Wrapped tightly in its cocoon, the developing chrysalis must struggle with all its might to break its confinement. The butterfly might think, "Why must I suffer so? Why cannot I simply, in the twinkling of an eye, become a butterfly?"
Such thoughts would be contrary to the Creator's design. The struggle to break out of the cocoon develops the butterfly so it can fly. Without that adversity, the butterfly would never develop the strength to achieve its destiny. It would never develop the strength to become something extraordinary.
President James E. Faust has observed that "into every life there come the painful, despairing days of adversity and buffeting. There seems to be a full measure of anguish, sorrow, and often heartbreak for everyone, including those whe earnestly seek to do right and be faithful." But President Faust explains, the adversity we experience allows our souls ot become like clay in the hands of the Master. "Trials and adversity can be preparatory to becoming born anew".
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Polynesian Pilots-guiding stars in our lifes
Hundreds of years ago, Polynesian sailors traveled vast distances using only the stars to navigate. To be able to launch a craft not much larger than a canoe, travel thousands of miles through often treacherous waters, and find a tiny pinprick of an island in the midst of a vast ocean is a remarkable feat to say the least. That such thing is possible was demonstrated by a group from Hawaii in the late 1970s. Having enlisted the help of one of the last remaning Polynesian pilots they set out from Hawaii. Thirty days and 2,500 miles later, they arrived at their destination- a group of islands near Tahiti (http://pvs.kcchawaii.edu/nainoa80tahiti.html).
How did they accomplish this remarkable feat?
These navigators spent their lives learning about the stars and their paths through the heavens. They had memorized them so carefully, that they were able to use them as reference points througout their voyage. Whenever they drifted off course, they looked to the starts and adjusted their sails. As long as they followed the starts, they knew they would reach their destination.
History is filled with examples of righteous men and women who can serve as guiding stars for us. Although they may have lived in different times and faced different trials, fundamentally, their challenges are ours: the problems we face were theirs. The more we learn of them- the more we use them as a guide for us- the more certain it is that we will reach a final destination worthy of sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father.
How did they accomplish this remarkable feat?
These navigators spent their lives learning about the stars and their paths through the heavens. They had memorized them so carefully, that they were able to use them as reference points througout their voyage. Whenever they drifted off course, they looked to the starts and adjusted their sails. As long as they followed the starts, they knew they would reach their destination.
History is filled with examples of righteous men and women who can serve as guiding stars for us. Although they may have lived in different times and faced different trials, fundamentally, their challenges are ours: the problems we face were theirs. The more we learn of them- the more we use them as a guide for us- the more certain it is that we will reach a final destination worthy of sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father.
President Hinckley's wife passed away
In one of his interviews with Larry King, President Hinckley was asked how he was doing since his beloved wife, Marjorie, passed away. He said that he felt pretty lonely at times. Mr. King asked, "How do you get over that?" President Hinckley's response was as touching as it was profound. "You never get over it... the best thing you can do is just keep busy," he said. "Keep working hard, so you're not dwelling on it all the time. Work is the best antidote for sorrow."
You never have to little to share or give service
A Widow's Faith-
There are those who can teach us regarding a faith if we will but open our hearts and our minds. One such perosn is a woman whose husband had died. Left alone to raise her son, she had tried to find ways of supporting herself, but she lived in a time of terrible famine. Food was scarce and many were perishing because of hunger.
As available food diminshed, so did the woman's hope of surviving. Every day, she watched helplessly as her meager supply of food decreased. Hoping for relief but finding none, the woman fnally realized the day had come when she had only enough food for one last meal.
[Does this story sound familiar?]
It was then that a stranger approached and asked the unthinkable. "Bring me, I pray thee," he said to her, "a morsel of bread."
The woman turned to the man and said, "as the Lord thy god liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil ina cruse." She told him she was about to prepare it as a last meal for herself and her son, "that we may eat it, and die."
She did not know that the man before her was the prophet Elijah, sent to her by the Lord. What this prophet told her next may seem surprising to those today who do not understand the principle of faith. "Fear not," he said to her, "but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for the son."
Can you imagine what he must have thought? What she must have felt? She harldy had time to reply when the man continued, "For thus saith t eh Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth."
The woman, after hearng this prophetic promise, went in faith and did as Elijah had directed. "And she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah" (1 Kings17:11-16).
In the wisdom of our day, the prophet's request may seem unfair and selfish. In the wisdom of our day, the widow's response may appear foolish and unwise. That is largely because we often learn to make decisions based upon what we see. We make decisions based on the evidence before us and what appears to be in our immediate, best interest.
"Press On" by Joseph B. Wirthlin
There are those who can teach us regarding a faith if we will but open our hearts and our minds. One such perosn is a woman whose husband had died. Left alone to raise her son, she had tried to find ways of supporting herself, but she lived in a time of terrible famine. Food was scarce and many were perishing because of hunger.
As available food diminshed, so did the woman's hope of surviving. Every day, she watched helplessly as her meager supply of food decreased. Hoping for relief but finding none, the woman fnally realized the day had come when she had only enough food for one last meal.
[Does this story sound familiar?]
It was then that a stranger approached and asked the unthinkable. "Bring me, I pray thee," he said to her, "a morsel of bread."
The woman turned to the man and said, "as the Lord thy god liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil ina cruse." She told him she was about to prepare it as a last meal for herself and her son, "that we may eat it, and die."
She did not know that the man before her was the prophet Elijah, sent to her by the Lord. What this prophet told her next may seem surprising to those today who do not understand the principle of faith. "Fear not," he said to her, "but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for the son."
Can you imagine what he must have thought? What she must have felt? She harldy had time to reply when the man continued, "For thus saith t eh Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth."
The woman, after hearng this prophetic promise, went in faith and did as Elijah had directed. "And she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah" (1 Kings17:11-16).
In the wisdom of our day, the prophet's request may seem unfair and selfish. In the wisdom of our day, the widow's response may appear foolish and unwise. That is largely because we often learn to make decisions based upon what we see. We make decisions based on the evidence before us and what appears to be in our immediate, best interest.
"Press On" by Joseph B. Wirthlin
Warren M. Johnson lost 5 of his children while serving the Lord
One inspiring example is from an early Saint of the nineteenth century, Warren M. Johnson. he was assigned by Church leaders to perate Lee's Ferry, an important crossing over the Colorado River in the desert of Northern Arizon. Brother Johnson endured great challenges yet remained faithful his entire life. Listen to Brother Johnson explain his family tragedy in a letter to President Wilford Woodruff:
In May 1891 a family.... came here to [Lee's Ferry] from Richfield Utah, where they... spent the winter visiting friends. At Panguitch they buried a child, ... without disinfecting the wagon or themselves... They came to our house, and remained overnight, mingling with my little children.
We knew nothing of the nature of the disease [diphtheria], but had faith in God, as we were here on a very hard mission, and had tried as hard as we knew how to obey the [commandments]... that our children would be spared. But alas, in four and a half days [the oldest boy died] in my arms. Two more were taken down with the disease and we fasted and prayed as much as we thought it wisdom as we had many duties to perform here. we fasted [for] twenty-four hours and once I fasted [for] forty hours, but to no avail, for both my little girls died also. About a week after their death my fifteen year old daughter Melinda was alsot stricken down and we did all we could for her but she soon followed the others... Three of my dear girls and one boy have been taken from us, and the end is not yet. My oldest girl nineteen years old is now prostrated from the disease, and we are fasting and praying in her behalf today... I would ask for your faith and prayers in our behalf however.
"Press On" by Joseph B. Wirthlin
In May 1891 a family.... came here to [Lee's Ferry] from Richfield Utah, where they... spent the winter visiting friends. At Panguitch they buried a child, ... without disinfecting the wagon or themselves... They came to our house, and remained overnight, mingling with my little children.
We knew nothing of the nature of the disease [diphtheria], but had faith in God, as we were here on a very hard mission, and had tried as hard as we knew how to obey the [commandments]... that our children would be spared. But alas, in four and a half days [the oldest boy died] in my arms. Two more were taken down with the disease and we fasted and prayed as much as we thought it wisdom as we had many duties to perform here. we fasted [for] twenty-four hours and once I fasted [for] forty hours, but to no avail, for both my little girls died also. About a week after their death my fifteen year old daughter Melinda was alsot stricken down and we did all we could for her but she soon followed the others... Three of my dear girls and one boy have been taken from us, and the end is not yet. My oldest girl nineteen years old is now prostrated from the disease, and we are fasting and praying in her behalf today... I would ask for your faith and prayers in our behalf however.
"Press On" by Joseph B. Wirthlin
Friday, July 6, 2012
Fear and Faith
President Boyd K. Packer reminds us: "We need not live in fear of the future. We have every reason to rejoice and little reason to fear. If we follow the promptings of the Spirit, we will be safe, whatever the future holds. We will be shown what to do." Ensign, May 2000 8
The amount of light and energy of sun
Have you ever thought about the amount of light and energy generated by our sun? The quantity is almost beyond comprehension. yet the heat and light that we receive come as a free gift from God. This is another proof of the goodness of our Heavenly Father. (Experts at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration estimate that "the total energy radiated by the Sun adverages 383 billion trillion kilowatts, [which is] equivalent to the energy generated by 100 billion tons of TNT exploding each......second"
The light of Christ is greater than that of the Sun.
The light of Christ is greater than that of the Sun.
The Abundant Life- Snowman, the jumping horse
Harry de Leyer was late to the auction on that snowy day in 1956, and all of the good horses had already been sold. The few that remained were old and spent and had been bought by a company that would turn them into dog food.
Harry, the riding master at a girl's school in Pennsylvania, was about to leave when one of the horses that had been marked for slaughter caught his eye. The horse was a dirty, gray gelding with ugly-looking sores on its legs. The marks left by a heavy work harness gave evidence to the hard life it had led. But something about him captured Harry's attentnion and so he offered $80 for it.
It was snowing whe Harry's children saw the horse for the first time and, because of the coat of snow on the horse's back, the children name it "Snowman."
Harry took good care of the horse. He was a gentle and reliable animal- a horse the girls liked to ride because he was steady and didn't startle likd some of the others. In fact, Snowman made such rapid improvement that a neighbor purchased him for twice what Harry had originally paid.
But snowman kept disappearing from the neighbor's pasture- sometimes ending up in adjoing potato fields, other times back at Harry's place. How Snowman got out of the pasture was something of a mystery. It appeared that the horse must have jumped over the fences between properties, but that seemed impossible- Harry had never seen Snowman jump over anything much higher than a fall log.
But eventually, the neighbor's patience came to an end, and he insisted Harry buy the horse back.
For years, Harry's great dream had been to produce a champion jumping horse. He had had moderate success in the past, but in order to compete at the highest levels, he knew he would have to buy a pedigreed horse that had been specifically bred to jump. And that kind of pedigree would cost far more tha what he could afford.
Snowman was already getting old- he was eight when Harry had purchased him- and he had been badly treated. But, apparently, Snowman wanted to jump and so Harry decided to see what the horse could do. What Harry saw made him think that maybe his horse had a chance to compete.
In 1958, Harry entered Snowman in his frist jumping competition. Snowman stood among the beautifully bred, champion horses, looking very much out of place. Other horse breeders called Snowman "flea-bitten gray."
But a wonderful, unbelievable thing happened that day. Snowman won!
Harry continued to enter Snowman in other competitions, and Snowman continued to win.
Audiences cheered madly every time Snowman mad a jump. He became a symbol of how extraordinary an ordinary horse could be. he appeared on televeison. Stories and books were written about him.
As Snowman continued to win, one buyer offered $100,000 for the old plow horse, but Harry would not sell. In 1958 and 1959, Snowman was named "Horse of the Year." Eventually, the gray gelding- who had once been marked for slaughter- was inducted into the show jumping hall of fame. For millions of people, Snowman was much more than a horse. He was a symbol of the hidden, untapped potential that lies within each of us.
We may not be gifted artists, sculptors, or musicians, but the greatest art of all is the art of living. We can take the clay of time and create from it a materpiece of an abundant life. Love the Lord with all your heart, might, mind, and strength. Enlist in great and noble causes. Create of your homes sanctuaries of holiness and strentght. Magnify your callings in the Church. Fill your minds with learning. Strengthen your testimonies. Reach out to others. Creat of your life a masterpiece. The abundant life isn't something we arrive at. Rather, it is a magnificent journey that began long, long ages ago, and will never, never end. The story of an old, discarded horse sold at auction for scrap is not so different fromt he sotry of our own lives. There is within each of us a divine spark of greatness. Who knows of what we are capable if we only try? The abundant life is within our reach if we will drink deeply of living water, fill our hearts with love, and creat of our one lives a masterpiece.
"Press On" messages of Faith, Hope, and Charity from Joseph B. Wirthlin
Harry, the riding master at a girl's school in Pennsylvania, was about to leave when one of the horses that had been marked for slaughter caught his eye. The horse was a dirty, gray gelding with ugly-looking sores on its legs. The marks left by a heavy work harness gave evidence to the hard life it had led. But something about him captured Harry's attentnion and so he offered $80 for it.
It was snowing whe Harry's children saw the horse for the first time and, because of the coat of snow on the horse's back, the children name it "Snowman."
Harry took good care of the horse. He was a gentle and reliable animal- a horse the girls liked to ride because he was steady and didn't startle likd some of the others. In fact, Snowman made such rapid improvement that a neighbor purchased him for twice what Harry had originally paid.
But snowman kept disappearing from the neighbor's pasture- sometimes ending up in adjoing potato fields, other times back at Harry's place. How Snowman got out of the pasture was something of a mystery. It appeared that the horse must have jumped over the fences between properties, but that seemed impossible- Harry had never seen Snowman jump over anything much higher than a fall log.
But eventually, the neighbor's patience came to an end, and he insisted Harry buy the horse back.
For years, Harry's great dream had been to produce a champion jumping horse. He had had moderate success in the past, but in order to compete at the highest levels, he knew he would have to buy a pedigreed horse that had been specifically bred to jump. And that kind of pedigree would cost far more tha what he could afford.
Snowman was already getting old- he was eight when Harry had purchased him- and he had been badly treated. But, apparently, Snowman wanted to jump and so Harry decided to see what the horse could do. What Harry saw made him think that maybe his horse had a chance to compete.
In 1958, Harry entered Snowman in his frist jumping competition. Snowman stood among the beautifully bred, champion horses, looking very much out of place. Other horse breeders called Snowman "flea-bitten gray."
But a wonderful, unbelievable thing happened that day. Snowman won!
Harry continued to enter Snowman in other competitions, and Snowman continued to win.
Audiences cheered madly every time Snowman mad a jump. He became a symbol of how extraordinary an ordinary horse could be. he appeared on televeison. Stories and books were written about him.
As Snowman continued to win, one buyer offered $100,000 for the old plow horse, but Harry would not sell. In 1958 and 1959, Snowman was named "Horse of the Year." Eventually, the gray gelding- who had once been marked for slaughter- was inducted into the show jumping hall of fame. For millions of people, Snowman was much more than a horse. He was a symbol of the hidden, untapped potential that lies within each of us.
We may not be gifted artists, sculptors, or musicians, but the greatest art of all is the art of living. We can take the clay of time and create from it a materpiece of an abundant life. Love the Lord with all your heart, might, mind, and strength. Enlist in great and noble causes. Create of your homes sanctuaries of holiness and strentght. Magnify your callings in the Church. Fill your minds with learning. Strengthen your testimonies. Reach out to others. Creat of your life a masterpiece. The abundant life isn't something we arrive at. Rather, it is a magnificent journey that began long, long ages ago, and will never, never end. The story of an old, discarded horse sold at auction for scrap is not so different fromt he sotry of our own lives. There is within each of us a divine spark of greatness. Who knows of what we are capable if we only try? The abundant life is within our reach if we will drink deeply of living water, fill our hearts with love, and creat of our one lives a masterpiece.
"Press On" messages of Faith, Hope, and Charity from Joseph B. Wirthlin
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