And Nothing Shall Offend Them

Elder David A. Bednar
"When we believe or say we have been offended, we usually mean we feel insulted, mistreated, snubbed, or disrespected. And certainly clumsy, embarrassing, unprincipled, and mean-spirited things do occur in our interactions with other people that would allow us to take offense. However, it ultimately is impossible for another person to offend you or to offend me. Indeed, believing that another person offended us is fundamentally false. To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else."

I love that Elder Bednar mentions that when we are offended it is by our own choice. We all have our agency and no matter the situation, we can choose to be offended by what is happening, by what others say, or whatever else it may be. It is almost empowering to know that we have the CHOICE to be offended or not. Sometimes we feel like we have the right to take offense, but I know that our lives are much more richly blessed when we choose not to be offended by what others might say or do.

Trust.

President Henry B. Eyring said, "He (God) knows how a lack of trust in Him brings sadness... You show your trust in Him when you listen with the intent to learn and repent and then you go and do whatever He asks. If you trust God enough to listen for His message in every sermon, song and prayer in this conference, you will find it. And if you go and do what He would have you do, your power to trust Him will grow, and in time you will be overwhelmed with gratitude to find that He has come to trust you."

I found this to be so true when I was a missionary. I would trust the Lord that if I was obedient that He would bless me, so when I put my life into His hands and trusted that He would guide me He always did. He then trusted me with His children and allowed me to see people accept the gospel, He knew that He could trust me because I had done (in the past) what He had asked, and tried my best to be obedient. It's the same thing now. When the Lord knows that we are trying to do our best, he blesses us. I did my best when I came home from my mission to live the way I knew the Lord wanted me to; and when I came to school the Lord trusted me enough to put in a position (as Relief Society President) to serve and watch over some of His daughters... what a HUGE blessing.

Forgiveness?

Last week I got pretty mad at a friend of mine, he ditched me, ignored me and lied to me (it wasn't the first time). I'm not the kind of person who was just gonna let him walk all over me like he did and I was ready for a fight. I was ready to chew him out good and tell him that his behavior was unacceptable and that he needed to be a better friend, that I deserved for him to be a better friend. I had everything nicely planned out. Then I decided to go to devotional, and my friend is lucky that I did. God knew that I would go to devotional, and He knew that I would need to hear this particular devotional talk on Forgiveness by Charles N. Andersen (University Resources Vice President at BYU-Idaho), and He knew that I would get a "spiritual-smack-in-the-face" from it. I am glad that God knows what He is doing and that He was able to teach me a priniciple and change my mind about starting a fight with my friend. So there I am sitting at devotional and the speaker says, "Forgiveness is not easy. When someone has hurt us or those we care about, that pain can be almost overwhelming. It can feel as if the pain or the injustice is the most important thing in the world and that we have no choice but to seek vengeance. Forgiveness is not instantaneous. It comes more readily when we have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and trust His word. Such faith and trust enables us to see others as our brothers and sisters even in the worst of times and to look beyond ourselves and our own feelings of hurt or anger. Christ, the Prince of Peace, teaches us a better way. It can be very difficult to forgive someone the harm they’ve done us, but when we do, we open ourselves up to a better future. No longer does someone else’s wrong doing control our course. When we forgive others, it frees us to choose how we will live our own lives." God helped me to realize how important forgiveness is, but it didn't make the wrong right, or keep my friend from being unkind again... So I just have to wonder, I understand that forgiveness is a good thing to do. However, there is so much mercy in forgiveness... but where is the justice? Maybe it's just my place to forgive, but I guess that doesn't mean it's an immediate process.

The Future Is As Bright As Your Faith

I suppose that faith has been on my mind a lot the last few days, probably for a good reason because I have learned a few things this week that have made my life a lot more complicated and also have left certain aspects of my life wide open. My future has become a lot more unsure in the past week because some things have fallen apart like a tower of blocks that little kids play with. However, this quote from President Monson has brought a lot of peace into my heart and mind, "The future is as bright as your faith." It just sticks in my mind because I know that's true. My future, without faith, is bleak and dismal and scary even; but my future with faith is bright, full of hope and has endless amazing possibilities. I may not know what will happen, but with my faith in God I know that all things will be possible and I have a bright future, there will be obstacles and challenges, but they will do nothing but strengthen my resolve. I know my future is bright!

Having Faith

"The Transforming Power of Faith and Character"
by Richard G. Scott

"What are some of the empowering principles upon which faith is based?
-Trust in God in His willingness to provide help when needed no matter how challenging the circumstance.
-Obedience to His commandments and a life that demonstrates that He can trust you.
-Sensitivity to the quiet promptings of the Holy Spirit.
-Courageous implementation of that prompting.
-Patience and understanding when God lets you struggle to grow and when answers come a piece at a time over an extended period.
As you walk to the boundary of your understanding into the twilight of uncertainty, exercising faith, you will be led to find solutions you would not obtain otherwise. With even your strongest faith. God will not always reward you immediately according to your desires. Rather, God will respond with what is in His eternal plan for you, when it will yield the greatest advantage. Be thankful that sometimes God lets you struggle for a long time before that answer comes. That causes your faith to increase and your character to grow."

My favorite part of this quote is that God will let us struggle and grow to make our own faith stronger. The times we grow the most is when we go through something hard or have to overcome obstacles. I know that this is a true principle. I love the gospel.

EFY 2010 Walking in Sunlight

This is a song I first heard last semester from the latest EFY cd and I just love it because it helps me remember that the gospel brings light to my life and has changed everything. I can walk in the sunlight even if my life seems a bit dark. That is the blessing of having the gospel.



I also had this thought over the weekend: The truth of it is... life always cahnges... "There's nothing so constant as change..." and this is something you can always depend on... But of all the things I know to be true I think the most important is that I know God lives and I know that He loves me. I know that as people come and go and as life goes on it's never-ending course the Gospel of Jesus Christ and God's love for His children is something that will never cahnge no matter the course this Earth or our lives take. That is the one thing I can always depend on. I know that we can have hope in this life and hope in the life to come because of the infinite sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf. I know that our lives are most beautiful when we share them with others. I know we came here not only to return to God ourselves but to help others see the light and desire to return to Him as well."

Rexburg Temple

Temples have been something of a lifesaver to me. They have always been there for me when I needed somewhere to feel peace, a sanctuary of sorts. Whenever I am going through a hard time, I know that the temple will always be there, a shining beacon in my life. They are more than just beautiful buildings, they have been a saving grace in my life. I went to the temple today and just feel so much peace in my life because of it. I came home feeling like I was glowing and just filled with happiness. I know there is something different about temples. They're amazing.

President Gordon B. Hinckley said of temples, "I know your lives are busy. I know that you have much to do. But I make you a promise that if you will go to the house of the Lord, you will be blessed; life will be better for you."

Elder Boyd K. Packer said, "It is in the ordinances of the temple that we are placed under covenant to Him….[If] we will enter into our covenants without reservation or apology, the Lord will protect us. We will receive inspiration sufficient for the challenges of life."

Reflecting On My Mission

On April 23, 2010 I returned from the England Leeds Mission, a time and place and experience that I will never forget. Literally... I can't forget about it. I want to serve another mission SO bad, it was one of the greatest experiences of my life and not a day goes by that I don't think about my mission or remember it in some way. It has become a huge part of my life and has definitely shaped the person I am. I tell people all the time that I would go back on a mission in a heartbeat if I could! I loved teaching the gospel and bringing other people to the knowledge that there is a God who loves them and that Jesus Christ is there to save us from our sins and to lift us up.


Anyway my point is that today as I was doing my daily scripture study I was reading a talk by a man named Elder Russell M. Nelson called "Missionaries serve to make life better for God's children." That is what I miss! As I was thinking about this and my desire to serve another mission... the Spirit whispered a passage of scripture to me spoken by one of the greatest missionaries to have ever walked this earth, Alma the Younger (who had a VERY successful mission among the Lamanites). He says, "O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people! Yea, I would declarie unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth. But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me." And I knew that as Elder Nelson says later on in his talk, "Missionary service has helped to shape their divine destiny." My mission has made me everything that I am today and has changed who I am and where I am going in life. Instead of still wishing I was on my mission, doing missionary work in that way. I should be grateful that the Lord gave me that opportunity to change my life and see others lives changed. I should be grateful to be back in America and getting a fantastic education at a fantastic school like BYU-Idaho. I should be grateful to be near friends and family again. I should be content with what the Lord gave me, and is still giving me! I think I am finally coming to terms with letting my mission go... just over 10 months after returning. It's been a long process, but I know that the Lord has much greater things in store for me. It reminds me of another talk given by Elder Jeffery R. Holland called "The Best is Yet to Be" and he is talking about Lot's wife who looks back to Sodom and Gomorrah (even though the Lord told her not to) and turns into a pillar of salt. Elder Holland says, "Just what did Lot's wife do that was so wrong? As a student of history, I have thought about that and offer a partial answer. Apparently, what was wrong with Ltos' wife was that she wasn't just looking back; in her heart she wanted to go back. It would appear that even before she was past the city limits, she was already missing what Sodom and Gomorrah had offered her... So a more theological way to talk about Lot's wife is to say that she did not have faith. She doubted the Lord's ability to give her something better than she already had. Apparently, she thought that nothing that lay ahead could possibly be as good as what she was leaving behind." So in my conclusion of this particular blog... I must let my past stay in the past. It has obviously changed me, shaped me, taught me and in some cases (like my mission) blessed me immeasurably but life keeps moving on, and so must I. There is a bright, grand and beautiful future in front of me. I am ready to face it and enjoy today because someday I may look back on today and wish I had enjoyed it more fully. Here's to leaving my mission in the past but allowing the lessons I learned there and the way that it has shaped my divine destiny move with me to make a brighter future! :)

“Miracles happen to those who believe in them.”

I used to believe that miracles could happen every day when I was on my mission in England, and I used to see miracles every day, it was incredible. When I came home I guess I just stopped believing that miracles could happen outside of my mission. (The picture to the left is an example of a miracle I saw on my mission.) Well I was indeed very wrong about that and have been proven wrong in the past few days. I started believing in miracles again because of some things that happened to me.

One of the first being that I had to teach a lesson this Sunday at church, I had been thinking a lot about what I should teach and what the girls in my Relief Society needed to hear and about 3 weeks ago it just hit me that the subject of my lesson should be, "What makes us beautiful?" I guess just about everyone in my lesson that day needed to hear my lesson and I was told that one of the girls in my Relief Society has been saying that she is not beautiful lately and was one of the ones most affected by this lesson. It was incredible and I didn't feel like I was the one teaching. That was the first miracle.

The second miracle happened on Monday when I applied for and got accepted to the fast grad program the same day! Usually it takes 2-3 weeks to process and get everything done. I personally took my paper around to get all the signatures and everything just worked out perfectly with professors being there to be able to sign it. It was honestly just what I needed because it put my heart at rest.

THEN to add to miracles I heard about another one today from one of my mission companions. We taught a lady named Jean and she eventually got baptised, but her husband David was not exactly supportive or happy about, but today I heard this stroy about him: (It's in the form of my friend telling me over facebook chat.)

(A picture of me and Lizzie with Jean) :) "On christmas eve last year he had a heartattack jean being a nurse knew the signs and luckily they were at home and she called the ambulance... it was lucky as they had been out all day and were planning to go out again in the evening and it would have been a nightmare if he'd been driving! anyway the ambulance came and took him... they call the hospital and the surgeons in there were just about to go home -- so luckily they stayed and had everything ready to go when he got in he had the surgery to unclog the blocked arteries - he had an 80% chance of dying it was that bad but miraculously he was ok the whole ward were praying for him and jean asked him if he wanted a blessing--- he said YES so on boxing day ami and jason gave him a blessing and he's been ok so he knew he had to give up smoking and drinking coffee/tea he hasn't smoked a cigarette since!! and he's weaning himself off of tea etc he said he knows its not by chance that everything went the way it did - he accepted that there definitely is a God and he said that people from church could visit him - jason has been going every sunday for a while to fellowship him anyway (what a legend) so he's been to church!!!!! and he enjoys it the members are just brilliant with him and he really gets on with jason! so its perfect really there's now a senior couple in worksop as well as sisters and the couple are teaching him he gets on well with them! this is amazing... he told jean that because of the seriousness of the heart attack he was sorry that they wouldn't be able to fly to salt lake to be sealed as a family - but he realised he could make it to preston.jean said her heart jumped out of her chest! haha i can't stop smiling every time i think about it the Lord moves in mysterious ways..."

I know that miracles happen, and because I opened my eyes to them I have been seeing them everyday.

"Wise men still seek Him"

Well this weekend an unexpected chain of events came to play in my life. Basically it came down to a life-altering 5 minute phone call. While talking to this particular person in a rather disheartening conversation I looked up to the top of our entertainment center... and there was a sign on top of our speaker that said, "Wise men still seek Him" and I just knew that despite this person telling me this news I knew that I wasn't alone. God showed me the answer and I was overcome with feelings of peace and love. I knew that despite what happened in my life I simply needed to seek Him. I needed to be wise and remember that I need to first follow the Savior, to seek Him out and follow Him and I know that when I do that God will take care of the rest of it. I know that when I put my trust in God all other things work themselves out. It may feel as though my life is a set of building blocks, being broken down and constantly knocked over; but when I look to God, I know that He will always rebuild me into what I need to be. I am so grateful for the Holy Ghost that whispered peace to my heart at that time. I know God loves us and wants us to be happy and He will always be there for us.

Stake Conference

I was reminded today in Stake Conference about the importance of listening to the Spirit and reminding ourselves of the covenants that we have made. The Spirit brought an interesting memory to my mind when I was thinking about all of this. I was going through a rough patch my senior year of high school, a lot of it dealing with certain friends I had at the time. Without going into detail I was really having a hard time and I had a friend invite me to go to the temple with them every week, and I started going with them. It changed everything about that year of my life. Even though things just got worse with my friends I felt a lot of peace and I knew that was coming from the time that I was spending at the temple.



I am glad to know that we have a temple nearby that I can attend every week. They talked in stake conference today about the experience the apostles had when they were on the sea of Galilee and there was a sudden storm about them, waves and wind. The apostles went to Jesus who was sleeping and asked, Master, carest though not that we perish?" And Christ arose and said "Peace, be still" the seas calmed and the wind ceased. The same thing happens in our lives... the winds and storms arise but the Lord can calm our hearts. I always, ALWAYS feel that peace when I attend the temple. I was just reminded today that the temple is extremely important and it definitely keeps my heart at peace no matter what is going on. I love the temple.

"I Hope They Call Me On a Mission..."

I learned something this week throught the Spirit, an answer that I have been waiting for, for almost 10 months now. 10 months ago I came home from serving a mission in Leeds, England and when I came home it was very hard to adjust to "post-mission" life. I remember the day after I got home I went shopping with my mom at a store, I was accustomed to walking into a store (or other public place) and having people stare at me, my clothes and especially my little name badge that said

"SISTER WHEELER"
"The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints"

but this time no one paid attention to me, I was just another person in that store. In that moment I ceased feeling important, I ceased feeling like I was somebody... I had felt important and of worth on my mission because I was doing the work of the Lord, I was His servant. Well I have struggled for 10 months to understand what the Lord would have me do now that I am home, what is the role that I must play here. I went back to school in Rexburg (though I did not want to) and one night that fall semester a roommate of mine, Carrie Akemon, and I went for a walk. I think we both just needed to talk. So we walked around this block several times just chatting and it was brought up that she had thought about serving a mission, but of course had her doubts... the things that she would have to sacrifice, the fact that she was 22, the money it would cost, the fact that she wouldn't quite be done with school and a few other things. I didn't think much of it then, but I told her that we all have qualms about serving a mission but we have to first put our trust in God. We have to believe that He will provide for us and take care of us. It's not always easy because we can't see what He sees, and we don't know what He knows; but we do know that He loves us and knows what is best for us. I promised her that if she went it would be the best thing that has ever happened in her life because that is what it was for me... and it changed my life forever.



Well. Sister Carrie Akemon went into the Provo MTC on February 2nd, 2011 to learn and be instructed before she heads to the Colorado Springs, Colorado Mission. I got to see her a few days before her entrance into the MTC and she told me that the talk we had that night was the reason she had decided to go on a mission... I was really touched, and the Spirit has whispered to me that that was part of the reason I needed to come back to Rexburg for school. That the Lord still needs me serving in His church and that I still can make a difference in people's lives. I am grateful I could make a difference in her life. She will be a fantastic missionary. It just goes to show that when we put the Lord first He blesses us and those around us.

"However Long and Hard the Road" by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

This is a talk that greatly changed my perception on life, I first read it on my mission and it was one of those talks that truly changed my life in the most unexpected ways...

"We speak about excellence a great deal at BYU these days, and, by definition, excellence does not come easily or quickly--an excellent education does not, a successful mission does not, a strong, loving marriage does not, rewarding personal relationships do not. It is simply a truism that nothing very valuable can come without significant sacrifice and effort and patience on our part. Perhaps you discovered that when you got your grades last month. Maybe in other ways you are finding that many of the most hoped-for rewards in life can seem an awfully long time coming.

My concern this morning is that you will face some delays and disappointments at this formative time in your life and feel that no one else in the history of mankind has ever had your problems or faced those difficulties. And when some of those challenges come, you will have the temptation common to us all to say, "This task is too hard. The burden is too heavy. The path is too long." And so you decide to quit, simply to give up. Now to terminate certain kinds of tasks is not only acceptable but often very wise. If you are, for example, a flagpole sitter then I say, "Come on down." But in life's most crucial and telling tasks, my plea is to stick with it, to persevere, to hang in and hang on, and to reap your reward. Or to be slightly more scriptural:

Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.

Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days. [D&C 64:33­34]

I am asking you this morning not to give up "for ye are laying the foundation of a great work." That "great work" is you--your life, your future, the very fulfillment of your dreams. That "great work" is what, with effort and patience and God's help, you can become. When days are difficult or problems seem unending, I plead with you to stay in the harness and keep pulling. You are entitled to "eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days," but it will require your heart and a willing mind. It will require that you stay at your post and keep trying. "

There is a song by Josh Groban called "You are loved" the reminds me of this, that we can never give up but that we must keep going. Even when we are at the end of our rope we must keep going... somehow the Lord always pulls through for us. He truly is a miracle worker.

"Faith Like A Grain of Mustard Seed" by Pres. Kim B. Clark

Some blippits that I loved from a BYU-Idaho devotional.

"When we act in faith in Christ, we take action to keep our covenants in the face of opposition, even before we know how things are going to work out."

"President Eyring has taught, 'Increased spiritual strength is a gift from God which He can give when we push in His service to our limits.' That is where we find our personal frontier. There is a personal frontier for each one of us in every covenant, commandment, calling, and assignment we recieve from the Lord. The frontier is defined by the light we have already received and by our knowledge, understanding, skill and experience...

At the frontier we can't see how it is going to work. We can't see how to do what lies before us. We don't know what to do. We don't feel we have the ability to do it. That is the frontier.

The frontier is where the Savior works. It is where we keep our covenants by acting in faith in Christ. We face opposition and hard decisions, and we act in faith in Christ trusting that the Lord will open the way. We pray for help, and then we go to work- we study hard; we see out the angels in the tutoring center; we talk to our roommates; we go to the bishop; we dress modestly; we work to forgive; we raise our hand in class; we take the internship and a thousand other things with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ...

And so the Lord Jesus Christ stands at the frontier-at every personal frontier- with His arm of mercy stretched out inviting us to come unto Him, exercise faith in Him, and be blessed through His power."

This talk helped me to see that I need to keep going. Life is like climbing a mountain... we can't see the end through all the trees, and sometimes it feels like we aren't making any progress at all, but if we were to climb one of those trees and see how far we've come it would change the way that we look at life. My mom always says you just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other, we'll get there eventually. We just have to keep going, we have to keep climbing.

Alma 26:27

'Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success."

This is a scripture that has helped me get through many things because I know that when I am going through hard times the Lord will always be there to help bless me, help me and lift me up. There have been times when I have not been sure how I can keep going, I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, there are obstacles in my way that I don't know how I can overcome. I know that when those times come and I don't know how to keep going, my heart is depressed and I am about to turn back or give up... just at that very moment the Lord seems to comfort me... to open another door when I feel they are all shut. It is one of the remarkable things about this gospel. No matter how bad or hard things get the Lord will always be there to comfort us, to help us, to bring us peace and to help us find success in this life, we just have to believe in Him and trust Him. I know that is true because it has happened to me countless times throughout my life.