Tuesday, February 28, 2017

The Two Greatest Gifts Of Love~

At the close of this month of love;  I thought I would write a post about "The Two Greatest Gifts Of Love. First, is the Gift of our Savior, Jesus Christ. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16. 
I found that statement by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland to be profound: " I ask you, what father and mother could stand by and listen to the cry of their children in distress, in this world, and not render aid and assistance? I have heard of mothers throwing themselves into raging streams when they could not swim a stroke to save their drowning children, rushing into burning buildings to rescue those whom they loved...[ Our Father] saw [His} Son finally upon Calvary; he saw his body stretched out upon the wooden cross; he saw the cruel nails driven through hands and feet, and the blows that broke the skin, tore the flesh, and let out the life's blood of his Son. He looked upon that....His Father looked on with great grief and agony over his Beloved Son, until there seems to have come a moment when even our Savior cried out in despair; "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
In that hour I think I can see our dear Father behind the veil looking upon these dying struggles until even he could not endure it any longer; and, like the mother who bids farewell to her dying child, has to be taken out of the room, so as not to look upon the last struggles, so he bowed his head, and hid in some part of his universe, his great heart almost breaking for the love that he had for his Son. Oh, in that moment when he might have saved his Son, I thank him and praise him that he did not fail us, for he had not only the love of his Son in mind, but he also had love for us. I rejoice that he did not interfere, and that his love for us made it possible for him to endure to look upon the sufferings of his Son and give him finally to us, our Savior and our Redeemer. Without him, without his sacrifice, we would have remained, and we would never have come glorified into his presence. And so this is what it cost, in part, for our Father in Heaven to give the gift of his Son unto men."
Here is a great video~

 The Second Greatest gift is that through Christ's Atonement all men can be saved from sin and through His resurrection; we can live again and return and be in the presence of our Heavenly Parents.
Our Redeemer love us all so much that He freely made the choice to give His life for each and everyone of us. 
"That first Easter sequence of Atonement and Resurrection constitutes the most consequential moment, the most generous gift, the most excruciating pain, and the most majestic manifestation of pure love ever to be demonstrated in the history of this world, Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, suffered, died, and rose from death in order that He could, like lightning in a summer storm, grasp us as we fall, hold us with His might, and through our obedience to His commandments, lift us to Eternal Life.
~Elder Jeffery R. Holland 
I love this thought by C.S. Lewis; "He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less."
Elder David A. Bednar stated the following: "The Savior has suffered not just for our iniquities but also for the inequality, the unfairness, the pain, the anguish, and the emotional distresses that so frequently beset us. There is no physical pain, no anguish of soul, no suffering of spirit, no infirmity or weakness that you or I every experience during out mortal journey that the Savior did not experience first. You and I in a moment of weakness may cry out, "No one understands. No one knows.: No human being, perhaps, knows. But the Son of God perfectly knows and understands, for He felt and bore our burdens before we every did. And because He paid the ultimate price and bore that burden, He has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy in so many phases of our life. He can reach out, touch , succor -literally run to us- and strengthen us to be more than we could ever be and help us to do that which we could never do through relying upon only our own power. 
We feel and know the Savior's love more abundantly than ever through our opportunity to be MLS missionaries in the Utah Salt Lake South Mission. We experience miracles in our work where we know that we are being guided to help someone in need, to teach someone about our Savior and are to lift someone who has fallen and feels hopeless. God loves us all so much and we are His spirit children and He wants to see us all again and our Savior, Jesus Christ provided the way. He is the truth and the light for all the world. 
I echo the words of our beloved Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson; "Oh sweet the joy this sentence gives. I know that my Redeemer lives. May the whole world know it and live by that knowledge I humbly pray. 

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Happy Valentine's Day To All~

Today is a special day of love so, I thought I would share my list of love thoughts~
1. My first love is of course, my wonderful Eternal Companion. He makes everyday a special day of loving him. I know and feel his profound love for me.  He is amazing. 
2. I love beyond measure each of my Children, their wonderful spouses, all my 32 Grandchildren and four Great Grandchildren. They are my life's greatest gifts. 

3. My love expands to all of our Brothers, Sisters, Aunt, Uncles, Nieces, Nephews and Cousins. We number quite a few.
4. We have a special little dog named Sammy whom I adore. I love him like unto a child; and he acts like one too. 

5. I have a multitude of friends that I love. I have a group of High School friends that I share a special bond with they are friends forever. I have various friends that I have made in the different areas we have lived that I will love always. I have Social Media friends that have brightened my life with their thoughts and many of whom I hope to meet someday. I love them all.
6. I love all the missionaries that we serve with both the younger Elders and Sisters and the MLS couples that we intermingle with. I love the leadership in our mission. We have the best mission ever here in the Utah Salt Lake South Mission. 
7. A special love is reserved for each of the individuals and families that we work with on our mission. Their life stories and concerns have helped me have a deeper understanding of love, forgiveness and compassion. 
8. I love The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and all of the leadership and individuals that I have had the privileged to serve with over the years. I love our living Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson and our beloved twelve Apostles. 

I have a deep and eternal love for my Heavenly Parents and my Elder brother Jesus Christ. 
I can say with all my heart that I love the people of this world because I know they are my spirit brothers and sisters. 

May you all have a spectacular day of celebrating the word love. "Love One Another;" What a marvelous world we would have if we could just do that. Someday, we will have a more loving world.  



Saturday, February 4, 2017

"Love Is The Very Essence Of Life"~ by Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley

Love is in the air during the magical month of February. I love this month. I love all the messages of love, the Valentines, the Chocolates, and just the feeling of love that surrounds us in our everyday life. If we can just feel this love in our relationships in our families; wouldn't that be so wonderful. We can be part of making these feelings of love happen. Even nature shows off it's feelings of love as these two love birds swim together. I love how the first signs of spring often occur in this wonderful month of love; showing us that there is a gift of love and warmth coming.  
I love knowing that I have a loving Heavenly Father who knows each of us and loves us all. I love my Savior Jesus Christ with all my heart and I know He loves me and each of you. 
"Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely." --President Uchtdorf

"Love is of the very essence of life. It is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Yet it is more than the end of the rainbow. Love is at the beginning also, and from it springs the beauty that arches across the sky on a stormy day. Love is the security for which children weep, the yearning of youth, the adhesive that binds marriage, and the lubricant that prevents devastating friction in the home; it is the peace of old age, the sunlight of hope shining through death. How rich are those who enjoy it in their associations with family, friends, church, and neighbors." ~ President Gordon B. Hinckley His full message can be found here. 
This is 4 days late but here is a marvelous challenge for us all! The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has issued a 14 -Day Challenge to Love One Another. Let's all do it!


#Share Goodness  #sharelove