Truth Through Uncontrollable giggles! Bursts of laughter fill the car each time I make a surprise, quick glance, with a big, bold "BOO!" to give Addisen a thrill. Her immediate reaction: cackles of joy! Music to my ears! As I peek back to my 1 year old daughter from the passenger seat, I can't help but smile.... What do truth and light have in common? In a search for truth one may not notice the overlapping themes of truth and light, but when taking a dive deeper beneath the layers of both these concepts, I have found them to be inseparable...and I think you may find the same! Think of what you know to be true. Do you know your child is yours? If this is something that rings true to you, when you think about your child being a product of your own creation (with divine intervention of course!), how do you feel? Do you experience an awe-struck "aha" moment when you think of the miracle of life God has given us which you know to be true? Do you feel love, care, wonder, gratitude, or amazement?....If you feel any of these, chances are there is also another word which applies: light. Food for thought: How does light enter your mind or your countenance? Take the true sincerity of a baby's laugh. True, genuine laughter expresses the true emotion a baby is experiencing; a baby doesn't know how to laugh just to be cordial or because it is socially expected. A baby's laughter is true. Their laughter lightens the load of all around them! Regardless of the stress of the moment, when a baby giggles in delight, a spark of light is produced as the product of the truth sounding in the air. Where do children get such pure, relieving, truth from? The source is one of unlimited and eternal truth and light: God. This same God, is the source of all light that we know; according to scripture both past (Genisus) and present, the sun, the moon, and the stars, were all created by God who is also our Creator. God can create the sun, so it makes perfect sense that he also creates light within each one of us, but often we miss the opertunities to soak up the reys of sunshine just outside our window, the light radiating from a grateful friend or co-worker's smile, the love which lightens a load through a hug or a friendly handshake, the beauty that may be disovered in the sunset of Grandma's life, the physical lightening felt throughout our body just by...taking a deep breath. "For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light." (D&C 84:45) "The Lord will be your light in the wilderness." (1 Nephi 17:13) The two scriptures above are found in the Doctrine and Covenants (D&C) and the Book of Mormon.

A True Helping Hand

A True Helping Hand

Run, look, run, jump, hop, run, jump, look, hop, run, look, jump…we’re not even half way. My heavy feet trudge upwards in combat boots, my legs and arms continue to sweat in military fatigues, my right hand clutches an M-16, and my lungs feel restricted by the LBE tight around my waist holding two canteens. Dashing through the woods of up-state New York I am grateful for the Kevlar protecting my head. Run, run…my foot rolls outward and a sharp shooting pain strikes from the heel to my head…aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhoooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwww!!!...I have to stop; I’m hurt!; I can’t keep going… or can I?

The military skills competition at West Point I just returned from was mentally, physically, and emotionally challenging. I was pushed to my limits to learn that I was capable of more than I thought possible and I am stronger than I was before. After busting an ankle I needed help to continue…but what was the right kind of help? What does it mean to really help someone in need? We often think of help as a temporary hand-out ; giving of our time or money or talents to others. “Hand-outs” are wonderful ways to temporarily lift one another although we must be careful not to confuse them with “help-ups” wherein we give others the opportunity to make choices as we help them. True help may be assisting in a way that empowers those around us to do what they couldn’t do before – to do for them what they cannot do for themselves.

Before this earth was created and before all of us were sent to this earth, we had the ability to make choices. It was God’s plan that we be given an opportunity to live in mortality with happiness, sorrow, beauty, pain, love, misery, joy, and challenging difficulties – all of which fall into one grand plan of happiness that provides us with opportunities to progress eternally. When I was 16 years old I moved to New York City to pursue a professional dance career. I was going to be rooming with an unknown roommate on the upper-west side of Manhattan, navigating the Big Apple via taxi and Subway on my own. My parents let me make this choice with concern and worry and perhaps even some fear of what would come to be of their little girl. My Father gave me a Priesthood blessing before leaving and spent time counseling with me about some of the difficult situations I may encounter. He told me that he loved me and he was confident that I would succeed while he also encouraged me to take careful strides in the new world I was going to live in. I often think of this when thinking about how our Father in Heaven must have felt when wishing us well on our journey in this life. Just like my earthly father didn’t want me to end up knocking my teeth out while rollerblading down Broadway (and I did), likewise, Father in Heaven doesn’t want to see his children in pain or at war or suffering, but in order to help us progress a good Father must allow us to make our own decisions. Research has proven the same within the workplace; the CEO who delegates to his employees various responsibilities of importance succeeds far beyond the CEO who micromanages every decision and/or task those he is in charge of.

In letting us use agency to make good and bad decisions, God will do for us what we cannot do for ourselves but he expects us to do all that we can in this life while using the tools that He has given us. I recall times when I was frustrated as a teen-ager with my father when hiking in the mountains. He was often pushing me to hike faster than I wanted to go and there were times when I wanted him to carry me up the mountain but he didn’t. He would let me stop and rest, grab a drink for a short moment while looking down over the valley below and showing me how far we had already come – then he led the way again at a challenging pace. We each have many mountains to summit in mortality; and with every challenge or trial along the way the Lord leads us and strengthens us.

Jesus Christ provided the central role in our Father in Heaven’s plan as he did for God what the Father couldn’t do for himself; God the Father cannot die - he is a resurrected, glorified, eternal being who cannot suffer according to eternal laws, which is why Christ is such a central part of God’s plan. In taking upon Himself the sins of the world Christ also empowered each of us to be made whole and complete by following Him. He is our Exemplar in performing the greatest selfless act of true help and help everlasting.

Spring; A Season of Truth

This weekend my husband and I took off to enjoy the beauty of the mountains in a cabin where we could "veg-out," sleep in, and listen to the words of modern-day Prophets (speakers at the semi-annual Latter-Day Saint General Conference that teach principles for our day). Upon arriving we were surrounded by steep cliffs, boulders, snow-covered switchbacks, a flock of wild turkeys, and barren trees not yet showing the first buds of spring.

As I think upon the coming spring and Easter season, I reflect on the process and growth involved of nature's beauty. Roots extend, branches unfold, and leaves grow, facilitated by Living Water. Buds soon turn to leaves of smoothly rounded edges, leaves of prickles and thorns, tattered leaves, healthy leaves, and leaves of scent; no one leaf is like the others, given careful consideration by the Creator, and each leaf is nourished by surrounding elements of Love. Some leaves are bigger, smaller, brighter, or more intricate, but the Source of Light from which each leaf is granted life, looks not to compare, but sees beauty in them all; light penetrates all leaves regardless of size or difference, providing The Way for true growth and progression.

Christ is that Light from which all of us stem; He is our Creator, our Redeemer, our Savior, our Exemplar, our Brother, and our Friend. He loves each of us as no respecter of persons and he knows how to succor our needs regardless of our circumstances. Budding leaves, new flowers, green grass, rainbows, and many other beautiful signs of Spring would all be for not if it weren't for the "the way, the truth, and the Light" from which they thrive.

True Love

The phrase "true love" tends to denote a fantasy of dozens of beautiful red roses, fine chocolates, sparkling diamonds, candlelight at a ritzy restaurant and two perfectly shaped lovers spending an expensive night on the town in their finest attire while gazing into one another's eyes between passionate kisses. While romance and infatuation can be an appropriate way to show care for another individual in the right time and place, it is important that we don't mistake understand them for love everlasting. Roses wilt, chocolates don't last longer than a day or two (at least in my house), diamonds said to be "forever" can be lost or stolen, candlelight melts into darkness, the flavors of a pricey meal are quickly forgotten, fine attire tears and wears into dust over time, etc. Please don't misunderstand that I am denouncing any of the above; all of the aforementioned items may be used to reflect thoughtfulness and wonderful memories in a relationship, but they aren't intended to replace or supersede a greater love - the love of Christ.

Christ's love has always been and will always be the greatest of all manifestations of love for all of us (his brothers and sisters). The scriptures refer to this true love as charity. Moroni, (a prophet of the ancient Americas whose writings are found in the Book of Mormon), in writing a few of the words of his father, Mormon, recorded, “Charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever.” Loving one another the way Christ loves each of us means that we are quick to forgive, we chose not to be offended, and we continue to reach out our hand to those who seek to destroy us. Perhaps one of the greatest examples of this was when Christ proclaimed "Father forgive them, for they know now what they do," after He was "despised and rejected" by the very people He bled at every pore for.

Finding perfect love like that of Christ's may seem a daunting quest, but the scriptures tell us that we CAN obtain a pure love of Christ as we seek to follow Him and reach out to one another. According to Elder Oaks, one of the 12 apostles ordained and chosen by the Lord to serve just as apostles of old - in our modern day - says: "The reason charity never fails and the reason charity is greater than even the most significant acts of goodness is [because], “the pure love of Christ” is not an act but a condition or state of being. Charity is something one becomes."

We must become like Christ to exude his perfect love. Whether giving a rose or a helping hand, we must do so without expecting anything in return, out of pure goodness and with selfless motives. In the Bible we read "if ye love me, keep my commandments." If we love the Lord, we will do what he asks, when he asks it, and in a manner he would approve of.

The True Role of A Woman

A traveler passed a stone quarry and saw three men working. He asked each man what he was doing. Each man’s answer revealed a different attitude toward the same job. “I am cutting stone,” the first man answered with a tired and irritated tone. The second replied, “I am earning three gold pieces per day” with a sense of pride and expectation. The third man smiled and humbly said, “I am helping to build a house of God.”

What does this account have to do with the true role of a woman? As with any role we play in life, we chose to have either positive or negative attitudes towards our divine roles of wife and mother. Some look at these roles as being demeaning and full of drudgery, but our roles are actually a part of a solemn promise that we made before we came to earth. The role we play is irreplaceable, bringing priceless blessings that come to us as daughters of God.

What is the work that is uniquely ours to do sisters? I would like to suggest two aspects of womanhood I believe the Lord would have wives focus on to provide more sustaining power to the family today: #1 – Loving, encouraging, and supporting our husbands, and #2 - The beauty of motherhood.

#1 – Loving, Encouraging & Supporting Our Husbands

In order to obtain power to sustain our families, righteous wives must work together with righteous husbands. Elder Dahlin H. Oaks said: “Only by unity can we follow the way of the Lord, who said, “Be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.” (D&C 38:27.)” President Hinkley often spoke of his dear wife Margery as one who walked “side-by-side in perfect companionship” with him in his many duties. Pres Hinkley: “The men hold the priesthood, yes. But my wife is my companion. In this Church the man neither walks ahead of his wife nor behind his wife but at her side. They are co-equals in this life in a great enterprise.” What does it mean to be side by side in our marriages and how will this sustain our families?
In Genesis 2:18 we read that “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make a help meet for him.” If we as wives are to play the role of help meet we must know what it is. Notice the words ‘help’ + ‘meet’ are counterparts they are two words combined. It may also be helpful to understand that the word help is subordinate in the English language but in Hebrew it means ‘ezer’ which literally means “help from the LORD.”

In Genesis 2: 21-22 we read that God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he took one of his ribs to make a woman. From modern revelation we know that Eve wasn’t literally created from a rib, but that this is symbolic to demonstrate that Adam (representing all men) is incomplete without his missing piece, or help-meet, who is Eve (representing all women). As a righteous wife we must do all we can to sustain, honor, and walk with our husbands as they seek to preside over the family in love and righteousness. We should use the divine attributes we are given of love, compassion, kindness, and charity, to lift our husbands in every way possible.
“Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other…”
Modern day revelation affirms that each of us are beloved spirit sons or daughters of heavenly parents, and that each of us have a divine nature and destiny. Theorists refer to wives/mothers as the "relationship architects" who concern themselves with interrelationships, being sensitive to how others actions will affect people, making sure all the family members are happy, and often sacrificing for the benefit of others in the family. This could directly relate to the divine nature women have as nurturers.

It is little wonder why Emma Smith was commanded in the Doctrine & Covenants (Section 25:5,14):
5- And the office of thy calling shall be for a acomfort unto my servant, Joseph Smith, Jun., thy husband, in his afflictions, with consoling words, in the spirit of meekness.
14-Continue in the spirit of meekness, and beware of apride. Let thy soul delight in thy bhusband, and the cglory which shall come upon him.

The value of providing comfort and nurture to our husbands on a daily basis as Emma did for Joesph has eternal benefits and strengthens our marriages, our families, and sweetens the spirit in our homes.

As wives we can also encourage and motivate our husbands in proper ways as directed by the spirit to encourage them in their church callings.

Example: When President Spencer W. Kimball was called to be an Apostle, he was overwhelmed at receiving the call. He tells of how his wife comforted and encouraged him: “ ‘When the Church calls, we obey.’ But the predominant thought was my own limitations and incapacities and weaknesses and I was overcome. The tears came then, an inexhaustible flood. … I wept and wept. … I was in convulsions of sobbing. My wife was sitting by me on the floor, stroking my hair, trying to quiet me. …
“… My wife was my salvation. She comforted me and encouraged me and continued to say there was only one road to follow. …
“… I continued to tell Camilla that I was not sure what I would do, though I knew all the time there was only one course. She continued to encourage me and insisted that acceptance of the call was the only thing” (Edward L. Kimball and Andrew E. Kimball Jr., Spencer W. Kimball [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1977], pp. 191–92).

#2 – The Beauty of Motherhood

In addressing the importance of motherhood I’d like to begin by asking each of you to ponder the first commandment of the Lord. What is the first commandment and what does it mean to you as a husband or a wife?

From Matthew 22:37&38 we read “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.” Yet, in the Family, A Proclaimation to the World we read, “The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force.” I believe (sustaining the family as a righteous) that motherhood is one of the most selfless forms of love and perhaps the greatest way for wives to sustain righteous families, as we magnify the commandment to love the Lord thy God and do so by bearing, nurturing, and teaching righteous spirits with all our hearts, and with all our souls, and with all our minds.

It is unfortunate that the role of a supportive wife and mother in the world today is often perceived to be of lesser value than an accomplished career woman. Because there aren’t many tangible rewards or acknowledgments for the work of a stay-at-home wife or mother, research shows that “the lack of public acknowledgment and the difficulty of child-rearing tasks in general devalue the decisions some women make to be “at home” and make the role of mother seem lesser than that of paid worker,” (Dillaway, 1998, p. 449).

President David O. McKay made the value of motherhood clear when he said that “Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by [a woman]” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1942, pp. 12–13). He also cautioned, “Do not … make the mistake of being drawn off into secondary tasks which will cause the neglect of your eternal assignments such as giving birth to and rearing the spirit children of our Father in Heaven” (Ensign, Nov. 1979, pp. 102–3).

President Julie B. Beck who recently proclaimed: “I have a testimony…of a plan of happiness given to us by our Father in Heaven. That plan has a part for His daughters. We have the female half to take care of, and if we don’t do our part, no one else is going to do it for us. The half of our Father’s plan that creates life, that nurtures souls, that promotes growth, that influences everything else was geven to US. We can’t delegate it. We can’t pass it off to anyone. Its ours. We can refuse it, we can deny it, but it’s still our part, and we’re accountable for it….How do we meet this responsibility? We daily put our energies into the work that is uniquely ours to do.”

To be a true woman is to fulfill the purposes God has divinely appointed women to fulfill - purposes which come with blessings that always have been, are, and always will be.

Sharing Truth

Why should we share the truth that we have? Sharing what is true brings truth to further light, liberating and edifying both the messenger and the receiver.

This past week I flew to Washington to present some research on Non-governmental Organizations in Ethiopia. On the flights there and back I realized I had the choice to sleep/read/stick to myself/listen to my ipod OR I could converse and befriend the stranger next to me. My ipod seemed the most appealing of these options, with zonking out being a close second. Reaching for my headphones the thought popped into my head that after this life, the Lord will not ask me how many itune artists I listened to, but he will ask me to account for the people I reach out to/fellowship/serve/share with, etc. The gal who had found her way into the empty seat next to me just before take-off was also the person I had hoped wouldn't ever come (I know I'm not the only one who hopes for a little space to breath when flying on a tiny plane...am I?). My attitude toward my new flying companion quickly changed as she went out of her way to introduce herself with a smile.

In the next hour and a half I discovered that Dana a puteen lover, proud of real maple syrup and Canadian candies, with words like "Sorey" (sorry), and "Aboat" (about)in her vocabulary. In Vancouver Dana told me there wasn't a state religion, and that she, along with most of those she knew in her hometown, were non-denominational Christians and/or "not very religious people." I asked if she thought this had anything to do with the history of her country and she paused to reflect before responding. As she was thinking I felt it appropriate to explain the religious heritage of the territories that became United States of America. I told her of the colonies of New England which wanted freedom to believe as they pleased, and the founding fathers who relied heavily upon God to fight for their Nation-to-be. "In God we trust" is on our money and at the Presidential Inaguration there is still the tradition of a lengthy prayer to acknowledge the guidance of divinity.

In comparing the history of our countries she concluded that the history of Canada was more secular than that of the United States but that there were some instances of God-fearing leaders in her heritage too. I asked her about her own beliefs and she returned the question "what do you believe?" to me. I told her about the center of my belief: the Savior & Redeemer Jesus Christ. I told her about the young boy who believed in Jesus Christ and wanted to follow him, but didn't know which church to go to. I told her this young boy named Joseph Smith asked God as he was directed to in James 1:5 to know where he should worship ("If any of ye lack wisdom, let him ask of God..."), and that he was answered by God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son -two separate beings- who appeared to him in person. Dana was impressed by this and continued to listen attentively. I told Dana about the Book of Mormon that Joseph Smith was asked by God to translate, and the power of God which enabled him to do so, which is also evidence of his call to be a prophet (like Moses of old).

When I told Dana that today we had a living leader/prophet (President Thomas S. Monson) who is directed by Christ (the Head of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), Dana asked how this prophet and his 12 apostles were chosen. "Not by vote, but by God" I shared. She was grateful and appreciative of this information....As the plane landed Dana asked if we could keep in touch. No longer strangers or foreigners (like Paul suggests), both of us were uplifted in sharing our beliefs with one another.

I am excited to continue sharing truths with and learning truths from Dana; sharing truth is perhaps one way in which "the truth will make you free (John 8:32)."

How Does Our Past Relate to Truth?

While sitting in a Church Historical Conference this week Marvin K. Jensen (the Church Historian for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), pointed out that since truth is that which has been, will be, and that which will be, we must use the past to find truth. It makes sense that the Lord intends us to use our past and the past of others to sculpt the future, but for some reason I hadn't ever thought of my own history as something truth-molding.

We know that our past acts influence our future acts. A couple weeks ago I was speeding and I was pulled over by the police...then a few days later I was required to pay a fine...and a couple weeks later I went to traffic school...my initial act of speeding influenced the consequences that followed. There are numerous scriptural references that back-up the idea that we each have the ability to chose for ourselves the path we take in life (one of my personal favorites is in the Book of Mormon, Nephi 2:26-27). It was my choice to speed - nobody made me do it, even though I was running late (which was also my poor planning/choice).

Since the past is the present left behind...and since we chose in the present to determine the future...the past, present, and future are all symbols of choice. To make the best choices for our future then it makes sense that we would want to know the best choices made in the past. To find truth we must look to those who have gone before us and apply the historical lessons of heritage to what is presently before us; by looking to the past we chose to bring truth to the future.