What the World Needs Now....... Is Still LOVE!

Over the past few days a weeks I've had a thought burgeoning in my mind.  Conversations with parents, siblings, and my husband have confirmed my thoughts.  What the world needs now.... is still LOVE!  It is an almost universal human need. The need to connect, to be understood. To be loved.

People are literally screaming for attention.  Posts on Facebook show this. News articles describe it.  Everyone has different ways of expressing themselves and their own desires for love and validation.  People will point out racism, sexism, homophobia, and a myriad of other things, but in reality they are expressing the hurt they are feeling.  Their innate need to be heard and recognized.  They want other people to show that what they are saying isn't falling on deaf ears.

There is so much hurt in this world.  And a lot of fears.

REJECTION

ISOLATION

LONELINESS

MISUNDERSTANDINGS

No one wants to be alone.  We as humans seem to be trying to fulfill these needs in ways that just won't satisfy.  Watching tv shows and movies, we feel for a moment that our individual experience is not completely unique, that others out there can understand.  We get on social media, collecting friends to ease our fears of isolation.  What are these things really doing for us? Nothing.

Connection.  Real conversations, with real people.  This is what we need.  It's a matter of the human touch.  Reaching out to another human soul and saying "I may not fully understand what you are experiencing, but I am here for you.  Help me understand."  When we do these things, we are spreading a balm of healing.  I believe that we are truly being the Lord's hands to hold the hands that hang down.  We are comforting those that stand in need of comfort.  Let's all be a little more thoughtful, a little more kind.  Don't assume that you are alone, and don't isolate yourself.  Make connections and learn to love those around you.  It doesn't matter if you are black or white, male or female.  We are all humans here on earth, God's children.  We have a responsibility to love one another.

I don't know about you, but I've felt alone.  I've been rejected.  We can all ease that pain by listening and understanding.  You don't have to be the same to love someone.  I feel like we all can relate to these type of feelings, and yet we still isolate ourselves because we have different beliefs, or we are different sexes.  It's time for us to realize that there is a lot more common to this human experience and the emotions we feel.  Stop putting up walls.  Our opinions and differences make us unique and individuals, but that doesn't mean we can't love each other and connect.  What the world really needs now is more connection.  More love.

My Legacy

This semester I am taking a Positive Living Class.  In it we get to do certain experiences each week that push us to learn the concepts we've been covering.  This week it was on purposes and values.  We were given the opportunity to write out our legacy.  Think about it.  When you pass on, what types of things do you want to be remembered for?  What will you have accomplished?  Who will you have become and how will your kids/grandchildren think of you?  Well, here is my legacy.  I hope that one day when I am old, I will be able to look back on my life and see that I have accomplished some of these things...

Anna was a wonderful mother, sister, friend, and wife.  She always had time for the people she loved, and she loved many.  Being a stay at home mother was hard work, but it was a work that Anna wanted to do.  She knew it was her calling.  This didn't stop her from improving herself each and every day.  At times Anna would have to work to help support her family, this was usually done by teaching piano from her home.  Her students doted on her.  They learned to love and appreciate music as she taught them the joy it could bring into their lives.  Her children also loved to hear their mother playing the piano every day.  Each of her children learned to play the piano.  Anna was service oriented and blessed many lives.  Each week she would find time to serve in the temple.  It didn't matter if she went by herself or with loved ones, she just went and communed with God and did His work.  Anna was faithful in everything she did.  She was always consistent in her callings and fulfilled her duties within the church.  There was no doubt that Anna put God first in her life.  Her favorite scripture was Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him and he shall direct thy paths."  Anna truly lived by this mantra.  Through her life we can all learn to love one another better, serve each other and God.  Enjoy music and make ourselves better.  Put God and family first.  These are the things that Anna did.  She valued these things and it blessed everyone she came into contact with.

As I wrote this legacy, I felt a couple of things.  First I felt a little foolish and self centered.  Secondly I worried that I wouldn't accomplish all of these things. Last, I felt like it did a great job of highlighting my values.  God, family, service, the church, friends, and music.  Thinking back now I would probably also add a good sense of humor and a good cook, but those aren't my main values.  I also realized that by doing this it cemented in my mind who I am and who I want to become.  Hopefully I can use this legacy to improve myself and to have a goal that I can look back on again and again throughout this life.

Perfect Power, Perfect Understanding

So, when I was younger, my mom would tease about my youngest brother saying: We had to have him because he made us perfect with 7 children.  My mom was referring to the symbolism of the number 7 and how it stands for perfection.  Well, in my new testament class we have also been learning about a lot of number and object symbolism.  My teacher gave us a list of numbers and their meanings:
3 = Heaven or the Godhead
4 = Earth or men/women
6 = Imperfection or bad
7 = Perfection, complete, or whole
8 = New beginnings
12 = Priesthood or Authority/power
40 = preparation or judgement.
After we finished learning about the number symbolism, we started to learn a few of the objects symbolic meanings.  We were taught that wings are our agency.  Eyes are to see, know, or understand.  Horns symbolize power.

Now, all of this background in this symbolism was to help us understand The Revelation.  What stuck out to me was the 6th verse in chapter 5 of Revelation.  It says: "And I beheld. and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth." After knowing the symbolism of the number 7 and of the horns and eyes it makes so much more sense.  This "Lamb" had perfect understanding and perfect power.  He saw everything and had the power to change things.  If you haven't already figured it out, I'll tell you.  This scripture is talking about Christ.  He is the Lamb of God.  He was slain for us, even though he had perfect power.  It was because of his perfect understanding that God had a plan and needed Him, that he was willing to die for us.  I am so glad to know about these symbols because it helps me grow in knowledge and understanding. Christ truly did die for me and for you.  It is a beautiful thing.  He died so that we might live.

I'm peculiar. Are you?

Do you ever feel weird?  Strange?  Different than most people?  I often do.  In the scriptures, such as 1 Peter 2:9, it tells us that we are a "peculiar" people.  My new testament teacher explained that peculiar doesn't mean the same thing in this context as we usually think about it.  He told us that peculiar means purchased.  We are purchased by Christ's infinite atonement.  One thing that really stuck out to me was when my teacher asked me what my price was.  He explained to us that the price of a soul is infinite because it is based on our capacity to become like God.  We have infinite potential.  We are of great worth.  It reminds me of a few other scriptures.  D&C 12:10 says: "The worth of souls is great in the sight of God."  Moses 1:39 says: "For behold, this is my work and my glory -- to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."  God loves us and wants us to return to Him.  It is his work.  He glories in us becoming like him.  So, it makes sense that our worth is infinite and that we would have a loving Savior pay the infinite price for us.  We truly are purchased by Christ.

Not only this, 1 Peter 2:9 tells us that we are chosen and that we have been called out of the darkness into "marvelous light".  How wonderful is that.  Heavenly Father doesn't want us to wander lost in the darkness.  He is calling us to the light and he has shown us the way, through his son, Jesus Christ.  It truly is marvelous!

Illuminated through trials.

Often I find myself trying to understand why life is so hard.  It feels like if I'm doing what is right I should be blessed for it, and I am, but that doesn't take away the trials in life.  I was taught the reason for this in my New Testament class this week.  My teacher showed us  Hebrews 10:32 Which says: "But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;"  He explained that the whole book of Hebrews is a list of greater than statements.  The one in this scripture is persecution > ease. God loves me more than he loves my comfort. There is so much to learn from being tested and tried through our afflictions. The things that we learn cannot be learned through ease and Heavenly Father knows this.  Thus he loves me enough to let me be tried and to go through hard things.

If you are going through a trial.  Don't blame God.  He is showing you how much he loves you by letting you grow and learn by experiencing affliction.  We are "illuminated" by our trials.  I know that I have learned so much about relying on my Savior and his atonement during my hard times.  During times of ease I sometimes get lazy and too slow to turn to God. We should always turn to the Lord, but sometimes we need to be knocked down to realize that there is always a hand to help us get back up.  Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ always have their hands stretched out towards us.  We just need to be willing to stretch out ours and grab a hold.

Know what you want.

Dating.  Isn't it just everyone's favorite thing?  If you didn't pick up on the sarcasm, let me just tell you the plain and simple truth.  Most people that I know dislike dating and the "dating game".  It's not fun trying to get a guy that you like to ask you out.  It's even harder to figure out how fast to take a relationship.  What can you do to show interest without being too forward and also avoid giving the wrong impression to certain guys are all things to think about.  It takes a toll on you emotionally and mentally.

Now, I may be young, but I've had my fair share of dating experiences to have learned a little bit.  What I want to talk about is knowing what you want.  Dating is pointless if you don't know what it is you're searching for from it.  It brings to mind the principle from Alice in Wonderland, where Alice isn't sure which road to take.  The Cheshire cat asks her where it is she's trying to get.  Alice responds that she doesn't know.  To that the Cat replies, that it "then it doesn't matter."   This is very similar for dating.  If you don't know where you want to end up, it really doesn't matter who you date.  If you know what you want, then it definitely does matter!  The type of people you date are the pool of people that you will have to choose from for your eternal companion.  If you know you want a temple marriage, then date people who are worthy to enter the temple.

Knowing what you want is more than that though.  You need to figure out what you want so that you can be careful of other people's hearts.  I want to relate a story about this.  Last year I didn't really know what I wanted from dating.  Was I just dating for fun or was I looking for someone I could start a meaningful relationship with?  I had no idea.  I started hanging out with a great guy in my ward.  He was nice and funny.  We always had a good time together.  Since I wasn't sure about where my life was heading, I was just enjoying the ride.  A little too late I realized that the boy was invested and He wasn't the right guy for me to build a lasting relationship with.  Because I didn't know what I wanted, but kept moving forward, I ended up hurting this guy so much more than if I had known from the start and not let it get too far.   When you are unsure of what you want, be gentle with the people you are dating.  They might know what they want and you moving forward without that knowledge ends up in them getting burned.

Now, I don't mean to discourage moving forward with faith.  If you are praying about things and are not getting any indication that the relationship is wrong, move forward!  Don't hold back because you are not 100% sure that the relationship is going to work.  What I am saying is that your actions should be in accordance with your thoughts and feelings.  You shouldn't kiss someone just because you are afraid of losing that opportunity, while at the same time knowing that you are not ready for a commitment.  Let your actions be honest.

Having said all of this, I urge everyone to pray and ponder and figure out what their goals are for life.  If you are not at a point where you are searching for a meaningful relationship, be honest about that.  You will be so much happier and so will the people you date.  If you feel like you are ready for something more serious, look for that.  Make it a priority, but don't act with more affection than you feel.  That's where I feel the Jane Austen character has it wrong in Pride and Prejudice.  Don't ever act in more reassuring ways than you are feeling.  If it is a good thing that is supposed to happen, you won't lose it by taking your time and letting things grow slowly.

Good luck with all of your dating!  Don't let the "games" get you down.  It's all going to work out.  I hope my advice helps at least a little bit.  Anywho.  "Let the games begin!"

So that's how the spirit speaks to me!

Alright, if you're anything like me you sometimes wonder what the spirit sounds like.  How do you know if the feelings you are getting are the spirit or just your own thoughts?  Well, I recently found something that gives me a lot of peace.  2 Timothy 1:7 says: "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of peace, and of love, and of a sound mind."  I needed this scripture in my life this semester.  Dealing with certain decisions, I have felt terrified.  Sometimes I felt as if the fear was taking control of my life.  I would sit and wonder if the fear was a sign that I was making the wrong choice, but that never felt right because I've had other experiences pointing that it was the right decision.  So what is a girl (or boy) to do?

The answer I came up with, using this scripture, is that fear doesn't come from God.  Life is full of scary things.  We have to make decisions and they can be extremely frightening, especially when we don't want to mess up.  The good news is that if we're not supposed to go in a certain direction, God won't make us scared of that possibility.  God would give us the peace and the "sound mind" to make the correct decision.  God gently leads us and also lets us make our own choices.  Knowing that God doesn't give me fear helps to me to make better decisions in my life.  It's not going to be easy to remember this, but through practice I know that I will be able to better recognize the hand of the Lord in my life and how the spirit speaks to me because it sure isn't through fear!