Gratitude in Sorrow

I have always felt that expressing our gratitude to God each day is not only a must, but necessary.
Everything that is good in our lives comes from God. You can be the poorest person in the world and still show gratitude for the little you do have. And nothing makes God sadder than our ingratitude for what we have been blessed with.
Because of an ongoing trial in our family, my heart has been heavy this week, heavy to the point that I literally felt like shutting down and tuning out everything to escape the pain. But then, as always, the Lord was there and comfort came through prayers and a priesthood blessing, and I was reminded of my Savior's love, His mercy, and His grace. The joy of the Father's plan for me was renewed, as well as my faith and understanding that They know me.

God knows me, which means He knows my every thought, my every word and deed, and my every righteous desire. He knows my hopes for my family, and hears every prayer - both spoken and unspoken - for my children and grandchildren.
My Savior sees, feels, and understands every emotional strain I undergo. He witnesses every river of tears that I cry and every heartbreak I endure, and He knows what I am feeling, because He wept those same tears for me in Gethsemane, and He felt my heart break along with His own on the cross.

Because of all of this, my heart is overflowing with gratitude - gratitude for this earthly life with its triumphs and trials, its adversities and afflictions. How can I not be grateful for these experiences when what Christ endured for me is so much greater that I could possibly fathom? Ingratitude, for me, is impossible!
So, I will continue to love the Lord, to serve Him, and to praise Him with all my heart.
I know that if I do this, my heart will never stay broken, because He will always be there to mend it.

Wishing you all a most wonderful and amazing Thanksgiving!

"What is Truth?"

I've said this many times, mainly to my family: All the food and water and emergency preparation in the world will do us no good if we are not spiritually prepared. Yes, we need those things, but spiritual preparedness is far more important, because through this will come the blessings. Which is why it is so vital to build a solid relationship with the Savior.
I have pondered Pontius Pilate's question, "What is truth?" many times and I've been pondering it even more lately, and the simple answer is this: truth is anything that testifies of Christ, at least, that's how I see it and what the spirit has testified to me. So, these days, I am constantly praying for things that will continue to strengthen and increase my faith in - and testimony of - the Savior. I know that it is the only way I will make it through the trials and triumphs to come. It's the only way any of us will.
I pray for the continued spiritual growth of us all.
Happy Sabbath! :-)

In the book of Alma, when King Lamoni's father was being taught of God, the king, wanting to leave
his wicked ways behind him and be cleansed, prostrated himself on the ground before God and cried mightily, saying:
"O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day." ~Alma 22:18
Pondering his humble, heart-felt plea, I wonder how much the world would change if those of us who call ourselves Christians would end every night on our knees with this plea and promise in our hearts, and start each morning on our knees the same way.

The day that we truly begin to give away all our sins to know the Lord will be the day we TRULY BEGIN the process of coming to know Him. 

Proclaiming His Word

"Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not  

feared them, and hast not sought thine own life but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments.

And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will. ~Helaman 10: 4-5

 I have pondered these two scriptures deeply this past week, and I found myself earnestly asking these questions:

Am I brave and faithful enough to declare God's word with unwearyingness in whatever circumstances I find myself in? Am I completely devoted to my Savior, in that I would proclaim His gospel and do His will no matter the cost, without fear or thought of my own life? Am I truly willing and dedicated to faithfully give my all to my Lord and Savior, willing to go wherever He leads, say whatever He places in my heart to say, and not hesitate in doing whatever He asks me to do?

Like you, I am only human with many, many human flaws and failings, but if my answer isn't a resounding "YES" to every single question I mentally posed, then I am lost. In this, I only speak for myself.

But in the end, I know that my Savior KNOWS me, and He knows my heart and my weaknesses. He also knows how much this imperfect heart cries out for Him, and how it longs to keep His commandments and declare His word with unwearyingness. He understands my determination to never stop trying, and how much I lean on His mercy and grace to make up the difference.

So, I will continue to declare His word, to speak of His holiness, His mercy, and His love for all of us. All He asks for in return is our love, our obedience, and for us to put Him first in our life.

He wants all of me, and all of you.

Because He gave us all of Himself.

Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. He is the Savior and Redeemer of the world.

There is no denying that.

And I never will.

Special Times

A week ago today, my husband and I were attending church in Italy, partaking of the sacrament with

fellow saints in Rome. During our previous visit to Italy a couple of years ago, we had an American missionary translating for us, but this time, even though translation was available, we decided to forgo it and just enjoy the meeting in Italian. We loved being there, and though we could only pick out a few words here and there, the spirit was still present in abundance and I felt so grateful and blessed.
We met some very nice people during this visit to Italy while on our tours of the Vatican, the Colosseum, and Pompeii, and had more interaction fellow tourists than normal, so we got to know each other a bit. There was a young couple from DC, a middle-aged couple from England, a mother and daughter from Australia, and a wonderful gentleman from Ireland (who incidentally was on a European tour, and had just traveled to Rome from from Budapest where he had been robbed by a taxi driver.)
It was truly fun visiting with these people, and though we will most likely never cross paths again, the experience left a huge impression on me. We were all there from different walks of life and diverse cultures, but during those hours we spent together on those tours, we were of like minds. We were there to explore and learn about a people whose lives left a big echo in the winds of today - a people whose history affected so many things, and as we laughed and talked and gleaned knowledge, any difference there may have been between us were nonexistent.

Even now, I still think about these 'tour friends', and I pray that the ones who may be without God in their lives will one day find Him, and the ones who do have God in their lives will grow even closer to Him.
This is my prayer for every individual I am blessed to come in contact with.
And who knows? Maybe . . . just maybe, we will be fortunate enough to see one of our tour friends again one day.

Who Will Claim You?

The words 'surrender' and 'give up' are not in Satan's vocabulary, except for when he is using them to
break down a spirit and bend it to his will. During the times when we are on a spiritual high and feel closest to the Lord is when the Adversary and his minions work the hardest to pull us from God's light back into darkness and misery. Misery really does love company, and sadly, Satan is never lonely. He makes sure of it. He is a hunter and collector of the lost, and he is good at his job because he is so organized.
But God and His Son, our Savior and Redeemer, are far stronger and far more organized. As long as we keep our eyes fixed and focused on Them, we will never lose our way, and the Adversary and his minions will have no claim.
What a beautiful thought!