Lessons learned from friends

I am surrounded by amazing people. These are a few principles that I have been taught about by friends.

I have some friends who left the area not so long ago because they felt inspired to do so. Following that inspiration, they sadly left behind friends who loved them to follow what they felt was right. Recently I found out that they are now returning. In his status explaining his news I found this principle:

"Sometimes in order for lessons to be learned and for the Lord to teach us, we have to do things we may not at the time really understand. I look forward to our new adventure and what the Lord has in store for us."

I thought of the blog I recently wrote about sacrifice and how sometimes the Lord asks us to do things to help teach us what is right and also to help align our hearts with his will. Through this we are given promised blessings.


Another wise friend of mine taught this principle in her blog,

"The noise we allow into our lives may distract us from whatever it is we're hiding from, but it will never take it away. Silence on the other hand, opens the doorway for reflection and personal revelation - both of which can provide healing."

And yet another friend shared with me this through an e-mail about James 1: 3 - 7: "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. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. "

My friend taught,

"Each of us is acting in faith and trying to follow God's will. His will may be in regards to a boy, a job, moving, or staying put. The trial of our faith requires patience. I love verse 4, the process of patience is what develops perfection...so that at the end of our work, we will want nothing. That is just beautiful. And then when we ask for answers from God, we have to not waver from the course he will lay out for us, or else our faith will be for nothing. We stay the course and keep on acting when the path takes turns here and there...and in the end we will be 'perfect and entire, wanting nothing'. "

Grateful

Once again I am so grateful that I moved to San Marcos!

I am receiving an award from the Texas Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Major of the Year!

I wouldn't have been able to reach that had I not moved to San Marcos and been able to be more available to study, and spend time at school and let the professors get to know me.

I also made the Dean's List

If you could see my transcript from my previous college experience when I was younger you would understand my excitement!

Sacrifice

Today I had a wonderful lesson in Relief Society* about sacrifice. It brought to me many thoughts that I have had previously and has caused further reflection. She, our teacher, started with the story of Naomi from the Bible which brought to my mind Ruth. Ruth and I have a special connection. She has taught me much and I try to follow her example.

Then I thought about Abraham and his sacrifices. Most often when I have thought about Abraham I have thought about the sacrifice of his son, but really his sacrifices started earlier than that. In chapter 15 of Genesis he desires to have children and the Lord gives him a promise that his seed shall be as the stars in the sky.

But he must wait years for this promise to be realized in his life. In chapter 21 is when Isaac is born and the promise of the Lord is preserved through him. In chapter 15 Abraham is 46ish, in chapter 21 he is 100 years old. The promise was not forgotten it was just fulfilled in the Lord's timing. Abraham all those years grew in faith and trust in the promises of the Lord.

And then he is asked to sacrifice his son, to let him go. He represents the promises that he has been given, he had come to understand that Isaac was the fulfillment of these promises made. Why is he asked to make him a sacrifice? For a reason I am sure he did not know or comprehend he was asked for this sacrifice and he went forth trusting in the Lord. I can't imagine the heartache he likely felt as he was thinking of the loss his son would be in his life. But with each step he took he acted in faith.

Interestingly it was not just Abraham who needed to sacrifice his will but also Isaac. Isaac, I imagine, did not understand either why his father was asked to sacrifice him, why when I am sure things were going good, his life was meant to end as a sacrifice.

Both Abraham and Isaac sacrificed their will to the Lord's will. I am sure Isaac knew of his father's ability to speak with the Lord and trusted that whatever his Father did was because the spirit was directing him to do so.

When the time was right the Lord sent and angel to stop Abraham. Both Abraham and Isaac had proved they they were willing to give of their desires and follow the Lord's will. Many great and wonderful blessings came as a result of their putting aside their own desires and following the will of God.

From this experience great lessons were learned, both of them received their desires but it was after they were willing to put the Lord first, above their desires. Lessons needed to be learned, growth needed to happen on both of their behalfs.

It is most likely that none of us will ever have to sacrifice a child or our own lives, but their will be moments in our lives when we are asked to sacrifice of our greatest desires. Where we will be required to put our faith and trust in the Lord and realize that his promised blessings will come forth in his timing. The Lord will guide us just as he guided Abraham, and he will teach us, and he will help us to grow. We will have grief, we will have joy, we will have his comfort if we seek after it. And we too will be blessed and receive great and wonderful blessings just as we have been promised.

* Relief Society is the 3rd hour meeting of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where the women meet together to be spiritually uplifted by a lesson and discussion on a gospel principle.

Healing

Remember this post I wrote a year ago Realizations.

It is amazing how powerful the spirit is in healing our hearts.

Especially when two individuals are following the spirit.

I am grateful for the Lord's plan and his understanding of our potential.

I am very blessed by all the wonderful friends who stand by me.

My Heart

Sometimes he lets it rain

She sees the storms clouds gather.
The sky is turning cold and gray.
She knows that somethings coming,
when she starts to feel this way.
She pleads for intervention,
but heaven offers no relief.
She would understand, if she could only see.

Sometimes he lets it rain.
He lets the fierce winds blow.
Sometimes it takes a storm to lead a heart where it can grow.
He can move mountains of grief and oceans of pain,
but sometimes he lets it rain.

When her heart surrenders
to the master in control,
her spirit learns the lessons of the tempests in her soul.
When its no longer ragin'
she can see how far shes come
through the wisdom and the mercy of the Son.

Sometimes he lets it rain.
He lets the fierce winds blow.
Sometimes it takes a storm to lead a heart where it can grow.
He can move mountains of grief and oceans of pain,
but sometimes he lets it rain.

He lets it rain.
There is no joy without the pain.
Sometimes he has to let it rain.
he lets it rain.
There is no joy without the pain.
rain
Sometimes he has to let it rain.
There is no joy without the pain.
oceans of
rain
he lets it rain
mountain of grief
there is not joy without the pain
sometimes he has to let it rain
let it rain
just let it rain
just let it rain
sometimes it rains
let it rain
let it rain

After All I can do

Anguished heart,
desperate soul.
My spirit fights to take control.
I am holding on, but my strength is gone
and on my knees he rescues me.

After all I can do,
His mercy claims my grief and pain.
When each test of faith is through
his grace is sure and true,
after all I can do.

Broken heart,
contrite soul.
I plead for him to make me whole.
When in faith I fall and surrender all
with arms of love he lifts me up.

After all I can do,
his mercy claims my grief and pain.
When each test of faith is through
his grace is sure and true
after all I can do.

Every blessing from the father
floats to earth through living water.
Ever in his debt.
I hope that he accepts
what I can offer.

After all I can do,
his mercy claims my grief and pain.
When each test of faith is through
his grace is sure and true,
after all I can do.

The sun will come out!

I was not sure if that was going to be the case today. It has been soo cold this week, as noted by my previous post. Colder than it has been for over 20 years. Yesterday the weather said it felt like 9 degrees. NINE DEGREES??? This morning there is a blanket of snow on the ground. I opened my window blinds in my living room so I could look out on the snowy substance as I work. It is only a little snow, enough to close the school down though. As I looked out it was dark and cloudy. On the day I wanted/needed the sun to come out I did not think I would get to see it.

Then a miracle occurred, a small and simple miracle, as it always seems to happen.

There was a bright light out my window and when I went to look the clouds were cleared and the sun was shining down on this white earth. The sun that means a new day has come and brings with it the hope of tomorrow.

Seriously

Did someone forget we are in Texas?

First Warning Weather: "we are getting reports of snow in Georgetown via Facebook and Tweets!" Thank goodness we have facebook and twitter to keep us up to date on our weather as opposed to, I don't know, the weather channel.