Behind!

Yeah, I am so behind with all that I want to write. I will do some today and some tomorrow. First, here are the amazing things I have read lately: "The world is filled with yellow canaries with gray on their wings. [People who may not be the most beautiful or talented, yet they are people who can bless the lives of others with their testimonies of Christ.] The pity is that so precious few have learned to sing. Some are young people who don't know who they are, what they can be or even want to be; all they want is to be somebody. Others are stooped with age, burdened with care, or filled with doubt- living lives far below the level of their capabilities.To live GREATLY, we must develop the capacity to face trouble with courage, disappointment with cheerfulness, and triumph with HUMILITY. You ask, "How might we achieve these goals?" I answer, "By gaining a true perspective of who we really are!" We are sons and daughters of a living God, in whose image we have been created. Think of that: created in the image of God.We cannot sincerely hold this conviction without experiencing a profound new sense of strength and power." -Thomas S. Monson, June Ensign (www.lds.org)
The following is from The Continuous Atonement by Brad Wilcox: "God is not interested in what will make Him likable or most popular in the moment. He is concerned only with what is best." "No matter how many balls I had juggled and let fall, how much lack of self control I demonstrated, and how many regrets I carried from the past, He (God) was bound to love me. No matter what my future might turn out to be, He is bound to love me. Not only did He require me to have faith and confidence in Him, but He is required to have faith and confidence in me. No foreknowledge can stop Him from investing His all in each moment, just as no foreknowledge stopped Christ form investing His all in Gethsemane and Calvary. Earth life is not merely a way of proving myself to them, but also a way for them to prove their love to me. God and Jesus are bound to believe in me- in my potential and possibilities- even when I don't. God is bound to be as close to me as He is to any of His children because He is a perfect parent. If I fail, it will not be because He has. And knowing He has not failed gives me the power I need to succeed." "By allowing freedom and helping me outgrow the desire to make poor choices, the balance of justice and mercy is maintained and love grows even stronger. It is a harder road, but it is the only one worth traveling because, while much is endured, love is preserved." "God and Christ have been victorious and Satan and his followers have been thwarted at each essential turning point except one- the turning point in our individual lives. Satan cannot undo the Creation, the Fall, the Atonement, or the Restoration. He cannot pull them down, so instead he tries to pull us down." "Robert L. Millet wrote, "'There is a better and higher motivation...that is above and beyond self-discipline, well beyond sheer willpower and dogged determination. It is a motivation born of the Spirit, one that comes to us as a result of a change of heart."' "Making promises to ourselves or even to others is like putting water in a gas tank. Sure, it fills the tank, but it will not get us to our final destination. Only by making covenants can we find the proper fuel- the power- that makes the difference. Covenants connect us to Christ, who said, "'I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you."' "We may stumble, but He never does. We may falter, but He never will. We may feel out of control, but He never is...Covenants forge a link between our telestial, mortal struggles and God's celestial, immortal powers (Patricia T. Holland). And B.H. Roberts "Even after the sins of the past are forgiven, the one so pardoned will doubtless feel the force of sinful habits bearing heavily upon him.. There is an absolute necessity for some additional sanctifyiong grace that will strengthen poor human nature...Man's natural powers are unequal to this task...Such strength, such power, such a a sanctifying grace is conferred on man in being born of the Spirit- in receiving the Holy Ghost."

What a loving Father in Heaven we have who blesses with all of the blessings mentioned above. He even makes things right when we are late or lacking, like when we miss an airplane flight. He makes it right by helping us to know without a doubt that the people we met on the next flight were absolutely the sons and daughters: brothers and sisters He would have us meet on that very day and at that very time: both for them and for us. That is where I will begin next time.

Thank you all for your prayers, Love, K