Good advice is a wise man's friend, of course;
but sometimes it just flies on past,
and all you really can do is wave.
from: Peace Like a River
by: Lief Enger
from: You Are Special
Areas of improvement for mwah!!!:
Keeping the Sabbath Day (more) holy.
Being Mormon requires quite a bit of us. It requires obedience, sacrifice and faith to name just a few. Truly we are a peculiar people. Sabbath day observance is just one of the commandments in a long line of laws we strive to fulfill.
Thankfully our Sabbath requirements arent as stringent as they were for the ancient Israelites of the Old Testament. We are not bound by strict laws and penalties which if were broken were punishable by death. Thank heavens Jesus set us straight about the expectations for the Sabbath when He stated- “the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath”
Our Sabbath worship entails going to church and partaking of the sacrament, going to Sunday School and Priesthood and Relief Society meetings. The rest of the day is ours to decide how best to “prove” our love and devotion to our Heavenly Father and His Son. I for one am grateful and indeed NEED a full day out of the 7 other days to focus my mind and heart on Him completely. Resting from my worldly 'things' is a blessing as well.
In Hebrew, Sabbath means “rest” or “cessation of labor.” But besides simply “resting from our labors”, or sleeping the day away, we are taught to try an d sanctify the day, and make it holy. We are to do this by doing what we feel will help us to draw closer to God.
Why would I want to do this you might ask?
Because the Lord has told us that keeping the Sabbath day holy will help protect us against the ills of a world that seems to be falling apart at the seams right now.
Spencer W. Kimball of the Quorum of the Twelve gave to us years ago the following suggestions for keeping the Sabbath properly:
“The Sabbath is a holy day in which to do worthy and holy things. Abstinence from work and recreation is important but insufficient. The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts, and if one merely lounges about doing nothing on the Sabbath, he is breaking it. To observe it, one will be on his knees in prayer, preparing lessons, studying the gospel, meditating, visiting the ill and distressed, sleeping, reading wholesome material, and attending all the meetings of that day to which he is expected. To fail to do these proper things is a transgression on the omission side” (The Miracle of Forgiveness [1969], 96–97).
Great blessings are promised those who truly call the Sabbath a delight and make it a holy day: “Inasmuch as ye do these things with thanksgiving, with cheerful hearts and countenances, … the fulness of the earth is yours, … and the good things which come of the earth” (D&C 59:15–17).
I am promising to try a little harder on this 4th commandment.
“Observance of the Sabbath is an indication of the depth of our conversion”
from: Read with Dick and Jane
Talk about Mormons being peculiar...or distinctive...
This thing we call the WORD OF WISDOM really separates us from other faiths.
Staying true to this principle for me is a way for me to prove that I'll do what I can to live longer and to improve my quality of life, while also showing my obedience to a loving and caring Heavenly Father. I like knowing that He cares about something as worldly as your and my health. Being obedient to the word of wisdom and all the commandments brings us temporal blessings, but more importantly I believe its' greater blessings are of a spiritual nature!!
Listen to the spiritual promise: “All saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures.” (D&C 89:18, 19;)
The Word of Wisdom is —a principle with promise. If we obey the provisions of the law, we receive the promises. If we do not, there will be both temporal and spiritual consequences.
This year marks the 177th year that Mormons have being trying to adhere to the Word of Wisdom in this dispensation.
Here's to doing my best to remain “unspotted' by eliminating more harmful elements from my diet that the world offers to distract us!! Less sugar for me and Pepsi is still on the avoidance list.
from: The Fire Cat
Next 'spot cleaning' item:
Straight from the pages of the For the Strength of Youth-
“Music is an important and powerful part of life. It can be an influence for good that helps you draw closer to Heavenly Father. However, it can also be used for wicked purposes. Unworthy music may seem harmless, but it can have evil effects on your mind and spirit.
“Music is an important and powerful part of life. It can be an influence for good that helps you draw closer to Heavenly Father. However, it can also be used for wicked purposes. Unworthy music may seem harmless, but it can have evil effects on your mind and spirit.
”Choose carefully the music you listen to. Pay attention to how you feel when you are listening. Don't listen to music that drives away the Spirit, encourages immorality, glorifies violence, uses foul or offensive language, or promotes Satanism or other evil practices“
My itune playlist is a thing of beauty and diversity. Im not ashamed of it on any level. But Im going to be remembering more about the power of music and how it can affect the mind and phyce, which will cause me to think twice about what Im listening to each day.
Hymns bring peace and happiness to my soul. Hymns and wholesome music are a sure fire way for me to feel the Spirit of the Lord. And though I cant hold a tune in a bucket, I can still worship and invite the Spirit into my life through song.
from: The Dot
And last but certainly not least...for I always put the hardest off to the last...dealing with the choices of media in my life!!Movies and certain tv shows are my great weakness- thus downfall.
I tremble as I write these words..for I may be caught committing to something that I might not follow through with in the end. I know what I need to do. Whether I Do it is an entirely different matter.
Years ago I committed to not watching R rated movies. And even now I'll admit that it was sometimes not an easy thing for me to do. The older I get the easier is has become...but even now its not without concerted effort to resist. And then there are the tv shows I like to watch. Glee is at the top of the list...a true guilty pleasure. And now it truly is often guilt that I feel when I watch now instead of pleasure and wonder. I can no longer condone the actions of those incredibly talented characters on that show...no matter the talent and fun that it is most of the time. Just because I can watch it in the privacy of my own home...doesnt mean its ok. What is more telling is that I would ever watch it in the company of young kids or my young women that I have stewardship over. Good sign, Right??!!! The show definitely guarantees grundles of conversation starters on all thats wrong in the teenage world of high school. RIGHT!!!?? But indulging in that hour of entertainment sure is doing nothing for in my effort to become unspotted from the world.
If I want to do better at becoming unspotted... Tues nights on Fox shouldnt be so.
On the whole Im more discriminating than I ever have been, but of course, there is always room for improvement!
Long live the house cleaning and looking for 'spots' to tidy!!
2 comments:
All good things I need to "clean house" on as well. I gave up Diet Coke and Glee and I'm still working on the darn Housewives series on Bravo. I'm not perfect...just taking it a day at a time.
Oh, isn't is so sad that Glee had to continue down the path that it did? Right into the great and spacious building. I used to love it too, but can't watch it anymore because it, like so many shows, continually call good evil, and evil good. Kudos to you for letting it go.
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