Faith

"Every man eventually is backed up to the wall of faith, and there he must make his stand."

Ezra Taft Benson

Sacrifice

I do believe that there is no great thing born without sacrifice on the part of one or many. It seems to be an eternal verity that giving up (in one way or another) opens the gates of heaven. I'm learning this truth first hand at the moment. It's very difficult but already I can feel the learning curve (and blessing curve) soaring.

Spiritual Identity

My son-in-law Kevin is an artist (graphic designer). Even his talks in church pieces of art. This is an excerpt from his sacrament meeting talk last week. I loved all of it but these paragraphs especially caught my attention.

"Understanding and realizing our potential can only begin once we recognize who we are. We are literally the spiritual children of God. By obeying his commandments, we increase in light and truth, or intelligence (D&C 93:27), and may learn to become like God. Identity, therefore, is the lens of our spiritual photography. By knowing our connection with God, we are empowered to then take in the light, and allow it to develop us."

"Identity is the crux of all temptation. It was the first temptation that Satan launched against Jesus: “if thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread” (Matthew 4:3). Ironically, it was also the last: “If he be the Son of God, come down from the cross” (Matthew 27:40). A spiritual identity crisis is always at the core of our temptations. We forget our divine origin, our potential, and our intelligence, and get caught up in the moment. Satan loves the idea of getting us trapped in the moment, for ultimately, that is what he is: bound to the eternal moment of his disobedience. Moments are the cells of eternity. We thus construe the persona of Christ one cell at a time, through constant light from keeping his commandments."

Love eternal...

My dear mother passed away last Saturday morning. She went quietly and quickly and in just the right way. She had been in a coma for a day and a half. My sister who was caring for her was on the phone with me when she stepped into her room and noticed that she had moved her hands. Marjorie talked with her softly and held the phone up to her ear so I could talk to her as well. My father came in and sat beside her. She opened her eyes briefly and looked at them and then closed them and took her last breath. It's been hard, very hard, and yet wonderfully peaceful at the same time. It's nice to know she is free from a worn out body that was keeping her exuberant spirit captive. I am so thankful Heavenly Father gave me the special gift of being on the phone with her as she passed. I had hoped for that but knew it would likely not happen that way. It was one of many tender mercies that accompanied our family's experiences these past few weeks. I know when this life is over we will be joyfully together once again. I feel blessed to be her daughter and I hope to be able to live worthy of the legacy to love and service and giving that she left us all.

My niece Rachelle wrote a beautiful blog post complete with fabulous, fun picture of Grandma.
You may find it here: http://jarredandrachellecameron.blogspot.com/