"A Soft Answer Turneth Away Wrath"

“A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger”

-Proverbs 15:1

Normally, I try to pick Ponderize scriptures that stand out to me from my personal scripture study, but this one was quoted in an article that was shared on one of the Facebook groups I'm in; the article is entitled "Is Not Yelling Even A Thing?" I started reading the article because I've noticed a feeling of dissonance in our home, a lack of peace, and I've felt like I've been yelling a lot more lately than I wanted. 

When I came across this scripture, I didn't even finish reading the article. It shook me to my core. How often do I react to my daughters in a state of frustration, anger and yelling? How often do I react angrily towards Mario? It never ends well.  When I act on whatever caused my indignation in anger, there's a ripple effect of anger and frustration from whomever I've directed it at/ In contrast, when I am able to respond calmly, anger seems to face away. Which is why I chose the image I chose for my picture quote: the ripples protrude from the center, but as it the water begins to calm, the flower becomes more visible. Should I choose to agitate the water, the flower would disappear. 

That symbolism--the beauty of life, and the ease of it hiding from realization in anger--was a very poignant reminder to me, that I need to focus on my ability to calm and collect my thoughts before reacting.

"Unto him that receiveth I will give more"

After the last Ponderize scripture, and my realization of the things I'm learning "line upon line," I thought it apt to ponderize 2 Nephi 28:30. This tine, however, the phrase "unto him that receiveth I will give more" stood out to me.

We're always learning; whether it be formal or informal, secular or spiritual, we are always gaining knowledge and understanding. As long as we receive and utilize the knowledge we have received, this scripture promises that we will be given more. As we strive to "learn wisdom in our youth" we will be given more wisdom as we listen to and act upon what we have already received. (And I am willing to venture that we could all say we are in our youth, no matter our mortal age, because this is such a small portion of eternity.) 

What a wonderful promise! A simple desire to learn, and acting upon--or actively receiving--that learning, and we can gain more.

It reminds me of a photo of the Sistine Chapel that a friend shared on Facebook recently:

"The Creation of Adam"

Depicted here is a section called "The Creation of Adam," where God is giving Adam life.I have always thought it interesting that Michelangelo chose to portray this moment in history this way: God stretches as far as possible to reach Adam, but Adam won't quite reach back. All Adam has to do is straighten his arm, or just sit up a little bit, but he remains reclined. To me it's always been a reminder that we as mortals miss out on so much knowledge, wisdom, understanding and support because we simply don't reach out for it. 

But according to 2 Nephi 28:30, we not only miss out on light and understanding we COULD have received, if we "shall say, we have enough," we will have that light and knowledge we have already received, taken from us. 

And, while not a spiritual example, I definitely have seen this loss of knowledge in my life as I have stopped taking and using the skills and knowledge from my math classes, I just can't remember most of it anymore! While forgetting math is frustrating sometimes, it is so much more important to continue the study and review and share knowledge and testimony we have gained through our time on this life!! Missing math may affect my life now, but these truths will affect me for eternity! I want to be able to stand before the Judgement Bar, and not just watch my life and know of what I once knew, I want to be able stand before Him and say, "I know thou art my God! I have lived my life to its fullest, and I have followed and retained the truth I have received." 

I think that someday, if we continue through this life, always using that perfect, infinite gift of the Atonement, we each will have that opportunity. For I know we have a loving, merciful God--our Father--who loves us and has provided a way for us to improved and return to His presence through the sacrifice of His Son, our Savior. I know that as we strive to come unto Him, His hands truly are outstretched to us, and we may be lifted from wherever we may stand. I know that this truth was once on the earth, but was lost to the wickedness of men; but I also know that it was Restored by the power of God, through the question of a 14-year-old boy Joseph, until it was fully Restored to this earth. I know that Christ walked this earth, having been born of Mary, and I know that He will one day walk this earth again; this time as a Resurrected Being, in His full glory. I know that part of the Restored Gospel included modern revelation, both to Prophets and Apostles on a global scale, but also the ability for each of us as an individual to gain revelation, directly from God, for our personal enrichment. 

If you are struggling with truths you once knew, bow down before God. Pour out your thought and concerns to Him, and He will guide you. Let Him take those hurting, broken pieces of your heart and bind them together to make you stronger. Let Him love you; and most importantly, let yourself be loved--for that is damnation: stopping your progress towards and ability to be loved by your Savior and Father in Heaven.

Past Ponderize

I realized I stopped sharing my ponderize scriptures, so here's at least a collection of the ones I've used/made up to now.

Don't Give Up

Having battled postpartum depression with Big Sister, this has been such an important thing for me. I have been trying to be proactive to prevent ppd with Baby Sister, and I think I'm doing ok right now, but this is my motto for the foreseeable future. 

I also wanted to share this for anyone who is silently suffering. Whether it be any invisible physical, emotional or spiritual pain and/or illness, know that you are loved. DON'T GIVE UP! There are those that look up to you, that love you, that need you in their lives. 

And one thing that I've learnt for myself: there is always someone who knows with excruciating detail and perfect understanding EXACTLY how you feel. Your Savior, and mine, has felt EVERYTHING that you feel or have ever felt, thought or done. 

When I was at my worst, and I felt like there was no one to turn to, no one who would understand my anguish, I read a scripture relating to the Atonement, and finally just opened up my heart to my Savior. I cried. I prayed. I cried some more. But eventually, once I had let go of everything I had worried about, I was able to feel His loving embrace. 

Now, this didn't mean that I was all better. I still ended up needing medical intervention. Just because I had a major spiritual moment didn't mean that I was "all better." But it did allow me to move in the right direction. 

Get the help you need, but if all else fails, at least follow this counsel:

"Don't you give up. Don't you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead. It will all be alright in the end. Trust God, and believe in good thing to come"

-Jeffrey R Holland

Even if all you can do is believe and hope, just keep taking one more step. 

Please know that I love you; those around you, love you; and, most importantly, your Savior and your Father in Heaven love you.  

In Every Thing Give Thanks

We couldn't possibly start this week without ponderize get a gratitude scripture. 

It's so true that we need to be grateful throughout every day, week and hour. There is always something that our Farther in Heaven and Savior has blessed us with, and it is Their desire that we show thanks for these things.  

Ponderize

Each week I have tried to follow the advice given by Elder Durant, to find a scripture to focus on for the week, and I just wanted to reflect on the last few weeks.

t has been something especially important to me because I wrote down that I needed to "find a 'friend scripture' each week" during the opening song of the first session of Conference. You can probably imagine my surprise when Elder Durant described how he and his wife "ponderize" scriptures, if a very sinilar ways as I was thinking of "friend scriptures."

All of the scriptures were chosen because they stood out to me either during personal or family scripture study, and I t's kind of funny that several of them have just sort of led into the next one. Learning of the Prince of darkness, and our ability to overcome (John 14:30, JST) led to a desire to be corrected in weakness (Jeremiah 10:24); which led to the importance of being spiritually-minded (2 Nephi 9:39); and finally, organizing to be more able to be spiritually-minded (D&C 88:119). I've never seen the "line upon line" aspect of moving closer to my Father in Heaven than in and through this last several weeks of ponderizing scriptures, and reflecting on the way they link together. 

I truly do feel like I am moving closer to the direction and purpose He has for me, and I feel like I am blessed, but I'm also better able to bless those around me (and especially my family) as I move closer to the place and person my God wants me to be. 

Organize Yourself

I totally forgot to create my #ponderize memento on Monday, but D&C 88:119 has been on my mind all week. 

Ever since we began the process to move to Florida, we have been decluttering and dejunking our belongings. Sure there are things that we maybe would have liked to keep, and I feel like a box I thought we kept is missing, but we have been cleaning out our belongings. 

Then, when we got here, oh my! It was chaos! Boxes everywhere! It was overwhelming to even unpack one box for a while, but as we've started to get the house clean and orderly, there has been such a sense of peace in our home. As we have been able to organize our temporal goods, it seems like our spiritual life has fallen into place. 

There is a tangible difference in the feeling of our home when we are able to keep the house organized. I feel like it's easier to do the other this listed--like pray, fast, be faithful, and just have our minds focused and centered on our Heavenly Father and Savior--when we have a clean and orderly house. 

Remember to be spiritually minded

"O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one.

***Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal.***"

-2 Nephi 2:39

I have always liked the emphasized portion of this verse, and have remembered "spiritually-minded is life eternal" by the acronym "SMILE" (I feel like most young women have received a handout with that from an instructor at some point in their lives...) but this time the whole verse stood out to me. 

This verse reminded me of our Savior's suffering on Gethsemene. "Remember the awfulness of transgressing against that Holy God." How awful I feel when I accidentally make mistakes, but how much worse I feel after I realize I willfully chose to do something to add to that pain and suffering. How awful!

It just reminds me of an experience today: I lost my temper at my 2yo. I overreacted to her being perfectly 2, and by so doing, my Savior not only suffered to Atone for my mistake and anger, but He also suffered through the pain and heartache felt by my daughter. By losing my temper (and in some small way, "yielding to the enticings of the cunning one") my Savior was pained twice in the same instant. 

To me, being spiritually-minded means always remembering that gift of life, given of death, suffering and love. If I had been more spiritually-minded, I would have been more patient, slower to anger and react to my daughter; and I would have avoided hurting 2 people. 

While we seem to have made amends, it gave me a a glimpse of the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of the cunning one. 

Correct Me

"O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing." -Jeremiah 10:24

This week, Mario really felt like it was important to remember that we will need correction in this life, from a loving God, not in His judgement, for we are so imperfect that we could be completely destroyed if He wanted to. 

What I took from this message is that we have such a loving Father in Heaven, that even though He could bring us to nothing, and, because we are imperfect and need frequent corrections, there are times that He would be perfectly justified in exacting that judgement; instead, He loves us so much that we are corrected, instead of destroyed.

                   

The Prince of Darkness

"Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of darkness, who is of this world, cometh, but hath no power over me, but he hath power over you." 

-John 14:30 (JST).

How fitting it is that the Lord would remind us, through His Disciples, that He could not be touched by the "prince of darkness," or the adversary, but that we could. As we each are imperfect, we allow Satan into our lives. Each wrong choice allows him a little more access to our spirit, until we could, ultimately, be completely under his control. Conversely, every time we are able to exercise self-control, to resist his temptations, we are more able to resist in the future. 

I believe that is how Jesus Christ was able to get to the point where He could not be touched by Satan. Day by day, He chose correct principles; He fasted, prayed and studied as a boy; He always chose to be perfectly obedient, until that day, near His death, He had built such a firm knowledge of and shield from His Father, that He left no gaps for Satan to sneak in. 

So too can we get to that point, day-by-day, making correct choices, repenting from our mistakes and shortcomings through our Lord and Savior, until someday, we too can be completely unaffected by the temptations and fiery darts of the adversary. 

Can you imagine why it sometimes seems harder when we think we're doing the right thing? If we get stronger each time we withstand Satan, can you imagine how much more he would want to fight for us to be miserable like unto him? 

I'm not really sure who I'm talking to (quite possibly just my future self), but please remember, that when things seem to get harder, it might just be because we're on the right path, and the devil doesn't want to lose what ground he has gained in controlling us. 

Keep moving forwards. Strive to become the best you can be, and constantly rely on the Savior. There is no way we can make it alone, but He has provided a way that we can completely escape the bands of the adversary, and our Savior, Jesus Christ, WANTS us to let Him help us escape. 

Again, to whomever this message is intended for, know that I love you, your Savior loves you, and your hardships may just be proof that you are headed in the right direction. 

"Peace I Give Unto You"

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you..." -John 14:27

Today I had a hard time focusing on General Conference since our toddler decided she needed more active attention, but we were able to get her to sit down and watch most of President Monson's talk. I regret that I didn't catch much of his message, as I had a hard time not trying to reach out to him and help him stand through the tv. 

While I'm sure he had the support from the other side of the veil, it got me thinking. In the past 3-6 months, we have seen the passing of 3 sweet, loving and religious men, and I would not be surprised if President Monson joins them, and his dear wife, soon. 

I don't want to come across as casual or taking light of his divine calling. I am grateful for his service. I know he has been called of God to lead the church during this time, and he will continue to fulfill this calling and responsibility until his mortal frame fails him. But I also know that he cannot live forever. 

It is sometimes hard to think of those we love, who we know have loved us in return, passing through this journey of life, onto the next journey. With this realization, that we may only have a limited time left to enjoy the presence of President  Monson on this earth, I realized that I was never sad about the passings of Preisdent Packer and Elders Perry and Scott because of the peace of the Spirit, the knowledge that they moved on to continue living on the other side of the veil. I will miss them, and the sweet spirit they always brought to their talks and efforts, I am excited they are no longer limited by their frail, mortal frames. I truly have felt that peace promised by the Lord in John 14:27, and I wanted to share that peace with others. 

I love our Prophet, and the 14 other men who serve with him as prophets, seers and revelators. I'm excited for the future messages from Elders Rasband, Stevenson and Renlund, and I enjoyed what I caught from their messages today. And, when the time comes, I am ready to love and sustain President Nelson (or whomever the Lord will call, President Nelson being the current successor) as the Prophet. Until then, I will continue to love, support, sustain and pray for President Thomas S. Monson. 

Sacrament Meeting Talk 2/9/2014

Hello Brothers and Sisters! My name is Michaela, and this is my husband Mario and my daughter Little Miss. We moved into the ward two weeks ago, and we live in the Watts’ basement.

I grew up all over Utah Valley, but I consider Orem to be “home.” Mario grew up in Japan, but his family is now in Kaysville. We met at the student ward at Utah State University. I just finished my Bachelor’s degree in Outdoor Education. Mario came to USU on an Opera and Piano Performance scholarship, but, in his words, he “wanted a real major” and he changed his course a little to Mathematical Physics and Computational Economics.

When we met, I thought Mario was arrogant, and he thought I was an airhead; but the Lord had other plans for us, Mario accidentally proposed (don’t worry, I was expecting it eventually, he just proposed sooner than intended), and here we are today.

I’ll be honest; I wasn’t thrilled to be asked to speak this week. I get super nervous up here, especially in a new ward. There have been MANY other things I would have preferred spending my week doing, but I do want to thank the bishopric for the opportunity to study this topic, and be edified thereby.

I have been asked to speak on Proverbs 3:5 and 6—
“Trust in the Lord with all thy heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”

My first thought when preparing a talk is always “what does this mean?” Elder Richard G Scott has said, “To trust means to obey willingly without knowing the end from the beginning. To produce fruit, your trust must be more powerful than your confidence in your own personal feelings and experience.” [October 1995]

For Mario and me, this has taken on a new meaning as we’ve been in the process of moving. We knew we were supposed to move in May after our contract ended, but were directed to start looking for housing sooner. As we looked, we came across Jordan’s post on campus. It was a great opportunity for an apartment that better fit our needs, and we both felt very strongly that we should take this opportunity, even though it would mean being responsible for selling our contract—a task that didn’t seem feasible. Fortunately, we followed the promptings we had received, and the Lord was able to take care of us. We have sold our contract, and we have felt very welcome in this ward. Each time we followed the counsel of the Holy Ghost, we were blessed, and we were able to accomplish so much more in this last 2 weeks than we thought possible.

I know that our Heavenly Father and Savior are able to see the eternal perspective, and we have such a limited perspective. When we truly “trust in the Lord, and lean not to our own understanding,” he will bless us and “direct our paths.” However, there is a caveat in verse 6: “in all thy ways acknowledge Him.” The footnote for “acknowledge” says “humility,” and we must remember that humility means more than simply recognizing the Lord’s hand in our lives through gratitude, it also means recognizing His will when we do not receive the answer we want.

Although our Savior truly desired to have the cup of the Atonement pass from Him, He truly accepted the Father’s will and plead, “Let Thy will be done.” We have been taught to follow His example and conclude our most heart-felt prayers with “let Thy will be done,” a phrase that will not change our Father’s will, but it will change our reactions to His decisions when truly expressed. [E. Scott, October 1995]

I have several friends and family members close to me who have been struggling with infertility, and each has offered some of their most sincere prayers on the matter. One friend related a story of how she and her husband have struggled to accept our Father’s will. She recently received a blessing where she was told she would “receive the desire of her heart,” but she also received the distinct impression that it would not be granted yet. As she has tried to consider what she can learn from the experience, and what she may need to change, she has realized that she needs and wants to remember the wonderful blessing she has been given of a loving husband, and strengthen their marriage until the time is right in the Lord’s eyes to bless her with the child she longs for.

This story is one of great strength to me. She remembered an important truth—one that I sometimes forget—even though we are promised, “ask and ye shall receive,” we will be blessed with what we NEED, not necessarily what we WANT.

Sometimes what we need is something different than what we want, and sometimes we will be blessed with what we want, but not WHEN we want it. Elder Neal A Maxwell has said, “Faith in the Lord includes faith in His timing.” [July 2002 Ensign]

According to Elder Scott, “we are like infants in our understanding of eternal matters and their impacts on us here in mortality.” [October 1995] The Savior has emphasized this truth in Isaiah
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways, saith the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts, your thoughts.”[Isaiah 55: 8-9]

Christ can see the eternal perspective; He and our Father want our eternal happiness more than we do, and They are able to see the past, present and future. They know our thoughts and our desires, and, most importantly, what we need. If we trust in Them, and pray with a sincere desire to know Their will for us, They will make Their will known, and enable us to have a more eternal perspective.

Elder David E Sorensen, a former member of the Presidency of the Seventy, recounted a story of when he was preparing for the Korean War. Rather than be drafted, he had chosen to enroll in the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. Due to the draft, most young men weren’t able to serve missions; only one young man in each ward was allowed to serve, and his bishop felt that Elder Sorensen should be the missionary from their ward. Upon discussing with his parents and praying about the decision, Elder Sorensen made the choice to serve a mission, but because he left, his draft notice was delivered about a month before his mission release date, and he served as an enlisted man in the military. Even though he wasn’t able to serve as an officer like he wanted, Elder Sorenson had more positive experiences than he ever dreamed possible while in the military, and he gained the knowledge that “faith and obedience are the answers to our concerns, cares and suffering. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is truly the power that can change our lives and lead us to salvation.” [April 2005]

Through each challenge, Elder Sorensen was blessed “after the trial[s] of his faith” and the blessings included increased enlightenment. Each of us are also entitled to an increase in capacity to know and understand our Father’s will as we constantly strive to acknowledge Him and accept His will. As we read our scriptures, pray and strive to become better, Elder Scott teaches that “[we] prepare [ourselves] for an eternity of glorious life with [our] loved ones who qualify for that kingdom.” [October 1995]

We must remember that sometimes challenges arise simply because our Father thinks we are ready to grow more. It is “the testing that a wise Father in Heaven determines is needed even when you are living a worthy, righteous life and are obedient to His commandments” [October 1995]

James 1: 3-4 states
“Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”

Eventually, through the testing and trials we receive through mortality, we may become perfected gods and goddesses, knowing everything, wanting nothing. I wish to always remember this truth even in the throes of adversity, but sometimes the best I can do is hope.

Hope is one thing we always have. A scripture that has always strengthened me when I begin to falter is Doctrine and Covenants 6:36
“Look to me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.”

We must always remember the Lord, our Savior. Through Him, we need never fear—He knows our suffering, our pains, our hardships. He knows our joys and sorrows. He knows what we need before we ask, and He loves us enough not to give us everything we want. But most importantly, He gave His life for us, that through Him, we may be perfected, and as we rely on His Redeeming Power, He will be enabled to bless us when we need it most.

Trust in the Lord, “for we walk by faith, not by sight.” [2 Corinthians 5:7]

I know our Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ, love us infinitely. I know that They want us to be happy and return to Them.

I know that it has been through temptations and trials that Mario and I have become closer as a couple as we have relied on the Lord through these times.

As I’ve made a conscious effort to recognize the Lord’s hand in my life, I have not only seen the blessings He’s poured down upon me and my family, I have more easily recognized His Spirit leading and directing my paths and actions, and I know we can each become more capable to recognize the promptings of the Holy Ghost as we give Him heed.

I know that this is the Restored Gospel in the Last Dispensation; this truly is the “dispensation of the fullness of times.” I know that as a young boy, Joseph Smith prayed and saw The Father and the Son.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.