I CAN be a missionary!

I'm going to go ahead and admit it: Sometimes...I don't like talks/lessons about missionary work. I'm a sinner, I know. Most often, I'm not a super extroverted person. I'm not a complete introvert either, but somewhere in the middle. However, I am introverted enough to worry about the things that most young adults typically do: what do my peers think of me? Do I really know enough about this subject to risk raising my hand and voicing my thoughts? Will others get mad/offended/think I'm dumb if I say this or voice my opinion? And because of these worries, most times I prefer to stay silent. Especially when it comes to missionary work. If there was ever a colossal, world-wide can of worms, it would have to be religion. I don't dislike talks on missionary work because of this can of worms aspect, but because whenever I hear them...that's when the guilt sets in. That's when I get that gnawing feeling telling me, 'you feel guilty because you know this is something you should do better at.'

When I heard this talk during conference, that was the reaction. Crap! Here come the feelings of obligation! But studying through it again before writing this post I felt something completely different...I loved it! I really poured over it with the mindset that if an apostle of the Lord thinks it important, I need to think it important. As I did so, the spirit testified the importance of this talk by bringing certain phrases and words of Elder Nelson into special highlight.

The first was at the beginning of his talk when he quoted Pres. Monson: "Every worthy, able young man should prepare to serve a mission. Missionary service is a priesthood duty -- an obligation the Lord expects of us who have been given so very much." What really struck me was that last phrase: an obligation the Lord expects of us who have been given so very much. Although this quote is specifically talking to young men, we can apply it to all of us. We have been given so much! So much more than we even realize I'm sure. Being a life-long member, I know it's harder for me to see the contrast between a life within the gospel and one without, but even so I know that the gospel blesses me beyond anything else in this world.

What have I done to thank Heavenly Father for the fact that the gospel has always been in my life? Are we truly grateful to the Lord for the blessing He has given us? How do we show that gratitude? What better way to show it than by giving that blessing to others! And as Pres. Monson says, it's not only a nice way to say thank you, it's an obligation. I believe that's true of all of us, not just young priesthood holders. We may not be under the same mandate to serve a full-time mission away from home, but there's still that cute little phrase that fills the likes of me with guilt: every member a missionary! Even if we are not on a full-time mission, we owe it to the Lord to help move his work along! We are so in debt to him that we can never fully repay him, but we must do our absolute best! And let us not forget that it is chiefly through us that the Lord brings his will to pass. We are accountable for each other. Do we really want to be accountable for the lives we could have converted to the gospel but didn't because we were too scared? Would we really deny those blessings to others who need them by staying silent?

Elder Nelson states, "The decision to serve a mission will shape the spiritual destiny of the missionary, his or her spouse, and their posterity for generations to come." Again, I don't think the word 'mission' has to be taken to solely mean a full-time mission. I love the sound of the phrase 'spiritual destiny.' Doesn't that stir something within you? Sounds important, doesn't it? When I read this, I thought about the scriptures that talk about us being shaped by the Lord on a potter's wheel. I've always loved that image. A potter must keep his hands constantly close by or on the clay to help it form the way he wants, which is also the way the Lord works in our lives. I visualize missionary work as a special design that the potter weaves into the clay which forever makes the pot more beautiful and notable. And the best part is that he promises these blessings not only to us, but our family and posterity, for generations to come. The Lord is fair. He knows that missionary work is difficult for many of us. I believe that's one of the reasons that the blessings are so great! Though it is difficult, and maybe sometimes we'd even like to define it as a trial, the Lord gives great dividends!

The most reassuring part of the talk came near the end where his cute, 'Ask the missionaries! They can help you!' catchphrase came in. Each task he set as one that missionaries could help with was something I could say, 'I know how to do that. I know how to help someone with that.' He talked about genealogy, living healthy, strengthening family, serving, etc. The things he talked about weren't hard! They were things any of us who truly live the gospel could talk about! Not once did he mention debates about how old the Earth is or about evolution or whether Mormons have multiple wives. These were meaningful topics that all of us knew a lot about. And really, I think this is what a lot of missionary work is. Sure, you might still get someone asking to see your horns every once in a while, but for the most part, people just want to know how to make their lives better.

I can't say that I'm not still scared. I am. But the Lord doesn't usually take our fear away, only gives us ways in which we can handle it. One piece of advice it gives in the Preach my Gospel handbook is to get better at talking to people in general. There are so many ways we could share the gospel through small conversations that start out as something completely different. Even if the gospel doesn't come up, at least you're practicing your conversation skills, right? :) I've started praying for missionary opportunities and I've tried harder to strike up conversations with others. I know blessings will come from it. I'm still scared, but I've decided to pull myself up by the boot straps and do it anyway. How will I ever learn to not be scared if I don't? That's how we improve ourselves. It's definitely not fun, but it's definitely worth it. :)

Let's 'Feel So Now!'

“If ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?” (Alma 5:26)

As an active member of the church, there are many times that I’ve experienced these feelings. I’m sure many others can relate that when the spirit is strong and resounds in your heart it just makes it impossible to stay still. It’s like your heart has become a bouncy ball, bouncing higher and higher and pushing you up and out of your seat and into action! It makes you think, ‘I can do anything!’ And then you go out and do it.

The pure feelings of the gospel are so powerful, but it’s hard to keep those feelings with you all the time. It’s disheartening when you realize that you can’t ‘feel so now.’ Elder Cook explains that many times, the reason we can’t ‘feel so now’ has to do with some kind of lack of commitment. He says it is important for us to evaluate what it is in our lives that are making it so that we can’t ‘feel so now.’

Why is this so important, that we 'feel so now'? As I thought about that question I realized that it is at that time that the gospel becomes easy. It is when we have those penetrating feelings of the spirit that we feel not only the courage, but also the intense desire to do those things that we have been commanded. This is when we go above and beyond. These are the moments of our discipleship that we really remember; because they are the moments we went above and beyond. We are so much happier when we are in that state; how could we not be? We are so much closer to God and his Spirit!

When we are in a “spiritual drought,” or feeling apathetic to the gospel, it’s so much harder to live it. The world pushes on us from every angle, and distorts our vision. Not only does it make wrong things seem ok, but it makes the right things seem so much harder to achieve, so far out of our grasp. It tells that we are barely average, and not good enough to be a true disciple. It tells us that it’s ok to start tomorrow instead of today, because tomorrow we’ll try harder; but then that tomorrow never comes.

I decided that I wanted to evaluate some reasons why I sometimes have a hard time ‘feeling so now.’ As I mentioned before, Elder Cook states that it is in a lack of commitment that this spiritual drought comes, and he gives several specific examples of this:  

1. Some are casual in their observance of sacred covenants. 

2.Others spend most of their time giving first-class devotion to lesser causes. 

3.Some allow intense cultural or political views to weaken their allegiance to the gospel of Jesus Christ. 4.Some have immersed themselves in Internet materials that magnify, exaggerate, and, in some cases, invent shortcomings of early Church leaders.” 

Later, he gives a couple more examples: 

5.unkindness, violence, and domestic abuse, and 

6.sexual immorality and impure thoughts.

Out of these specific examples, what are some things in your own life that may cause a lack of spiritual commitment?

The one that struck me the hardest was ‘giving first-class devotion to lesser causes.’ Isn’t that a powerful phrase? When I read this, I knew that this was the one I wanted to work on. This is definitely something I struggle with! There are so many fun ‘lesser causes’ out there! Probably my biggest one is the internet. I definitely have a devotion to the internet. Facebook. Pinterest. Email. Pottermore. Blogs. Newsfeeds. I love it! And sometimes, I spend an inordinate amount of time on it! The internet is a wonderful thing, don’t get me wrong, and all of these sites are good too; I never do anything bad on them, but sometimes they take up time that I should be spending on other things. I could be spending more time with my family; I could be spending more time on my homework, or my scripture study. I could probably learn a new amazing talent in the time I waste on the internet! It seems that as I spend a lot of time wasting time on the internet, my senses begin to dull, and the apathy of the world creeps in. It's harder to have a commitment to the gospel when I'd rather be surfing the net! So I’ve set a goal for myself. I determined a decent amount of time that I’m allowed to spend on the internet every day. So far it’s going well (it’s been two days, ha ha!)

Besides just decreasing my devotion to lesser causes, I also want to increase my devotion to higher causes! That’s why I’ve made another goal, to be more respectful of the Sabbath, and not do homework or things of that nature on that day. Now to be clear, I think that homework, and education and bettering one’s self is a wonderful cause! As I stated earlier, I find surfing the internet to be a lesser cause to homework. But likewise, I find homework to be a lesser cause to spiritual growth and development. It’s a good, better, best thing. I will strive harder to get those kind of things done on Saturday so that Sunday can truly be a day of devotion for me.

I know that these are good goals for me, because as I was making them and putting them into practice I could feel that burning of the spirit within me again. I know that both of them are just small things really, but even these small things will bring the spirit that much more into my life! But just because these are good goals for me to help my spiritual commitment, doesn’t mean that they are for you. Looking back at Elder Cook’s talk, are there any of the specific examples that he gives that you know you need to work on? What is a small goal that you can make today to help take that out of your life and replace it with commitment? I only focused on one of the examples he gave, but I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on the rest of his talk, and maybe some examples of how you’re going to change them in your life! What are your thoughts?

Ps, I’m going out of town for the next few days, so expect my next blog post on Sister Dibb’s talk on Sunday. (I’m excited about that one!) J

There's Room For Improvement

“There’s room for improvement.” That is definitely the sentiment I feel when I listen to President Monson.  His welcome message isn’t exactly a talk, but there are still many things that I found wonderful in it.

“There’s room for improvement.” That is how he opened this conference. Maybe it’s daunting, but at the same time it’s inspiring! We don’t have to stay stuck in the same place forever – there’s room for improvement! There’s room in our hearts and our lives for us to place something beautiful. Sometimes our lives feel like they’re so full of “stuff” and we think, “How could I ever change? I have so many habits, so many fears and inhibitions, so many “favorite sins,” there just isn’t any room in there for anything else! But it isn’t true! President Monson says, “There is room for improvement.” As I thought about that phrase, a song came to my mind that states, “In every heart there is a room, a sanctuary safe and strong.” (And So It Goes, by Billy Joel) As I thought about this I realized that this room in our hearts, just like any room in our homes, is filled with the things that we decide to put in it.

Here’s my philosophy: take that room – however big or small it may be – and put something good in it, something you didn’t have there before. Maybe it’s a few extra minutes of scripture study each day. Maybe it’s a new institute class, or a goal to go to the temple, or do genealogy. It doesn’t really matter what it is so long as it is good. And so long as you really give it room. Give it the same time and consideration that you do other things that have “room” in you. I believe that as you do this, you will grow to love that thing of beauty that you have placed in your room, and you will feel a desire to “redecorate,” and remove some of those bad or ugly things in your life and replace them with good, beautiful things.

What a wonderful way to open up our conference! A time when we can feel the influence and inspiration of the Holy Ghost to lead us to those good things we most need in our lives. That’s why I’m doing this blog challenge, because I want to fill my room with improvements! I want to be better and think better. I want my light to grow brighter!

So for anyone who happens to read this, here’s your challenge: to find out what you want to fill your room with. It’s okay to start small. What one thing are you going to do to improve your life?

p.s. just so you know…that wasn’t at all what I thought I would write about for this talk. It was truly brought on by the spirit of revelation! I know it was exactly what I needed, and I hope it helped some of you as well!  J

My Conference Challenge

Hello there! So I love reading blogs, and I've been wanting to make my own blog for a long time now...but I could never figure out what I could blog about. I know I could probably write about things in my own life...but then I'd never actually do it. I'd probably just think, 'I should probably blog about that...yeah, I'll do it later.' And that's not really that big of a deal really, because it is just a blog, but if I'm going to start something, I want to actually do it! So I kept putting off starting a blog until I knew I had something to write about, something that I could keep coming back to that wouldn't let my blog sit and collect internet dust. But I couldn't think of anything like that I could write about until last week during General Conference. General Conference; now that's something I can write about.

I love listening to the talks, and I always wish that I would do better studying them and applying them after conference is over. As I was listening this year this idea to blog about the conference talks came into my head. It kept nagging at me and wouldn't go away, and the more I thought about it, the more I really wanted to do it. I'm so much better at expressing my feelings through writing than through speaking (at least in my opinion), even to myself. I knew that this would be a good way for me to articulate my feelings and impressions on the talks in such a way that I can make sense of them to myself. And hey, maybe this way I can even share my insights with others and bring them some added understanding or appreciation, or at least start a productive train of thought and study for them. Maybe I'll be the only one who ends up reading it, but even if that's the case, I think it'll be lots of fun! I can't wait to see what comes of this, because I know at the very least it will bless my own life. :)

So stay tuned, because tomorrow I will be posting my thoughts on Pres. Monson's welcome message from the Saturday Morning session! It's going to be a great adventure!