We Are Children of God

Who are we? Did you know that you are child of God? 

This post is based on an October 1998 General Conference talk called "We Are Children of God" by Elder Russell M. Nelson. I would like to share with you some highlights what he mentions.

Elder Nelson mentions, “The Body:-

The marvel of our physical bodies is often overlooked. Who has not encountered feelings of low self-esteem because of physique or appearance?

Many people wish their bodies could be more to their liking. Some with naturally straight hair want it curly. Others with curly hair want it straight. Occasionally some ladies, believing that “gentlemen prefer blonds,” become “decided blonds.”

Your body, whatever its natural gifts, is a magnificent creation of God. It is a tabernacle of flesh a temple for your spirit. A study of your body attests to its divine design.

Physical Limitations:- 

For reasons usually unknown, some people are born with physical limitations. Specific parts of the body may be abnormal. Regulatory systems may be out of balance.
And all of our bodies are subject to disease and death. Nevertheless, the gift of a physical body is priceless. Without it, we cannot attain a fulness of joy. 

A perfect body is not required to achieve a divine destiny. In fact, some of the sweetest spirits are housed in frail frames. Great spiritual strength is often developed by those with physical challenges precisely because they are challenged. Such individuals are entitled to all the blessings that God has in store for His faithful and obedient children. 

Eventually the time will come when each ‘spirit and body shall be reunited again in perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame’ (Alma 11:43).  Then, thanks to the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can become perfected in Him.

"You are a child of God. You are wonderfully made, 
dearly loved, and precious in his sight. Before God
made you, he knew you. There is no one else like
you." 

Personal Behavior:-

How should these truths influence our personal behavior? We should gratefully acknowledge God as our Creator. Otherwise, we would be as guilty as goldfish swimming in a bowl, oblivious to the goodness of their provider. “Ye must give thanks unto God,” said the Lord, “for whatsoever blessing ye are blessed with.” And we can practice virtue and holiness before Him continually.

We will regard our body as a temple of our very own. We will not let it be desecrated or defaced in any way. We will control our diet and exercise for physical fitness.

Should not equal attention be paid to spiritual fitness? Just as physical strength requires exercise, so spiritual strength requires effort. Among the most important of spiritual exercises is prayer. It engenders harmony with God and a desire to keep His commandments. Prayer is a key to wisdom, virtue, and humility.

 Scriptural warning is clear: “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.” In time, addictions enslave both the body and the spirit. Full repentance from addiction is best accomplished in this life, while we still have a mortal body to help us.

As children of God, we should not let anything enter the body that might defile it. To allow sensors of sight, touch, or hearing to supply the brain with unclean memories is a sacrilege. We will cherish our chastity and avoid “foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown [us] in destruction and perdition.”We will “flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, [and] meekness” traits that edify the whole soul.

Who are we? We are children of God. Our potential is unlimited. Our inheritance is sacred. May we always honor that heritage in every thought and deed."

I encourage you to read the whole talk in your own time, here's the link to the talk.
www.lds.org/general-conference/1998/10/we-are-children-of-god

I love the Image that I have shared for this post. If you can not see the Image that I have shared with this post, it says "You are a child of God. You are wonderfully made, dearly loved, and precious in his sight. Before God made you, he knew you. There is no one else like you."

Stay Tuned. 

Some Ways to Prepare for a Mission

This post takes five minutes to seven minutes to read from start to finish. 

During my teenage years, I was thinking about serving a full-time mission one day. I even began my mission papers and I've submitted my mission papers for me to serve a full-time mission when I was nineteen years old. It wasn't until sometime right before or after I've turned twenty-one years old to find out that my mission papers wasn't submitted. I did have an opportunity to redo the mission papers but I've decided not to redo the mission papers. 

I was too focused on being employed in Domino's Industry, I was also focused on finishing Institute before I graduate in March 2017, I've began studying BYU (Brigham Young University) - Idaho Pathways program that was done mostly online and portion of the program requires in person attendance (which consist of gathering with other church members in the area with you that's studying the same program) and I also focused on other things as well. 

The mission isn't for everyone. If you have a desire to serve a mission, I strongly encourage you to pray with real intent and fast to know if the mission is for you or not. If you got a confirmation with an answer saying "Yes," I encourage you to go ahead and serve a mission.

If you received an answer saying "No," I encourage you to don't feel discouraged and look for other ways to serve the Lord. Giving up 18 months or 2 years or whatever how long of serving the Lord does take a lot of dedication and hard working. Missions are tough and missions aren't easy.

If you are preparing for your mission, I encourage you to go ahead and read a list that I have provided below. The list is a list of the mission preparations that I have done before I went on my mission. I know it will help me to become an effective missionary and I know it will help you too.

" - Fulfilling your Church calling/s; Fulfilling your church calling/s is a great way of service before your mission. 

- Build a habit of daily scripture study; it will help you heaps because you will be reading your scriptures daily during your mission and it will help you build a stronger testimony of the scriptures. 

- Become familiar with Preach My Gospel; it will help you heaps and it will help you to prepare and teach lessons. 

- Attending some sessions at the Temple; Attending the Temple will help you to receive personal revelations for yourself, you will gain a stronger testimony of Temples, you will come to love the Temple more if you attend the Temple often, you will gain a stronger understanding of the importance of Temples. 

I encourage you to take the opportunity to go to the Temple often before your mission because you won't be able to go to the Temple often during your mission. 

- Go out with your ward missionaries if you have missionaries serving in your ward; going out with them are the best way of experiencing what it is like to be a Missionary. Sometimes they will take you with them to go tracking or help them to teach lessons for the Investigators or doing rescue visits for the less actives/in-actives. 

- Listening to some past General Conference talks; you will receive some inspiration answers to your new questions, you will be able to learn new things and you will gain a stronger testimony in General Conference.

- Attending Institute; you will be able to learn new things while attending Institute often, it will help you to build a stronger testimony of Institute and if you accomplish the requirements for Institute, you will be able to receive a certificate of Achievement or Diploma for Institute.

- Attending Mission Preparation Class; it will help you heaps. Most classes provide a lesson and do role plays (the teacher gives you a situation and what the lesson's topic is on)."

There are other mission preparations that I could think of but I thought it would be best for you to figure out what those other mission preparations are."

I hope the list will you and I hope you can use it as a guide. If you aren't preparing for your mission, I encourage you to continue fulfilling your church calling/s, go to the Temple often if you are Temple worthy, build a habit of scripture study daily and listen to some past General Conference talks.

Stay Tuned.

What can we do when we can't sleep?

This post should take about three minutes to five minutes to read from start to finish. Sometimes we often feel that we can’t go to sleep either because we aren’t feeling tired or we’ve so many things in our minds that we just overthink about. What has been your strategies that has worked and helped you go to sleep whenever you can't go to sleep? 

"If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying
there worrying, it's the worry that gets you, not the lack of sleep."
- Dale Carnegie. 

Let me share with you some suggestions of what can help you go to sleep without taking any sleeping pills/medications. 

- We can write in a journal (we can write about our feelings, we can write about what’s in our minds, we can write about our short-term goals, we can write about our long-term goals, we can write about some things that we’re grateful for, we write about our accomplishments throughout lives, etc). - We can read a book. 

- We can watch a movie that we’ve seen multiple times in the past and we know that it would be okay for us to fall asleep during that movie because we already know the ending. - We can watch a show that we’ve seen multiple times in the past and we know that it would be okay for us to fall asleep during that show because we already know the ending. 

- We can write down a to do list of things that we would like to accomplish the next day. - We can write down the groceries list of what we can get. - We can write down meal plans for next week. - We can letters to relatives and friends. 

- We can pray about our feelings, what’s in our minds, and express our gratitude of what we’re thankful for. - We can write down what we would like to accomplish throughout next week. 

Stay Tuned.