One by One

One person at a time - recently at Stake Conference I remember sitting down to listen and thinking about the state of our world today. There is so much wrong. So many people are hurting and feeling unnoticed. The country is divided. I went to the conference hoping that there would be a glorious message shared as this meeting was 2 days before the election. I have changed a lot this past year. My mind has been opened and I have been prepared to hear a message that I should have been willing to hear and understand before. I listened to the messages in Stake Conference, but the only thing I can really remember is that it was said that change happens one by one; one person at a time.
I remember wondering about that message and how that could help. A couple days later I remember listening to the results of the election and feeling disappointment. The news that ensued was also discouraging. The division in our country was real and it wasn't going to be going away. I remember one thing that many shared on that day is that change happens in our homes. Change happens in our communities. Well, in my case, change happened in me. I realized that these sayings are really true! Somehow I needed to be able to make those changes on a level closer to home. It was nice to dream of being part a grander-scale event. But, the reality is that change happens one on one. The Savior knew that, and He lived that. That is what I need to do to. But, how to do it; that is the key.

This is something that my husband and I have struggled with so much, everywhere we go. We desire to help people, and we desire to love people. We have those same desires for our own needs, we want people to know how to help us, and we want people to love us. We try to do so many things to reach out, but no matter where we go, we never feel like we have made a real, lasting difference in anyone's life. We form friendships of sorts, but in the majority of cases, we continue to long for those deep, long-lasting relationships that are developed only when you truly know, understand, and love people as they really are, imperfections and all.

This was all brought to the front of my mind again today. I wanted to join with my family in the LDS Church's 25 Days in 25 ways challenge. (see link below) I love that this is to help us become like Christ. We listened to Elder Bednar and he shared that the goal isn't to think about Christ, or to even learn more about Him. The goal is to BECOME like Him by doing the kinds of things that He would do. That was really powerful to me. Day one is meant to be a "Day of Service". I was trying to think of ideas to do that my children could be part of. I wanted them each to be actually doing something with their hands that would help them to serve. But, most of all, I wanted it to be something that would be meaningful and not just fulfill a "put a smile on someone's face" need. (Although that is important too.) I guess I hope that those things are things that they and I are already doing - reaching out to talk to someone, saying hello, etc. I wanted this thing - whatever we chose - to be something that would help them to see a noticeable difference. I wanted them to see something transformed. My initial thought was picking up trash; they could all help with that, no matter their age. They would see the change in the area around them and know that they helped to transform it. But, it is too cold for that. Then someone mentioned maybe making "blessing bags" so that we would have something to hand out to people we meet on the street who are asking for help, or for homeless people. The idea was one that went right to my heart. I was excited to do this activity and knew that it would be meaningful to my children. I looked online to see some ideas of things to put inside and happened upon a blog of why they were not as helpful as people may think. There were some views shared by people who had been homeless, and somehow their words spoke to my heart. Really, as I read, what I saw is that people need things so much less than they need to be known. We can be doing all sorts of things for people and not really be helping them at all. If we truly want to help people, we need to know what they need. We can't just guess their needs by assessing them from a distance. It demands talking to them, humanizing them, and loving them. It means trusting them. No two people are the same. No two people have the same needs. There is no "one size fits all" way to help.

It reminded me of some things my husband and I read in the past as he was working on his master's degree. There was a study done with homeless people and what they found was that the thing keeping each person on the street was so different. Each individual's needs were unique. The thing I remember most of all is that the thing that would actually help each individual person to get off the street was different. As people were worked with one by one, and their real needs met, then there was success. Not just short-term success, but lasting real differences in these people's lives.

I remember years ago, when my husband and I were first married. We didn't have much at the time, but we gave some things away thinking that someone else needed them more than we did. A while later, we found that those things had been thrown away. It was hard for me because it had been given at a sacrifice to ourselves. It was a good lesson though because I learned that when I give a gift, I have to be okay with whether others use or get rid of it. I had to remember that I can't have stipulations on my gifts. But, I also learned that I don't feel like giving when I think that my sacrifice will go to waste. Still, there is a desire to help and to serve that we all have. I have reflected on that experience again and again and have come to the same conclusion; if I don't know what someone needs or wants, why would I think that my gift would really fill a need or want? If we want to truly bless someone's life, again, that takes knowing people on an individual basis. If we want to bless a family, we really have to know the whole family.


Our country has so many problems. But, I think that the thing that is saddest of all, is that the thing we are least willing to share with others is ourselves. In a country sense, we don't want our "hard earned money to go to waste". We don't want our money to pay for people's drugs and alcohol. We want people to not just feel entitled to money, etc. We want to put stipulations on how what we give is used; if we don't think it is practical, then they shouldn't want or need it.

It is so hard to let others know what we need or want. It makes us feel vulnerable. I suppose that when it all comes down to it, I really don't know how to find out what those needs are. I am guilty of not really sharing my own feelings or needs. I think we all feel so much need to put on a show, put on a happy face and seem like all is well when our lives are crumbling apart at the seams. I wonder how many people wouldn't ever reach the breaking point if only someone had known sooner and reached out to help. Many times we reach out and "help", but what we are doing isn't really helping. My heart aches for all the times I really should have known what was going on in the lives of the people around me. There are times I have judged people when I should have loved people. In this past conference there was a talk that said, "One of the most significant ways we can develop and demonstrate love for our neighbor is through being generous in our thoughts and words." (Sister Bingham - "I Will Bring the Light of the Gospel into My Home") I can't do much about the past, but I do know "it is never too late to do the right thing". (A campaign slogan that I like) I also know that the thing I can do from my end is be honest with those who ask - what do you need or want? I can share what my real, in the moment needs are. Sometimes those needs can't be filled, but hopefully if they can't, someone can mourn with me. Sometimes those needs will require sacrifice, but hopefully someone will feel that their sacrifices were worth it and made a difference. Sometimes those needs will be simple, but hopefully someone will still take the time because what may seem simple to someone else, may seem like a mountain to me. But, I hope and pray that I can truly learn how to know people enough that they can feel safe sharing those needs with me. I hope that they feel that I can see their individual worth. Hopefully I can look at them as the Savior does and see who they really are, children of God, and I need him as much as anyone else does. He loves each and every one of us. We are here to help lift and sustain each other. My goal this Christmas is to truly know Him and to become more like Him. I have a long way to go, but I know that it will be worth it.

As far as our service - I guess we are going to fill some boxes in our car with things that people we meet might need. If we find through asking that things are needed that we hadn't thought of before, I guess we can add to our supply. Then, we are going to ask them, and to the best of our ability, give them the things that will help them. 

https://www.mormon.org/?gclid=CMbU8tmu0dACFZtMDQods_YCOw&cid=99118680&s_kwcid=AL!3737!3!161993034132!b!!g!!%2B25%20%2Bdays%20%2Bways&ef_id=V7HNFwAABVnqJ8YO:20161130205503:s

Election Reflection

Things I have learned or that have been reaffirmed in my mind this election:

1. Freedom requires me using my voice to stand up and defend the things that I believe in. People standing up for what is right allows God to bless us as people and as a nation.

2. I need to personally study the Constitution and the Federalist Papers so that I can defend them.

3. Our respect as a nation for life must include ALL life and not just the lives of the unborn. This includes people of all nations, genders, and races; the young, the elderly, the disabled, the rich and the poor. God is no respecter of persons and neither should we be. Each and every person is valued of God

4. I need to seek out and promote with my voice people who are honest, wise and full of integrity to positions of leadership. I cannot stand silently by and hope for the best. I must help to make it happen.

5. I want a president who would be a president of the people, not a party president. The two party system brings division and corruption into our country. All voices are important and must be respected.

6. My vote is my voice and I should use it as such. It is through our varied voices that we truly understand where it is that we as a country stand and where we can find commonalities.

7. “It is never too late to do the right thing”. Sometimes standing up at the end seems to make very little difference or no difference at all, but if we never start, then change will never come.

8. I truly believe that although the candidate I voted for and defended did not win, I believe with all my heart that God will bless our country more because of his run for president. I saw people standing up all over the country in defense of that which is good, and right. Kindness instead of hatred was spoken. A vision for America was shared rather than a vision of division. For the first time in a long time, I saw people of all faiths, nationalities and backgrounds come together in defense of kindness, goodness and decency. I think that we as a country are better for it and that we will all be blessed by it.

Our next election for president is in four years from now and I know that from this point until then there has been a change in me. I will promote now what I want to see in four years. I will study the Constitution and defend and explain it to the best of my ability. I will try to be engaged and informed on decisions in my community and state. We should be proud to vote and proud of who we vote for. We should be voting for people full of integrity and the principles they stand for, not against them. This country is very blessed. We have an inspired Constitution and we as people need to understand and defend it that we can not only preserve the freedoms contained within it for our nation, but also so that it can be a light and a beacon of liberty to all nations. - Naomi

Common Core and Moral Relativism

Today was a fast Sunday for us. Even though ours was changed officially to next week, we wanted to fast before the election for the country. We also fasted about some other personal things. As we were talking after church we began to discuss some of the thoughts that we had in relation to the things we were fasting for. One of the things we are struggling with is Lilly and school.  We have struggled with her in relation to this before, but somehow she seems to trust her school teachers more than us. We try to teach her right and wrong, but somehow when her teacher's views contradict ours, it is really hard to get her to unlearn what they teach. We were talking about this today and how that is really the thing we need to empower her more with. We home schooled her last year so that we could get her a better foundation with which to come from and have more courage to stand up for the right and be better able to differentiate right from wrong.

One thing that has been on our minds and that we have been discussing a lot lately is moral relativism. It is interesting what an impact it has on our world today. In relation to that, John, specifically mentioned Common core. As we were talking about it we had a flash of understanding and realized a bit of what it is that we are fighting so hard against with public school attendance. That is common core. Common core teaches children subconsciously that there is no right or wrong. For example, when they have kids learn a new math problem they do not teach them how to successfully get an answer, or a "tried and true" method that they can rely on. They instead teach them a variety of different ways to get an answer. They "try" all sorts of different methods. The teacher doesn't care which method they use as long as they eventually get the right answer. Each child uses the method they like the best or that they feel is the best. But, we have found out that there actually is one method they do teach them as the "wrong" method, and that is the "tried and true" method, which is also the most effective and efficient method . For example, Lilly's teacher talked to us about how Lilly uses algorithms in her math (which we taught her). Then she pointed out that they don't teach it that way, but they decided to be okay for her to continue using it for a bit as long as she gets the right answer. But, they also made it clear that they are trying to move her away from that method because they say that the "old" way, does not result in understanding and that it isn't the "correct" way, etc. Essentially, any other way of doing things is okay and acceptable, except the old way.The biggest problem we have seen with this method though is that her mind can't comprehend exactly the why. She has been presented with sooo many different ways of solving 2+2 that sometimes she can't even come up with the right answer. Whereas, when we were teaching her to do things a certain way, the repetition created the understanding, and she always got the right answer and seemed to understand why it was the answer.

It kind of made us think a little bit about how our children are really being taught and submerged in an environment that teaches no "right" or "wrong". Anything is essentially acceptable as long as you know how you got the answer. We were thinking about this because Lilly was doing really well in school and then the past couple of weeks has started to struggle again. She doesn't seem to think that some of the things we have taught her are wrong are wrong. It is very hard to help a child that young to recognize the difference in the first place, and to have a teacher reinforce something different at school makes it especially difficult. It is an interesting world because at the same time, it is important to have understanding. All of our lives do not look the same, so there is something to be said of really understanding the reasoning and then finding what is best for you individually. As we follow God, real understanding strengthens our faith. Sometimes we never do come to real understanding unless we are willing to follow that "tried" and "true" path first without knowing the why and how. I think that most knowledge is that way.

When Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden of Eden, Adam made an offering to the Lord. He didn't know "why", he just knew what God had commanded him to do. That was the way he was shown. It wasn't until after he followed that he found out the reason behind it. But, first he was tested to see if he would follow. Then came the understanding. If he hadn't first obeyed, the understanding might never have come.

Truth is not "relative". There is real "truth". We truly can't always understand the things of God because his ways are much higher than our ways. Much of our path in life consists of walking by faith. But, he has shown us a "tried and true" path back to Him. If we follow it, we will surely get there. The truth is that we don't need to try out every other path or method to decide which one we like the best. The truth is that God presented a plan for us to return to Him. That plan provided us a Savior. That plan included giving us prophets and apostles to lead us back home to Him. The truth is that if we follow Him and His commandments, even when we don't totally understand the "Why" or "how", that we will be blessed. Sometimes understanding will come, sometimes it won't. But, the "truth" is that not understanding doesn't change the fact that the result will be right.

My life and my Religion are one and the Same

This election season has been one of great interest in so many ways. I truly believe that we need to be actively using our voices in support of and defense of people who are standing for good principles. I have felt compelled to do the little I can to join my voice with others in defending common decency and respect. As I have thought about our current situation, I have also found words of prophets and apostles that have resounded in my ears. I have shared these things knowing that some might feel like I am being judgmental. In our country today, so many voices have been silenced because people do not want to feel intolerant. Just because I share something does not mean I am intolerant. So, to people that feel that people are shaming others into voting a certain way by sharing the words of the prophets and the words of scripture, or that feel judged and attacked, to them I would say: My religion is the core of who I am. I believe that God has called prophets upon the earth. When I make decisions, I ALWAYS base my decisions upon their words because I truly believe that God speaks through them and that we as people will be BLESSED as we follow them. I base my decisions upon the words of scriptures, because I believe they are God’s words too. My view of the world is the view that God gave me through his prophets. I cannot separate any of my beliefs from who I am. They are part of me. They impact every part of my life. Everything I do relates to my religion and I think that is the way God intended it to be. I believe it to be truth. All truth comes with an unsaid understanding that if it is really true and truly comes from God, then it is universal truth. I believe it is. So, yes, I will use the words of prophets to persuade and guide and direct as God does. For, if no one will share them, how will we know them? At times, hearing a prophet's words has made me re-adjust my stance and my belief about what I should do. It has changed my path. But, I have never looked back and regretted following their words. Instead, my eyes were opened to see a multitude of blessings that I had not known were available, even when the path forward at times led to struggle. If they are true, we should embrace them, and know that blessings lay in store, no matter where that leads.

Religious freedom

Thoughts from the last few days--- Like I told everyone before, I have a lot of political opinions. :) But, today after having the same conversation for the third time about something, I realized that this is not about my political preferences anymore, for me it has become an issue of religious liberty. Now, why is that, you may ask? I realized that a huge part of why we are so afraid to participate in the political arena and to share our voices is because I believe we do not understand religious freedom. (Well, not a lot of us anyway, myself included). So many people are frustrated because voices haven't been heard. But, when people do make their voices heard, they are called all sorts of names and told they are judging and intolerant, or people insist that people are being pushy and trying to push their beliefs on others. I am not only talking in general, but also within the church (LDS, or Mormon, for those friends not of my religion). One of these examples for me has to do with at least 4 instances in the last few days where people, I am sure with good intentions, have posted that there is no evidence for a quote attributed to President Benson (a prophet): "If you vote for the lesser of two evils you are still voting for evil and you will be judged for it. You should always vote for the best possible candidate, whether they have a chance of winning or not, and then, even if the worst possible candidate wins, the Lord will bless our country more because more people were willing to stand up for what is right." Many people have shared this quote recently, I assume to help persuade others of principles they believe in. (That was my intention when I shared it, though I shared it many months ago.) Others have responded with articles claiming that it can't really be attributed to President Benson (though there is evidence that it was said by him in a private setting) and assuming that those who shared it in the first place shared as a way to insist that others were unrighteous for not following its words. What is puzzling to me though is the way that the members of this church are reacting to the sharing of this quote. Many feel that they are being judged. Others feel that they are being told they can't share things because it is judgemental and they are trying to throw the prophet's words in people's faces. I believe people share memes because the words contained embrace what they believe and it is a way to share those beliefs. That is the way it was for me. But, the words were true to me. Why can't I speak my truth? When we hear someone share quotes, do we immediately try to find out whether those quotes are accurately quoted, or do we see it as a sharing of part of who that person is and what they believe and embrace? Do we immediately try to shut down someone's beliefs, or do we try to have conversations to promote understanding? It is appropriate to share our own opposing views, but to tell someone they are not "allowed" to believe something is wrong. In this case, I think it takes away from the conversation and in a way is attacking their freedom of religion. They are free to believe what they want to believe, and you should not be telling them that their thoughts are not okay because you don't like it, that they can't believe it because it was not said over a pulpit, or that they can't share it because it is judgemental. Aren't we a church that seeks for truth everywhere? I believe those words, and the more I think about it, the truer I think they are. Who cares who said it? If I believe it, I believe it. If you don't, then you don't. It is true that as members of the church that if a prophet says something that it should hold more weight for us. Maybe that is the problem here, that somehow because for members of the church it should hold more weight, people are getting upset due to their own disagreement of it. Maybe they feel they need a justification for their disagreement? "It can't be true because then I would be wrong" mentality. Aren't we in a church where we seek for truth and where when we find it, we are expected to change? I don't think anyone has a problem with people coming to different conclusions from their own study, but to tell me my beliefs aren't worth considering and can't truly be my beliefs because "a prophet didn't say them over the pulpit," I believe is harmful. Instead, why don't we find out why people believe what they believe? Let's consider the views of others. Then if we disagree, let's share our own, opposing thoughts. This is the way we can open up the lines of communication for understanding on both sides. It allows for freedom of religion on both sides, which means the freedom to express our views in the public square. I think the same would be important in our church settings. Let's stop invalidating people's beliefs because they do not match our own. I am as guilty as the next person of that, but i know that the conversations of the last few days have given me pause. I believe freedom of religion is one of our basic rights. It is part of who we are; really the core of who we are as individuals. I want that right for myself respected and I will fight for that right for others. Aren't those claiming the quote isn't valid since not said over a pulpit in a way trying to justify that the principles contained therein are false? Since it wasn't said in an official setting, does that mean that the words are any less true? Why are people trying to tell me that my beliefs "aren't real" or that they "can't be my beliefs" or "can't be true"? Is it maybe because they don't want them to be true? Is it because they feel like I am insinuating that the principles apply to everyone? It seems to me that religion in general believes that there are universal truths that apply to everyone and that acting according to these truths improves the quality of an individual's existence and knowing them gives them hope through hard times. Thus, religious beliefs are shared with the intent to help others to improve the quality of their existence. This sharing is a key component of religious freedom. So, for me, after finding out where the quote came from, and realizing that it was not said in a formal setting, over the pulpit, I thought about its truthfulness, regardless of its source. I looked at the words and wondered if they were true and after thinking for a long time about it, decided that I still believed they were. As far as my political positions, I wondered how I should vote and what effect that would have. This was months before Evan McMullin even became a candidate. Because I had seriously studied Trump's history and the possible implications of his presidency, I knew that I needed to find a third party candidate that I could get behind. To me, belief in those words gave me hope again. Hope that our country, though seemingly morally deficient, could still have the hand of God blessing it if people would stand up and use their voices, or their votes to support what is right. I believe that if we follow this truth that we can look to God and expect his blessings. If these words are true, then those blessings coming upon our nation will also be true, and I believe that they are.

Your Knowledge is Perfect in that thing...

Recently we returned from a family trip. As often happens, when we arrived home, I was blessed to hear the same lesson in Relief Society that I had heard the week before. This particular lesson had brought some thoughts to my mind, and because of the repeat lesson, those same thoughts came twice, only the second time with more clarification. We were discussing the last chapter in The "Teachings of Presidents of the Church" manual regarding the teachings of Ezra Taft Benson.  The topic was, "A Christ-Centered Life". The teacher was reading the scripture 2 Peter 1:5-7 which says, “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge..." I didn't listen to the rest because the words I had just heard struck me.  Other times I had heard these as a list of qualities that were important for us each to gain, but this particular time, I saw them as steps, purposefully listed in an order, that if followed would allow us to gain each one. Each attribute seemed to be built upon the foundation of the one before.  Often we talk about knowledge and the importance of learning all we can, both spiritual and secular. These particular Sundays this "knowledge" being discussed, seemed to be talking about "knowledge" as a certainty of gospel things,as opposed to learning in general. The connection started to come together in my mind that to truly "know" and come to a certainty about gospel truths I needed to do these things in order. I needed to start with faith; I needed to first believe. As it says in Alma chapter 32, we need to plant the seed in our hearts to find out whether or not something is true.  Alma 32:26 says, "ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge". We must first "give place for a portion" of Gods words.

Virtue became the next step and I pondered how exactly it fit in. I saw the place of virtue as us choosing to become more like God, especially in our thoughts. Us trusting that He is there as well as purifying our thoughts and actions so that the Spirit can speak and testify to us. I again thought about Alma 32 and what we are taught there.  In chapter 32:38 Alma continues with, "if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord". This verified that we needed to be in a place that we could feel and understand the Spirit if we wanted to increase in knowledge. To hear and understand the spirit, our lives must be filled with virtue. It became clear to me that sometimes I am not given the knowledge I seek because I am missing virtue as one of the important steps to receiving that knowledge.    

The next step is knowledge.  My mind again turned to a scripture in Alma where it says, "yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing".  Knowledge, true gospel knowledge, although it does take work on our part, comes, I believe from these scriptures, as a natural bi-product of our faith and virtue.  As Alma teaches, we first need faith, and then we need to be open to the Spirit (or have virtue), and then that knowledge will come.  Not perfect in all parts of the gospel, but our "knowledge is perfect in that thing" in which we exercised our faith.  What a blessing that is.  There are so many things that I can look back on in my life and I know for a certainty. I know for certain because I have seen the evidence and felt the Spirit testify to me in ways I cannot deny. There are other things that I do not yet know, but I trust that as I move forward in this same way and better align my life with God, that a knowledge of those things will come.  It doesn't really talk about knowledge anymore in that chapter of Alma, but I see the tree as perhaps a compilation of all of our knowledge eventually becoming perfected. In 2 Peter 1:8, right after it finished listing those attributes, it says, "For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ." Even though Alma doesn't mention knowledge again, I love that this scripture in Peter takes it all right back to Alma's analogy. If we make these attributes a part of our lives, then we will not be "unfruitful in the knowledge of the Lord".  What a beautiful promise!

As I looked back to 2 Peter and read through the rest of the list, it struck me that charity is listed last. I have been blessed at times in my life with some of these attributes without much work on my part. Other times, I have had to work hard to have those blessings in my life, especially charity. I now know what things I can do, and what steps I can take to help me get there.