On Itchy Eyes and Temptations

I have allergies, especially in Oregon--everything grows here and there's a ton of pollen. Most of the time my allergies are fine. I really only have difficulties when I'm doing yard work or spending a lot of time outside. Congestion, watery eyes, itchy throat, the whole nine yards. Fun stuff.

Well, the other day, our ward was doing a service project: cleaning up and landscaping a cemetery. There were about 3 lawnmowers and 5 weed eaters going all around me. I was raking up the grass and the weeds that had been mowed/clipped. There was one moment when my companion was right next to me with a weed eater when the wind blew a little bit, and a bunch of grass clippings hit me in the face. I sneezed a couple of times, which was fine. But then my eyes started itching like crazy.

I was so tempted to rub my eyes to scratch them. It itched so much! The temptation was almost too strong. But I knew that if I rubbed them, they'd just get even itchier and I'd have to keep rubbing them and pretty soon they'd be really puffy and sore from all the itching and rubbing. So I used all my willpower to keep my hands away from my eyes.

In that situation, when my weakness was being attacked from all sides--I was surrounded by weed eaters and breezes--I was very aware of my temptation. I made a specific effort not to give in to that temptation because I knew of the lasting effects. But as I go about on a day-to-day basis, when I'm not in a situation where I'm being consciously attacked like that, I catch myself rubbing my eyes sometimes. I don't even think about it--my hands automatically go up to rub my eyes whenever they itch.

This illustration is kind of like facing temptations in our lives. Sometimes we'll have days when Satan is attacking us from all sides--sending forth his "mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind"--and the temptation to give in--to scratch the metaphorical itch--is so strong (Helaman 5:12). Perhaps even more dangerous are the day-to-day temptations, when your eyes start itching and you don't even realize it; it's so easy to give in if you're not consciously aware of the seemingly small temptations all around you.

Satan leads us "by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he [binds us] with his strong cords forever" (2 Nephi 26:22). I don't know if you've ever seen a flaxen cord, but it's really thin, almost like a piece of thread. If someone put a flaxen cord around your neck and tried to lead you away with it, all you'd have to do is stand firm and the cord would break. But as soon as you take a step, Satan can wrap another little strand around you. He works with small, simple temptations to add one tiny cord at a time, until eventually, you're all wrapped up. Those little flaxen cords become raveled up together until they form strong ropes.

So when you notice your eyes itch a little bit, don't scratch them. Be aware. Rely on the Savior--He's better than Zyrtec. Use your willpower and call upon God for help. If you give in once, it'll just itch more, and it's so much harder to get out of that trap. Don't let the adversary bind you up with one little metaphorical itch. 

Overcoming the World, Part II: On Doubts & Faith

I wrote a blog post a few weeks ago about the moral challenges in our modern society. I'd like to do a follow-up and focus on something a little more specific.

Something that really bothers me is the fact that society values a declaration of weakness more than a magnification of strength. It seems like an especially common occurrence is people declaring holding their doubts in higher regards than their faith (I call it the "I don't believe in anything because I question everything and the fact that I ask so many questions and think so logically means that I'm really smart so basically I don't believe in anything because I'm really smart" mentality). Yes, people have doubts. That's natural. But clinging to those doubts and uncertainties will strangle your faith. 

(Cheesy analogy time!) It's like you have two little wolves inside you--a black one (your doubts) and a white one (your faith). You get to feed whichever one you choose to feed. The one you pay more attention to will eat, grow, and eventually fight the other wolf off. The fight is inevitable--we all have faith-testing moments--and the decision you make now on whom to feed will determine the outcome.

Just something to consider.

This is a struggle I've had. It's a struggle I still face sometimes. It's not easy to re-train your mind to focus on faith rather than doubts. It is easy to tell yourself that you don't know about this, so you can't be sure about that, and when it all comes down to it you'd just be kidding yourself if you said you actually believed in anything. 

Stop it.

Look at things the other way. Start from the other end of the stick--begin with the things you do know to be true. "When problems come and questions arise, do not start your quest for faith by saying how much you do not have, leading as it were with your 'unbelief.' ... I am not asking you to pretend to faith you do not have. I am asking you to be true to the faith you do have. Sometimes we act as if an honest declaration of doubt is a higher manifestation of moral courage than is an honest declaration of faith. It is not!" ("Lord, I Believe," Elder Jeffrey R. Holland)

Why does this matter? Because doubts don't bring you happiness. They don't bring you peace of mind or strength in hard times. Faith does. Excessive doubting does nothing but confuse, upset, and drain you mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. 

Questions are good. Ask them. "It’s natural to have questions—the acorn of honest inquiry has often sprouted and matured into a great oak of understanding. ... Please, first doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith" ("Come, Join With Us," President Dieter F. Uchtdorf). Accept the answers you find. Hold to them. Build upon them. Feed your faith.

I promise, you'll be happier. Give it a shot.

(Reference: Alma 32, The Book of Mormon)

How to Become Spiritually Self-Sufficient

Because let's face it, we've all felt that gaping void of emptiness inside ourselves at some point. You may or may not even be consciously aware of that internal, spiritual/emotional hole, but once you fill it, your quality of life will improve tenfold. Here are some simple steps to find life-enriching spiritual well being. (And click on the links!)

1. Gain an understanding of God. Learn who He is and what He is like.

2. Learn how God works among His children. He works in patterns because He is unchanging; gain an understanding, follow His instructions, and you'll be fine.

3. Gain an understanding of God's eternal plan for us. It really puts things in perspective.

4. Develop good habits. Learn to nourish your spirit like you would your body.

Simple as that.

Test it out, I dare you. Tell me how it goes, and let me know if you have any questions or need any help with any of this. Happy trails, friends!

Overcoming the World

I want you to take a moment and look at the world. Look at the state it's in. Look at everything that's going on.

...crazy, right?

Morals are being compromised at an alarming rate. Things that never used to be okay are now considered normal. Here's one example (please forgive the accuracy of the following statistics--I'm going from secondhand information because I can't use Google): about 100 years ago, committing adultery was still considered a crime in the United States, subject to substantial fine or even jail sentence. And now, something like 60% of couples cohabit before they're married, which is, in effect, committing adultery. If the same rules from 100 years ago still applied, 60% of couples in the US would be in jail right now.

Think about that for a second.

Moral values in this world have changed drastically. Do you really think that morality has changed, or man's perception of morality? I don't know about any of you, but I believe in eternal Truth. Right and Wrong are concrete; they don't change. God's rules don't change because of what His rebellious children think they want to do.

A lot of these things in the world today are poisonous. There's some seriously harmful stuff out there. I think one of the greatest tasks of mortality is to learn to overcome these negative moral influences--to rise above the "world," so to speak.

I'm reminded of a story from the Old Testament. When Moses was leading the Israelites through the wilderness, they came across some fiery serpents (poisonous snakes) that started biting people. Moses asked the Lord what to do, and under His direction, "Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived" (Numbers 21:9). All the people had to do was look at a brass snake and they would be healed of all their afflictions. They just had to look, and they would be able to overcome this trial of the world. 

I don't know about you, but if I were one of the Israelites, I would be looking at that snake about like this.

That brass serpent was a symbol of Christ. If we look to Him--if we stick to the moral guidelines and strive to live the teachings that Christ gave us--we would be build upon a solid moral foundation. We would be okay when the world hit us from every direction. "...Remember, remember, that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall" (Helaman 5:12, Book of Mormon).

As we look to Christ, we can overcome the world. As we embrace Him and His teachings, we can not only rise above many temptations and negative influences, but we can find peace and joy from His love.

Embrace the brass serpent.

(I know, it's a stretch, but I wanted to show off the snake I caught...)

Friends, I know how important it is to stand on high moral ground in this stormy world we live in. I promise, you can find much more happiness here than you can anywhere else. I know because I've looked elsewhere--I've checked out both sides of this--and the other side has nothing you want. If you want to find lasting joy in this world of instant gratification, send me a message or a letter. I can help you. Promise.

Thoughts on a Hard Day

You know, sometimes being a missionary is really hard. It's hard when people reject what we have to offer them, door after door after door. It's really hard when people accept what we teach them and then don't do anything about it, therefore giving up the happiness and blessings they could have. It's ridiculously hard when every appointment we have falls through and we end up wandering aimlessly, feeling like we're not fulfilling our purpose. It's really hard to feel lost and confused. It's hard to feel homesick. It's hard to feel alone.

(And since I recognize that people other than missionaries have problems too...)

It's hard to lose your job. It's hard to fail a class. It's hard to lose a loved one or to watch someone else suffer a loss. It's hard to be sick. It's hard to watch people struggle with illness. It's hard to lose your home. It's hard to lose your friends. There are so many things in life that are just... hard.

Heavenly Father doesn't like to see us struggle. He doesn't like it when we're hurting or facing hard things. He will provide the help that any Father would in times of need--provide words of comfort, be a shoulder to cry on, make other things in life a little bit easier for us--but He will not take our trials away from us.

And that is one of the greatest gifts He gives to us.

God has different things in store for us than we have for ourselves. And sometimes it can be really hard.

(Photo credit: Sister Hallie Hillner, OEM)

Sometimes our problems don't have solutions; sometimes our questions don't have answers. Sometimes the only option is just to suffer through things until they pass. But what a blessing it is to know that we don't have to do it alone! The Solution and the Answer is in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon sheds some light:

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. 

13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

(Alma 7:11-13) 

Christ felt all of our pains, sicknesses, sins, troubles, and trials. He knows how we feel, so He can give us the comfort we seek. Something I'm coming to learn about the Atonement of Christ is that it's not a magic cure-all to every problem we have; He won't take away our suffering. But He will provide comfort and added strength as we come unto Him and rely on Him. He will let us know that even though things are hard, we're not alone. Sometimes that's the only thing He has to offer.

And sometimes that's enough.

What gets you through hard times?

If you are having a hard time and you want to talk about it, feel free to send me a message. If you want to know how the gospel can help you, I'd love to teach you. Again, just shoot me a message.

Watch Your Words!

Since I'm a sister missionary and sister missionaries are totally adorable, I've learned a few tricks for teaching things to kids so they can remember what we talk about. We have these little hand signals for each of the Ten Commandments so that kids can learn them in the order they were given. One of my favorites is the signal for the third commandment, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." The signal is to use 3 fingers (since it's the third commandment) and put them over your lips, like this: 

To help little kids understand what this commandment means, we tell them to "Watch your words!" No swearing or taking God's name in vain. I never really thought this commandment was a huge deal, but I have come to see lately how important it is that we watch our words. You can tell a lot about a person's character by the way they speak.

In Matthew, some Pharisees were mocking Jesus and His apostles because they were eating without having washed their hands. They claimed that Christ's apostles were unclean because of it--they discredited the Apostles' character. Christ taught a bit of valuable truth to them:

17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.
 (Matthew 15:17-20)

Heavenly Father gave us this commandment to help us develop good character. (And if there's one thing this world needs, it's people of character.) The things that come out of our mouths define us. Our words reflect our hearts. The things we say--and think--determine our actions. Our actions become habits. And our habits develop into our character. 

What do your words say about your character?

Have You Ever Wondered?

I'm sure that most of you have seen Mormon missionaries walking/biking around town. Have you ever wondered what they're doing?

Some of you have probably had missionaries knock on your door. You likely told them you weren't interested in what they had to say. You probably said something along the lines of, "I'm comfortable with the church I go to now," or , "I don't like discussing religion with people." Or, my personal favorite: "I don't believe in your religion."

Have you ever wondered what they had to say?

Think about it for a minute. These 18 and 19 and 20-year-old boys and girls are standing on your doorstep. You ask them where they're from (because that's the first question everyone always asks) and you realize that they're far from home. These young adults leave behind everything--school, work, family, friends, dating, everything they know--for 18-24 months to share something with other people. They do this of their own free will with no expectation of compensation; missionaries actually pay to do what they do. They pay around $10,000 to leave everything familiar behind for a year and a half or two years to knock on your door--a total stranger to them--and tell you about something they hold dear. A book. A prophet. A Savior. A plan.

If these young people make such sacrifices to have extremely awkward moments--and believe me, you have some really uncomfortable experiences as a missionary--in the hopes of sharing something they hold to be very valuable and life-changing, don't you think it would be worth your time to hear them out?

Next time you see some Mormon missionaries out and about, think of your old friend Rachel. That's exactly what I'm doing right now in Oregon. So however you would treat me, I want you to do the same for any missionaries you see. Hear them out. See what they have to say. 

You never know, it just might change your life.