Its Never too Late to... Strengthen your Faith

Most people strengthen their faith little by little, crumb by crumb, pebble by pebble or brick by brick type of thing. One day we will have pure full faith and have a whole bakery, a mountain or a mansion that those little bits of faith have built. Every now and then the lord blesses us so much and gives us a whole loaf of bread or a cake ( I like Cake), a few boulders or a load of bricks in the form of trials. Sometimes it is death, sometimes sickness, it really could be a whole number of things ... anyway he blesses us with a trial for me it was something so unexpected but so needed. My first reaction was pure fear. BUT one of the one things I remember best from EFY is that FEAR is the opposite of FAITH. The lord new this is a lesson I would need and that is why this concept has stayed with me for years.
I am so grateful that the lord in his perfect love for me and my family and for each one of us prescribes trials that help us grow in faith. I am so glad that it is NEVER TOO LATE to Strengthen ones faith and to get a boost in the path of righteousness. I will take this lesson and continue to study, pray and serve in order for my faith to be strengthened and I will look forward to the trying times the lord will give me to strengthen my faith even more. I am so grateful for my knowledge of the true gospel of Jesus Christ. That he is mindful of me and cares for me and my family. I am grateful for family and loving friends whom are there to support me in my time of need. I love the Savior Jesus Christ who died for my sins.
In his name I Testify
Amen

It's NEVER too late to.... Forgive

Agh, This is a toughy but I thought it is time. I have some forgiving that needs done, I have some people in my life that I need to forgive in order for my family, myself and many people around me are able to move on a grow. I am having a tough time finding the humility to do this but I am working on it. Some people make it really hard to forgive. The person I am thinking of has hurt me, she has gossiped, lied and lost all of my trust and to ask me to just forgive her and move on is a really tough project for me. It seems especially tough because I have also said things, done things that have not been perfect and kind to her, when I got hurt by her I in turn said hurtful things and I should have been more mature and more loving than that. My grudge against her has become to effect others and that is not fair.
So anyway, this will be a process, a challenge and a true growing experience for me, it will take much humility on my part and also I have to remember that she does not have to change in order for me to forgive her and she does not have to ask for it I just have to do it. NOT EASY but I do know it will be worth it!
" Of you it is required to forgive all men." D&C 64:10
" Forgiveness frees the soul. give people a chance to start over, even if they haven't asked for it. You will be surprised at how good it feels to be free of the burden of a grudge."

KJ

It's Never to late to.... Mourn with a Friend

I have debated on if this was the right place to start. It hit me early on as I looked through this book that I would have that opportunity if I hadn't already, it came a lot earlier than I expected and it was considerably harder than I would have thought. The book says this

" Put your arm around the sad. Visit the sick. Be the one who does something in a time of tragedy for others. Even if you are unsure that you can really help, make the effort anyway."

A few weeks ago Josh's grandmother past away, she is a wonderful woman that was always loving and kind. She treated me like family from the moment that I walked into her home for my first Hone family spaghetti dinner. All the Hone family has been nothing but loving and supportive of me from the moment that I entered their lives, I am so blessed to have married into this family. I didn't get to attend the funeral and I was devastated, I stayed home with the kids and cried and at times was angry but after Josh got home and was able to share with me the wonderful occasion that it was, we mourned together, Josh doesn't cry often, he doesn't say a lot about his feelings but I could feel his love for his family, what they mean to him and the influence that his Grandmother had on his live. It was special to see the way he mourned her death, in such a positive eternal aspect, I can not say when my Grandmother passed away that I was as graceful, I cried a lot, couldn't hardly speak at times and still I have a hard time speaking of her without having tears in my eyes, I miss her so dearly.
I was touched and inspired to be the type of person that this passage suggests. I want to move forward being a friend, just being there when people need love, support or just someone to sit next to them and listen.
Neal A Maxwell says this
" We poorly serve the cause of the lord, at times, with programmatic superficiality and by our lack of empathy for those who drift in despair."
The world is plagued with despair these day I want to be a person who has empathy and serves the way the Lord would want me to.