As far as I can tell, they leave the meeting up on YouTube for a while after the meeting, so you can watch at your convenience. If you do watch, I hope you will let me know. I will be speaking to just a few people and a camera. As a young friend said as he spoke to the camera from the pulpit, “I never thought I would be a televangelist!” 😁
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/friend/2020/12/how-i-know?lang=eng
Hooray for Paige! If you want to see more of her art, you can find her on Instagram and her website.
@paigemclaughlinart
Paigemclaughlinart.com
…I don’t know their preferences on politics and television shows.
…I stay away from social media.
…I speak to them in person.
…I cease to label them.
…I don’t replay hurtful situations in my mind.
…I use the phrase from Pahoran to Captain Moroni, “It mattereth not,” when somebody speaks in ignorance about me or mine.
…I work on becoming closer to God, and pray for the gift of charity.
…I do something nice for them.
There have been times in my life when I have loved more than I love now, and the key was to be with people, listen to their stories, and do all I could to help them. I have made a commitment at 11:30 each day to reach out to someone, to have a real voice conversation, or to be helpful. I am still struggling to regain my health six months past surgery, but sick or well, I can make a phonecall or write a letter.
In the Book of Mormon, Jesus visits the people of the Americas. He teaches His gospel, and gives commandments, just as He did among the Jews. I like this verse,
“And ye see that I have commanded none of you should go away, but rather have commanded that ye should come unto me, that ye might feel and see; even so shall ye do unto the world; and whosoever breaketh this commandment suffereth himself to be led into temptation.” (3 Nephi 18:25)
Today, I thought about the words, “Come unto me that ye might feel and see.” This is an invitation to a tangible, sensory relationship for the people of the Americas who met him. I like to think it is also an invitation to anyone. As we come, He enhances our ability to feel and see.
He will help us feel His love for us and for others. He will increase our depth of feeling, so we can be better ministers to others and comprehend greater truths.
He will help us see beyond fears, pain, and limitations, and expand our vision for our existence.
As we give ourselves to Him through our obedience, He becomes our vision, the lens through which we see the world, and the heart and guide by which we feel the safe path through the darkness. I am thankful for a Savior who helps me to feel and to see a little better day by day.
A happy list today:
Negative Covid test results for a loved one
A sunflower in a vase beside my sink
My Christmas quilt is all quilted with gold swirls and I’ve attached the binding. It’s ready for hand sewing. This might be my favorite step.
New fabric on the pillows
Time spent in the Book of Mormon: I love that book.
Our kids have fun interests (classic cars, portraits, music composition, cooking, piano, woodworking, reading) and they are good company.
Richard is a good calculus tutor.
Rain is in the forecast.
My first issue of The Friend arrived today, after letting our subscription lapse for a few years after our kids left Primary. I have missed this church magazine!
I just watched the first episode of The Chosen series. I don’t think it’s very accurate but I really liked it, if for no other reason than it portrays biblical personalities as relatable people.
Seven months ago, before the pandemic impacted our lives, I had an idea to create an emotional tool kit, with physical objects to inspire and comfort. I wrote down a list on a post-it note, and began to move the note in my day planner, putting it off for another time. Maybe I was in denial. “Oh, I won’t need this,” or, “If I make it, something will happen that will make me need this.”
Then came new levels of isolation, earthquakes, uncertainty about the evacuation of missionaries, challenges from distance learning in schools, canceled plans, discomfort and disfigurement from abdominal surgery, and the secluded hospital stay. And so on.
I have been comforted, even without my little tool kit, no doubt about that. Still, this week, I remembered that I hadn’t compiled it, and decided it was time. It wasn’t difficult. I gathered things into an old hat box and slid it beneath my bed. Who knows if I will ever use it as I envision I might. If nothing else, it is a time capsule, and a reminder of my faith that comfort can be found in Christ, always.
The objects are small and have personal meaning. Some things are soft; others spur memories; on the bottom of the box are the scripture notes I have taken this year, which follow my 2020 spiritual journey even better than my journal. I tucked in a Michael Buble album that I love.
At times, everyone needs reminders that things are going to be okay.
If you are doing well, share your energy with others. If you are doing poorly, consider handling some physical reminders that Heavenly Father loves you and sent His Son for you. Allow the Spirit to bring joyful things to your remembrance. (John 14:26)
Do ye not remember that I said unto you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the tongue of angels? And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost?
Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ.
2 Nephi 32:2-3
And now, he imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also. Now this is not all; little children do have words given unto them many times, which confound the wise and the learned.
Alma 32:23
Today I am thankful for this newly baptized little eight-year-old who is already speaking the language of angels.
Some thoughts and good words from studying the Book of Mormon lately:
The Lord didn’t command Nephi to build a ship until after an 8-year wilderness journey, followed by many days of rest in a bountiful place. You may be in the wilderness level of experience some days, focused on survival. There is value in the wilderness experience, and don’t be frustrated you are not asked to do creative tasks at this time. There will be a bountiful life ahead and creative endeavors to come. (1 Nephi 17:1-2, 6-8)
Even the simplest words, given in faith, can have great effect. (2 Nephi 3:20-21)
“Many shall be afflicted in the flesh, and shall not be suffered to perish, because of the prayers of the faithful.” (2 Nephi 6:11) The Lord is consistent throughout history: the prayers of the faithful bring help to all around. Keep praying for relief from Covid-19, for the gathering of Israel, and for softened hearts for mankind. Prayer is a work best done in isolation.
To the degree that I rely on the “sparks” kindled by others over the light that Christ offers, I need to repent. Seek his light above other philosophies and ideas. (2 Nephi 7:11)
Being separated from what you know is not to be “cast off.” The Lord leads the righteous to a better place. Focus on the blessings and opportunities from this isolating time. (2 Nephi 10:20)
“The Lord hath commanded … That they should not have malice, that they should not contend one with another…whoso doeth them shall perish.” (2 Nephi 26:22)
“He denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female…all are alike unto God.” (2 Nephi 27:33)
“They that erred in spirit shall come to understanding” (2 Nephi 27:35) Truth will not elude us forever, and we can be patient with one another as we do our best to figure things out right now.
God still rules the earth, not just the heavens. (2 Nephi 29:7)
Reception of the Holy Ghost brings the ability to SPEAK with the tongue of angels, not just receive from them. We should be active in speaking our faith wherever we are. To do this, we need to feast on the words of Christ so we know how to act in our own circumstances. (2 Nephi 32:2-3)
There is so much knowledge in plain sight in the Book of Mormon, but it takes searching to find. (2 Nephi 32:7)
You can be one of the “many who have many revelations daily” if you repent and if you have faith. (Jarom 1:4)
I am home from the hospital, feeling a little neglected because I am not awakened each morning at 3 or 4 am to stand on a scale and have my blood pressure checked. 😉
I have lost a length of my intestine. I have lost sleep, my appetite, and a lot of weight. But I have also lost a level of fear about this time, its isolation and uncertainty, and illness in general. People really do take care of one another. So, with all the losses, there are gains in perspective and understanding.
I am not able to focus on reading very well, so I have been reading my notes I took during my Book of Mormon study before my surgery. On the day I became ill, before I had any idea my life was about to change, I wrote these notes, under the caption of “Life Instructions during the Covid-19 pandemic”:
There is nothing unique about my experience during this past week of cancellations due to COVID-19. I have watched my email folder fill up with messages from schools and church and made necessary adaptations. The boys are home, except when they go out to work or walk. My life stays largely the same, including my level of fear. During most of my adult life, I have regularly expected to catch each illness, die of sepsis from an abscessed tooth, or choke to death all alone… if a car accident didn’t take me first. I have similar fears for each family member. In other words, welcome to my world, world. The real weight of this time for me rests in the reality that Daniel is thousands of miles away, on another continent.
A few sure things to which I cling:
Our Father in Heaven knows where we are and exactly what we need.
Our Savior Jesus Christ knows the depth and breadth of our feeling.
The Father’s plan is never frustrated.
Angels minister to us.
The Holy Ghost never misspeaks or offends. He brings comfort, power, and direction. What an amazing friend and companion.
The Book of Mormon is dear and true. It has helped me through every challenge, my whole life, and it continues to help me now.
No one is unique in their struggles, and my struggles are not more valid than yours. But Sure Beings and the true things carry every one of us through, whether we have eyes to see or not. This I know.