Purity

        As I strive to make these posts more personal, I have found myself looking around me, trying to find something that I can post for the next day. It has really been an eye-opener, and I have found many insights that can come as we strive to look for the symbolism that's all around us.
        Yesterday, and I wish I had a picture of this, I saw a group of white flowers. They were beautiful, and one of the purest whites I have ever seen. I must've been looking for something around them, but as I did, I noticed hidden beneath all the white flowers, there was a red one. It wasn't very big, nor was it at all noticeable, until I looked underneath the surface.



         As I have recently been wont to do, I began to look for the symbolism in this red flower amidst all the white flowers, and all at once, it hit me. Sometimes in our lives, we have spots of sin, amidst a white canvas of purity. Often, these red flowers are not noticeable, and are hidden away where no one can see. But, there is one who does see all things. God, the Great Gardner, sees all we do, and knows us far better than we will ever know ourselves.
         When we seek to cover these red flowers, we are relinquishing blessings that we don't have to. This is described by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, in the First Presidency, as "living beneath our privileges" in a recent General Conference talk entitled, "Waiting on the Road to Damascus".
        It doesn't have to be this way, though. There is One who has already shown all of us the way in which we can have these red flowers made white again. I speak of our Savior, who gave this amazing promise, "Come now...saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isaiah 1:18).



        It may at first be difficult, but for all that comes as we do, it is truly far better. Alma, described as one of the vilest of sinners, illustrates this while speaking to his son, "Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy" (Alma 36:21).
     I promise that if we will see those red flowers of sin in our lives for what they are, and seek forgiveness through repentance, the Lord will change those red flowers into the purest of white flowers, and we can again receive the fullness of blessings, including peace and joy, that can be ours.

Rainbows

          As I sat pondering this morning, something I find myself doing often, I began to think about my beautiful Washington, where I consider home. As many know, it rains A LOT there, nearly every day for about two-thirds of the year. As such, rainbows are far from uncommon. Thinking about rainbows, I was reminded of a song I often used to sing as a kid in nursery at church:

          I often look for rainbows, whenever there is rain,
     and ponder all the beauty of an Earth made clean again.
        I want my life to be as clean as Earth right after rain,
         I want to be the best I can, and live with God again

     This song, titled "When I am Baptized", is talking about becoming clean when we are baptized. But, this morning, the first line of this song took on a whole new meaning for me.


     
      When people think of rain, they often associate it with gloominess, dreariness, or even sadness, as opposed to rainbows, which are often associated with happiness, peace, and hope. The line, "I often look for rainbows whenever there is rain", brought on new meaning for me this morning. When there is rain - gloominess, sadness, trials, or struggles, it is important for us to look for the rainbows - things that bring us happiness, hope, and peace, which always come with the rain. Even more, it's important to realize that the rainbows are always there, but it isn't until the rain comes out that we can clearly see the rainbows and fully appreciate them.
   
    There will always be rain at different times throughout our lives. But, especially during those "rainy days", it's important to remember that there are always rainbows. If we will but look for them, we will find them.

                                                       

Trusting in the Lord

      Last night, I had a pretty vivid dream...Ok, it was more like a nightmare. Yes, I still have nightmares once in a while. As my nightmare hit it's climax, I awoke suddenly, but couldn't shake off the feelings of fear and anxiety that the dream had left me with. All, at once, I decided to begin praying. As I prayed, the feelings of fear wouldn't leave, and I was left wondering why I wasn't being comforted and why the fears weren't being taken away from me. But, I knew of nothing else to do take away this almost paralyzing fear, so I continued to pray. As I continued, I realized that because I kept dwelling on my nightmare and my fear, I wasn't leaving any room for faith or for God to enter into my heart. It was as if I was asking God to come inside, but wouldn't make any room for Him once He got there.
      As I continued to pray, and really opened up my heart, God entered in, and gave me the faith that I needed. I don't remember the exact moment I fell back asleep, but I know it was soon after I opened up my heart to God that I was able to receive the comfort and peace that I needed to fall back asleep.
     I learned two very important lessons from this. One is that when the Savior says, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:30), He isn't saying He will take all the fear and everything away at all once, but that He promises to take up the other side of our yoke, and carry it with us. The Lord didn't take away the yoke, because it was necessary for me to learn these lessons personally. But, even though my yoke wasn't taken fully from me, He did come and help me to overcome my fear. And two, fear and faith cannot exist together, nor can anything that stands in opposition to each other such as hatred and love, anger and forgiveness, pride and humility. We choose what we will let in, and what we will keep out, but it is vital to remember that there is only room for one, or the other, but never both.
    The Lord is always there willing to help, but we must make room for Him.

  

Reflections on General Conference

       Wow, conference was intense, wasn't it? I love General Conference, when we can all listen to our leaders, and especially the prophet, and hear the words that God would speak to us. I always get so much out of it. Among the many lessons that I learned and re-learned were to be a peacemaker, to be submissive, that kindness is an essence of greatness, and that growth cannot come without challenges. Probably one of my most favorite talks was the one by Lynn G. Robins. Let me pull that link up for you. Here it is.
        I love the comparison he made between being and doing. I think the greatest piece of insight that I got out of it was that as we do, we become. That if I want to become charitable, I need to be serving and acting in love, and doing those things that will help me to become charitable. If I want to become full of faith, then I must be acting in faith, and exercising it daily. And, if I want to become like the Savior, I need to be doing those things that the Savior did, that I too, might become as He was and as He is.