- Each of us has problems that we cannot solve and weakness that we cannot conquer without reaching out through prayer to a higher source of strength. That source is the God of heaven to whom we pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
- First, prayer is a humble acknowledgement that God is our Father and that the Lord Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer.
- Second, it is sincere confession of sin and transgression and a request for forgiveness.
- Third, it is recognition that we need help beyond our own ability.
- Fourth, it is an opportunity to express thanksgiving and gratitude to our Creator.
- Fifth, it is a privilege to ask Deity for specific blessings.
- Fear of the dark should not be our only motivation to pray--morning or night.
- Who is it that whispers so subtly in our ear that a gift given to another somehow diminishes the blessings we have received? Who makes us feel that if God is smiling on another, then He surely must somehow be frowning on us? You and I both know who does this--it is the father of all lies. It is Lucifer, our common enemy, whose cry down through the corridors of time is always and to everyone, "Give me thine honor."
- "If envy were a fever, all the world would be ill."
- As others seem to grow larger in our sight, we think we must therefore be smaller. So, unfortunately, we occasionally act that way.
- Gestures of compassion toward one do not require a withdrawal or denial of love for the other.
- Walk peacefully. Walk confidently. Walk without fear and without envy. Be reassured of Heavenly Father's abundance to you always.
- As we do this, we can help others, calling down blessings on them even as they make supplication for us. We can cheer every talent and ability, wherever it is bestowed, thus making life here more nearly what it will be like in heaven.
- He doesn't measure our talents or our looks; He doesn't measure our professions or our possessions. He cheers on every runner, calling out that the race is against sin, not against each other.
- There are few of us, if any, who don't walk the refiner's fire of adversity and despair, sometimes known to others but for many quietly hidden and privately endured. Most of the heartache, pain, and suffering we would not choose today. But we did choose. We chose when we could see the complete plan. We chose when we had a clear vision of the Savior's rescue of us. And if our faith and understanding were as clear today as it was when we first made that choice, I believe we would choose again.
- I do not believe our Father in Heaven causes the tragedies and heartbreak in our lives. But as the "works of God" were made manifest in the healing of a blind man, so also the way we face our personal trials may manifest the "works of God."
- From our sorrow we might seek out the sweetness and the good that is often associated with and peculiar to our challenge. We can seek out those memorable moments that are frequently hidden by the pain and agony. We can find peace in extending ourselves to others, using our own experiences to provide hope and comfort. And we can always remember with great solemnity and gratitude Him who suffered most to make it all right for us. And by so doing we can be strengthened to bear our burdens in peace. And then, the "works of God" might be manifest.
- To "encircle" with the fire of our testimony is a language all of us must learn to speak and understand.
- "You are known. You are valued. You have potential. You are good."
- "Children need sunlight. They need happiness. They need love and nurture."
- Allow children to run as far as they can under their own power, to build strength for their own testimonies, and we should smile upon them and wrap them in the blanket of our affection throughout the great journey in the universal language of love.
- As children, we learned how to keep darkness away by turning on a light. Sometimes, when our parents went away for the evening, we would turn on every light in the house! We understood the physical law that is also a spiritual law: light and darkness cannot occupy the same space at the same time.
- Light dispels darkness. When light is present, darkness is vanquished and must depart. More importantly, darkness cannot conquer light unless the light is diminished or departs. When the spiritual light of the Holy Ghost is present, the darkness of Satan departs.
- This past winter I had the opportunity to learn more about my lungs. I became very aware that we cannot store oxygen. We cannot save the air we need to breathe, no matter how hard we try. Moment by moment, breath by breath, our lives are granted to us and are renewed. So it is with spiritual light. It must be renewed in us on a regular basis. We must generate it day by day, thought by thought, and with daily righteous action if we are to keep the darkness of the adversary away.
- "Why can't I have one foot in Babylon?" May I tell you why? Because spiritual pedaling takes both feet! Unless you are fully engaged in living the gospel--living it with all of your "heart, might, mind and strength." --you cannot generate enough spiritual light to push back the darkness.
- And in this world, the darkness is never far away. In fact it is always just around the corner, waiting for an opportunity to come in.
- It is as predictable as any physical law: if we let the light of the Spirit flicker or fade by failing to keep the commandments or by not partaking of the sacrament or praying or studying the scriptures, the darkness of the adversary will surely come in.
- We who have the gift of the Holy Ghost must be true to its promptings so we can be a light to others.
- As each man or woman walks the way of life there come dark seasons of doubt, of discouragement, of disillusionment. In such circumstances, a few see ahead by the light of faith, but many stumble along in the darkness and even become lost.
- "That which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness.
- "That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day."
- We reach toward the unknown, but faith lights the way. If we will cultivate that faith, we shall never walk in darkness.
- Faith is the very fiber that gives strength to this work.
- The faith of an investigator is like a piece of green wood, thrown in a blazing fire. Warmed by the flames, it dries and begins to burn. But if it is pulled away, it cannot sustain itself. Its flickering flame dies. But if left with the fire, it gradually begins to burn with brightness. Soon it is part of the flaming fire and will light other, greener wood.
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
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