Some thoughts

It may be time to ask for some trials in your life, Jarom.

Call Laura: I need to talk about life: I need you to be really wise and listen to the spirit: How not to lose somebody? Role of physical attraction? Just feel like life is empty? Asking for trials? Is it my mindset?

What is God trying to do with America. What is he trying to do in my life?

If God has all things in His great hands, don't you think He has you?
Out of all the great works which you could build in your life, don't you think he's trying to make THIS one?

But what about tall that advice that they give us about "not seeking for someone perfect?" Isn't it better to get married than give up all your chances, waiting for the "right one." 

Judge Not That Ye Be Not Judged

I want to study judging today. Because you know what? I (quite literally) have a huge problem with judging.

Case in point: I value fitness. I think it's better to be trim than to have excess fat on you. And medically, doctrinally, and culturally, I am right. But I take this to an extreme degree. I look at small children and the thought crosses my mind, "wow, they're chubby." SMALL CHILDREN. JAROM, DO YOU REALLY WANT THIS? 

But that's the point of repentance, right? How can I look with charity upon people, even when they're doing something I don't approve of?

FROM THE TALK: "Judge Not" and Judging, by Dallin H. Oaks 

There are two sorts of judgments:

1) Final judgments which we are forbidden to make. Do not make assumptions about somebody's final assignation to heaven or hell.

This isn't the sort of judging that I struggle with, though. I struggle with making assumptions about somebody. They're fat--hey must not be a very good person? They must have a weak will? They must somehow be inferior to a similarly-disposed person who is fit and healthy?

Here's an answer that just occurred to me: 

Think about all the reasons why you CAN value that person. For example: 

"This person is a child of God. The Savior saw fit to perish for them on the cross. They have unlimited potential. They probably have many good qualities about which I am not aware." 

As Abraham Lincoln said, "I don't like that man very much. I shall have to get to know him better." 

2) Intermediate judgments, which must be made upon correct principles.

We are taught that we must judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. (John 7:24)

Here are some amazing steps from Elder Oaks to help us make righteous intermediate judgments. 

1) It will be an intermediate judgment and not a final judgment. 
"This person's actions are against the commandments." 
"I don't think what she's doing is right." 
"That's an incorrect assumption." 
2) We must judge with the spirit of the Lord.. Mean-spirited or angry judgments are against the rules.
3) Do not judge unless you have a correct grasp of the facts.
Some things to remember:

The Lord does not look on the appearance:
"Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth: for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." 
~~1 Samuel 16:7

But yet also, sometimes a beautiful face CAN have a beautiful soul!

"And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he."
~~1st Samuel 16:12

A beautiful quote from Joseph Smith:
“While one portion of the human race is judging and condemning the other without mercy, the Great Parent of the universe looks upon the whole of the human family with a fatherly care and paternal regard; … He holds the reins of judgment in His hands; He is a wise Lawgiver, and will judge all men, … ‘not according to what they have not, but according to what they have,’ those who have lived without law, will be judged without law, and those who have a law, will be judged by that law”
~~Joseph Smith

And remember that wonderful principle in 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." 
~~John 3:17

In short, GIVE PEOPLE THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT!!!

Choose to believe good about people, and not bad!

Yes! 

Filling the Empty Place

Every person has an empty place and everybody needs to fill it with something.

Most of the time,  the hole is manageable. We try to fill it with food, video games, movies, music, purchases, possessions, relationships hobbies, interests and such. If the hole is considerable, we may fill it with pornography or gambling. For some people, the empty place is gaping. They pour in alcohol and drugs trying to fill it up. For some people, there is more empty space than life and they take their own lives.

But we know that space can't be filled up

What is the only thing that can fill up that empty place?

Right off the bat, we read Jesus' great promise.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 
~Matthew 5:6.

Sort of mysterious. Filled with what? Something satisfying, presumably. Something which will give permanent rest to that hunger we seek to fill.

Remember what Jesus said to the woman at the well?

Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. 

The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water,

~John 4:13-15

All our distractions can curb, but not satiate our hunger for the Spirit. "Give me this water," says the woman, and if we too hunger and thirst after righteousness we shall likewise be filled. But again, what are we filled with? Jesus clarifies his sustenance in the parallel Sermon on the Bountiful Temple Mount.

And blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost. 
~3rd Nephi 12:6

Occasionally, I just feel the Spirit so strongly that I don't want or need anything else. Mainly this has to do with very special experiences involving Christ.

I suppose the answer is simple. We're all seeking pleasure and a minimum of pain. The greatest pleasure of all is being loved. And the greatest love of all is Christ's love. And the best way to minimize pain is through Christ's Atonement. Christ is literally the best way to fill your whole.

But this promise is even greater than that. We are promised not only satisfaction in this life, but even ETERNAL LIFE in the world to come.

 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
~John 6:51

What are my mechanisms for coping with emptiness?

• Looking at young women (not in a pornographic kind of way, but in a window-shopping sort of way. That's got to stop. You're looking for a напарница not perpetual eye candy. 
• Video games (ESPECIALLY LWG) 
• News 
• Writing in my story. Imagining myself in a different situation. 

What are some better mechanisms for coping with emptiness? 

• Family history 
• Listening to sacred music 
• talking with loved ones
• Memorizing scriptures 

You know what some of my favorite words ever are? 

Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price.

~2nd Nephi 26:25

SEARCH NOT FOR EYE CANDY BUT FOR A НАПАРНИЦА 

Happiness

Is happiness guaranteed? Does it say that anywhere in the Scriptures?

Why do some people find happiness elusive?
Why is it easy for others?
Can we guarantee happiness for ourselves?
If I'm not happy, can I do something about it?
Am I responsible for my own happiness?

My question here is not if the gospel brings happiness. It does. My question here is if we can guarantee happiness for ourselves by living the gospel.

I'm in Alma 42 today, and Alma frames the question quite nicely.

 And now, my son, I perceive there is somewhat more which doth worry your mind, which ye cannot understand—which is concerning the justice of God in the punishment of the sinner; for ye do try to suppose that it is injustice that the sinner should be consigned to a state of misery.
~Alma 42: 1

In other words, Corianton is worried that our emotional state is the inevitable product of our choices. This works for our purpose, because if sinners get misery, then non-sinners must get happiness.

Sin--->Misery

~Misery---->~Sin

If we're not miserable, we must not be sinning.

Does God mourn? "Mourning is one of the deepest expressions of pure love." says Russell M. Nelson, which leads me to assume that yes, even God mourns. Even Jesus mourned. He wept when Lazarus died, even though he knew that within a manner of minutes Lazarus would be restored and everyone would be happy.

Jesus and God DO NOT mourn because of their own wickedness. They absolutely mourn for the pain that others are experiencing. And I suppose that there is nothing to prevent them from mourning their own pain. Did Jesus weep for himself when the pain from the Atonement became too intense?

Righteousness guarantees PEACE in this life and HAPPINESS in the world to come. If it were not so, GOD WOULD BE AN UNJUST GOD. If he consigns the wicked to a state of misery, to do the same for the righteous would make him a respecter of persons, which we know He is not. 




REPENTANCE AND DEATH

For behold, if Adam had put forth his hand immediately, and partaken of the tree of life, he would have lived forever, according to the word of God, having no space for repentance; yea, and also the word of God would have been void, and the great plan of salvation would have been frustrated.

If Adam lived forever, he would have not been able to repent and the great plan of Salvation.

Why is death necessary in order to to repent? Well, for one thing, no death would have meant no Atonement from Jesus Christ. That makes sense, I suppose.

1. Man gained one characteristic of God, the ability to tell Good from Evil.
2. If he had partaken of the tree of life, Man would have gained immortality, another characteristic of God. 
3. But being a Fallen Being, he would not have had Glory, which is the third characteristic of God. 

Thus God subjected man to (2) physical death and (3) spiritual death and gave them a chance to exercise (1) the knowledge of good and evil in order that they might repent.

What would it be like if we gave man 1,2.

Man has the ability to know right from wrong, but lives forever. I don't see why this is a problem. We know God can give people glorified bodies capable of re-entering his presence. (John, Elijah, Alma, Joseph Smith was enabled to endure God's glory, etc, etc.)

I don't understand why death is necessary for repentance.

Russell M. Nelson explains: 

Death is the separation of the spirit from the body.

We have a yearning for eternal life. "The only length of life that seems to satisfy the longings of the human heart is life everlasting." 

Elder Nelson uses the analogy of a "Return Journey" to explain the necessity of death. Just as birth gives us entry into a physical body, so death guarantees us an exit from our physical body. This justifies death because it makes it a necessary evil. To return to our beloved God we must die. Painful, but worth it.

But the return journey analogy breaks down for me because we do end up seeing God in our bodies again! So death (our spirit leaving our body) is not a necessary pre-condition to seeing God again. Nor is it the only option of getting a new body. Moroni, John, etc.

So why do we need to die in order to repent?

Pondering, and you know what?


Gospel > Family > Health > Money > Career

Yes, I was surprised to find that career is so low on the list!


I would rather be righteous than have a peaceful family

I would rather have a peaceful family than be healthy and strong

I would rather be healthy and strong than wealthy

I would rather be wealthy than have a noticeable career

The nice thing is that they are all sort of interrelated!! :) 

Accumulating Light

OH MY GOODNESS I LOVE THIS TALK

The Light of the Perfect Day




Larry R. Lawrence likens our spiritual progress to gathering light.

"Our physical bodies grow bigger when we feed them nourishing food. Our spirits grow brighter when we feed them light. “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Our Father in Heaven was once a mortal man who gradually progressed until He became a being with a fulness of light. He wants the same for you and me because a fulness of light means a fulness of joy."

Aside from just being a cool metaphor, it's extremely helpful as we make decisions about what to do.

Should I watch this movie? Play this video game? Date this person? Eat this food? Do this activity? If you make the decision based on whether or not it's going to bring you light, then decisions will be easier.

It's not always apparent why you SHOULD do family history work rather than playing video games, but this helps explain why. One will help you gather light. The other will squander your light.

Sources of light in my life:

• Temple worship 
• Family history work 
• Studying the scriptures
• Exercising 
• Eating healthy food 
• Service
• Spending time with friends and family 
• Diligence in achieving worthwhile goals 

Sources of darkness in my life: 

• Spending large amounts of time on the internet (idleness) 
• Spending large amounts of time alone entertaining myself (idleness) 
• Succumbing to physical appetites for food, ogling young women, etc, etc 
• Listening to loud music 
• Going to bed too late 

In looking at my life I see that I need more of the following.

MORE scripture study. 

LESS idleness 

ORE getting up early

LESS eating unhealthy food 

All right! Sounds good. 

Larry R. Lawrence suggests 5 ways for us to get more light. 

1. Love others (he suggests that service is the ideal way to love our fellow mortals.) 

Service-->Love-->Light 

2. Study the Scriptures (he suggests memorizing scriptures is a good way to get additional light.) 

Pray-->Study-->Apply-->Light

OR

Memorize-->Recall-->Light

3. Keep the commandments (this is closely related to step 2) 

Study-->Obey-->Light

4. Hearken to the Holy Ghost

Expect-->Act-->Repeat-->Light 

If the Holy Ghost asks you to do something that is difficult (like break a bad habit), and you listen and obey the prompting, you will experience a spurt of spiritual growth and a big infusion of light.

5. Serve in the Temple 

Attend-->Light 

Interesting Comments on Light on which I want further clarification: 

• "According to the Doctrine and Covenants, truth is just another name for light (see D&C 84:45)."
• “The people of the neighborhood came running together (hearing an unusual sound within, and seeing a bright light like a pillar of fire resting upon the Temple).” Joseph Smith
• “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).
• “The Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world” (D&C 84:46).
• “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” (D&C 50:24).

Well, as far as weeks go, this week has not been a terrific one.

Triage time!

1. Step One: Stop using the internet to relax: You can use a good book, good music, or writing something creative. 
2. Stop eating unhealthy foods. Main culprit, Taco Bell/too much processed meat. 
3. Start making scripture study more meaningful. Take an hour instead of 40 minutes. Read from the Scriptures every day, even if you go to the temple that day. 
4. Start adding in daily steps to prepare for your career. LSAT prep and work on your paper every day. 

Yea, how could you have given way to the enticing of him who is seeking to hurl away your souls down to everlasting misery and endless wo? O repent ye, repent ye! Why will ye die? Turn ye, turn ye unto the Lord your God. Why has he forsaken you? It is because you have hardened your hearts; yea, ye will not hearken unto the voice of the good shepherd; yea, ye have provoked him to anger against you.

~Helaman 7:16-18

HERE'S ANOTHER THING TO THINK ABOUT


Jarom, what are you doing to change the world?

How do you measure a life? 

Yea, come unto me and bring forth works of righteousness, and ye shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire-- Alma 5:35

Loyalty

Even if it's only a dating relationship, you can never be truly at peace in a relationship if your thoughts are constantly wandering and wondering about possibilities with OTHER people. Be loyal. Be FIERCELY loyal. If you are planning on dating XXX, you need to BE LOYAL to her. That's the price for a relationship, and without paying the price, you will never feel comfortable. 

REPENT YE.

And it came to pass that the Lamanites said unto him: What shall we do, that this cloud of darkness may be removed from overshadowing us?

And Aminadab said unto them: You must repent, and cry unto the voice, even until ye shall have faith in Christ, who was taught unto you by Alma, and Amulek, and Zeezrom; and when ye shall do this, the cloud of darkness shall be removed from overshadowing you.

And it came to pass that there came a voice unto them, yea, a pleasant voice, as if it were a whisper, saying: Peace, peace be unto you, because of your faith in my Well Beloved, who was from the foundation of the world.

Helaman 5: 40-41 and 46-47

Repenting is not just about resolving to do better. There has to be a conscious moment when you ASK for forgiveness and ask that the Atoning Blood of Christ might come down upon you.

Elder Klebingatt (in his marvelous October 2014 Conference address) makes an interesting divide between righteousness and spiritual confidence. 

I would like to share six practical suggestions that, if heeded, will dissipate these evil voices [of Satan's minions telling you lies about your standing before God] and restore to you the kind of peaceful assurance and spiritual confidence that is yours to have if you only want it. 

Notice, that he advocates these steps as a way to silence the disconcerting voices of Satan's minions.

1. Take responsibility for your spirituality
2. Exercise and eat well
3. Embrace 100% obedience
4. Become an expert repenter
5. Become an expert forgiver
6. Embrace trials as learning experiences


REMEMBER
You can’t watch a bad movie and expect to feel virtuous because you did not watch a very bad one.

 Faithful observance of some commandments doesn’t justify neglecting others.

Things to repent of: 

Eating too much
Spending too much money
Not being loving enough to those around me
Thinking too much of girl(s). Even if you have completely pure thoughts, they still can be a distraction from what's truly important.
Being proud of my body (I mean, really, Jarom, what's there to be proud about?  :)
Not being diligent in attending to my sources of Spiritual strength. (Attend FHE, Attend Institute, Family History work, Fasting, Temple, etc, etc.)

Agency

Why would Heavenly Father give us all agency? What is agency for? How can we enhance the use of our agency?

As I walked into the chapel, my heart leaped as I recognized the back of my father’s head. He had come to visit me, unannounced. I slipped in beside him and sat down. He looked at me and smiled. Then, putting his hand firmly on my knee, he leaned over and whispered a message with meaning far beyond words: “I knew I would find you here, Son.” Simultaneously, Heavenly Father whispered the same message to my soul. I can’t adequately describe the love and joy I felt at that moment.
--Elder Craig Cardon

Others began lives of uncontrolled appetites that continue to enslave them today....says Elder Cardon, expressing the thought that we are free to choose our behaviors, but not our consequences. I so want to be strong! I so want to be good. Hopefully, Heavenly Father helps me to accomplish this in everything that I do.

It takes a certain kind of courage to stand back rather than leaping forward, foolishly allowing someone else to make our choices for us. We can more readily take firm stands when we have a clear idea of our identity as sons of God and bearers of the holy priesthood, having a bright potential for a meaningful future.
~~Elder James E. Faust 

Love her

Well, I have a quandary. It's a good quandary, and an amusing one. So, I prayed about a week back that Heavenly Father would help me to find a girl who was interested in dating me, and in whom I would be interested in dating. Boy, did he ever answer in grand style (as he usually does when you are doing everything that is required of you.) 

I found a girl all right. We met on Tuesday and I've already spent about 5 hours talking on the phone with her. And she's spiritual, kind, ambitious, cultured, and beautiful. 

But she seems way more excited about this than I do. She's bringing up all the marriage questions already. "I like the name for this child, how about you? I think this is super important in a relationship, how about you?" Etc, etc. 

In short, I don't know what to do. 

But I think the above answer is pretty good. 

I prayed and that's what came into my heart. 

“Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other”

~Marvin J. Ashton 

Well, let's pray for charity. This girl and I, we're different, but I can accept that. I won't be offended because she's handling the relationship a little faster than I am. And I will NOT use her obvious enthusiasm against her. 

Most importantly, remember this as you conduct this relationship: 

Jesus loves this person. So should you. Have compassion, etc, etc. 

The Atonement

Reading "Our Savior's Atonement" by Russell M. Ballard

You know, each and every person you meet is so beloved and so valuable that Jesus died, don't you?

How could you ever take advantage of anybody, or mock anybody, or allow an unkind thought to cross your mind when you know that Jesus loved this person so much that he died for them? That you and they are connected by the atonement, because it paid for your sins and their sins?

Вот ещё о чём можно думать про молодых женщин! Иисус (знаешь) умер ради их. Добавь, что они любящие, сочуствуют, и.т.д.

There is no greater expression of love than the heroic atonement performed by the Son of God.

So how can I be more loving then? Perform selfless acts that don't advance your interests, but help other people in a way they can't help themselves. THAT is valuable.

Well, that means asking Axxxxx Nxxxxx on a date.
That means giving Rahel the money so that she can buy herself shoes.

That also means that MOTHERHOOD and PARENTING are both extremely Christ-like activities! Because you are doing things for the children they can't do for themselves.