Monday, July 8, 2013
There are many times in our lives when we sit down to pray and we wonder if our Heavenly Father really hears us. Sure we address Him by name and share our hopes and dreams, tell Him what's bothering us, what we would like to have or accomplish and what we are thankful for. But even when we think of all that, we still wonder if He actually hears us. I can think of a time even in the past few weeks when I've wondered if He hears me. Sometimes I feel like I'm just talking to a brick wall. We have to have faith, though, that He really does hear us. I think Alma 32:21 gives an excellent description of what faith is. And it says "Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen which are true."
We are not going to know why everything that happens in our lives happens. We don't know what tomorrow will bring. We really don't know much at all and that is why it is absolutely imperative that we rely on our Heavenly Father.
Without Him, we are nothing. Heavenly Father has set up a plan for us called The Plan of Salvation. It is also called The Plan of Happiness because that's what He wants each of His children to be - happy. From constant prayer, I know this to be true. We can know this to be true by looking at 1 Peter 5:7, which says "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."
There is more to The Plan of Salvation than what a simple diagram could show. The diagram only shows you living in Heaven as spirit children, coming down to Earth, then dying and all. A major part that is not shown in this diagram is how we need to live our lives. People can say that we need to live a Christ-like life, but what does that really mean?
Heavenly Father, through revelation, has set forth Laws and Ordinances which help us while here on Earth and help enable us to one day return to live with Him. One such law would be the Law of Chastity which states that we should not have sexual relations with anyone but whoever you're legally married to or cause the arousal of the powerful emotions which should only be expressed in marriage. Laws such as these protect us. Heavenly Father has faith that we will follow these and we must have faith that these will help and protect us.
If you ever question what you are doing or about to do, you probably should not do it. But if you need to, you can pray to ask Heavenly Father. To receive an answer, you must ask with a sincere heart and you need to faithfully follow the answer you are given. In Moroni 10:4-5 it tells us, " 4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. 5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."
Heavenly Father has given us this wonderful gift of communication with Him and it really is special. We need to trust that He hears us and we need to have faith that He will answer us in His own time. That's what faith really is - trust.
Romans 8:39 "Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
http://www.mormonchannel.org/mormon-messages-for-youth?v=2505987918001
Monday, July 8, 2013
Friday, July 5, 2013
Qualities Of A Good Mother (Faith)
Saturday, March 2, 2013
There are many qualities a good mother should have. They should be patient and kind, as well as loving. "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" says the traits everyone should have are faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.
In the story of the mothers of Helaman's stripling warriors, the mothers exercise great faith in God when they simply let their sons go off to war. Two thousand sons left and not one mother questioned God's doing. They completely had faith in God. These mothers also taught their sons the importance of great faith. Because of this, each one of them came back alive. Faith is something we use every day. When we pray, we have faith that God hears us and will help us. When we are in a tough situation we have faith that God will help us find a way. This is something our children need to learn. Without faith, we have almost nothing.
Prayer is the most powerful way of communication we have with God. Prayer enables us to talk to Him and ask Him for help. Prayer is the way we ask for forgiveness or guidance, for help making a decision. Prayer is something every child should learn because it is important that they turn to God for help. He is the one who knows all. He is the one who can help us when we most need it.
Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, through repentance we are saved. Our children need to learn that the only way we can be saved is through repentance. Repentance is simply when you feel bad about something you did and ask God for forgiveness. A mother should also teach her child that no sin is too big to forgive. No matter what you do, as long as you follow the correct procedure for repentance, you will be forgiven.
Forgiveness is something every child should learn. It can be as simple as saying you're sorry, thereby asking for forgiveness. Or it can be someone else saying they're sorry because they wronged you. Through the teachings of Christ, we learn that forgiveness is vital. We need to forgive everyone because we are not perfect. No one ever has been or ever will be perfect, except Christ. Through Christ we learn through repentance, we are forgiven.
Respect is something every child owes their parents, and something every parent owes their child. Respect can be shown through something as simple as following directions from your parents. It can also be respecting a decision, whereby you show your understanding and let them be.
Every child should be raised in a loving and caring environment. Every child should be loved by their parents. Love is a deep compassion felt for someone. Like love for your parents. You should love your child as much or more than your parents. After all, your child is literally a part of you. If you want someone to learn to love, you must first love them. If they don't know what love feels like, they cannot express it themselves.
Compassion is a sympathy you feel for something or someone. You show compassion for your child when you help them. Compassion is an emotion that should be in every child's life. Love and compassion go hand in hand.
Work is something we do everyday. A child must learn that we work for everything we have in life. Nothing is ever just given to us. Sometimes the amount of successful work you've done is shown in material items, and others it's like getting closer to God. You work to learn the Gospel so you may hope to understand our Heavenly Father. Each child must be taught that work is a vital part of our lives.
Wholesome recreational activities shows us the importance of taking care of ourselves. Taking care of ourselves means getting plenty of rest, exercise and eating properly. We were also given the commandment not to consume harmful substances like alcohol, tobacco, coffee or tea. These substances keep us from living the life God wants us to. They impair us physically which keeps us from being able to do the activities we need to. Participating in sports is a good way to keep ourselves fit. Children need to learn the importance of living a healthy life. Exercising is one of the ways to do this.
With the help of the Spirit and one of the returned missionaries, this is my testimony of the traits and qualities a woman needs to teach her children. These qualities will also help her become a better woman in general, wife, as well as a mother.
There are many qualities a good mother should have. They should be patient and kind, as well as loving. "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" says the traits everyone should have are faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.
In the story of the mothers of Helaman's stripling warriors, the mothers exercise great faith in God when they simply let their sons go off to war. Two thousand sons left and not one mother questioned God's doing. They completely had faith in God. These mothers also taught their sons the importance of great faith. Because of this, each one of them came back alive. Faith is something we use every day. When we pray, we have faith that God hears us and will help us. When we are in a tough situation we have faith that God will help us find a way. This is something our children need to learn. Without faith, we have almost nothing.
Prayer is the most powerful way of communication we have with God. Prayer enables us to talk to Him and ask Him for help. Prayer is the way we ask for forgiveness or guidance, for help making a decision. Prayer is something every child should learn because it is important that they turn to God for help. He is the one who knows all. He is the one who can help us when we most need it.
Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, through repentance we are saved. Our children need to learn that the only way we can be saved is through repentance. Repentance is simply when you feel bad about something you did and ask God for forgiveness. A mother should also teach her child that no sin is too big to forgive. No matter what you do, as long as you follow the correct procedure for repentance, you will be forgiven.
Forgiveness is something every child should learn. It can be as simple as saying you're sorry, thereby asking for forgiveness. Or it can be someone else saying they're sorry because they wronged you. Through the teachings of Christ, we learn that forgiveness is vital. We need to forgive everyone because we are not perfect. No one ever has been or ever will be perfect, except Christ. Through Christ we learn through repentance, we are forgiven.
Respect is something every child owes their parents, and something every parent owes their child. Respect can be shown through something as simple as following directions from your parents. It can also be respecting a decision, whereby you show your understanding and let them be.
Every child should be raised in a loving and caring environment. Every child should be loved by their parents. Love is a deep compassion felt for someone. Like love for your parents. You should love your child as much or more than your parents. After all, your child is literally a part of you. If you want someone to learn to love, you must first love them. If they don't know what love feels like, they cannot express it themselves.
Compassion is a sympathy you feel for something or someone. You show compassion for your child when you help them. Compassion is an emotion that should be in every child's life. Love and compassion go hand in hand.
Work is something we do everyday. A child must learn that we work for everything we have in life. Nothing is ever just given to us. Sometimes the amount of successful work you've done is shown in material items, and others it's like getting closer to God. You work to learn the Gospel so you may hope to understand our Heavenly Father. Each child must be taught that work is a vital part of our lives.
Wholesome recreational activities shows us the importance of taking care of ourselves. Taking care of ourselves means getting plenty of rest, exercise and eating properly. We were also given the commandment not to consume harmful substances like alcohol, tobacco, coffee or tea. These substances keep us from living the life God wants us to. They impair us physically which keeps us from being able to do the activities we need to. Participating in sports is a good way to keep ourselves fit. Children need to learn the importance of living a healthy life. Exercising is one of the ways to do this.
With the help of the Spirit and one of the returned missionaries, this is my testimony of the traits and qualities a woman needs to teach her children. These qualities will also help her become a better woman in general, wife, as well as a mother.
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