Hey Mom!
Things are going great here!! I will print out the BYU
application so that I can fill it out this week, I am not sure if I will
want to go to BYU-Idaho, but if I change my mind Ill tell you. Fun
story about the goat. Always great to hear about the kiddos. This week
was a tough one, not a lot of success. We haven't been able to find very
many new investigators, and we didn't have a lot of members present in
our lessons. Obviously we need to improve a lot more this week! I find
the work a lot easier when the members are helping with referrals, and
visiting investigators. This week I finished the Book of Mormon. I
really love the last few chapters. I cant imagine the sorrow of Mormon
and Moroni when they had to witness a complete destruction of their own
people due to their wickedness. Also the story of the Jaredites and
their complete destruction. It really has been a tough thing seeing so
many people reject the great message that we bring to all the world.
Everyday we see so many people give up maybe their only chance to hear
this message in this life. I really loved a talk from Elder Ballard in
the Liahona last month that talked about the Atonement and if we really
understood the Atonement better, we would be able to better comprehend
the love that our Father in Heaven has for his children. It is a goal
that I have now placed, to study the Atonement more and try to
understand it a little more. I think that if we can more fully
understand the Atonement, we will have more desire to share his message
with everyone! I really love the Gospel and hope to have a greater love
and worry for Gods children, even if they choose to not listen! I love
this work! I love the Lord!! I love you Mom!! Have a great week!
Elder Paynter
Thought from President Uchtdorf:
Obedience is the lifeblood of faith. It is by obedience that we gather light into our souls.
But sometimes I think we misunderstand obedience. We may see obedience as an end in itself, rather than a means to an end. Or we may pound the metaphorical hammer of obedience against the iron anvil of the commandments in an effort to shape those we love, through constant heating and repeated battering, into holier, heavenly matter.
No doubt about it, there are times when we need a stern call to repentance. Certainly, there are some who may be reached only in this manner.
But perhaps there is a different metaphor that can explain why we obey the commandments of God. Maybe obedience is not so much the process of bending, twisting, and pounding our souls into something we are not. Instead, it is the process by which we discover what we truly are made of.
We are created by the Almighty God. He is our Heavenly Father. We are literally His spirit children. We are made of supernal material most precious and highly refined, and thus we carry within ourselves the substance of divinity.
Here on earth, however, our thoughts and actions become encumbered with that which is corrupt, unholy, and impure. The dust and filth of the world stain our souls, making it difficult to recognize and remember our birthright and purpose.
But all this cannot change who we truly are. The fundamental divinity of our nature remains. And the moment we choose to incline our hearts to our beloved Savior and set foot upon the path of discipleship, something miraculous happens. The love of God fills our hearts, the light of truth fills our minds, we start to lose the desire to sin, and we do not want to walk any longer in darkness.
We come to see obedience not as a punishment but as a liberating path to our divine destiny. And gradually, the corruption, dust, and limitations of this earth begin to fall away. Eventually, the priceless, eternal spirit ofthe heavenly being within us is revealed, and a radiance of goodness becomes our nature.
But sometimes I think we misunderstand obedience. We may see obedience as an end in itself, rather than a means to an end. Or we may pound the metaphorical hammer of obedience against the iron anvil of the commandments in an effort to shape those we love, through constant heating and repeated battering, into holier, heavenly matter.
No doubt about it, there are times when we need a stern call to repentance. Certainly, there are some who may be reached only in this manner.
But perhaps there is a different metaphor that can explain why we obey the commandments of God. Maybe obedience is not so much the process of bending, twisting, and pounding our souls into something we are not. Instead, it is the process by which we discover what we truly are made of.
We are created by the Almighty God. He is our Heavenly Father. We are literally His spirit children. We are made of supernal material most precious and highly refined, and thus we carry within ourselves the substance of divinity.
Here on earth, however, our thoughts and actions become encumbered with that which is corrupt, unholy, and impure. The dust and filth of the world stain our souls, making it difficult to recognize and remember our birthright and purpose.
But all this cannot change who we truly are. The fundamental divinity of our nature remains. And the moment we choose to incline our hearts to our beloved Savior and set foot upon the path of discipleship, something miraculous happens. The love of God fills our hearts, the light of truth fills our minds, we start to lose the desire to sin, and we do not want to walk any longer in darkness.
We come to see obedience not as a punishment but as a liberating path to our divine destiny. And gradually, the corruption, dust, and limitations of this earth begin to fall away. Eventually, the priceless, eternal spirit ofthe heavenly being within us is revealed, and a radiance of goodness becomes our nature.
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