My Garden of Life

*It's been a long time since I've written on this blog, and I have finally felt inspired as to how to use this blog. I want to share some of my writings from my personal gospel study journal with whoever reads this. My hope is that the Spirit of the Lord may touch your heart as you read and that you will feel and recognize God's love.*

May 21, 2010
Today I am starting in gospel principles manual chapter 4 titled Freedom to Choose. I really like this quote on page 19 that says "right choices increases our power to make more right choices."

While reading some of the additional scripture references, I read Alma 41:3, and then continued to read the rest of that chapter. It talks of how we will be judged according to our works and the desires of our hearts. It is a very simple and straightforward doctrine here. In verses 13 and 15 in particular, I was amazed at how clearly the "law of the harvest" and the "law of attraction" are described, in the Lord's way. In verse 13 it says, "the meaning of the word restoration is to bring back again evil for evil, or carnal for carnal, or devilish for devilish - good for that which is good, righteous for that which is righteous; just for that which is just; merciful for that which is merciful." Then Alma goes on in verse 14 to explain that if we are merciful to others, deal justly, judge righteously and do good continually we will have all of those things restored to us. This is the law of the harvest, in that we reap what we sow.

I am thinking of the visual lesson I got of this from "Grandpa's Garden," a short video shared at Women's Conference of Dallin H. Oaks teaching in his garden that when we plant a cucumber, we will get a cucumber, not a tomato. This verse just a few verses earlier, verse 10, is coming to mind as well: "wickedness never was happiness." If our actions and the desires of our hearts in this life are wicked, that's what we're planting and that's what we will get. If our actions and desires are righteous, that's what we're planting and we will reap happiness.

Then in verse 15 is the law of attraction verbatim: "For that which ye do send out shall return unto you again and be restored." I've heard this law described as a boomerang before. Unlike the world teaches, this law isn't all about temporal things, like sending out "positive thoughts to the universe" about the new car we'd like, and then having that new car returned to us. This is about eternity. And just like when planting a garden, we plant seeds and then we must tend them and nurture them, and then, we must PATIENTLY WAIT. This requires great patience, diligence in nurturing, and faith. The faith can be sure because although we may not SEE cucumbers, we can know that it will be cucumbers that grow because that's what we planted.

I am amazed at how many righteous people do not feel worthy to inherit the blessings of eternal life. They do not understand these laws. The Lord has given us "the seeds" and told us what kind of seeds they are. We can know that if we plant these seeds of righteousness, we will reap the blessings of eternal life.

I believe these laws. This has been a good reminder for me today because I have a tendency to "plant good stuff'" and then become impatient when I don't see immediate results. I feel like the good that I am planting should be returned to me right away. I compare myself to others and think that I've planted more good than they have, so why do they have more money, a nicer house, nicer cars, nicer clothes? And I am tempted to discard my efforts in the belief that "this law doesn't work."

I feel extremely humbled right now. There are tears in my eyes because I can see so clearly my folly. I am wrong for thinking of myself as better than others. I may be planting a lot of good seeds, but what I am doing does not change the intrinsic value of my brothers and sisters. We are all in this together. We are all children of God. I should be sharing my seeds with others, teaching them how to plant good and righteousness. I've fallen into this "better than box" before. I am really grateful for this scripture study because it has helped me to recognize my mistake and helped me "get out of the box." Also, while I was writing what I did about comparing myself to others, the words of this hymn, Count Your Blessings, clearly came to mind: "When you look at others with their lands and gold, think that Christ has promised you his wealth untold." I really am grateful for that reminder as well. The seeds I am planting will grow into eternal "wealth untold."

I need to stop feeling sorry for myself that I don't have a "nice car," an expensive house and money flowing. Those are all temporal things and that's not what I'm planting. I could, but I didn't, so I need to stop feeling disappointed that I'm not "reaping" those sorts of things in my life because I planted something different. The seeds I'm planting are my choices to be obedient to the Lord's commandments, to study my scriptures, to pray always, to attend the temple, to be forgiving, to love others, to serve others, to live the gospel of Jesus Christ as fully as I can. These choices will bring me "Christ's wealth untold." This is not to say that having a nice car, money, nice clothes, a nice house, all of those worldly trappings of wealth are "bad", or not desirable. But to reap those things, I would need to be planting different seeds.

In sitting here pondering more on this, I have made a visual of little "seed packets" in my mind. And each packet has a picture on it. I've given different names to the different packets. There's seeds of eternal life, seeds of success/wealth, seeds of health, seeds of knowledge/wisdom, seeds of talent (of various variety), seeds of strong, happy, healthy relationships, and I'm sure more. But these were the most important GOOD seeds I could think of. And in pondering, I've realized that the cunning deception of the adversary is to convince us that all of these are the same. This is destructive and leads us away from God because it gives way to thoughts such as, "I've always done the right things and kept the commandments, so why have I been diagnosed with cancer? God must not care about all I've done." Which can lead to resentful feelings towards God, leading to apathy, to agnosticism, to atheism. It goes many other ways too, where people who are extremely poor and unsuccessful may believe there is no hope for eternal life.

So in our garden of life we can choose what seeds we want to plant and they will grow accordingly. If we plant success seeds, we shouldn't be expecting health. If we plant strong relationship seeds, we shouldn't be expecting talent to suddenly bloom. And overall, there are good kinds of seeds and bad seeds (weeds). We plant through our individual choices. And not choosing deliberately to plant good seeds is making a choice to let weeds take root and eventually overrun our lives. In the final judgment we will be rewarded according to what we chose to plant in our gardens. It's up to us what we cultivate. Wow, I am really digging this analogy! Yaay for scripture study!!! My testimony of that has been strengthened today because of the opportunity for insight and learning and understanding that it opened up. If I hadn't opened my scriptures today, I wouldn't have thought about all of this stuff. And "all of this stuff" has helped me a lot. I feel strengthened.

Daily and With Exactness

Last weekend was the 179th semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have grown to love these conferences for the spiritual nourishment and strength they provide me. I believe the men and women who speak during these conferences are called of God and that they speak the words that the Lord would have me hear.

I'd like to share my favorite talk from this last conference. It is titled Preserving the Heart's Mighty Change, given by Dale G. Renlund.

Elder Renlund, a doctor, teaches about how to maintain a spiritually changed heart by using the example of a physically transplanted heart. These are the points he shares about heart transplants and how the recipients need to care for their new hearts:

• The recipient's body sees the new heart as foreign and will attack it. Left unchecked, the body's natural response is to reject the new heart. Without a heart, obviously, the patient will die.

• Medicines can suppress this natural response of the body, but they must be taken daily and with exactness.
  

• Occasional heart biopsies must be performed to monitor the condition of the new heart so that if there are signs of rejection, adjustments in the medications can be made.

• Some patients actually become casual in their care of their new heart by skipping medicines here and there and by not getting their follow-up appointments (biopsies) as frequently as they should. They think because they feel good that all is well, but they are putting themselves at risk to shorten their life.

Just as a heart transplant is the "ultimate operation" for our physical body, the same is true for our spirits. The Lord has told us "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26)

This spiritual change of heart occurs through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel, which are:

faith,
repentance,
baptism,
and the gift of the Holy Ghost

Left unchecked, the tendency of the natural man is to reject this spiritually changed heart and allow it to harden, jeopardizing eternal salvation and leading to a spiritual death.

This natural tendency can be suppressed by "medicine" taken daily and with exactness.

What is the "prescribed medication" that will help us to maintain our spiritually changed heart? For this answer, Elder Renlund turns to the example of a people in the Book of Mormon who, after they were taught the gospel and converted to the Lord, "never did fall away!" (Alma 23:6)

These people were "distinguished for their zeal towards God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end." (Alma 27:27) We also "know that they taught their children the gospel in their homes and that they buried their weapons of war, distancing themselves from temptations."
(This is one of my favorite pictures and stories in the Book of Mormon, by the way!)

Through analyzing the example of these people of Ammon, as they come to be known in the Book of Mormon, Elder Renlund presents the following as the "medication" that we can take daily and with exactness in order to maintain our spiritually changed heart:

• maintain faith in Jesus Christ by:
  

prayer,
study of the scriptures,
partaking of the Sacrament weekly,
and having the Holy Ghost as your constant companion

• actively help and serve others and share the gospel with them
• be perfectly upright and honest in all things, holding your covenants firmly and not rationalizing commitments to God or man
• teach and rejoice in the words of Christ in your home so that you desire to apply the Atonement in your life
• identify temptations that easily beset you and put them way out of reach

Along with doing these things daily and with exactness, we also must frequently biopsy our spiritually changed hearts and reverse any signs of rejection. This can be done by humbly and sincerely answering questions such as are found in Alma chapter 5, verses 14-30. Here are a few of those questions:

If ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?

Have ye been sufficiently humble?

Are ye stripped of pride?

Becoming casual with these seemingly small actions is a spiritual death trap. Eternal salvation and exaltation are at stake.

This talk was exactly what I needed to hear at this time because I hadn't been taking all of my medication so to say. I was so grateful for this powerful reminder of what is at stake if I am not maintaining the new spiritual heart that I have been given. The gospel of Jesus Christ is simple. The challenge, for me, comes in living it daily and with exactness. Because of this talk I have a put a renewed focus on taking ALL of my medication! I had been leaving out prayer and scripture study too frequently. It shouldn't be left out at all! I have committed to do better because it is so important to me to keep my spiritual heart softened to the influence of the Holy Spirit. I do not want to risk the hardening of my heart and the resulting spiritual death. I am so thankful for this reminder.

Taking His Yoke

In my living room I have this beautiful painting of the Savior by Simon Dewey.
Underneath the picture is this scripture:

"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)

If you've ever wondered what a "yoke" is, here's a picture:

It's used by oxen to carry a load. With two strong oxen yoked together, they are able to carry a heavy load together. Imagine how difficult that same load would be to pull if there were only one ox working to pull it.

So it is in life. One can carry a load all on his own, or come unto Christ and take His yoke upon him. When I feel like my load is NOT easy and my burden is NOT light, I take some time to ask myself sincerely: "Am I yoked with Christ?" Next comes the necessary course corrections (repentance) that brings me back to Him, under His yoke. I appreciate that my burden is not taken away from me. I am not absolved of the burdens of life by coming unto Christ, rather I am helped in pulling the weight that I am given to bear. And with Him, my burdens are lighter and I can bear them with ease, submitting "cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord." (Mosiah 24:15)

I do my best to remember the Savior's Atonement. I remember that He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane so that when I repent of my sins and come unto Him that I do not have to suffer the full weight of my sins. I know He did this because He loves me. I choose to show my love to Him in return by yoking myself to Him and by being willing to humbly, willingly accept the will of the Lord in my life.

Spending Time in the Sun

The other day I was standing at the end of my bed talking with my husband when I happened to glance down at the floor and I saw this:

I busted up laughing and had time even to run and grab my camera from the other room and snap the picture. He was out! I put this picture on the desktop of my laptop and every time I see it my face breaks into a smile. I'd like to share some insights about this picture that I thought of while looking at it.

First of all, notice that my cat chose to lay in the sunlight. The sun is brighter than anything else I can see. Light is warmth. Even on a cold day in winter, if I can find a sunny spot and stand in it, my body can be warmed by the sunlight. Light helps to see. Light can even direct actions... for example, I wake up and get going in the morning because of the light! I believe that when we choose "sunny spots" to plant ourselves in, we can feel all the wonderful feelings of joy flowing into our hearts. We can feel our souls warmed by the Light.

Now, the next thing I want to point out about my cat is his position. (by the way, I've never seen him sleep like this either, which makes it an even better shot!) He obviously has no reserves. He's got his head back, his legs totally extended, and his body is totally flat on his back. His eyes are closed and he is out like a light. Man! He looks so relaxed! When I look close enough, I can see he's got a big ol' cat grin all over his furry face! I believe there's a lot I can learn from this dear cat of mine! He is certainly not ashamed to be totally planted, relaxed and so comfortable in the light!

I like to follow his example. I am not ashamed of it when I choose to fill my life with light by standing in holy places. I love to be warmed by the Savior's love. I am happy when I plant myself firmly and comfortably in the light of His love. Worries about what others think of me go out the window because my comfort comes from knowing that I am basking in His light and that I am happy doing so! That's what I'm here to experience in life: happiness! "Men are that they might have joy!" (2 Nephi 2:25)

Another thing I have learned from Weber's position is to not take myself so seriously. It's okay to do something because I LOVE to do it! It's good to be relaxed and not so worried about all the little worldly things that can keep me bogged down and stressed out. I am putting my trust in the Lord and basking in His light when I am relaxed, happy and joyful. This kind of freedom and joy comes when I purposefully seek out His light and purposefully choose to bask in it.

So now when I look at this picture, I think about the ways that I am basking in light and warmth and I like to ask myself this question: "Am I choosing to spend my time with the Son?" I love it when my answer is "yes!"

The Hunger

I have a deep hunger for knowledge. The knowledge I hunger for and seek after is divine knowledge. I yearn to know more of the things of God. This hunger drives me to seek and to question. I apply the scripture in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 which says: "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." I know that "all things which are good cometh of Christ." (Moroni 7:24)

I often ask myself: "What am I hungering for? Where is my focus? What is it that I am spending my time focusing my energy on?" When I identify the answers to these questions, I then ask myself, "is my energy being well spent?" I feel so good when my answer is a resounding YES! However, there are many times when I realize that my focus is not where I want it to be and my energy is not being well spent. So I make a course correction. I want my time and energy to be focused on one thing: how I can serve my Lord today in building up His kingdom.

I love when I feel like Mary of old who sat at the feet of Christ and just absorbed every word coming out of his mouth. I love when my mind is on seeking out, obeying, and teaching the words of Christ. At these times I am filled with the Spirit and I yearn for more. I want to continue to seek for divine knowledge and guidance. I believe this knowledge will fill my spirit and help me to be a kind, thoughtful, and loving person. I want to continue to "feast upon the words of Christ" to satisfy my hunger for knowledge because I believe that "the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do." (2 Nephi 32:3)

I Seek After Charity

The reason I am on this earth is so that I can learn to become like my Father in Heaven. My elder brother, Jesus Christ, is the perfect exemplar I can look to and follow. In the scriptures it is said that charity, the pure love of Christ, is the greatest gift to seek after; that "if ye have not charity, ye are nothing." (Moroni 7:44, 46) To me, charity means truly caring more about serving others than serving one's self. Having charity means to serve God with all of the heart, might, mind and strength, and with no ulterior motives. Being charitable is seeing everyone, ourselves included, as children of God and treating them as such. Serving with charity means seeking the inspiration of the Lord so as to be an instrument in His hands in bringing love, peace and comfort to a heart in need. A charitable person is focused on Love.

The antithesis of charity, I believe, is selfishness and victimization. It is when one is more concerned with getting as much as possible for as little effort, time or money as possible. It is only caring about personal wants and how to satisfy personal "needs" with little or no regard as to how one's actions may affect someone else. It is ignoring personal accountability in any given situation and believing that someone else is always to blame and someone else should fix the problem. An uncharitable person is focused on themselves.

These two dualities are the end result of what individual, daily choices lead to. They are a state of being, not who we are. I believe we are children of God, all equal in His sight. It is through our own choices in life that we end up at one end or the other. Change is a choice away. One of the greatest gifts we have been given is agency. We "are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death according to the captivity and power of the devil." (2 Nephi 2:27) The way we view the world, our belief system, governs our actions. If we want to make a change in our actions, first, we must be willing to change the way we believe.

I believe we are all in a great moment in the eternities with the opportunity to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Savior. I believe that He will come again. And I believe that He will come among those who live as He did. I want to be among that group. My intent in my life is to become like my Heavenly Father. The way to become as He is, is to seek after charity.

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren (and sisters), if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail - but charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whosoever is possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. Wherefore, my beloved brethren (and sisters), pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons (and daughters) of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen." (Moroni 7:46-48)

The Spirit of Giving

At Christmas time most minds are thinking a lot about giving and receiving gifts. I love the spirit at Christmas time because it seems that there are so many people who are thinking about others. This is the real spirit of the season: the spirit of giving.

When I carry this spirit with me throughout the year, I am happier, more at peace, more successful, and more in line with the reason why I am here in the first place. I do my best to keep my thoughts centered on what I can do for others, to help them feel a little more love in their life. I have so much love to give and I know it is wasted if I chose to consume my time with my own worries and cares.

Take some time to reflect on how the gifts you give this year can be filled with love and meaning for those you care about. Take time to reach out a little further with love.

Here is an amazing story about Dick & Rick Hoyt.

http://www.jetstarcourier.com/hoyt.htm

And here is a link to a little video of their story. Seeing this example of the spirit of giving really helps me to think a little more of others and a little less of myself.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2632954908718914053