Only God Can Change Stubborn People

I was looking over the notes from my homecoming talk and remembered that as I gave my talk I said, "Only God can change stubborn people", referring to how I had been changed on my mission. It was definitely inspired of the spirit because it hit me really hard. I am stubborn and just any person doesn't have any ability to change me, but God through His kindness, mercy and unbelievable patience can.

When Lehi and his family are traveling to the promised land, there is a time when Lamen and Lemuel are very feisty and decide that they no longer want Nephi to be their leader. They bind him with cords and take control of the ship. Lehi and Sariah (the parents), Nephi's wife and children, and many others try to persuade Lamen and Lemuel to release Nephi with no success. Finally, storms come resulting in heavy winds and waves described as being "a great and terrible tempest" that pushed them back in their journey. These storms last for 4 days when they became so bad that they "were about to be swallowed up in the depths of the sea". After fearing that their lives were in danger, Lamen and Lemuel realized that they needed to repent and did so. Nephi was released from bondage and the storms ceased.

The scripture that I love is 1 Nephi 18:20, which says;

"And there was nothing save it were the power of God, which threatened them with destruction, could soften their hearts; wherefore, when they saw that they were about to be swallowed up in the depths of the sea they repented of the things which they had done..."

I feel that the Lord has been calling me to repentance lately. I have been reminded to take time to read and apply the scriptures in my life, to pray with REAL INTENT and not use vain (worthless) repetitions, to arrive on time to church and worthily partake of the sacrament. These are a few of the ways I have been coaxed by the Lord to repent and come closer to Him. As I have been improving myself in these ways I can honestly say I have been able to feel the love of Jesus Christ more fully in my day. I have more love for those around me and I am less irritated by the annoyances of daily life. I have been able to better understand Heavenly Father's plan for me and ACCEPT it, even if it isn't what I want for myself at the time. I have seen innumerable blessings and I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father that compels me to humble myself so He can bless me in the ways He desires. I can imagine Him saying, "Please just do these things so I can bless you as I want to and as you deserve". I know Heavenly Father lives and loves each of us! I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and He is striving to bring us closer to Him everyday. He wants us to be happy and enjoy life by making choices that will allow the spirit to be with and lead us to the person we want to become.

The Power of God

After going to the Crandall Museum, I realized that the founding fathers of the United States experienced similar trials as the Saints in the Book of Mormon. One of the gentlemen guiding the tour talked about the Revolutionary War and how the small colonial army was able to defeat the great British army. I couldn't help myself from comparing it to the various times when the Nephites were able to defeat the Lamanites in battle despite their smaller numbers. When this happens, the Book of Mormon never fails to mention that they were victorious because they fought "with the power of God and not of men".
I believe that this same principle correlates with the Revolutionary War. I believe that the first leaders of this nation were men of God. They went forward with a strength beyond their own for many reasons, one being because God designed to provide a country with religious freedom so He could again restore the truth to the Earth. I am grateful to the men that gave their lives for our freedom today. I don't appreciate enough all that was sacrificed so I can worship as I please. I am grateful for the true gospel of Jesus Christ and that I am blessed to be guided by God daily!

Food Storage

How important is food storage?
As a single student, I don't go out of my way to create an extra supply of food. It just doesn't seem practical to me at this time in my life. As I read about Christ's visit to the America's, my opinion was slightly altered. The time was one of wickedness, corruption, stealing, lying, murdering, fornications, and all kinds of serious evils. There were two opposing groups, the righteous and the Gadianton Robbers (wicked). The righteous had been led by God in all things. They were not perfect or prevented from experiencing tragedy or sorrow, but they put their trust in the Lord and He helped them through their trials. The Gadianton Robbers lived in the wilderness and were a vile and rude people.
As the time of Christ's visitation drew nearer, there was a shortage of food. 3 Nephi 4:4 says that the righteous had "provisions"" that they had "reserved for themselves". The only source of food for the Gadianton Robbers was from the storage of the righteous. The scriptures say that these Robbers would fight against the righteous to obtain food.
I look to this story as a shadow of things to come. We need to be prepared for famines and times of food shortage because those that don't have any food will do whatever it takes to stay alive.
How important is food storage?

It's all in our ATTITUDE!

I began reading the Book of Mormon again at the beginning of the year. This time I decided to read through it quickly and I learned an interesting thing. The first books, first and second Nephi, talk about the journey that Lehi took with his family in the wilderness and across the ocean to the promised land. During that time, Lehi, who is a prophet, received revelation from God as to where he should go and what he should do. His family responded in different ways and it is interesting how their attitude and their response related to the experience they had while traveling.
Lehi's four oldest sons are named, in order from oldest to youngest; Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi. Whenever Lehi asks his sons to do something, Laman and Lemuel will murmur, complain, have a negative attitude, hesitate to do it, and gain nothing from the experience. On the other hand, Nephi responds with no hesitation to follow what his father has asked. He knows that his father is a prophet of God and that when he speaks, it is necessary to obey. In obeying, he knows God will help him accomplish the required task and he will be blessed.
In the course of their travels it is obvious that Laman and Lemuel do not learn or grow in the way that Nephi does. I believe a big part of it is attributed to the fact that Nephi was always willing to follow God's commands and allowed God to shape him into the person he became by being optimistically obedient.
While going through hardships in life, I have found that there is great power in a positive attitude. It shows that we are aware of God and His ability to help us and while experiencing such trials, we are better able to learn from them. Laman and Lemuel show a great example of our natural response, sometimes we don't want to go through the experiences in front of us. It is human for us to complain. I have come to notice that as much as we want to complain, it doesn't change the fact that the situation is still before us. We still need to get over it so why not have a positive attitude and try to learn something valuable. It is up to us to create our destiny and I believe we can become amazing people as we seek to be optimistic throughout our days!