"Be ye mindful..." (1 Chronicles 16:15)

I haven't written much in the past couple of years. Without sharing all the "stuff" that has happened, let me just say it has been rough. Yet, I know that we all have "stuff", and some of that stuff is really BIG and painful, and sad, and lots of hurting, and sorrow-full...BUT, there are also small moments of calm, and pleasantness, and happiness, and cheer, even delight. Indeed, "there is an opposition in all things" (2 Nephi 2:11).

Over the past few years, I have learned a lot about mindfulness. What does it mean to be mindful? For me, it has come to mean that I purposely pay attention to what I am experiencing. And as I do so, I do it without finding fault or being critical of my experience. It is a way of experiencing what is (see Jacob 4:13; D&C 93:24), rather than allowing my mind to make up stories and lead me down a path of despair. 

I become aware of my breath (see Mosiah 2:21), slowing down and paying attention to the air that fills my lungs and then paying attention to the air as it leaves. Doing this brings my mind to the present moment quickly, it lowers the heart rate, it helps control my thoughts. It helps stop the train wreck thinking, the thinking that runs away with the worst-case scenarios ever! It brings me back to the present, to what is happening at the moment.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

God wants us to be mindful of Him and His ways. In 1 Chronicles it says, "Be ye mindful always of His covenant; the word which He commanded to a thousand generations" (1 Chronicles 16:15). Paul wrote to Timothy, "I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy" (2 Timothy 1:3-4 italics added). I am praying for you. I know God is aware of your pain, and your life. He is mindful of you always.

God uses mindfulness to help us stay present in Him. The prophets say, "The Lord hath been mindful of us: He will bless us (Psalm 115:12). And He does.  I have learned that I get to choose what I will focus on when difficult times hit our home and family (see 2 Nephi 2:27). I get to decide if I will focus on the pain or on the healing. They are both present, it's just a matter of what I want to give attention to, allowing the experiences to pass through me rather than gripping them and causing more pain.

One of my favorite passages of scripture is, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10; D&C 101:16). This has become a mantra I think as I breathe in, "Be still", and as I breathe out, "know ...I am God". I symbolically breathe in the calm and peace I need, and then I breathe out the trust and faith that is exercised. I invite you to give it a try- be still. Notice what IS, and enjoy the present moment.

God is present. "...There is no God beside me, and all things are present with me, for I know them all." (Moses 1:6). Be still. Learn of Him, and you shall have peace (see D&C 19:23).

Breathe in..."Be Still."

Breathe out... "...know...I am God".

"And the large and spacious building...is the vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men" (1 Nephi 12:18)

With some of the changes that have taken place in my life I have had to change how I live and even think. I have been trying to focus on the fact that I am a human being, not a human doing. Christ prayed: "And now Father, I pray unto thee for them, and also for all those who shall believe on their words, that they may believe in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one" (3 Nephi 19:23 italics added). This insight about being rather than always doing has helped me see things with a new view. I hope I can share some insights from 1 Nephi 12:18 that have come from wanting to be, and not always needing to "do".

"And the large and spacious building...is the vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men. And a great and a terrible gulf divideth them; yea, even the word of the justice of the Eternal God, and the Messiah who is the Lamb of God, of whom the Holy Ghost beareth record, from the beginning of the world until this time, and from this time henceforth and forever" (1 Nephi 12:18).

I had to ask, what does "vain imaginations" mean? Vain means "excessively...concerned about one's appearance, qualities, achievements" I immediately thought of the obsession with weight in our society, or whether or not one looks good enough or the constant comparison of one's abilities or qualities. Vain also means "(3) ineffectual or unsuccessful; futile. (4) without real significance, value, or importance; baseless or worthless. (5) Archaic. senseless or foolish" (Vain). I thought of the many things that are of no real value -being angry with myself because I didn't do enough or disappointed that I can't do all I used to be able to do". These kinds of thought do not bring me closer to God. They are focused on doing enough. These thoughts are "foolish" because they are not "things as they really are" (Jacob 4:13).

And what about "imaginations"? It is "the faculty of...forming mental images or concepts of what is not actually present to the senses". It is also defined  "Archaically[as]: a plan, scheme, or plot" (Imaginations). How much time is spent focusing on things that are not really "present to the senses", even the truth about ourselves (see Jacob 4:13), that we are "children of God" (Romans 8:16; 17; 21)?

Putting "vain imaginations" together made me think that the "large and spacious building" is made up of senseless and foolish plans or lack thereof. I realize that I am filled with vain imaginations. I put way too much concern or focus on baseless and worthless plans, self defeating thoughts that are not real or present. And sometimes I spend way too much time in the large and spacious building of self loathing, self defeat, or way too much time in the building of fear. Other foolish plans can include the constant need to be doing and missing the many opportunities of "being", even being kind, being patient, being still.

As I give a little more notice to what is in this verse, the "great and terrible gulf" that divides the righteous from the people in the "great and spacious building" is "the word of the justice of [God]". Sometimes, I spend so much time focused on others or my own imperfections, wasting time on things that are not present, I start to "suppose that mercy can rob justice", which is not true. "Nay; not one whit"! (Alma 42:25). It is pride that keeps me from trusting God and His "plan of mercy" (Alma 42:15, 31). The goal is to "be still. and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10 italics added) because one cannot "do" still.

I love knowing that God is merciful and just (see Alma 42:15, 31). I don't need to spend anymore time in the "great and spacious building" worrying about the appearance of my body, whether it is too fat or sick or not perfect enough. I don't need to spend anymore time focusing on "vain imaginations", even senseless or foolish plans of whether or not someone will receive justice. Rather, the joy is that I get to focus and hold onto "the rod of iron, which ...[is] the word of God, which [leads] to...the tree of life; which...[is a] representation of the love of God" (1 Nephi 11:25). And for me, it means I get to be loving, be forgiving, be one with God (see John 17:18-21).

"Look to God and live" (Alma 37:47)

Day 3 (Dec. 3rd)

Some thoughts for day 3 for #LIGHTtheWORLD

As I have pondered what to share today about seeing. I thought of many words that suggest some sort of seeing in the scriptures: see, sight , awake, insight, behold, look, perceive, observe, discern, watch, view, and even blind. Theses words describe seeing in various forms. Every single one of these words could be a scripture study in and of itself. I might also ponder what they imply spiritually.

I love that Christ gives us sight to see, that we may see "things as they really are" (Jacob 4:13). But all too often I wonder if I am "blinded by anger...by indifference, revenge, hate, prejudice, ignorance, or by missing precious opportunities to grow" (Pres. Monson). I have plenty of things I need to work on. It's about seeing that I might be healed (see Isaiah 6:10; Alma 33:21; Acts 28:27)

Which takes me to the wonderful sight that comes as we repent, turning to God. I love this phrase: "Look to God and live" (Alma 37:47). If we truly look- we shall "see", and we shall have a whole new view.

"Look to God and live"

"That which is of God is light" (D&C 50:24)

The phrase: "That which is of God is light" (D&C 50:24) has given me great hope in a time when I have been, what feels like, in an endless darkness. It can, at times, be black and suffocating. When I get like that, I get very uncomfortable and I seem to have a warped sense of what is and is not. It is then that I pray that I may see "...things as they really are, and of things as they really will be" (Jacob 4:13). To have the view of things "as they really are" helps me know that this darkness is temporary. The burden of blackness is not fun in anyway, and it is a great burden to bear. I plead, when it comes, to be gone and to have light again. But sometimes the burden stays longer than I would like.

We all have burdens that we must endure, and some which we may have to bear for a lifetime. As I have pondered this "blackness" that comes, I realize that God is light, not dark. It is one thing to tell myself this and a whole other thing to put it into practice. But I keep practicing. Christ calls us out of darkness: "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). My thoughts turn to "light". He say's His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. Perhaps light means something more than just light weight. Perhaps it means- light, as in spiritual light.

Burdens are heavy, but will be made "light" through Christ. They can be a source for us to access His light- the light of truth, as we come unto Him. We are taught, "That which is of God is light: and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day" (D&C 50:24). What God gives us is spiritual light, which leads us out of darkness. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, "...Even though we may feel lost in the midst of our current circumstances, God promises the hope of His light- He promises to illuminate the way before us and show us the way out of darkness" (The Hope of God's Light).

Though this burden of darkness sometimes seems overwhelming and can be debilitating, I know that there is great hope and light in this experience. I also know that I must "come unto Christ" (see Matthew 11:28-30) if I want the darkness to dissipate. When darkness hits, or burdens of any kind, the way to get out of darkness is to "begin exactly where you are right now. It doesn't matter how unqualified you may think you are or how far behind others you may feel. The very moment you begin to seek your Heavenly Father, in that moment, the hope of His light will begin to awaken, enliven, and ennoble your soul. The darkness may not dissipate all at once, but as surely as night always gives way to dawn, the light will come" (The Hope of God's Light). 

"That which is of God is light" (D&C 50:24)- not only is it light in weight, but is spiritual light! "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12). Christ is there to help us bear our burdens, to guide us through the dark, and to fill us with light, "...and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day" (D&C 50:24). This I testify.

He will make our burdens "light"

Christ is the light of the world