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.