Without Arms

By Sarah Baker

These are a few words from the Book of Mormon that have been drifting through my mind the last few weeks. You will probably remember that the Lamanites wanted to attack Limhi’s people, but after talking with the king of the Lamanites the record says the Limhi’s people: “…..went forth without arms to meet the Lamanites…” and “….when the Lamanites saw the people of Limhi, that they were without arms, they had compassion on them and were pacified towards them…..”(Mosiah 20:25, 26).

I thought about the principle of “without arms” with regard to relationships in general. We don’t come with the kind of arms that were meant in these verses e.g. shields, arrows, swords etc., but sometimes we come with other “arms” that have been acquired throughout our life experiences like: pride, mistrust, impatience, an unforgiving heart, defensiveness, lack of self-worth, selfishness, and use these, we think, to protect ourselves from being hurt again.

I have had experiences where I have had these kind of bad “arms”, and each time I’ve felt horrible, as the result has never been an increase in compassion and understanding, nothing good has been

My Father Will Hold Me

By Sarah Baker

I recently re-read the experience that Joseph Smith had when he was a little boy with his poorly leg. Just to recap; the doctors had originally said that young Joseph's leg would need to be amputated, but at the insistance of his mother they decided to try a new operation, to remove a piece of bone from his leg. They had come with some cord and had planned to tie Joseph to the bed because they had no anesthetic, nothing to dull the pain, when they cut into his leg to remove the piece of bone.

Young Joseph however responded, "I will not be bound, for I can bear the operation much better if I have my liberty".

The doctors then said, "Will you take some wine?... You must take something, or you can never endure the severe operation".

Again the boy prophet said, "No,.... but I will tell you what I will do - I will have my father sit on the bed and hold me in is arms, and then I will do whatever is necessary to have the bone taken out."

Sweet is the Peace

by Heidi Allen Garvin
Things sometimes pop into our heads when we need them.  This was the result of that for me today.  The words are ones we may not know well.  They are worth a sincere ponder.  I share them in that spirit.  Hymn #14. 
 

Sweet is the peace the gospel brings
To seeking minds and true.
With light refulgent on its wings,
It clears the human view.

Its laws and precepts are divine
And show a Father’s care.
Transcendent love and mercy shine
In each injunction there.

My Son, My Daughter

by Sarah Baker

In Doctrine and Covenants 121:1-6, the Prophet pleaded with the Lord regarding the suffering of the Saints, and asks, “O GOD, where art thou?”

What were the first words the Lord used to comfort Joseph?

He said: “My son, peace be unto thy soul;” (D&C 121:7)

He could’ve said, “Joseph, peace be unto thy soul”, or “Thou art a prophet”, but He decided to remind Joseph of their relationship, that he is His son, and then promised him peace.

It reminded me of the account of the woman with the issue of blood, where the Savior responded to her touch by saying:

“Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.” (Luke 8:48).

The Bible Dictionary says under the heading of ‘Prayer’: “As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7:7–11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship”.

I hope that if you don’t feel the closeness of this relationship that you will ask God in prayer to remind you, and I have no doubts that He will. We are loved, we are His children, and He promises us peace.

Tips for a Good Day

Five Tips To Make A Good Day

by Vickey Pahnke Taylor on May 11, 2012

A Good Day!

Can we really make a good day with just five tips?
I think so.
I’ll take any good, positive, helpful tip, if it grants more joy and less stress. Looking up into a blue sky, it lifts my spirits. And makes me want to build a better, ya know?
In my loooong list of tips for good days with less storm clouds, here are five of them:
1. Feed the body. Eating breakfast in the morning is something I’ve had to work at. I don’t love it but it’s necessary. Morning nutrition gives me energy and makes me feel like I’ve done something positive for my very own self. It feels good to know my mental processes and physical body work better right off the bat.

Stewardship and Law of Consecration

by Heidi Allen Garvin

I've pondered much on the Law of Consecration.  Recently I blogged on my personal site 'Simply Mormon' about living that law and having no poor among us.

At the end of that message I posted the following statement by Elder D. Todd Christofferson who said:

"...our life on earth is a stewardship of time and choices granted by our Creator. The word stewardship calls to mind the Lord’s law of consecration (see, for example, D&C 42:32, 53), which has an economic role but, more than that, is an application of celestial law to life here and now (see D&C 105:5). To consecrate is to set apart or dedicate something as sacred, devoted to holy purposes. True success in this life comes in consecrating our lives—that is, our time and choices—to God’s purposes (see John 17:1, 4; D&C 19:19). In so doing, we permit Him to raise us to our highest destiny."