The Best Exercise of All

For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray, ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray.  But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.

(2 Nephi 32:8-9)

One thing that I am always forgetting is that God commands us to pray.  What a strange commandment.  What benefit comes from prayer?  I understand don't kill and love one another, but  prayer is so simple, and it is such a small action.  You can pray without anyone around you even knowing.  But we are commanded to pray always, in our homes, throughout our days, and in our secret places.  God is your Heavenly Father.  He loves you, and He wants you to talk to Him.  In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ counseled: "Enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to the Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." (Matthew 6:6)  Personal prayer is essential to our development. 

This week we visited a woman who is struggling with her faith.  She is so awesome, and it makes me sad to see her in this tough place.  She trusted in God to help her as she made changes in her life to become better, and things continued to get worse.  Now she questions if God is even there.  She feels angry with God, but more so she is mad at herself for being so foolish.  

I know that it can be so tough to pray sometimes.  There can often be multiple concerns that are holding us back.  This woman told us that she did not want to pray.  She knows that as missionaries we invite people to make actions that will bring you closer to Heavenly Father.  She told us honestly that she will not pray, but we are free to invite her to read scriptures and go to church.  Sister Roth and I discussed together what we could do to help this woman to pray.

I thought about my past experiences with prayer.  I went a long time without praying when I was in High School.  I reached a point where I was in a tough situation and knew that I must pray, but I didn't.  The longer I went without praying, the harder it got to try to get myself to.  I found myself kneeling by my bed, unable to make myself pray.  I ended up in frustrated tears and I gave up and just read a comic book before going to sleep to distract my mind from my feelings.  The need to pray grew stronger until I knew that I must pray or choose to turn away from God.  I knelt down again and after fighting with myself in silence, I said allowed, "God, please help me to pray."

A few days after that I went to church and came home and read my scriptures.  It was easier to read than to pray.  I thought a lot about my weakness, and about how mad God must be at me for my lack of gratitude.  Then I spiraled down in self pity about how worthless I am and how I can never qualify for any blessings from God.  In my whinny state, I thought about Jesus Christ.  I thought about His sacrifice and Atonement.  I asked myself if I believed that He really paid for the sins of the world.  The answer was yes.  Well then that would mean that He paid for my sins.  Which would mean that I could be forgiven, and receive the strength to be able to pray.

I have a firm belief that through prayer a man can come closer to God.  There is no amount of resolving concerns that will lead to a place where it will be easy to pray.  With this woman that we are teaching, I know that the trick is for her to just do it! Just pray!!  I wanted to tell her, just forget about all the things holding you back for one minute and pray.  But I didn't, because I know how rough it can be.  There are so many things holding you back.  But I promise that every prayer is heard.  It is good to go to church and to read the scriptures.  Doing these things help you to feel His Spirit.  It is a great first step, and I know that as this woman takes these small steps, she will begin to desire to come closer to God.  The fastest way to feel Heavenly Father's love for you is to pray to Him and ask Him about it.

The best prayer is one that you truly mean.  Offer up the feelings of your heart.  If you are having a tough time knowing what to pray for, ask Him what you should pray for.  If you are having trouble forgiving your brother, tell Him, and ask Him to help you.  I know that God can help.  To make your prayers meaningful, you must pray with sincerity and "with all the energy of heart" (Moroni 7:48)  Give serious thought to your attitude and to the words you use.  Always give thanks to you Heavenly Father.  As you take time to remember your blessings, you will recognize how much God has done for you.  "live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you." (Alma 34:38) Express your thanks to Him.  Let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.

Prayer is an exercise of faith.  Much like waking up early to run two miles, you can sit and think about it without ever getting yourself to act.  "I should go run, but I don't want to.  It will be good for me, but I would rather sleep.  It won't be tough once I'm up, but I can just do it later."  Such thoughts will never end.  But once you take the step to pray, it gets easier to the next time, and plus, its super good for you!  

Trust in the Lord, but always remember to trust in yourself.  You have the ability to choose to do right.  You have the power to pray with real intent, and when you pray you are showing that you have the faith to turn to God and you can see miracles. Do all that you can to help bring about the things that you pray for. If you have a difficult task, Heavenly Father is pleased if you get on your knees and then get back on your feet and get to work.  You will find that you are happier when you turn to God for everything!

I know that the Lord loves you and will bless you always when you take the time to pray to Him.  I am looking forward with gladness to see the change that comes into this woman's life from the faith that she has to pray, even when it seems so difficult to.  I know that as she overcomes those fears and barriers, she will find herself coming closer to Christ, and she will see how He has been there for her this whole time.  He never leaves us, and I promise that prayer is a window to His love, it will help you see His love in every piece of your life!

So, will you say your prayers tonight?

Day By Day

And now, my son, I have somewhat to say concerning the thing which our fathers call a ball, or director—or our fathers called it Liahona, which is, being interpreted, a compass; and the Lord prepared it... And it did work for them according to their faith in God; therefore, if they had faith to believe that God could cause that those spindles should point the way they should go, behold, it was done; therefore they had this miracle, and also many other miracles wrought by the power of God, day by day.  Nevertheless, because those miracles were worked by small means it did show unto them marvelous works.

(Alma 37: 38-41)

Miracles happen everyday, and it is by the small means that we can see the hand of God in our lives.

We met a lady named Jennifer, and we invited her to come to church.  At first she didn't really want to come, but eventually she said that she would.  We stopped by her house late Saturday evening and helped her weed her garden.  It was so fun to visit with her and her best friend. Then when the job was done (which wasn't easy in the dark!)  We said "see you tomorrow!" and we were on our way.

Sister Roth and I were so excited for Jennifer to come to church with us.  As we left the next morning Sister Roth suggested calling like a wake-up call.  I said that maybe that was being a little pushy.  We discussed it and came to the conclusion that if Jennifer wanted to come, she would wether we called her or not.  A few minutes after we decided this, Sister Roth said, "Oh it won't hurt! If she wants to come then she'll be happy that I called, and if she doesn't want to come then she can tell us and she won't have to!"

Then Sister Roth suggested that we say a prayer.  God always knows what is best and what we should do!  So we prayed and nothing huge came to tell us if we should or shouldn't call, but more of a peace that if good can come from it, then we should do it.

It rang, and rang, and then informed us, as we knew it would, that the voice mailbox has not been set up yet.  We hung up, and remarked on how it was worth the shot to call.  We started visiting with the members that were filing in before the meeting started.  The phone started ring.  It was Jennifer!  We answered and she said she was on her way and asked if we could meet her outside. 

We were both beaming when we met Jennifer.  And she told us how she had forgot to set her alarm and that our phone call had woken her up!  She said she was happy that we called because she really wanted to come to church.

It was amazing to see how the small means of a phone call can help someone come closer to God.  I know that there are different things acting on us, pushing us to act in different ways, but it is up to us what we will act on.  And I know that as we exercise faith, the Lord will always keep telling us what it is that we need to do!

When you pray you are exercising faith.  And according to your faith, the miracles come.  Start by praying, and then look for the small means day to day that show you God's love.  His love is in every day, and if you look for it you can see it!  I know that God loves us, and He wants to be a part of our lives.  As we pray to Him, we allow Him to have a bigger role everyday, and it brings peace and blessings.

Then Am I Stong

"When hard trials come, the faith to endure them well will be there, built as you may now notice but may have not at the time that you acted on the pure love of Christ, serving and forgiving others as the Savior would have done. You built a foundation of faith from loving as the Savior loved and serving for Him. Your faith in Him led to acts of charity that will bring you hope.

It is never too late to strengthen the foundation of faith. There is always time. With faith in the Savior, you can repent and plead for forgiveness. There is someone you can forgive. There is someone you can thank. There is someone you can serve and lift. You can do it wherever you are and however alone and deserted you may feel."

- Henry B. Eyring

There are situations in life that we feel we can't escape from.  There are some things that seem out of our control.  But I know that we always have the ability to chose how we act ourselves.  One of the toughest things to do, is to watch a person you love be hurt, and then to forgive the person that hurt them.  Even harder is to forgive them when they don't feel bad about doing so.  I know that through the Atonement of Christ we can find forgiveness for our mistakes, and we can receive the strength to forgive others for their mistakes.

Sometimes a person makes dumb choices, and they can hurt you.  But if you show them that love that you have found from the Savior, they can grow closer to Him, and you can be a part of helping them to choose better in the future.

I can't change the things that other people do.  But I can change what I do.  Through striving to know my Savior, I have been able to take those small steps that help me to act, instead of being acted upon.  No matter what trials are facing you, no matter what choices or situations are baring down on you, know that you are not stuck.  Pray to God, and he can help you.

I just repeat the invitation that He has already extended.  I promise blessings that He is already waiting to give.  I encourage and support, but the love that I show comes from Him.

I know how tough it is to stop sometimes.  I know what it is like to be doing something, and to know it is bad, and to still do it anyways.  You feel stuck, and sometimes hopeless that you won't be able to change.  And then, in your stuck place, you come to find yourself reading my blog, and you know what I am going to tell you to do.  You know the steps needed to get you out, but you can't seem to take them.

It took me four years - of telling myself that I was going to get better, pretending that I was, lying to myself that I was improving, and ignoring the times that I messed up - before I got to a place where I saw the way out. And once I saw that way out, it took another year and a half to get to a place where I could say that I was leaving that life and those actions behind me.  I am still afraid that those same things lay ahead of me in the future.  That some trial will arise and I will find that I haven't changed at all.  I know that I am weak.  And when I act strong, I know that I still am weak.  But I know that I don't have to be strong to have faith in my Lord.

Despite my every weakness, and every sin, Christ still calls to me.  He is all knowing, and He new the mistakes that I was going to make before I made them.  And He has already chosen to forgive me.  We all make mistakes in life, and these mistakes create feelings of guilt and shame.  These feelings can not be relieved without repentance and forgiveness.  They can be fully healed through the Atonement of Christ.

I know that changing is tough.  When I found myself stuck. I knew that the first step out was to stop and walk away, but I was too weak.  I watched myself keep going, even when I no longer wanted to.  I tried to walk away but sometimes you don't believe that you can.  And it kills you, but you stay.  In this time I accepted my weakness.  I knew that I couldn't get myself out.  In weakness I fell to my knees and prayed to my Lord.  I begged Him to help me.  I told Him that I didn't have the strength to change.  I asked Him to show me the way out, and I admitted that I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to take the way out even after I could see it.  I ended my prayer in tears, which soon lead to me laying in bed feeling hopeless, and then turning back to the very thing that I had prayed to be relieved from.

This brought my soul in even greater torment.  How can I get out?  I tried to think if I should give up hopes of a better me, and just try to be happy with the place that I was in.

Finding happiness in a sinful state will never last.  Trying to be alright in an environment where you feel stuck will never bring you joy.  I know that Christ is the way out.  Continue to pray to Him and know that your weakness is made perfect in His strength.  We can reach joy in this life.  And there is always always a way out.

My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

(2 Corinthians 12:9-10) 

I found that way out.  Through my prayers at the times in my life where I was the most lost.  

Turn to Him in your weakness, and allow Him to bless you with His strength.

In His Strength

Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.

Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.

(Alma 26:12,16)

After every High School Cross Country practice, my team would get together to do a core-ab workout before going home.  Spencer (who lead core) would always say, "When you are at the end of a race, and your legs are dead, your core is what keeps you going.  That is why we do core everyday."

 It may seem lame to work everyday on the little things, but doing 25 sit-ups can help you go that much farther in a race.

I remember one race that I really struggled with.  I felt defeated the whole time, and could only think about how I couldn't go on.  As I neared the end, I started sprinting and I passed three girls in front of me! I was so proud of myself for doing so good.  Then I saw my time, and it didn't seem too great, but I had passed people, soo did I do good or bad?

Sometimes the things we use to measure our progress, don't really help us to improve.  After the race my dad talked to me about how I did.  He told me that the reason why I could pass those girls is because I had the energy to at the end.  He told me that I could have gone faster the entire race with that energy and improved my time.  It seems harder, but in the long run it is more worth it.

I thought about this as Sister Roth and I ran this morning.  We had a goal to run two miles. No stopping.  We had a point where we had to speed up to make the crosswalk light.  After we crossed the road we didn't slow down, and I realized we could have been running this fast before.  

What is the point of running slow, just to have energy left when you are done?  What are all of those sit-ups for?  The goal is to run until you can't go any more, use all the energy you have during the race, expect your core to carry you through the end, and when you finish you will have nothing left.  No regrets. Just your best effort.  

What have you been doing to build up that strength that will carry you through the end of your life?

This is a tough question, because we don't know when we will be called to leave this life and head off into the next.  Which is why it is so important to not be saving energy.  Trust in the Lord that He will give you the strength you need after you have given it your all.

I know that as you strive to reach goals in your life, you may face challenges, but God will help you.

Glory in your God.  Find strength in Christ.  I know that as we rely on faith in Him, we will have the strength to do all things that He asks us to do!

My fellow Jenna-blog-readers, 
I know that it is tough to do the right thing sometimes, even when you know that it is right, but I promise you that IF you do, He Will Bless You!

Come unto Christ, and find peace.

I will glory in His power and I will rely on His mercy. For I know that I am nothing, I am only what He has lead me to be.  I trust in Him, and I know that through Him we can find peace.