#LightTheWorld #day20

I love spending time with my family! They are what matters to me!

Today, I spent time with my mom. I am so grateful for her and her example of enduring. "Her children and husband rise up and call her blessed and her husband praises her" (Proverbs 31:28). 

As I watched this little video today, the Spirit confirmed to me that family is what matters. "A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (Luke 12:15). "Things" are not what matters. The family, God's family (which is us!) is what His whole plan is about. "Behold, this is my work and my glory to being to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39).

Just so you know, God truly is aware of you and what you are enduring. Hang in there. I often tell myself, "Today is not forever", which helps keep things in perspective. And I tell myself: It's worth the effort to keep enduring.

Me with my mom and sister, Linda. I am so blessed!

(A little flashback..) I love these people more than words can express! 

"Behold the Lamb of God" (John 1:36)

I caught a short glimpse of an art show on TV-  something about beholding the images of Christ. The one phrase that keeps going over and over in my mind is something like this: "To behold is a very sacred act". I'm not sure if that is exactly what the woman said, but it caught my attention. What does it mean to "behold'? The word "behold" is used over 1100 times in the scriptures. So, I had to look it up and know exactly what it meant...or at least try and understand why it would be considered "a sacred act".

The dictionary definition is: "to observe; look at; see", which is a verb. It is also as an interjection: "look; see". Some synonyms that gave me more of an in depth view of this word are: contemplate, discern, notice, perceive, witness. When I started to ponder these words, and what 'behold" truly means when used as a verb I realized that when it is used in the scriptures, in many instances, we are being invited to participate in a sacred act of seeing and viewing. Pondering this powerful word that I had so easily skipped over in my scripture study, I couldn't but help see things just a little differently. I was moved, touched, and the desire to change came as I read and pondered this new discovery. Here are just a few of the scriptures I looked up:

"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29; John 1:36).

"For behold, it is I that speak; behold, I am the light which shineth in darkness, and by my power I give these words unto thee" (D&C 11:11)

"For behold, this is my work and my glory- to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39)

"Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet" (D&C 6:37)

Words are powerful. When we ponder their meaning and then apply them to ourselves and our own lives they become more than mere words on a page. They become catalysts for change. They become images and reflections of who we are. I have come to discover for myself that "beholding is a sacred act". "Behold the Lamb of God" (John 1:36). This I testify.

Other media/image resources found here

"Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other" (2 Nephi 2:16)

We all experience temptation every day in many forms- from what to wear, what food we will or won't eat, words to say, and how we will or won't treat others. In addition, what we watch and what we listen to, these just being a few temptations. We are faced with choices when we are tempted. Temptation comes in so many forms that I had never really even thought about. Here are some thoughts and ideas to jump start your own study of temptation and the atonement of Christ. This is not a complete essay, but some of my thoughts on temptation.

Having experienced a shoulder injury over the last 6 months, and finally to have surgery and get the damage repaired, I had never thought of "pain of body" as a temptation (Mosiah 3:7). But pain is a temptation to us. Pain can tempt us to take too much pain medication to relieve the discomfort we are experiencing. It can tempt us to respond in anger when someone hurts us or simply annoys us when we are not feeling well. Temptations come from "hunger, thirst, and fatigue" (Mosiah 3:7), these being my classic temptations to respond as a total jerk to the ones I love, throw in being cold and I am more than likely to lash out in anger or respond with impatience until those basic needs have been met. Temptation is all about choice. Temptation can also be a form of suffering or pain. It is sometimes very painful for me to have to choose between two good things. It was painful for me to have to choose between getting surgery or not. I was tempted to not have it at all. I am grateful I chose to endure the pain from surgery and  will endure the physical therapy that is ahead so that in the long run I will heal and be pain free.

But why must we experience temptation? A simple answer is this: "Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other" (2 Nephi 2:16). We, through exercising choice and choosing to act according to God's will, learn obedience. Christ also, through His suffering and temptations, learned obedience. "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered" (Hebrews 5:8).

God's ultimate purpose is for us to be with Him, to have "immortality and eternal life" (Moses 1:39). When we experience temptation we are actually going through a small amount of suffering, choosing to either be enticed by "the natural man [which] is an enemy to God...[or] yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and [put] off the natural man and [become] as a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and [become] as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord sees fit to inflict upon [us], even as a child does submit to his father" (Mosiah 3:19).

Temptation is part of God's plan for us. What a great blessing that we get to practice choosing how to respond and act as Christ would when we experience temptation because His desire for us is "that [we] should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect" (3 Nephi 12:48; Matt. 5:48).

"In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established" (2 Corinthians 13:1)

The desire to draw closer to God is a strong one. It can and will change your life. But how does one go about doing it? Some people want to do it their way, and only their way. Okay. But what if there was a better way? What about God's way? There is a book that has a promise with it, a promise from a prophet that "a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book" (President Joseph Smith). This book is The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. This book testifies of Jesus Christ and is another witness of His life and His teachings. It confirms what Christ taught in The Holy Bible.

It is hard to swallow pride and do some of the simplest things to change, especially when we have been doing habits or held beliefs for a very long time. But God is a loving God. Jesus Christ came "into the world that He may save all men if they will hearken unto His voice; for behold, He suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam" (2 Nephi 9:21). If we will "hearken", which implies more than just hearing, but is a call to action. The action He wants from us is to repent, be baptized and have perfect faith in Him, and endure to the end (see 2 Nephi 9:23-24). He will help us do this, because He loves us and wants us to not only have immortality, but also eternal life (see Moses 1:39).

The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ is a powerful witness of Jesus Christ and His love for all people. He says, "Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all nations of the earth? Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also" (2 Nephi 9:7-8).

Paul said to the Corinthians, "In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established" (2 Corinthians 13:1). This is the law of witnesses and this is how Christ works. He gives more than one witness for His work. He loves us just as much as He loved the people in ancient times. He is "a God of miracles; and [He] will show unto the world that [He is] the same yesterday, today, and forever; and [He] works not among the children of men save it be according to their faith" (2 Nephi 27:23). Let our faith be strengthened and grow as we read The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. It will add to your faith in Christ, He lives, that He created all things, He knows all things and has all wisdom; He has all power (see Mosiah 4:9).

Even if you have read The Book of Mormon before, read it again. Let its influence and power come into your life as you seek the confirmation of its truthfulness (see Moroni 10:3-5). I have read and reread it and read it daily, along with The Holy Bible. I add my witness to others (you can read their testimony here) that it is true. It has changed and continues to change my life. It testifies of Jesus Christ and His life. This I testify.

You can receive your own free copy of The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ- Here

"Therefore, brethren (and sisters), stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle." (2 Thessalonians 2:15)

At Christmas time there are a lot of traditions that are done and created. It is fun to have traditions. They help unite us as families and friends. They help us create memories and even help us draw closer to Christ."Uplifting traditions play a significant role in leading us toward the things of the Spirit" (Elder Donald L. Hallstrom). In our home we have a simple tradition we do each Christmas that involves six simple ornaments. These ornaments are all words. With each word we have a scripture that we look up and then share with each other. As the years have gone by, the insights have grown deeper as to the meaning of each word and the application in the lives of our children. I would like to share these six ornaments and their traditions with you.

Ornament #1: Believe "Believe in God; believe that He is, and that He created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that He has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend. And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that He would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them" (Mosiah 4:9-10). In a time when it is taught to believe in Santa, it is vital to teach our children the true source of all power, Christ. Every time our children see or even hear the word believe we want them to think of Christ. If they are ever asked by Christ as the blind man that was healed and cast out by his fellow man, they may answer as he did. "Dost thou believe on the Son of God? [The man] answered and said, Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped Him" (John 9:35-38).

Ornament #2 Faith "And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me" (Moroni 7:33). God's purpose is to "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). And expedient means that He will, through our faith, give us the power to do what is appropriate to help us bring about His purpose. His whole purpose is us. He wants us back with Him and Heavenly Father. Our faith must be based upon the fact that all we do that is right, Christ will aid us and help us. He wants us to succeed.

Ornament #3 Hope "Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God" (Ether 12:4). Hope is a wonderful blessing. We hope to return to live with Heavenly Father again through the atonement of Christ. All is not lost. We are "wanderers in a strange land", but most definitely not lost to God. He is ever mindful of where and who we are  (Alma 26:36). We have hope that we are on a path to a better world, however difficult this path may seem at the time we are traveling on it; and because our hope is anchored in Christ we are steadfast and able to move forward.

Ornament #4 Love "And again, I remember that thou hast said that thou hast loved the world, even unto the laying down of thy life for the world, that thou mightest take it again to prepare a place for the children of men. And now I know that this love which thou hast had for the children of men is charity; wherefore, except men shall have charity they cannot inherit that place which thou hast prepared in the mansions of thy Father" (Ether 12:33-34). Christ is the perfect example of love, or charity. We have been commanded to "love God" and "love our neighbor"  because "on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:37-40). It is true "when we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities" (Pres. Ezra Taft Benson). When we love God, we love our fellow man.

Ornament #5 Peace "Peace, peace be unto you, because of your faith in my Well Beloved, who was from the foundation of the world" (Helaman 5:47). Christ is the source of true peace. He said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27). Christ's peace isn't like any other. It is the calm when the storm is raging. It is the calm when the darkness is unending because He is the source of all Light. He is the "Prince of Peace" (2 Nephi 19:6).

Ornament #6 Joy "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25). Joy in the resurrection of Christ! Joy that we "have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for [our]selves and not be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given". What joy to be "free according to the flesh", we are not dead forever! What joy that we are "free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil" (2 Nephi 2:26-27). Joy doesn't come from trinkets and toys and items purchased in a store. True joy comes from choosing to follow Christ no matter our circumstances, knowing we are "free to choose" for ourselves to follow Him.

Traditions can be simple and bring in the Spirit of Christ. These ornaments hang on our tree during the Christmas season, but the tradition of unity and love doesn't need to stop at Christmas time. We need to follow the tradition of Christ all year long. "Therefore, brethren (and sisters), stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work" (2 Thessalonians 2:15-17). To follow Christ daily, all year long, is a saving tradition. This I testify.