"...but care for the soul, and the life of the soul" (D&C 101:37)

#LightTheWorld #day21

I have to confess that I really love good food...all sorts of food. Like Thai yellow chicken curry (or pretty much any curry), mmmm hamburgers! Good bread! or candy, and most definitely chocolate...(I ate a whole pound of See's chocolate all by myself the other week- man that was so gooood!), and sweet breads. I love a good omelette, sausage, bacon, all kinds of cheese! And I haven't even begun to talk about fruits and vegetables! Ok, now I'm just making myself hungry...and I have only just started on good food. If I don't eat when I am hungry, I get "hangry". My family is well aware of this affect upon my body and mind when I haven't eaten enough or when I am hungry (to speak nothing of being tired, cold, and wet). So, I try and eat before that hangriness hits- sometimes I can do it, but other times not so well.

And there is another kind of food that I also love. It's food for the soul. Sometimes the easiest thing to do is to feed the body and neglect the soul. I love this scripture that teaches me to keep these things in perspective: "Therefore, care not for the body, neither the life of the body; but care for the soul, and the life of the soul" (D&C 101:37). When I focus on only feeding my body and do nothing for my spirit, I get out of balance...perhaps it's a form of being spiritually hangry?

To feed the soul is to care more about the whole person, and not just the body. As I follow the example of the Savior in forgiving others (see Matthew 9:2; D&C 62:3), letting go of anger (see Psalms 37:8), in serving others (see Luke 10:25-37, Mosiah 2:17), in doing good (see D&C 6:8; Matthew 7:12), then I am fed (see Psalms 37:3). And I am also feeding His sheep..."for I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat" (Matthew 25:35; see also John 21:16). This is when the hangriness goes away because I am fed physically and spiritually.

Spending time with loved ones is "doing good"! Feed their souls!

My mom enjoying her ice cream. Caring for others is serving, and feeds souls!

"Fear not to do good..." (D&C 6:33)

Day # 23

I am so grateful for this scripture because of how I feel when I apply it.

"Fear not to do good, my [children],

 for whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap;

 therefore, if ye sow good ye shall also reap good for your reward." 

(D&C 6:33)

Everyday I want to do good. Sometimes though, I get afraid- of rejection, or being made fun of, or not doing it well enough. Perhaps those are just excuses to not act...I don't know.

What I do know is that Christ "went about doing good" (Acts 10:38). Therefore, as a disciple of Christ I will follow His example. I find that as I apply this counsel from the Lord, to not be afraid of doing good, I am happier, more positive and kinder towards others. 

One of the good things I love to sow is to be friendly to everyone. I have been pleasantly surprised by people and their reactions as I smile at them. Almost 100% of the time people smile back. It is true in the small moment of smiling, what I sow, I reap. 

People sure are beautiful when they smile. Therefore, do good. It makes a world of difference. 

Doing good- My children and their cousins helped with some of the tiles for a public mosaic.

sowing good = reaping good

This is the finished product of doing good. It beautified the path way that children use to walk to and from school.
More information about the project 

"But behold I say unto you, love your enemies..." (3 Nephi 12:44; see also Matt. 5:44)

Day #15

I am thankful for this scripture and the challenge it gives me every day to do what is not always easy. It is so important to learn how to do this. Christ taught it to the people in Israel and the ancient people of America.

"But behold I say unto you, love your enemies, 

bless them that curse you, 

do good to them that hate you,

and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you." 

(3 Nephi 12:44; see also Matt. 5:44)

There was a year in my life that pretty much I prayed for a woman who I truly thought was my enemy. I felt as if she had declared war on me and was determined to destroy me in the process. It was one of the hardest years of my life. As I look back on it, I am grateful for the chance I had to pray every night, in our family prayer, to help me forgive her, that I might love her.

I have come to learn for myself that loving my enemy doesn't mean I give them permission to treat me badly or that I become accepting of their every act. Rather, loving my enemy is more about my heart. It is about being able to forgive when it seems impossible. It is about letting go of hurt that seems will never heal. And putting my trust in a Master Healer, a perfectly just, and merciful God.

I am grateful for a loving and patient God who knows what we suffer privately and the remedy to heal our hearts. And sometimes the way to heal is to "do good to them that hate you". This I testify.

"...To every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God. To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby." (D&C 46:11-12)

There is something I am very aware of about myself that I keep working on and will probably have to keep working on for my entire life. Envy. Whoa, did I really just admit that I get envious? Well, reality is, I do have such feelings, even if they are fleeting, or stay longer than I would like and I don't want them to stay. Why is envy or jealousy or coveting so bad? First I had to define envy (I always look up definitions, very informative and enlightening). Envy: "A feeling of discontent and resentment aroused by and in conjunction with desire for the possessions or qualities of another" (The Free Dictionary). That definitely describes envy. I am not content with what I have or what I am when I am envious of what others have whether it is an object they posses, personality trait, physical trait, or talent, or anything else. Envy has been said to be one of the seven deadly sins (see Wikipedia) and has been portrayed in art for centuries.

In the scriptures we are admonished to "lay aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings" (1 Peter 2:1); "Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long" (Proverbs 23:17). In another scripture we are asked: "...is there one among you who is not stripped of envy" (Alma 5:29)? Why must we be "stripped of envy"? Envy causes blindness, making us see all that others have, desiring what they posses, whether it is qualities or property, and we become blind to all the good and wonderful blessings that have been given to us. As God created the earth and all things that are on it, He would stop after He had created each thing and it is stated: "God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:10,12,18, 21, 25). He paused and appreciated His creations~ He saw. Appreciation for what we have is a gift we give ourselves and to God. It can also be called gratitude or thankfulness.

Everyone has different gifts and talents to share. "All have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God. To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby" (D&C 46:11-12). We are all blessed when we take the time to develop the talents that have been given to us rather than complaining, envying, or whining that so and so has so much why don't they give us some or even thinking they shouldn't have so much. It's not about what others have or are not giving us. It is about seeing what we have been blessed with from our Father in Heaven. Sometimes in our envying, we end up burying our talents because we waste so much time trying to get what someone else has rather than seeing that with which we have been blessed. Everyone is blessed by the talents and gifts of others..."that all may be profited thereby" (D&C 46:12); everyone benefits when someone improves and succeeds. The challenge is to rejoice in the success of others. It is a great feeling to cheer someone on when they have done better than we have, especially when it is something we love doing.

In the parable of the talents Christ is trying to teach us we all have talents and we shouldn't be afraid or worry about what we do or don't have, but to do our best with what we have been given (Matt. 25:14-30). In this parable there are 3 servants and each servant is given "talents" or money. "And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability" (vs. 15 italics added). The fact that the 'man', symbolic of God, gives them the talents according to their abilities is exactly what the Lord does for us. He knows what we are capable of doing and accomplishing. This is why it's important for gratitude to fill our hearts for the blessings we receive because He knows us and our abilities to handle the trials that are coming or the burden we already carry. We have to be humble enough to trust him and "call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that [we] may not be tempted above that which [we] can bear" (Alma 13:28) and envying is a huge temptation and way to heavy to add to the loads we already carry. "Thou shalt not covet" (Exodus 20:17) is essential to our development and our protection. It "is meant to keep us from hurting ourselves" (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland). It helps us have a better vision of who we are becoming rather than what someone else is, because we aren't becoming them, we are becoming who we really are~ "sons and daughters of Christ" (Mosiah 5:7).

Another lesson from this parable: the last servant was given one talent who buried it because he was "afraid" so he wouldn't lose any of his talent (vs. 25). It teaches us that it is important for us to "go and do" (1 Nephi 3:7) and that we should not be "slothful servants" (vs. 26; see also D&C 58:26). The Lord doesn't want to tell us everything that we can be doing. He wants us to be "anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of [our] own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; for the power is in [us] wherein [we] are agents unto [ourselves]. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward" (D&C 58:27-28). The Lord is pleased when we act with gratitude and "confess...His hand in all things (D&C:59:21) and thus we are eliminating envy from our hearts as we do so. We don't need to wait around to be told to do good things. "Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great" (D&C 64:33). We don't need to worry about what others have because we have way too much to do! Go and do good!

Envying or coveting is part of the "natural man" (Mosiah 3:19) but we don't need to be blinded by this weakness. For the power is in us to "do good" and "do much righteousness". As we lay aside envying the Lord says: "And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more" (D&C 78:19). Keep our eye on the Lord, He knows exactly what we need, what to bless us with, what talents we need to develop. Rejoice in the blessings of others. He knows their needs as well as ours. With gratitude for all the Savior has given us, this I testify, is how to overcome and deal with envy.

"...every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God." Moroni 7:33

Sometimes as I am pondering what I need to share with my children a phrase will get stuck in my head, or I will read something and it just stays there. So, I go to the scriptures or lds.org and do a search on the phrase or topic or idea that is going through my head. The phrase that has gotten stuck tonight is this:  DO GOOD. I looked it up...and there were 52 matches in the scriptures for that phrase! I will share only a couple of scriptures with you and then let you do your own search and study. 

Do good is such a simple phrase (I like simple). It speaks volumes with two words. It can be applied to our behavior, our thoughts, our attitude, our lifestyle, how we choose to spend our time. 

I'll let the scriptures and the Spirit do the teaching~ (italics added)

  "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." 

Matt 5:44; 3 Nephi 12:44

"Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward."

D&C 58:27-28

"But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God." 

Moroni 7:13

We get to choose how we spend out time and our attitude and how we treat other people. We get to choose to do good.  What a gift to choose whether or not we want to do it. Growing up my dad always said, "Make it a great day, and if you don't it is your own fault." That is a true statement. I think another way of saying it is, "Make it a great day~ do good, no matter what". That's the power that is in us, to do good, This I testify.