If I love perfectly, then I will have no more fear. If I can love as Christ does, then I will feel only happiness for the good things in other people's lives. I need to see people as Christ does. That is what I will pray for - that I will love them with a perfect love. I need to pray to love more, with a Christlike love. Charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever, and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. Charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in inquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Wherefore, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all those who are the followers of his Son, Jesus Christ. {Moro. 7:45, 47-48}
Charity will make me happy and bring me peace. Charity never faileth.
Monday, August 2, 2010
today i am sad.
With great joy comes great sorrow; with great love comes great pain.
I think that the greater the good times were, the worse the hard times will be. The happiness was worth it. It's just hard right now to remember. The inverse is true too though. With great sorrow comes great joy; with great pain comes great love. "There is a link between sorrow, affliction, and incomprehensible joy." ~Bruce C. Hafen. We can't have it good all the time, we don't learn from that. God whispers in our pleasures and shouts in our pain. ~C.S. Lewis
I know all this stuff about hard times, like it's for my good, this too shall pass, etc. And I still have faith in that, I don't doubt God's hand in my life, but this knowledge doesn't change the fact that I am hurting right now. I'm looking for peace and solace. I'm trying to look for it in Christ. Happiness and peace cannot be found elsewhere. But maybe I just need to suffer through this a little bit. God won't take me out of the storm, but He will guide me safely through it. Pain breeds empathy, compassion, and experience. I need to learn and grow from this experience. Accept the pain, but don't let it overwhelm me or depress me. I can choose to be cheerful despite this. "Some days there won't be a song in your heart. Sing anyways." ~Emory Austin
It seems to me that as I get older my emotions get more powerful and poignant. My happiness greater than ever, but also my sadness. And I have a feeling it's only going to get more extreme as life goes on. But I shouldn't forget the great and wonderful joys that I've had! And they will continue to get greater! It's just hard to remember that and focus on that now. I know this won't last forever, I know greater happiness is coming, but right now I am hurting. It's so hard to see past right now.
I know my pain is minuscule compared to everything else. But it's still real to me. Christ knows perfectly how this feels. He understands. "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind... and he will take upon him their infirmities, that His bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that He may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." {Alma 7:11-12}
Because they cried mightily unto Him he did deliver them... and thus doth the Lord work with his power in all cases, extending the arm of mercy towards them that put their trust in Him. {Mosiah 29:20}
Cry unto the Lord for all thy support, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever. {Alma 37:36}
It's easy to love and trust during the easy times. It wouldn't be a test if it wasn't hard.
Cry unto the Lord thy God, for He is mighty to save. {Alma 34:18} ♥
I think that the greater the good times were, the worse the hard times will be. The happiness was worth it. It's just hard right now to remember. The inverse is true too though. With great sorrow comes great joy; with great pain comes great love. "There is a link between sorrow, affliction, and incomprehensible joy." ~Bruce C. Hafen. We can't have it good all the time, we don't learn from that. God whispers in our pleasures and shouts in our pain. ~C.S. Lewis
I know all this stuff about hard times, like it's for my good, this too shall pass, etc. And I still have faith in that, I don't doubt God's hand in my life, but this knowledge doesn't change the fact that I am hurting right now. I'm looking for peace and solace. I'm trying to look for it in Christ. Happiness and peace cannot be found elsewhere. But maybe I just need to suffer through this a little bit. God won't take me out of the storm, but He will guide me safely through it. Pain breeds empathy, compassion, and experience. I need to learn and grow from this experience. Accept the pain, but don't let it overwhelm me or depress me. I can choose to be cheerful despite this. "Some days there won't be a song in your heart. Sing anyways." ~Emory Austin
It seems to me that as I get older my emotions get more powerful and poignant. My happiness greater than ever, but also my sadness. And I have a feeling it's only going to get more extreme as life goes on. But I shouldn't forget the great and wonderful joys that I've had! And they will continue to get greater! It's just hard to remember that and focus on that now. I know this won't last forever, I know greater happiness is coming, but right now I am hurting. It's so hard to see past right now.
I know my pain is minuscule compared to everything else. But it's still real to me. Christ knows perfectly how this feels. He understands. "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind... and he will take upon him their infirmities, that His bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that He may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." {Alma 7:11-12}
Because they cried mightily unto Him he did deliver them... and thus doth the Lord work with his power in all cases, extending the arm of mercy towards them that put their trust in Him. {Mosiah 29:20}
Cry unto the Lord for all thy support, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever. {Alma 37:36}
It's easy to love and trust during the easy times. It wouldn't be a test if it wasn't hard.
Cry unto the Lord thy God, for He is mighty to save. {Alma 34:18} ♥
Sunday, August 1, 2010
What does Absolute Trust look like?
Turn to God first, in everything.
No fear of others, only faith.
When thou art in tribulation, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God and shalt be obedient unto his voice (for the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) He will not forsake thee. {Deut. 4:30-31}
Constant prayer, listening for the will of the Lord.
God is everything. He is enough to satisfy every need. He is my Father, Christ my elder brother. They love me. I can trust them with my self. Who else can satisfy? No one. Peace cannot be found outside of the Father. There is no happiness outside of his plan of happiness.
Turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning, and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful. {Joel 2:12-13} Turning to the Lord hurts. Only He can heal the hurt. There can be no reservations. Absolute trust.
Turn to no one else for comfort. Nothing else.
Turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, put your trust in Him, and serve Him with all diligence of mind. {Mosiah 7:33}
Serve him first - before receiving anything. Take a leap of faith. Scary! :)
Unto them that look for him shall he appear. {Heb. 9:28}
Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not. {D&C 6:36}
Trust God.
How I know I can trust God: He has never let anyone down ever. Not only is He always there for me, He is always there for everyone. He has never betrayed anyone. I think a fair way to judge people is the way they treat other people. If they talk bad about others to you, or if you know they've been unkind to someone else, chances are it will happen to you, even if you think it never, ever could. God always treats everyone perfectly. He is perfect. There are countless examples of Him being there for people that needed Him, and I know He will be there for me too. It's a predictable pattern of behavior.
My soul, wait thou only upon the Lord, He only is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense, I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory, the rock of my strength, and my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times. {Ps. 62:5-8}
I shouldn't rely on anyone besides God. I can't just place a percentage of my trust in Him but keep some in reserve, "just in case." That's not real trust. God requires nothing more and nothing less than my entire self. my all. my everything. I can't trust in anything besides God. Yes, other people can help me, and I shouldn't be desitrustful of people, but nothing should come between me and God. I have to be 100% invested. A personal, close relationship. Trust in nothing besides God. Logically, this makes sense. It shouldn't be hard to trust my all to an all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving God. But it is.
Other helpers fail and comforts flee. Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me. Earth's joys grow dim, it's glories pass away. Change and decay in all around I see; O thou who changest not, abide with me. I need thy presence every passing hour. Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be? Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.
I shouldn't rely on anyone besides God. I can't just place a percentage of my trust in Him but keep some in reserve, "just in case." That's not real trust. God requires nothing more and nothing less than my entire self. my all. my everything. I can't trust in anything besides God. Yes, other people can help me, and I shouldn't be desitrustful of people, but nothing should come between me and God. I have to be 100% invested. A personal, close relationship. Trust in nothing besides God. Logically, this makes sense. It shouldn't be hard to trust my all to an all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving God. But it is.
He is jealous for me
God is jealous for me. When he sees me spending my time with others and not with Him, or when I turn to others when I should turn to Him, it hurts Him. He is happy for me to be happy and have friends, but nothing and no one should replace Him as #1 in my life. He wants to talk to me, all the time. He should be my best friend. I should turn to Him first, before all others. Jesus will always be there for me. He will never betray me or fail me or let me down.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Be Still, My Soul
Be still, my soul, the Lord is on thy side. With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain. Leave to thy God to order and provide. In every change, He faithful will remain. Be still my soul, thy best, thy Heavenly Friend, through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Christ should be my best friend because he's the only one I can really count on to be with me throughout my entire life. He's a real person, why wouldn't I have that kind of relationship with Him? Other people will come and go, I grow close to friends and then we grow apart, people move, people change, life happens. Jesus is the only one I can count on to always be there with me every step of the way. He knows me better than anyone and yet he still loves me infinitely more than anyone ever could. He is perfect. He understands exactly what I'm going through. I need to turn to Him in times of need, the same way I turn to my human best friends. I need to nurture the relationship, to put as much effort and investment into it as into my earthly friendships. Relationships cannot exist one-sided. One person can't be expected to give and give and give into the relationship. It has to be two-way. Mutual loving. I don't have to give equal to what He is giving, but it has to be my all, 100%, because that is what He is giving me. Christ is perfectly loving and forgiving and understanding. He wants me to rely on him, to turn to Him when other sources fail me. Perhaps that's why other sources have failed. So that I will be forced to turn to Him. He loves me. And I know that he will always love me. I can trust him with my life, because he gave His life for me. I belong to Him. I want to belong to Him. He offers salvation to his friends. "Greater love hath no man than this - that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." {John 15:13-14}
Good friends talk often. {Every day at least.} They consult each other. And not just when it's convenient for them or when they need something. They want to talk to each other.
Good friends do things for each other out of love. They sacrifice for each other.
Good friends listen, and they care.
Good friends do things together. They like to spend time together, doesn't matter where.
Good friends say "I love you," and mean it.
Good friends defend and protect each other.
Good friends put each other first.
Good friends express appreciation.
Be still my soul: Thy God doth undertake to guide the future as he has the past. Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake; All now mysterious shall be bright at last. Be still, my soul, The waves and winds still know His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.
God is in control. He's got it. He rules over over the universe. All things are within his power. He will take care of me. He has a plan for me.
Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on when we shall be forever with the Lord, when disappointment, grief and fear are gone, sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored. Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past, all safe and blessed we shall meet at last :)
Everything has a purpose. He knows me. He is aware of me. He has a plan for me. He will not abandon my. My God is faithful.
Jesus gave His life for me. Shouldn't I return the favor?
He paid the highest price for me, and still He tells me I am free.
He is truly my Redeemer, my Savior, and my God.
Christ should be my best friend because he's the only one I can really count on to be with me throughout my entire life. He's a real person, why wouldn't I have that kind of relationship with Him? Other people will come and go, I grow close to friends and then we grow apart, people move, people change, life happens. Jesus is the only one I can count on to always be there with me every step of the way. He knows me better than anyone and yet he still loves me infinitely more than anyone ever could. He is perfect. He understands exactly what I'm going through. I need to turn to Him in times of need, the same way I turn to my human best friends. I need to nurture the relationship, to put as much effort and investment into it as into my earthly friendships. Relationships cannot exist one-sided. One person can't be expected to give and give and give into the relationship. It has to be two-way. Mutual loving. I don't have to give equal to what He is giving, but it has to be my all, 100%, because that is what He is giving me. Christ is perfectly loving and forgiving and understanding. He wants me to rely on him, to turn to Him when other sources fail me. Perhaps that's why other sources have failed. So that I will be forced to turn to Him. He loves me. And I know that he will always love me. I can trust him with my life, because he gave His life for me. I belong to Him. I want to belong to Him. He offers salvation to his friends. "Greater love hath no man than this - that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." {John 15:13-14}
Good friends talk often. {Every day at least.} They consult each other. And not just when it's convenient for them or when they need something. They want to talk to each other.
Good friends do things for each other out of love. They sacrifice for each other.
Good friends listen, and they care.
Good friends do things together. They like to spend time together, doesn't matter where.
Good friends say "I love you," and mean it.
Good friends defend and protect each other.
Good friends put each other first.
Good friends express appreciation.
Be still my soul: Thy God doth undertake to guide the future as he has the past. Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake; All now mysterious shall be bright at last. Be still, my soul, The waves and winds still know His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.
God is in control. He's got it. He rules over over the universe. All things are within his power. He will take care of me. He has a plan for me.
Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on when we shall be forever with the Lord, when disappointment, grief and fear are gone, sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored. Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past, all safe and blessed we shall meet at last :)
Everything has a purpose. He knows me. He is aware of me. He has a plan for me. He will not abandon my. My God is faithful.
Jesus gave His life for me. Shouldn't I return the favor?
He paid the highest price for me, and still He tells me I am free.
 |
| "I love you this much." |
He is truly my Redeemer, my Savior, and my God.
rambling thoughts on trust part 2 :)
Trust is essential to a relationship. If you can't trust a person to tell you the truth or to always be there for you, to treat you right, to love you, to be faithful, to be honest and good - then you really have no relationship. Until you can trust a person to love you completely, you can't be totally open and so you put on a façade and it's not really you in the relationship. You need to be able to trust them to never ever use anything against you or hurt you. Relationships are trusting people with your real self. We can trust God completely to be all of these things, and once we do, we can have a relationship with Him.
When other sources fail, God is constant. God is constant when nothing else is.
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