"Hearken ye to these words. Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world." D&C 43:34

I have been doing a lot of bike riding lately. As I ride, I am frequently alone, with the wind blowing and rushing by as I pump hard. It is such a great feeling to be able to climb a steep or long hill. It is awesome to look out over the valley and see the beautiful world that has been created for us to enjoy. For whatever reason, when things get hard on a ride or towards the end of a challenging ride, there is a primary song that pops into my head. It is called "Beautiful Savior" (Primary Songs #62). The words are these:

"Fair is the sunshine, fairer the moonlight

 And all the stars in heav'n above.

 Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer

 And brings to all the world His love. 

Fair are the meadows, fairer the woodlands 

Robed in the flowers of blooming spring.

Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer. 

He makes the sorrowing spirit sing. 

Beautiful Savior! Lord of the nations!

Son of God and Son of man!

Thee I honor, praise and give glory, 

Give praise and glory every more! 

Ever more!

Well, after nearly being hit yesterday I have pondered the words of this song. Sometimes we are in such a rush to get wherever we are trying to go that we cut people off with our actions or even simply by not hearing them or communicating with them. We miss all the beauty that is right before us not only in His creations, but also in simple acts of kindness and service. Jesus does shine brighter. He does make the "sorrowing spirit sing". Christ simply says: "Hearken ye to these words. Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Treasure these things up in your hearts, and let the solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds" (D&C 43:34). When we slow down, even just for a moment, we can actually feel and see the power of our Creator in our lives. 

Jesus lives. He loves us and wants us to have joy in our daily life (see 2 Nephi2:25). We do this as we take time to "see". This I testify makes a powerful difference in everyday living.

"For I perceive that ye are in the paths of righteousness..." (Alma 7:19)

A  couple of weeks ago I rode around Bear Lake in Utah on my bike. Alone. It was an insightful ride. There were other riders that I passed along the way and I had no idea how far they had ridden, or if they were even doing the same ride around Bear Lake. Some riders were headed in the opposite direction, perhaps they were going the easy way, or maybe I was. When I see other riders it sure is easy to judge and I definitely have my own perception of other riders; whether it is correct or not, I really don't know. What I do know is that we are all on our own rides and we all have our own path to complete, however long or short. Unfortunately, all too often we compare our paths and think we are suppose to be doing it or not doing it in our own unique way. The challenge sometimes comes with a headwind, or maybe we are blessed with a tailwind, or maybe a shorter ride, or fewer hills to climb. But, one thing to remember is that we can't compare rides because we really have no idea how far people have really ridden.

What does matters, is that we are on our path. And hopefully, we are "in the paths of righteousness" (Alma 7:19). I can't know if someone is in the path of righteousness just by passing someone on a bike going 20 miles an hour, or even 9 miles an hour. What really matters on a ride is that I keep on the right path, and keep pedaling so that I can come to know whose map I am following. Christ's map, for each of us, is perfect. It has the right amount of hills, wind, heat, and all that we need to get where we really want to be. I have taken liberty to change the 23rd Psalm from a riders perspective:

The Lord is our mapmaker; We have all we need for our long ride to stay on the path.
He guides us to ride in beautiful places, and even if the road is bumpy or hilly or really difficult, we will always have enough fresh water to quench our thirst. When the ride seems a bit long, or overwhelming He restores our souls and leads us in the paths of righteousness for His namesake. Yes, though we ride through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear nothing, not even flat tires, a chain falling off, wrecking, getting lost, or being hit by a car -nothing; because He is with us. "The rod of His priesthood and the staff of His Spirit will always comfort us" (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland). He prepares all the food, and an incredible feast for us, even in the midst of our most difficult rides. He anoints our heads with oil and makes us holy; our water bottles are always full and we never run out. Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow us on our long rides; and we will dwell in the path of the Mapmaker forever. (see Psalm 23).

As I continue to ride I hope I can think this of every one I pass on my ride: "For I perceive that ye are in the paths of righteousness; I perceive the ye are in the path which leads to the kingdom of God; yea, I perceive that ye are making His paths straight" ( Alma 7:19). I hope this perception of others will lead us in our path of righteousness which is to be "willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as a witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may be in, even until death" (Mosiah 18:9). I know His map and His path are perfect for each of us.

"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)

I donated my hair. I cut off 10 inches (that's the minimum requirement). As I have thought about how long it took me to grow out my hair, from very short to as long as it needed to be to donate it, it was close to 4 years. If you just count from when I decided to focus on donating it, it was over a year. It took time, just a tiny amount each day, invisible to the naked eye. No real effort on my part actually, other than to brush, wash, dry it, and keep it healthy. There are things like that in our lives that go unnoticed but make a big difference for others. For example, cooking a meal, folded laundry, garbage taken out to the trash can, socks picked up and put in the laundry basket, dishes taken over from the table after dinner, a diaper changed. This list of small things that make a difference for us and others is endless. Sometimes we may become weary from doing all these small things. But the Lord responds with such feelings by saying: "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).

As I have looked back over the years of growing out my hair there were little things I did that made a difference. This is the same with taking care of our spiritual growth. Alma taught his son, Helaman, about being wise, he said, "Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls" (Alma 37:6-7). The Lord's purpose is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39) and He helps lead us through small means, not huge miracles or flashy signs. For example, if we want to make the changes that allow us to get into shape for a long race we don't just go out and run or ride a bike for hours on end. We do small things, incrementally that make a difference and build up stamina, endurance, and good health. If we want to raise our children in righteousness and teach them to love the Lord it takes small things and diligence. We can find great joy in "well-doing" as we teach our children by loving and guiding them.

The Lord said, "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). To find Him we must be diligent. Growing my hair out required diligence. It was the small and simple things that made the difference. The same is with our relationship with our Father in Heaven. He doesn't require us to go out and run a marathon or carry 50 pounds for miles on end. What He wants and requires of us is simple and depends upon our diligence. He says, "Behold, this is your work, to keep my commandments, yea, with all your might, mind, and strength" (D&C 11:20). Keeping the commandments is the smallest thing we can do that makes "great things" come to pass (Alma 37:6; see also 1 Nephi 16:29; D&C 123:16). The Lord will "prepare a way" (1 Nephi 3:7) for us to accomplish all things that He desires for us to achieve. The challenge for us sometimes is to get our will in line with His. To have the desire to be obedient and keep His commandments, and thus, "laying a foundation of a great work" (D&C 64:33). And we, His children, are His great work!

"The worth of a soul is great in the sight of God". D&C 18:10

I had a professor tell me once that I wouldn't amount to much; that I would only amount to being a mother. At the time I was working on my degree in art with an emphasis in sculpture. I was his one student that would bring my infant daughter to my studio and work on my art, chiseling away at my stone sculptures. I was very angry by his comment at the time. In fact, for a long time it had been a thorn in my side. I had felt that he was right, I wouldn't amount to much as an artist. Well, he was right. And he was dead wrong. Let me explain.

He was right in the fact that I haven't amounted to much in the worlds terms as an artist or a sculptor and I probably never will. I don't have much time being a full time mother of four children and all their various needs. Some may say this is an excuse for not doing my art, but I say, I am doing my art. My art, as a mother, is that of sculpting souls. The Lord's work is all about His children, teaching, nurturing, guiding, strengthening His children; helping us become our best self. The best self being "children of Christ" (4 Nephi 1:17). As an artist I found that sculpture takes time and patience. Being a mother and fulfilling my role of nurturing children also takes time and patience. Creating a masterpiece isn't done in a day, or even a year. A masterpiece is timeless and often has infinite value. I can't put a price tag on the value of teaching or guiding my children in the ways of truth and righteousness.

When we put our family first, whether in the role of father, mother, sister, brother, daughter, son, or likewise, we are sculpting souls; this being God's greatest work (see D&C18:10; Moses 1:39). Perhaps the world will never tell me that I am a great artist. In fact, the world may even say I am a failure because I haven't "sold" any of my work. But that's okay with me; the goal was never to sell, but to create. Each of us must decide what we really want to create in this life. Time and creating are valuable gifts each of us have; and the greatest artwork we can participate in is "the worth of a soul" (see D&C 18:10). 

"When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God" (Mosiah 2:17)

This past week has been a week of learning. I ended up, by default, if you will, being in charge of organizing and feeding about 80 people for a water polo event. I didn't get to decide the date, the location, or the menu. For whatever reason, I was in a really grouchy mood because people hadn't paid for their meals and I needed a head count to know how much food to order, and decided I was upset about the date when this past week began. I was doing some minor complaining to some other women about the date being so late. The next day, I received a text from one of the women apologizing for making the banquet so late after the season ended. Needless to say, I felt horrible because in my selfish frustration, I had forgotten who had been there to start the planning and organizing of this event. These good women did the best they could, they didn't need criticism. I immediately sent a text back and apologized for my attitude and thanked her for all she was doing.

After I received that text I realized a lot of things. We so readily quote the scripture, "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God" (Mosiah 2:17) that we forget that it encompasses a broader view of things than just serving each other. It also means this: What attitude you serve your fellow beings you are also serving your God with that same attitude. When I realized this, that my attitude was not what it should be, I wanted to change it, immediately! Having this new perspective made all the difference. I wanted to be cheerful serving God. I realized when God says, "All these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good" (D&C122:7) isn't just a nice thought, but it is an eternal truth. He knows exactly what we need in order to progress. It is us who gets things all mixed up and want to take needless control. God really is in charge. We get to make choices, but we don't get to choose the consequences, whether good or bad. We also get to choose the attitude in which we serve, and boy are things a lot easier if we have a good attitude!

When I realized that I needed an attitude change I was able to be open to learning so many more things. I learned how to cook ribs for 50 people, which can easily be expanded to 80 or 100. This is a great skill and I learned I don't really want to be a caterer. I learned that complaining can hurt other people, especially good, innocent people and that hopefully (I know I will have to keep working on this one) I can focus on the good that is being done by everyone. I learned that "...to be learned is good if [we] hearken unto the counsels of God" (2 Nephi 9:29). All my "knowledge" from past events is good only if I am willing to share it with a good attitude and be flexible.

God knows what we need to learn. The challenge is to "seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from His hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that He counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy over all His works" (Jacob 4:10 italics, bold mine). Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926-2004) stated: "In a very real sense, all we need to know is that God knows all!" (Book Of Mormon Student Manuel, Religion 121-122; 2009, pg.67),

 I also learned this week, or rather was reminded to, "Do all things without murmurings and disputings" (Philippians 2:14). The attitude in which we serve others, is the attitude in which we serve the Lord. This I testify, makes a huge difference.