SoMeTiMeS yOu CoMe OuT cRaWliNg

Once a upon a time in the wonderful land of Bowling Green, Kentucky, my companion and one of our friends decided that we were all going to go on a hike on the the lost river cave trail. We were all having a wonderful time enjoying the beauty of the earth when we came across a ditch with a little steam running through it maybe one inch deep, if that. On the other side of that ditch it was really pretty, there were lots of trees and it look like a great photo op. So I handed my camera to my companion and asked her to take a picture of me on the other side. I walked down the ditch and got to the bottom and tried to jump over to the other side but it was an epic FAIL! I slid down the side of it because in Kentucky they have that clay that, even if it looks dry, it's not and it is very slippery. I tried to crawl back up but I just slid right back down. Finally I realized that it's not worth it so I tried to go back to the other side. It sure was not easy to go back. I would climb up but then slide back down. It happened about three times. Every time I almost got out I would just fall back down. I even called out to my companion for help but she was laughing so hard she could not move. I noticed a small root that was popping out close to the top and I thought to myself, that can't help me get out. By the fourth time I decided, why not, and I used that small root to get me out of the ditch.

You may be thinking to yourself, why is she telling this story? Well after all this happened and we stopped laughing I realized that what I had just gone through was what a lot of people go through in real life. We see the other side and think that its going to be better. So we try to go over but we fall we try to get back up but we fall again and before we know it we are in this pit and we don't know how we are going to get out. I compare the small root that I used to get out to Heavenly Father. You think He cant get out but if you put your faith in Him, He can pull you out of anything. As long as you trust in Him. Sometimes you have to come out crawling but what matters is that you come out. It is something that I have had to learn the hard way. As I have gotten older I have learned that I can lean on Him in all things.

Burying your swords

This is one of my favorite scriptures. It has made me think what do I need to bury that is keeping me from becoming closer to God?


15 Oh, how merciful is our God! And now behold, since it has been as much as we could do to get our stains taken away from us, and our swords are made bright, let us hide them away that they may be kept bright, as a testimony to our God at the last day, or at the day that we shall be brought to stand before him to be judged, that we have not stained our swords in the blood of our brethren since he imparted his word unto us and has made us clean thereby.

16 And now, my brethren, if our brethren seek to destroy us, behold, we will hide away our swords, yea, even we will bury them deep in the earth, that they may be kept bright, as a testimony that we have never used them, at the last day; and if our brethren destroy us, behold, we shall go to our God and shall be saved.

17 And now it came to pass that when the king had made an end of these sayings, and all the people were assembled together, they took their swords, and all the weapons which were used for the shedding of man’s blood, and they did bury them up deep in the earth.

18 And this they did, it being in their view a testimony to God, and also to men, that they never would use weapons again for the shedding of man’s blood; and this they did, vouching and covenanting with God, that rather than shed the blood of their brethren they would give up their own lives; and rather than take away from a brother they would give unto him; and rather than spend their days in idleness they would labor abundantly with their hands.

Alma 24:15-18

As I was reading this I thought to myself what is my sword? What keeps me from having a better relationship with my Heavenly Father? What is keeping me from having a Stronger testimony? What is keeping me from feeling the spirit? For The Anti-Nephi-Lehies it was the swords that they used to kill there brethren. For me it was my attitude and the way I looked at life. As soon I buried the its all about me attitude I felt myself change for the better.

What is your sword that keeps you from coming to church, having a stronger testimony or having a better relationship with your Heavenly Father? Will you bury your sword and act in faith? I know that as you do you will feel his love for you.

Erasers and Repentance

  With school starting I really like this thought about repentance. At the beginning of each school year each student is given an eraser to use. When mistakes are made, the eraser is used to correct the mistake instead of writing over it or just crossing it out. This allows the student to correct the error and learn from it. It would not matter how much of the eraser was left at the end of the year. What matters is that we use the eraser each time we need it. So even if we make lots of errors we can finish the school year successfully.
  As children of God we have been given an eraser to take care of our mistakes. It is repentance. It is important that we don't cover up or ignore our mistakes. We must use the process of repentance to correct the errors in our lives. In the end it will not matter how often we had to rely on repentance. What will matter is whether we repented every time we needed to. By doing this we can finish this life on earth successfully.

Will you repent daily? I know that by repenting daily that your view of yourself and the world changes. I am so grateful that we have repentance because of it we can return to live with Heavenly Father again.
"Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more." D&C 58:42