virtue project: book of mormon reading

I am taking a break from faith experience two tonight, in hopes that some of my friends on facebook can help me with the last part of it!  Hopefully I get some great answers.

Earlier in the week I read from 2 Nephi 4.  What a great source of strength!

I know in whom I have trusted.

(Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 4:19‎)‎

Do not anger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions.

Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation.

O Lord, wilt thou redeem my soul? Wilt thou deliver me out of the hands of mine enemies? Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of sin?

(Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 4:29–31

O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.

Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen.

(Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 4:34–35‎)

I love that this teaches me I can always turn to God.  I can pray when times are good.  I can pray when times are hard.  I can remember that I am never alone in the trials I may face.  And, that things are rarely has difficult as I make them.  Nephi was a virtuous man.  He consistently did what was right, in good times and in times of adversity.  I don't know which is harder to be obedient with exactness, during easy times or difficult ones.  But the skill of being consistently obedient with eactness is a virtuous trait worth developing!

-Ari

faith experience two

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

On Motherhood:
 - love and care for children
 - rear children in love and righteousness
 - provide for physical and spiritual needs
 - teach them to love one another, observe the commandments, be law abiding citizens
 - Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of the children

As mother's we are primarily responsible for the nurturing of our children.  To nurture means to "feed and protect," "to support and encourage ..., " "to bring up; train; educate."  This is no easy task.  We are born with the capability we need in order to nurture our children.  While, as mothers, we are not at this task alone, we are counseled to make it our primary responsibility.  It takes conscience effort each day to make this work.  I have to consciencely realize that everything I do will be translated and emulated by my children.

-ARi

faith experience two

Due to the nature of this blog I am working on multiple experiences at a time.  It should be noted I have already started reading the Book of Mormon for the Virtue Project and may blog about that from time to time.

Faith Experience Two:
Discover the principles of faith taught by the mothers of Helaman’s stripling warriors. Read Alma 56:45–48 and 57:21. Review what “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” says about a mother’s role. With a mother, grandmother, or leader, discuss the qualities a woman needs in order to teach children to have faith and to base their decisions on gospel truths. How can these principles help you in your life today and help you prepare to be a faithful woman, wife, and mother? Record your thoughts and feelings in your journal.

principles of faith taught by the mothers of Helaman's stripling warriors:
-courage
-faith in God
-belief that God would help them
-humanity and fairness
-obedience with exactness

As a mother, I spend more time with my children than anyone else.  They, therefore, learn more from me than they will from anyone else. I need to remember this all the time.  I also need to remember that they will more from the way I act and the way I treat them, than the things I tell them.  Being a mother in the gospel takes faith.  Faith to believe that my children will be able to learn the gospel.  Faith, sometimes, to know that I can make it thorugh the day without losing my temper.  Faith to know that it will all be worth it when we are together as a celestial family!

faith experience one, day nine - Still saying prayers.  It is now also getting easier to say prayers throughout the day when I need help, instead of defaulting to frustration and anger.

-ARi

faith experience one, day eight

I took a break over the weekend from blogging, but not from working on my personal progress.  Today I read a talk by Elder Russel M. Nelson entitled, "Face the Future with Faith".  This was a great talk for me, especially as a mother of two young children. 

Start with your children. You parents bear the primary responsibility to strengthen their faith. Let them feel your faith, even when sore trials come upon you. Let your faith be focused on our loving Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Teach that faith with deep conviction. Teach each precious boy or girl that he or she is a child of God, created in His image, with a sacred purpose and potential. Each is born with challenges to overcome and faith to be developed.

 As a parent I need to remember that my children's faith and beliefs start with my husband and me and the things we teach them.  Because it its important to us, as parents, that our children grow up with a strong foundation in the gospel, we need to portray that in everything we do.  The book of Alma teaches us that actions teach better than the sword.

Why do we need such resilient faith? Because difficult days are ahead. Rarely in the future will it be easy or popular to be a faithful Latter-day Saint. Each of us will be tested. The Apostle Paul warned that in the latter days, those who diligently follow the Lord “shall suffer persecution.”  That very persecution can either crush you into silent weakness or motivate you to be more exemplary and courageous in your daily lives.

How you deal with life’s trials is part of the development of your faith. Strength comes when you remember that you have a divine nature, an inheritance of infinite worth. The Lord has reminded you, your children, and your grandchildren that you are lawful heirs, that you have been reserved in heaven for your specific time and place to be born, to grow and become His standard bearers and covenant people. As you walk in the Lord’s path of righteousness, you will be blessed to continue in His goodness and be a light and a savior unto His people.

 Reading excerpts like this remind me that I can be faithful.  It gives me strength.  It is so important, for me, to remember to ready scriptures and pray daily because that is what keeps me strong.  Seeing that God keeps his promises and helps his children when they ask, let's me know that God watches over me too.

Our beloved President Thomas S. Monson has given us his prophetic witness. He said: “I testify to you that our promised blessings are beyond measure. 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.”

President Monson continued: “My beloved brothers and sisters, fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith.”

I love the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is easy for me to forget that God is in control of all and that he hears me.  But this experience, thus far, has helped me remember more to ready and pray daily.  This gives me strength.  I need strength everyday, and whenever I ask, God is always there to lift me up and support me when I feel shorted.

-ARi

faith experience one, day five

I love talks by Elder Richard G. Scott.  Tonight I Elder Scott's talk entitled, "The Transforming Power of Faith and Character".  So good!  He uses all the words I've been trying to put together since I started this blog, in an eloquent, understandable manner.

What are some of the empowering principles upon which faith is based?

•Trust in God and in His willingness to provide help when needed, no matter how challenging the circumstance.

•Obedience to His commandments and a life that demonstrates that He can trust you.

•Sensitivity to the quiet promptings of the Holy Spirit.

•Courageous implementation of that prompting.

•Patience and understanding when God lets you struggle to grow and when answers come a piece at a time over an extended period.

 

and

 President Hugh B. Brown said: “Wherever in life great spiritual values await man’s appropriation, only faith can appropriate them. Man cannot live without faith, because in life’s adventure the central problem is character-building—which is not a product of logic, but of faith in ideals and sacrificial devotion to them” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1969, 105). We exercise faith by doing. Joseph Smith said that “faith [is] the principle of action and of power” (Lectures on Faith [1985], 72).

 

 one more

We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day. Righteous character is a precious manifestation of what you are becoming. Righteous character is more valuable than any material object you own, any knowledge you have gained through study, or any goals you have attained no matter how well lauded by mankind. In the next life your righteous character will be evaluated to assess how well you used the privilege of mortality.

I think the last one is my favorite.  It tells me that if I want the celestial glory I have been promised, then I need to work on getting there today.  It's like that saying, "Dress for the job you want, not necessarily the job you have."  We need to live the life we want (the celestial life) in order to be ready for that life, when we reach that time.

-ARi

faith experience one, day four

There is so much power in Joseph Smith's account of the first vision.  It is a testimony that God hears and answers prayers.  Verse 13 is my favorite for tonight:

At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkeness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God.  I at length came to the determination to "ask of God," concluding that if he gave wisdom to them who lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture.

I believe I reach points like this in my life often.  Points at which I can decide whether I want to know the truth, take the step forward and follow God's plan for me, or stay in the comfortable darkness.  Each time I reach such crossroads in my life it is a struggle to decide wheather to stay or to leap with faith into the outstretched arms of my loving Heavenly Father.  But the prophet, Joseph Smith, makes a good point when he says that if God would give us wisdom and not hold back, then it is worth a try.  It is worth taking that step or leap because God has promised us that he will catch us.  This is where I find strength in the scriptures and in close friends.  The scriptures are given to us as a resource.  I like reading about how God keeps his promises to man.  For myself, if God keeps his promises to those long ago, then it is easier for me to believe that God will keep his promises with me.  What makes them different from me, or visa versa?  Nothing!  We are all children of our Heavnely Father.  Friends and family are an immediate source of strength.  They hold me up and push me on when I want to hid in the darkness.  Knowing that they believe God will be on the other end of His promise, helps me to believe also.

-ARi

faith experience one, day three

Ether 12:6-22 teaches us that we need to have faith first and miracles second.  Faith and trust are bi-lateral agreements.  If I have faith in God then he will give me what I need.  I initiate the faith and God grants me the blessings promised.  That is hard!  Taking the first step, sometimes blindly, is the hardest part.  Thankfully God doesn't ask us to suddenly have great faith.  He allows us to build our faith daily.  We start small.  Small faithful acts of obeying our parents and keeping simple commandments are building blocks.  As we learn that we can have faith in God, we learn to trust God.  When we trust God he will, inturn, help us.  The more opportunities we have to grow our faith, the more opportunities we give ourselves to develop our personal realtionship with our Heavenly Father.  Additionally, if we can prove our faithfulness over time, God can trust us with more and bless us with more.  We need to keep building and building until that great day when we see Him again.  That day when with open arms, God can tell me, "Well done my good and faithful servant!"

Day three of prayers and it's all coming back to me.  It becomes easier each time to remember to pray.  The task now becomes to make each prayer meaningful.  Beyond words that sound nice strung together to heartfelt conversations with my Heavenly Father, having faith to believe that He will hear me.

-ARi

faith experience one, day two

Alma 32:17-43 has many nuggets of goodness on faith.  I was particularly drawn to verse 41

But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life

It reminds me that faith takes time and work.  I need to work on my faith everyday, and that my faith will only grow as much as I work.  The analogy between faith growing and a seed growing means the most to me.  When I am tending my garden everyday I get great returns on my plants.  However in the last few months I have let my plants dry up and only one plant remains strong.  This teaches me that even if I have a strong faith today, it could be gone tomorrow if I don't work on it.

The same must be true about prayer.  Prayer one way I develop my relationship with my Heavenly Father.  As a missionary I prayed all the time.  It was easy then because I was in a mind frame and  an environment that was conducive to constant, meaningful prayer.  Like caring for my plants everyday, then tapering off, now I am working on re-establishing my relationship with my Heavenly Father.  This experience (in the last two days) has given me the opportunity to talk to my Heavenly Father again, and on a more consistent basis.

-ARi

faith experience one, day one

The first principle of the gospel is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Learn about faith from the scriptures and living prophets. Read Hebrews 11; Alma 32:17–43; Ether 12:6–22; and Joseph Smith—History 1:11–20. Read two general conference talks on faith. Exercise your own faith by establishing a habit of prayer in your life. Begin by regularly saying your morning and evening prayers. After three weeks of following this pattern, discuss with a parent or leader what you have learned about faith and how daily personal prayer has strengthened your faith. In your journal express your feelings about faith and prayer.

Today I read Hebrews 11.  In verse six it reads,

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them

As a missionary, one of the things my mission president wanted us to develop was an, "I Can" attitude.  Faith takes this a step forward. An "I Can" attitude becomes an "I Can" and "I Will" action.  This verse reminds me that I can and I will because I believe in God.  I believe that with God, I can accomplish everything he wants me to do.  I am reminded that I don't have to know everything beause I can trust that God knows everything.

Prayer opens the line of communication between myself and my heavenly father.  Prayer takes faith.  I have to believe that Heavenly Father will hear my prayers.  I have to have faith that God will give me answers to my questions, confidence to my inadequacies, comfort to my sorrows, and strength to my weaknesses. 

-ARi