"Behold, I say unto you that none of the prophets have written, nor prophesied, save they have spoken concerning this Christ." (Jacob 7:10-11)

Day #13

As a journal keeper, these particular verses make me stop and ponder the purpose of the scriptures, who wrote them, and why they took the time to do so.

"And I said unto him: Believest thou the scriptures? And he said, Yea. And I said unto him: Then ye do not understand them: for they truly testify of Christ. Behold, I say unto you that none of the prophets have written, nor prophesied, save they have spoken concerning this Christ." 

(Jacob 7:10-11)

When we read the scriptures, what we are really reading is the testimony of prophets of God. Men who have had their own spiritual witness of the Son of God, even Jesus Christ. That He is the Savior and Redeemer of all mankind.

I love that we have the witness of the prophets from Israel and Jerusalem, even the record of the Old and New Testament. I love that we also have the record of the prophets who testified of Christ in the Ancient America's as recorded in the Book of Mormon. And I am so very grateful, on a daily basis, for a living prophet today, who talks and walks with God, and has revelation for the Church and the entire world. All prophets testify of Christ.

I add my witness to the prophets. I testify that as you follow the example of Jesus Christ in your actions, thoughts, and how you speak, then you will be happier and more at peace with others and yourself. I have learned from personal experience that when I truly try to love as He loves, and live as He did, His ways are always better. Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the World. His purpose is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). He died for me and for you because He loves us more than words can express. This I testify.

I love reading and studying the scriptures on a daily basis. They testify of Jesus Christ and as I have read and learned of Him, my life has changed in more ways than I can explain. All I know is that I am happier and more at peace the more I learn and study about Him. I invite you to learn for yourself. 

"Feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do" (2 Nephi 32:3)

My awesome husband had asked me for several weeks to remember to turn the cold water off in our shower so it wouldn't drip. I kept forgetting. I finally asked him to leave me a note. This is what he left me:

My husband loves me and leaves me little notes...

It is a simple way to help me remember to turn off the cold water "a little more" after showering. I have learned that even though the note is right in front of my face on the mirror, unless I take the time to read it, I don't remember to do it.

I need "notes" to help me remember to do small things that make life better, to accomplish tasks, or to help my children (just to name a few items of which I need help remembering). I am always telling my family, "Leave me a note or I won't remember".

As I was looking at the various notes I have stuck everywhere from my children and my husband to help me remember things I need to do, I realized that God leaves me little notes, too. The trick is, I must read them. These little notes from God are throughout the scriptures. I love getting notes from God. Here are just a few of the notes that have come to mean a lot to me:

" For the natural man is an enemy to God...unless he yields to the enticings of the holy Spirit..." (Mosiah 3:19)

"If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15)

"For with God nothing shall be impossible" (Luke 1:37)

"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)

"Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not" (D&C 6:36) 

"...by small and simple things are great things brought to pass..." (Alma 37:6)

"If ye are prepared ye shall not fear" (D&C 38:30) 

"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 all need help remembering, but to be reminded with a note only helps if we read the note. I think Nephi said it pretty well: "Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do" (2 Nephi 32:3). God is talking to us, we just need to read His words and then "go and do" (1 Nephi 3:7). This I testify.

"And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things" (1 Nephi 16:29)

On one of my trike rides I couldn't get my front derailleur (the rings in front that help you change gears) to stay in place. I actually had to hold it in place so that it would stay in a harder gear. I thought for sure it was going to cost me a fortune to fix. I rode 35 miles holding it in place, and cut my ride short because I couldn't do brakes and hold the gear in place at the same time without some difficulty. So, a few hours after my ride, and having looked things up on the internet and trying to figure it out, I showed my son the problem. He said, I think it's really simple, got out a small bike tool and simply tightened up a screw! It was such a simple solution and now I can ride again!

I thought this is exactly like the gospel. Sometimes, we want to make things really complicated and hard- perhaps it feels more comfortable when we make it complicated? I don't know. But what I do know is that it's always the simple things that make a difference. Like when Nephi's bow was broken, his family "did begin to murmur exceedingly, because of their sufferings and afflictions in the wilderness" (1 Nephi 16:20).  They blamed Nephi and complained and did nothing. Unfortunately, there are times in my life that I do the exact same thing. I "hold the gear in place" rather than find the simple solution of tightening a screw...it seems "easier" to just go forward with things awry and not take the time to fix a small problem.

Nephi wasn't sucked in by the negativity, instead, Nephi went about doing the simple task of making another bow and then arming himself with these simple tools to obtain food (see 1 Nephi 16:23). As I thought about how Nephi armed himself, I realized that there are things we can do to arm ourselves as well, and keep the "screw" tight. These simple things are reading our scriptures, saying our prayers, attending church so that we can partake of the sacrament and renew our covenants with God and be filled. I know that all too often we want something "more"- more than the simple answers of "say your prayers, attend church, read your scriptures". Well, I'm here to say that those are the "small and simple things" that will actually bring about "great things" and "confound the wise" (Alma 37:6-7). It is the simple solution that has changed my life and opens me up to receive more. 

After obtaining direction from the Lord through the Liahona on where to obtain food, Nephi makes this statement: "And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things" (1 Nephi 16:29). I like the words, "And thus we see". When I take off the "natural" (see Mosiah 3:19) or "carnal" (see Alma 36:4; Romans 7:14) spectacles that I so frequently wear, I do "see" that God works "by small means [and] can bring about great things" (1 Nephi 16:29). Just like with the small screw that needed to be tightened and made a big difference in my gears and ability to ride my trike safely again. I have found the small things of reading the words of God, praying, and attending church opens our hearts and minds to the things of God. And we can also say, "And thus we see" as we make these small changes, or simply said, tighten a  screw so that we can keep moving forward.

The little screw that needed tightening and made all the difference

"And upon these I write the things of my soul..." (2 Nephi 4:15)

This being my 200th post I keep thinking about why I write this blog and how I feel about sharing it. "I write the things of my soul" (2 Nephi 4:15) and don't want to be mocked. I have to admit that I have pangs of anxiety every time I go to press the "publish" button. I totally relate to Moroni when he pleads with the Lord about his writing, "[People] will mock at these things, because of our weakness in writing; for Lord thou hast made us mighty in word by faith, but thou hast not made us mighty in writing...when we write we behold our weakness, and stumble because of the placing of our words; and I fear lest the [people] shall mock at our words" (Ether 12:23, 25). I feel exactly the same way- that people will only see my misspelled words, sloppy sentences, or my multiple mistakes. But my desire to share the things that I know to be true with my loved ones, and all of God's children is stronger than the anxiety I feel. So I write.

It gives me courage to write when I read the Lord's reply to Moroni. He says, "Fools mock, but they shall mourn; and my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness" (Ether 12:26). So, if people make fun of what I write, or even choose not to read it due to my clumsiness, I write anyway.

I so love the scriptures! And so I write about them. I find joy, comfort, peace, and guidance in them, for they are the words of Christ (see 2 Nephi 33:10; Colossians 3:16; 2 Nephi 32:3). I have been through some really hard things (everyone goes through hard things) and it is the scriptures (you can read and even watch Bible videos here) that have helped me and given me direction and hope in those hard times. I have learned for myself the truth of these words: "Feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do" (2 Nephi 32:3). The scriptures have shown me all things that I need to do. The challenge is to "go and do" (1 Nephi 3:7) for I am not perfect in the application but I keep trying. I write in hopes "...that your joy may be full" (1 John 1:4) as you "go and do" also.

I write for my children and loved ones. This is one of my favorite scriptures. It is the words of Nephi and for me, it says very clearly another reason I write: "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies (prophecies being testimony- see Revelations 19:10), that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins" (2 Nephi 25:26). I want my children to know that it is through the grace of Jesus Christ that all sin, pain, every affliction, temptations, and death- all of it, is made whole in Him and He will succor us in, through, and during all of it (see Alma 7:11-13) as we turn to Him. And so I write.

I don't believe everyone needs to keep a public journal or blog their thoughts. But we each can write blessings by our daily actions. Elder Carlos E. Asay said, "We do, in fact, write our own blessings by the way we live and serve" (Write Your Own Blessing). I write many of the things I know to be true here. But hopefully, the most powerful writing I will do is my daily living of these truths. I am not perfect at it, but I keep practicing (I'm a practicing Christian after all). "And upon these I write the things of my soul, and many of the scriptures... For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children" (2 Nephi 4:15). And this is why I write.

I write that my children may know...

Yes- that these awesome children may know! They are why I write the things of my soul

Now go and write your own blessings. (You're always welcome to share them with me!) Know you are loved!!!

"...Nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life" (Alma 32:41).

As a mother of four children, who stays at home and is often asked what I do, I frequently ask myself that same question. What do I do? I am so grateful that the Lord has given me an answer. It is really plain, which most often His answers are "plain and pure, and most precious and easy to the understanding of all men" ( 1 Nephi 14:23). This answer comes from The Family: A Proclamation to the World. It states: "Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children". I nurture our children. To some people this means to feed and make food. That is some of what I do. But I have come to learn that there is so much more to nurturing than just making food.

The unabridged definition from my Webster's New World Dictionary for nurture reads: "1) anything that nourishes; food; nutriment 2) the act or process of raising or promoting the development of; training, educating, fostering, etc.: 3) all the environmental factors, collectively, to which one is subjected from conception onward, as distinguished from one's nature or heredity - vt. 1) to feed or nourish 2a) to promote the development of b) to raise by educating, training, etc.-"(Websters New World Dictionaries, 1988). When understanding the entire definition of nurturing then mothers and women can more fully understand what they are really doing and the power and influence they have upon their families and on society.

What we truly are is nourishers. We nourish our children, who are our seed, and then we get to nourish them with the words of Christ. When we patiently teach our children truth we will "nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by [our] faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life" (Alma 32:41). Nourishing takes patience, diligence, time, and vision. When we want to educate, train, and foster development or change we have to have a perspective, and that perspective must be eternal.

The day to day tasks of making food, washing clothes, vacuuming, changing diapers, doing dishes, whatever stage of life you are in, must be kept in proper perspective. "Our Heavenly Father is most pleased when we sacrifice something good for something far greater with an eternal perspective. Sometimes, that may even mean nurturing small but beautiful forget-me-not flowers instead of a large garden of exotic blooms" (Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf). It has taken me a long time to get to the point where I only say, "I am a mother" and don't add anything else to it, such as what my degree is or that I do art or any of my other interests. I am a nurturer of God's children, and that's enough, because I too am a child of God. We are enough with the time and talents which the Lord has blessed us to help build up and nurture His kingdom, which is His children, here on the earth. For we are all God's children, and we all need building, guiding, educating, nurturing. We can build each other by sharing our time and talents and serving and loving each other. Elder Maxwell said it perfectly when he stated: "We desire our women to be unarguably superb individuals, wives, and mothers, and they can contribute so much to this outcome by making the most of their educational opportunities, both now and by having a posture of lifetime learning...[You] give to our children what [you] are. The more a mother brings to a nest, the more nutritive the nest" (Taking up the Cross).

As women of God, who desire to strengthen homes and families, we are daily nurturing our families and our future. One of the most powerful ways to nurture our loved ones is to provide them ample opportunities to "feast upon the words of Christ" (2 Nephi 32:3), and thus help them be "encircled about eternally in the arms of His love" (2 Nephi 1:15). The Spirit will show and teach us how to make this work for our individual circumstances. Having daily scriptures study with our children increases faith and helps give them protection against all the "fiery darts" that will and are coming at them from every direction (see Ephesians 6:16-17).

Another way to nurture is to educate them and guide them with the protection of His Spirit (see Ephesians 6:16) and teach them how to judge and "discern between good and evil" (Guide to the Scriptures). Judging is really about how to make good choices. It is the gift to discern between good and evil, to know right from wrong and then act, not react, using good judgement. This is a life long virtue to be nourished, the virtue of good judgement and how to judge.

There is so much to do as women of God as we nourish our families, not only our own families, but God's family. We "are primarily responsible for the nurture of [our] children" (The Family: A Proclamation to the World) and we are not left alone in this incredible and amazing responsibility. We are "women who know and love the Lord and bear testimony of Him, women who are strong and immovable and who do not give up during difficult and discouraging times " (Sister Julie B. Beck). We are daughters of God and "the most important of the Lord's work [we] will ever do will be within the walls of [our] own homes" (Pres. Harold B. Lee). This I testify.

"...Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things" (Philippians 4:8)

I go to the grocery store and buy way too much stuff only because I forgot to bring the list of groceries I wrote down which I left at home hanging on my refrigerator. I usually come home with too much stuff when I forget my list, and many items that I probably don't need, and some items that I didn't remember to write down, but now I have doubles. But when I remember my list, I love coming home and cooking and then eating. Remembering is the greatest thing to do when grocery shopping. Remembering is wonderful! I think that is why is it put in the scriptures so many times.

Remember. I love remembering. I love remembering birthdays, especially if I am able to pull of some sort of surprise and it lifts someones spirit. One birthday to remember all year long is the birth of Jesus Christ. We can remember this birth every time we partake of the sacrament. Some may think I should be thinking of His death, yes, that is included, but His birth, or resurrection is the greatest hope for all of us. It is a new birth, each week for each of us as we renew our covenants that we "are willing to take upon [us] the name of [Jesus Christ] , and always remember Him and keep His commandments which He has given [us]" (D&C 20:77, 79). We are promised in return that we "may always have His Spirit to be with us" ( D&C 20:77, 79). These are powerful promises for remembering.

Remembering a grocery list is one thing, but remembering Christ is another. How does one remember Christ daily? Hourly? Minute to minute? He has asked us to "always remember Him" (see D&C 20:77, 79, Moroni 4:3, 3 Nephi 18:7) not just sometimes. This is a powerful thought, to always think of Christ. There is power in thinking of Him. We can't always be thinking of Him, can we? I believe there is a way, to help us, to direct our thoughts towards Him, and help us remember Him. Paul taught it very simply and beautifully. He said, "Finally, brethren [and sisters], whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things" (Philippians 4:8 bold added). When we are focused on these things that are good, we are focusing our thoughts on Christ.

One of the greatest places to receive these pure, lovely, good, things of virtue and praise is in the scriptures. O how I love the scriptures. They are "the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe" (1 Thessalonians 2:13). When we "hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, [we will] never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower [us] unto blindness, to lead [us] away to destruction" (1 Nephi 15:24). We are given power and strength beyond our own when we remember to "feast upon the words of Christ" (2 Nephi 32:3).

Even though we may forget the grocery list, we do remember to eat every day. We may forget from time to time somethings, but we can remember Christ as we eat from the scriptures daily, even just a bit, and He will feed us, and protect us, lift us and strengthen us. This I testify.

"Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (D&C 88:6)

Friends are invaluable. They are a source of strength in times of need, joy, pain, sorrow, renewing, aging, birth, death, and just life. Friendships change and they grow. A true friend is one that forgives and loves even when we aren't perfect. I have found friends that will never fail me, they are full of wisdom, and I can turn to them any time. I love the advice I receive from these friends because it is never wrong if I follow the advice I receive from them. I am never manipulated or coerced, but always loved into action. It is a great relationship. If we don't have any contact for a while, we immediately reunite and I am so glad we do and I always think, "Why did I wait so long to visit these friends", because it is always my choice if we don't keep in touch.

These friends are the scriptures or often called the standard works- The Old and New Testaments, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price (you can access them all here). I love spending time with these friends. They are so filled with love, knowledge and wisdom, and truth. They are spiritual and will help us draw closer to God if we follow what they tell us to do (see The Book of Mormon: Introduction). We can all choose to be friends with the scriptures. "They can become stalwart friends that are not limited by geography or calendar. They are always available when needed. Their use provides a foundation of truth that can be awakened by the Holy Ghost. Learning, pondering, searching, and memorizing scriptures is like filling a filing cabinet with friends, values, and truths that can be called upon anytime, anywhere in the world" (Elder Richard G. Scott). In this world, we all need friends that will lead us and help us draw closer to Christ.

I would like to share a couple of my "best friends" (for this is what they have become to me) with you and take just a few brief moments and explain why they have become so treasured to me.

One of my dearest friends is found in 1 Nephi. It is when Nephi is given the vision his father had of the tree of life. Nephi is asked by the angel if he knows the "condescension of God" (1 Nephi 11:16). Nephi replies: "I know that He loveth His children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things" (1 Nephi 11:17). Nephi admits he doesn't understand all of God's ways or reasons. What he does know is that God loves His children. This has given me great strength and comfort many times and continues to do so. I don't understand everything that everyone goes through, but I know we are loved and God has a reason for everything. Sometimes our trials can become our greatest blessing. If we ponder the atonement, it was the greatest trial for the Savior of us all, and is the greatest blessing and gift for all of us (see D&C 19:16-19).

I have mentioned and talked about this friend before. It has blessed my life many times. It is simple and straight forward. "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not" (D&C 6:36). As children of God, we must move forward in this life, which is a temporary separation from our Father in Heaven, with faith. Because of the veil of forgetfulness it is too easy to not remember who we really are and sometimes wander around fearing what may or may not happen. My dad has frequently given me great advice. He says you shouldn't worry about what you can't control. When we look to our Father in Heaven we can quit worrying about all the "stuff" we can't control, like our children's behavior, or if our children are going to get in a car accident, or if we are going to lose our job, or if we may or may not get sick, or whatever life may bring us....Instead, we must "...look to God and live" (Alma 37:47)! ~ That is another great friend.

Great friends help us live! God wants us to LIVE! "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25). To truly live and have joy is to "live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you" (Alma 34:38). This is joy~ recognizing that the Lord is aware of us, and loves us and blesses us with all we have. When we "always remember Him" (D&C 20:77,79) we are seeing God in our lives and living in thanksgiving daily for the "tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he that chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance" (1 Nephi 1:20 italics added). We are so loved!!!

These are some of my best and dearest friends. They have lifted, carried, guided, taught, and loved me through life. These friends, the scriptures, are from a loving, all powerful, all knowing God, who loves us and wants us to have joy. Read them. Study them. Get to know them and you will have a relationship not only with the scriptures, but with the Lord. The promise is, "Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (D&C 88:63, see also Psalms 69:18; Zech. 1:3-4, Ezra 8:22-23). We can all use more friends and there are many good ones to be had. The Savior Himself said, "Verily I say unto you my friends, fear not, let your hearts be comforted; yea, rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks" (D&C 98:1). There is no better friend than the Savior. This I testify.

"...there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy" (Alma 36:21)

Okay, I have a sweet tooth. I have always liked candy and chocolate.  I even have a "candy cupboard". It's where I put the best treats. Now that my kids are older there really isn't a point to having a seperate place for sweets, but it's habit. I buy candy, cinnamon bears, chocolate with pieces of toffee and nuts, yummy!

I think sweets are really good for us. "How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way" (Psalms 119:103-104). Christ's words are sweet. There are many places we can taste His words. We eat them as we read them in the scriptures. We can eat His sweet words when we attend church. We can eat the sweet words of Christ as we implement them into our actions and thoughts and follow His ways.

"Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones" (Proverbs 16:24) Words have a powerful affect upon us. The little saying, "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but names will never hurt me" came to mind when I read that Proverb. Pleasant words are sweet to the soul and health to the bones. Even the simple words "thank you" are very lifting and helpful whenever they are said sincerely.

Now, there is one thing I don't like with my sweets. It is when someone tries to tell me it is really good, and it tastes...bitter, or better said, gross. Some things are just not meant to be in sweets, and bitter is one of them. The definition of bitter is this:

1. Having a harsh, disagreeably acrid taste, like that of aspirin, quinine, wormwood, or aloes.
2. producing one of the four basic taste sensations; not sour, sweet or salt.
3. hard to bear; grievous; distressful: a bitter sorrow.
4. causing pain; piercing; stinging: a bitter chill
5. characterized by intense antagonism or hostility: bitter hatred.
6. hard to admit or accept: a bitter lesson
7. resentful or cynical
(Dictionary.com)

There is another saying: "Take the bitter with the sweet". But I don't like that saying. I know we have bitter things, or distasteful things that happen, but that doesn't mean I have to sit there and keep the bitterness in my mouth and continue to taste it over and over. I need and can replace it with sweetness. Some people try to tell me that some things that are sweet are bitter, or bitter is sweet. This is false. "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter" (Isaiah 5:20)! One such thing is bitter and not sweet is the need to hold onto resentment, pain, or a grudge, or being unforgiving. These things, no matter how you phrase them, are bitter.

A few years ago I had an experience that was, what I would call, "bitter". It was a life changing experience. While I was going through it, the pain was very deep, emotionally and physically. Alma, a prophet in The Book of Mormon, describes it best: "I say unto you...that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains." (Alma 36:21). I had a choice to make. I could either become very bitter and resentful or I could turn to the Savior and receive His light, and His sweetness, and move through what I needed to go through and become forgiving and loving. I can tell you, it wasn't easy. It was a long road. But now that I have had time to heal, time to "drink the sweet"(Nehemiah 8:10), and as I did so, I realized that I was "neither...sorry; for the joy of the Lord is [my] strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). I can now look back on that experience with gratitude  for all the blessings the Lord has given me. I am a better person for having gone through the experience. (I wouldn't want to go through it again, and I don't wish it on other people, but I wouldn't want it taken away from me.) "Yea, and again I say unto you...that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy" (Alma 36:21).

I have been given much because of Him, even Jesus Christ, who experienced the most bitter so that we could have the most sweet. I know that my Redeemer lives (see Job 19:25). This I testify is the most sweet of all.

There is always sweetness and there is always hope. Sometimes, we just have to seek a little more for it hidden in that back corner of our cupboard, but it is there.