"...arouse the faculties of your souls..." (Jacob 3:11)

I love seeing beautiful flowers!
They are soul satisfying. 

I have been pondering what it means to live, and how to really participate in life. I found two ways (I am sure there are others, but these are the two that were very clear to me).

First way: "And others will [the devil] pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say; All is well in Zion; ye, Zion prospereth, all is well- and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell" (2 Nephi 28:21).

I love greeting this man with a kiss every time he comes home
...and then some. 

Second way: "O my brethren, hearken unto my words; arouse the faculties of your souls; shake yourselves that ye may awake from the slumber of death" (Jacob 3:11).

What I noticed is that the devil is sneaky. He will "lull us into carnal security". Carnal means "1. relating to the physical and especially sexual appetites. 2. Worldly or earthly; temporal. 3. Of or relating to the body or flesh; bodily." (Carnal). This kind of living relies on physical and temporal experiences. I see it as an "eat, drink, and be merry" (2 Nephi 28:8) way of living.There is no real use of one's senses in this situation. The devil "carefully" leads one "down", making one think that, "all is well", when in reality one will miss out on that which is real, even light (see Alma 32:35).

In contrast, Jacob invites us to "hearken", which is a call to action. I love the invitation to "arouse the faculties of your souls". For me, this is using all of my senses, my thoughts, actions, physical as well as spiritual faculties to learn and experience life. This is another way of saying, Wake-up! Living life in this way is powerful, fulfilling, and offers many light filled moments. When I choose to live this way my experiences are rich and satisfying, calming in a way that leads me to want to experience and share the joy I receive with others.

I keep thinking about these ideas. What parts of my life need waking up? What faculties do I need to arouse that involves my whole soul? Am I being "lulled" to sleep or am I "awake"? I keep thinking that the world would have me believe that if I am busier then I am more awake. I can tell you from first hand experience that is not really being awake, it's just being busy.

Enjoy my food!

I invite you to take time to ponder what you need to do to "awake and arouse your faculties" (Alma 32:27). Perhaps it's taking time to notice God's beautiful creations (see 1 Tim. 4:4) , taking time to listen (see Moroni 8:8) , tasting your food (see Proverbs 24:13) , enjoying the harvest of the season (see Revelations 14:15), greeting your spouse with a kiss (see 2 Cor. 13:12), being "still" (which is so very different that being lulled to sleep) (see D&C 101:16, Psalms 4:4), choosing to spend time with loved ones (see Lev 25:10). These are some thoughts that come to my mind. What does your heart tell you?

"...now it is high time to awake out of sleep." (Romans 13:11). Indeed, we must wake-up!

Awaking to the touch of a bee on my leg. It was so light and gentle.

More joy to my soul

I love spending time with Hershey...instant love and acceptance.

Rosie...such a gentle and sweet dog. I'm so grateful God made these creations!

I love peach harvest time!

I took time to bottle some of the peaches...my mom taught me how to do this. How I miss her!
Through this process I felt closer to her and had a satisfied feeling of working hard, preparing and preserving, and a deep appreciation for all that God has created for me to enjoy.