Cleave

From Elder Maxwell in this month's Ensign:

"God doesn't care nearly as much about where you have been as He does about where you are and, with His help, where you are willing to go."

I read that yesterday, and I can't get it out of my head, so I figure I should post it for other people to read as well.  In fact, you should read the entire article here.  It really is great.

I just want to say that sometimes I get caught up in regret and wishing that I was a different person, that I was my absolute best already.  But this article, this quote, has helped me feel peace about the things in my past that I have repented of and instilled a deeper understanding that right now, I'm the best that I can be at this moment, and with God's help, my best can improve.  I realized that I will never be perfect in this life, so I will most likely never feel as if I measure up to who I want to be, because I will always want to be better. And then I remembered what my mom said to me growing up: "He only expects your best, and your best changes from day to day."  I just hope that my best increases day to day.

It's strange. Whenever I focus on this principle, it seems that I find more and more ways to make little changes without much effort.  I discover ways of viewing the world that helps me make good choices, and my eyes are carefully and kindly opened as to ways I can refine myself. It's like my cup (in this case figurative of my potential) is half-full, and I'm getting a little more every day, and if I look hard enough, I can see that each drop is making my cup fuller.

Choose to Cleave.
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving
*Photo: reference

"The Garden [does] for Easter what The Forgotten Carols has done for Christmas..."

To understand that statement (from an item description of The Garden soundtrack), I will briefly explain what the Forgotten Carols are for those of you who do not know:

The Forgotten Carols is a musical written and composed by Michael McClean.  It's about a nurse who has nothing better to do on Christmas so she takes care of an old man (assisted living or whatever).  This old man is perceived as going crazy as he ages, and he tells her stories about ornaments on his Christmas tree, each of them representing "forgotten" moments and characters in the story of Christmas.  There's a song about an infertile woman who gets the chance to hold Mary's baby.  A song about Joseph, saying that he could never consider himself a father of the Christ child because he learned more from the child than he could ever hope to teach as a father.  There's a song about a wise man left behind because he was sleeping, one who is left to imagine what it would've been like to see the Baby in a manger.  There's a song pleading everyone to let Christ into their Inns.  It's amazing.

So, what The Forgotten Carols is to Christmas, The Garden is to Easter.  The Garden is a musical by the same artist and it is simply amazing.  I've listened to it since I was a child.  I would duet with my mothers and sisters.  I was listening to it today and one of my dear roommates looked at me a little funny because she has never heard of it.

I wholeheartedly recommend this musical, and The Forgotten Carols, to anyone who is in the least bit interested in a good natured album of music.  It has helped me learn things about the Atonement, about myself, and about my relationship with Heavenly Father, Christ, and the Prophets.  I could never write anything beautiful enough to explain just how wonderful it is.

Choose to Cleave.
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving

"For if you keep my commandments you shall receive of his fulness, and be gloried in me as I am in the Father; therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive grace for grace"(D&C 93:20).

I just have two thoughts on this, the second of them stemming from my interest in spelling.  First thought: the last sentence seemed italicized when I read it in the scriptures (not really slanted, but it seemed different and stood out somehow).  "...you shall receive grace for grace."

You know that eye for an eye rule?  I looked at "grace for grace" that way.  If you do your best to live with grace, act with grace, think with grace....whatever it is you can do with grace, if you give it, you will receive it.  Simple enough, right?  But I love that sentence.  I feel like those few words contain chapters of meaning, meaning that isn't expressed in words, but felt and observed and reflected on.

Second thought: "fulness" is spelled like it is the ending of a word, -fulness, that generally implies the quality of being full of something.  Like thankfulness, helpfulness, sorrowfulness...there are a lot of -fulness words.  I know that these scriptures were written a long time ago and fulness is most likely an alternative spelling of fullness, but isn't it interesting to think that the promise in the scriptures refers to us receiving the qualities of God?  Because isn't that what we're really striving for?  We are children of a god, and children have the inherent right within their very genetics to become as their parents are. We are like flower buds.  We are cute when we are so little, but we are beautiful when we are done blossoming.  Buds aren't meant to stay buds (unless we are talking about buds as in buddies--friends can stay buds). I hope to receive the -fulness of my Heavenly Father.

Choose to Cleave.
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving

I have a system worked out for this blog: read, highlight, then post about what I highlighted.  I'm pretty good at steps one and two...so now I have quite a few highlighted areas in my scriptures to catch up on.

D&C 88:78 says "Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand."

I was really excited about the promise in this scripture, and it stuck in my head until I started thinking that one of the differences between the great teachers and the so-so teachers might be diligence.  I know that most teachers try to make their classes good ones, but sometimes trying doesn't seem to cut it.  There must be a difference between trying and diligence.  So I looked up the meaning of diligence. The definition I found has 3 parts:

1. Conscientious in paying proper attention to a task; giving the degree of care required in a situation
2. Persevering determination to accomplish a task
3. Application; a diligent effort--"It is a job requiring serious application."

So I think teaching is a "job requiring serious application," which means we can't settle ourselves in with excuses of "I'm too busy," and "It won't be hard."  It is a job that requires a degree of attention and care in order to succeed, which means that we can't just read through a lesson and be prepared because we "know" what it is about.  And teaching a great lesson doesn't include a one-time performance.  There must be a "persevering determination."  Persevering implies that there is time passing in which the determination doesn't fail.  I take this to mean that from week to week, you never lose the desire to teach well, and you don't stop looking for ways to prepare yourself.

Teaching is important, and teachers who apply themselves with diligence can be blessed with the knowledge of that which is expedient for them to understand.  I also know that teaching will bless them in other countless ways.

Choose to Cleave.
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving