Music

Music is a beautiful and powerful carrier of the spirit. This principle affected me a lot on my mission. Just about everyone knows that missionaries have a different standard than the world when it comes to music.

Instead of trying to tell you what missionaries could and could not listen to, I'll just post this. This is what the missionary handbook says:

"Listen only to music that is consistent with the sacred spirit of your calling. Music should invite the Spirit, help you focus on the work, and direct your thoughts and feelings to the Savior. Do not listen to music that pulls your thoughts away from your work, merely entertains, has romantic lyrics or overtones, or dulls your spiritual sensitivity by its tempo, beat, loudness, lyrics, or intensity. Listening to music must never interfere with your personal preparation or proselyting...."

As I went through my mission I adjusted more and more to fit this standard. There were things at the beginning of my mission that I felt like may have fit into this standard, but as I continued to grow closer to the Lord, I realized that some of my music was distracting. I learned a lot about myself and my motives of why I listened to music. And as I did so, I weeded out some of the music I was listening to. I figured "hey, if I can feel wonderful while listening to music, why not always listen to the stuff that makes me feel wonderful?"

I also began to listen more to the lyrics to the music and I was blessed to have answers come to me as I listened. The music was powerful, the messages were pure and simple, yet overwhelming. The spirit was able to testify again and again to me that what I was doing (not just with music) was right.

There was a song that stood out to me then that still stands out to me now. Part of the lyrics of that song are these:

"...Don't be afraid to live as you know you should,
nothing bad can come from being too good.
You never can keep up with the praise of the world, it comes and goes.
You're born with His light, now let it show!
Don't give up what you want most for things you may want now,
though there are obstacles placed in your way, you'll overcome somehow.
Don't think that no one notices if you do what's right,
and don't think that nobody cares if you win or lose this fight,
'cause I know that He cares." -He Cares by 4 ordained (The album is called Bring Me Home)

This part of the song gives me courage to live according to what God has asked me to do. There are times when it is so hard to bring my will into line with His. There are other times when I feel as if I am being judged for being "too good", when in fact, that isn't a problem. I also love the line "don't give up what you want most for things you may want now." When God says "wait, I have something better in store." or "Hang on, that's not what you need." it can be hard to swallow. But I know that as we wait patiently and cheerfully on the Lord, that we will receive the fullness of all the gospel blessings if we are living righteously.

To close I want to just stick in this link to the First Presidency preface to the Hymns. I too want to testify that music can bring joy, peace, and consolation to the soul. We can receive answers from God. I also know that just like any other good tool the Lord has given us, the adversary has also put his music into the world. Music can be had for good or evil. I challenge all of us to go through our music and think about how it makes us feel. Think "would I be comfortable listening to this is front of my family, friends, or the Savior?" Evaluate, and come unto Christ. I know this will bless you because I have seen the changes in my own life as I have done the same thing. I also know it will help because the Lord promises us the same thing in D&C 25. Let us fill our lives with good things. :)

Study

Sometimes the best way to study a topic is to have others study it with you.

I came to know this on my mission, and once again was reminded of it recently. There have been a few topics of doctrines and principles that I have been meaning to study more and more about, and at times I have studied them more in depth. But there are times when I feel like I can't get any more revelation on the topic. There are questions that I just don't have answered.

When this would happen on my mission I would often ask my companion for their opinion. If she didn't have answers I would go to my leaders and my mission president. I would have already looked up these topics online on LDS.org but wasn't satisfied. More often then not, my companion or leaders would get back to me on the topic and would answer it in an inspired way.

I understand that this isn't always the case. There are times when the answers do not come even after much pondering, fasting, praying, and going to the temple. I understand that there are times when our leaders give us answers that don't satisfy the questions that we have posed. I understand that you may feel like you have exhausted all your resources to get an answer and will still be just as confused, if not more, than you were before.

This is when we wait with patience for the Lord to reveal to us the mysteries later.

D&C 25:4- Murmur not because of the things which thou hast not seen, for they are withheld from thee and from the world, which is wisdom in me in a time to come.

There are my two cents for this week. It's a little weak, but there you go.

here's a link to a talk that isn't really related, but can be in some ways...

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1989/10/murmur-not?lang=eng

Goal setting

Goals were always before me on my mission. We would set daily goals, weekly goals, transfer goals, etc.

http://firecider.com/blogs/news/16395573-setting-s-m-a-r-t-goals

So one would expect a returned missionary to be good at setting and accomplishing goals right? Well, unfortunately, many of us don't keep up on that skill. Yet, there are some that do. 

Recently I have been trying harder to keep up on my goals. And truly the way to keep up on them is to be accountable for them. It's also good to set goals that actually mean something to you so that you stay motivated. 

Preach My Gospel has a great section on goal setting and using time wisely as well as accountability. Check it out! Here's a little bit from it:

"Goals reflect the desires of our hearts and our vision of what we can accomplish. Through goals and plans, our hopes are transformed into action. Goal setting and planning are acts of faith." -PMG

"I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life.”

–Elder M. Russell Ballard

I love that we are not expected to always meet our goals, we can tweak them to fit us better. Sometimes we set our expectations too high, not only for ourselves but for others too. It's rough when we don't reach our goals, but instead of beating ourselves up about not reaching the goal, we can take a step back and figure out what we can do with a little bit of stretching. 

Someone who isn't very flexible is not going to be able to touch their toes in one day, they will have to stretch just a little bit every day until they can touch their toes. 

God doesn't expect us to become like Him in one day. Becoming like God is a process, it takes time to get to that point. It takes time to stretch and grow and become like Him. We are spiritually so so young! And we only have been in a body for a few short mortal years! We have so much to learn and grow that we don't really have time to beat up on ourselves. 

God sees so much more of our potential than what we see ourselves, we must learn to trust in Him and His plan. He will help us reach our potential more fully than anyone else can. As we prayerfully set goals, we can reach the stars! 

Three temptations

One of my favorite zone meetings was about fulfilling our purpose. The way that the leaders decided to present the topic was to present the three temptations that prevent us from fulfilling our purpose.

Now, before I write those down, I want to make clear that these things prevent any of us from fulfilling any of our purposes. Whatever may be on your to do list, completing a project at work, etc.

Some of us may wonder "what is my purpose?" There are many answers I could give to that question, the most basic being to become like God and return home to Him. For more specific ways on how to do that, I encourage you to turn to the Lord through study and prayer and He will help you find specific goals of how to fulfill your purpose right now.

...

First off is TIME... here's an example from Elder Oaks
"None of us should be like the fisherman who thinks he has been fishing all day when in reality he has spent most of his time getting to and from the water, eating lunch, and fussing with his equipment. Fishing success is related to how long you have your line in the water, not to how long you are away from the apartment. Some fishermen are away from home for twelve hours and have their line in the water for ten hours. Other fishermen are away from home for twelve hours and have their line in the water for only two hours. This last type may wonder why they do not have the same success as others."

As we go out to fulfill our purpose, how much time are we really focused on fulfilling our purpose and how much time are we sitting around eating lunch or fussing with our equipment? Yes, there does need to be time for those things, but how much time are you wasting as you strive to fulfill your purpose? Two minutes every day does build up. What ways can you spend your time more wisely? How can planning help that?


I know that I am guilty of being the lax fisherman who doesn't have his line in the water very long at all. Yet, I am beginning to see that and I'm figuring out new ways of how I can plan more effective and productive activities for my day to help me fulfill my purpose and progress. All of which have been found through study and prayer as I have carefully and thoughtfully planned out my days. The Lord answers (Matthew 7:7).

Next is INDECISION...
What makes us indecisive? Fear, lack of revelation, lack of plans? There are many reasons of why we may be indecisive.

One scripture that was shared with us was 2 Timothy 1:7- "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

Sometimes we are so caught up in the "I have to pray about this" that we forget that the Lord has also given us a sound mind and that at times we must make our own decisions. As long as we are anxiously engaged in a good cause, and we have also made the decision to follow God as He guides us, then we are fine.

One of my favorite quotes "you can not steer a parked car." Many times we must go forward with faith and trust that all will be well.

Another thing that will help us all with indecision is having back up plans. When you are trying to fulfill your purpose and all your plans to do so don't work out, go try fishing in a different spot. Don't just go home and call it a day, but say, "hey, maybe the water is better over here. I'll drop my line here instead."

Last is "My will vs. Thy will"
John 6:38  "For I came down from heaven, not do to mine own will, but the will of him that sent me."
Sometimes we are so gung ho and think we are doing everything that God wants us to do, but in reality, we are not. We forget to pray and find out His will. We think we know better. We think that because of our experience, we can figure this problem out on our own.

http://pixshark.com/kneeling-in-prayer.htm

Well, why not ask God, the being that knows all things past, present, and future? His experience and His knowledge is much more vast than yours. Hmm....

Humility is key my friends, take time to kneel and ask the Father what He would have you do. I promise you that as you do so, your mind will be clearer of which path you ought to take to fulfill your purpose.

I just want to wrap this up by saying that I know that our Father in Heaven answers our prayers. He is anxious to help us, all we need to do is ask. He is so pleased when we come to Him with a broken heart and contrite spirit ready to learn from Him. He loves seeing us grow up spiritually. He loves to see us take accountability for our actions and our growth. He is happy when we decide to be agents unto our selves and take our purpose seriously. I am grateful that the atonement is real and that is makes it possible for me to change and grow, for without it, I would be nothing. I am grateful for the enabling power of the atonement, grace, which gives me the strength to fulfill my purpose.

God speaks through...Poetry

Something I learned before and on my mission is that God speaks to all of us differently.

Many times the most powerful answers I received took form of a poem. I would have a question or two and God would grab my pen and let the words flow through my head, heart, and hand onto the blank page in my journal.

I have posted poems before, and here is a new one in it's first draft:

Father, I don't understand what is eating me.
What is making me feel incomplete?
I do not need others' approval to know I am fine,
Just yours and apparently mine.
So why do I wallow in despair,
When I know You've always been there?
How come I writhe in pain,
As if I've been hit by a train?
The adversary throws his darts,
But I do not need let them enter my heart.
I am strong and bold,
He doth not have power to afflict my soul!
For Christ is my strength and my song,
And with Him, nothing will go wrong.
He is my Savior and my King!
To Him, my praises I'll sing.
I shall not ever fear,
For I know that He is always near.
He is my rock and my salvation,
No matter what storms I'm facin'.
To Him I will cling
For I understand the peace He can bring.

https://toleavealegacy.wordpress.com/

He makes me complete,
And one day I'll kneel at His feet.
I'll wash His feet with my tears,
And these are the words I'll hear-
"I'm so proud of you and what you've done,
Look at all the battles that together we've won.
Well done my good and faithful servant,
Look around and welcome home- you have done it."
He'll pick me up and give me love,
My Friend I've trusted from above.
He's done everything and pulled me through,
It seems not enough to only say "thank you."
I know to Him I'm worth it,
Therefore I can not wallow in my pit.
For if I mean so much to Him,
This is where my story must begin.
He saves me again and again,
So that I'll be beautiful in the end.
His light is inside, I can feel it grow,
It's time to open up and let it show.
For He is who I am deep down inside,
It's now time to let Him control the ride.
Give Him my all, my life, my best,
And then sit back and forget the rest.
I thank Thee Father for this day,
And for this great opportunity to reflect and to pray.

I'm grateful for the love God shows to me each day and for the opportunity to see His hand in my life. He lifts me up and carries me through. Also see 2 Nephi 4: 15+

Service is a gift

This week was good. I got back on my feet and learned some good things. I am so grateful for the gift of service. Yes, doing service is a gift. 

I remember on my mission I sometimes really really wished to be in a leadership position so that I would not focus so much on myself and my stuff. I wanted to be there for others. I wanted to serve. Why? Because I understood the blessings that came from serving others and thinking about them. About half way through my mission though I never really got another chance at a leadership position. 

Or at least that is what I thought. Just because I wasn't in what I thought was a leadership position, didn't mean that I wasn't a leader to those around me. My example, my tag, and my experience automatically labelled me as a leader. People looked up to me just because I was a missionary. I was a leader.

As a leader, I prayed for those I had potential to influence. I prayed for those under my care. I prayed for those around me. I prayed for the members. I prayed to receive inspiration of how to help those I interacted with. I was so focused on others that I truly lost myself in the work. I truly loved. I truly cared. And as a result, I was happy and I was taken care of. I didn't have to worry about my own life. I saw how blessed I was every day as I served others. I forgot my troubles and I trusted that God would take of them either by helping me overcome them, or helping me to realize that they weren't really troubles in the first place.

Those are some of the many blessings that come from service. Service is a gift. And I am so grateful for it.

Book of Mormon-short testimony

On my mission, I served in an area where there was a member that had such a powerful testimony of The Book of Mormon. He changed my outlook on missionary work.

I wanted to hand out the book to everyone that I came in contact with. It had impacted my life so much, and I just wanted to share it. It was awesome. As I concentrated more on the Book of Mormon in my teaching and finding techniques, the work hastened.

The Book of Mormon is a blessing in our lives. It can influence us for good. It can give us peace in times of darkness. It can shed forth light in our pits of despair. It can lift us. Well, the book itself can't do those things, but the message and the spirit that come from reading the book with a open mind and heart can. If one is willing to read The Book of Mormon and read it with the intent to receive an answer from God, they can and will receive that answer.