Life Advice

Last night as I was working, I had a thought: if right now I had to give somebody my best advice about life and I knew they would follow it, what would I tell them? 

The answer came surprisingly quickly: Never cease your struggle to overcome your weaknesses, achieve your dreams, realize your full potential, and find true love. 

In the talk Shipshape and Bristol Fashion, Elder Cook emphasizes the importance of self-control in the daily grind to choose future rewards over current satisfaction. He said, "After years of study, one of his professional colleagues reported that “self-control is like a muscle: the more you use it, the stronger it gets. Avoiding something tempting once will help you develop the ability to resist other temptations in the future."

That's very comforting on one hand. Change is hard, but not impossible. So, how can I overcome my own weaknesses, achieve my own dreams, and realize my own full potential?

Well, by starting small and overcoming things that are easy. That will give me the strength to later try and overcome things that are large.

So, I'm going to make a list of:

Things I want to STOP doing:
Playing LWG online.... at all 
Telling myself girls don't like me
Thinking I'm not handsome

And then a list of:

Things I want to START doing
Attending the temple
Doing Family History for at least 15 minutes a day
Stretching, doing flexibility exercises
Eating vegetables on a daily basis
Praying long and hard about life
Saving at least 10% of my income in a long-terms savings account for retirement.



Note: The consequences of not living the gospel are really almost too much to bear. What if I should stop reading my scriptures? That would lead to weakness and indulging in transgression that would keep me out of the temple? No temple marriage. No beautiful, loving Sister Harrison. The Lord truly is your source of all blessings, and you need to live with a constant awareness that your personal righteousness is the key to their continual receipt.

What was the effect of Jesus' visit in the Americas?

Questions:

What did Jesus teach in America? Since he had such a short time among them, we can count this as the core of His gospel.
Why did Jesus' visit to the America's lead to 200 years of peace, while Jesus' stay amongst the Jews had no similar effect?
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Sidetrack:

Benjamin Franklin taught that once you have one nice thing, you can't stop getting nice things. So it is with bodybuilding, etc, etc. When does it end? When you are perfectly dressed, what then? Will you feel any happier? No. You'll want more. More styles, more colors, more looks. You'll get consumed by it, and you'll never be able to stop. 

When you have the perfect body, what then? "Would you like a cookie?" asks your friend. "What! And ruin my perfect body!? No thanks."  

"Well, how about we go hang out then? Play some chess." 

"No, I've got to go hit the gym." 

That would be awful. Be content with yourself. Things will work out. People will like you. If they don't, it's not because of your clothes!   :-)

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What does Jesus do among the people?


3rd Nephi 11

• Introduces himself as the subject of prophecy
• Introduces himself as the one who was obedient in all things to the Father
• Announces that he is the one who was slain for the sins of the world, invites people to examine the proof in his hands and feet
• Calls twelve 
• Gives them authority to baptize 
• Teaches the manner of baptism 
• Teaches: Let there not be contention with anger among you. 
• Teaches: Doctrine of Christ: Believe, repent and be baptized. 
• Warns: Don't add to this doctrine 
• Exhorts: Go and preach this to all the world. 

3 Nephi 12

• Jesus teaches: listen to the prophets and you will be blessed. 
• Jesus teaches: if other people follow your invitation to be baptized, they will be blessed. 
• Jesus teaches: blessed are you if men revile you and say all manner of evil falsely against you for my sake. (This reminds me of my attitude towards a certain young lady in our ward who is always posting ultra-orthodox, repent-ye sort of articles on Facebook. I get quite upset, but why? Is it because she's right? And is this an example of me speaking evil of somebody falsely? 

When you feel God doesn't love you, you are less motivated to do good things. And then confirmation bias kicks in, and you are EVEN MORE convinced that God doesn't love you, and so you are even LESS motivated to do good things, etc, etc, down to hell. 

But there is an antidote! It lies in the importance of repentance and of a healthy self-esteem. Feel good about yourself. God loves you. In general, you are a good person. Don't worry so much about the мелочь and your many, assorted weaknesses!  :) 

There's a meme going around Facebook, saying

This is Jesus.
Jesus never sins.
Jesus goes doing good things to everybody.
Jesus is smart.
Be like Jesus. 

I've tried being a little bit more like that lately. Trying to find people to serve, people to talk to, people to connect to. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? My family is the primary source of service. And of joy.

That's why other people are given. They aren't given so you can go to them periodically and have them tell you how awesome you are. They are given so that you can serve them and love them.

Yesterday, mom was having a hard day. So, I helped her. I bought her food, comforted her, drove for her, and tried in general to serve her. And, despite not accomplishing all of the things I wanted to accomplish, I woke up this morning feeling like a million bucks.

"And behold, I tell you these things that you may learn wisdom, says King Benjamin, That ye may learn that when ye are the in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." 

Ought ye not to labor to serve one anther? This is the first semester in a long time where I have a lot, but not too much. And it's fantastic! I can serve others. I can help them out. I can take Thursday off to help mom... so fantastic!

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, "inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." 

That goes both ways. God is equally pleased when we serve somebody and equally hurt when we hurt somebody. DON'T HURT GOD.

And the King shall answer and say unto them, "inasmuch as ye did not not unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it not unto me." 

Wow. Very значительно.

I've been guilty of that. That's not real love. Taking advantage of somebody.

You know, I am so grateful for Christ. Sometimes we aren't truly grateful for the Atonement until we really have something to repent of!  :)

Get clean, stay clean, and help other people. That's the essence of the Gospel right there.

Стать чистым, оставаться чистым и служить другим. Вот в чём целое

What sort of things does God list for us? 

Feed the hungry.
Satisfy the thirsty.
Take in the stranger.
Cloth the naked.
Visit the sick and imprisoned.

Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 

Well... how can I get more of this "service" into my life? Pray for it. It will come. And in the meantime, serve the people around you!

Another realization: What, are you going to spend the rest of your life getting huge and then regretting getting smaller? Be content with what you look like right now! Exercise for the feel-goods and the health, not the looks! That's an endless rat race. I like me, right now. I like the way I look.

Another thing: Domilias needs to be written.

The cost of riches

I need to have a mental reboot regarding money, happiness, and possessions. I've been trying to buys hoes lately, and when I got the the store, the first thing on my mind was not how comfortable, how pricey, or how much I liked the shoes... it was the thought, "do these give the right "look?" Do I look the part of a cool college student? Will people approve of my choice in footwear?

Prior to this scripture study, I've been watching people go by, and allowed myself to judge them by their clothes. It was fairly destructive, and my natural instinct was "Stop! This isn't right. We ought to love people not judge them!"

I am going to read about affluence, money, clothes, and pride today.

The Cost of Riches-Lynn G. Robbins 

We should limit our incomes. Don't ask, "what do I need to be happy?" Instead, ask yourself, "what DON'T I need to be happy?"

I don't need Nike shoes, new glasses, or ten pairs of jeans.

I do need service, family, love, people, the gospel, enough food, and money saved in the bank.

Benjamin Franklin says, " it is not my own eyes that ruin me."

“The eyes of other people are the eyes that ruin us. If all but myself were blind, I should want neither fine clothes, fine houses, nor fine furniture." ~Good Ol' Ben

You wouldn't care if other people were blind! You would get the shoes that YOU wanted to get! For the price that YOU were comfortable with!

And also, another consideration to make:  “When you have bought one fine thing you must buy ten more, that your appearance may be all of a piece; … ‘’tis easier to suppress the first desire than to satisfy all that follow it."

Just choosing to ignore all that and be happy is so important! 

Overcoming Weakness and Work

"I learned that adversity, when confronted with faith, courage, and tenacity, could be overcome."
-Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"The Lord doesn’t expect us to work harder than we are able. He doesn’t (nor should we) compare our efforts to those of others. Our Heavenly Father asks only that we do the best we can—that we work according to our full capacity, however great or small that may be."'

-Dieter F. Uchtdorf

The Role of Money in the Plan of Salvation

What are we supposed to learn from money? How can we use it properly? How can it be a benefit to our spiritual growth? A detriment?

Well, first of all, I had a very tough month, financially-speaking. December was a month of hardship and peanut butter sandwiches, but it was also a month of wondrous miracles! Mom and dad forgave my insurance payment, the Kittells offered to fix my car, I found new tires for only $70, my ticket was pushed back until February, and lowered by $50. In short, it was a miraculous month indeed.

I learned so much then about faith. I learned about faith and about living simply and about trust. And I learned, like Nephi, that sometimes you must pray to the Lord to know where to go for sustenance.

Well, He showed me. And now I have nearly $2,000 in the bank, which is a great deal of abundance. (For me.) What lessons now can I learn from изобилие?

Now the struggle will be a constant one to stay humble. Remember the words of Nephi as he reproaches the wicked judges and robbers.

"Yea, wo shall come unto you because of that pride which ye have suffered to enter your hearts, which has lifted you up beyond that which is good because of your exceedingly great riches! And except ye repent ye shall perish; yea, even your lands shall be taken from you, and ye shall be destroyed from off the face of the earth." (Helaman 7:26 and 28)

Well, in what ways could pride manifest itself?

I think my biggest fear is succumbing to false security. Relying on my money to get me out of hard situations, instead of on the Lord. Well, if that's the attitude you, you are in for some really, really big trials which your money cannot fix, because Heavenly Father CANNOT allow you to regress spiritually. He will keep on you, because he needs you in tip-top fighting shape for this life.

Another thing will be to be generous in the use of these funds. Plan to give, and give generously. You cannot afford not to. I was prompted to withdraw $20 today and give it away. I will obey.

This is hard for me because it conflicts with the maxim I've been living by. "Live frugally." If I give away twenty dollars at a whim, why bother buying yogurt only when it's 50% off?

If amassing an incredible fortune were your only goal, then you are right, that's an illogical and inefficient way to pursue it .

But what if your goal was to develop a saintly character? Doesn't that sound pretty saintly to you? To live cheaply so that others live well? Doesn't that remind you of Raskolnikov's mother, of Jeffrey R. Holland's parents, of Magwitch, and of Christ himself?

I am Jarom. I buy yogurt 1/2 off so that I have a greater percentage of my income ready to give away and serve others.

Of course, the great hypocrisy here is that I really don't live all that cheaply. I just bought $65 shoes.

When $$$---> Costly Apparel---> Pride--->Fall

So, don't spend it on yourself! Be content. Just be content. О Боже. Give me strength to do that right thing!

But yes, you can afford to be more generous now. You can afford to give away more. And as C.S Lewis said, if your charity isn't hampering us a little bit, we probably aren't giving enough!   :)

Being Miserly vs. Being Frugal 

I suppose that high-rolling is not acceptable. But neither is being miserly. So, IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THE MAXIMUM SATISFACTION FROM YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MONEY YOU MUST BE PARADOXICALLY BOTH FRUGAL AND GENEROUS.

:)

And that's what I really want. To have a positive relationship with money.

Womanhood

I desire to better understand women's role in the plan of Salvation.

"Woman is God's Supreme Creation" says Gordon B. Hinckley.

What a sad contrast to the world. We are awash in false messages about girl's worth. Even the best of Father's daughters are affected by the need to be skinny, well-dressed, beautiful... we are taught that looks are everything.

What is Satan trying to draw our attention away from? What is he so desperate to conceal about women's true worth?

God's crowning creation was a woman. And it wasn't because she was good-looking. Take any woman of righteous character, my mother for example. My mother isn't beautiful. But she is Beautiful, with a big B, and by that, I mean she has real value and worth. She shines. She works, sacrifices, loves, and strives for others.

She is strong. She is patient. She is loving. She is what is so beautiful about womanhood.

"[Satan] well knows that women are the compassionate, self-sacrificing, loving power that binds together the human family. He would...rob them of their exalting roles as wives and mothers." 

Women exalt, both as wives and as mothers. As wives because they teach love, patience, cooperation and gentleness. As mothers because they teach faith, love, and sacrifice, and raise children to believe in God and serve Him well.

You know? What would happen if I asked Ms. Ebeling out on another date? She is the epitome of righteous womanhood, she really is. I would be frightened to do that. But isn't success and love what lies on the OTHER side of fear?
Ok, this wasn't meant to be a dating pep-talk.

So, Satan attacks women because of their divine role in the plan of Salvation.

Richard G. Scott assures us that women's primary role is not to be physically appealing! 

Fathers play a crucial role in building strong women. If young women feel adored and cherished by their fathers, they are unlikely to feel the need to seek attention other places.

Which of my sisters am I neglecting? Not Mari, I spend a lot of time with her naturally. Probably grace. You know, Grace and I haven't exchanged a cordial word in nearly a month. Sad.

Rahel, Rachel, Grace, Emma. A lot of sisters! But a lot of love, too. I'll write them letters.

Another topic:

God taught me to be frugal. It took a really, really difficult month of financial discomfort, but he succeeded. I now pack lunches and don't buy things when I don't need them. I will maintain this habit forever, because I know that every dollar I invest is a day earlier I can stop working and go on a mission.

With my wife. 

Just a game?

I want to study a little bit about hearts and their contents. Lately, my heart has been filled with a lot of things that aren't real... including an MMORPG that Caleb showed me.

So, I realized yesterday two little scales of progression and regression. The first involves human relationships. The second involves the thoughts and intents of our hearts.

1. It is easy to respond to anger and stress in kind
2. It is harder to turn away and say nothing 
3. It is hardest to respond with love and a soft word

And here's the second 

Focusing on things that aren't real is bad. This includes video games, daydreaming, and brushing up on pop culture. (Star Wars, Marvel, etc, etc) 

Focusing on real, corporeal things is better. This includes the amount of money in your bank account, your school work, getting ahead in life, etc, etc.

Focusing on the treasures of Heaven is best. This includes people, temple work, family history work, spiritual knowledge, etc, etc. 

I am partially interested in this study because of the very real weakness I have of focusing on not-real things. I'm a dreamer. I like to dream. I like to escape, whether it be to Domilias, a Galaxy Far Far Away, or a medieval world populated by pixelated workers and knights in armor. 

Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained: “One of the ways Satan … weakens your spiritual strength is by encouraging you to spend large blocks of your time doing things that matter very little. I speak of such things as sitting for hours on end watching television or videos, playing video games night in and night out, [or] surfing the Internet” (“Be Strong in the Lord,” Ensign, July 2004, 13).

These are sort of an anticipatory artillery barrage, I guess. They don't do a lot of damage themselves, but they soften you up for the deadly strike later. And it works! Last night, I definitely did not feel spiritually-focused. 

Here's the letter I sent to Caleb 

I'm also having a problem with this one. I spent 5 hours yesterday on LWG. 

Here's an article that helped me understand just why I feel so lousy afterwards. 

Large blocks of video games are like a spiritual artillery barrage, a 'la D-Day before the allies landed. They don't do a lot of damage themselves but they soften you up for when the temptations move in later. 

Many video games are clean and fun. But just because something is clean and fun isn't a good enough reason to do it. 

The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, 

but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.

--Longfellow

We were born to do great things! Let's be better than this. 

Love you! Keep me responsible. If I'm playing video games, say "wouldn't you rather be reading?" 

With love,

Jarom 

Anyways! So what are some things I can do when I'm tired and I don't want to work? 

1. Close your eyes and listen to good music 
2. Play a game of chess 
3. Go write someone a nice message on facebook
4. Think up the most interesting-sounding topic and go read a Wiki article on it. 
5. Read your book 
6. Stretch and breath deeply 
7. Go for a run
8. Do some push ups or planks 

Here's a good article about why MMORPG's are potentially more addicting than regular games. 

One reason that online role-playing games may potentially be more addictive is that they are essentially a social network with an exciting graphical interface. They fill social needs that may be unmet in the real world. For instance, a teenage boy may not feel popular or successful at high school, but in the online world, he gets a fresh start and a new set of friends. His problem-solving skills and intelligence make him socially important in his virtual community. He steps into a role in which he feels needed and successful.

Abstinence is my only path to moderation. 

If an activity draws you in compulsively, and you find yourself doing it for longer than you intended, then you really ought to exercise the only form of control you have left... don't start. 

Boyde K. Packer said that a certain amount of "down-time" can even be healthy when we are very busy... but when we find ourselves hour after hour, day after day, participating in activities with no relation to eternal progress, then we can know that we are "idling away our time." 

"Games, sports, recreational activities, and even television can be relaxing and rejuvenating, especially in times when you are under stress or heavily scheduled. You need activities that help you to unwind and rest your minds. It is healthy to go onto the soccer field or the basketball court and participate in vigorous physical activity."

 “But I speak of letting things get out of balance. It is not watching television, but watching television hour after hour, night after night. Does not that qualify as idling away your time? What will you say to the Lord when He asks what you have done with the precious gift of life and time? Surely you will not feel comfortable telling Him that you were able to pass the 100,000-point level in a challenging video game."

Family History Work

Why is Family History work so important? 

“… And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming”  (Moroni, quoting Malachi to Joseph Smith) 

So, what was this promise made to the fathers? Why would the earth be wasted if not for this turning of hearts? And why is it Elijah who shall plant it in their hearts? 

"Thus, the introductory events of the Restoration revealed a correct understanding of the Godhead, emphasized the importance of the Book of Mormon, and anticipated the work of salvation and exaltation for both the living and the dead. This inspiring sequence is instructive about the spiritual matters of highest priority to Deity." (David A. Bednar, "The Hearts of the Children.") 

So, it would seem that the work of redeeming the dead is very important to Heavenly Father. Ultimately, you could say it's the reason the Book of Mormon was given. The Book of Mormon is just phonetic sounds transcribed onto plates. The information encoded thereon is key. What's the information? How to conduct the Work of Salvation, both for yourself and for others! 

Why Elijah? We know that Elijah was the last of the Old Testament prophets to hold the sealing power of the Melchizedek priesthood. Then there was a dearth of the sealing power for nearly 1,000 years.

There are at least two different ways I can see the world being cursed and wasted for not having the hearts turning.

First: Inter-generational conflict: Heaven knows, in my own family, as blessed as it is, there's a fair share of antagonism between the children and the fathers. Pride, stubbornness, and different viewpoints on life frequently lead to small conflicts.

Now imagine that the calming influence of the spirit was removed. How much more would those conflicts be exacerbated? Indeed, the world could perish in squabbles, feuds, and bloodshed.

Second: Eternal loneliness: As much as I love my friends, it is my family who makes me complete and gives me the assurance that I am loved. And without eternal family relationships, I'm not sure how much I would really enjoy heaven!

So. Do family history work. Get the Spirit of Elijah. Understand that there's people waiting for you there.

Agency

What am I supposed to be doing here in this little earth life? 

There is a story told of an old Cherokee teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.

“It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One is evil: he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”

He continued, “The other is good: he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you—and inside every other person too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

Human personality is influenced by both theological and psychological principles. Our personality is an offshoot of how an eternal free agent (an intelligence, spirit, and soul) deals with doctrine (eternal law). (Allen E. Bergin, Ensign September 1976)

I am defined by how I respond to eternal laws! Interesting. Right now, this eternal agent is very much wanting to go and eat some food.  :) 

Confidence before God and Men

Confidence is something I've been struggling with lately. I noticed I"m not terrifically confident around young women, especially pretty ones. As someone who would rather marry a young woman he thinks is pretty, this is troublesome.

I also noticed that at work, I tend to be marvelously happy. I feel fulfilled, confident, and valuable. Why is this?

I read a talk about confidence today, from Elder Jorg Klebingatt. He advocates six steps for increased confidence before God.

I would like to share six practical suggestions that, if heeded, will dissipate these evil voices and restore to you the kind of peaceful assurance and spiritual confidence that is yours to have if you only want it.

1. Take responsibility for your own spiritual well-being. 
2. Take responsibility for your own physical well-being, including both exercise, sleep, and diet. 
3. Embrace wholehearted, voluntary obedience. 
4. Become really, really good at repenting.
5. Become really, really good at forgiving. (Including dad) 
6. Embrace trials as opportunities, not punishments.

I do all of these things at work! I always pray and make sure I ask for help. I get enough sleep, food and water when I come. I am obedient. I repent, because I know I need the help. I forgive when people are cross, because I want them to like me. And etc.

Also, I thought of another way to be confident with young women. I'm going to be a great husband and a great father! I am easy-going, supportive, loving, hard-working, polite, and kind. THEY'RE getting a good deal.  :) 

Jesus: Stronger than Circumstance

Jesus was stronger than the circumstances!

My literature teacher was talking about Chekhov, and how he was particularly interested not in heroes, those who overcame, but in those ordinary people who were overcome. He was interested in the ordinary people, who were overcome by their circumstances.

I realized that all of us are eventually overcome. Some of us are stronger and it takes a more difficult circumstance, but sooner or later, we all run into something we can't handle.

Except for Christ. Even death couldn't stop Him.

Once upon the cross He bowed
Now His chariot is the cloud! 

Once He suffered grief and pain
Now He comes on earth to reign! 

Once forsaken, left alone
Now exalted to a throne! 
Once all things he meekly bore
BUT HE NOW WILL BEAR MORE!! 

And that's why he's the great hero.

But the most wonderful part of Christ's victory? It's transitive! When we have our unbearable moments, he help us to bear! 

Question: 

How can I get the strength to overcome my weaknesses?

I need help. I spent a lot of time yesterday playing video games. I haven't been doing all that's required of me. I didn't call the shop to get my car fixed, which should (obviously) be my FIRST PRIORITY.

So, what's going on here?

WHAT I WANT:

I want to live a scheduled life. I want to plan tasks every day and then do them. I want to accomplish huge things in a gradual manner, one step at a time. For most of my life, I've been a last-minute rusher. I want to be a steady worker.

I want to work on the LSAT and on my article for at least .5 hours each every day. But I often feel a lack of motivation to do these things! I don't do them.

OK, so why do you want to do these things? To get a scholarship at BYU law school, to graduate debt free, and to get a good job, etc, etc, to become an excellent lawyer.

Well, is the Lord interested in my success here? I think he is. Is he going to help me? I think he will. What do I have to do?

Being diligent, being a good steward, being gradual.

How foolish and how vain,and how evil, and devilish, and how quick to do iniquity, and how slow to do good, are the children of men; yea, how quick to hearken unto the words of the evil one, and to set their hearts upon the vain things of the world! (Helaman 12:4)

But OK, yesterday what did I also do?

1. I spent an hour doing Family History work
2. I read my scriptures
3. I spent time with Mari, supporting her at her job interview and taking her out to eat
4. I spent time with Caleb, playing games with him (even if they were video games)
5. I went to Sam's party, and saw old friends, including Amanda, Carson Butt, and Bryson Black! 
6. I spent an evening laughing and loving Mari and Caleb and watching The Court Jester. 
7. In short, I prayed that I would lay up treasures in Heaven, and I had so many opportunities yesterday! And that's what really makes life full of meaning, isn't 

You'll never regret the money you never earned. But you will regret the people you didn't love. 

So, yes! Actually, yesterday was a success and a brilliant one at that!! 

Keep praying for brilliant days! And opportunities to develop treasures in heaven! 

It's OK if you are never rich! But it's not OK if you are never happy! 

As long as I work on LSAT and on TPM a little every day, I promise thee, Lord, I will never regret the time I didn't spend. 

STEADILY DOING THE THINGS THAT MATTER MOST WILL LEAD US TO THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD. 

--Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Can I talk about blessings in disguise?

My car wheel broke. Badly. There's a rusted screw sticking out the side, and it makes a noise "like I'm running over baby skeletons." (Thanks Caleb.)

But you know what? Thanks to this new large repair, it means I am not taking my car into the shop at all, and it means I can keep the $450 which I was planning on spending. And that means that for the first time in nearly a month, I have some breathing room, financially speaking.

I can't tell you how grateful I am for all these things. I am also grateful for my friend, Laura, who listened to me last night when I was feeling down. Heavenly Father knew that I needed a loving heart, and so he provided one.

One thing I need to improve in life is RECEIVING PERSONAL REVELATION

Literally, I used to be all over that. For crying out loud, I used to pray over whether or not I should add a ballet class.

Now, however, I don't pray. Why is this? I feel I have been misled at times. I have had strong spiritual feelings relating to several young women in my life, telling me that she was the one. And it never worked out like it was supposed to.

The intellectual answer is, "Well, God led you down that path because you needed to experience life with that particular young woman for awhile." It was necessary to my growth and learning. But that answer hasn't clicked. DOES GOD LIE, THEN? If I told you, "there's a cake inside this box," and you looked inside of it, and found not a cake, but a soda, I would still be grateful for the soda, but you technically told me a lie. There was no cake.

Perhaps God has been answering so few prayers because I've been praying the wrong way. HE'S TRYING TO BE MORE FORWARD. Instead of asking, "Should I marry this person," perhaps ask, "who should I be asking on dates right now? Which young women should I be building relationships with? Who should I ask on dates, what should we do, who should I ask on a second date," etc, etc.

Verily, Verily, I say unto thee, blessed art thou for what thou has done; for thou has inquired of me, and behold, as often as thou hast inquired thou has received instruction of my Spirit. If it had not been so, thou wouldst not have come to the place where thou art at this time."  (Doctrine and Covenants 6:15-16) 

As often as thou hast inquired.   

As many times as we ask, we will receive! Perhaps we won't receive the exact answer we were seeking for. But every time, we can receive "instruction of [His] Spirit." 

Another problem, Jarom, is perhaps you are not seeking enough in the right places. You haven't deliberately gone off into the woods for a long time. You know what's necessary for real revelation. Quiet, personal preparation, solitude, time, and most especially DESIRE AND EFFORT. You haven't put in that effort! How can you expect to receive the revelation?! 

Goal: Each week, I will have a focused spiritual planning session where I seek revelation for my life. 

For it must needs be that there is an opposition in all things, if not so, my first born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass. (2nd Nephi 2:11)

Wow! Without opposition, I can't be righteous. I have certainly felt a lot like Nephi lately. "Where do I go, Lord?" Well, here, and here, and here! The Lord is guiding me, and telling me, one step at a time, helping me to find the MONEY, the PEOPLE, and the MIRACLES I need to survive this time of trial.

I am so grateful for my blessings. Why, just today I called the Orem Justice Court to pay a traffic citation, and they informed me that the fine was only $120, instead of the $150 that I thought, and after listening sympathetically, the lady gave me an extension till the 12th of February. THE 12TH!  That's a long time! :)

Yesterday in the temple, I was reading Matthew 5, and I came across some truly spectacular things.

Whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hellfire.

Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the alter, and there rememberest that they brother hath ought against thee;

leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. (Matthew 5:22-24)

This was amazing to me because I realized that the biggest way we worship God is through our interactions with His children!!

Important to pray? YES

Important to treat others with love? YES YES YES

Important not to smoke? YES

Important to sacrifice for the good of your children? YES YES YES

You see how important this is to God? It's so fundamental that He doesn't even want us to start praying till we are right with all of our neighbors! It's pretty simple and amazing.

Also, this quote goes along well with Matthew 5:28; But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

“I’m not interested in a world where men really want to watch porn but resist because they’ve been shamed; I’m interested in a world where men are raised from birth with such an unshakable understanding of women as living human beings that they are incapable of being aroused by their exploitation.” -Jonah Mix Voices of Resistance

Saturday, January 2nd

Beautiful, beautiful scripture study today!

John 3:17:

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

God isn't out there to condemn me! HE LOVES ME. I have all sorts of weaknesses and afflictions and problems, but I ought not to be weighed down by them!

Don't droop in sin. (2nd Nephi 4: 28) Arise! Be manly, Christianly, Jaromly! Be an amazing Son of God.

Don't slacken because of your afflictions! (2nd Nephi 4:29) Arise! Fight! Give it your best, imperfect, flawed, even useless effort! That's all Christ needs.

Oh, how I needed to remember that. Christ's love and the Father's love is perfect. REALLY, they love me. They condemn me not, but understand and sympathize, and plan with care for how to help me progress. 

Things I've been learning

I have been facing a shortage of money. Although I try very carefully to conserve, sometimes it is still not enough.

I read the talk Daily Bread by Elder Christofferson.

He talked of a time of financial struggle in his life. He even said that he was faced with "financial ruin." His words greatly comforted me.

Though I suffered then, as I look back now, I am grateful that there was not a quick solution to my problem. The fact that I was forced to turn to God for help almost daily over an extended period of years taught me truly how to pray and get answers to prayer and taught me in a very practical way to have faith in God. I came to know my Savior and my Heavenly Father in a way and to a degree that might not have happened otherwise or that might have taken me much longer to achieve. I learned that daily bread is a precious commodity. I learned that manna today can be as real as the physical manna of biblical history. I learned to trust in the Lord with all my heart. I learned to walk with Him day by day.

This greatly comforted me. There is a purpose to the shortage I am experiencing. There is a resolution to the shortage I am experiencing.

But when I think that there is also a wonderful God in heaven, who loves me, who is aware of my needs, who stands ready to help me, who will NOT let me go under the water, this is very comforting.