Do in Faith

This week, I had a rather intense discussion with my friend Dylan about the Word of Wisdom and how he felt it is likely instituted because we as humans are weak and imperfect and incapable of a higher law, such as a more "moderation in all things" approach without any real specific guidelines. In response to this, when studying with Dallin, we found Romans 14:14, which reads:

"I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean."

This suggests to me that none of God's creations are inherently bad and "unclean." In moderation, most things are good for you. However, everyone's bodies are different. Everyone has different physical needs, and because of this, certain people shouldn't consume certain things. In application to Dylan's feelings on the subject, this verse and the rest of the chapter seem to say that we ought to know for ourselves what is good for us personally, but also as verse 21 says, "It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak." We ought to be respectful of others and their life choices, and they to ours. Everyone is different, and that's okay. We don't all have to worship and edify the Lord through our bodies in the same way. Our personal relationship with the Lord is what really matters.

The Soul of Man

While working on my essay option this week, I came across a very interesting scripture, D&C 88:15, which reads,

"And the spirit and the body are the soul of man."

This is really interesting to me because it necessitates that for our souls to remain healthy and strong, both our bodies and our spirits must be in balance. Fragmentation of the soul, focusing on only one aspect of it, is detrimental to our well-being because we need both parts to become celestial. In light of this doctrine, it then makes sense that the commandments of God, which are designed to exalt us, should have both a physical and spiritual aspect to them that are inseparable from each other. By keeping this perspective on the commandments, it is much easier to understand them and understand why they have been instituted, which then gives us greater motivation to obey.

All Quiet

This week I came across 2 Nephi 24:4-11 which reads:

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say: How hath the oppressor ceased, the golden city ceased! The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, the scepters of the rulers. He who smoke the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindered. The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet; they break forth into singing."

I like this a lot, as it applies to our lives in multiple ways. I know lots of people feel unheard, unloved, oppressed by their situations and circumstances. This feeling is extremely scary and disheartening, and may even cause some to fear for their safety. These verses, I feel, can help us take a moment and remember that though hope may sleep, it will never die, for the Lord has promised us peace in the second coming. 

While that larger perspective is true, so too is a narrower one. Sometimes we may feel very stressed out by daily occurrences. We may feel beaten down and trapped by the craziness of life quite often actually. However, we learn in these verses that the Lord will cause our oppressors to cease and we will have peace. I feel that this equally applies to stress, and if we keep that in mind and ask the Lord for help, we will be able to feel peace.

Let There Be Light

My mother recommended a really good scripture this week, D&C 50:24, "That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in a God, receiveth more light; and that light growth brighter and brighter until the perfect day."

I really enjoyed this scripture as it is not only applicable to spiritual light. The same works for temporal things. If we continue diligently in whatever we are studying, using whatever knowledge we already have, the Lord will give us increase. Knowledge and intelligence is godly, and temporal knowledge is part of that, though I feel that sometimes we forget that. He will help us with our desires to know, just as He helped Joseph Smith.

Light is everywhere, and it is always possible for us to gain more. We can never fully understand anything as mortals, and I actually consider this a blessing. There is always something new to learn and always something for the Lord to reveal to us. We are curious and driven to learn by nature, we are created to find light, and I think that's amazing.

The Lord Will Give

This week, my boyfriend showed me his very favorite passage of scripture: 2 Nephi 4:16-35. The entirety of the section is great, but I was most inspired by verse 35.

"Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask, not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen."

I love this passage because it is so joyful and filled with the Spirit and testimony. Nephi is glorifying God, and he gives a great truth as he does so. The Lord will gladly pour out blessings upon us if we just ask in righteousness. They may not be exactly what we think we need, but they will be what we need nevertheless. If we cry unto the Lord as Nephi does, we too can feel His love and desire for us to be happy. We can better be open to His blessings, and He will be our rock, our safe place; the thing that keeps us going, especially when everything feels like it's going wrong.

He Denieth None

During my reading this week, I came across several verses in 2 Nephi 26 that I really enjoyed because they talk so much about the nature of God and His love for us. I particularly like verse 24:

"He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation."

This verse speaks to me because it is so all-encompassing. The Lord loves all his children, every single one. It doesn't matter who they are or what their background is, or what they've done, He loves them. He loves me. He wants all of us to come unto Him and keep His commandments so we can be happy and safe. I know many people who often feel super lost and alone, like there's no way that God could ever love someone like them. I have a friend who deals with homosexuality and he's had to deal with so much internal turmoil because of that and his faith. For people like my friend, and any others dealing with trials and anxiety of their own, I feel like this principle is so important, that "he inviteth all to come unto him and partake of his goodness;"(33) He wants to help us at every stage of our lives, no matter how many mistakes we have made. He is our Father and He loves us perfectly and absolutely.

My Kindness Shall Not Depart From Thee

I was having a bit of a rough time this week with stress of getting everything done, and was not feeling very well at all. Me, being my overly dramatic and stressed self, I cried and whined a lot to my boyfriend, and in order to help me feel better, he read Romans 8:15-18 to me.

 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

I love these verses because they remind me of all the blessings in store for me, and they help me keep things in perspective. Certainly, life is full of stress and sorrow, and sometimes all you can do is cry, but the magnitude of our joy and happiness in the eternities completely overshadows and eclipses any negativity we will ever feel combined. If you take a minute and think of just flexibility, love, and trust, we can remember all that the Lord has in store for us and be happy.