Our Network

Remember the Verizon commercial where the Verizon guy points out that he is backed up by a giant network? It occurred to me that our ancestors are just like that. I also have thought that if you consider how many ancestors are behind you (think of a pedigree chart), it does not take very long to have hundreds of angels cheering you on.

My final thoughts are because someone I know that does not believe in the help of angels to the same extent that I do...He feels that if angels are helping us so much, why is there still a struggle or how can I have a bad day if I am aware of the help of angels. I have considered his important questions and come to a few conclusions.

First, this life was meant to give us earthly experiences and also to prepare us for our eternal destiny. It seems to me that those experiences are to build our strengths. Perhaps we will need those particular strengths in the future while we are on earth, or even in the life to come. It is valuable for us to learn we are stronger than we know, to realize our faith was sufficient - these lessons are not for God to see what we are made of (as he already knows), but for us to see we are better than we think we are.

Second, angels will not do what we can do for ourselves. We have our agency and we are capable people. We must at times, be like Nephi, and move forward not knowing beforehand how things will work out. But we have been promised that as we step forward and accept our circumstances, angels will help us and we will have our vision opened.:

All of you know that we believe in the ministering of angels. You also know that angels will not do for us what we can do for ourselves. For them to do so would be contrary to the order of heaven. If angels will not do for you what you can do for yourself, be assured that the Holy Ghost will not do it either. It is not the design of heaven that we be rescued from all difficult situations. Rather, it is the system that we grow up and learn to handle them.

The sense of being overwhelmed is very much a part of the journey. The power with which God clothes us in His holy temples does not suppose that the journey we have been called to make will be an easy one.

Nevertheless, the path we seek will always be clearly marked by the covenants we have made and the callings we have received. It is in the accepting of our lot and moving forward with what the Lord has asked of us that we discover that the Holy Ghost enjoys our company, angels feel constrained to join us, and the heavens open to our vision. (Joseph Fielding McConkie, BYU Devotional)

Finally, there are times where I think we could have additional help, but our stubbornness, our personality, or attitude get in the way. Joseph Smith said, "If you live up to your privileges, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates." If I want to mope around and feel sorry for myself, I am not living up to my privileges and will likely not feel the help of angels. In that situation, angels may or may not be "round about" trying to bear me up, but it will not matter if I am too busy focusing on my lot rather than on the many blessings I have available to me.

And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto
you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men. Moroni 7:29

The fact is that angels are here and miracles are still happening, I just hope that my eyes are open enough to see the miracles that are happening every day.

While I strongly believe in the help of angels, it is secondary to the constant companionship that comes from the gift of the Holy Ghost. President Wilford Woodruff said to J. Golden Kimball: "Now, Brother Kimball, I have had visions, I have had revelations, I have seen angels, but the greatest of all is that still small voice."

The Game

My friend Amanda wrote this analogy and I thought it was worth sharing:

I've felt impressed to write about something we discussed in Relief Society yesterday. The question was posed, "Why do we need adversity in our lives?" I started thinking about basketball. (I know, sports analogies are usually left to the Elder's Quorum, but stay with me.) I think life is a little like basketball. We practice dribbling, shooting, passing, running plays, and defensive strategies so that we can become better at each skill, and a develop into a better player in general. If all we ever did was practice, what good would that do? We need to actually come against an opponent to test our skills and know what we need to work on in order to advance, and therefore be in a better position to win the next game.

In life, we spend each day "practicing" such skills as obedience, communication, compassion, faith, etc. But in order for us to progress, we need to come against an opponent to test our skills so that we know where we are and what we need to work on. The trials that come into our lives are just such an opponent, and by evaluating our performance within and at the outcome of each trial, we can know on what skills or characteristics our time should be spent "practicing."
For anyone who has played basketball before, you know that emotions can run high, effecting performances and ultimately the outcome of a game. Same thing in life! If we allow them, our emotions can hinder our ability to see clearly the big picture and stop working in areas that need the most attention, or cause us to give up altogether.

I guess my point is that we can be in control of our "game" as long as we take the time to put the right kind of practice in beforehand.

Good luck? Bad Luck? Who knows?

An old parable about luck:

A farmer's horse ran away one day and all the villagers came to him saying, Oh what bad luck you've had! Your horse that you need to do your work is gone!

The farmer shrugged his shoulders and said, Good luck, bad luck. Who knows?

Several days later, the farmer's horse returned, followed by a herd of wild horses!

Oh what good luck you have, cried the same villagers! Not only has your horse returned, he has brought you many horses!

The farmer again shrugged his shoulders and said, Good luck, bad luck. Who knows?

One day not long after, the farmer's son was trying to break one of the wild horses. He was thrown off the horse and broke his leg.

Oh what bad luck you have! Cried the villagers. Now your son has a broken leg. Who will help you?

The farmer shrugged his shoulders and said, Good luck, bad luck. Who knows?

Not long after, as the son was recuperating, an army came through the village and took all the young males to fight in a war in another region. They did not take the farmer's son because of his broken leg.

Oh what good luck you have! The villagers cried once again. Your son has been spared being taken off to war because of his broken leg!

The farmer shrugged his shoulders and said, Good luck, bad luck. Who knows?

Who knows?

God knows.

Too often we make assumptions about our current situation and we may or may not be right. It is better to trust and allow God to do what is best for us, even if challenges may be present.

I OPEN NEW DOORS TO LIFE

I OPEN NEW DOORS TO LIFE

* I rejoice in what I have, and know that fresh new experiences are always ahead.

* I greet the new with open arms.

* I trust life to be wonderful.

THERE IS NO BLAME

THERE IS NO BLAME

I release the need to blame anyone, including myself.

We are all doing the best we can with the understanding, knowledge, and awareness we have.

And along with those affirmations, a quote from one of my favorite examples:

"Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."
— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Victims.

"People who consider themselves victims of their circumstances will always remain victims unless they develop a greater vision for their lives."

Stedman Graham
Speaker, Author and Educator

Create your life.

"The difference between great people and everyone else is that great people create their lives actively, while everyone else is created by their lives, passively waiting to see where life takes them next. The difference between the two is the difference between living fully and just existing."

Michael E. Gerber
Author of The E-Myth Revisited

Being cheerful.

"I'm not happy. I'm cheerful. There's a difference. A happy woman has no cares at all. A cheerful woman has cares but has learned how to deal with them."

Beverly Sills
1929-2007, Opera Singer

The open door.

"Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing, that we see too late the one that is open."

Alexander Graham Bell
1847-1922, Inventor

I LOVE AND APPROVE OF MYSELF.

I LOVE AND APPROVE OF MYSELF.

* I appreciate all that I do.
* I am good enough just as I am.
* I speak up for myself.
* I ask for what I want.
* I claim my power

Emily, a friend of mine, is sharing these affirmations and I thought they were worth passing around!