Prayer

"oh Great God, be small enough to hear me now"
I have a friend who once found herself down the dark and dreary of the world. They had offered her everything, in which she found pleasure, but it was only temporary. She longed for lasting happiness and didn't know where to find it. All of the sudden a thought came into her mind. With all the energy she could muster, she bowed her head and whispered a prayer, Heavenly Father, if you are up there and you can hear me, please help me change my life.
It wasn't a prayer of great length or elegance, but it was given with all her heart. God heard her prayer. And from that very moment her life was changed forever.

We are the children of God. He knows our names and He knows our hearts. He loves us deeply and cares about our lives. He is ready to help and comfort us. When we pray, we talk to God. And He in return can talk to us.
Jesus Christ said, “Ye must always pray unto the Father in my name” (3 Nephi 18:19). As we pray, we will come to know and draw nearer to Him. Our hearts will become more like His. When we ask in faith, believing we can receive, He will bless us.

Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.
Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

--Alma 37:36-37

I know that God will answer my prayers, just as He answered my friend years ago. I know that He can provide that lasting happiness that we are all searching for, if we but come unto Him.

Serving Others

How would you like to paint a bright spot on your soul today? Serve others! Do you feel like you need more happiness in your life? Serve others! Do you want to truly serve God? The answer lies in serving others.

In the Book of Mormon there is a righteous king name King Benjamin.
Everyone loved him, and there was peace in all over the land. This is because he truly cared about the people he served. Instead of dining all day on the finest foods, sitting upon a golden throne, or sun-bathing next to a royal pool, he worked shoulder to shoulder with HIS people. He saw each individual as a child of God to be helped. At the end of his reign, all his people gathered from far and wide to hear his words. King Benjamin declared:

“And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God."

When we truly love others, we want to serve God's children. When we serve God's children, we serve God. That's why everytime we dry a tear or lend a helping hand, our hearts swell with joy. There are so many people in need that surround us, from the people who need food and housing in Japan to the person walking down the street who needs a simple smile.

As we look outward and DO we won't have to worry about our personal happiness. The Savior has promise us as His disciples, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.”
I know there is no better way to serve God than opening our hearts and help to His children. I know that as we lose ourselves in the service of others, we will find the happiness that will brighten up our souls. So today.....SERVE OTHERS!

The Still Small Voice

Have you ever felt a still small voice inside of you, helping you make a desicion? Have you ever felt peace and comfort during a trial? Do you ever feel a warm, happy feeling while you are praying or reading from the scriptures? This is the feeling of the Holy Ghost.

Before Jesus left the earth, he was with His Apostles. He promised them that although he could not be with them forever, He would give them the Gift of the Holy Ghost. "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
It is a gift He has given us today! When we have faith in Jesus Christ, repent, and are baptized by someone holding the proper authority, the Lord has promised us the Gift of the Holy Ghost. That means that we are given the still small voice as a constant companion. That peace and comfort we feel through trials, the guidance we receive through prayer, and the quiet voice in our hearts and minds that help us make decisions can be with us ALWAYS.
I don't know about you, but this gives me so much comfort!!! In the middle of the worldy chatter and noise, I know that if I listen to that still small voice, I will be guided by God. I know that as we follow the Lord's teachings that He will never leave us, but that we can feel and hear Him through the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

The Miracle of the Rainbow

This month it has been raining like crazy! I love the rain. I love the sound it makes on the roof tops, the feel of it on my skin, the smell of the earth as it takes in each drop. This week I was reminded of a very special promise that was made to us. It had been raining and raining. And raining. As my missionary friend and I were walking down the street, inviting people to hear our message, we looked up and saw this gigantic rainbow that reached across the whole sky. The colors were so vivid. We stood there for a moment, taking it all in.

After Noah built the ark, God flooded the earth to cleanse it from sin and unrighteousness. God gave us the rainbow as a promise that the earth will never be flooded again.
I remembered a song I sang as a little girl:
"I like to look for rainbows, whenever there is rain, and ponder on the beauty of the earth made clean again. I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain, I want to live the best I can and live with God again."
We too, like the earth, can be cleansed from sin through baptism. Baptism is by immersion, meaning that the person being baptized is briefly submerged in water. When we are baptized by someone holding the right authority, we go down into the water and receive complete forgiveness of our sins. We are as clean as the earth right after rain. We promise to follow the example of Jesus Christ and live His commandments. He gives us the gift of the Holy Ghost, which helps us make it back to our Savior. I know because I was baptized, I can continue to follow Jesus Christ and make it back to him someday.