The Right Load

Sister Shaha, Sister Serr, and Sister Walker posted thoughts on their blogs about Elder Bednar's talk. Looks like I moved out at exactly the wrong time!

My sister-in-law did a post about her bishop's Sunday lesson where he put ping-pong balls in a jar and says 'so you put the big things in first, but what if you get another big thing that doesn't fit' (like becoming Bishop, ha ha)? So he poured them into a paint can and then brought out a 5 gal utility bucket. He said the Lord wants to stretch us.

Like Elder Bednar said, none of us are capable of what is on our plate, (or in our bucket, or in the back of our truck). But it is our faith in Christ which raises our capacity to do the vital work of these last days in each of our individual missions.

I was thinking on Sunday as I was driving back from the kid exchange about how even God suffered so much that he could not bear it. In the Garden an angel came to strengthen him. Then, he stumbled with the weight of the beam he would die on, and an ordinary human carried it for Him. Really, if it is the right load, we are the ordinary mortals carrying his burden.

Even after all the weight he carried and the hardships he endured, he said:

29 Take my ^ayoke upon you, and ^blearn of me; for I am ^cmeek and ^dlowly in ^eheart: and ye shall find ^frest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is ^aeasy, and my burden is light. (Matt. 11:29-30)

I would love to hear anything else that the rest of you gleaned from it, or how applying his counsel has helped you in the past week.

Getting Settled

We went to our new ward. It is strikingly different. Eventually we will love all of them as much as we love you. Loudmouth here got immediately urged to join choir practice after church, which I never mind, I just wonder if I shouldn't tone it down for starters more often. Because it is a smaller ward (they just got split and have Elder missionaries for each ward) it was pretty easy for me to be heard.

We love our new house and have all the necessaries unpacked and somewhat organized. We are definitely further from the action, but I can actually see the major constellations at night. It still makes me sad not to be able to see the myriad of stars that remind me of my desert mountain home.

Anyway I would love to be kept up on general ward happenings. I sent an email to Windy giving the username and password so that anyone who wanted to could invite themselves to contribute, or do a post under the CoppellRS tag. I'm not sure if she sent it out, but contact her, or me if you are interested.

Moving

I am moving on the 23rd of August so that my kids will be able to start at the new school on the 27th. I will continue to participate in this blog after that time, but if there is anyone who would like to contribute, let me know so I can set you up with the password.

As I said in Testimony Meeting, I have felt a special closeness to this ward, and will miss all of you. I hope that this will continue to be a place where we keep in touch. One idea for inspirational thoughts would be to have a few different people doing it on certain days of the week.

I look forward to continue getting to know you.

Don't forget the Enrichment activity this Tuesday night!

Opposition

My favorite scripture since middle school is 2 Nephi 2:11. "There must needs be an opposition in all things." The strength of my testimony that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was God's ancient church restored in these latter days came in response to opposition from anti-Mormon sources.

My dad taught school an hour away from where we lived. In high school, I went to that school, as well. As we drove, my dad would sometimes listen to "the Bible Answer Man" who was very antagonistic toward Jehovah's Witnesses and Latter-Day Saints. I had been reading the scriptures since middle school, so I was prepared against the accusations that were raised. I was frustrated at the obviousness of the lie. Some topics raised questions in my mind that I was able to resolve through reason and study.

Many years later I was personally and violently (verbal only) confronted by someone I had opened my home to. I knew what I knew, but all the logic and reason in the world did not seem enough. I could explain and correct every point of contention if I had been given the opportunity. It was all clear in my mind. But his arrogance nagged at me. To be certain that I was right, I had to be open to the possibility that I was wrong. I spent 2 1/2 hours in fervent prayer that night.

I offered to God that I would give up everything that I knew if it was an elaborate hoax; that I would surrender all that was real and comfortable to me if He would show me the truth. In a brief moment I felt real opposition. I knew in an instant what that would mean, and I rejected the darkness it brought to my mind.

I opened my scriptures and my eyes fell on Moroni 7: 13 "But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do ^agood continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and ^benticeth to do ^cgood, and to love God, and to serve him, is ^dinspired of God."

I was still unsatisfied with my answer and continued to pray. I was compelled to open my eyes and "look." I expected to open my eyes to some glorious being or vision. However, in the darkness of my small bedroom, I saw nothing but the shadow of the window pane on the wall from the streetlight outside. I turned to the other wall, where there were two more outlines of the same, single bedroom window. There was more than one source of light in the parking lot outside my window.

Exhaustion combined with peace and I finally slept. In the morning the answer was clear. There were no shadows at all. The Pure Light of the Sun streamed in my window. Even though the streetlights that had cast the separate shadows were still on, they had no presence in my room now that the light of truth overwhelmed the man-made light.

There is much more to this story and what happened over the next several months. It is the story of how, despite years of having a testimony, I finally experienced a "mighty change of heart." But it all started with opposition.

More thoughts

If you can't get enough of the Daily thought, LDS.org has LDS gems; daily inspirational quotes. You can subscribe to have it delivered daily to your email, or through RSS.

Click on Title for LDS gems

Families Can Be Together Forever

Because of God's eternal plan of salvation, family life extends beyond mortality. Such a great reward only comes through persevering faith, hope and endurance. Our daily trials can steal our joy and hope for future felicity. But "the Lord has shown me how I can."

Click title to hear Families Can Be Together Forever

Daily Spiritual Thought:: Gardening

28 Now, we will compare the word unto a ^aseed. Now, if ye give place, that a ^bseed may be planted in your ^cheart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your ^dunbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to ^eenlighten my ^funderstanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

Successful gardens must be regularly tended, weeded, and nourished. The love of God in our lives and our faith in Christ is the same. What have you done today to care for the garden of your heart?

Click on title to read Alma Chapter 32 in its entirety

Daily Spiritual Thought: Hope in Death

From last Suday's Relief Society lesson: Words of Hope and Consolation

“… I know that my testimony is true; hence, when I talk to these mourners, what have they lost? Their relatives and friends are only separated from their bodies for a short season: their spirits which existed with God have left the tabernacle of clay only for a little moment, as it were; and they now exist in a place where they converse together the same as we do on the earth. …

“… What have we to console us in relation to the dead? We have reason to have the greatest hope and consolation for our dead of any people on the earth; for we have seen them walk worthily in our midst, and seen them sink asleep in the arms of Jesus. …

To read the lesson in its entirety, click on the title

What Think Ye of Christ?

41 ¶ While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,

42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of ^aDavid.

43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,

44 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?

45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?

Would we recognize Christ if he was standing right in front of him? Do we know who he really is? When we know who he is, we will genuinely understand who we really are.

Click on title to read Matthew Chapter 22 in its entirety.

Evidence

The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the ^bearth, and ^call things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its ^dmotion, yea, and also all the ^eplanets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator.

What personal evidence do you have that God exists?

Click on title to read Alma Chapter 30 in its entirety.

Forgiveness

Please forgive me.  I did not notify anyone that I was leaving town or ask anyone to post the "daily" thought.  I will be back to posting on Thursday.  Please don't lose faith in our little circle.  I look forward to catching up with you soon.

Daily Spiritual Thought: Psalms 16:11

11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy ^apresence is ^bfulness of ^cjoy; at thy right hand there are ^dpleasures for evermore.

What have you done today to bring the presence of God, and fullness of joy into your home?

Daily Spiritual Thought: Away Put your Weapons

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 ^ahide 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 ^bclean thereby.

Do we keep reminders of our sins out where we can see them? Or do we "bury" them as a witness of our disdain for sin. Are we holding on to inappropriate videos in our movie collection? Do we continually "dig up" memories of past sins? Do we still pull out harsh words and animosity toward those who have injured us? Do we efficaciously acknowledge the cleansing power of Christ to heal our hearts and souls?

Click on title to read Alma Chapter 24.

Matters of the Heart

Of all the things we strive for in our eternal journey, what matters most is the condition of our heart.

Bishop Huntsman taught Relief Society this Sunday. He spoke of the essential importance of opening our hearts to receive the Holy Ghost. In our daily lives we struggle and hurt, but we must keep our hearts loving, open, forgiving, receptive and even glad.

Please comment on the thought that stand out to you from the lesson, or any relevant thought you have, even if you were not able to be there.

Sharing the Gospel Using the Internet

There are conversations going on about the Church constantly. Those conversations will continue whether or not we choose to participate in them. But we cannot stand on the sidelines while others, including our critics, attempt to define what the Church teaches. While some conversations have audiences in the thousands or even millions, most are much, much smaller. But all conversations have an impact on those who participate in them. Perceptions of the Church are established one conversation at a time.

Now, may I ask that you join the conversation by participating on the Internet to share the gospel and to explain in simple and clear terms the message of the Restoration. Most of you already know that if you have access to the Internet you can start a blog in minutes and begin sharing what you know to be true.

Click on title to read the entire article by Elder Ballard

Daily Spiritual Thought: Making Time to be Holy

To find some time for personal spiritual renewal...one has to plan for it. That sometimes means getting creative or sleeping less, including getting up earlier, going to bed later, and making use of commuting time and breaks at work.

“If we have the will to make time for things like scripture study, then it is easy to find time for them. It’s when we don’t have a plan that we are more likely to waste any free time we find.”

Click on title to view entire article from June Ensign

Daily Spiritual Thought: Give Us Strength

26 And Alma cried, saying: How long shall we suffer these great ^aafflictions, O Lord? O Lord, ^bgive us strength according to our faith which is in Christ, even unto ^cdeliverance. And they broke the cords with which they were bound.

What are the cords that bind you? Have you sought strength to deliver yourself through your faith in Christ?

Click blog title for entire text of Alma Chapter 14

Daily Spiritual Thought: Scatter Sunshine

In a world where sorrow ever will be known,
Where are found the needy, and the sad alone,
How much joy and comfort you can all bestow,
If you scatter sunshine everywhere you go.

Scatter sunshine all along the way,
Cheer and bless and brighten, every passing day.

Click on title to see or listen to the entire song.