Scripture Sunday: Trying to Be Like Jesus (guest post by my daughter)

 My 12 year old daughter wrote (with very little help from me) and gave her first talk at church this week.  I asked her permission to post it her and she was excited for me to do so.  I have altered it just a little bit to remove a name, but otherwise it is exactly what she shared.

(I do not know where this photo is from, as I found it in my photo file on my laptop.  I would be happy to credit the artist, so if you know who it is, please let me know.)

 

Trying to Be Like Jesus

"On Easter Sunday, my uncle and grandparents came over to visit.  I received a phone call while they were there and was asked if I would give a talk.  I was not thinking what I had gotten myself into.  Just in case it is not obvious, I have stage fright.  Anyway, after I was asked me to speak, I mistakenly shared with my uncle what my talk was about.  I am going to be speaking about How to Be Like Jesus.  My uncle’s suggestions were to buy a purple robe and a long wig, ride in on a donkey, oh yea, and be an only child.  Coming from a house of 5 kids, I thought, well, it’s kind of late for that.  Plus, I am certain that he was not looking for ways that we can physically be like Jesus.  

When I think of how I can be like Jesus, I think of the Primary Song, “I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus.”  I am going to read you the lyrics to the song, since it basically summarizes my talk for me. The song starts by saying, “I’m trying to be like Jesus; I’m following in his ways. I’m trying to love as he did, in all that I do and say.”  This basically says that we should make sure that everything we say and all of our actions are things that are not hurtful to others.  The song continues, “At times I am tempted to make a wrong choice, But I try to listen as the still small voice whispers,”  As we know, even Jesus was tempted, but he still chose to do the things Heavenly Father wanted him to do.  We have the Holy Spirit to help guide us when we are tempted.  We just need to make sure that we are listening for it.  The chorus then says, “Love one another as Jesus loves you.  Try to show kindness in all that you do.  Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought.  For these are the things Jesus taught.”   This tells us, just like the scripture in John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another,”  that we must love everyone in the same way that Jesus loved us.  That means loving them with no expectations of getting something in return.  It also means not judging others.  Jesus did not say, “I don’t want to die for their sins.  It is their own fault that they do not have eternal life.”  No, instead, he hung on the cross and died for all of our sins.  The chorus also says to “be gentle and loving in deed and in thought.”  This means that we need to think good things about others as well.  My mom once was struggling with having bad feelings towards someone.  She finally decided that she was going to do one nice deed for that person every time she had a bad thought about them.  She was really upset with this person, so she really didn’t want to give any extra service to them.  She ended up putting together a gift basket for the person with one thing for each negative thought she’d had.  She also threw in a few extras for the thoughts that would come.  As she was putting together the gift basket, she began to feel love for this person again and eventually stopped having negative thoughts about them on a regular basis.  

There is another verse to the song, but I am going to leave that for another time.  To be like Jesus, we need to strive to always do good and think well of others, to serve everyone, regardless of how we may feel about them, and to do our best to overcome any temptations we may face.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

Although she was nervous, Chloe did a great job writing and delivering her talk and I could not be any prouder of her.

Spiritual Sunday: A Mighty Change of Heart

A few weeks ago, I was asked to give a talk at church about a "mighty change of heart." I debated whether or not I wanted to share it on here, and if so, if I would alter it.  I have decided to go ahead and post the talk I gave, as is.  For my non-LDS (Mormon) friends, there are both Biblical references and references from the Book of Mormon, so if you see a scripture quoted and you do not recognize the name of the book, it is likely from the Book of Mormon.


If you had known me 20 years ago, you would not recognize me today. While I was not into a lot bad things, I was a worldly girl who didn’t know anything different. I had many friends, some who had the potential to lead me down the wrong path. Fortunately, my freshman year of college, I became good friends with the girl who would later introduce me to the missionaries. I remember meeting the elders and I was blown away with what they were teaching me. I had looked for a church for several years, but none could ever answer my questions. I had begun to believe that there just was no religion on earth that made sense to me. Then, I had 2 young men in my living room answering my questions before I could even ask them. Because I already believed that there had to be prophets on the earth still today, it was easy for me to believe that Joseph Smith had been a prophet. Once I believed that, everything else had to be true as well. However, simply believing something is often not enough. There were still areas of my life where I had to have a mighty change of heart in order to live the gospel fully.

What is a mighty change of heart and how do we have one?
Just like our physical hearts, our spiritual hearts can also be weakened. Every time we sin, our spiritual heart becomes hardened and weaker. In order to repair our spiritual heart, we need to undergo a spiritual heart transplant. In Ezekiel 36:25-26, we read, “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.“ This tells us that just as Heavenly Father can make us spiritually clean again, He can also perform a spiritual heart transplant for us. Through the Atonement of Christ, we have the opportunity to have our hardened hearts removed from us and replaced with a heart of flesh once again. We can find examples of Heavenly Father performing these heart transplants throughout the scriptures, particularly in the Book of Mormon. In Mosiah 5:2, after King Benjamin had taught his people, we read, “And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.” And again in Alma 5:7 we read, “Behold, he changed their hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God. Behold, they were in the midst of darkness; nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word”
However, just as those in the Book of Mormon learned, if you do not take care of your new spiritual heart, it will begin to weaken again. Satan quickly begins to present temptations in an attempt to cause us to spiritually reject our new hearts.

How do we maintain a mighty change of heart?
Maintaining our new spiritual heart is a lifelong process which requires certain behaviors on our part. The first being:
- Prayer: We need to maintain our relationship with Heavenly Father on a regular basis. Many of us have to take medications every day to keep our physical bodies working the way they should or to keep us free from pain. Prayer does for our spiritual health what these medications do for our physical health. But sometimes medicine is not always enough.
- Sometimes we have to give up certain things, even things we enjoy. Just as a diabetic has to give up sugary treats, there are behaviors that we need to give up when we experience a mighty change of heart. If these behaviors are closely linked with certain friends, we need to let them know where we now stand and may have to give up some friendships. I chose to give up a very close friend after I was baptized because they would not respect the changes I had made in my life. In some ways it was difficult to lose this friend, but in many ways, it was very easy as I could see the bigger picture. However, even with giving up these things, temptations will still be placed before us.
- We need to constantly be on guard against temptation, especially our former weaknesses. When bulletproof glass is hit with a bullet, it will protect the person on the other side. However, the place that the bullet hits has become weakened. If it takes a few more hits in the same spot, the glass will give way. We are the same way and Satan knows this. The things that we used to succumb to are the very things he will tempt us with, knowing that they have already been a weak point for us in the past. At the very first sign of temptation, we need to remove ourselves from the situation and pray for strength. You may have heard that it is easy to ask forgiveness than it is to ask permission, but anyone who has ever been through the repentance process will tell you that is not the case.
When we do give in to a temptation, it is essential that we repent of that transgression.
- Repentance: To truly repent, we not only need to take the steps of repentance: confessing, rectifying, asking for and receiving forgiveness, but we also need to forsake the sin. This does not mean simply changing our actions, but undergoing a mighty change of heart regarding this sin.

In a BYU devotional, Brent Webb said,
“Our desires come and go, often in relation to our environment, but character and personality are more permanent, more fundamental to the makeup of our soul. The change of heart we seek that accompanies true repentance actually brings a change of appetite for sin. Our likes and dislikes relative to good and evil are shaped by the Atonement. We learn not only to avoid the sin but the temptation to sin as well. There is no earthly entity that has this power to change our temperament. Wars are fought trying to bend people's wills and loyalties, but only the Savior can transform within us something so fundamental as our character and our appetites.
Those undergoing spiritual cleansing are softened in their interactions with others. They make better home and visiting teachers. They are less apt to be critical of those around them, looking for the good instead of the faults. They see and seize opportunities to serve more readily. They are more patient and less quick to anger. (I have noticed that when I am truly seeking spiritual health, I am able to be more restrained in what can be for me most un-Christian behavior--such as when I'm behind the wheel of my car in heavy traffic.) In short, the change of heart brings the Savior's hand into every facet of our lives "at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death" (Mosiah 18:9).”

Undergoing a mighty change of heart may be a onetime thing for many people. I know for myself it has not been. I have had to have several spiritual heart surgeries since joining the church, but once I have had a mighty change of heart, it is only when I fail to maintain it that I begin to feel the symptoms of my heart hardening again. It is when I am diligent with my personal prayers and scripture study that I find myself less likely to be tempted and if I am tempted, I have much more strength to walk away. I encourage all of you to nourish your spiritual hearts and to keep it strong.

Scripture Sundays, Proverbs 31:15

Well I worked on introducing some new foods to my family over the past few weeks as I said I would when I wrote about Proverbs 3:14. We had mahi mahi, fresh papaya, and I made colcannon to go with our St. Patrick's Day dinner; all foods we had never had before. We did not care for the fresh papaya, but everyone enjoyed the mahi mahi and colcannon.

Now to continue on to Proverbs 31:15-

She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.

I like to sleep so this scripture will prove to be a bit more difficult for me to implement, but I will try my best.  To me, this says that a virtuous woman gets up before the day starts to prepare food for her family and those who work for her.  We do not generally hire others to work for us, but this could apply to guests or neighbors as well.  This week , I will try to get up before the rest of my family in order to prepare their breakfast.  I also will be having a friend sit with my kids on Friday night, so I will be sure to make an extra special treat to give her that night.

Scripture Sundays, Proverbs 31:14

I apologize for not posting Scripture Sunday for the past several weeks.  Sundays are a family day and blogging comes second.  So now on to where we left off, this week we continue on with Proverbs 31, verse 14:

She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.

To me, this scripture says that a virtuous woman brings food to her family from a variety of places.  Merchant ships traveled to many different places and traded their goods, so that in the end, they had merchandise from many locations.  A virtuous woman brings the same variety into her home through the menu she presents.  It is not always the same things day after day.  To apply this scripture to my home this week, I am going to try 2 new recipes, each one with at least 1 new-to-us ingredient.  If the recipes work out, I will post them at some point in the near future.  Please feel free to share any unique recipes with unique ingredients that you might have.

Scripture Sundays, Proverbs 31:13

This week's scripture is Proverbs 31:13

 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh

willingly with her hands.

This tells me that a virtuous woman looks for good materials and does her work willingly, without complaint.  This week I plan to have a more cheerful attitude when doing my work around the house.  I am not sure how I plan to implement seeking good materials any differently than I already do, but because wool and flax are not typically useful in their original form, I believe this implies that the materials will be used to make things for the home.  I plan on working on my knitting this week, hopefully learning at least one new stitch this week.  

Over the past two weeks, as I have begun to implement these changes, I have had a change in attitude toward my husband.  This is not to say that I have not always done these things, but I have not done them consciously.  As I have thought more about my husband on a daily basis, I am finding that I appreciate him more than ever.  Our marriage is far from perfect, but so am I and I am enjoying the changes I am seeing in both myself and my husband. 

Scripture Sundays, Proverbs 31:12

Last week I began my study and application of Proverbs 31:10-31.  I continue this week with verse 12:

She will do him good and not evil 

all the days of her life.

This verse, like many of the ones in this section, is pretty straight forward.  It tells me that a virtuous woman will treat her husband well every day and not do anything bad to him.  I do not struggle so much with treating my husband bad, but I there are times where I struggle with treating my husband well, especially on days when I may be feeling frustrated with him.  So this week I plan to work on:

- I will try to do at least one thing each day to let my husband know that I love him.  On the days when I may be frustrated with him, I will do two good things for him.  This will be in addition to the everyday things I do anyway (cooking, cleaning, etc).

What are some of the ways you "do good" for your husband each day? 

 

Scripture Sundays, Proverbs 31:10-11

I have generally kept religion off my blog and for the most part will continue to do so.  The reason for this is, not because I do not have religious beliefs or that I am ashamed of them, but because I have a reader base that covers a wide variety of lifestyles and beliefs.  However, I am planning to start something new on Sundays where I choose a section of scripture or other religious document and break it down precept upon precept and apply it to my life.  I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints, also known as the "Mormons", so I will be choosing from The Bible (Old and New Testaments), as well as the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and other church publications.  If this is not something you are interested in reading, that is fine, please just choose to ignore my Sunday posts.  Also, for those who may only be interested in the Biblical scriptures I use, I will put the scriptural reference in the title each week so that you will know ahead of time where I am working that week.  The rest of the week, I will continue to honor my beliefs, but not broadcast them.

Having said all that, I am planning to kick this off by starting with Proverbs 31:10-31, the virtuous women.  One of the goals I have set for myself this year is to become a more virtuous woman.  This week I am going to start with the first 2 verses of this section, verses 10 and 11:

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he 

shall have no need of spoil.

These words say to me that a virtuous woman is much more valuable than precious gems and that in order to be a virtuous woman, a wife must have her husband's trust.  If he trusts her, he will have no reason to stray.  The trust I am speaking of is deeper that just trusting her to stay loyal, but that he can trust her to keep his secrets as well.  My goal for this week is to work on being a more trustworthy wife.  Here is how I plan to do that:

- Be more aware of my interactions with other men, to ensure that nothing I am saying or doing can be misconstrued as flirting.

- Make sure that I am not speaking ill of my husband to others.  If we have a disagreement, that is between us and is not anyone else's business.  I will not run to my friends/sister/mother/facebook and air our dirty laundry.

- I will also keep my husband's business to myself.  If others want to know about his medical care or how he is handling school, they will have to ask him.  Of course, I will not be rude about it, but I will only speak positively and will not disclose personal information about my husband.

I am hoping to continue on next week with an update of how this week went as well as moving on to the next verse (12).  How do you interpret these verses?  How will you (or for my male readers, how can your wife) build up your husband's trust in you?,