Yesterday, Today, and Forever

"We need not let yesterday hold tomorrow hostage."

-Neal A. Maxwell

I love this quote because it is true. How often do we punish ourselves and withhold our progression and keep ourselves from receiving the blessings of the Lord by bringing up our past mistakes? And yet, how little do we turn to the Lord for Him to remove our heavy burden and set us free? 

It seems that we don't understand just how much our Heavenly Father and our Savior really love us. We underestimate their love for us. But why? They are more than willing to forgive. They are more than willing to forget. Why aren't we? 

Often we think that after we have sinned, we have to suffer a certain amount of time, but that is FALSE! We can be forgiven long before the time that we think is suitable. Heavenly Father is right there. Let Him in and let the healing begin.

Watch this video.

President Boyd K. Packer has taught: “There is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no apostasy, no crime exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness. That is the promise of the atonement of Christ”

I know that that statement is true. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is real and it works! It makes salvation and happiness possible. Believe it. Turn to your Heavenly Father and ask Him. He will answer you. Don't be afraid. He loves you more than you can ever imagine. He wants you to talk to Him.

Just something for y'all to think about...

-Sister Reid  

"I reflected upon it again and again..."

As a missionary, I get the opportunity to share the message of the Restoration quite frequently. For those of y'all who are unfamiliar with what this is, learn more now.

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To bring out certain points from Joseph Smith History of what happened at that time, I will quote the following from Joseph Smith:

 10 In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be^aright, which is it, and how shall I know it?

 11 While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading the ^aEpistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack ^bwisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

 12 Never did any passage of ^ascripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed ^bwisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects ^cunderstood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.

 13 At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in^adarkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God." 

What unfolded next can only be described as miraculous. Joseph Smith recounts: 

"...I saw a pillar of ^clight exactly over my head, above the brightness of the ^dsun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. ...When the light rested upon me I^bsaw two ^cPersonages, whose brightness and ^dglory defy all description, ^estanding above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My^fBeloved ^gSon. Hear Him!"

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I testify that God and His Son, Jesus Christ, did appear to Joseph Smith. They absolutely did. I love this Gospel and the message that it contains. The same church and Gospel that Jesus Christ established whenever He was on the Earth, was restored (not created or imagined) through the prophet Joseph Smith. Through Joseph's experience, we learn that we can and should ask God, our Eternal Heavenly Father, to know if something is or isn't true; if something is or isn't right. Just as James directs, we must ask of God. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that He will answer our prayers. It may not all come at once, but it will come. This message of the Restoration is true. I know it. And I encourage you to learn for yourself if it's true as well. Ask the missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to tell you more. They can help you.

In this Mormon Message, it tells the same story, basically, but it shows how we can relate the Book of Mormon, other scriptures, and this story to us today. I love this Mormon Message and I encourage you all to view it. It is really worth watching. :)

Just something for y'all to think about...

-Sister Reid 

We are all masterpieces!

This week, I thought that I would draw a picture and document it as I drew it, instead of just taking a picture of the finished product. So... I did! :) All the while, I thought of how it can be related to the Gospel. This is what I came up with. Check it out!

A lot of people have the tendency to judge themselves and others on what they like while they are in their developmental stages, such as in these pictures.

        

And just like in these pictures, we are not whole. We are not finished. We are all still in the refining process. And sometimes, we take the drawing instrument and try to draw ourselves. When we do, we sometimes make smudges, smears, and stray marks. But that is where the Atonement of Jesus Christ comes in. Christ can clean us up and make more of us than we ever could by ourselves. The Lord is merciful and so forgiving. He understands fully that we are all a work in progress. So, we shouldn't look at ourselves and other people under a microscope, because we when we do, we usually look at the worst moments, which cuts us short of our full potential. Each of these pictures are taken during the developmental process of this drawing. None are complete, except the finished piece. The drawing at its developmental process is not what it is meant to look like, but it is necessary in order to get to its completion. Each step is needed in order to achieve the end result. Each step is needed in order for it to become polished and refined. When all is said and done, all of the mistakes will have been corrected and smoothed out.   

 

Well, guess what? This life IS the developmental process and each of us must go through this refining process. It can not be escaped or avoided. We must go through it. But in this life, we are all a work in progress. Our Heavenly Father is still working with us. So, don't get discouraged with how things are at this current moment in time. Be patient and have faith that Heavenly Father knows what He is doing. 

Proverbs 3:5 states:

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."

 

Everything will work out and be the way it is supposed to be. 

I am sure that as you were scrolling through these pictures, you had a hope that my drawing would get better, right? You just knew that it would get better. (After all, why would I post unfinished art, right?) You kept that faith until you saw it come to pass. My drawing did, indeed, become better and better. And just like that, you must have faith that everything will work out. Trust in the Lord and be kind to yourself and others. We are all in the developmental stages of our existence. Heavenly Father is not done with us yet. And the finished product is worth waiting for. :)

Just something for y'all to think about...

-Sister Reid

Stop! It's temple time!

Today, I want to talk about Latter-Day Saint (LDS) temples. :)

LDS temples are dedicated buildings in which members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints go to in order to make covenants with the Lord. Temples are beautiful refuges from the storms of life. They give spiritual strength to all who enter. They stand as beacons to the world and the Spirit of the Lord can be felt just by standing on the grounds of the temple. I have personally felt that. 

On the temple, are the words: "Holiness to the Lord. The House of the Lord." Indeed each holy temple is the House of the Lord. I love (absolutely love) to see the temple! One of my favorite temples is the Washington, D.C. temple. It is so beautiful. If you would like to check it out, click here.

I know that the temple blesses families. Families can be together forever! Not even death can sever the ties of families married and sealed in the temple. I know that to be true!

Other temples, from all around the world, can be found here.

Temples have truly blessed my life and I know that they can bless yours!!

Just something for y'all to think about...

-Sister Reid

"What's in a name?"

I was thinking about this the other day...

When I first got my name tag, at the Missionary Training Center (MTC), I remember thinking that it was so huge (like astronomically so). I felt like my name tag was somehow different than every other missionary's and that it and (by extension) I stood out. Of course, this idea was not completely true. I say "not completely" because even though my name tag was not a different size than other missionaries', I did stand out now, simply because I wore the name tag. I realized that I now have a big role to fill. Since the day I received my name tag, I have been looked at differently, treated differently, and people have acted differently around me simply because of who/what I am and, more importantly, Who I represent. Because of the Name that is on my name tag, I have to be better. The bar has been raised and I have to do the things that Jesus Christ, Himself, would do and be His disciple with more exactness than before my mission. This concept is no different from pre-mission life, except for the name tag. People distinguish me since I have the name tag. I am very thankful that I have this wonderful opportunity to be a missionary of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I feel like I am fulfilling my role and my name tag doesn't seem quite as big anymore; I have "grown into it."

So what IS in a name? So much more than can be put on paper or posted on a blog. This goes for more than just a name tag and more than just a missionary. Each of us represent many names: our family's, our own names, our country's, our religion, etc. You represent more than what you think. So, 'what e'er thou art, act well thy part.'

Just something for y'all to think about...

-Sister Reid    

Just something to think about...

"3 He is ^adespised and rejected of men; a man of ^bsorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we ^cesteemed him not.

 4 ¶Surely he hath ^aborne our ^bgriefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

 5 But he was ^awounded for our ^btransgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his ^cstripes we are ^dhealed.”

Isaiah 53:3-5

Isn't it amazing to think about how much Jesus Christ loves us? He has done so much for us and yet all He asks is for us to follow Him and then He will give us comfort and peace. He will help us beyond our imagination. Surely, we are the ones that benefit the most, so who wouldn't want that?

Just something for y’all to think about…

-Sister Reid

A cool scripture passage

I came across these great scriptures today:

" 11 For, behold, the Lord your ^aRedeemer suffered ^bdeath in the flesh; wherefore he ^csuffered the ^dpain of all men, that all men might repent and ^ecome unto him.

 12 And he hath ^arisen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of ^brepentance.

 13 And how great is his ^ajoy in the ^bsoul that ^crepenteth!"

Doctrine and Covenants 18:11-13

Think about it: Jesus Christ has already paid the price for ALL people. He has already suffered and He has already risen from the grave. And in verse 13, it states what makes Him happy. Don't you want to make the Savior happy? Whenever we accept Jesus Christ and do the things that He has taught, by repenting (or changing for the better and letting Him cleanse and heal us) and keep His commandments, we make Him happy. Thus, we will also be happy.

Sister Reid