Improving your weaknesses vs. Changing who you are

Remember who you are.

I think the most important thing I can say in this blog post is to remember the Savior's words when asked what the greatest commandment is.

35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question,tempting him, and saying,

 36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

 38 This is the first and great commandment.

 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

So I want to focus on the three commandments. "wait, three? but there are only two..."
Well, I want to expound a bit. It says:

1. love the Lord thy God
2. Love thy neighbour
3. as thyself.

Love yourself!  Don't forget that!  God loves you so love yourself.  There's only one you in this world.  I get mad at others for hating themselves.  Don't do that!  Why?  It's so destructive and gets nothing accomplished.  Be kind to yourself.  Take some time to do "you" stuff.  

Improvement is important, and you can do so most effectively with the help of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and believing in Him and in yourself.  Say positive things.  "I can do this.  I am awesome."  Please help others remember who they are too, and give them the confidence they need to endure through times of hardship and times of improving.  Most people when improving need support.  You improve yourself if you help others improve.

Faith in Jesus Christ will help us to endure the hardest of challenges.  Build your faith. :) 

This controversial battle between improving your weaknesses and changing who you are is worth talking about.  Please comment.  I would love to hear from anyone and everyone.

Lessons Learned from Lindsey

A friend of mine once asked me a couple of months ago, "What does the Atonement mean to you?"

At first, I thought, "That's easy, it means everything!"

Then I realized that I couldn't effectively communicate my feelings regarding the Atonement of Jesus Christ .

I had to think about it a lot.  I tried over and over to put it into definite and simple words, but they wouldn't come as easily as I thought they would, but with my Zone Leaders Workshop and a little inspirational Fireside from Lindsey Stirling(My mission allows me to rub shoulders with celebrities sometimes more than once!). I finally have my answer.

About a month before the Lindsey Stirling Fireside, our Zone Leaders set up a workshop for us to learn titled, "Lay it at the Saviors Feet".  An awesome Sister Missionary(Sister Rowley) wrote about her own experience from it here.

The workshop was about us learning to lay our regrets, our problems and our worries at the Saviors feet. 

When they asked us to think about our regrets and what we could have done better,  I couldn't think about anything I honestly regretted, sure, things that I could have done better, but life is a work in progress!~

A verse of scripture that did come to mind was when Peter asked Jesus what John the Beloved would do,

"If I will that he[John] tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me." (John 21:22)

In this case it said to me, "Well, what does it matter if I want someone else to take the spotlight or to be center stage? Right now I want you to follow me." (I realize it's a bit out of context and in reality Jesus was talking about how Peter was to follow the Savior in martyrdom, but at this time, that was what the verse was saying to me)

I pondered on that for a couple days.  What does it mean to follow the savior?

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is something which strengthens me.  It cleanses me of my sins and regrets.  The Savior felt everything that we have felt, as it says in the Book of Mormon, "...that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people..." (Alma 7:12)

These are the facts of the Atonement but my friend had asked me, what the Atonement meant to me... which I was still struggling to put into words and as Albert Einstien said,

"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." 

This is where Lindsey Stirling comes in.

Picture taken from mormon.org

Let it be known, I now appreciate Lindsey Stirling. She is a fantastic public speaker.  This past Wednesday, she came to the Visitors' Center(on her day off, I might add) to speak those who wanted to listen.  There's a Deseret New's article on what happened 'here'.

Lindsey opened the fireside with this statement, "What does it mean to finish at the wrong finish line?  Absolutely nothing."

She went on to relate to us one of her experiences as a cross-country runner in high school, in typical Lindsey flair(I can't really communicate that in plain text... So I'll just give a summary).

In this particular race, the men's and women's courses were right next to one another.  She had been running near the front of the pack, yet she had lost sight of the lead runners.  Soon she caught sight of the finish line and ran with all her might!  Though to her dismay, she quickly found out that it was the men's finish and she had just led everyone who was following her to it.

There were many interpretations you could get out of the story but she went on to tell us about how our own definition of a finish line might be a little different from Gods definition for us.
  
Next, she told us about her experience in America's Got Talent, when she auditioned after thinking and praying long and hard about it.

She got past the auditions and in her own words said, "After that, I started attaching my happiness to doing well[in America's Got Talent], just getting to the next round, saying to my Heavenly Father, 'If I just make it to the next round, then I'll be happy'"

To finish her story, she told us about the end of her Live Television Debut.  I don't remember the exact words which she used but it was heart-wrenching enough.  The celebrity judges gave her 'the giant X' halfway through her performance then afterwards proceeded to tell her she would never amount to anything.

I'd read about her experience before she spoke to us but coming from her in person, it became a real event to me. I hurt for her.

Lindsey's confidence was shattered and she felt like she would never perform again.  To finish her story, she related a quote from a movie, "Cool Runnings", (I've never seen it, but apparently it's super good stuff). 

Coach Irv was a four-time Olympic gold medalist yet for his fifth, he cheated, was caught and had his medals stripped from him.  When he was asked by his trainees years later why he cheated, he said about the medals and their confidence in themselves, "If you're not enough without it, then you're not enough with it." 

Lindsey wanted us to understand that our sense of self-worth can't come from the world.  We can't attach that self-worth to something which is transient.

She then told us about her service as a Sister Missionary.

Taken from Mormon.org

"Confidence comes from the Spirit", she said, then she referenced D&C 121:45, which states,

"...let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God..." 

You might be wondering, "Is he just including all these references to Lindsey Stirling so he can brag about it?"

No, I am not.

I am including this because of what happened after the fireside which allowed me to state in simple terms what the atonement means to me.


You see, I haven't had much interaction with celebrities of high caliber(big surprise, right?).  Well afterwards, she was basically mobbed (in the nicest sense of the word) by her besotted fans, who rushed up to her like children who had just heard that cotton candy was free at the Carnival for only five minutes.(I really wish I got a picture of that...).  I stood back and watched.

What really surprised me was that Lindsey didn't act annoyed, didn't tense up, didn't do anything which told me that she was frustrated with her fans.

She did the exact opposite.

She posed patiently with each person.  She tried to talk with them(sort of).  She kept posing with people once she had been told that the Visitors' Center was closing.  The lights were turned off and everybody was told to get going and even as she was leaving to the backstage, she still took pictures, apologizing profusely that she had to leave.

It was interesting.  Yes, you can make the argument that she's a celebrity, she's just doing her job, but for me, it was the catalyst of my thought process.

As I was watching all of these people, a scripture came to mind about the Savior when he visited the people of America,

"...he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them."  3 Nephi 17:21

Lindsey, whether she realized it or not, was emulating the Savior(from my viewpoint).

As Mormons, we are supposed to remember the Savior at all times and in all places, trying to be like him and do what he would do.  Earlier in the fireside, she had referenced "The Lion King", when Mufasa came to Simba in a vision telling him,

"You have forgotten who you are, and therefore, forgotten me."

We are to remember that we are children of our Heavenly Father and that he loves us.  His Son, Jesus Christ, came to the Earth not only to show us an example of how to live but to perform the Atonement, to make sure that we could return to our Father in Heaven.

From that, my mind shifted into high-gear, jumping from idea to idea like a kangaroo hyped-up on caffeine-

1. As we remember who we are, we remember our Father in Heaven.
2. We remember the Savior and try to be like him.
3. Memories are important
4. As we make choices and learn from the mistakes we remember, character is formed
5. Confidence is gained as we follow the commandments and as we, "...let virtue garnish our thoughts..."
6. The Atonement helps us change ourselves so that we can be confident in the presence of God.
7. Missionaries are super-confident sometimes. (okay, pretty much all the time, at least to the public...)
8. Eureka.

To me, choices have become a pretty big thing in my life as I've written before.  I've always got a choice, though it may be more difficult, depending on the circumstances.

Then it made sense.  The atonement means so much to me because I can choose.  I make mistakes.  I mess up.  I trip and fall, then get back up.

The Atonement of Jesus Christ means I can make choices in confidence.  I am free to act.  I don't have to be afraid that I'll be shut out of the presence of God because I made a mistake. I know that as long as I am sincerely trying to move forward and take the appropriate steps of repentance, I can be confident before the Lord.  I can't choose my consequences, true, but I can choose the best course of action according to my beliefs.  I can make choices to determine my character and try emulate Jesus Christ.  The Atonement means that I can one day stand before Heavenly Father and, "though [my] sins be as scarlet", because of Jesus Christ "[my sins] shall be as white as snow" Isaiah 1:18

It was a fantastic step forward for me~

So, yeah, it was good.~


In other news:

So not only was Wednesday a happy day, it was also a sad one; it was transfer meeting! My trainer, Elder Radford finished his two years of service and headed home.  My trainee, Elder Elliott is training a brand new missionary, fresh from the MTC whose name is Elder Hamblin.  I've included a picture of all four of us in one final shot...  A lot of people whom I respected and looked up to finished their service on that day.

(Left to right)Elder Hamblin, Elder Radford, Me(!), and Elder Elliott

This was the friend of mine who supplied the picture of Lindsey Stirling speaking at the Visitors' Center.

It's been a while since I've seen her so it was great!~

So to sum things up: 

Due to a lesson which my leaders gave to us and a small fireside by Lindsey Stirling, I can say with confidence why the Atonement of Jesus Christ means so much to me.

Enjoy a complimentary video about the Atonement where the Apostles testify of Him!~

There is always a choice...

When I was younger (Age:9-12ish) and getting angry, I used to yell at speak very politely with my mother,

"You're making my ANGRY!"

"I can't make you do anything," she would respond, "that's your choice!"

Looking back, I've come to appreciate the fact that, though we may not have much control over the circumstances we are in, we always have choices, no matter the situation.

That small lesson from my mother had lasting consequences.

I know that because of that, I can choose for myself how I react, even if the situation is not in my favor.

Even if the world seems like it's falling apart.

Even if my body is fighting against me.

I have a choice.

This is a chance given to me by my Father in Heaven.

My choice is to get up when I feel down, to continue when all seems lost.  I want to keep going, to keep moving, I don't want to stay still and admit defeat.  I don't want to be beaten by the natural man, my internal voice which says, 'I can't'.

Sometimes it's a battle, sometimes, an easy victory, but every step forward is in the right direction.

I know that my Father in Heaven has given me the opportunity to change, to choose and if we truly want it bad enough, we can move forward because,

If we want to progress.  We can push on.  God will always put at our fingertips resources that we can use to change ourselves or use so that we can continue to progress.  We just need to look around us.

If we want to.  That's the wonderful thing about the plan that our heavenly father has given us.

Even if we no more desire to change and/or progress, our Heavenly Father will help us find the proper tools.  There's a scripture that I think about whenever pause to ponder about change/progression:

"...behold, if ye will awake[!] and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can believe..."  -Full Reference-

If we believe that we can do it, or at the very least try to believe, it could happen! (Believe in the me that Believes in YOU! [A gold star to whoever gets that reference])

I'm not saying that every challenge can be overcome by pure willpower or the resources that God puts at our disposal.  Sometimes, we have to simply endure.

Just like Elder Richard J. Maynes said in his speech, The Strength to Endure,

"Many of the challenges we face in life can be solved and overcome; however, others may be difficult to understand and impossible to overcome and will be with us until we pass on to the next life. As we temporarily endure the challenges we can solve and as we continue to endure the challenges we cannot solve, it is important to remember that the spiritual strength we develop will help us successfully endure all the challenges we face in life." [Emphasis Added]

By enduring our Earthly Trials, we grow spiritually.  We become more than we were before.

I guess one of the tricks of life is determining which trials are the ones that we can change and which ones we can't.

A mental illness or chronic disease is one of those things that I don't think you can change, regardless of how much you rely on the Atonement of Jesus Christ(which is there to help strengthen us anyways). As I heard a fellow missionary recently describe it,

"Jesus is not some magical repairman who you call when something is broken(whether it be physical or just the situation).  He is our Savior and Redeemer."

We can call on Him when we are in trouble, it's true, but he is with us from the beginning and will strengthen us to face our problems way before it even comes to the point where all we have left is Him.

I'm not a physician or a psychiatrist so I'm just relying on my own perceptions (so I could be wrong), but from what I've seen is that God gives us trials based on us individually. They are very personal to us, and are there to help us become stronger and learn to rely on Him.

Because we've overcome those trials and gotten stronger, I think it must be Human Nature to want to help others surpass similar circumstances.

We want to help others who are going through those hard times, but we can only see their troubles through the filter of our own experiences.  That doesn't mean that we do not have something constructive that could help them and their problem.  We most certainly could but everyone is different(If only just a little bit)!~

We don't know their thoughts, we might only be seeing the tip of the iceberg, for all we know, they could be fighting the hardest battle of their life.

That's why I think it's important that we do not compare our individual trials to another persons.  It can lead to thoughts such as, "Why is this so hard for me when others can do it so easily," (for those undergoing said trial) to "Everybody else is so weak, I went through it and I'm fine!" (for those undergoing a similar trial, but past it with little effort).

From what I've seen, the best help someone can give is just listening, giving support, and being there for someone. (Of course, everybody is different so that might not work for someone else; Remember the Languages of Love!)  Sometimes, well-meaning advice can be harmful without us realizing it.  We might not have a grasp on the entire situation.

I really like the way this comic below portrays advice given without fully understanding the situation, (I think it was specifically made with reference to Depression)

Personally, I think advice is always welcome[!]~ but sometimes it's important to try and see it from another point of view before passing on the advice...

To Conclude:

I know that we have a choice.  It may not be a choice that we like, but it's always going to be there. I know if we are in too much pain, we can cry out to our Heavenly Father and He will send help.  He wants us to succeed in this life and in the life to come.

I do know that we can look up during our trials, our personal tests, and search our hearts for the answer,

because we are all Children of our Heavenly Father[God] and he will never leave us comfortless.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Complimentary Video Excerpts from Jeffrey R. Hollands' Talk :  "An High Priest of Good Times to Come"

Friends; A Great Asset or an Eternal Detriment!?

Let me put this out there;

I love my friends.

If you're my friend and you truly need something: I'll try to get there as soon as possible (whether metaphorically or physically).

Of course; I'm also kind of forgetful.  And easily side-tracked.

If I don't write something down, it's out of my head within five minutes, so sometimes I just forget...  I've let down a few people because I've forgotten something important...

But that's not the main point of this post!

With that said; the stage is set(!)  Let the post begin~

Something that I've noticed;  That the company we keep has a great effect on who we are(usually the effect happens over time).  Sometimes we act differently around different people, sometimes we act a certain way to get a certain response.

It's almost like we're playing a part in a play.  When we're around our 'friends', we play our part;  but once we're off the 'stage', we take off the mask and resume life as usual (or maybe we move to another stage!)

That's something I've been trying to improve myself over the past couple of years, being who I am, no matter what company I keep.

The scriptures have examples of pretty much everything, even this-

There was a King in The Book of Mormon, his name was Noah, and he decided to go against the commandments of God, so he made a lot of bad choices in his life and in his kingdom.  I guess you could say he surrounded himself with people whom he thought of as his friends (I call them Henchmen or maybe Cronies)

A prophet named Abinadi was preaching to the people, telling them to that they had turned from the right way.  They didn't believe Abinadi and brought him before King Noah.

He began to preach to King Noah as well and the king was suitably cowed (as one would be when facing a prophet)-

 "And now king Noah was about to release him, for he feared his word; for he feared that the judgments of God would come upon him."  -Full Reference-

But then, sadly, King Noah's buddies began to speak up-

"But [his friends] lifted up their voices against him, and began to accuse him, saying: He has reviled the king. Therefore the king was stirred up in anger against him, and he delivered him up that he might be slain."  -Full Reference-

 In about two seconds, King Noah goes from letting Abinadi go, to deciding to kill him(!)  all because of his friends.

I think that's why we've been given council to watch what friends we keep from a religious and psychological standpoint.  Whether we want them to or not, they affect us, they define us, they 'help' us define our moral compass.

Not to say we should shun those who don't share our beliefs or standards, but just be aware that there will come a time when you must choose for yourself what you believe, even if you don't choose to hang around those who do not share your beliefs...

Scriptures have got examples everywhere~  You just need to know where to look!

Time to meet God! ...are you ready?

What will it be like when we meet God?

What kinds of questions will he ask you?

What answers would we give?

How comfortable would we be in His presence?

Did we make our Heavenly Father proud of us?

Did we make the choices that He knew would make us truly happy?

God is just.  He might ask you to share your testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  He might ask you how much you know of the Gospel.  What is your Gospel understanding?
I believe many questions our Loving Heavenly Father will ask us, will be about how we (God's children) treated others (more of God's children).  Mosiah 2:17

Did we help people who struggled?

Did we lift one another's burdens?

Did we strive to help people feel loved?

Did we LEARN how to love?

Did we TEACH how to love?

Did we LIVE as examples of His Son, Jesus Christ?

Did we mourn with those that mourned?

Did we comfort those that stood in need of comfort?

I do not believe God needs to ask us questions because he doesn't know the answers.  He might ask questions so that we answer.  When we answer certain questions, our souls are stirred up in remembrance of what we have been taught, whether we were taught yesterday, or long before.  Jesus Christ asked many questions.  I think this is a good teaching skill that we all should seek to develop.
A good example is in Matthew chapter 5

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. 

I believe that much of our judgement in the end will have to do with how we kept the two great commandments.  

 in Matthew 22, we read:

  37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

 38 This is the first and great commandment.

 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

 41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,

 42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.

 43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,

 44 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?

 45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?

 46 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

I put together some of these questions and some of these thoughts so that you might be stirred up in remembrance of the Lord, Jesus Christ.  I invite you to make right choices.  Be the man or woman God knows you can be.  God loves you.  He roots for you.  He cheers you on.  He wants you to be happy.  I know that happiness comes from making right choices.  Living as God would want you to.

"Be the change you wish to make in the world."  -A Quote by someone unremembered by Elder Hart at this time, but I really like it.

In short

Be good.  Stay good.  Rely on Jesus Christ.  Perhaps God won't smite you at the judgement day.  :)
...and remember... God loves you.  He is your Father... and He loves you.

Prone to Leave the God I love

Ever felt like this guy?  This is probably how it will be when I get back from my mission and see my parents again.  Big embrace of a hug.  My mom might tell me to get a haircut if it's like this guy's hair though.  Nice mullet!  Oh yeah! Business in the front, party in the back!  I got this from the church website. :)  I have fun sometimes.  I hope this made you laugh.  Laughing is healthy.

Before this life we lived with God.
After this life we will meet God.

This life is the ONLY TIME in our existence that we are separated from God.  We can feel him near when we pray.  We can feel His spirit when we read from the scriptures or when we are at church, but we are not physically with God.

Prone to wander Lord, I feel it; prone to leave the God I love.  Here's my heart, O take and seal it.  Seal it for thy courts above.

This is the chorus to one of my favorite songs, "Come thou Fount of Every Blessing."  As I wrote the title, I couldn't help but write the next line.  "tune my heart to seek thy grace."

check this out!                           

Come thou fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing thy grace
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount I'm fixed upon it
Mount of thy redeeming love

Here I raise my Ebenezer
Hither by thy help I come
And I hope by thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home

Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wondering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood

O to grace how great a debtor 

daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness like a fetter, 

bind my wandering heart to thee

CHORUS:

Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love!
Here's my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above!

My knowledge of the Plan of Salvation has helped me understand that I came here to receive a body and to make choices.  Although I am separated from my Heavenly Father for a time, I can feel him near me when I make righteous decisions.  When I make choices that my Heavenly Father would not want me to make, I feel separated from Him even more.  I feel I am as a sheep and "wander" from the fold of God.  I am so glad I have come to the knowledge of a Savior who gave his life, so I could get up, brush off, and try again to live a Christlike-life.   If YOU have ever felt like you have wandered from the fold of the Good Shepherd, then please... please know that you are loved and invited to come back.  There is a way back.  It is the only way back and I highly suggest it.  Seek out the Savior.  Learn what faith, repentance and forgiveness really are.  I know that the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real, and because of it, we can return to God again.

Alma says: God ceaseth not to be God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement; and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of God; and thus they are restored into his presence, to be judged according to their works, according to the law and justice.  (Alma 42:23)

We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.  (Articles of Faith 1:3)

All mankind includes you. :)  I invite you to listen to the Holy Ghost which God gives us because He loves us.  Listen to His promptings.  Listen to... the MISSIONARIES! :)  I love being a missionary.

This is my invitation to all.  God loves you.  Sometimes when life gets rough, it makes it harder to feel His love... but sometimes God allows life to get rough, so we can turn to Him... humble ourselves... and choose to trust Him in all things and feel of the love He has for us.  

If you feel "prone to wander," keep trying to come back.  You can.

We will meet God again.  Of this I testify, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

-Elder Matthew H. Hart

God's perfect plan

1 And now, my son, I perceive there is somewhat more which doth worry your mind, which ye cannot understand—which is concerning the justice of God in the punishment of the sinner; for ye do try to suppose that it is injustice that the sinner should be consigned to a state of misery.

 2 Now behold, my son, I will explain this thing unto thee. For behold, after the Lord God sent our first parents forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground, from whence they were taken—yea, he drew out the man, and he placed at the east end of the garden of Eden, cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the tree of life—

 3 Now, we see that the man had become as God, knowing good and evil; and lest he should put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat and live forever, the Lord God placed cherubim and the flaming sword, that he should not partake of the fruit—

 4 And thus we see, that there was a time granted unto man to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God.

 5 For behold, if Adam had put forth his hand immediately, and partaken of the tree of life, he would have lived forever, according to the word of God, having no space for repentance; yea, and also the word of God would have been void, and the great plan of salvation would have been frustrated.   Alma 42:1-5

I have been reading in Alma 42 lately.  I suggest you just read the whole chapter.  It's pretty deep, but if you study it out with a prayer to understand it, you will understand it.  (Alma chapter 42)  I'm learning how God's plan is perfect.  It links mercy and justice together perfectly.  Justice is not removed or slackened when mercy happens in His Plan.  He loves us and wants us to be in His kingdom after this life...
but God is  just.  "No unclean thing can enter into the kingdom of God" (Alma 40:26)

6 But behold, it was appointed unto man to die—therefore, as they were cut off from the tree of life they should be cut off from the face of the earth—and man became lost forever, yea, they became fallen man. (Alma 42:6)

We all sin.  God knew this.  John 3:16-17 says:
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Here's where it gets deep.

 13 Therefore, according to justice, the plan of redemption could not be brought about, only on conditions of repentance of men in this probationary state, yea, this preparatory state; for except it were for these conditions, mercy could not take effect except it should destroy the work of justice. Now the work of justice could not be destroyed; if so, God would cease to be God.

 14 And thus we see that all mankind were fallen, and they were in the grasp of justice; yea, the justice of God, which consigned them forever to be cut off from his presence.

 15 And now, the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also.

 16 Now, repentance could not come unto men except there were a punishment, which also was eternal as the life of the soul should be, affixed opposite to the plan of happiness, which was as eternal also as the life of the soul.

 17 Now, how could a man repent except he should sin? How could he sin if there was no law? How could there be a law save there was a punishment?

 22 But there is a law given, and a punishment affixed, and a repentance granted; which repentance, mercy claimeth; otherwise, justice claimeth the creature and executeth the law, and the law inflicteth the punishment; if not so, the works of justice would be destroyed, and God would cease to be God.

 23 But God ceaseth not to be God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement; and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of God; and thus they are restored into his presence, to be judged according to their works, according to the law and justice.

 24 For behold, justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are saved.

"so... what do I do?"

well, if you want happiness and eternal life...

REPENT!

oh and check out this scripture.  

Alma 7:14-16

God has a plan for us in this time we have to prepare to meet Him.  He has given us a way to make covenants with Him.  Baptism is our first covenant.  When we are baptized, we are washed clean from our sins and we promise to remember Him, to keep His commandments, and to always remember Him.  In return, we are promised to always have His spirit to be with us.  After we are baptized, we can receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. These ordinances must be done under the proper authority.  

God has given us opportunities to make more covenants with him than just baptism.  We can make covenants in places called temples.  A temple is literally the House of the Lord, and we can feel Him near when we prepare ourselves and enter in.

Here is the temple in Washington DC
I am so glad I am serving a mission here.  The visitors' center is awesome here and it has become my home away from home.  The feelings I have in the temple are those of peace, comfort, understanding, love, virtue and divine nature.

Here is one of my favorite songs from primary.  I sang this as a young boy and I sing it to this day.  I have a testimony of it.  The song testifies of our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ.

"I lived in Heaven"

There's nothing stressful about Jesus Christ

So as I started writing this blog post, I started writing about the stress that comes with being a missionary... but now I realize as I've finished my blog post, that it's more about how I have found peace from the scriptures.
If you are living a busy life like me, you are probably experiencing some sort of stress.
If you are a child of God (trust me on this, you are), then you can find peace in Jesus Christ.

What helps me is knowing that we are not alone.  Jesus promised his disciples,

 "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you."   

When I read that in my personal study, He is speaking to me and I feel my Savior's love.
St John 14:18   ...John 14:26-27 are also good.  Those verses talk about the Holy Ghost, which is how I feel my Savior's love often times.  :)

For some, stress might come and go while for others, it might be pretty consistent, but in this journey of life, it's pretty hard to miss the pit-stops of stress.

As a missionary, I experience stress.  Stress makes me tired, upset, worried, confused, anxious, and depressed.  Usually not all at once.  That would be bad.  My companion would have to call the mission president.

Sometimes it comes from what others say to me.

• I want to talk to people about the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Some people don't want to listen, others do want to listen, and then there are those who want to tell me what I'm doing is wrong, that I'm too young to be doing it, or I'm in the wrong community.  

• Sometimes my leaders say things to me that give me stress.  Sometimes that stress is needed for me to grow.  I can recognize that.  Usually we don't recognize it right away when they say the thing that makes us stressed.  When a leader says "You're not doing this right," or "You should be doing this instead of this," it is tough for me to handle in the moment.  Occasionally I can handle it then, especially if it is said with love, but usually understanding and growth comes from after I am cut down.

Sometimes it comes from what I do or do not. (as Yoda says).

• As a missionary, THERE'S SO MUCH TO DO AND KEEP TRACK OF!  It blows my mind how organized everything has to be.  Keeping up with the workload and assignments is tough sometimes, but I remember that it's the Lord's work, and it's not about me, and I keep going.

• I am somewhat of a worry-wart.  I am constantly forgetting where I put things I need, and I am constantly asking myself "Am I doing all I can to serve the Lord effectively?" Improvement doesn't come all at once and does not come without some sort of stress.  Improvement takes humility.

• I rely on the Lord to know what to say and ask to each person.  Each one of Heavenly Father's children are unique and their needs are different, but I know that whatever their needs may be, the Savior and His teachings will help everyone.

This is a scripture from the Book of Mormon that helps me understand that stress isn't a new concept in missionary work.
Alma was doing missionary work

27 Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success.

The next verse reminds me that I have it good.

29 And we have entered into their houses and taught them, and we have taught them in their streets; yea, and we have taught them upon their hills; and we have also entered into their temples and their synagogues and taught them; and we have been cast out, and mocked, and spit upon, and smote upon our cheeks; and we have been stoned, and taken and bound with strong cords, and cast into prison; and through the power and wisdom of God we have been delivered again.

I suppose these missionaries experienced more stress than I am having.  I am grateful for the stress I am going through.  I know there is a cause for it all.

30 And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some.

This is why I'm out here.  I really don't care what I have to go through.  It probably won't be as much as Alma, but if there's even just one.  One person.  One person I can help realize how he or she can return to live with God again... that would make me so happy.  Just one.
Doctrine and Covenants 18:15-16

I LOVE THE BOOK OF MORMON!  I am sharing my testimony of the Book of Mormon with as many people as I can, even if it might get a bit stressful. "Read this I pray thee" (Isaiah 29:12)
 

I am grateful that my trials are not as challenging as Alma's or as Jesus' or many other prophets and missionaries of old.  Whenever I get stressed out, I think, "Well, I haven't been cast into prison for preaching the gospel yet like these guys have in the Book of Mormon."

I don't know what you have gone through in your life, what you are going through, or what trials lie ahead for you, but I know someone who does.

Jesus Christ was there for us, He is there for us, and He will always be there for us. He knows what we're going through, WHATEVER it may be.

 11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

 12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

Alma 7:11-12 says that he DOES know all that we go through in this life individually so that he might know how to comfort us, and so that he could pay the price we could never pay for our sins.

He yearns to help us with his arms outstretched.  I love this scripture in Alma chapter 5 
 33 Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you.
Peace and rest come with accepting the Savior's invitation.
side effects may include being cast out, mocked, spit upon, smitten upon your cheeks, stoned, taken and bound, and cast into prison... nah just kidding! :)  ...but seriously... through the power and wisdom of God, you will be delivered from all side effects and stress.

I leave you with this last scripture that might trump all the other scriptures about easing stress.

St Matthew 11:28-30

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

I know that's truth.

Thank you for reading my blog post.  Merry Christmas! :)