Yesterday I was not particularly down--I like to count myself as an optimist. I am convinced there is a silver lining in any situation, problem, struggle, and consequence. But for whatever reason, my emotions have been close to the surface these past few weeks.
My sweet visiting teacher texted me that she would like to stop by and that she was embarrassed for stopping by on the last day of the month. I don't think anyone should beat themselves up for visiting teaching--especially if it is the last day of the month! The Lord gives us deadlines for a reason! Recommends have expiration dates, callings in the church are for periods of times, and home teaching/visiting teaching are asked to be accomplished before the end of the month! The deadline is there to give us a goal point. My dad says "If you don't have goal posts [declared/written down], you will end up running in circles."
With visiting teaching, the goal post is before the month is over. Now, by choosing to accomplish the goal before the end of the month, usually is a great stress reliever. The pressure is off. Same with my weekly temple trips. My goal is to go to the temple before the end of the week. Same blessings for going on Tuesday as there are on Friday or Saturday--the difference is the pressure that happens at the end of the week and the stress of trying to actually get to the temple weighs heavily if I wait until the end of the week to go.
Oh what a tangent for just wanting to say, that I was very proud of this sweet sister for coming even the last day! She hit the goal with flying colors in my book.
When my visiting teacher sent me a text to make a visit, I literally had a window of 30 mins in which she could come. Knowing that she lives nearly 30 mins away from me, I just didn't think it was going to come to pass. But sure enough she text me and said she would be to my place by 6. After weeping a little I smiled and looked up towards the ceiling. I knew that God was sending me this sister...
6 came and she was at my place. We sat and chatted about the exciting things happening in her life. She told me of the Lord telling her to not give up on a particular kid. And then she was told through personal revelation that she needed to tell the kid that she liked him. WOW, I love following promptings, but that would have been a hard one to follow--especially when she thought the kid had no interest in her, they had never dated, in fact she has never had a boyfriend/relationship before! What a trust!
She followed the prompting and told the kid she liked him and much to her surprise he said he had been dropping hints of liking her for months--she was completely clueless to them! :) Bishop just gave a few girls some counsel that when we think that we are dropping obvious hints to the boys--we are not, they are clueless! We need to be bold and blunt with how we feel about them. Obviously this goes a little on both sides! ;) ha ha.
She then told me that on the way to my house, she was listening to her ipod and she received the impression that she needed to start praying. So this faithful sister, being obedient to the revelation given to her, immediately turned off her ipod and started to say a prayer while she drove. She didn't know what to pray for, but just started to pray over her family, her boyfriend etc. All of a sudden she found everyone on the freeway coming to a halt. She slammed on her brakes and those in front of her and back of her did the same. To try to avoid hitting the car in front of her, she pulled out into the side lane. (I am not sure if it was the carpool lane or the right shoulder area??) but at that very moment of pulling out of her lane she was told by the spirit to go back to the lane she was in. As she swerved back--still trying to bring her car to a halt without hitting the car in front of her, a truck that was somewhere behind her pulled violently (from trying to stop) into the lane she had just been in-- he was also trying to avoid hitting everyone. She said he almost side swiped her car anyway, but had she been in the lane, she would have been hit by him for sure. It could have been fatal.
We both wept with gratitude. Gratitude that the spirit prompted and even more that she was willing to immediately follow.
I am convinced that rule, rather then the exception, is that miracles happen over the times when we are tending to His flock! Whether it be VT or HT or just doing our callings. God opens doors, sends angles, and often gives us wings to fly through impossible flaming hoops and invisible passageways! So was it yesterday for my sweet friend.
So was she just doing her visiting teaching?! Regardless of what you thing, can I take a little bit of a snotty approach and tell you what I know?!
I know that God sent my visiting teacher yesterday to remind me of how I used to pray! I have become more casual in my praying habits. I still kneel Morning, noon, and night, and try always to have a prayer in my heart, but the faith in my prayers has dropped a few notches. I have not been praying of the smallest of things, and leaving my mouth service for those that seem to be big and pressing. But this sweet sister, I KNOW the Lord sent to remind me, "Bryn, you are to pray over everything. Council with me in all your doings. You used to, remember? Even over little things. Remember what prayers I answered, small, big, insignificant to the natural man... REMEMBER!" Okay- so I didn't hear these words, but I felt them. I felt them in my heart and my mind. My sweet visiting teacher, though she isn't aware of her visits impact on me, was His tool in reminding me tenderly and kindly that there are power in prayers. And I need to go back to how I used to pray. Praying with great power and faith. I felt no reprimand, just a simple assurance and a tender reminder that how I used to do things was good, and okay and that I could go back to that way of praying.
After my sweet sister's visit in my only 30 min window for the day, last day of the month-just a girl wanting to show God that she would do what he asked her to do, blessed me deeply/significantly. I was filled with a resloution that I had habits that I need to cling back to. And all of this came, not in condemnation, or reprimanding--it all came in love and peace. A quietness... to stand a little taller, be a little more faith filled, to pray over and for anything/anyone! To adopt back into my life the things that I know work for me regardless of how others view them.
So with this thought... At the end of my scripture study today, I was thumbing through my Book of Mormon and opened to the 2 Nephi 22. Such a good chapter--compare to Isaiah 12:
And in that day thou shalt say: O Lord, I will praise thee; though thou wast angry with me thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedest me.
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation.
Therefore, with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
And in that day shall ye say: Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.
Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things; this is known in all the earth.
Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion; for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.
In my scriptures, when the Lord answers something in my life with a verse or I feel the spirit confirming what I read was true--I put a spiral swirl over the verse and write out to the side what revelation I received or I state what the answer was to me.
...This is very personal to me and I do not share it for me but for the praise of God and for the fact I just feel I should. My swirl is over vs 4. In my scriptures I wrote this last year:
"And in that day shall ye say: Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted."
"2.22.08 - I have been struggling with the idea of sharing all the miracles I see with others. I have not wanted the praise of men- and I don't want them to think for one moment that it is because of how I prayed or anything to do with me. This past week I have pondered over stop telling people of His goodness--this scripture came with the feeling and words that I do need to share and I will continue to pray to the Lord and ask that he allow me to give Him all praise and all glory. This scripture gave me much comfort."
So may it be known to anyone God has read this blog--I DECLARE HIS DOINGS!! I speak of things I know for myself. God is a God of miracles. He does answer prayers! Small ones, big ones... ALL SINCERE ones! The smallest sparrow falls and he knows it. We are much greater then a sparrow (although I think they are pretty great.) We must follow our impressions and promptings! They can be felt more when we sincerely, pray and study the scriptures daily. God will give us missionary opportunities! We just have to ask! He does open doors, and amazingly enough he allows us/gives us the ability to A.S.K.! Thanks for dad reminding me, A=Ask S=Seek K=Knock and in return of using our agency to A.S.K we will receive R.F.O. R=Receive F=Find O=Open.
How does one receive things from the Holy Ghost, one might ask?! It all starts from the fruit of Repentance!!! Moroni 8:25-26
Repentance=
Baptism=by faith=
fulfilling commandments=
brings a remission of sins=
which brings meekness/lowliness of heart=
with those in place
COMETH the VISITATION of the Holy Ghost=
which fills us with hope and PERFECT love=
which love endures by diligence=
unto prayer=
until the end shall come=
DWELLING WITH GOD!!
All those things are the fruits of repentance. What a powerful tool I need in my life every day!!
I love that it says that the end "shall" come. There IS hope smiling brightly before us! It's not if the end will come, or when, IT SHALL COME!! That means an end to our suffering, or woes, or our sorrows, our strugglings.
I am declaring that I know that God lives. I know that Jesus is the Christ. I know that God hears our prayers and answers them. Big ones, small ones! I know we can become better. I know we can have hope and should have faith in the things God has told us will happen.
Oh to be born in a day when there is so much truth on the earth! Oh to my wonderful parents who had the courage to have this number 5--to put aside their desires/dreams so that I could fulfill/have mine. My soul rejoices and I am consumed with gratitude, wonder and awh.
Joseph Smith is a true prophet. I know he did see God the Father and Jesus Christ. Through him, the gospel was restored to the earth.
The atonement is for all of us to partake of daily. Christ is the author and finisher of my faith!
I testify that He lives!
-In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Declaring his Doings!!!
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