A Battle with Deception

Have you ever reflected on your life, and felt like you could do more, or rather, want to do more? How can Mrs. So and So raise 6 kids, be PTA presidents, Young Women's President, all star home maker, have the perfect house that is neatly organized, have a model body, handsome husband, and what seems to be the perfect marriage? Have these comparisons stabbed you to your very core to the point of despair, depression, and discouragement with your own life?

It's so easy in today's world to be deceived. There is photo shop, make-up, spanx's underwear that make you look 20 pounds lighter, plastic surgery, and the list goes on. Deception comes from the adversary. He wants us to be decieved until he traps us and we can't excape.

I know that truth, not lies and deception make a person truly happy!

Consecration

All throughout scripture is a reoccurring theme of "hiding your treasures unto God," "not burring your treasures where moss and dust corrupt them...," "When your treasure is, there will your heart be also..."

What does it mean to hide your treasure unto God? How do we hide or treasure unto God today?

Hiding your treasure unto God means you consecrate all that you have and give it to the Lord. The word consecrate broken down: con= with and secrate= sacred. Using this information, it is safe to say the if we hide our treasures unto the Lord, it is taking all we have, all that we hold sacred in our lives, and giving it to the Lord to help further His work here on the earth.

Today, and throughout history, Satan strives to lead the hearts of the children of men away through two tactics: 1. Salvation in Sin, and 2. Salvation via money. Men, who become rich are easily swayed when in comes to consecrating all that they have to the Lord. They buy fancy cars (or you fill in the blank) (where most and dust doth corrupt it) instead of consecrating money to humanitarian work, etc. where these donations are favored of God because they are consecrating what they have to help the Lord's children.

We have also seen this throughout scripture where the rich are prideful and turn away from the Lord. But, what about those who Pres. Benson referred to in his talk "Beware of Pride," as those "at the bottom looking up"? Consecration can be a challenge for those people too in our society today. One might say, "How can I consecrate all that I have including my time, talents, and energy to helping build the Lord's kingdom when I don't even have time for myself after working 3 jobs, going to school, etc?" They then become hopeless, and exercise self-pity.

Since I am in the latter category, I pondered this a lot. How can I take my treasures: time, talents, and energy, and give it to the Lord? What is my status in this area of my life? What am I doing well at, and what do I need to be better with?

I am not going to go into all the detail's of these questions, but I will say that I came up with a question I am going to ask myself daily as I strive on the path towards eternal life. And that question is: Is what I am doing right now helping to build the Lord's kingdom on earth?

Think about it...

Gratitude #4

So, I found out this weekend how grateful I am for the Internet because I didn't have it at all on Sat. and Sun. It's amazing how much of my jobs, school, and even church callings requires the Internet. What did we ever do with out it?

I'm also grateful for my primary class. My class is so amazing in every way. They make me laugh, and cry (not because they're bad, but because they're so spiritual and good at such an early age). Funny story from this week. We showed them the movie "Only a Stone cuter," the story about John Rowe Moyle who crossed the plains, and walked 22 miles from his home to work on the Salt Lake Temple. A tragic accident happened to John Moyle when a cow kicked his leg creating a compound fracture that was immediately amputated with a buck saw. Infections were so prevalent after amputations, but his infection never came. When he was able to get out of bed, he carved himself an ingenious wooden leg that hinged at the ankle and everything. It was very painful to walk on it, but he practiced every day until he had enough strength to make the 22 mile journey.

After the movie was over, I told the class about how even ordinary people can do extraordinary things. We talked about hard work and dedication to your tasks, and many other lessons we could gain from that story. When little Eli left our class and his parents asked, "What did you learn about in your class, Eli" Eli exclaimed, " We watched a movie about a guy who got his leg cut off."

It's funny what little people remember. I guess that movie may have been a little hard for a 6 year old to grasp. Oh well.

Gratitude Day #3

Today I am grateful for:

1. Easter Shore Cuisine. Namely cornbread and chicken & dumplin's.
2. The glorious internet. So much information at my finger tips; I love it!
3. The Bible Dictionary- it's a great resource to understanding the scriptures.

Gratitude Day 2

Today I am greatful for:

1. The fact that I can sleep in on Thursday's if I want to, and yes, I did take advantage of this situation.
2. A sweet but tart small, juicy orange that awakes all my senses and makes my mouth happy for breakfast.
3. i tunes, do I even have to elaborate on this?
   

Gratitude

From now on I am going to try and post at least a weekly gratitude post expressing my appreciation for all the things this life has to offer.

I shall start now. Today I am grateful for:

• The fact that I actually made it to the gym today and ran 3 miles
• Stephanie Nielson
• A loving husband who sticks with me because I hate Wal-Mart.
• Daily calls from my mother, no matter how long or short they are they make my day so much better
• My Granny's willingness to help me write her history for her posterity, don't worry Poppop, you're next.

Finding Strength

I don't have cable TV. The main purpose for our small TV is to watch the occasional movies that we find time for. I really want to watch TV today because a super hero in my ward, Stephanie Nielson (mother of 4 who survived, along with her husband, a fatal plane crash last August) will be on Oprah.

I have the once in a lifetime opportunity to Teach her second oldest Jane in my Primary class. Jane is so strong, she is just a wonderful person, and you can tell she was raised by a wonderful mother. Stephanie's days are hard, and she struggles doing things that I take for granted.

I could express for hours about how wonderful I think she is. However, I will say that I believe she is a hero- a Mother Warrior as Oprah's website described her. Every time I am having a bad day, or stressed out, I think of Stephanie. She enjoys the little things. I will enjoy the little things!