Life Lessons

Yesterday at dinner, we had an opportunity to read the will of a relative of one of the member of our ward. It was simply a list of what she had learned in her life along with her testimony for her grandchildren and children to know! It was so powerful!! I thought that would be fun to do today! At least a few things that I have learned in the past 4 months!

Number one: Sometimes we have to give up some good things for some better things. Example: going on a mission!!!! Being a missionary is nothing like I expecting but it is everything that I need right now!! I couldn't imagine my life with out a mission!

Number two: People have good intentions. We are usually the ones who think that they don't! Most of the time when someone says something that may seem offensive, they don't mean it to be like that! Lesson to be learned, Don't take everything personally!

Number three: We are all on the same path! Lets help each other along! It is so easy to be selfish and think only about what we need at the moment, but something interesting happens when we being to realize that we all have the same basic goal whether some people realize it or not!  I love the scripture Matthew 10:39, "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." Our focus changes and shifts from what we want, to what Heavenly Father wants us to do! We begin to see everyone around us as children of God with a divine purpose and plan!

Number four: This one goes along with a lot of the ones above!! Communication is everything!! All of the problems that have risen in my companionships have been because of the lack of communication! Satan is really good at binding us down when we don't communicate! We being to assume the reaction of the other person, eventually pushing us to the point where there is no way that we would say anything because we are so worked up!! More than likely if we had talked about it right from the beginning the result isn't anything like we think it will be! Everyone has agency!! It is so much easier to talk about it first before letting the problem get us all worked up!!

Number five: A mission is a refiners fire! There is a great thought from Elder Christenson's book the Power of the Everyday Missionary when he talks about missionary work. He says something along the lines of , as missionaries we are on the forefront of the battle for souls. We are battling Satan's minions like no one else! He is doing all he can to stop the Plan of Salvation from working! It is a constant battle each of every day, but the reward is the most gratifying, wonderful, amazing, etc.., etc.., etc..!! The reward out weighs anything ad everything in this life!!

Number six: This one is probably one of the most important ones!! Light will always overcome darkness!! The Savior will always overcome Satan!! The only thing that keeps that from happening is our inability to rely on faith and believe that all that is wrong in this life will be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ!! Our natural tendencies are the limitation to us. We limit Gods ability to make everything right! That is the constant struggle for each of us! To turn ourselves to the Savior and let his infinite power be our strength and guide!!

Number seven: Obedience brings blessings, exact obedience brings miracles!! I have learned that when we are exactly obedient the spirit is with us. I thought that I had learned this before but I guess not!! It will guide us exactly where we need to be! With that being said repentance is key to being a successful missionary!! I am constantly repenting and getting back on the straight and narrow path! It is an every moment, everyday process! But I am grateful to be learning that!

Number eight: Don't get sick on a mission!!! There isn't enough time to be sick or at least enough time to recover! You feel like your hands are constantly covered with germs which makes you not want to shake peoples hands!! Always have hand sanitizer so when ever you touch a surface you can sanitize your hands!!
*the list goes on...

Number Nine: the Gospel of Jesus Christ will change the world!! Having faith in Jesus Christ, repenting of our sins, being baptized by someone who holds the Priesthood Authority of God, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost by that same authority and enduring to the end, applying these things into our own individual lives will bring lasting peace that can found no place else!!

Number Ten: the commandments are a road map for life. I think the Lord knows something that we don't about returning to live with him and what it takes to become like him. That is the purpose of commandments and covenants. Christ's grace is conditional on our willingness to follow commandments. I could go on and on about this! So why in the world don't we just follow the rules? Of course our natural man keeps us from being obedient but we know that it will bring us the most happiness.  We can decide to be happy and obedient now!!

Number Eleven: This one goes along with an earlier statement I made about the Savior overcoming darkness, the Saviors love is always there! I can't even begin to say how much our Savior loves us and how badly he wants us to choose him to be our Savior. I love the words to the hymn, Reverently and Meekly Now, "I have loved thee as they friend, with a love that cannot end." His Atonement is always there for us! I echo the words of apostles, there is not a place so dark that the light of the Saviors Atonement cannot reach!

Number Twelve: The promptings of the spirit are as real as the air we breath! So often we feel that it is going to be some spectacular incident when most likely it is small and quit but it pierces us to the core and cannot be denied! We can hold onto those like a life line and know that they are real and true! That is the role of the spirit to testify of truth. We can have faith and trust in that role!

Those are only a few!! I plan to continue to add to the list as the months go by! Each lesson in life makes us grow into something better!! Someone more!!  I know that the Church of Jesus Christ is the complete church of God on the Earth today and the same church that the Savior had while he was here! It is a privilege for me to work and study its doctrines everyday and grow in understanding!!