“Be Not Weary in Well-Doing”

I had one of those moments while I was reading the scriptures when I thought “Wait, was that in there the last time I read?  Who put that there?”.

It was a funny thought, yes, because obviously we know who put the phrase there.  I just hadn’t noticed it before.  The phrase was: “all things must come to pass in their time”.  Perhaps it was my state of mind at the time that caused that phrase to pop out, but at any rate I think this statement may help all of you in the various situations you find yourselves in.  That’s why I felt that I should share it with you.

We all experience times in our lives when we want something very deeply–so much that we can hardly bear waiting for that moment when everything will play out just right.  Surely, we think, then the metaphorical gates will burst open, trumpets will sound, doves will fly, rainbows will fill the skies, and everything will be perfect from then on.  But is that really how life works?  Are we always waiting for something better to happen, or are we enjoying life right now?  Let me quote the entire passage that I read:

“All things must come to pass in their time.  Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.” (Doctrine and Covenants 64:32-33)

Did you notice how powerful those simple phrases are?  The things we are waiting for will come when they come.  In the meantime, we will continue doing the daily things required to reach those goals and find joy in small moments.  The great things come from the little things.  Another related quote recently shared by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf helps me focus on what will make me truly happy:

“Never stop striving for the best that is within you. Never stop hoping for all of the righteous desires of your heart. But don’t close your eyes and hearts to the simple and elegant beauties of each day’s ordinary moments that make up a rich, well-lived life.  The happiest people I know are not those who find their golden ticket; they are those who, while in pursuit of worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of the everyday moments. They are the ones who, thread by daily thread, weave a tapestry of gratitude and wonder throughout their lives. These are they who are truly happy.” (Forget Me Not, Sept 2011)

I know that happiness does not come in only the glorious, grand moments of life.  Each day is full of miracles, moments, and memories that can uplift us on our journey back to our Father in Heaven.  Don’t be discouraged by your seemingly small efforts, you are making a difference.  Keep your eyes open for those simple joys and you will find that your life is quite wonderful after all.

“The Great Commandment–Love the Lord”

Yes, it has been a while since I last wrote.  Months, even!  I have sincerely missed writing my thoughts on this blog.  I had a busy summer, and now I’m back at school where I can’t seem to get my internet working at my apartment, so I have to access the internet while I’m on campus.  Because of my limited leisure time while on campus, I have to say that I don’t get on my blog, on Facebook, or on any other website much at all…

This is something you might call a blessing and a curse.

I have been able to spend more of my free time doing things that matter more to me than poking people on FB or staring at YouTube till my eyes burn.  Of course it can be a little inconvenient at times when I need to access the internet (which is pretty much a necessity of life for an average college student these days… right up there with food and water), but I am surviving quite nicely.  This experience has caused me to realize how much I can do with my life when I really prioritize what is most important and do it first.  Last week I had a lot to do and so many things seemed to be weighing me down.  At one point I wondered to myself  “do I really have time to get up early to go to the temple tomorrow, or will I be okay if I just postpone it?  It won’t really matter, will it?”  Perhaps it wouldn’t have negatively effected me, but I wanted to go to the temple.  Not only that, I knew that I needed to go.  It was a sacrifice to go, but I felt the difference it made throughout the rest of the week.  Miracles happened, and I knew it was because I put God first.  As I came to this realization, the words of one of my favorite quotes came to mind:

“When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities.”  (President Ezra Taft Benson, “The Great Commandment–Love the Lord“, 1988)

That statement is true.  Believe it.  I have experienced it first hand time and time again, and I know that if we want to be happy we must make our relationship with our Heavenly Father our top priority.  He wants to bless us.  He cares about us, and He has many blessings in store if we will live our lives according to His teachings.

Do What is Right

I was looking through the wonderful videos on lds.org the other day, when I saw this one about honesty that caught my attention:

We can’t go through life thinking we can always find an easy road and assume it is just as good as going through the toil and hard work of honest labor.  That cannot be.  That which is most valuable is often what costs us the most.  Along with the general loss of honesty in our society, many other noble virtues have been left behind and replaced with selfishness and greed, inconsideration and rudeness, immorality and glorified vices.  We must remember how important it is to have moral discipline, as Elder D. Todd Christofferson explained in October 2009:

“Moral discipline is the consistent exercise of agency to choose the right because it is right, even when it is hard…The societies in which many of us live have for more than a generation failed to foster moral discipline. They have taught that truth is relative and that everyone decides for himself or herself what is right. Concepts such as sin and wrong have been condemned as “value judgments.” (D. Todd Christofferson, “Moral Discipline“, Oct 2009)

He goes on to explain that many societies today depend too much on law enforcement to maintain order and civility in their communities.  But we must acknowledge that increased enforcement and creation of laws will not prevent people from breaking them.  As he explains,

“There could never be enough rules so finely crafted as to anticipate and cover every situation, and even if there were, enforcement would be impossibly expensive and burdensome. This approach leads to diminished freedom for everyone…In the end, it is only an internal moral compass in each individual that can effectively deal with the root causes as well as the symptoms of societal decay. Societies will struggle in vain to establish the common good until sin is denounced as sin and moral discipline takes its place in the pantheon of civic virtues.”  (“Moral Discipline“)

He quotes a newspaper article that I found enlightening.  The author wrote:  “Our increased reliance on laws to regulate behavior is a measure of how uncivilized we’ve become”  (Walter Williams, “Laws Are a Poor Substitute for Common Decency, Moral Values,” Deseret News, Apr. 29, 2009).  I completely agree.  Imagine a civilization made up of entirely honest, decent people–gentlemen and gentlewomen alike, all working to make their world better.  Where would you find violence and crime?  Where would you find hateful and hurtful things?  Where would you find anything vulgar or base?  They would not exist.  It is by internal forces and personal integrity that our societies can function harmoniously.  If everyone had a determination to uphold what is right and denounce what is wrong, then we would have no need for many of the drastic measures we take today to maintain order and peace.  I feel that it is time for all of us to rise up and do the right thing, all the time, even when it is not easy to do.

 

Faith Through the Storm

This post stems from a conversation I had with a couple of friends this week.  We were discussing the recent tornadoes, storms, and other tragedies of the world when I had an image come to my mind.  I thought of what I would think and feel if I were staring at a tornado coming toward me.  What would be my reaction?  To whom would I turn in that moment of fear?  To be honest, just thinking about it made my heart start beating a little faster.  Then I remembered the comforting words of our prophet, Thomas S. Monson, which he shared with the world during a previous troubling time:

“Though the storm clouds may gather, though the rains may pour down upon us, our knowledge of the gospel and our love of our Heavenly Father and of our Savior will comfort and sustain us and bring joy to our hearts as we walk uprightly and keep the commandments. There will be nothing in this world that can defeat us.  My beloved brothers and sisters, fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith.” (Thomas S. Monson, April 2009, “Be of Good Cheer“)

When faced with those overwhelming nightmares of life, I am sure we will feel some fear at first.  But when we remember the counsel President Monson shared with us, we can look through the swirling winds and darkness to see the bright beams of Christ’s light.  The future truly is as bright as our faith, and we can look through the storms to see the happiness that will come when we remain true to our God who will pull us through.  The conditions of the world are certainly not cheery and bright all the time, but our own happiness does not need to be controlled by the events happening around us.  Paul V. Johnson goes on to explain this idea further:

“Your future is not determined by the conditions around you. It is determined by your faith, your choices, and your efforts. Yes, you live in challenging times, but … You don’t have to be carried along in the current of the times. The Lord can and will help you set your own course. The challenges you face will serve to strengthen you as you move forward with your life. Each of you has a bright future, a future you cannot now fully comprehend.” (Paul V Johnson, April 2009, “Make Yours a Great Life“)

I know that our futures can be bright even when we are in our darkest hours.  My heart goes out to those who have been effected by the tornadoes in Missouri and Massachusetts and to those who are experiencing other global and personal crises.  Let us remember that “it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that [we] must build [our] foundation;…which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall” (Helaman 5:12).

Behold Your Little Ones

There is a particular image from a video that I watched many times during my mission in New York which will always remain firm in my memory.  It is a portrayal of the Savior’s visit to the people of the Americas shortly after His Resurrection.  As a perfected and glorified being, He chose to visit these humble people who had looked forward to His coming for many years.  During this visit, He had a tender moment with the children which is described in the Book of Mormon:

“And he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them… And he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones.” (3 Nephi 17:21–23)

Of all the people Christ could have asked the people to behold, He asked them to behold the children.  He did not say “behold your leaders”, or “behold the strongest”, or “the smartest”, or “the richest”, or any other superlative.  Why did He ask them to behold the children?  I believe that it is because there is much we can learn from children.  They are so pure, so whole.  They are “meek, humble, patient, [and] full of love” (Mosiah 3:19).  We have learned recently from Jean A. Stevens, a world leader in the LDS church’s children’s organization: the Primary, about what we can learn from children:

“These precious children of God come to us with believing hearts. They are full of faith and receptive to feelings of the Spirit. They exemplify humility, obedience, and love. They are often the first to love and the first to forgive… Have some of life’s experiences taken from you the believing heart and childlike faith you once had? If so, look around at the children in your life. And then look again. They may be children in your family, [or] across the street… If we have a heart to learn and a willingness to follow the example of children, their divine attributes can hold a key to unlocking our own spiritual growth.” (Jean A. Stevens, Become as a Little Child, April 2011)

I echo what Sister Stevens shared.  Children are a gift to the world.  Think of what the world would be like without children.  Here’s an odd thought: what if we all just appeared on the earth as fully developed humans?  That would not only be absurd in our understanding of things, but it would also deny us the blessing of learning from undefiled and pure children of God.  Look into the eyes of an infant or talk for a moment with a young child, and you will find wisdom that transcends the teachings of our world.  Take a minute to behold these little children in this video and contemplate the blessing that they are to us:

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!  On a day full of Easter baskets, decorated eggs, delicious chocolates and Easter bunny tales, I hope we remember the message that Easter truly celebrates: Christ lives.  Today is the day we celebrate Christ’s resurrection from the tomb.  Think of the meaning of that event for you and for me.  We all will someday die; that is the way of life, but because of what Christ did we will live again.  We will see our loved ones who have passed away.  We have hope because of His sacrifice for us.  I am personally grateful for this fact, it has changed my life profoundly.

Enjoy the festivities, enjoy time with those you love, and enjoy this video about Christ:

The Song of the Heart

While looking at a few youtube videos today, I tripped on a beautiful rendition of one of my favorite songs, “Come Thou Fount” performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  As I listened, I literally felt connected to the music and I remembered so many times hearing that song and feeling uplifted.  It made my heart soar to think of how wonderful this music made me feel!  So I pondered why it is that music has such an effect on us.

Growing up I was involved in a lot of different musical groups.  My family was one of them .  My parents raised us on good music and we would often be found singing songs together in unison or in parts.  I also performed in various school choirs and bands.  It always felt so good to be a part of the music, as if I were telling a story or sharing something deeply personal with the listeners.  A scripture in a book of revelations to the prophet Joseph Smith illustrates this point well:

“For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads.” (Doctrine and Covenants 25:12)

The Lord truly is pleased when we share the desires of our hearts in song.  Perhaps part of that “blessing upon [our] heads” is the peace and joy that comes over us.  I know that those feelings come from the Spirit and bring us spiritual healing and comfort.  That is why it is so important to choose good music to feed our spirits.  Music that promotes immoral behavior and unclean thoughts weakens our resolve to do what is right at all times.  It negatively effects our spirits.  Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have counseled us:

“Through music, man’s ability to express himself extends beyond the limits of the spoken language in both subtlety and power. Music can be used to exalt and inspire or to carry messages of degradation and destruction. It is therefore important that… we at all times apply the principles of the gospel and seek the guidance of the Spirit in selecting the music with which we surround ourselves.” (Priesthood Bulletin, August, 1973.)

I know that music truly has an impact in our lives.  I encourage you to take a look at how you treat your spirit with the music you choose and how different you feel when you’re surrounded by uplifting tunes.  I know that you will see a change in your life and in your outlook on each day.

Watch the clip that inspired this post:

Becoming

I realize that it has been a few weeks since I’ve written anything here, but I have an announcement: I’m back to the blog!  (and this is NOT an April Fool’s joke)

Adjusting to a new lifestyle and returning home after so long is hard work.  As I mentioned in my last post, I left behind my full-time mission in New York only a few weeks ago.  In my new lifestyle, I certainly don’t have the same schedule or the same dress code as a missionary.  I don’t even go by the same name (I am still trying to get used to introducing myself as “Kristin” instead of “Sister Egan”.  That will take some time!).  I am back to the same old house, same room, same clothes, and same weather of my hometown where I was born and raised.  While surrounded with so many familiar things and feeling like I’ve come back from an 18-month long dream, my mind begins to question whether I really changed or gained anything on my mission.  My heart knows that I did, but it is hard to identify or explain, especially when I can’t step outside of myself and observe the changes.

In the midst of all this contemplation and adjustment, I have reflected again and again on the idea of becoming.  How do we know we are becoming something worthwhile?  Why do we even try to improve ourselves?  Thankfully, a small miracle came to me this morning in the form of an assignment: to read a talk given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, “The Challenge to Become“.  I was completely caught by surprise as I read line after line that addressed my recent questions and thoughts.  In this talk, Elder Oaks explains what the Lord expects of us and what we must become:

“In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something… Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts–what we have done.  It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts–what we have become.” (October 2000)

Isn’t that interesting?  We must act, choose, and live so that we can become something; not just so that we have a nice resume or that we have marked off everything on our life checklist.  If the gospel “challenges us to become something”, then what must we become?  As Christ told the people of the Book of Mormon, “what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am” (3 Nephi 27:27).  He has challenged us to become like Him by taking on His characteristics.  We must have charity, obedience, humility, virtue, and many other Christlike attributes.  That is how we can be eternally blessed in heaven, as Elder Oaks described so well in this parable:

“A wealthy father knew that if he were to bestow his wealth upon a child who had not yet developed the needed wisdom and stature, the inheritance would probably be wasted. The father said to his child:

‘All that I have I desire to give you—not only my wealth, but also my position and standing among men. That which I have I can easily give you, but that which I am you must obtain for yourself. You will qualify for your inheritance by learning what I have learned and by living as I have lived. I will give you the laws and principles by which I have acquired my wisdom and stature. Follow my example, mastering as I have mastered, and you will become as I am, and all that I have will be yours.’”

Though I am no longer a full-time missionary, I am still aiming for the same goal: eternal life with God in heaven.  Christ provided the example and He taught us the way.  His gospel shows us how to achieve what to us may seem impossible.  Having the faith to follow His teachings will one day help us reach this goal and become who we are meant to be.

This video is a short message about the importance of unselfish service in our journey to become like Christ:

God of Miracles

This is it: I have come to the end of my full-time missionary service.  The past 18 months I’ve spent in Western New York have been some of the happiest and hardest months of my life.  In a short period of time I have seen many miracles and wonders done by God’s power and my faith in Jesus Christ has increased more than I thought possible.  Tomorrow I will go back to my home town, my family, my friends and my hobbies, but I hope to not return back to the way I was.  Not that I was anything terrible, but I have gained so much that I don’t want to lose.

As I read in my scriptures this morning, I read a particular passage that impacted me and filled me with assurance of God’s love for all of us.  A prophet named Moroni wrote the following words in the Book of Mormon after losing his father and his whole civilization in a terrible war:

“God has not ceased to be a God of miracles. Behold, are not the things that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes? Yea, and who can comprehend the marvelous ^aworks of God?  Who shall say that it was not a miracle that by his ^aword the heaven and the earth should be; and by the power of his word man was ^bcreated of the ^cdust of the earth; and by the power of his word have miracles been wrought?   And who shall say that Jesus Christ did not do many mighty ^amiracles? And there were many ^bmighty miracles wrought by the hands of the apostles.  And if there were ^amiracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he ^bchangeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles.” (Mormon 9:15-19)

If the past 18 months weren’t enough to teach me that God is still actively involved in our lives and that He still performs miracles then I don’ t know what could ever teach me that lesson.  I have seen lives changed, including my own, through the ordinary sort of miracles that we see each day.  Though they may seem ordinary at times, they are truly amazing and wonderful.  I have enjoyed writing about these everyday miracles and I hope to continue even when I’m back home.  Look for what may come next, and thanks for reading!

-Sister Egan

What Missionaries Do

Today I was browsing through the church’s informational website, mormon.org, when I found an awesome section about missionary work.  It described so well what we do, why we’re here, and what is expected from meeting with us missionaries.  Because I love being a missionary so much and because I won’t be a full-time missionary much longer, I thought I would share it with you (Click here to go to the website) and add some of my own thoughts.

In our manual, Preach My Gospel, the first chapter teaches us our purpose.  In it, we are reminded that all people “are children of God, your brothers and sisters.  God loves them just as He loves you. Many of these people are searching for purpose in
life. They are concerned for their families. They need the sense of belonging that comes from the knowledge that they are children of God, members of His eternal family. They want to feel secure in a world of changing values” (Preach My Gospel, 1).  Knowing these facts, we want to share our happiness and joy through the gospel of Jesus Christ with our brothers and sisters.

In that same chapter we read about the far-reaching influence of the gospel in the lives of God’s children.  A former President of the Church, President Ezra Taft Benson said the following:

“We are commanded by God to take this gospel to all the world. That is the cause that must unite us today. Only the gospel will save the world from the calamity of its own self-destruction. Only the gospel will unite men of all races and nationalities in peace. Only the gospel will bring joy, happiness, and salvation to the human family” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [1988], 167).

When I see the calamities and difficulties in the world I often wish I could somehow solve those problems.  I wish I could ease the burdens and pains that people experience every day.  But I don’t have a magic wand to wave and make everything ok.  Instead, I have the Light of Christ to hold up for all to see.  That is the only way that I know how to save the world–one soul at a time.

I am overjoyed to be a part of this cause and to be a missionary.  It fills me with a love and light that is difficult to describe and hard to find anywhere else.  I hope that you too remember that we all need to help each other make it through life and reach our potentials.  Let us lend a hand to lift others at all times and in all places.