Thankfulness and Positivity

We had a big storm last night. There were a lot of thunders and lightnings, hail, and strong winds. 
When we woke up this morning, leaves were strewn all over the yard. Trash cans had been toppled over.
As my mom and I went for a walk, we could see how many trees, bushes, and flower plants had suffered through this storm. Some places had nets to protect from the hail that had "pockets of hail still in them. 

Those whom we encountered commented, "what a disaster!"
Yet, I could not feel the weight of this "disaster." As I looked around, I felt grateful that I could not see any trees on the ground, roofs displaced, car windows broken. So, I would reply that, at least, all we had to do was to clean up the leaves in the yard and pick up a couple of trash cans. 

When we are grateful, we are able to look at what is positive and good in our lives. The same works the other way around: when we look at the positive side of things, we find that it becomes easy to be grateful for our situation.

In Psalm 100:4 we read, "...be thankful unto him, and bless his name."
When we show gratitude, we are happier. 
"Challenges will certainly come...but we don't have to be weighed down by discouragement and sadness. We can put our trust in the Lord and be positive. Jesus Christ promised us we would experience tribulation, be He also urged, "Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33) - We Believe in Being Positive

I realize that this storm is nothing compared to other storms in our lives. There is sickness, loss of work, loss of loved ones, inability to financially take care of needs. These are much bigger storms. Yet, I believe that if we do put our trust in Him, and we do our best to look at what is positive, even in such dire situations, we will find a way to be grateful and we will be comforted. We will find peace. 

Become a Peacemaker

In a world where there are wars and rumors of wars, feuds between families and within family members, angry dealings among individuals and even friends, one may ask, "What can I do to bring peace?"

Today, as I sit here thinking about the state of affairs of the world, I too wonder what I can do to bring peace within my family, circle of friends, and community, and what I can do to honor my Savior and Redeemer. I came across this statement: "One of the best ways we can honor the Savior is to become a peacemaker." Russell M. Nelson, Peacemakers Needed General Conference, Apr. 2023

There is my answer: become a peacemaker. 

Somehow, I feel that to become a peacemaker means more than refraining from arguing with others or stepping in between two individuals and help them "make peace" with one another. I feel that I first need to be at peace with myself. I need to turn to the Savior and follow in His footsteps. As I do this, I am positive that I can find the inner peace that will help me be a peacemaker within my family, friends, and community. 

To follow in His footsteps, I first need to learn about Him: "Jesus healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and even brought the dead back to life. More importantly, He forgave people of their sins." (The Life of Jesus Christ "Ministry and Miracles"). He also fed the hungry, visited with people, invited people to be with Him, among other things.

I cannot perform miracles, but I can do small acts of service to follow in His footsteps.

I can: 

1. take care of those who are sick by bringing them food and doing needed chores; or by just spending time with them;
2. be the guide to the blind, not just in walking with them but also taking the time to describe to them what they want to see;  
3. keep those who have passed on alive in my heart by remembering the good these people brought in my life; create memory books for family members who lost loved ones. 
4. forgive the offense received and refrain from seeking revenge. It does not mean to stay in harm's way, if the situation is a dangerous one; 
5. contribute to a food pantry, invite someone over to share food;
6. visit the ones who are alone, whether sick or not;
7. invite people to come to Christ by sharing with them my testimony of His love and His sacrifice.

I realize that not everyone wants to be on the receiving end. Pride or shame are powerful emotions to make us refuse help. However, if I have love in my heart, and the people I try to reach realize that I am not there to judge or ridicule them but to just be there for them, I believe that they will open up and allow me to serve them. 

As I do these things, I will come closer to the Savior and feel that peace He offers all. I will grow love in my heart for my fellow beings and I will be able to see them as the Savior sees them. 

As we try to follow in Him, with His kind of love within us, there won't be room for contention. His love will radiate through us, and we will be able to bring peace among those with whom we live, work, and spend time. We will become peacemakers. 

Does God Always Answer Prayers?

Today, I was going to share thoughts on something totally different. However, after listening to the Relief Society lesson, I decided I was going to share my thoughts on the question "does God always answer prayers?"

The short answer is a resounding YES!

YES, He does always answer prayers.

The timing of when this happens, however, is what makes us believe that the above statement is not true. We want answers and we want them now. We also try to listen for the answers we want to receive. When we don't get them, we feel our prayers have not been answered. 
But we need to know and remember that God's timing is perfect and also that sometimes the answer is yes; sometimes the answer is not yet; and sometimes the answer is no. 

As Brook P. Hales stated, "sometimes our prayers are answered quickly with the outcome we hope for. Sometimes our prayers are not answered in the way we hope for, yet with time we learn that God had greater blessings prepared for us than we initially anticipated. And sometimes our righteous petitions to God will not be granted in this life." (Answers to Prayer, April 2019 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)

I have personally experienced the yes, the no, and the not yet answers. Although
I might have not known the why behind the not yet and no answers, at the time I
received them, I was given the blessing to see the why at a later time. Now, I don't
know all of the whys, yet. But I remain confident that, in His perfect knowledge and
wisdom, all things will happen at the right time and for my benefit and the benefit
of those around me. 

I testify that Heavenly Father does answer all of our prayers. As we pray, we need
to be willing to let Him guide us and lead us. We need to be willing to say, like
His Son, "Thy will be done...", Matt. 6:10 (26:42; Luke 22:42;3 Ne. 13:10).

And YES, God does always answer our prayers!

 

Testimony

 This Sunday, a fast and testimony meeting is held (or has been held) in each branch and ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

It is generally the first Sunday of each month (unless it is General Conference weekend, held the first weekend in April and in October). It is a day we come to church fasting and, hopefully, with spiritual questions and thoughts. It is a day when church members are invited to share their testimony of Christ, of the Gospel, of the Church. 

The definition of Fast Sunday found in a newsroom article is:

"A Sunday, usually the first one of each month, on which Latter Day-Saints abstain from food and drink for two meals and donate the equivalent cost, or more, to the Church to assist the poor and needy. The money donated is called a fast offering. The sacrament meeting on each fast Sunday, called fast and testimony meeting, is devoted to the voluntary expression of testimony by members." 

I did not get the chance to physically go to church, but I did follow the zoom meeting. The testimonies shared by the members touched my heart and I now would like to share my own testimony:

I know that Christ is our Savior and our Redeemer. I know He came to earth to teach us the way back to our Father in Heaven, to suffer for our mistakes and alleviate our own sufferings, to die and be resurrected that we might all be resurrected. I know that He loves each and every one of us and His sacrifices are for each and every one of us. He has already paid the price and to deny His sacrifices would be like telling Him that what He did was not good enough for us.
I know the Gospel and the Church are perfect and what we need to get back to our Heavenly Father. It is us, the people, who are imperfect and make imperfect choices. Sometime, these choices might bring us to think that the Gospel or the Church are not true. But this is an incorrect reasoning: the Gospel and the Church came from Christ, Who is perfect. We, as mortal beings, are imperfect. I am so grateful to Christ because, thanks to His Atonement, we can change, make amends, and rectify our mistakes, where possible. 
I have been a church member for 40 years. I have had my ups and downs. I have had moments when I did question my testimony, when I had doubts. But I turned to Christ for answers, and I am so grateful that I am still a member and that my testimony is strong."Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith." Dieter F. Uchtdorf