"That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour." 1 Thessalonians 4:4

When I started to weave baskets I soon found myself calling them "vessels". I have always been drawn to the idea of vessels. We have vessels all around us, cups to hold water, books to hold words, homes to hold families, flowers to hold smells, ears to hold wisdom (see Proverbs 2:2), eyes to hold "the light of God (Guide to the scriptures), hands and arms to hold service, hearts to hold understanding (see Mosiah 12:27; Proverbs 2:2). But the most amazing of all vessels is us. We are the most wonderful and beautiful creation of all. We are "temples of God" (1 Cor. 3:16-17). As I have pondered this incredible creation, our bodies, I have come to conclude that our bodies are very sacred and important because "the spirit of God dwelleth in [us]" (1 Cor. 3:16). Our bodies, our "vessel", house our spirits.

As our bodies are our "vessel" then we "should know how to possess our vessel in sanctification and honor" (1 Thessalonians 4:4). Sanctification means to make holy, consecrate, purify. Peter tells us "be ye holy in all manner of conversation" (1 Peter 1:15). Conversation "in the [King James Version]...usually means behavior, way of life, or conduct, rather than the modern sense of talking together" (Bible Dictionary). One of the most important things we can be aware of is how we treat our vessel and how we conduct ourselves. This led me to thinking of the very tender subject of a relationship between a husband and a wife. "For this is the will of God, even [our] sanctification, that [we] should abstain from fornication" (1 Thessalonians 4:3) and "not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14). Sanctification is "the process of becoming free from sin, pure, clean, and holy through the atonement of Jesus Christ" (The Guide to the Scriptures). In our relationships with our spouses we can draw closer to God as we "cleave" unto each other mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually (see Genesis 2:23-25).

"Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else" (D&C 42:22). To cleave is to be faithful to or to adhere or stick to. As I create a vessel, I must use a weaver that crosses over and under, or twists around the spokes of the vessel I am making. If I skip a spoke or get off by one, it weakens the vessel and the pattern is all messed up. I have had to go back and undo weaving because I have made mistakes. The beauty of God's pattern in a marital relationship is that we can correct our mistakes through repentance and the "cleansing power of the atonement" (Elder Boyd K. Packer). Some mistakes of miscommunication, selfishness, not giving or receiving love, can be parts of ourselves that can cause a wedge to develop in a relationship. God's pattern is to unite a husband and wife not only physically, but spiritually. We are taught in three sets of scripture this warning to protect our marriages: "That whosoever looketh on a woman [or a man] to lust after [them] hath committed adultery with [them] already in [their] heart" (Matthew 5:28; 3 Nephi 12:28; D&C 63:16). Protecting our marriages is one of the things that protect families, and protects us as individuals, the vessel's of the Lord. His patterns are always there to strengthen us, thereby strengthening our marriages.

God's pattern's are always perfect, because He is a perfect God. In a marriage, a husband and a wife can get closer to each other and to God by cleaving unto one other. "Therefore, shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall become one flesh" (Genesis 2:24; Moses 3:24). Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, an apostle of the Lord said, "Human intimacy...between a man and a woman is...a symbol of total union: union of their hearts, their hopes, their lives, their love, their family, their future, their everything". He continues, "sexual intimacy is not only a symbolic union between a man and a woman—the uniting of their very souls—but it is also symbolic of a union between mortals and deity, … uniting for a rare and special moment with God Himself and all the powers by which He gives life in this wide universe of ours. … Surely God’s trust in us to respect this future-forming gift is awesomely staggering. … We carry this procreative power that makes us very much like God in at least one grand and majestic way.” (Strengthening the Family:The Sacred Powers of Procreation). As parents, protectors of the family, we get the responsibility to teach our children this sacred, beautiful, wonderful pattern of unity between husbands and wives.

This awesome, beautiful, and sacred union between a man and a woman is used to create not only children, but also unity. We are to be one in heart and mind, which to me means that we would treat each other how we would want to be treated, kindly, lovingly, honestly, without selfishness or manipulation. We are the "holy vessels of God" (1 Chronicles 22:19) and through God's holy pattern of chastity and virtue, we can strengthen our marriages, we can be one with our husband or wife the way God intended us to be strengthened. We will "know how to posses our vessel in sanctification and honor" (1 Thessalonians 4:4) This I testify.

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me". (Philippians 4:13)

I got a new electronic device for Christmas that is amazing. It is called a "Kindle". It is this device that can hold books that are down loaded electronically and can hold many books at once. It can also surf the internet and I can shop for more books online. It also contains a dictionary (I love looking up definitions!). I was, and still am amazed at these electronic devices that give me instant information with a click of a button partly because I grew up in a home with no TV, and no computer; yes, we had a radio- I am not that old; I am only 42. Things have significantly changed since I was a kid. Information at the touch of a button is...good and must be used for good. 

I believe most things are invented with the intent to do good. I like to believe that people are and have the desire to do good and be good because we are all sons and daughters of God (see Acts 17:28-29). But we are sent here to be tempted and tried and allowed to choose for ourselves whether we will "know good from evil"; and God has given to us that we "might choose life or death" (Helaman 14:31). We get to choose whether or not we want a spiritual life or live spiritually dead lives and have no relationship with our Father in Heaven. We choose whether or not we connect to the "internet" of heaven. This takes an effort on our part. We must open the door and let Him in (see Revelations 3:20). We must also have a "good connection". And in order to have a good connection, we must make good choices.

When I got my Kindle I had to hook up to the internet. It wasn't done for me. I had to choose to do it. I also get to choose what kind of books I want on this device; they weren't put on there for me. It is the same with our relationship with God. He will never force us to come to Him. He will only invite us and then lets us choose whether or not we want to attend. What is so wonderful is that He will always invite us to "Come unto [Him]" (Matthew 11:28). Being invited to come to a wedding (see Matthew 22:1-10) or a "great supper" (see Luke 14:16-24) is much more delightful than being forced to go. It leaves the choice to us. And that is exactly what it is, our choice.

"Choose ye this day, whom ye will serve" (Alma 30:8; Joshua 24:15). There are so many choices to make every day; choices about what to wear, how to spend our time, what to say, how to behave, how to treat other people. We can be as Joshua of old and reply, "but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15). It is a challenge every day to make good choices. We make mistakes. "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41). We waste our time, we say the wrong things, we behave badly at times, and sometimes, we treat others poorly. But we need not give up or feel all is wasted because it is not. We can make things right and look forward with hope and faith, because faith is about the future. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said, "...Remember that faith is always pointed toward the future. Faith always has to do with blessings and truths and events that will yet be efficacious in our lives" (Remember Lot's Wife). The Savior helps us with our desires to "come unto Him and partake of His goodness; and He denieth none that come unto Him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and He remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile" (2 Nephi 26:33).

We can choose to use all that is given to us for good, and connect with God every day. We can learn from our mistakes. As hard as it is for some of us to not repeat those mistakes, we can learn from them because we "have stopped rhapsodizing about 'the good old days' and now eagerly look toward the future 'that [we] may apprehend that for which Christ apprehended [us]'" (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland). We go forward with our faith in Christ, because He can do all things, and "[we] can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth [us]" (Philippians 4:13). 

Using that which is given to us, our time, talents, our money, and our education, everything...we get to choose how we will use it, for good or not. If it helps us draw closer to God it is good. "And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me. I am the same that leadeth men to all good" (Ether 4:12). We can look to the future, with all its electronic devices, the internet, and ‘touch of a button’ information with great hope and faith because we get to do the choosing. When we choose to follow Christ in faith, He will always lead us safely along life's path (see Alma 37:45) as we decide what information we want in our lives. This I testify.

"Pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good" D&C 90:24

Asking for help can be one of the hardest things we have to do. And sometimes, the fact that we need help is staring us in the face, but we won't ask...for whatever reason, is pretty humbling. Other times we just want to be able to do it all by ourselves, or we think we have to do it all by our selves and shouldn't have to ask for any help. It was never the plan for us to do it on our own.

Heavenly Father has given us a tool that helps us with this problem of asking for help. This is simply called prayer. "The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that we must ask for in order to obtain" (The Guide to the Scriptures). Praying isn't just reciting words that are the same, said over and over again. This would be called "vain repetition" (see Matt 6:7; 3 Nephi 13:7). It is a real conversation that takes place between us and our Father in Heaven, in the name of Jesus Christ " (see John 14:13-14). Sometimes the challenge isn't so much talking and telling our Father in Heaven what we want as it is to listen and then act upon the answer received. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, that assuredly as the Lord liveth, who is your God and your Redeemer, even so surely shall you receive a knowledge of whatsoever things you shall ask in faith, with an honest heart, believing that you shall receive" (D&C 8:1).

As I ponder these words, that we surely shall receive a knowledge of whatsoever we ask in faith, what then? I believe the biggest challenge isn't receiving answers to prayers but accepting the answer given and then doing our part which is to "follow [Christ], and do the things which ye have seen [Him] do" (2 Nephi 31:12). When we receive the answer to "endure to the end" (see 3 Nephi 15:9; 2 Nephi 31:16; D&C 14:7) in the most difficult circumstances, it does mean to follow the example of Christ and keep pressing forward. Christ didn't give up, but endured to the end as He finished every last drop of the "bitter cup" (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland) "without becoming bitter" (Elder Neal A. Maxwell). Sometimes, I admit, I want to be done with something. I don't like how hard it is or how difficult it is and most definitely how long it is taking or how long it is going to take (an entire life time). But, on days like that, honestly, the only thing that keeps me going, is the thought and knowledge that there is more than I can see.

Elder Russel M. Nelson said it beautifully when he said, "Eternal perspective provides peace 'which passeth all understanding.' (Philip. 4:7). In speaking at a funeral of a loved one, the Prophet Joseph Smith offered this admonition: "When we lose a near and dear friend, upon whom we have set our hearts, it should be a caution unto us. ...Our affections should be placed upon God and His work, more intensely than upon our fellow beings. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 216)" (Doors of Death). The affections of our heart will lead us, as we place them in their proper place, upon God, and we will receive answers to our prayers and get the help that we need. When our hearts are in the proper place our wills are aligned with the will of God and we won't "ask amiss" (James 4:3) but will be able to "ask in faith" and "do not ask for that which [we] ought not" (D&C 8:10).

Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ love us. They are waiting and wanting to help us do those things that will lead us back to them. They hear and answer our prayers. What a beautiful way for us to communicate with Them who love us beyond compare (see Romans 5:8). "Pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another" (D&C 90:24). This I testify is how to get through life, simply by communication with God through prayer and then acting in faith as He surely will and does answer.

"The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)

Whenever people come to visit my house and I get self conscience of how clean or dirty it may or may not be, I always think to myself, and may even say to the person coming to visit, “Just so you know, we don’t live in a magazine, we live in our house”. As I have pondered living in a magazine I have come to the conclusion that we do the same with our bodies. We don't live in "magazine bodies", we live in our physical bodies that have aches and pains, bruises, scars, weight, height, and health issues. The world would have us believe we need to have a “magazine body". That there is the “perfect shape” or “condition”, but it’s always changing with new fads and fashions that come and go so we never know what really is the "perfect magazine" shape.

As a teenager I had cystic acne, this is not your normal teenage acne of one or two zits, but cysts that cover your face. It was so painful I couldn’t even have my hair touch my face and I felt incredibly unattractive. At my age, even now, I have scars from this wonderful gift that I was given. I look back and realize that it was a gift. It has helped me see with different eyes. Eyes of compassion and caring, understanding and love. It wasn’t a “magazine face”. I share this with you because I believe that we all have challenges with our bodies, whether it is shape, size, color, hair, scars, age, height, weight, health, whatever it may be, each tailored to help us grow, appreciate, and understand our true worth. "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God" (D&C 18:10). Each of us have been given “gifts” to help us come to know our Creator, Jesus Christ, who knows what we really look like. "The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).

It is destructive to us when we focus on the outward appearance and become "[preoccupied] with self and [have] a fixation on the physical, this is more than social insanity; it is spiritually destructive, and it accounts for much of the unhappiness women, including young women, face in the modern world. And if adults are preoccupied with appearance-tucking and nipping and implanting and remodeling everything that can be remodeled- those pressures and anxieties will certainly seep through to children" (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland). We must be careful where we focus our attention. Our children pick up on what we worry about whether it is our looks, our likes and dislikes, our health, or even our hearts. Christ came to help us with all of it, but our heart is what we can decide whether or not we want to change and will have an eternal effect upon us, not just physically, but spiritually. Christ is there, waiting to help us with this change. "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. ....I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Matthew 9:12-13). We all need  the Physician because we all sin and make mistakes and none of us have a "magazine body". Christ is the Physician and our hearts are healed as we turn/return to Him and He helps us see the true value, the "worth" of our entire selves, not just how we look to the world. We don't need to suffer unnecessarily. "[Christ] suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto Him" (D&C 18:11).When we focus on physical impairments, such as my scars, I am suffering unnecessarily and need to repent, need to turn to Him and see ourselves for who we really are. We are more than our bodies, even though the world would have us believe otherwise. "...Ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you" (1 Corinthians 3:16)!

He knows what we suffer physically as well as spiritually because He suffered for everyone. He wants us to know who we are, that is part of why we have physical challenges, some being greater than others. Some challenges can be as simple as growing older and dealing with wrinkles, grey hair, missing teeth, weight and and eye sight changes. Others can be quite severe such as cancer, Muscular Dystrophy, diabetes, mental illness, learning disabilities, to name just a few.  I have wondered at times why I must go through things and why a miracle can't take place and have the "scars" taken away. (I was told the other day that my acne scars could be removed, which I knew could be done, but I don't notice them. They don't inhibit my life, because I am not my scars. I am not defined by my scars.) I have come to know for myself that sometimes, " though [we] have all faith, so that [we] could remove mountains" (1 Corinthians 13:2) the mountains aren't suppose to be removed. Sometimes, we must be as Caleb in the Old Testament and say, "Give me the mountain" (Joshua 14:12) and climb up it faithfully, trusting that the Lord's plan for us to age, to have these physical challenges, are for a reason, most often to help us "come to ourselves" (see Luke 15:17). He wants us to know our "worth", because He already knows how "precious" we are (see Isaiah 43:4).

He wants us to know who we really are and this comes from "looking up [to God], having the image of God engraven upon [our] countenances" (Alma 1:27) as we put Him first in our lives rather than worrying about every wrinkle or grey hair or change in our body that is going to come our way. We need to be "neat and comely" (Alma 1:27), comely meaning "pleasing and wholesome in appearance; attractive (The Free Dictionary) and more concerned about having His image in our countenance than we are about the image in the mirror. The way to have His image engraven upon our countenance isn't to take away "the scar", but to trust that He will heal us physically and spiritually through our faith in Him, for all things are spiritual unto Him (see D&C 29:34). Physical challenges are spiritual challenges. If we allow them to be, they are some of the greatest blessings in our lives. I always think of this saying that is on my laundry room wall: "When life is more that you can stand, kneel". I believe this is the proper way to look to God, even if we are in the middle of a crowd and we can only do so mentally. We must "look to God, and live" (Alma 37:47).

In this time when the world would have us think we are "magazine people" rather than "children of God" (see Romans 9:8) we must "be women (and men) of Christ. (We must) cherish [our] esteemed place in the sight of God. He needs [us]" (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland). We can and we must "trust in the Lord with all [our] heart; and lean not unto [our] own understanding. In all [our] ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct [our] paths" ( Proverbs 3:5-6). He knows whether or not the mountain must be removed or if we will get stronger by climbing it. We don't get stronger by sitting around reading a magazine that tells us we aren't "magazine shape". We can trust the Savior, our Creator, who knows all things (see Mosiah 4:9), that He knew and still knows what is exactly right for us, so that we may know for ourselves who we really are. This is how we must define ourselves, by Him who knows us best, and thus have His image engraven upon your countenance, reflecting who you really are. For we are, this I testify, "children of the Most High" (Psalms 82:6). 

"But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" (Matt 24:13)

I rode in a bike race yesterday. It was 55.6 miles long~ and it was long. There were other people who rode in the century ride, but I had only signed up for the 50 mile ride. There were times it was very difficult. There were times when I was really having a lot of fun and enjoyed the scenery and all the things around me. At other times, when there were major hills (3 miles long on a 6% grade and then immediately followed by another hill!) I really would have rather been back down on the nice rolling hills. When I finished I was so exhausted! At first I was just so glad that I was done. But as I time passed and it really sunk in that I had completed, finished, and endured a race I am so proud of myself! I did it!!! I did a really hard thing and I didn't give up. Enduring was worth every hard spent minute on that bike.

Life is a lot like a bike race. There are smooth, down hill parts and there are uphill parts that really test our stamina and strength, both our physical as well as spiritual strength. There are so many scriptures that testify of the blessings of enduring and the rewards that come from enduring, "however long and hard the road" (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland). "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" (Matt 24:13). "But blessed are they who are faithful and endure, whether in life or in death, for they shall inherit eternal life" (D&C 50:5). "And if thou endure it well, God shalt exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph ever all thy foes" (D&C 121:8).

One of the things that will help is to not compare races. I only signed up for the 50 mile race and I can't compare myself to those people who had trained, committed, and prepared themselves for the 100 mile race. Remember what is required of us is to be faithful (see1 Cor. 4:2). We don't need to worry about judging others or ourselves. That is Christ's job. Our job is to keep the commandments and endure to the end.

Enduring is a blessing with untold rewards. Just as I finished that race that was quite difficult, there are tasks in our lives, or trials and challenges that will test us to our limits. But as we endure them, we will feel the power and love of the Savior increase in our hearts and minds. We become stronger and more powerful than we were before. I have endured challenges and I am so grateful for them, for the strength that I was blessed with to endure them and also for how much stronger I have become from them. They were once a challenge, but have since become great blessings. I am not saying I would want to go through them again just as I am not ready to go out and ride 55 miles again right now, but I finished! I did it! I did what was asked of me and what I committed to doing. I testify that as you endure it well and complete the "race" that is before you, you will feel a sense of accomplishment that can't be compared to anything earthly. It is all worth it.