Standing with Confidence

Today in Sunday School, my teacher asked, "how many of you could stand with true confidence before God?"
We all just sorta sat there, none of us knowing how to answer. All of us were afraid to say, "ooooh!! ME!! Me, I definitely could!"
How could any of us truly feel that way?!

Well, after thinking about it for a second, you know what I think?

I think Christ is more understanding than we could ever imagine. He knows our doubts. He knows our insecurities. He understands how hard life is because He has felt everything we have. He knows pain. He knows fear.

He knows you individually. He knows of your sins. He knows of your sorrow. But most importantly, Christ knows your heart, and He loves you.

He loves you because you try. He loves you because you love Him. Actually, even if you don't try, even if you don't love Him, He loves you anyways. He loves you because you are you. He doesn't need any other reason to love you than that. You can never escape Christ's love. Ever.

How cool is that!?


So many of us feel weighed down by sin.
We feel like we aren't committed enough or we feel that we don't accept Christ enough. We feel like we don't have the Spirit enough, like we don't help enough, like we don't pray enough, or like we don't repent enough.
Or maybe you do repent enough. But maybe you still constantly feel worthless and guilty. You are constantly praying for forgiveness, and yet you aren't willing to accept it when Christ offers it to you.

I feel that sometimes. I feel and do all of these things all the time.

But I shouldn't! And you shouldn't either!

My friends, Christ loves you for you. I love the above video because the woman came to Him a sinner. She came to Him in her imperfections. She came to Him feeling guilty and unworthy. She looked at the ground when He spoke to her, and I'm sure she didn't feel confident.
But what happened? Did Christ yell at her? Denounce her in her wickedness? Did she spontaneously burst into flames? No! "Neither do I condemn thee," He said, "go and sin no more."


Don't let sin weigh you down. Christ performed the Atonement so that you could overcome sin. So let Christ's grace into your life! Utilize the Atonement and accept the love and forgiveness always available to you.
I am not saying that it is okay to sin. Living a righteous life shows Christ that you honor Him and are respectful of Him and want to draw close to Him. The less you sin, the happier you will be, and certainly the more confident you will be.

What I'm trying to say is, you will never be perfect. Don't let minor imperfections make you feel worthless and thoroughly unconfident.
Christ loves you for trying. He loves you even if you sin. So make a choice to start feeling confident and proud of your efforts.
Never stop trying to be better, but also don't spend your entire life thinking, "hopefully when I'm 80 I'll get it. I'll be perfect then." Friends, you will feel the same way at eighty as you do now. Learn to love yourself and be proud of your efforts now. 

So could I stand before the Lord in confidence? I think so. Not because I'm perfect, but because I know that He is. I would stand before Him imperfect. I would stand before Him a sinner. But I would stand before Him in love and submission.
I know that He loves me for me and He loves me because I try and I strive hard to be the person He would want me to be.

So I'll keep pressing forward. I'll keep begging for forgiveness. I'll keep trying to be better.
And I'm going to be happy with that. I'm going to choose to live with trust, with gratitude, and with confidence.

Love, Haley

give your all.

“A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation; for, from the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things. It was through this sacrifice, and this only, that God has ordained that men should enjoy eternal life”
-Joseph Smith

----------

----------

Mark 12

41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.

42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.

43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:

44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

----------

A mite was the smallest coin in use among the Jews... kinda like our penny, although today a mite would be worth much, much less than a penny...

So two mites is practically nothing.


But the widow's mites were worth everything and more.


Yes, others put in more, but they could easily afford it, and they obviously did it for show... in the above video they are putting in sacks of money coin by coin... ha.


Well unlike them, the widow probably didn't know if she was going to eat the next day.

But she put her money in anyways. All that she had to give.

And because of her sacrifice, I would be willing to bet you just about anything she didn't go hungry the next day...

----------

So how does this story apply to you and me?


Sometimes giving your all is what it takes to gain a testimony, to keep your testimony strong, to receive personal revelation, etc, etc.

It is one of those things where you can't just halfheartedly put a little effort into it - or pray to get better at some really hard piano songs and then not practice enough... (I have experience with that one... ha.)

And I want to return to my Maker knowing that I gave Him everything I had to give.

He deserves no less, and I know that I will be returned everything I give.


So much more, actually, which is something I probably won't deserve, but I'll be given it anyways because my God spoils me. :)




And remember that in your own life, there will always be someone that seems to be doing better than you. Giving more.

It may seem that others are so much better at their callings - whatever they are - than you are at yours.

But God only demands of you what you have to give. 

And trying your hardest... giving your all... is enough for him.

So that's something to keep in mind.


And whom God calls God qualifies. Remember that too.

out with the bad...

We had an especially good lesson in seminary today that inspired this post... :)

----------

So you might remember when Jesus rode back into Jerusalem and then found the temple filled with moneychangers... people selling merchandise and obviously not using the temple the way it was meant to be used.

This clearly upset the Savior... And the main reasons should be obvious. This was His Father's house.  And it was supposed to be a place of prayer and worship.

But it went deeper than that, I think.

Does this picture look familiar? It is Jesus as a boy teaching in the temple in Jerusalem.

He grew up with this temple... but the people have made it "a den of thieves."


There are a lot of reasons why this upset the Savior... and I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure this was the second time he had to cleanse the temple... you'd think they'd learn the first time.


Without further adieu...





Now... the Savior is not an easily angered person. He doesn't just get mad at people. He is loving and caring and sees everyone for what they can become.

So the fact that he was turning over tables should tell you something.


It reminds me of something that happened in our dear prophet Joseph Smith's life.

Click here to watch The Prophet of the Restoration movie... skip to 39:09 and watch until about 41:00.
(video also found in this post.)


Isn't that the coolest thing ever? That is one of my favorite parts of the Joseph Smith movie.

“On a sudden he arose to his feet, and spoke in a voice of thunder, or as the roaring lion, uttering, as near as I can recollect, the following words:

“‘SILENCE, ye fiends of the infernal pit. In the name of Jesus Christ I rebuke you, and command you to be still; I will not live another minute and hear such language. Cease such talk, or you or I die THIS INSTANT!’”

 “...Dignity and majesty have I seen but once, as it stood in chains, at midnight, in a dungeon in an obscure village of Missouri."

-Parley P. Pratt


Ah. So good.

There came a point where Joseph Smith was simply unwilling to listen further.

Similarly, with the cleansing of the temple, the people were disgracing their Father... there was a point where the Savior was unwilling to let it go further.


(Someone in my seminary class mentioned that the Savior always knows how we feel, which is pretty common knowledge, but he added that maybe this experience is how the Savior knows what it feels like to be angry. Hmmm... an interesting thought...)



Okay. So how does this apply to YOU??

Our seminary teacher told us to do the following:





Take the original verses:

----------

Mark 11
15 - And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;

16 - And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.

17 - And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

----------

...and replace temple or house with my heart.

----------

Mark 11

15 - And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the my heart, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the my heart, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;

16 - And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the my heart.

17 - And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My my heart shall be called of all nations the heart of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

----------

Note that in the above video the Savior didn't have to touch or push anyone out. They left as soon as he was present and told them to get out of there.



Now take a look at the verses we edited. If you find that your heart is filled with bad thoughts or desires, maybe instead of focusing all your time on trying to push them out, try inviting the Savior in.

The bad things will have to leave.

The same is true with your schedule and your actions. Replace the bad/unimportant things and habits with the good.




Because no unclean thing can dwell with God.


So draw nearer to Him and be perfected.



And never forget that He sees you for who you can become.


I think I will continue in the next post... maybe talk about the widow's mites?

I don't know. For now, happy Thursday. :)





P.S. I'm like 1 1/2 weeks short of ONE YEAR with this blog! yay!

fulfillment.

Okay so we have been talking about the Sermon on the Mount in seminary this week...

And we've talked about some pretty cool stuff.





Harold B. Lee said that the beatitudes are the constitution for a perfect life.

So be meek. Thirst after righteousness. Be merciful, pure in heart, and a peacemaker.

Actually, watch that video again and write down all of the beatitudes and the blessings you will receive if you live this... constitution. 

I will start you off. If you are poor in spirit... the Kingdom of Heaven is yours.

And that's just the beginning.


Something interesting that my seminary teacher talked about yesterday was fulfillment.

He talked about how when Christ was ministering to the people... he made the Sadducees and the Pharisees nervous and upset. The people followed the Law of Moses. They worried that they would lose their authority and power to this Savior.

Well... I guess that theirs is another story, but understand that Christ didn't come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it.  

Matthew 5:17- Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

Okay so I know that this is really hard to see. It is a worksheet that explains how the Law of Moses was fulfilled, not destroyed. 
Instead of just not killing, you also aren't supposed to get angry or (get this) mean. (crazy, right?)
Instead of saying don't commit adultery, he adds more. Keep your thoughts clean, too.
Don't just love your neighbor, love your enemy.
(etc, etc...)

See what I mean?


The same applies to the Gospel as a whole. Often times people will explain to you that they don't need religion. They are happy the way they are. 

I've had this happen to me...

And they are right. People can still be happy without being Mormons... that is important to remember.

The Gospel fulfills.

Living the teachings of and believing in your Savior simply makes things more... what's the word... hmmm... peaceful. 

It removes doubt.

Take people of other Christian faiths, for example. From their church they are building a solid foundation and learning to have faith in Christ. Sharing the Gospel with a friend helps build upon the foundation that they already have.

Don't look to change the person... look to maybe... complete them?

(I hope this all makes sense... I'm kinda thinking aloud here... Well... at least thinking through my fingers, haha.)


Everyone should understand that God loves them. No matter who they are. No matter what they believe. No matter the choices that they make.

Never think that God isn't proud of you. Not for one second.

Don't think that He won't be happy to receive you.

The heavens will cheer when you return.


Your mistakes do not define you. The past is past, so leave it there.

And start with just little changes.

Something else we talked about in seminary was Christ calling his very first apostles.


They were mending their fishing nets when the Savior asked them to follow Him.

And they immediately left.

They left behind their livelihood... their careers... their families...

Because they were committed. They were willing to give up all they had for the Savior.

They knew they would be blessed for doing so.


So what are you being asked to give up? What is the Savior asking you to leave behind?

Probably smaller things than Peter, James, John, and Andrew left behind.



Remember that God is on your side. He wants what is best for you.

He wants you to turn to Him.


I think that you are always, always worthy enough to pray.


So learn what His will is for you.

And start learning the constitution for a perfect life.


And the Kingdom of Heaven will be yours.