HE WILL TAKE CARE OF OUR TOMORROWS--trust/have faith in Him, TODAY.

I read this article today (click here) on a man's journey with same-sex attraction and how He exercised faith/trust in God and faith/trust in keeping the commandments, regardless of temptations. His courage to share as he calls "witness", moved me.

He shared: 

"In this area and so much of my life, I feel I’ve had to live the principle President Boyd K. Packer taught of going to “the edge of the light and [stepping] into the darkness to discover that the way is lighted ahead for just a footstep or two” (That All May Be Edified (1982), 340). We have to put Him first today, taking the necessary steps of faith today, and simply trust Him to take care of tomorrow. It’s only been through my learning and living that principle that the Lord has slowly been revealing to me His plan for my life."
    --Ty Mansfield

How this rings true with what I need to do with my own trials. Put God first today, excising faith today and trusting that He will take care of my tomorrow. Ty's story/experiences gives my own Gethsemane hope!! (And no, I do not deal with same-sex attraction. But everyone one has something(s) that is(are) thorn(s) of the flesh, and Ty's words can be applied to ANY thorn!)

So my new quote for the back of my phone cover!

 

FIGHT 2 THE FINISH
I have a friend, Heidi Arave, who has shared with me the journey of her friends as their son has been battling liver cancer. This sweet family lost their son Sunday... and the blog post by the mom on Sunday is not only inspiring, but a beautiful testimony/reminder of Heavenly Father's ultimate plan of happiness.

This is what the mother posted the day her son passed:

Tyler returned home early this morning to his loving Father in Heaven after courageously battling liver cancer.  He fought valiantly to stay here and we are relieved that he is not trapped in his diseased body any longer.  We know he is free of pain of suffering and is happy to begin his new work in heaven.

As I was laying there last night watching Tyler struggle to leave, or to stay, I’m not sure which he was fighting for, I remembered a quote that my friend Ashley posted when her sweet Preslee passed away.  I knew there was one thing we had not completely given to Heavenly Father – our will.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell rightly said: “The
submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we
have to place on God’s altar. The many other things we ‘give’ … are
actually the things He has already given or loaned to us.”

Tyler was never ours to keep here.  He was a gift to our family to bless us for a short time.  As soon as Darren and I let Heavenly Father know we had accepted His will and it was okay for Tyler to go, he was finally able to have peace.  We know the promise of peace is ours because of the Savior’s gift to us and that we will someday be reunited with our sweet boy and see his amazing smile when he greets us.

We are overwhelmed with the love we feel from friends, family, and community.  Please know that our family has accepted the plan for Tyler, and although our hearts are broken and the pain is more than we can explain, Heavenly Father has sent the Comforter to help us get through this.  Tyler, we love you with all our hearts.  Thanks for teaching so many what it really means to “Fight To The Finish”.  (Click here to read the blog.)

My prayers are going up for Tyler's family. What examples of Christ!

God bless the GREAT, Plan of Happiness! He will make a way for us. Help us fulfill the measure of our creation. God bless those who live their life in courage despite great odds. God's children, are awesome! I stand all amazed.

MISSIONARY

Today I recieved an email foward with a letter attached from Sister Kristina Howell. I have blogged about the amazing Kristina before (click here and read the section on "COMMITMENT").


I met her a few years ago while waiting at church one Thursday night. She is one that basically had a 4.0 in college, told the Lord that if she didn't get into the nursing program (it would only take God's hand to keep her out with how awesome her transcripts were) that she would take that as she needed to go on a mission. Ask and it shall be given you! Kristina didn't make it into the program.

As a result of this faithful girl's commitments, she made a list about every thing she would give up if the Lord would help her get on a mission. Change friends, which meant for a time she didn't have any close friends. She changed her music, studied her scriptures, prayed morning and night and attend all her church meetings. When she shared her list with me I told her she had just made a list that would turn her into daughter of God! And boy did it ever! She is now a sister missionary serving in the Illinois Chicago Mission!

Her email was filled with miracle after miracle... but this story was extra touching to read. A great reminder--when you know something is true, what are you willing to give up/sacrifice in order to keep what you know to be true? Give up a loved one? Sleep in a homeless shelter to keep a commandment...?! How fitting for Kristina to have this woman come into her life. For Kristina too--knows about keeping commandments and making personal sacrifices. This little story and testimony moved me.

Enjoy!

Exert taken from Sister Kristina Howell's email to her family:

...She's so awesome. Her name is Jackie and she really wants to get baptized, except she's living with her boyfriend and they have kids together and she's pregnant. He didn't want to marry her, so we didn't think baptism would be an option, but this week when we visited her, she told us that she wanted to get baptized and knew that they needed to get married or she needed to move out before that could happen. So apparently she went and stayed at the homeless shelter for 2 days, and that gave her boyfriend a wakeup call, and they're going to be getting married in 2 weeks and then she'll be baptized the week after that! It's amazing how the Lord will bless us and open ways to keep his commandments when we do everything in our power to keep those commandments!!!

I know that this Gospel is so true and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God! I know that there's such a power to the Book of Mormon that has the power to change our lives if we're just willing to open it and to read it and to apply it to our lives!! I know that true happiness can only come through the Gospel of Jesus Christ!! I'm so thankful for the chance that Heavenly Father has given to me to get to share that message with the people of Chicago!!!!

AMEN!