2 Nephi 2: 2

"And he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain."

This scripture tells me that no experience is wasted. When we have bad days, or when we do something wrong we are learning. We should learn and grow from our afflictions as our Heavenly Father would have us do. If we can find meaning in our affliction and be comforted by our faith in the Lord, He will help us not to put our experience to waste. He will make it for our good and suddenly a bad day was a great learning moment. If we have sinned, we repent and are healed by the atonement. After we exercise our faith in the atonement we are stronger and we have gained something important, faith and knowledge.

Recently I have learned of the importance of good and bad experiences. I do not regret a single moment that lead to my ultimate heart break, I don’t even really regret the heart break. I have learned so much from this experience. The Lord has turned my trial into a gain. I am now aware of so many things and make better choices. Had I learned nothing from the experience all would be for not. 

  It also seems very special to me that the word “consecrate” is used.  “To make or declare sacred.” All affliction is sacred. It is a learning opportunity they Lord has trusted you with and should you bear it well, He will dedicate this sacred opportunity to you and make it a blessing. Decide now that you will bear well your affliction that it might be for a purpose.

My life is a blessing

My life is a blessing. My Heavenly Father loves me so much He has given me so much.I have a family that is eternal. I have a knowledge and testimony of the true gospel. I have an older brother who suffered all my pain and sins becuase he loves me. My worth is great, not becuase of anything I have done, or anything that I could ever do, but because of the love my Father in Heaven has for me. I am so blessed for the magnificent and perfect love given to me because I am truly not worthy of it. I know He loves all of His children as well. All He asks is that we try to be perfect and He will do the rest. That is perfect love.

Doctrine and Covenants 3:3

“Remember, remember that it is not the work of God that is frustrated, but the work of men.”

It seems to me that a lot of college students, me included have plans. We have plans for careers and plans for family, but what we don’t take into account is what the Lord wants. We often work in vain at a major we are not meant to do only to be frustrated by our own efforts. The Lord on the other hand has a plan for us and it cannot be stopped. It is sure and good. If we could only give up our fear of the unknown and put our efforts into the eternal plans although it would not be easy, it could not be frustrated.

                This scripture gives me so much comfort, knowing that the Lord’s plan cannot be stopped. There is not plan B to the Atonement and the plan of Salvation because nothing can stop it. It also reminds me of a phrase my mother always told me, “the gospel is perfect, but people are not.” The work of the Lord is perfect and cannot be tainted, such as the gospel. The works of men are not perfect and can be easily ruined, such as government institutions. Although I believe our government was inspired, it is not perfect because it is the frustrated creation of man.

                The verse also demonstrates to me the extent of God’s power. There are many people who simply do not believe the power of the Lord and seek to prove Him false or somehow inconsistent. Despite all the effort they will put into this endeavor they will not prevail because the Lord’s plan cannot be frustrated.

D&C 74: 7

“But little children are holy, being sanctified through the atonement of Jesus Christ; and this is what the scriptures mean.”

               

                Children are the most loving and pure people on God’s green earth. They are born perfect and pure, ready to learn to and to molded. It is the responsibility of the parents to teach them the gospel and to love these precious children.  It is crazy to me that some people would treat children so harshly or to neglect them. To think poorly of a child is ridiculous, they have so much potential that we can never determine their worth to the Lord and to the world.

                Little children are holy because they are without sin. The mistakes they make are not sins because they do not yet understand the consequences of their actions. I have been studying recently about how children learn. The things small children do that are annoying are not done out of malice, but because they are learning about their world through their actions. Such as a child who drops their spoon at the dinner table repeatedly. They are not trying to be annoying, they just discovered gravity and the effects it has on a spoon, namely a cool sound and a funny reaction from mom.  

The child is not aware yet of their wrong so they are still holy. Much like how Adam and Eve were pure until after they ate of the tree of knowledge. I imagine that they were doing some things that we would have considered wrong, but it was not wrong because they were not aware that it was wrong. This is the same for little children who are yet to realize their wrongs.

               

D&C 64:33

“Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation for a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.”

                Sometimes we all do things that are required of us but we feel that it is unimportant.  There are people who are called to be bishops and relief society president who are doing big jobs for the Lord. It is hard to compare my calling to their callings and see my calling as being of worth. I am the “relief society media coordinator”. This sounds fancy, but really what it means is that I make the bulletin board. Although my job is small, it does have a purpose. I keep people informed of what is coming up and birthdays and such things. It is fun to make the board and to decorate it, but at moments it seems to be more of a crafty hobby rather than a calling from the Lord.

                My job is small, but if I did not do it who would? I should not be weary in my well doing. My small calling, although small and dispensable, is from the Lord. It is helping to build the kingdom, one informed ward member at a time.

                It may also seem at times that the rules we are following are menial. Do not smoke, do not drink coffee, are a few of the rules that the world see as small and ridiculous. Each time we obey one of the small rules we are proving our willingness to obey the Lord in all things. Obey the big rules like not killing is not all that hard, but restraining from calling your sibling a name is very hard. So with small choices and obedience we are building the kingdom of God and we should not be discouraged because of the little recognition given to those small efforts.

Doctrine and Covenants 10:36-37

                Sometimes I do feel it is hard to tell the righteous from the wicked. I have experienced this confusing phenomenon the most here at BYU. When I came to BYU I thought, “Gosh I am going to a Mormon school, I will be surrounded by Mormons all the time and they will be righteous and good.” I have since learned that although most of the student here are Mormon despite their religion they are still people and make some mistakes. Although I would not classify some of my fellow students as wicked I would not wish to spend too much time with them. The Holy Ghost has guided me to good friends and I am so thankful because I have had a hard time distinguishing the better from the best as it may be said.

                The first sentence of this scripture is particularly important to me. Sharing my testimony is a big deal to me and very few people have heard it. It is there and it is strong but I feel like it needs to be shared with those people who will hear it with the care I have taken to bare it. So I will “show it unto the righteous.” A testimony is very special and dear and should be shared with those who will hold it with the respect and care it deserves.

D&C 52: 33

“Yea, verily I say, let all these take their journey unto one place, in their several courses, and one man shall not build upon another’s foundation, neither journey in another’s track.”

                This scripture is about many sets of men, missionaries, going to one place. They are all going by a different path as to spread the gospel to the most people. Even though this is the literal meaning of the scripture, I think it can be applied to us in a different way. It can be applied to our testimony.

                We all must receive a testimony for ourselves. For those of us who were born into the church we share the testimony of our parents, but we cannot ‘build upon another’s foundation’. We must seek our own path. Even though our path may be different and our testimony may come by different experiences, it leads us to the same place as our parents. We will have many unique experiences from our parents and from other members of the church that will form a foundation for us. A testimony is a personal realization and is thus a different path.

                These different paths are the ‘several courses’. It is possible for a person has a testimony at a young age, or that they develop it on their missions.  My mother had to find the church and then gain a testimony. Her path was different from mine and I cannot build on her foundation, her foundation cannot support my testimony, only a foundation that I have built up myself will support my testimony. I was born into the church and had to find my testimony within a community of active members. We both have a testimony, but our testimony is unique to us and is built on our own foundations.

D&C 46

Seek ye earnestly the best gifts

                I have wondered about what gifts I possess; at first I could not really determine anything. After looking over my patriarchal blessing I have seen the blessings I have been promised. One thing that is mentioned at least three times is that I am intelligent. Although I do not see myself that way, but heck, maybe I am intelligent! It does not say I am a genius and maybe it is a gift I need to work on, to magnify through study and prayer.

                My dad always makes fun of the fact that his blessing says that he will have “clarity of mind” in his old age. He chuckles and usually says something to the effect of, “I can’t wait to get old I could really use some clarity of mind.” The gifts of spirit differ for us all, and from what I have seen the gifts come to us at different times. My dad will probably need clarity of mind the most in his old age that is why it is promised to him then.

                What I really wouldn’t mind having is the gift to be comforted. Sometimes I feel like that is my worst problem. I can become all flustered and stressed, and then it is hard to just calm myself down or to be comforted by other people. Also to just feel at peace when things go wrong would be great, particularly now when I am far away from home, away from my parents and family.  

The Atonement

The Atonement is the most beautiful thing created by Heavenly Father. It is a sound and ingenious plan that allows His children the hope and way to come back to Him and join Him in the highest kingdom of Heaven forever.  While reading some talks I found a few things particularly moving in the plan.

Elder David B. Haight uses the scripture John 16:33, “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.” The Lord, Jesus Christ, has overcome the world. Although He was betrayed, mocked, and beaten in the end He had won, He had overcome the world. Evil cannot stop the works of the Lord. They can fight and torment, but shall never prevail against those who are serving righteously and doing the good works God has given them to do.  This fact gives me courage. Although at times I may feel like I am losing the fight, I have already won. The Savior has made the way for victory and I too can overcome the world.

The Savior made the way for us through His suffering. Sometimes I feel as if Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are abstract beings. It is hard to imagine them being like me, being able to understand what I am feeling. They do understand. Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, felt every pain of mine, from small bruises to deep heart ache. He has cried the tears I have cried and has worried about the same things I worry about now. The atonement can work for me because the pain He felt was my pain.  “Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, …” He could feel it physically and emotionally. He didn’t understand pain or sympathize with it, He knew it.

It is a terrifying thought to think that the Savior suffered my pain. Every heart ache and mistake that I make adds to the pain He felt. There is a reason he suffered all of this for me. If I can repent, I do not have to suffer as He did. This is the ingenious part of the Heavenly Father’s plan. All things need balance. Someone needs to pay the price. Jesus paid the price for my sins because He and Heavenly Father knew that I was not strong enough to pay for them myself. Although I still have consequences for my actions, through the atonement I can be made clean. I do not have to suffer the extreme and eternal consequences for my actions if I repent because Jesus has already paid that price.

D&C 24: 8

 “Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but endure them, for, lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days.”

                ‘For thou shalt have many’, isn’t that the truth? Sometimes it feels like once you have knocked down one trial another one pops back up. Our trials will keep coming, but we should not fear. We are more than capable of handling our trials especially with the help of our Heavenly Father. He has promised us that He will be with us always to help us with our trials. All we have to do is reach out to Him and let Him help us.

                Trials are for the most part not to punish us. They are also not to make us feel weak and realized our faults, but to help us realize our strengths. We are strong, stronger than we think with the Lord on our side. This reminds me of the resiliency principle I learned about in my Family Processes class. The principle says that people are capable of handling more than they think they can at first. For instance a person who is seeing cannot imagine living a life blind. Those people who have lost their eyesight do not simply die, they live on, and they live quite well. We don’t know what we can handle until we have dealt with it. This principle is not due to some genetic mutation in human beings, but because we are divine beings with the assistance of a greater power, Heavenly Father.

                The first part says we should endure our afflictions with patience. For me this is the hardest part. I know that I will get out of my trial, but I am so focused on getting out of it, I do not stop to think of what I should be learning from this experience and the experience is wasted and often times repeated.

1 Nephi 20: 10-11

"For behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. For mine own sake, yea, for mine own sake will I do this, for I will not suffer my name to be polluted, and I will not give my glory unto another."

Jesus has given up so much for us. He has been treated poorly and suffered all things because he loves us.
1 Nephi 19: 9, "And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught: wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men."

All that he claims for himself is his name. His name is sacred and powerful. It is truth and honor. When we are baptized we take upon ourselves his name and he expects it to be cared for and upheld. He will test us with trials and obstacles to make us more worthy to carry his name, to bear all things even as he has. If all that he requests is that we not defile his name, shouldn't we be able to act in a manner best fitting to fulfill his only wish? We should live our lives in a way that would make Jesus happy to have given us his name.

Introduction

My D&C teacher last semester had us keep a scripture journal once a week. I really liked that idea becuase it really got me to think about the scriptures on a more personal level. For this reason I shall keep one here for all of you to read. Basically it will be the insights I have gleaned from the scriptures as they apply to me. What I write I can not garauntee will be doctrinally sound, but I hope that you gain a testimony from the small testimony I will be bearing once a week.