Days of Grace

"I love this life, even when it hurts,
even when I'm weary from the race.

The power of heaven lifts me up,
in this day of grace."
~Day of Grace, Women of Destiny

Even though I sometimes have days when I am facing things so painful that I literally want to do nothing but weep, and I begin to doubt myself, the Lord wraps his love around me and reminds me of who I am. And He does lift me up, turning it into a day of grace. Even with the pain, I'm truly grateful for those days.

God's Love for His Daughters

I've done posts in the past on the importance of being a woman, but for the past while, it has hit me anew

how truly marvelous we are, and my testimony of the Father's love for His righteous daughters has increased tenfold. Whether you are a stay-at-home mother, a working mother, a mother-to-be, a woman with no children, or a single woman, we are all daughters of God, and we have a purpose in this life and much to contribute. We can, and do, accomplish great things. And let's face it, where would men be without us?

May we all come to live in a way that the Lord's presence in our life will shine through our very countenance. Only by striving to do this can we truly be blessed with all the wonderful and miraculous things the Father has in store for us that will enable us to faithfully endure the times ahead.

Heartfelt Reflection

Being extremely sick the past few days has given me time to ponder on important things. Even though I've been down in bed much of the time, my waking thoughts have stayed in the vicinity of what God wants from

me, and for me this new year, and I can't help feeling gratitude for the time of reflection. The moments of enlightenment were exactly what I needed. So yes, despite being ill with a stomach virus that I've sometimes felt would hold on until the second coming, I'm grateful for the spiritual impressions that came.

I mentally talked with Heavenly Father about many things, and He impressed upon me some things that I will try with everything in me to hold onto.
The impression that hit me the most and remains at the forefront of my mind is that I need to be better. I need to be better in every aspect of my life, and because the life He has given me is such a gift, I cannot squander a single minute of it. I need to show forth more love to my fellow man. I need to exercise more patience. I need to serve more. I need to study the Lord's gospel even more and internalize its truths and principles. I need to fully come to know my Savior, to actively seek to do His will and be at one with Him every second of the day.

I need to smile even when I don't feel like smiling, to pray for others constantly, and to look for the good in everything, because God always places a silver lining in every situation, even if it is only a trace, just enough for us to seek it out.
In essence, I need to become like Christ.
To some, what I suggest is impossible, but I promise you, it isn't. With God, nothing is impossible.
Even as I sit here writing this post, the impression of how short our days in this part of our existence are is weighing even more heavily on my mind and heart.

We have been blessed with a new year - a new start, and a new opportunity to fix our minds and hearts on the important things, to focus on what really matters. The Lord has stayed His hand yet a little longer, not only for me, but for all of us. God the Father wants to be our ONLY god. Things don't matter. Wants and desires don't matter unless they are in alignment with His wants and plans for us. His son, Jesus Christ, has prepared a place for His own. He atoned in the garden of Gethsemane, shedding His precious blood and taking upon Him our sins, then He finished His work with the sacrificing of His life on the cross. Because of His love for us, He gave His all for us, paying the price we could never pay.
And with a tender mercy that we may not truly appreciate, His hand is stayed a little longer.
I for one, will not let this mercy done for me be done in vain.
I appreciate you guys!

Salvation is His Name

Salvation is His Name

Copyright © 2015 Jewel Adams - All Rights Reserved.

When He came, the heavens opened, a life awaited, a gift promised.

His arrival was not in worldly glory, but Godly glory,

His birthplace not a palace, but a cave.

His entrance into the world was not announced by royalty,

But by an angel and a star.

Salvation was His name.

God in the flesh, born into mortality,

With His first breath, the heavens rejoiced.

Herod’s soldiers sought Him,

Leaving pain and bloodshed in their wake,

But they could not find Him.

When he grew and stood on young legs, wise men sought Him,

Guided by a star and the Spirit,

Bestowing their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh,

Upon the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Priests of Priests.

At twelve, His wisdom exceeded the learned, His glory slowly making itself known,

Ministering before His ministry even began.

He was our Exemplar, charting the path for us to follow.

He taught,

He loved,

He laughed,

He healed,

He chastised,

He blessed.

Then He atoned, paying the ultimate price,

For a world who rejected His very presence,

Purchasing with blood, the price for our sins and weaknesses,

Giving what no one else could,

Pleading to His Father for relief,

Yet uttering the selfless words, “Not my will, but thine be done.”

In agony, He suffered for a people who turned away,

Turned from the blessed gift given by the Father.

Salvation was His name.

Yet they knew Him not, accepted Him not.

He was betrayed by His own and was crucified.

The earth groaned and trembled in agony and the heavens wept,

For Him who laid His body down.

Yet, He picked it up again.

An increment of time, so long ago,

Yet,

He still lives,

He still blesses,

He still laughs,

And He still loves.

But by many, He is still rejected.

And Salvation is still His name.

Without Him, we are nothing,

But to Him, we are everything.

Through the Fire

"You could ask yourself, "How did God bless me today?" If you do that long enough and with faith, you will find yourself remembering blessings. And sometimes you will have gifts brought to your mind which you failed to notice during the day, but which you will then know were a touch of God's hand in your life." ~

Henry B. Eyring

I don't believe in fate or luck; I believe in consequence and celestial favor. There is a blessing in everything, we just have to look for it. Sometimes the blessing can be extremely hard to see, but it is there.
At six years old, I couldn't comprehend a blessing coming from our house burning down on Christmas Eve, but as I became an adult and the years of reflecting on that Christmas rolled by again and again, I could see it. Boy, could I see it! And not in the way you might think.
The house was an old, dilapidated, wooden monstrosity that looked like a good stiff wind would blow it right over. I hated that house, because it was there that my abuse began. (The House of Hell would be a suitable title.) My brother and I avoided being inside as much as possible - well, as much as it was possible for a five and six-year-old, but those were different times.
On Christmas Eve, we were sent to bed early, and we were excited to go, because for a change, we were actually going to get presents that year.
Sometime later, I awakened in the arms of a fireman as he carried me through the smoke-filled, burning house and placed me on the lawn beside my family. And there we sat, watching it burn.

Now for the blessing.

We lost everything. The Salvation Army replaced our clothing and gave us some toys, and we were placed in the government housing project, Greer Town, one of the worst in Charlotte, North Carolina. Did my home-life change after that? No. In fact, things even got worse. However . . . my hatred of the old house takes us back to the blessing.
In that home was where the pain began. In that solitary home surrounded by an expansive grassy field, was where evil began and ran rampant. The old place represented evil in its purest form. And because of the fire, no one would ever be hurt there again. No child would ever be abused, and no mother would ever be beaten again within those walls. Yes, it would go on within other walls just as it does today, but at least that den no longer stood.
The memory of that blessing renews my joy and strengthens my faith in the Lord's future judgements. With the Savior's birth, life, atoning sacrifice, death, and resurrection, comes the surety that one day soon, all will be made right, and I am sure He has many millstones reserved for those who harm His little ones even today.

God's blessings are there in everything we experience, whether it is a consequence, a celestial favor, or a trial for our spiritual refinement. He knows what we need, and He knows what is best for us.
What little I lost in that fire has since been given back to me a million times over. And even back then, the Father cared about me more than I could have ever known. How do I know?
Because He brought me through the fire.

What We Choose to Become

Something I have repeatedly tried to impress is the importance of choice. I am constantly saying that every single choice we make in this life affects someone or something - every single choice, no matter how

seemingly minor. Many think our choices mean nothing to no one but us, but that thinking could not be more wrong. Because even when we think we are only hurting ourselves with our actions, we are mistaken. We may think our life is our own, but it is not. It never was.
I have discovered that my choices not only affect my future but the future of others in some way, especially my family and others I am close to. Yes, everyone has their agency and nothing I do can control another person, but I know that my words, actions, and even my thoughts, make a difference and can affect others for good or ill. They also make a difference in me and what I will become.
May we all be conscious of our agency, and allow our choices to lead us along the path that will take us to a place in our lives where we become the heavenly beings we were before we came here.
And remember, we never have to travel that path alone. The Lord is always a most willing companion.

Tearing Down Walls

As imperfect human beings, we have the ingrained talent of building walls between ourselves and God. We also nurse our ever-increasing capacity to build walls between each other in one form or another for one reason or another. At a time in the world when we should be drawing closer together to help and strengthen one another and support each other through the trials and mounting tribulations, we draw further and further apart. Some of us become so isolated, we forget what it is like to be connected to another human being,

which is pretty sad.
This weeks I got the results back of a DNA test I took a couple of weeks ago, and I was surprised at the results. No, surprised is not strong enough, I was startled by the results! I knew my ancestry would be a diverse one, but I never expected these findings and I was literally blown away!
You're just dying to know, right? Well, first let me just say my ancestors have some explaining to do, but in a good way:-)
My test results state that my ancestry in order of strongest DNA match is: Argentina, Nigeria, India, Iraq, and Lithuania!
Definitely did NOT expect that! But I guess that would explain my love for foreign foods, colorful clothing, and Bollywood.
The reason these results are so exciting to me is because they testify that we truly are all connected in one way or another. We are not only literal sons and daughters of God, we are literally brothers and sisters, which means none of us are alone in the world.
God never put a wall between Himself and us. We did that all on our own, and each time we do anything not in harmony with the Savior's teachings, we add more bricks to that wall. Just as we built that wall, we also erect the high ones that stand between each other. Now is the time to tear them down. First, begin tearing down the wall between us and God. Then invest in an emotional sledgehammer and demolish our walls until there is nothing left standing between us. Only then will we truly be able to see each other as we really are - brothers and sisters trying to make it back to that same Father who gave us life. Then, as we should, we will reach out a hand and help each other ascend and reach the heavenly place prepared for us.
A place with no walls.