Spiritual Nourishment

I did my visiting teaching today and one quote really stuck out to me and I felt prompted to share it with you wonderful ladies.

Spiritual nourishment is just as important as a balanced diet to keep us strong and healthy. We nourish ourselves spiritually by partaking of the sacrament weekly, reading the scriptures daily, praying daily in personal and family prayer, and performing temple work regularly. Our spiritual strengths are like batteries; they need to be charged and frequently recharged.

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

Living the gospel is not something we turn on and off. We need to remember the importance of taking care of our spiritual side; if we don't we will slowly become 'out of shape' spiritually. We need to take the time to take care of our spirit and Heavenly Father, through the Holy Ghost, will take care of us.

Ebb and flow

I apologize for my lack of posting yesterday. I think my brain heard the word "holiday" and went on vacation. I just barely remembered this morning that I was supposed to post yesterday and didn't. So hopefully this will be fabulous enough to make up for my obvious lack of coherency.

Nick and I seem to have an ebb and flow with scripture reading. Right now we are having a flow. We are doing really well together. We read every night before we go to bed. Sometimes one of us isn't feeling well or is very tired. When that happens the other person reads the entire chapter. But usually we take turns reading every night.

I notice the same pattern happen every time the scripture study ebbs. Nick and I don't seem to have the same closeness and loving regard for each other. (Not to say we stop loving, we just aren't as loving.) Somethings get between us and threaten to push us apart. Tears ensue and bring overwhelming feelings of doubt and fear.

On the other hand, when the scripture study is flowing, our relationship is totally different. We are more understanding of each other. We feel more concern for the other person. It feels like we just got married again and back from our honeymoon.

I can personally acknowledge and bear witness that having daily scripture study brings a spirit into a marital relationship that nothing else can take the place of. This spirit binds you together and strengthens a marriage. It makes you happier. It saves a marriage from being torn apart. It strengthens your spirits so that it is easier to deal with challenges or problems that happen and can really try your marriage. No matter how many times you've read the scriptures, always make them a priority.

Debt

My husband is a financial analyst and is very intelligent when it comes to money. Ever since we got married we have used a budget and he has taught me how to save, invest, etc. Now that we are both graduated and in the work force, we are pushing ourselves to pay off our school loans. The prophets have counseled us continually to get out of debt. This is such an important subject, yet millions of people all over the world keep loading the debt up higher and higher. It is such a touchy subject because many people get offended by the counsel to not have debt. I have heard so many people say, "We don't need a budget." My question is, "How do you expect to get out of debt, whether the debt is a mortgage payment, school loans, or consumer debt, if you don't use a budget."

Here is what the leaders of the Church have to say about debt:

"Avoid debt...Today everything is seemingly geared toward debt. 'Get your cards, and buy everything on time': you're encouraged to do it. But the truth is that we don't need to do it to live. We wonder what our people will do who have been spending their all and more. If employment and income should reduce, what then? Are you living beyond your means? Do you owe what you cannot pay if times became perilous? Are your shock absorbers in condition to take a shock? Plan and work in a way that will permit you to be happy even as you do without certain things that in times of affluence may have been available to you. Live within your means and not beyond them...Purchase your essentials wisely and carefully. Strive to save a portion of that which you earn. Do not mistake many wants for basic needs."

That's a mouthful. And this is only the beginning of what the Prophets and leaders of the Church have said about debt. We need to make getting out of debt a top priority. My husband and I have been reading this book:


It is wonderful! It is a great guide to getting out of debt, saving, investing, and also has a lot of advice for buying cars, houses, and saving for your kids' college tuition. We have really enjoyed it and found it very helpful as we are working hard to pay of school loans and save for a house (if we can ever afford one here in Northern California).

Anyway, I hope that I haven't offended anyone. Just remember: it's not my advice but a commandment from God, through his prophets here on the Earth.

Finding Joy in Womanhood

Before I begin, I really quickly want to say how much I love love love all the citations from the Book of Mormon that have been posted this week. I really have a love and respect for these scriptures and find such joy that you all do too.

I apologize for not posting last week. I didn't exactly forget as much as I had a really hard time last week feeling inspired enough to write something to all of you whom I have grown to know and admire without having it feel contrite. But this week I did want to share some thoughts with you this week.

Ever since I graduated high school I have been offered amazing jobs and opportunities one after another. I work with a lot of really successful and motivated women and have had mentors that have directed me towards a successful future in whatever career I end up in. I find a lot of joy in what I do, but despite all these things I find that the future I most look forward to is being a wife and mother. I never realized all the potential that I have in myself until I saw it through the eyes of my husband.

I know it's hard to be a woman, especially now as I am a wife, full-time student and breadwinner. Unfortunately, I've taken quite a few "poor me" moments within the last couple of months. But when I look back at all I've had to handle, I know more than ever that I have been prepared as a choice daughter of God to be in this situation at this moment for a purpose greater than I truly understand.

Our current general relief society president, Julie B. Beck, has talked quite a bit lately about cherishing our roles as daughters of the divine:

“I have a testimony gained from pondering and studying the scriptures of a plan of happiness given to us by our Father in Heaven. That plan has a part for His daughters. We have the female half to take care of, and if we don’t do our part, no one else is going to do it for us. The half of our Father’s plan that creates life, that nurtures souls, that promotes growth, that influences everything else was given to us. We can’t delegate it. We can’t pass it off to anyone. It’s ours. We can refuse it, we can deny it, but it’s still our part, and we’re accountable for it. There will come a day when we will all remember what we knew before we were born. We will remember that we fought in a great conflict for this privilege. How do we meet this responsibility? We daily put our energies into the work that is uniquely ours to do.”

“Latter-day Saint women must be strong and immovable in their faith. They can and should excel in living and sharing their testimonies of the Lord Jesus Christ and His restored gospel. We do this as we:

“1. Make and keep covenants with Him.

“2. Are worthy and worship in His temples.

“3. Study His doctrine in the scriptures and the words of prophets.

“4. Qualify for, recognize, and follow the Holy Ghost.

“5. Share and defend His gospel.

“6. Participate in sincere personal and family prayer.

“7. Have family home evening.

“8. Live principles of self-reliance and provident living.

“These are essential things which must be done before nonessential things. These are simple, indispensable practices that almost seem mundane. … No one can do these things for us—these are personal practices and habits that set us apart as strong and immovable for that which is correct” (“What Latter-day Saint Women Do Best: Stand Strong and Immovable,” Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2007, 109–10)

My prayer for all of us is two-fold, one that we can, as women, will take care of ourselves with the love that our Heavenly Father cares for us and, two, that we will have the discernment and patience with ourselves to know what is essential and what is not. Make time to enjoy being a woman.

On Becoming Proud

I forgot to post yesterday, but what I learned during my scripture study was so poignant to me, I would like to share it with you all today.

I began to read my scriptures but for some reason, although it was my favorite chapter, I wasn't getting anything out of it. I decided to do a topical study. I sat for a few moments thinking about what I should study, and I realized I have a serious problem with pride. In order to have more peace in my soul, I need to purge myself of that addiction (yes, I do think pride is an addiction).

I searched in the topical guide, and the first scripture I read was speaking straight to me. I read in 2 Nephi 9:42 which says

"And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches- yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them."

I have been richly blessed with education, wealth (comparatively), knowledge, the gospel... so many things in my life, and I fear they have made me a little proud. It is something that I constantly try to overcome, but let's be honest, pride is a very subtle thing that can creep into all of us. I read The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis a while ago and in it the apprentice devil is talking with his uncle about the difficulty of leading away his subject. The apprentice said that his subject was too humble, and wouldn't be tempted by anything to which the uncle replied that his subject need only be aware of his humility, and would then pride would enter his heart. It is such a fine line, and staying on the humble side of things is not the easiest. As I pondered over these things I thought about what I could do to combat pride. I turned to Mosiah 3:19 which tells us how to overcome the natural man

"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."

Becoming like a little child. Easier said than done, I think. I began talking with my brother on this topic, and he taught me something very interesting. He said he believes the best way (and in his opinion the only way) to overcome pride is to focus on thanks giving. If we are grateful, truly aware and appreciative of all the Lord has done for us, there is no way we can be proud.

I have decided to be more aware of everything, the breeze, my family, the smells... everything, and to thank my Heavenly Father for it all, because I want to rid myself of the natural man, and to become more like a child who has complete and unwavering trust in my Father.

True Freedom & Enjoyment

Right now, Gweg and I are in the midst of building, and buying, our first home. It's very exciting and very easy to make little decisions into large ones.

When we first realized we wanted to build our home, we only had two choices (to fit the requirement of staying in our ward). One, at the time, seemed like the house of our dreams. It had everything we needed and wanted---there was one problem---it was a little above our price range. We thought we could handle it because it was what we wanted. Our second choice, seemed like the lesser of the two. It had more of what we needed for our family now and not what we thought we would want 5, 10, 15 years down the road---plus it was within our budget.

In our story, we chose number 2. I know the Lord was with us in this choice. Many of things we worried about in the beginning have already resolved themselves. This was the choice we were supposed to make, and I can't help wonder what would have happened if we chose the first option.

It's no wonder that so many people are struggling in the economy right now because of the real estate and monetary decisions they made. A lot of people make finanical decisions based on what the world tells them they need and forget to think about what their family actually needs; we covet way more than we should. In April, Elder Robert D. Hales said:

“Being provident providers, we must keep that most basic commandment, ‘Thou shalt not covet’ (Exodus 20:17). Our world is fraught with feelings of entitlement. Some of us feel embarrassed, ashamed, less worthwhile if our family does not have everything the neighbors have. As a result, we go into debt to buy things we can’t afford—and things we do not really need. Whenever we do this, we become poor temporally and spiritually. We give away some of our precious, priceless agency and put ourselves in self-imposed servitude. Money we could have used to care for ourselves and others must now be used to pay our debts.”

“Becoming Provident Providers Temporally and Spiritually,” Ensign, May 2009, 8

What hit me the most about this quote is that when we go into unnecessary debt, we are giving away part of our free agency. The only thing we have that is truly ours to give and we auction it off to the highest bidder. True freedom and enjoyment does not come from trying to keep up with our neighbors or fellow ward members; it comes from making the best with what the Lord has given us---and this will be all we need to provide for our family's true happiness.

"Astonished Beyond Measure"

I just started into the book of Helaman in my personal scripture study, and the other day, I was reading toward the end of Chapter 3, where it talks about the righteousness (and resulting prosperity) of the Church. The Church was having such a time of prosperity that tens of thousands of people were being baptized (vs. 24, 26)

I was really struck with verse 25 in particular:

And so great was the prosperity of the church, and so many the blessings which were poured out upon the people, that even the high priests and the teachers were themselves astonished beyond measure.

This brings to mind two things: first, the Nephites recognized that their blessings came from righteousness, and second, that these blessings were so amazing and abundant, that the leaders were "astonished beyond measure!" The blessings were that wonderful.

I often marvel at the small blessings and tender mercies granted unto me by the Lord, but to be astonished beyond measure? I can't imagine what wonderful blessings they received. I hope to see such blessings myself someday as the Church continues to grow in faith and righteousness.