How's Your Streak?

 

Are your friends and family like mine? Do you get daily texts revealing the New York Times' latest Wordle or Connections game someone has played? It's the worst when you've got a good streak going and you forget to play, isn't it? Sometimes I get a streak of three or four days...and that's when I'm actually trying. I'm much better at keeping up with my DuoLingo streak as I try to learn Spanish. My current steak is 144 days, but that's only because they give you streak freezes so you don't actually lose your streak when you forget every now and then. 

With all these streaks we try not to lose, it got me thinking. What if there were a streak for saying daily prayers. Would we be better at remembering to pray? What about scripture study? If your phone sent you a message telling you not to lose your streak would you make sure to pull out your scriptures and read at least a verse or two every day...you know, in order not to lose your streak?

Is this not what the parable of the ten virgins is all about? You can miss a day here and there, sort of like Duo Lingo's freeze streak. Maybe it's not a "perfect" streak, but it's consistent enough to keep your streak going. It's consistent enough to build a reserve of oil for when the Bridegroom comes! I hope that when you get those reminders "not to lose your steak" you will ask yourself how your "scripture streak" and "prayer streak" is going. Then we will be more likely to be prepared for the time when our Lord and Savior returns! 

We will know Him!

 It's been a bit, but I am still here!

I wanted to share an experience from my weekend that brought a smile to my face and light into my life. When I was a little girl (kindergarten and younger) I had a best friend who I adored. Her family moved to Florida and later my family moved from that small apartment as well. I've thought of this friend over the years. She was dear to me. The man in this photo below is her father today. I haven't seen him in nearly 40 years and yet it only took me a few moments in a chance meeting in his store to recognize him and ask him if he was who I thought! What a fun reunion it was!

Today in Sunday School as I thought of the Tree of Life leading us to Christ I thought of this experience. After 40 years I still knew my friend's father. I realized just as I knew him in an instant so we will know Christ when he returns. In Philippians 2:10-11 it tells us, "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

As I contemplated the scriptures, I realized we already know Christ! We knew him before we came to this earth, and we will know him again! Knowing him is not a question. The question is do we remember him now and do we live so when he returns, we feel worthy to be in his presence. Not because we are worthy, but because we've remembered! We've remembered that only through him can we become worthy! I hope when I meet him that I will know that I used his atonement enough to be comfortable in the presence of his love. I want to continue to partake of the fruit of His goodness. I want to partake of his love daily!

Helaman 5:12

"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

How Great Shall Be Your Joy!

 The scriptures in Doctrine & Covenants 18:15-16 says, “And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!”

I’ve heard it said that the one soul you need to bring is yourself. Typically, when you think of this scripture you think of missionaries and the souls they teach and bring into the gospel. Today while hearing this scripture at the homecoming of a missionary in our family it hit me a little differently. What if those other souls it’s referring to are my children?!? 

I’m always working on my relationship with my Savior! The truth is I can only teach my children how to find Christ. They have to build that trust and relationship with their Savior themselves. I hope that they will follow my lead because if I can bring all three of these souls unto Christ my soul will surely be filled with joy! ❤️❤️❤️

Happy 4th of July

"Oh, thus be it ever, when free men shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war’s desolation!
Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the heav’n-rescued land
Praise the Pow’r that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust!”"
The Star-Spangled Banner 3rd verse (Francis Scott Key, 1779–1843)

"Oh, beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev’ry gain divine."
America the Beautiful 3rd verse (Katherine Lee Bates, 1859–1929)

While singing these songs in church this week I was touched! How blessed we are to live in a country with such amazing freedoms! I am so grateful for that freedom, and I hold it dear! God Bless America and the men and women who have sacrificed to make sure it remains a place of freedom! 

Happy 4th of July!!!

Off the Path

I enjoy hiking! A few days ago, my family and I were hiking at Capital Reef National Park. While hiking the trail to Cassidy Arch my family and I got a little lost. As you can see from the middle photo above there is a rock stair path with some rocks in front of it and loose rocks behind that. We should have turned to the right at this point. We were hiking along and visiting without paying much attention to the path. Instead of turning to the right we went straight and ended up continuing off the path for a bit. Thankfully my husband saw people on the path above us and realized that we needed to be higher up. We found a way to get back on the path and finish our hike to the final destination of Cassidy Arch. The view of the Arch was well worth the distance and climb!

So often in life we are careless and it's so easy get distracted and lose sight of the covenant path. Often times we see that we aren't where we are supposed to be. We see that we need to be on a higher path, but we don't know how to get there. This could mean that we don't reach our desired destination of Life Eternal with our Father in Heaven and Savior Jesus Christ. Thankfully, it doesn't have to mean that!

 After studying the crucifixion of the Savior as well as his resurrection the past few weeks I am reminded of the joy that comes from knowing that no matter how far off path we get there is always hope! Christ has paid the price so we can always return to the Covenant Path. It is true that it's important we are mindful of the twists and turns that may confuse us, and it always helps to keep our eyes focused on the pathway in order to return. Yet the joy and the good news of the gospel is that when we get lost we don't have to stay lost. Our Savior will always help guide us back to the path if we are willing to accept his gift of the atonement and follow him. I am so grateful for my Savior! 

I know that he lives and loves me and because of that I know that he loves you too!

The culture of the church

 

While listening to a Podcast on my afternoon walk yesterday, I heard the phrase “The culture of the church.” The woman continued on to talk about how the culture of the church has a tendency to be very black and white. As I thought on her comments, I started to focus my walk on the colors I saw, and I couldn’t help but take pictures.

Too often the culture of the church is very short sighted. They tend to see right and wrong, good and bad, virtue or vice, worthy and unworthy. The beauty of the GOSPEL of Jesus Christ is that it is full of beautiful color! Christ can take all people who choose to come unto him, wherever they are, and make so much more of them.

He adds the color. He washes away the darkness and the mistakes and turns us into a beautiful colorful garden. He can make good of any difficult situation. I’ve seen him do it in my life as well as others.

People in the church or the culture of the church will always get it wrong because they are imperfect. They can’t see the world and its people as clearly as Christ in his perfect love and understanding sees it.

When you see things that bother you or hurt because of the culture please don’t think that is the gospel. Redirect your focus on Christ and his doctrine for it is he, not the church, who is mighty to save! As we focus on Christ, he can open our eyes to the beautiful color in the world around us!

 

This thistle plant found a way to thrive against all odds, and so can we! The 2023 youth theme for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13

This plant I saw yesterday reminds me of that truth! With faith and good works God will perform miracles!!!

#persistence #seethegood