Tag: Personal Growth

Church this Sunday was once again amazing. I was so happy to have a couple of my friends attend with us to support me as I sang, and to share in our love of our new building. I was also able to hear a friend, who recently began coming back to church, sing in church, which I felt very honored and blessed to witness. I also loved the lessons I learned from speakers and teachers.

Just like last week, the Spirit was so strong. It enveloped me like a warm hug. During one point in our Sacrament Meeting the Spirit burned a fire in my heart, testifying to me of ultimate truth.
This moment occurred when a group of people I love – a good friend, and three youth who I admire for their strong testimonies – got up and sang to the congregation. Before they sang, they took turns narrating a story and scripture to preface the song’s tender subject. Here are the words to the song.

“The Power of God“
From Cumorah’s Hill
Steven Kapp Perry

Listen to the wind blow,
Lonely as a sigh.
Nothing overhead but empty sky.
Look up at starlight
On a dark night;
Are we all alone,
An island in space?
Or is there a plan
Where I have a place?
Could it be that heaven
Is man’s imagining,
Reaching out for hope in childish dreams?
Stories so old then,
We’ve outgrown them?
Has God gone away
Or hidden His face?
Have miracles ceased to be?

CHORUS: But the power of God is plain to see,
There are wonders on every hand
To those who will see through eyes of faith,
Beyond the mind of man.
For how could we hope
To see His face,
Who never could see
His hand?

Some may see a rainbow
As nothing more than light.
Others see a promise and a sign.
Everyday wonders
Without number
Are here all around
And wait to be found
By those who have eyes to see.

CHORUS (repeat)

Listen to the wind blow,
Then listen once again.

Tears streamed down my face as I listened to this choir of beautiful voices. Their voices mesmerized, their countenances shone, their faith encompassed the entire chapel.

I felt without a shadow of a doubt, not only that they believed what they were singing, not only that I also believed what they were singing, but that the words to the song were absolutely true.

The scripture story that the youth read from before singing was in the Book of Mormon in Alma Chapter 30.

The portion the group read was:

“And then Alma said unto [Korihor], Believest thou that there is a God? And he answered, Nay (37, 38).

And now, what evidence have ye that there is no God, or that Christ cometh not? I say unto you that ye have none, save it be your word only (40)…

I say until you, I know there is a God, and also that Christ shall come…yea and all things denote there is a God” (39, 44).

There are so many people who do not believe in God, and it shocks and saddens me.  Some do not believe because of scientific studies that say the earth is millions of years old, rather than only a few thousand. Some do not believe because they have never seen God, and nobody can prove to them 100% that there is a God. Some maybe used to believe, but no longer do because of hardships they have endured, and cannot see how God would allow such suffering to occur. Finally, there are some who do not believe in God and Jesus Christ because they have never heard about them.

Some things I have learned through study and prayer are:

1. Faith precedes the miracle. We will not receive a witness of truth until after the trial of our faith.
2. God has not revealed all knowledge yet, and we will know someday if we remain faithful. When Christ comes again, he will reveal all things.
3. We each have been given our freedom to choose God. If it were incredibly obvious that God existed and that we should follow Him, then there would be no need for faith, and no ability to grow and learn.
4. Pain and suffering are gifts to us, as they give us the opportunity to humble ourselves, turn to the Lord for help, learn patience, realize our will is not always God’s will, open our perspective to the eternities,  help us appreciate our prosperous times more, and strengthen our faith.
5. All people who have lived and who ever will live will have the opportunity to know of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Nobody will be lost just because they didn’t know God. There is work being done now in temples, and will continue when Christ comes again, to ensure that all people have the chance to choose God if they desire Him.

The beautiful song that my friends sang helps us see God’s hand in all things. He is the divine creator. The things we have on this earth, the small things, the beautiful things, all things, come from Him. We cannot look, smell, touch, or hear without witnessing God’s love for us.

There are so many things I could write about today. The Spirit at church was so strong and thick, you could swim in it. From thinking about my purpose to fasting today, to the beautiful testimonies borne by other faithful Saints, to discussing moral courage in Sunday School, to talking about the importance of education, both temporally and spiritually, my heart is full.

I truly left church happy today. I am filled with God’s love for me. I am also filled with love for God’s children, my brothers and sisters.

I am filled with God’s love for me and His children because…

1. He has provided the people of the Hillsborough/Mebane area with a sunny, beautiful new building to worship in. I have seen a new brightness in our congregation that I hope will never dim.

3. The Sacrament was administered to us, as it is every week, to allow us to renew our baptismal covenants.
3. God has revealed, through the words of prophets, scriptures to lead us and guide us on the straight and narrow path back to Him. Studying them each week in Sunday School helps me stay on that path.
4. The people in my congregation are all different. They lead different lives, have different struggles and different joys. They have some things in common, though. They have hope and they have faith, because they know they are children of God and that Jesus Christ is their Savior. I felt, and always feel, that knowledge radiate through the countenances of their faces, and light up the whole building.

I am filled with my own love for my brothers and sisters because…

1. I observed how hard they work to fulfill their church responsibilities, simply because they love the Lord.

2. I loved hearing them bear their individual testimonies and share their personal experiences that have brought them closer to Christ. I was truly touched by all who shared.
3. I received help with my children today as different members played with them.
4. I felt appreciation for my testimony as people approached me, thanking me for sharing it.
5. I felt loved as people said hello to me and smiled at me and asked me how I was doing.
6. I had the blessing of meeting some new individuals, who I am excited to get to know.
7. I smiled at my baby being cute, and smiled at the people who smiled at him being cute.
9. I asked how I could help some of my fellow sisters, with a heart willing to serve.
10. I listened to a sister play a song on the piano, and even though she was nervous and made some mistakes, I felt love and appreciation for her for having the courage and desire to share her talents.
11. I happily accepted an assignment to substitute a class.
12. I, without a second thought, offered the use of some of my belongings to a friend.

What I think is so amazing, is that we can feel love for God and for others because of things that touch us, things we see, things we experience, things we study, things others do for us, and also things we do for others.

I am so grateful for this love I feel in my heart right now. I have realized (or re-realized) today, that being judgmental, gossiping, and holding a grudge never bring happiness and light. They never improve or help or uplift. Only by loving, even when it is hard or inconvenient, will change our hearts. It will change the world.

This week in Sunday School, we discussed the story of Balaam, a prophet whom King Balak enticed many times to curse the Israelites.

You can read a full description of the story here. I found it very interesting and enlightening.

There are so many lessons to be learned from it, such as the need to obey God’s commandments with exactness , to not be tempted by worldly treasures, and to accept and follow answers to prayer, instead of trying to get God to change His will.

The point that moved me the most, though, came  from the encounter with Balaam and his donkey, who he thought was mocking him by not proceeding forth on their journey, but rather stopping, or turning, or falling down. Balaam beat his donkey, and after the donkey was allowed by God to speak, realized that the donkey in fact was saving him from death.

I thought about how as people we often are quick to get angry and quick to be offended. Often when we choose to feel this way, we lash out irrationally, usually without knowing all the facts.

Most of the time, when someone seemingly hurts us, it isn’t intentional. Most people aren’t out to hurt us or bring us down. Sometimes people just have bad days, fumble something they say, forget a promise they have made, or are just speaking or doing what they usually do, not realizing it may not be the best way to communicate.

Sometimes we just don’t have all the facts. We only see one piece of the puzzle, and rather than seek out the rest of pieces, we make assumptions – assumptions which lead to bitterness, lashing out, awkwardness, or gossip.

Then there are times when people really are out to hurt us. It could be a stranger, a peer, or even someone we love.
In those cases, we really have no choice but to be angry and offended, right? We aren’t in the wrong if we lash out, either physically, verbally, or nonverbally because that person deserves it, correct? Isn’t that just justice?

That is the common response, but in reality, anger is a CHOICE.

A leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS church), Elder Lynn G. Robbins, said: 

“A cunning part
of his [Satan’s] strategy is to dissociate anger from agency, making us believe
that we are victims of an emotion that we cannot control. We hear, ‘I lost my
temper.’ Losing one’s temper is an interesting choice of words that has become
a widely used idiom. To ‘lose something’ implies ‘not meaning to,’
‘accidental,’ ‘involuntary,’ ‘not responsible’—careless perhaps but ‘not
responsible.’

“‘He made me
mad.’ This is another phrase we hear, also implying lack of control or agency.
This is a myth that must be debunked. No one makes us mad. Others don’t make us
angry. There is no force involved. Becoming angry is a conscious choice, a
decision; therefore, we can make the choice not to become angry. We choose! To those who say,
‘But I can’t help myself,’ author William Wilbanks responds, ‘Nonsense.’

“‘Aggression, …
suppressing the anger, talking about it, screaming and yelling,’ are all
learned strategies in dealing with anger. ‘We choose the one that has proved
effective for us in the past. Ever notice how seldom we lose control when
frustrated by our boss, but how often we do when annoyed by friends or family?’ (‘The New
Obscenity,’ Reader’s Digest, Dec. 1988, 24; italics added)” (in Conference
Report, Apr. 1998, 105; or Ensign, May 1998, 80).

If anger is a choice, why do we choose it? Does it solve anything?

The living prophet of the LDS church, Thomas S.
Monson said, “Anger does not solve anything; it
builds nothing. To be angry is to yield to the influence of Satan. No one can
make us angry. It is our choice. If we desire to have a proper spirit with us
at all times, we must choose to refrain from becoming angry. I testify that
such is possible.”

Last night, as well as tonight, I have had the wonderful privilege to attend “One Voice,” a presentation of music and testimony, sung by Saints Unified Voices gospel choir, directed by Gladys Knight. (To learn more about the choir, click here.)

The music was absolutely amazing. Every member of the choir, every member of the live band, as well as Sister Knight herself, has glorious God-given talent. Many cultures were embraced in the music, and every song bore testimony of the divinity of Jesus Christ and our necessity to follow Him.

My favorite song from the event spoke of this very topic. It is so easy to tell Jesus we will follow Him tomorrow, but tomorrow could be too late. We should choose to follow Christ today.

As I heard the music, I felt alive. I felt invigorated. I felt the Spirit of the Lord in a new way. I found myself smiling, clapping, standing, and rejoicing in my Savior as I, and a thousand others, saw and heard the testimonies of people who love Christ with all their souls. The Spirit radiated out of their voices, faces, and whole bodies.

Now, as beautiful and magnificent as the music was, I must say that the most uplifting part of both evenings for me was listening to several individuals share their stories and testimonies of Jesus Christ and His gospel.

The first man who spoke said that he was related to Gladys Knight. He was a white man, making the idea of blood relation humorous. Then he profoundly stated that Gladys is a child of God. He too is a child of God. That means Gladys is his sister. That means Gladys is my sister too.

The theme of being children of God was reiterated throughout the presentation. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that each and every person on the earth from Adam and Eve until now is a literal spirit son or daughter of Heavenly Father. We believe that we lived with God before we came to earth, and that we chose to come here and follow His great Plan of Happiness. You can read more about this plan here.

Gladys’ husband, and Gladys herself, also stood and told their stories, from how they were raised, how they met each other, and how they each individually came to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – the church they, and millions around the world, believe is the restored church of Jesus Christ. You can read more about the restoration of the gospel here.

They pled with the audience to open their hearts to the possibility of Joseph Smith really being a prophet, of the Book of Mormon really being true, of the priesthood really being restored. Gladys’ husband, William McDowell, asked us to follow the promise at the end of the Book of Mormon, which states:

Gladys Knight believes that God gave her the gift of song to do His will, to feed His sheep, to tell the world that Jesus Christ lives. I believe that she is right, as I believe that all of us is given talents, where if we use them appropriately, we can bring peace to the world through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I am grateful for Gladys and her choir’s courage as they stand for what they believe, embrace cultural differences, and bring light and hope to all wishing to find it.

He lives!