Living After the Manner of Happiness: Fasting

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the first Sunday of every month is what we call "Fast Sunday."  On these Sundays members go without food or water for at least 2 meals.  We then donate the money we would have spent on those meals.  This money is used to assist the poor and needy.
 
The purpose behind fasting is to draw closer to our Heavenly Father and to seek blessings from His hand.  We become more sensitive to the Holy Ghost because we are submitting our physical needs to our spirits.

Our Savior Jesus Christ set the example of fasting.  He fasted for 40 days (see Matthew 4:2) and during His great Sermon on the Mount he taught us to fast and give alms, or offerings, privately so that our "Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly." (see Matthew 6:1-4,16-18)

I love the story of the widow's mite.  I have consistently seen in my life that when I give a generous fast offering, even when I'm tight on money, the Lord always, without fail, blesses me generously.

In modern revelation fasting has been equated with rejoicing.  (see D&C 59:14)  I know that we will find great strength and joy in our lives as we live the law of the fast and as we each give our equivalent of the widow's mite to care for the poor and the needy.

I am grateful for the opportunity to fast.  There are rich blessings in store for us and for others as we live this divine law.

For Time and All Eternity

Yesterday, my older brother Jacob got married!  Though I've never met his wife Shannon, she's already my favorite (and technically only) sister-in-law. 

They were sealed to each other for time and all eternity in the Draper, Utah Temple.  Temples are sacred, holy places.  In temples a man and a woman can be sealed to each other for time and all eternity as husband and wife.  In God's eternal plan, families can be together forever.

This sealing power was spoken of by Jesus Christ when he said to Peter, "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."  (Matthew 16:19)  These priesthood keys which can bind us together in our families for all eternity is found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I'm sad that I couldn't be with Jacob and Shannon on their special day, but I find a lot of joy in knowing that my purpose as a missionary is to teach others the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father's great plan of salvation so that others may have the opportunity to be with their families for time and all eternity.

Upon the Palms of His Hands

I have decided that we as human beings have a fear of being forgotten. 

Here's a personal, recent example of this fear.  This past week I left Manchester, TN and was transferred to Antioch, TN.  I didn't want to leave.  It was heartbreaking to me to leave the people that I had served for 5 1/2 months and that I had come to love so much.  And if I'm being completely honest, it made me sad to think that I was so easily replaceable.  With each area that I've served in and then left, I've worried that I will soon be forgotten.

As I consider my personal fear of being forgotten, I find comfort in knowing that my Father in Heaven will never forget me.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, "Wherever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, you are not forgotten. No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you with an infinite love."

I know that just as our Heavenly Father loves us, our Savior Jesus Christ loves us.  He loves us so much that He suffered our pains and afflictions, He paid the price for our sins, and He died so that we may live once again with God.  He loves us so much that He has engraven us upon the palms of His hands. 

"Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." (Isaiah 49:15-16)

Our Heavenly Father and our Savior love us.  They have not forgotten us, nor will They ever forget us.  The very marks in Christ's hands are evidence of His love.

Puppy Poop, Wooden Beams, and Dirty Windows

When I was about 10 years old our dog Rosey had a litter of puppies.  There were 9 cute little puppies and they were so much fun.  However, you would have to be very careful where you stepped because there was a high risk of stepping in something you really would rather not have on your shoes.

One day my twin sister and I had a friend over and we played outside all day long.  And of course we played with the puppies for a majority of that time.  At one point I could smell something not very pleasant.  I knew that one of us had stepped in some puppy poo.  I told my friend and my sister to check their shoes but they said they hadn't stepped in anything.

For hours and hours I would catch a whiff of puppy poo and would tell my sister and my friend to check their shoes.  I was getting super irritated that neither one of them had cleaned their shoes because I was so convinced that they had gotten it on their shoes.  It wasn't until I was climbing up something that I caught a glimpse of something on the bottom of my shoe.  The reason I had been smelling puppy poo all day long was because I had been the one to step in it! 

I was so quick to put the blame on my sister and my friend and not once did I consider that I had been the one to step in the puppy poop.  As I've reflected on this experience I can't help but think of what the Savior taught us: "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" (Matthew 7:3)

How quick are we to put the blame on other people?  How often do we judge others without recognizing or acknowledging our own faults and weaknesses? 

In a beloved hymn we sing a line that always resonates with me: "Who am I to judge another when I walk imperfectly?" (Hymn #220)

President Thomas S. Monson once spoke on this very topic of judging others.  This video shows what happens when we look through "dirty windows."

 

 

I am trying to become better at this.  Before I judge anyone else I want to first check myself for puppy poop, wooden beams, and dirty windows.  And as Mother Teresa once said, “If you judge people, you have no time to love them."  I hope that each of will follow the admonition of our Savior and "Judge not." (Matthew 7:1)

 

 

Living After the Manner of Happiness: Blessing

It's been a while since I've written a blog in my series "Living After the Manner of Happiness", so to continue with that I wanted to share just a couple of thoughts about blessings.

 

When Christ was on the earth His ministry consisted of teaching, preaching, and healing (see Matthew 4:23).  There are many recorded accounts of the Savior healing people and there's no way to know how many unrecorded instances there are of His miraculous healings.  The Savior gave His 12 apostles the power to bless and minister to the people.  It's only through faith and God given power that such miraculous blessings can be given.

 

Here are just a couple of examples:

"And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them." (Mark 10:16)

"And...he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. ...And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them." (Mark 6:5, 13) 

Today the same power that the Savior and His apostles possessed is on the earth.  In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we call this power and authority to act in God's name the priesthood.

 

I am so grateful that our Heavenly Father restored this priesthood power to the earth once again.  In times of sickness or in times of discouragement, each one of us can seek a blessing from the hands of one who has been ordained to the priesthood of God.  One definition I read about blessings is, "To confer divine favor upon someone. Anything contributing to true happiness, well-being, or prosperity is a blessing."  

 

I have seen so many miracles occur because of a blessing of the priesthood.  (If you want to read an especially inspiring account read this blog!)  I personally have been blessed and healed.  God wants to bless us and He has provided a way for each one of us.