{Take the Step}

Lately, there are a lot of new things that came up in my life that could change my course of direction in ways I didn't anticipate. Today at church, I wondered what God wants me to do, and also what I think is best. One of the teachers in our class asked what do we do when we are asked to make a change that scares us. Immediately, I thought about Peter. 

Peter was a normal fisherman, but the Lord saw something special in him. He saw who Peter could be, so He asked Peter to follow Him. As an apostle, Peter witnessed many of the Savior's miracles. He had a testimony of the divinity of the Christ. With his own eyes in Matthew 14, Peter saw the Savior bless five loaves and two fishes into enough to feed five thousand. (That's the thing about the Lord, He takes what little you can give and makes it so much more.) 

Later that night, chapter 14 verse 24 reads, "But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer, it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. And when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"

That's the thought that struck me. A normal man, called of God, had the faith to step out of the boat, because he knew who Jesus was. I think sometimes we give Peter a hard time for doubting, but he still walked on water. And I know that sometimes we are afraid. Sometimes fear for a moment pushes faith aside. We see the big waves, hear the howling wind, and question the miracles that helped us move forward. But when that happens, if we like Peter will call to the Savior and ask for help, He will catch us. And we will be reminded why we chose to have faith in the first place. 

In a Conference talk called "He Will Place You on His Shoulders and Carry You Home," President Uchtdorf taught, "Our Savior, the Good Shepherd, knows and loves us. He knows and loves you.

He knows when you are lost, and He knows where you are. He knows your grief. Your silent pleadings. Your fears. Your tears.

It matters not how you became lost—whether because of your own poor choices or because of circumstances beyond your control.

What matters is that you are His child. And He loves you. He loves His children.My dear brothers and sisters, my dear friends, I testify that God sees us as we truly are—and He sees us worthy of rescue.

You may feel that your life is in ruins. You may have sinned. You may be afraid, angry, grieving, or tortured by doubt. But just as the Good Shepherd finds His lost sheep, if you will only lift up your heart to the Savior of the world, He will find you.

He will rescue you.

He will lift you up and place you on His shoulders.

He will carry you home."

I know that when I doubt, when I fear, the Savior will catch me. I know that He will catch you. He will strengthen us and help us to have the faith to continue "walking on the water"-pressing forward through the unknown, the seemingly impossible, because we know He is there. He is always with us to strengthen us. May we take the step forward into the unknown, remembering the power of God will be with us every step of the way.

{CTR Always, ETTE}

0

{Faith in His Power}

I had the privilege of serving a full time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This meant that for 18 months, I left my family and taught the gospel to the people of the Texas Lubbock mission, which includes west Texas and eastern New Mexico. It was an absolute privilege and some of the best times of my life. Every morning, my companion and I had time planned out to study the scriptures and prepare for the day. It was often a time of reflection. We were encouraged to seek the Lord's guidance, set worthy goals, and exercise faith in His power to help us achieve them. 

The day I realized half of my mission was over left me feeling very emotional. After praying and thinking about what I wanted to be able to say I'd done when the last day came, I wrote this mission statement. I realize that these aspirations didn't end last November when I came home, but they last forever. 

"I want to say I did my all to bring other souls to COME UNTO CHRIST. I want to say that I served every day with all my strength and energy so that I came in every night exhausted, nothing left to give. I want to be able to say that the Savior and Heavenly Father know that They can TRUST ME TO DO AND GIVE MY ALL in Their work. I want to have served in a way that shows the depth of my love for my Heavenly Father and His gospel. I want to be like a  boulder in a river, steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments of God. Even when my world crumbles, I will STAND FOR TRUTH AND RIGHTEOUSNESS. I want my mission, which at times is a refiner's fire, to make the gospel as precious to me as gold, make my testimony my most treasured possession. I want others to notice in me a more refined Christlike character. I want them to know that I will not be swayed and I will not be moved because I AM THE LORD'S."

Just like the surreal day when my full time mission ended, the day will come when we return to our heavenly home. And when that time comes, how will we feel to stand before Jesus Christ? This life is "the time for men to prepare to meet God." I testify that no matter what sins we have committed, we can be forgiven, changed, and cleansed so that reunion can be a joyous one. In a talk called Approaching the Throne of God with Confidence, Elder Jorg Klebingat taught, "Acknowledge and face your weaknesses, but don’t be immobilized by them, because some of them will be your companions until you depart this earth life. No matter what your current status, the very moment you voluntarily choose honest, joyful, daily repentance by striving to simply do and be your very best, the Savior’s Atonement envelops and follows you, as it were, wherever you go. Living in this manner, you can truly “always retain a remission of your sins” (Mosiah 4:12) every hour of every day, every second of every minute, and thus be fully clean and acceptable before God all the time."

When we are striving to be faithful, to choose the right, we have nothing to fear. We can be blessed to fulfill all that we were sent to earth to do and like Paul say with confidence, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7)

Sister Sheri Dew, a former counselor in the General Relief Society presidency in one of my favorite talks taught, "So today I ask, “Will you increase your faith? Will you repent and obey? Will you diligently seek? Will you learn to access the power of God so that you can live up to the heavenly recommendation that placed you here now? Will you do what you were born to do?”

My dear young friends, I repeat that these are the days in which a true leader wants to live. These are days when opportunities to change lives and even destinies are nearly endless. You are running the anchor leg of the relay because you were born to lead. You were born for glory.

In conclusion, in the words of Moroni, “I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written” (Ether 12:41) so that you experience for yourself the power in Jesus Christ to strengthen you, to sanctify you, and to help you run this leg of the relay. Don’t ever underestimate the power of Jesus Christ to help you. Isaiah said it this way:

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? . . .

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. . . .

. . . They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. [Isaiah 40:28–31]

I have learned for myself that this is true—that because of our Father and His Son, we don’t have to run this last strenuous leg of the relay alone. We have access to the greatest and grandest of all power. And when we have the power of God with us, we truly can do all things—including everything we were born to do. And we were born to lead. We were born for glory." (You Were Born To Lead, You Were Born For Glory, Sheri Dew, 2003)

I know that this is true. We can become like our Heavenly Father because He has the power to mold and change us into the beings we were destined to become. Jesus Christ makes that power available to us. I know They live. I know They love all of us. You are a child of God and so am I. There are wonderful things in store if only we will "believe, obey, and endure." So maybe today, take some time to ponder what you want to be, what you want to have accomplished when your life mission is over. If you ask God what those things should be, He will open your eyes to grander possibilities than any of us can ever imagine. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God  hath prepared for them that love him." (2 Corinthians 2:9) In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

{CTR Always, ETTE}

0

{He is the Light}

I think with the billions of people on earth now, and all the others who have lived and will yet live, it's difficult to comprehend how the Savior's sacrifice for us works. How can something so infinite also be so intimate in all of our lives? Though we are taught that He loves us and understands us, at times this can be a difficult concept to comprehend. 

A friend today shared a personal experience with me. She related that a few years ago she was struggling with the above mentioned feelings herself. She felt insignificant, small, and alone. She wanted to better understand how the Atonement, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, could really help her individually. One day, she drove through a canyon and noticed something seemingly seemingly simple but deeply profound. The sun shown down on all of the beautiful trees in the expansive forest on both sides of her. There was enough light for all of them to have the nourishment they needed to grow. Just like the sun for life on earth, the Son (Jesus Christ) gives light and life to us all. His love, influence, and power touch each of us in ways that we don't now understand. In John 8:12, Jesus taught, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." 

The Son will give you what you need. Christ is the light in our lives. The scriptures teach us more about His great influence in Doctrine and Covenants 88:6-13, which reads, "He that ascended up on high, and also he descended below all things, in that he comprehendeth all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth. Which truth shineth. This is the light of Christ. As also he in in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made. And also he in the moon, and is the light of the moon. and the power thereof by which it was made. And also the light of the stars, and the power thereof by which they were made; and the earth also, and the power thereof, even the earth upon which you stand. And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth you understandings; Which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space-The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth up on his throne, who is in the boson of eternity, who is in the midst of all things." The influence of the Savior, the light of Christ, is in all things. He created all things, knows all things, and has all power. He will touch each of our lives because of that power and because He loves us individually and completely, for who we are now and who we will be in the future.  If we rely on our Savior Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father, who makes all this possible, we will become all they yearn for us to become. 
President Uchtdorf in the 2013 October General Conference taught, "Every person, young and old, has had his own personal experience with falling. Falling is what we mortals do. But as long as we are willing to rise up again and continue on the path toward the spiritual goals God has given us, we can learn something from failure and become better and happier as a result....The Lord is mindful of you!

We acknowledge that your path will at times be difficult. But I give you this promise in the name of the Lord: rise up and follow in the footsteps of our Redeemer and Savior, and one day you will look back and be filled with eternal gratitude that you chose to trust the Atonement and its power to lift you up and give you strength. 

My dear brethren, my dear friends, there will be times when you think you cannot continue on. Trust the Savior and His love. With faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and the power and hope of the restored gospel, you will be able to walk tall and continue on.....My dear friends and brethren, no matter how many times you have slipped or fallen, rise up! Your destiny is a glorious one! Stand tall and walk in the light of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ! You are stronger than you realize. You are more capable than you can imagine. You can do it now! Of this I testify in the sacred name of our Master and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, amen."

I hope we can always remember that we are never alone, that just like the tiniest seedling or tall Redwood, we need the Son! And I know that we are never alone in our journey to grow and become like them. Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live and love us individually. If we are obedient they will help us become clean and worthy and even holy so that we can live with them again. I know these things are true, and I say them in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

{CTR Always, ETTE}

Left

Right

0