"To walk with God, no strength is lost. Walk on.
To talk with God, no breath is lost. Talk on.
To wait on God, no time is lost. Wait on."
-James Hudson Taylor
"God does not begin by asking us about our ABILITY
but only about our AVAILABILITY and if we then prove our DEPENDABILITY He will increase our CAPABILITY." - Elder Neal A. Maxwell
God always qualifies those whom He calls. We have each been given abilities and talents and gifts that our Heavenly Father has given to us simply because He loves us. As we use those gifts and talents and abilities in the ways that He intends for them to be used, He will increase the ways in which we can use them and He will give us more and more capacity to accomplish all that we desire to do and all that He has in store for us.
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:5,6)
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Friday, August 29, 2014
Eyes to See
I like my eyes. They're pretty important to me. They're brown; nothing crazy. Yet it is because of my eyes that I can read my favorite stories. I can read music. I love colors and patterns. I enjoy watching the leaves dance on a peaceful autumn day.
Someday I hope to be able to see Christ and witness His glory and light.
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind..." (Luke 4:18)
Ears. They look sort of funny. However, they allow me to hear a cello - one of my favorite instruments. I love to listen to my siblings giggle over some newfound joke or silly movie. I enjoy listening to the sound of the crickets chirping away outside my window. Thunderstorms are another favorite sound.
Someday I hope to hear Christ's voice say to me, "...Well done, thou good and faithful servant..."
"...I would that ye should remember to retain [Christ's] name written always in your hearts...that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you." (Mosiah 5:12)
My hands are essential to playing the piano. It is one of my favorite pastimes and always brings me joy, peace, and happiness. I can feel the piano keys because of my hands. I can play with my sisters' hair because I have fingers.
Someday I'll be able to feel my Savior's hands and feet and side and witness that He is the Redeemer of the world.
"And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come." (3 Nephi 11:15)
All three senses - sight, sound, and touch - were used when the people came to know for themselves who Christ was. They heard His voice speak to them and call them by name. They heard Him pray for them. "...and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father." (3 Nephi 17:17) They felt the wounds in His hands and in His feet and in His side. They saw His face, the light and glory that surrounded Him and they "[bore] record, that it was he..."
God has made it possible for us to know that He truly did send His Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth to suffer and die for us. How miraculous and wonderful is that?? He has made this possible by allowing us to feel the influence of the Holy Ghost. In Galatians 5:22, 23 we are told what we will feel when the Holy Ghost is with us and when it is testifying of truth: "...love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance..." Everyone of those feelings is from God for "...that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually..." (Moroni 7:13)
When we feel the Holy Spirit, we can know that what we are hearing is true. When we know that what we are hearing or seeing or feeling is true then we had better be quick to act on that prompting!
In Doctrine and Covenants 8:2, the Lord told Oliver Cowdery, "Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart." We may not be able to see Christ but we can certainly know logically and intellectually and spiritually that He is our Savior. We will feel it in our heart. We will know that it is true in our mind. Once we know that, our task is to endure to the end. The prophet Nephi says, "Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." (2 Nephi 31:20) And John 17:3 states, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
Someday, we will stand before God and Christ. We will know Them and recognize Them. That is inevitable. It will happen as surely as I type this. We can stand before Christ and then fall at His feet just as Thomas did, joyfully exclaiming, "My Lord and my God!" That will only happen, however, if we are doing all we can in this life to prepare to meet God, to know the Father and the Son, to see the light of Christ enter into our life and change it for the good. True joy will only be felt as we seek to know God and Christ mentally, intellectually, and spiritually.
Someday we will see our Savior, we will hear His voice calling us by name, and we will have the opportunity to feel the prints of the nails in His hands and in His feet. Until then, may we continually have eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart open to the feelings and promptings of the Holy Ghost. Let us seek to continually feel the Spirit in our lives that we may hear the Spirit bearing record that He is Christ, the Son of God and thus know that someday, we will see Him.
Someday I hope to be able to see Christ and witness His glory and light.
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind..." (Luke 4:18)
Ears. They look sort of funny. However, they allow me to hear a cello - one of my favorite instruments. I love to listen to my siblings giggle over some newfound joke or silly movie. I enjoy listening to the sound of the crickets chirping away outside my window. Thunderstorms are another favorite sound.
Someday I hope to hear Christ's voice say to me, "...Well done, thou good and faithful servant..."
"...I would that ye should remember to retain [Christ's] name written always in your hearts...that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you." (Mosiah 5:12)
My hands are essential to playing the piano. It is one of my favorite pastimes and always brings me joy, peace, and happiness. I can feel the piano keys because of my hands. I can play with my sisters' hair because I have fingers.
Someday I'll be able to feel my Savior's hands and feet and side and witness that He is the Redeemer of the world."And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come." (3 Nephi 11:15)
All three senses - sight, sound, and touch - were used when the people came to know for themselves who Christ was. They heard His voice speak to them and call them by name. They heard Him pray for them. "...and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father." (3 Nephi 17:17) They felt the wounds in His hands and in His feet and in His side. They saw His face, the light and glory that surrounded Him and they "[bore] record, that it was he..."
God has made it possible for us to know that He truly did send His Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth to suffer and die for us. How miraculous and wonderful is that?? He has made this possible by allowing us to feel the influence of the Holy Ghost. In Galatians 5:22, 23 we are told what we will feel when the Holy Ghost is with us and when it is testifying of truth: "...love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance..." Everyone of those feelings is from God for "...that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually..." (Moroni 7:13)
When we feel the Holy Spirit, we can know that what we are hearing is true. When we know that what we are hearing or seeing or feeling is true then we had better be quick to act on that prompting!
In Doctrine and Covenants 8:2, the Lord told Oliver Cowdery, "Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart." We may not be able to see Christ but we can certainly know logically and intellectually and spiritually that He is our Savior. We will feel it in our heart. We will know that it is true in our mind. Once we know that, our task is to endure to the end. The prophet Nephi says, "Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." (2 Nephi 31:20) And John 17:3 states, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
Someday, we will stand before God and Christ. We will know Them and recognize Them. That is inevitable. It will happen as surely as I type this. We can stand before Christ and then fall at His feet just as Thomas did, joyfully exclaiming, "My Lord and my God!" That will only happen, however, if we are doing all we can in this life to prepare to meet God, to know the Father and the Son, to see the light of Christ enter into our life and change it for the good. True joy will only be felt as we seek to know God and Christ mentally, intellectually, and spiritually.
Someday we will see our Savior, we will hear His voice calling us by name, and we will have the opportunity to feel the prints of the nails in His hands and in His feet. Until then, may we continually have eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart open to the feelings and promptings of the Holy Ghost. Let us seek to continually feel the Spirit in our lives that we may hear the Spirit bearing record that He is Christ, the Son of God and thus know that someday, we will see Him.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Light Entered In
Throughout our lives - and especially on our missions - we learn to follow the voice of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes that voice is a ray of sunshine that illuminates the path we are to take. Occasionally it will be persistent but most of the time it is a quiet whispering, a peaceful and gentle feeling, an impression on our mind and in our heart.
Just the other day, my companion and I were crossing a little street in Virginia. I was pondering and praying about where the Lord needed us to go for the last half hour of our evening. We had planned on visiting a couple of people but somehow that didn't feel right. The name of a woman in our ward came into my mind. I brushed it away because we had visited her home the night before and a couple of nights before that. Both times, no one had answered the door.
Her name continued to float its way into my mind. Finally I voiced my thoughts to my companion and after some discussion we decided that this was, indeed, the word of the Lord coming to me. We drove for several minutes and finally stopped in front of her home.
I prayed desperately that something would happen so that this wouldn't end up being a complete waste of our time and so that I would know if this had been an actual prompting of the Spirit.
We knocked and the door opened! The Lord had heard my prayer. He had also shown me that miracles would happen IF I was willing to act on any and all promptings that I might receive no matter how crazy or outlandish they seemed to be.
In General Conference, October 2007, Elder Richard G. Scott said, "The best way of finding truth is simply to go to the origin of all truth and ask or respond to inspiration." ("Truth: The Foundation of Correct Decisions")
Simply put: get on your knees and pray and then get onto your feet and act.
Faith is a principle of action and power. On page 641 of the Bible Dictionary, it states, "Faith in Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel and is more than belief, since true faith always moves its possessor to some kind of physical and mental action..." That means that, like James said, "...faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." (James 2:17) If we are not acting on the belief that we have, we will begin to lose it.
I prayed for help to exercise faith. I was scared and didn't know if I was doing the right thing when we knocked on that sister's door. Yet as we act, just like the sun after a storm, light enters in and helps us to recognize that the Lord will never lead us astray. In fact, His Spirit will only direct
us in paths of truth and righteousness as we act on the faith that we already have.
Just the other day, my companion and I were crossing a little street in Virginia. I was pondering and praying about where the Lord needed us to go for the last half hour of our evening. We had planned on visiting a couple of people but somehow that didn't feel right. The name of a woman in our ward came into my mind. I brushed it away because we had visited her home the night before and a couple of nights before that. Both times, no one had answered the door.
Her name continued to float its way into my mind. Finally I voiced my thoughts to my companion and after some discussion we decided that this was, indeed, the word of the Lord coming to me. We drove for several minutes and finally stopped in front of her home.
I prayed desperately that something would happen so that this wouldn't end up being a complete waste of our time and so that I would know if this had been an actual prompting of the Spirit.
We knocked and the door opened! The Lord had heard my prayer. He had also shown me that miracles would happen IF I was willing to act on any and all promptings that I might receive no matter how crazy or outlandish they seemed to be.
In General Conference, October 2007, Elder Richard G. Scott said, "The best way of finding truth is simply to go to the origin of all truth and ask or respond to inspiration." ("Truth: The Foundation of Correct Decisions")
Simply put: get on your knees and pray and then get onto your feet and act.
Faith is a principle of action and power. On page 641 of the Bible Dictionary, it states, "Faith in Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel and is more than belief, since true faith always moves its possessor to some kind of physical and mental action..." That means that, like James said, "...faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." (James 2:17) If we are not acting on the belief that we have, we will begin to lose it.
I prayed for help to exercise faith. I was scared and didn't know if I was doing the right thing when we knocked on that sister's door. Yet as we act, just like the sun after a storm, light enters in and helps us to recognize that the Lord will never lead us astray. In fact, His Spirit will only direct
us in paths of truth and righteousness as we act on the faith that we already have.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
My Personal Discipleship - Never Look Back
"...our personal descipleship will not be judged by friends or foes. Rather...at that day the important question for each of us will be, 'What thinks Christ of me?'" (Elder Neil L. Andersen, "What Thinks Christ of Me?" Ensign, May 2012)
CALLED TO SERVE
Over a year ago I received a large white envelope in the mail. The return address was Salt Lake City. When I opened it I read the words, "“Dear Sister Herring: You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Washington DC South Mission.”
I had never been back East. I didn't know what to expect except the heat and humidity. Yet the moment I read those words, "Washington DC South Mission," I knew that was where the Lord needed me to be. There were people whom I would have the privilege of teaching and serving and helping. There would be plenty of lessons for me to learn. There were going to be so many opportunities for me to strengthen my testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to become more fully converted and help others do the same. This was going to be the time of my life!
I went to the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Utah and from there to Northern Virginia. I met my companion and we drove for about an hour to get to my first area.
Within the span of the first 24 hours, I was already wondering if I was going to make it to 18 months. I was scared to talk to anyone, I didn't know what to say or what scriptures to share and I was afraid that everyone hated me. I felt ridiculous at times.
As I kept meeting people and learning more about the teachings of Jesus Christ, my confidence grew and I continued to become more and more happy as I saw others come closer to Christ as they felt the Holy Spirit.
THE FIRST GREAT ADVENTURE
Six weeks after coming to Virginia, my companion and I were in the middle of our nightly prayers. The phone began its shrill ringing that always made me want to throw it when it woke me up in the morning. I was the closest to the phone and so I flopped onto the floor next to where it was charging. "Hello, this is Sister Herring and Sister Bell!"
"Sister Herring! Are you ready to train [a new missionary]?"
My companion leaped over to where I was lying on the floor and I numbly handed it to her. I put my head in my arms and cried.
That week I went to our meeting where we get new companions and are transferred to different areas around the mission. I waited anxiously, praying that the Lord would help me because I had no idea what I was doing.
When I saw my mission president driving up with the new missionaries my panic began to increase. President walked up my trainer and I and said, "Sister Herring, how are you feeling?" I couldn't say anything. I was close to tears. I finally choked out the word "Terrified." President looked at me and said, "Sister Herring, when you walk in those doors you can't show your fear. Those new missionaries are going to look at you as an example and you can't show that you are afraid. Walk in, put on a smile. The Lord will help you."
So I did.
I've never regretted it.
CALLED TO SERVE
Over a year ago I received a large white envelope in the mail. The return address was Salt Lake City. When I opened it I read the words, "“Dear Sister Herring: You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Washington DC South Mission.”
I had never been back East. I didn't know what to expect except the heat and humidity. Yet the moment I read those words, "Washington DC South Mission," I knew that was where the Lord needed me to be. There were people whom I would have the privilege of teaching and serving and helping. There would be plenty of lessons for me to learn. There were going to be so many opportunities for me to strengthen my testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to become more fully converted and help others do the same. This was going to be the time of my life!I went to the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Utah and from there to Northern Virginia. I met my companion and we drove for about an hour to get to my first area.
Within the span of the first 24 hours, I was already wondering if I was going to make it to 18 months. I was scared to talk to anyone, I didn't know what to say or what scriptures to share and I was afraid that everyone hated me. I felt ridiculous at times.
As I kept meeting people and learning more about the teachings of Jesus Christ, my confidence grew and I continued to become more and more happy as I saw others come closer to Christ as they felt the Holy Spirit.
THE FIRST GREAT ADVENTURE
Six weeks after coming to Virginia, my companion and I were in the middle of our nightly prayers. The phone began its shrill ringing that always made me want to throw it when it woke me up in the morning. I was the closest to the phone and so I flopped onto the floor next to where it was charging. "Hello, this is Sister Herring and Sister Bell!"
"Sister Herring! Are you ready to train [a new missionary]?"
My companion leaped over to where I was lying on the floor and I numbly handed it to her. I put my head in my arms and cried.
That week I went to our meeting where we get new companions and are transferred to different areas around the mission. I waited anxiously, praying that the Lord would help me because I had no idea what I was doing.
When I saw my mission president driving up with the new missionaries my panic began to increase. President walked up my trainer and I and said, "Sister Herring, how are you feeling?" I couldn't say anything. I was close to tears. I finally choked out the word "Terrified." President looked at me and said, "Sister Herring, when you walk in those doors you can't show your fear. Those new missionaries are going to look at you as an example and you can't show that you are afraid. Walk in, put on a smile. The Lord will help you."
I've never regretted it.
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