK IS NOT AN EASY WORK. It requires diligence, patience, obedience, humility, etc. but especially love. Find what you love about the mission, be it the people, the city, the companions, whatever it may be! Work off of that and make the best of every moment you have and learn to love the rest. For everyone back home: always remember what you've learned in the past. Like the prophets in the Book of Mormon always say, remember the tender mercies of the Lord, towards you and also your fathers. Let every experience push you forward toward God in the path of life,
don't go backward and have to relearn things. Remember that God loves you and He is there for you to help in all
things. He sent His Son to Atone for our sins, and in the process Christ chose to also suffer our afflictions, so He can know how to succor us. To help us. To comfort us. To guide us. Use that gift.
I just want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. You have all given me so much love and support. I can say that each one of you has personally helped me in some way during my mission, whether it be from your mass emails, or even just a little note of encouragement. You are all so wonderful and I love and care for each of you so very much.
Thank you.
Vi voglio davvero un mondo di bene.
La Sorella Hawks :)
Last Pizzas in Italy!
Presto!
One last rainy day
District meeting with the Italians!
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