What if it's just me?

The other day my companion and I got out of our last lesson at around 8 and had about an hour of time to try to use effectively before it was time to call it a day. As we were trying to decide whether to go try and look for some people or if there was someone that we could visit, I had a very distinct thought to go visit one of our friends who lived nearby and share a message with her. We made our way over to her house and luckily she was there, and let us in. As we sat down and began to talk, it was clear that she was not at her best and was really in need of a message of comfort and support. As we testified of God's love for her and told her of the impression we received to come and visit her, she asked this question: "But how do you know

it was an impression from God? What if it was just you?"

What if it was just me. Anybody who is seeking spiritual impressions from God or is trying to be sensitive to the hand of God in their lives has asked themselves some form of this question. So, how do we know? How do we tell the difference between what is literally and legitimately the Hand of God in our lives, the Holy Spirit of the Lord whispering impressions and promptings to us to guide us in our lives, and our own thoughts, our own ideas?

The first clue I would like for in answering this question for yourself is the feeling that you get along with the impression. In the Doctrine and Covenants we read: "But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must cask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right." (D&C 9:8) If you have a really good, wonderful feeling inside, odds are the impression is of God. On the other hand, "...if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong."

The Second thing you can do is to ask yourself if the thing you are being prompted to do is rational. The Holy Spirit will never prompt you to rob a bank, harm another person or violate the laws of the land. He will never ask you to do anything impossible, or anything that a reasonably sane person would not do. Be smart; if it is anything that would offend God, it is not a prompting from the Holy Spirit.

Now, what if we receive a prompting that causes no sudden feeling and is not completely insane? These happen every day for those who listen: go talk to that person, this person needs cookies, help that person with their groceries, you should call your friend so and so, go read such and such scripture, so on and so forth. How can we tell what is truly a prompting from God and what is simply our imagination?

I once heard a quote from Elder David A. Bednar that gave me a profound insight into this question. When posed with the same question, his response was "Does it matter?" Does it really matter? What if it is only our mind that is telling us to go help someone in need, talk to our friend, help out the sick and afflicted? I ask

you, if so, what have we got to lose? In the Book of Alma we read: "For I say unto you that whatsoever is good cometh from God, and whatsoever is evil cometh from the devil." If the thing that we feel we are being prompted to do is good, what do we have to lose? If worse comes to worst, then we will have helped someone in need, raised someones spirits, brought joy to the downtrodden. But if the prompting is to do a good thing, you will realize afterwards that you have indeed been a tool in the Lord's Hands and that it was indeed a prompting of the Holy Ghost.

I know that the prompting that I received to go speak to that choice daughter of God that night was no passing thought, no idea conjured by my mind, but a loving Heavenly Father prompting us to go and help one of his children in need. In the same way that this experience was able to uplift and edify all people involved, you too can make a difference in the lives of others every day. Let us heed the promptings of the Holy Ghost, listen to his counsel, and do the will of God here on the earth. Talk to people, help people, love people, and then enjoy the sweet joy that comes from being a true follower of Christ.

voice of the spirit

Tools to fight the Darkness

Everything has its opposite in this world. There would be no happiness if we didn't know what sadness was; there would be no excitement without the dull times; there would be no health without sickness and injury. The existance of many of these things brings sadness and heartache at times, but luckily we have a supreme being who is looking out for us who is ready to help us try and make the most out of life and find joy in our short existance here on this earth. The Hand of God can be found anywhere, anytime by those who take the time to look for it. Every single day, every single way that we can imagine, God is there, helping and protecting us and guiding us through our lives. But because of the reality of God and all of the absolute goodness, truth and light that he brings, there must also be an opposing force; one of evil, malice and darkness. We must acknowledge that if there is an absolute good, which is God, there must also be an absolute evil; Satan, or the Devil.

It is extremely important that we acknowledge his reality in our lives, and that we realize exactly what he can
do. Every minute of every day he is there, tempting us, telling us we are less than we truly are, trying to make us forget about our divine potential as sons and daughters of God. His sole purpose here in this world is to make every single one of us as miserable as he is and to drag us down to the depths of hell. Any time we tell a lie, make an ill-humored joke, make someone feel bad about themselves, steal, express anger or rage, or violate in any way any of the commandments of God, we are  losing control of ourselves and becoming his slaves by giving Satan power over us.

That's a pretty bleak picture I've just painted for you all; is all hope lost? No! God knows and acknowledges the existance of the devil as well, and he has given us the tools not only to know right from wrong, but to help us make the right choices as well. In the same way that turning a light on banishes the darkness, these resources God has given us to help us can cast out Satan where he is not welcome and help us return to the glorious light of the gospel.

The Scriptures

One of the best, most powerful weapons that we have in this fight against wickedness is the scriptures, God's revealed word to us through his holy prophets, both ancient and modern. God himself reveals countless ways over and over in which Satan will try to tempt or disuade us. Let's look at an example found in the book of Second Nephi, chapter 28 verses 20-22 in the Book of Mormon. This was once explained to me as kind of like Satan's gameplan, various ways which he will use to get us to not live up to our full potential:

 20 For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.

One of the techniques Satan uses to get us to lose control of ourselves is anger. As natural people we anger so easily; every time anything doesn't go exactly the way we want we get angry. Roadrage when someone cuts us off; angry when someone leaves the dishes in the sink; angry when something costs more than we want; angry when people whistle or sing badly; angry when a coworker doesn't do something; angry when someone breaks something; angry when we feel we have been wronged in any way; the list goes on and on. What good comes of anger? I can't think of any. Anger is a tool that Satan uses to stir us up and make us become slaves to our passions and whims, losing control of who we really are. How much better would the world be if everyone chose to forgive instead of hold grudges? To smile instead of frown? To laugh instead of blame? To help instead of being annoyed? We don't need to be angry: God has taught us a better way, through his son Jesus Christ. Instead of being angry, we can be the meek, the merciful, and the peacemakers.

 21 And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.

When the Devil can't get us to sin outright, sometimes he changes tactics. Instead of "look at how good and awesome sin is!" it now becomes "you're so awesome, you're doing so good, you're such a spiritual person, you don't need to pray today... its pretty late to be reading the scriptures, why don't you go to bed instead... your church starts at 1:30? You're okay spiritually, you don't want to miss the football game!" Satan knows that for many of us, starting with the big sins is a mistake, as we will quickly realize that he is tempting us and turn away. Instead will get us to stop doing the things that have brought us this spiritual protection in the first place, giving him an opening over time. Satan is a very patient individual; he has our entire lives to wait for us (3 Nephi 18:18)
to mess up. We must be vigilant, and remember what Christ has taught us: "Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat."

22 And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.

The classic philosophy and moral outlook of so many people these days: eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die! The thought that there are no consequences for our actions, that it doesn't matter what we do because there is no consequences for our bad actions. While on the surface this thought appears comforting, if we pause to think about it, this philosophy implies that there is nothing at all after this life, for if there is no Hell there is no Heaven either. There is nothing to look forward to, nothing better than this world, no reward awaiting the faithful. This philosophy that so many embrace nowadays is simply not true! The reality of the Devil and the fate that awaits all who choose to follow him instead of God are very real, as real as God and the reality of Heaven and the state of neverending happiness and bliss that awaits the faithful. Every action has a consequence, either for good or evil, eternal reward or eternal punishment.

Words of the Prophets

Another tool God gives us is modern day revelation. God has once again called living prophets and apostles to lead and guide his church here on the earth, the same as in days of old. Their words, when spoken under the influence of the spirit, are modern day scripture and of great worth to us all. Every 6 months members of the church gather from all over the world via television, radio, internet, and in person, to hear the words of living prophets and receive guidance in their lives in a special meeting called General Conference. In addition to this, every month their words are published in a church magazine known as the Ensign in English and the Liahona in all other languages. The counsel we receive is invaluable in our never-ending struggle against the forces of evil.

Prayer

On top of all that, there is always prayer. Prayer will never fail us in our times of need, and as we pray we Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work (D&C 10:5)." God will send his spirit to dwell with us and uplift and encourage us as we seek him diligently, shielding us from the fiery darts of the adversary. Prayer is also an invaluable way to seek personal revelation about how we need to live our lives, what we can improve on and how we can help others on their path to eternal life.
will receive additional strength to resist temptations and continue living in the light. God has said "


Although Satan is very real, he can only have as much power over us as we allow him to. God will do all he can to help us out and to guide us to the correct choices, but in the end it is up to us to "choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself (2 Nephi 2:27)."We have to make a conscious choice this day, who will we follow? In the words of a hymn by William C. Clegg:

Know this, that every soul is free

To choose his life and what he'll be,

For this eternal truth is given

That God will force no man to heaven.

He'll call, persuade, direct aright,

And bless with wisdom, love, and light,

In nameless ways be good and kind,

But never force the human mind.

               
No matter how strong the pull of the world and the thrill of sin and temptation may seem at times, don't give in! Pray unto God with all the energy of heart, and then choose to act and to shake off the power of the devil and be truly free. Come unto Christ and rejoice in his glorious gospel and find true freedom in his rest. He has said:


28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in eheart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28)

I know that as we gain more knowledge about God and also about the Devil through diligent prayer, scripture study and studying the words of modern day prophets, we will find true happiness and know which side of the conflict we are really on, in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

For the Beauty of the Earth

The other day I was walking through the streets of the Bronx, after the sun had gone down and in a snowstorm. It was cold, it was dark, it was slippery and we were speedily walking towards our next
appointment. Suddenly a man who was nice enough to accompany us to our appointments that night stopped and asked if we could take a picture of him with the snow. Perplexed, we did so, and then I decided that I would like one as well. Stopping to take the pictures so suddenly even though we were in a little bit of a rush made me take a moment to reflect on the snow and how beautiful it was, so pure and white and all-encompassing. Sometimes we get so caught up in noticing all of the bad aspects of a situation that we never notice the good; when we look at snow we can choose to see cold, wet and miserable, or beautiful, glorious and purifying. We don't realize that the beauty of God's creation and things being affected by his grand design and plan are happening all around us, every day. It's at times like these when I am reminded of a hymn:

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!


I love the words to this song. Every single thing that exists in this world is a testament to God and his might and majesty. In the Book of Mormon, in a book called Alma it says:

"The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there
is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face
of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move
in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator."
(Alma 30:44)



I have felt this thrill as I look at various things that God has created many times in my life. I have felt it on high mountains looking down on the valley; I have felt it on the beach as I see the countless sand and the vast expanse of ocean laid before me, with its majestic waves and multitude of different aquatic life; I have felt it in the midst of gardens and trees, teeming with life and giving testimony of a divine creator; I have seen it in countless magnificent sunrises and sunsets, giving life and light to all they touch. Susan L. Warner, a former counselor in the Primary General Presidency expressed her feelings on the subject in the October 1998 General Conference. She said:

Because our Heavenly Father wants us to know Him and to feel His love, He planned a world filled with magnificent creations that bear record of Him and His Son, Jesus
Christ. Have you ever counted all the things that bear record of the
Savior? There are sunsets and seashells, lilacs and lakes, insects and animals, miraculous mornings and star-strewn skies...

Wherever we live in this world, we see the glorious rising sun, which
bears record of the Light of Christ that fills our hearts and
enlightens our minds. The mighty rivers and the meandering streams bear record that the Savior is the source of the living water that can quench our thirst for spiritual things. The lilies of the field and even the smallest sparrow bear record of His generous and personal
care. (Bear Record of Him)"

How profound. Until I began starting to recognize all the testimonies that we can see of God every day, I had never considered this. Every single thing we see every day is a testimony of a divine creator! There is a game that I enjoy playing from time to time, in which you choose random objects with no apparent connection to God and make a gospel analogy. You'd be surprised how easy it is. Go ahead and try it, and you will begin to see God's hand in everything around you. From the largest forest to the smallest bush, the Lord God created it all. God himself in the scriptures said:

“All things are created and made to bear
record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are

spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me”
(Moses 6:63)

How can we look at the beauty of creation, the perfectness and precision of the planet that we live on, and have our thoughts not turn towards our Lord and God in gratitude and wonder? How can we not look for every opportunity to stop and appreciate this beautiful world which God has given us to live in? Any closer or any farther away from the sun and this planet would be completely uninhabitable, but because everything worked out perfectly we have a planet that can sustain life.That we may try harder to recognize the hand of God in every aspect of everything we see is my humble prayer to you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

The Rollercoaster of Life

I've often heard an analogy comparing life to a rollercoaster. Everybody has low points, but also high points; there are times when its moving a little slower, and times when it seems to speed by; times when we feel a little sick and times when we feel exhilarated; times where life forces us into our seat and times where we throw our hands up with a light and free feeling.

In my time here in New York, I have seen this cycle time and time again. Looking back at all the ups and downs, it has made me almost excited when I hit a down point, because I know that God is preparing the next high point for me in my life. Because of my knowledge about how God works in our lives, and because I am trying to do all that I can, I can look forward with an eye of faith and hope for God's promises to be fulfilled.

 The first few times the rollercoaster of life plummeted, I was shocked. "I'm doing everything I'm supposed to," I thought, "I'm keeping the commandments. I'm giving my time, energy, all that I have to God, and trying to live like Christ did when he was on the earth. So why aren't things going well all the time?" One of the conclusions I have come to is that life cannot be free of trials all the time. One of the main purposes of this life is to learn, grow, and gain experience, and that cannot happen without opposition.  However, what I have come to realize is that for someone who is seeking to know God, who is seeking to live the way that Christ taught, you can never stay down for very long. We need to take the good with the bad, the happy with the sad, and remember that every time we are down, God is getting ready to pick us back up.

I have had a couple times during my mission where I have felt like there wasn't many people who wanted to listen to the word of God, learn, and progress, and that despite my best efforts people weren't accepting what I know to be the true word of God. However, directly after each time, as we recommit ourselves we are blessed with people to teach who would like to listen and learn, who want to change and be better and come unto Christ. Not only that, we are blessed with happiness and find joy in being the Lord's messengers here on the earth.

Although its comforting to hear that no matter how dark our situation appears now that its going to get better, do we really have to wait for things to pick up again to be happy? Are we going to let our happiness and our personal quality of life be determined by factors that we can't control?

Though I've heard all these analogies comparing life and a rollercoaster, the one I don't hear very much that I like the best is life is fun!  Would you believe me if I said we can be happy and grateful even in the most awful trial we've ever been through? One of our modern day apostles, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, in his talk "Of Regrets and Resolutions" in 2012 said:

 "We shouldn't wait to be happy until we reach some future point, only to discover that happiness was already available—all the time! Life is not meant to be appreciated only in retrospect. “This is the day which the Lord hath made … ,” the Psalmist wrote. “Rejoice and be glad in it.”

Brothers and sisters, no matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is something in each day to embrace and cherish. There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate it."


This is one of the principles that I have strived to live by these last few years of my life. A few years ago I realized that I was simply not happy, and I didn't know why. It was then that I realized that being happy is a choice, not a consequence! Having a good day is a conscious decision to make today a great day; its the realization that God is there, that he loves us, is supporting us and is with us, blessing us in every minute of every day.

If you don't believe me, try it. For one whole day try to recognize every single good thing that happens and ignore the bad, and note every single thing you're grateful for (bed when you wake up in the morning, computer to read random blogs, food to eat, clothes to wear, eyes to read this, etc.) Make your prayers only prayers of gratitude, and try to find opportunities to help others. I promise if you'll do this for one day, it will be the best day you've had in a long time. Nothing will have changed; only your attitude, and your recognition of God's hand in your life, and that will make all the difference.

I testify that as we become more aware of God's hand in our lives and look forward with an eye of faith and hope to all of his promises being fulfilled, we will experience more joy in this life. We will find more purpose in everything we do and have desires to serve our fellow-man. I thank God so much for the opportunity that I have to be in this beautiful world that God created for me and for each one of us, and I am going to continue living every day accordingly, and I would challenge you to do the same. Go, and make today a great day!

The Right Question

The other day I wrote a post about how sometimes when we pray, we feel as if God is not answering, but the truth is we simply need to look more closely for the answers to our prayers in our lives. Today I would like to right about a different kind of question: are we praying for the right thing?

Most of the time, when we pray or seek divine help for our problems, we phrase our prayer as a request for assistance. All of us who pray regularly have, at one time or another, made some kind of a demand in our prayers. We phrase them politely, of course, but something along the lines of "bless me with this and that because of this" has, at one time or another, crossed the lips of almost all of us; some (like myself) with more frequency than others. 

Now, let me make an important clarification before I move on: it is NOT a bad thing to ask for blessings in our prayers. Indeed, we are encouraged by God to ask for blessings, with faith, and promised that we will receive according to our righteous desires and our faith (John 16:23-24) (James 1:5-6). God WANTS to bless us; every moment of every day he wants us to call on him, to depend on him, to rely on him. The topic on which I would like to share a few of my thoughts today is how to make sure we are praying for the right thing, to make sure we are asking for things that are in harmony with God's will.

The first and one of the most important steps is preparation. Before we begin, before we call on the name of our Father in Heaven, we need to consider exactly what we are going to say to him. Prayer should never be a casual thing, without preparation and without purpose. If we had a meeting with the President of the united states, or a top executive of a company that we would like to work for, or an interview with a professional sports team, do you think we would go in there without thinking the slightest bit about what to say? Of course not. We would spend hours thinking, memorizing, practicing, rehearsing, and doing whatever else was necessary to make sure we were ready for this discussion with this person in a position of power. When we pray, we are preparing to talk to the most powerful being in the universe, through by whom all things were and are made and through whom all things are possible. It always helps me to try think about this, consider my day, and then proceed to pray.

There have been many times in my life where I felt as if my prayers have not been answered. "Bless me with this and this," I've said, and then I've sat back with faith, knowing that I'll receive according to my faith. Unfortunately, that's not exactly how prayer works.

What we think we need and what God knows we need are two entirely separate things. Let me give a small example:

There is a small child who is having a lot of fun playing with his brand-new toy cars. He is driving them up and down, all around, and knows there can't possibly be anything more fun than this. However, his bedtime soon arrives, and his father inform him that it is time for bed. Desperately the child pleads with his father, begging him to give him more time to play, using every excuse he can think of to get more of this thing that the child knows will make him more happy. But the wise father, knowing that the child has school bright and early in the morning and what a miserable day it will be for the child without his sleep, sends him off to bed. The child lays awake for hours, wondering why his father wouldn't grant his earnest request for something that he was so certain would bring him happiness; had he even heard his reasoning? But because the child did not heed the council of his father and did not attempt to reconcile his will with his fathers, he ended up staying awake for a very long time, and the next day he had a miserable day anyway because of a lack of energy caused by lack of sleep.

We, like small children, think we know what we need, what will make us happy, and what will be best for us in the long run. We might pray for an opportunity at a certain company, to be friends with a certain person, to win a certain contest, to be immediately cured of a certain sickness. However, our all-wise, all-knowing, all-loving father in Heaven knows whats best, even if we can't see it in the moment. Prayer then, is not the process of requesting blessings; it is acknowledging God's hand in our lives through gratitude, and then seeking diligently to discover what is God's will for us in our lives. If we listen closely, we will be given the words to say in our prayers, the things that God wants to bless us with in our lives.

The Bible dictionary on prayer says the following: "We pray in Christ’s name when our mind is the mind of Christ, and our wishes the wishes of Christ—when His words abide in us (John 15:7). We then ask for things it is possible for God to grant. Many prayers remain unanswered because they are not in Christ’s name at all; they in no way represent His mind but spring out of the selfishness of man’s heart."

Have we ever stopped to consider the significance of what we are doing when we say "we say these things in the name of Jesus Christ?" When you do something in the name of someone else, you are doing it in place of them, as if they are the one doing it. An ambassador to another country comes in the name of the country from which he came; an attorney speaks on behalf of his client; a spokesperson speaks in the name of his company. When we close our prayers in the name of Jesus Christ, we are testifying before God that the things that we have said in our prayer are in accordance with the mind and will of Jesus Christ, our advocate with the father. If we fail to do the steps I have mentioned and properly align our will with the will of the Father and of the Son, our prayer will be in vain.

I hope you have been able to learn a little bit about how we can recognize the Hand of God in our prayers. It is my solemn testimony to each and every one of you that God does here and answer prayers, and that if we pray with faith, attempting to discover what the will of the Father is and then praying accordingly, our prayers will take on deeper and more significant meaning and we will feel God's hand in our lives, answering each and every one of our prayers. So go, and try and find the Hand of God in your lives as you speak with him today.

In His Time and in His Way

There have been many times in my life where I have felt that I have prayed with faith, for a righteous cause, and with good intention, only to have whatever I was praying for not come to pass. I am sure that this is a feeling most of you have had in your lives at some point; we've been taught that when we pray with faith, every single prayer that we offer will be answered. So why does it seem like at times we receive a miraculous answer right away (something like the heavenly visit in this picture) and sometimes it seems like we never receive one?

I had been pondering this exact thought just prior to last October's General Conference* (see note at the bottom of the page). Even though I know that God hears and answers every one of our prayers, sometimes it is hard for me to see exactly how it has happened in my life. With a desire to understand more about the power of prayer and how I could better understand the answers I was receiving, I sat down to watch and learn from our modern-day prophets and apostles.

Not long after the conference began, Elder David A. Bednar gave a magnificent talk entitled "The Windows of Heaven." While not speaking directly on the subject of prayer, Elder Bednar gave me a much better idea of how I needed to begin to look for the Hand of God in my life in the answers to my prayers.

Sometimes, when we ask for something righteous, as I have already mentioned above, we will receive it almost immediately. A starving family might pray for some bread and a compassionate neighbor will be inspired to bring some over; A sick family member will be made well though our prayers; A lost possession will be found, and the list goes on and on. However, at least for me, I have noticed that these type of answers to my prayers are far less common and do not occur as regularly. Does this mean that God is not answering our prayers if we do not receive an answer such as this right away? Does it mean he does not care?

I would suggest that rather than think these thoughts, we ought to look just a little harder for the Hand of God in our lives. God knows our needs, and he will always answer the prayers of the righteous, but what are some of the ways that he will answer them?

One thing I have noticed is that if it is something we can do for ourselves, usually God is not going to do it for us. That would deprive us of the opportunity to learn and grow, to gain valuable life experience and learn to trust in him. More often than not, instead of changing the situation drastically, he will give us the tools that we need to be able to overcome and conquer any obstacle.. At times this can be almost imperceptible, and as I've said before if we are not actively looking for it we may feel as if our prayers have not been answered. But I can't even begin to count how many times I have prayed for help on a test, and instead of giving me the answers I've been blessed to be able to study just a little better; I've prayed to be able to find people to teach, and I've been blessed instead with an increased desire to go out and find people; I've prayed for a person to have a better day and been blessed with an idea of how to make that happen; I've prayed for the rain to stop and somebody I've run into has given me an umbrella; I've prayed for comfort and peace and been blessed by people around me who know what to say and how to love in order to help me with my needs.

You may have seen this principle in your life as well! You pray that God will help you find a job, and he introduces you to someone who helps you with your resume, or gives you more strength and energy to look; you pray that you will have a good day, and notice yourself taking more note of all the good things that happen and not focusing on the bad; you pray that your family will get along and you are given more of God's love to help them feel love and hope; the list is endless.

As we search for the Hand of God in our lives, I promise you will begin to realize that every righteous prayer of our hearts has and will be answered. It is not always in the way that we want, it may not always seem miraculous, but as we look for it we will be overwhelmed by gratitude for what the Lord has given us. So go and find out what God has done for you today!

*In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, every 6 months we gather from around the world, in person, by radio, by television, and by internet, and we listen to living prophets and apostles as they share inspired counsels and revelations that they have received with all who participate. Broadcast in many different languages to many different countries, it is a truly inspiring and unifying gathering of the church all around the world. For more information, please visit General Conference.

Finding the Lost Sheep

During my time as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I've had the opportunity to work with and serve many people, from all different backgrounds and beliefs. They all have a lot of different opinions on day to day life, people, values, and God. However, no matter how different they all may appear, no matter how diverse their lifestyles or beliefs, I have come to know through service and talking with these people that God knows and loves every one of them, and cares very much about their personal happiness and circumstances. To illustrate this principle, I am going to share a couple experiences that I have had to act as the Hand of God here on the mission, changing the names of the people involved.

The first story is about a man I'll call Phil. One day my companion and I were a little early for an appointment with Phil. Phil is a nice man that we had met with a few times ago and was very excited to learn more about Jesus Christ and God. However, sometimes it has been difficult to find Phil at home, as he doesn't have a good way to remember when our appointments are. After knocking on his door and concluding that he wasn't there, we decided to head out and try and find him. After searching for a little while, we said a prayer, and felt a distinct urge to return to Phil's apartment  which we weren't planning on doing. We immediately returned, and found Phil just as he arrived, just a few minutes late to our appointment. This experience helped me see that God loves and cares about Phil and wanted him to have the chance to hear all about how he can be happy in this life.

The second story is about a lady named Anne. My companion and I had just left the church late one Sunday and were riding the bus. We had a little bit of time to go out and look for more people to share the word of God with, so my companion asked me when we should get off the bus. We decided to stay on one stop longer than we usually do, and then he asked me what we should do next. We decided to pray to see what God would have us do and if there was anybody in the area that could benefit from our message, and the instant we finished praying we were approached by a woman named Anne, asking a question about a certain passage of scripture. 

After talking with Anne for a little while, we discovered that she has been on a search for truth her entire life, and that she had a very personal relationship with God and a strong desire to find the truth. We were able to answer her questions and were able to teach her many other important truths, and learn from her as well. This sudden and direct answer to our prayers helped me see how much God loves Anne, that he would direct us out of our way to an area that we rarely visited to find one of his daughters and help her on her quest for truth.

The last story that helped me see God's love for his children is about a man named Joe. Joe is an amazing, humble, charitable person who has such a desire to find truth in all of its forms. However, for a little while Joe had been confused about what exactly was God's Plan for him here in this life, about which direction he should take.

I love Joe, and I had been praying and praying for him to have an opportunity or experience that would help him decide which path he should follow and know what steps he should take to be happier in life and feel a closer relationship with God. Shortly thereafter, we received a message from  Joe that told us that he had been reading in the bible and the scriptures that he had found had shown him the way and what he needed to do. When we received that message, my heart was filled with happiness and joy for Joe and gratitude for my God, for showing me that he cared enough about Joe to help him find the path to happiness in this life and to answer the prayers of the faithful. I know God loves and cares about Joe, in the same way he cares about the rest of us.

So, as you can see it doesn't who we are or where we come from, God knows us and loves us perfectly. He works through us here on the earth; we are his hands. Look for every opportunity you can to go out and bless somebody else's life and you will too will find the great joy that comes from being a servant of God and a tool in his hands. Pray daily for an opportunity to serve or help someone, and your life will be so much more fulfilling. And who knows, maybe somebody else will take the time to be the hand of God in your life as well.