Thou Shalt Not Covet

"Being provident providers, we must keep the most basic commandment, "That shalt not covet" (Exodus 20:17). Our world is fraught with feelings of entitlement...If our family does not have everything the neighbors have,...we go into debt to buy things we cannot afford - and things we do not really need. Whenever we do this, we become poor temporally and spiritually."

Robert D. Hales, "Becoming Provident Providers Temporarlly and Spiritually," Ensign, May 2009,8

The Door of True Happiness

"The gospel of Jesus Christ has the answers to all of our problems. The gospel is not a ecret. It is not complicated or hidden. It can unlock the door to true happiness. It is not someone's theory or porposition. It does not come from man at all. It springs from the pure and everlasting waters of the Creator of the universe, who knows truths we cannot even begin to comprehend. And with tha t knowledge, He has given us the gospel - a divine gift, the ultimate formula for happiness and success."

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Way of the Disciple," Ensign, May 2009, 75

Influences That Erode Faith

“First is doubt. . . . It comes from a lack of confidence in one’s self or abilities. It is inconsistent with our divine identity as children of God. “Doubt leads to discouragement. Discouragement comes from missed expectations. . . . Discouragement leads to distraction, a lack of focus. . . . Distraction leads to a lack of diligence, a reduced commitment to remain true and faithful and to carry on through despite hardship and disappointment. . . . This path ultimately leads to disobedience, which undermines the very basis of faith. So often the result is disbelief, the conscious or unconscious refusal to believe.”

Kevin W. Pearson, “Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,” Ensign, May 2009, 40

Our True Destination

“Early European converts [sailing to America] . . . had overcome many stumbling blocks. They had a testimony that revelation comes from heaven and that prophets and apostles are again on the earth. They had faith in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. “They had come to understand the sublime destination that was in store for them. They were not fearful of the arduous journey they were undertaking, and their ultimate destination was not really the Salt Lake Valley. Their true destination was paradise followed by exaltation in the celestial kingdom.”

Quentin L. Cook, “Our Father’s Plan—Big Enough for All His Children,” Ensign, May 2009, 37

Endure Adversity More Confidently

“There is no infirmity, affliction, or adversity that Christ did not feel in Gethsemane. . . .“President Howard W. Hunter said: ‘If our lives and our faith are centered on Jesus Christ and his restored gospel, nothing can ever go permanently wrong. On the other hand, if our lives are not centered on the Savior and his teachings, no other success can ever be permanently right’

(The Teachings of Howard W. Hunter, ed. Clyde J. Williams [1997], 40).” Rafael E. Pino, “Faith in Adversity,” Ensign, May 2009, 41–42

Meek as a Child

"I pray that we will know how to open our hearts like a little child and take pleasure in hearing and practicing the word of God in all the power of its simplicity."

Gérald Caussé, "Even a Child Can Understand, Ensign," Nov. 2008, 34

Pray Always

"Prayer becomes more meaningful as we counsel with the Lord in all our doings (see Alma 37:37). . . . We are promised that if we pray sincerely for that which is right and good and in accordance with God's will, we can be blessed, protected, and directed (see 3 Nephi 18:20; D&C 19:38)." - David A. Bednar, "Pray Always, Ensign," Nov. 2008, 41

A Precious Way to Think of Phil 4:13

I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.
The road to success is not straight.
There is a curve called Failure, a loop called Confusion, speed bumps called Friends, red lights called Enemies, caution lights called Family.
You will have flats called Jobs.
But, if you have a spare called Determination, an engine called Perseverance, insurance called Faith, a driver called Jesus, you will make it to a place called Success.

Daily Prayer Linked

"Morning and evening prayers—and all of the prayers in between—are not unrelated, discrete events; rather, they are linked together each day and across days, weeks, months, and even years."
- David A. Bednar, "Pray Always, Ensign," Nov. 2008, 42

Angelic Mortals

“We are reminded that not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk with—here, now, every day. Some of them reside in our own neighborhoods. Some of them gave birth to us. . . . Heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind."

- Jeffrey R. Holland, "The Ministry of Angels, Ensign," Nov. 2008, 30

Power of the Atonement

"No institution, plan, program, or system ever conceived by men has access to the redeeming and transforming power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the gift of the Holy Ghost."

- Lawrence E. Corbridge, "The Way, Ensign, Nov. 2008," 36

Spiritual Home Storage

"Brothers and sisters, we each have moments of spiritual power, moments of inspiration and revelation. We must sink them deep into the chambers of our souls. As we do, we prepare our spiritual home storage for moments of personal difficulty."
Neil L. Andersen, "You Know Enough", Ensign, Nov. 2008, 13

Firm Hope

"Hope is not knowledge, but rather the abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promise to us." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Infinite Power of Hope", Ensign, Nov. 2008, 22

A Future Of Peace

"No matter how bleak the chapter of our lives may look today, because of the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we may hope and be assured that the ending of the book of our lives will exceed our grandest expectations. 'Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. ' "
- Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Infinite Power of Hope," Ensign, Nov. 2008, 22–23

A Peptalk To Myself

Amy,

I have been sitting here for the last few hours, starring at my screen, trying to think of how to respond to you. I finally have the words but they are borrowed from your own blog:

"My dear sweet friend had a baby today! A baby! A baby that I helped pray would come for four years! A baby I have fasted for countless times. A baby that has been so wanted, so loved, so anticipated. And he came today! May 15th is a good day. A very good day. Today I thank God for answering their prayers. That baby is a miracle and we all need a good miracle."

Here is proof in your own words that God hears and answers prayers. Could He have answered your friend sooner...1 year, 2 years, 3 years...instead of 4? Yes. Are they good people and did they deserve such a blessing to come sooner? Yes. Were there times that even they thought God had given up on them and they wanted to give up as well? Maybe. But in the end...with all the blood, sweat, tears, prayers, money, procedures, fasting, etc....God answered them with a miracle. It was in His wisdom that it was at that time and in that manner...and no earlier. Will we ever know the wisdom in His timing? Likely not. Maybe that's for God to know only. Or for your friend, her husband and God to know only. Nonetheless, here is just one example that you can trust in God's plan for each one of us...even you.

Amy, it would seem to me that you are doing EVERYTHING that is possible for you to "do your part" to overcome your current trial. God KNOWS this too. This would mean the remainder is in God's hands. He's not holding out on you because He thinks its funny, or because He could careless, He has better things to do or He doesn't know what the solution is. HE KNOWS WHAT TO DO and everything He is doing is in YOUR BEST INTEREST. We are but mere mortals with 99% limited perspective. We need Him for this reason. Trust that He knows what He's doing on your behalf.

It would be easier to give up on Him and doubt everything you've spent a lifetime learning then it would to have faith in Him. It would be easier to be mad at Him too. But ultimately, that is not to His detriment...only yours.

YOU KNOW HE'S THERE...there are examples all around you. Don't dismiss those. Hold on to them in what seems to be these times of "radio silence". When I feel like this, I like to start writing out the blessings that I have received. Or sometimes I think giving service is good because the perspective is completely priceless. There are likely volunteer opportunities all about you that would make you feel gratitude. Maybe you are already doing those and you've got gratitude coming out your ears. But please don't give power to our evil elder brother who seeks to damn your soul with his. He milks these moments for all they are worth. Shut him down. Continue to be steadfast...you are good at consistency. Keep it up.

Lastly, you cannot compare your trials to others. Our trials are gifts to our soul. Yours are for you only, customized for you, by God, to bring precious enlightenment to perfect you in this life because He wants so badly to have you back home with Him. You cannot buy, trade or learn these gifts from anyone else's. There are no cliff notes. They are yours alone. So don't feel foolish because so-and-so has XYZ and you do not. You are trying to apply square pegs to round holes and there is absolutely no logic or gain in that. Again...back off Satan.

I love you. You know all this just as I do and I know that a time will come when I will need a good reminder too and you will give it to me. Don't give up on Him as He has NOT given up on you. I KNOW THIS TO BE TRUE and in your heart of hearts, SO DO YOU.
Amy

Happiness From Helping Others

"President Gordon B. Hinckley believed in the healing power of service. After the death of his wife, he provided a great example to the Church in the way he immersed himself in work and in serving others. It is told that President Hinckley remarked to one woman who had recently lost her husband, 'Work will cure your grief. Serve others.'"Those are profound words. As we lose ourselves in the service of others, we discover our own lives and our own happiness."President Lorenzo Snow expressed a similar thought: 'When you find yourselves a little gloomy, look around you and find somebody that is in a worse plight than yourself; go to him and find out what the trouble is, then try to remove it with the wisdom which the Lord bestows upon you; and the first thing you know, your gloom is gone, you feel light, the Spirit of the Lord is upon you, and everything seems illuminated' (in Conference Report, Apr. 1899, 2–3).

"In today's world of pop psychology, junk TV, and feel-good self-help manuals, this advice may seem counterintuitive. We are sometimes told that the answer to our ills is to look inward, to indulge ourselves, to spend first and pay later, and to satisfy our own desires even at the expense of those around us. While there are times when it is prudent to look first to our own needs, in the long run it doesn't lead to lasting happiness."

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Happiness, Your Heritage," Ensign, Nov. 2008, 119–20

Hope Sustains Us

"The things we hope in sustain us during our daily walk. They uphold us through trials, temptations, and sorrow. Everyone has experienced discouragement and difficulty. Indeed, there are times when the darkness may seem unbearable. It is in these times that the divine principles of the restored gospel we hope in can uphold us and carry us until, once again, we walk in the light."We hope in Jesus the Christ, in the goodness of God, in the manifestations of the Holy Spirit, in the knowledge that prayers are heard and answered. Because God has been faithful and kept His promises in the past, we can hope with confidence that God will keep His promises to us in the present and in the future. In times of distress, we can hold tightly to the hope that things will 'work together for [our] good' (D&C 90:24) as we follow the counsel of God's prophets. This type of hope in God, His goodness, and His power refreshes us with courage during difficult challenges and gives strength to those who feel threatened by enclosing walls of fear, doubt, and despair." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Infinite Power of Hope," Ensign, Nov. 2008, 23

Emissaries From God

"I testify of angels, both the heavenly and the mortal kind. In doing so I am testifying that God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challenges that we face. '[N]or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man [or woman or child] upon the face thereof to be saved' (Moroni 7:36). On occasions, global or personal, we may feel we are distanced from God, shut out from heaven, lost, alone in dark and dreary places. Often enough that distress can be of our own making, but even then the Father of us all is watching and assisting. And always there are those angels who come and go all around us, seen and unseen, known and unknown, mortal and immortal."May we all believe more readily in, and have more gratitude for, the Lord's promise as contained in one of President Monson's favorite scriptures: 'I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, . . . my Spirit shall be in your [heart], and mine angels round about you, to bear you up' (D&C 84:88). In the process of praying for those angels to attend us, may we all try to be a little more angelic ourselves—with a kind word, a strong arm, a declaration of faith and 'the covenant wherewith [we] have covenanted' (D&C 90:24). Perhaps then we can be emissaries sent from God."
- Jeffrey R. Holland, "The Ministry of Angels," Ensign, Nov. 2008, 31

Quotes from "The Christmas Sweater" by Glenn Beck

Ultimately the message of this book is overcoming the largest of our trials. There is hope....it can be done.

"You are only alone if you make it so. "

"Don't fear the storm....fear the cornfield."

'Trust that the traveler is worth of the jorney and desination."

"Stop feeding the storm and giving it the power."

"No one had ever been lost to the storm, just lost in the storm."

We Are Not Perfect But We Can Prevail!

"When you come to the temple and receive your endowment, and kneel at the altar and be sealed, you can live an ordinary life and be an ordinary soul - struggling against temptation, failing and repenting, and failing again and repenting, but always determined to keep your covenants...Then the day will come when you will receive the benediction: 'Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord' [Matthew 25:21]"

- Boyd K. Packer

In Death, They Are Still Close to Us

"The spirits of the just are exalted to a greater and more glorious work; hence they are blessed in their departure to the world of spirits. Enveloped in flaming fire, they are not far from us, and know and understand our thoughts and feelings, and motions, and are often pained therewith."

-Joseph Smith

"Patriotism is not a spectator sport." - Elder L. Tom Perry

We Are From Another Time, Another Place, Another World...

"We are from another time, another place, another world. We do not have permanent residence here , at least not in this telestial tenement. When the Savior counseled his disciples to "take no thought for the morrow", what they should eat or drink or wear, he was warning against becoming too acclimated to a fallen sphere, warning against earthly anxiety and attachment to this world's worries and enticements." - Robert L. Millet in "An Eye Single to the Glory of God" pg. 102.

Marriage Tips & Traps

I came across a KBYU program titled "Marriage Tips & Traps" by Victor Harris at BYU Education Week 2002.

I was VERY impressed and couldn't keep such valuable information to myself. Its a lengthy lecture but if you are patient with it, you will find its TOTALLY worth your time. It is packed with wisdom from a variety of sources such as: professional marriage therapists, apostles & prophets, Chapman (author of "The 5 Love Languages"), gospel teachings, national studies, and more.

I absolutely love that so much info and instruction has been complied into one source to work from.

http://www.byub.org/familyexpo/?selectedYear=2002 (its on the very bottom of the page, in audio and pdf form).