Perceived Wrongs

In class this past week, we discussed the Lamanites and how they felt anger at the Nephites because of a "perceived wrong" that Laman and Lemuel felt 400 years ago by the Nephites. This "perceived wrong" lead the descendants to first feel wroth and that festered to become hate for the Nephites. This issue is applicable for us today.

Often, we can misinterpret an action made by another and become offended. Sometimes the action is so little, but it still created a rift in your feelings towards the other person. The other person might not even know that they did anything wrong and therefore don't feel a need to apologize. The "wronged" person, if they don't decide to discuss their grievances or let it go, can build up to wroth and then hate. This hate can be spread to others by gossip and creates an even bigger problem. Soon, the "perceived wrong" can turn into something terrible and hard to fix. If the "wronged" person had chosen to fix the issue in the beginning, then the relationship could be repaired and no harm could be done. This reminds me also of Luke 17:1-4 in which Christ teaches to not take offense, it says:

 “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. 3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you,[a] rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you,[b]saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”

This message is important. It is better to first not take offense, but even if we do - we must always forgive. When ever I have bad feelings against another, I try to instantly say to myself "not forgiving someone is like taking a vial of poison and expecting the other person to die". It is not worth it to hold a grudge because it will do more damage to yourself than it does for the other person. It is important to remember that not only is it good for yourself to forgive, but also you have been commanded to do so by Jesus Christ. An example of how not forgiving can be damaging is the Lamanites, who because of their harbored feelings that they were not able to get over, they ended up creating so much bloodshed and heart ache. If they had simply chosen to forgive, they could have been happier and avoided all of the damage they did to themselves. 

The "perceived wrong" idea also reminds me of positive psychology, in which you think about the positive first in every situation. This can be explained in the idea that if someone replies to you text saying "K.", and you probably have had this happen before, instead of immediately thinking "they hate me" or "they don't care about this conversation" or many other things, the first thing you can think of is "they are in a hurry" or "they will probably reply more when they have more time". Even if the first two ideas are true, it doesn't matter. Just the fact that you are choosing to think positively will make a huge difference in your life. If you just immediately went with the first thought of them "hating you", you would create a "perceived wrong" and harbor unnecessary feelings of negativity. This is not the way to go, and is something that could easily be avoided. 

Basically, it is important to always get the whole story and even if you can't, there is no harm in choosing the brighter side. It is always better to avoid those "perceived wrongs", even if someone does actually wrong you, it is always better to forgive even if they do not apologize. Removing that negativity is so freeing and I know from personal experience. 

Thanks for reading! 

Comparing Yourself to Others

In class this week, we finished covering 2 Nephi and transitioned over to Jacob. In Jacob 2, we discussed riches of the world and how they affect our lives. In Jacob 2:18-19 it says:

"But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.

And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted."

These verses have a deeper meaning about how we should always put the kingdom of God before worldly possessions. In the second verse, it teaches to use your riches to do good and to help the poor and afflicted. 

Along with these two verses, Brother Griffin told a fake story about a man who was told he could fill his suitcase with whatever he desired when he died and that is what he could bring to heaven. This man, thinking he was wise, decided to melt down all of his gold so it fit perfectly in the suitcase. When he died, he brought his suitcase into heaven and when St Peter saw the contents of the suitcase, he turned to another angel and said "hey look! he brought pavement". This silly story is a reminder that the things we may find to be precious here on earth, the worldly possessions, will not be in heaven. Instead of focusing on money and having the nicest clothes, car, Instagram feed, we should focus on helping each other.

We often get caught in the trap of comparing ourselves to others and one way we do that is by measuring our outward appearance our possessions to others. God doesn't care if we have the coolest Instagram feed, or wear the most expensive clothes, he cares about how we take what we have and turn it to good. Just like my past post about service, God cares about how we choose to serve others and if we have money that can help us do that, great. But we don't need money to serve others either and the enrichment you receive from service is worth far more than gold in the afterlife. 

Thanks so much for reading!

xoxo

caroline

Service

Growing up, my parents were great examples to me. They were always willing to help others in their time of need and I was always so proud of them when I saw the way they would serve others in big and little ways.

When I was a kid, I always remembered that my mother would always be willing to help others in anyway possible. My mother always wanted to instill in my brain, the importance of service. We were never allowed to go to someone's house and sit around while others cleaned or prepared a meal. She always told us that we must always insist on giving a helping hand. We never could leave a party without helping clean up. Just like my mother, my father has has shown the importance of helping others. He would serve people in our ward, or just help some random person he saw on the street. One example was him picking up a homeless woman on the side of the street, who was asking for a ride to the other side of town. He bought her lunch and then drove her where she needed to be. When I heard this, I was really proud of what my father had done and only found out through someone else because he didn't think it was really notable to tell anyways.

These small acts were something that turned into something much bigger in my family. My siblings are all service-minded people, and it is something that has been really inspiring to me. Why I have thought of service is because I have been thinking about my calling in my ward. I have been called to serve in Nursery, and man it is tough! I really struggle with the fact that we don't get to have a Sunday School lesson and instead talk to kids all day (some who can't even talk back). When I get discouraged, I have to remind myself of the importance service that I am partaking in with the special calling of taking care of God's children. When I think about the impression I am making on their church experience, the purpose of my calling becomes even more important to me. The service is 100x more rewarding. When I was thinking about service, this scripture came to mind:

 "And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."
 - Mosiah 2:17. 

The reminder of service is something I find really important in my life. I try to be better at serving others, and sometimes there isn't always an opportunity. But I know that there are small simple ways to serve others, and working hard in your calling is one of them. 

Thanks for reading!

xoxo

caroline

2 Nephi 32:3

While studying the scriptures as a kid, scripture mastery was something that was very important. We had to memorize the verse numbers and what they meant so that we could keep them in our heart. I have can admit that I have forgotten the scripture mastery almost completely, but there are still times when I read a scripture and instantly remember that it was a scripture mastery verse and I can instantly tell why it would be one. The verse that stuck out to me in recent study was

"Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do."

This scripture reminds me of the importance of listening to the Holy Ghost and the power of revelation. It is easy in life to completely forget the Holy Ghost and how it is important tool for us to use to stay on the right path. I often find myself busy and therefore I ignore what I need to be doing. This something I struggle with and as I have been taking this class, I have been working harder to fix this issue. 

I know that there have been times where I have listened to the spirit and feasted on the words of Christ and it has been very beneficial to me and my growth. Those moments are something I cherish and hope to experience more and more through out my life!

Thanks for reading!

xoxo 

caroline 

When Life Gets You Down

In class, we discussed Jacob in 2 Nephi 2: 1-2 . These verses of this chapter really stuck out to me because I felt that they are empowering when life is hard. The verses read: 

"And now, Jacob, I speak unto you: Thou art my firstborn in the days of my tribulation in the wilderness. And behold, in thy childhood thou hast suffered afflictions and much sorrow, because of the rudeness of thy brethren.

Nevertheless, Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain." 

In these verses, Jacob is being told how he has lived a life full of afflictions and sorrow, but despite the hardship he has endured, he still knows the greatness of God and how these hardships are for Jacob's gain. 

During my life, I have had my fair share of afflictions, like most people do. One of my biggest hardships was when my mother and brother passed away a few years ago. This moment in my life was one of the hardest times and was when I felt close to the riverbank (refer to my past blog post here). I was no longer holding on to the rod because of the confusion that something so terrible could have happened to me. This moment was when I was filled with darkness and had lost hope. I didn't make any choices that made me let go of the rod, but instead I had started to lose faith. It wasn't until a lady in my ward, who had recently lost someone, testified of the church and the eternal family that I realized how blind I was being. This testimony opened my eyes and allowed me to soak in knowledge and faith from others.

The promise of an Eternal family became a light that guided me out of the river and back to the rod. When I finally was separated enough from the hardship that I had faced, I realized the greatness of God and knew he had taken my afflictions and turned them into strength and a stronger testimony in the Gospel. Just like Jacob, I suffered through my afflictions but come out of them stronger and allowed God to consecrate them for my again. I am eternally grateful for this gospel and for the testimonies that help us gain a stronger testimony. I know that this church is true and I know that the trials that I have been given have helped me gain a stronger testimony and grow closer to God. I am so happy that during that time of darkness, I found the light and chose to be like Jacob. 

Thank you for reading! 

xoxo

Caroline

Choosing to Ponder

Hello!

In our last class, we recently talked about how to properly accept guidance and revelation. Something that really stuck out was the idea of not waiting to be "acted upon" by the spirit and instead searching for the spirit. The example that was brought up was 1 Nephi 11:1 compared to 1 Nephi 15: 1-2, and 7-9. These two verses show the difference between the reaction that Nephi had to Lehi's vision and the reaction that Laman and Lemuel had. In 1 Nephi 11:1 it states:

"For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain, which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot."

In this verse, you can see how Nephi takes what Lehi says and decides to search for answers on his own by pondering them in his heart. When he does this, he is taken away by the spirit and experience revelation. This is an excellent example of how you can have a relationship with the gospel when you choose to actively study it. When this verse is compared to 1 Nephi 15: 1-2 and 7-9, you can see how Laman and Lemuel had a completely different reaction. In the verses it says: 

"And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had been carried away in the Spirit, and seen all these things, I returned to the tent of my father.

And it came to pass that I beheld my brethren, and they were disputing one with another concerning the things which my father had spoken unto them.

and in verse 7-9:

"And they said: Behold, we cannot understand the words which our father hath spoken concerning the natural branches of the olive tree, and also concerning the Gentiles.

And I said unto them: Have ye inquired of the Lord?

And they said unto me: We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us."

In these few verses, instead of actually searching for revelation they chose to wait and be acted upon by the spirit.  They chose to be confused and not ask questions concerning the gospel and were not guided by the spirit. When I look at the difference between Nephi and Laman and Lemuel, I remember how there was a time in my life where I didn't choose to actively ponder the spirit. I wouldn't pay attention in Sunday School and Seminary, and believed that just attending was enough to help me grow closer to God. This is not the case. It wasn't until I started attending Institute at UVU, that I really decided to actively learn from the teachings of the Gospel. 

This action of me choosing to look for answers and to try and understand the gospel and follow the teachings, was as if I was in the river by the Iron Rod and I finally gained the strength to pull myself out and grab ahold of the Rod. 

I have definitely had times in my life where I have fallen off the straight path, but the moments where I decided to turn back and hold back onto the Rod helped build my testimony of the Gospel. I am so grateful that the Lord placed the river of doubt next to the Rod so that when I fall, which hopefully will not happen again, I can climb back out and find the Rod again. 

Thanks for reading!

Caroline 

True Words

Hello!

   Today in class, and a little bit on the first day, Brother Griffin discussed the miracle of the translation of the Book of Mormon, and particularly about Joseph Smith. I think that is a good place to start in my blog.
   The method in which the Prophet Joseph Smith translated the Gold Plates into the Book of Mormon is something that people really struggle with and is often something that undergoes a good amount of ridicule. Today, Brother Griffin talked about the translation of the Book of Mormon, but discussed it in a way that I had never thought about before. Brother Griffin decided to focus on Joseph Smith and how he was truly led by God when he translated the book. Brother Griffin brought up 2 Nephi 27:19 - which says:

"Wherefore it shall come to pass, that the Lord God will deliver again the book and the words thereof to him that is not learned; and the man that is not learned shall say: I am not learned."

With this verse, Brother Griffin pointed out that this verse was foreshadowing Joseph's future translation of the Gold Plates. Something very interesting that Brother Griffin pointed out was that in the verse, is that the verse is discussing how Joseph Smith wasn't a learned man. Brother Griffin continued discussing this idea and brought in Joseph Smith's journal (learn information about it here and here - which was written after the translation of the Book of Mormon - and Brother Griffin used this as evidence of how Joseph was not very "learned". When you look at a journal entry  by Joseph Smith, particularly page 4, you can see how his writing was not very advanced. Brother Griffin brought this up to show how Joseph Smith was writing the book from revelation. This idea can be seen in the second half of the of 2 Nephi 27:20 - which says: 

"Then shall the Lord God say unto him: The learned shall not read them, for they have rejected them, and I am able to do mine own work; wherefore thou shalt read the words which I shall give unto thee."

In the second part of this verse "wherefore thou shalt read the words which I shall give unto thee.", Brother Griffin pointed out that it seems more like the Lord was saying that Joseph will not be reading the words and translating them, but instead he will be reading the words that the Lord will give him. This verse furthers the ideas of Joseph, not being "learned" and was probably instead writing everything from the revelation he was receiving from the Lord. 

   Brother Griffin built of this idea off the idea of Joseph not being learned and receiving the info for the translation directly from God, and I liked that he supported this by comparing Joseph's journal writing to 1 Nephi 1 and how the writing of 1 Nephi 1 is so much more educated and meaningful than the way that Joseph writes in his journal. 

Another thing that I took from the class that really was interesting was looking at 2 Nephi 27:20 and the apart about the "learned shall not read them". This could be seen as the scriptures saying that the educated will not believe, and I think that could be a look to it. But also I think it could be seen as people who choose science over religion. As an art history major, there are many instances where this occurs in how art has progressed. In the beginning - like Medieval art - artists would create very religious works of art. This continued up until the Renaissance, but the shifted in the Baroque period. In the Baroque period there would be religious artworks but they would also have ones that they almost completely removed religion (besides some symbols in the images), but It wasn't until the Enlightenment period, which was full of science and discovery, that they started to replace images of religion with ones that are much more based in science. When we were discussing the idea of the "learned" not reading, I immediately thought of An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump (1768) by Joseph Wright Derby. In this image, Derby has removed the hand of God and has replaced it with science. This image almost references that the scientist is the new God with the depiction of a scientist being able to control the life of the bird through the use of the air pump. Although I don't think this painting is really bad, it seemed to have a similar connection to 2 Nephi 27:20 that I found particularly interesting.

An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump (1768) by Joseph Wright Derby.

Thanks for reading!

xoxo 

Caroline