I NEED ONE OF THESE. NOW.

I am embarrassed to admit how often I ask family or friends to buy me a pup if they ever get rich / win the lottery / inherit. Ohhhhh, I love their little nugget faces so dang much!

Likening the Scriptures Unto Us

I gave a talk in Church this morning. There was some impromptu stuff that happened that I can't really recall, but here is the main idea:

I have never given a talk in this ward before and I'm kind of freaking out. The butterflies in my stomach started right after I stopped screaming for the Red Sox last night, and have now intensified about a hundred fold. I'm feeling totally petrified, but I already committed Rob, Rachel, and Rachel's brother Jeremy to run up here should I faint, so I think I'll be okay.

So, my parents divorced when I was eight years old, so, every other holiday, a miniature version of myself had to board a plane and travel across the great state of Texas to visit my Dad and siblings. On one of the first of these now innumerable trips, a huge storm was brewing while we were in the air. I was terrified. Probably even more so than I am now. We couldn’t make it to our destination and we couldn’t make it back, so we were to land at some mysterious airport. I really didn't think I was going to make it! I had recently received my first set of scriptures and I remembered I had them in my backpack. Some primary teacher must have put it in my head that the scriptures have a calming influence, so I got them out and opened them up. Yes, this is one of those miracle stories you hear in church that seem too good to be true. I opened right up to Alma 26 and started reading. I got to the following:

Yea, they shall not be beaten down by the storm at the last day; yea, neither shall they be harrowed up by the whirlwinds; but when the storm cometh they shall be gathered together in their place, that the storm cannot penetrate to them; yea, neither shall they be driven with fierce winds whithersoever the enemy listeth to carry them.

The Lord keeps his promises! Indeed, I wasn't driven whithersoever that enemy aircraft listed to carry me—I made it back home that night. That scripture spoke directly to my eight-year-old mind in a way that I would understand and it truly was a miracle—the only thing that could settled me in that moment. So began my love affair with the scriptures.

We all know that we’re supposed to read the scriptures. But, there is so much more to it than simply fulfilling a commandment. In fact, it is really quite… well, fulfilling. Nephi counseled that likening all scripture unto us yields our profit and learning. In Second Timothy we read that

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Yes, sometimes unfortunately, all the reproof, correction, and instruction bits are for us. I like going through Alma Chapter 5 every once in a while as a sort of spiritual health check-in:

• Have ye spiritually been born of God?
• Have ye received his image in your countenances?
• Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?
• Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you?
• Do you look forward with an eye of faith?
• Can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands?
• Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God?
• Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? That your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ?
• Behold, are ye stripped of pride?
• Is there one among you that doth make a mock of his brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions?
  

Alma was counseling the people with these words about 80 years before Christ first came to our world, and the advice still holds true today. So awesome. I know it can be overwhelming to think that we somehow have to digest all the correction and instruction in these books. Every chastisement might be for us individually, but so is every blessing.

For example, God truly means it when he says, if I acknowledge him, he shall direct my paths. The promise made to Helaman is also made to me: If I counsel with the Lord in all my doings, he will direct me for good. If I end my day in tune with the Lord, He will watch over me in my sleep. And if I rise in the morning with a heart full of thanks unto God, I will be lifted up at the last day.

We all will. Isn't that brilliant? If we're full of charity and faith, and virtue garnishes our thoughts unceasingly; our confidence will wax strong in the presence of God and the Holy Ghost will be our constant companion. Who couldn’t use that? These are some seriously spectacular blessings.

The scriptures give us ways to understand God’s personal relationship to us and his counsel for each one of us individually. I feel God’s love best when He speaks of his love for me and his guidance for my life. Most of the extraordinary lessons I have learned have come out of the lessons others have learned and what God has told them:

Dispute not because ye see not

Ye are eternally indebted to your heavenly Father, to render to him all that you have and are

Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold the Lord comforted us, and said… bear with patience thine afflictions and I will give unto you success.

Colleen, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.
And I knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away.
And I said: Lord, how is it done?
And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ...wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole.

I couldn’t ask for more personally-tailored words and they're all right here in this leather-bound delight! Making the scriptures relatable to my life also helps me feel less alone. Whenever I am feeling like the scum of the earth, whether it be from sin, rejection, or just moodiness, I automatically get into this mindset that there is no one on the planet who understands what I'm going through; no one will ever love me; in fact, I just might die a cat lady. But then, I can stumble upon Nephi's words:

...my heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am!...my heart sorroweth...my soul grieveth...I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily best me. And when I desire to rejoice my heart groaneth because of my sins.

If Nephi, arguably one of the most put-together Book of Mormon characters, can feel this way, certainly there are other people out there that feel this way. I can't possibly be alone. Additionally, he moves right from feeling pretty, well...crappy, to say:

...nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted. My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions...He hath filled me with his love...O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever.

His words help me believe that this kind of faith is truly possible; that I can be in the midst of feeling terrible but still retain hope. The wonderful thing about likening the scriptures unto us is that it is not that much of a stretch. These people really are like us. Just like Nephi, I have family that can sometimes be punks. I need repentance just as much, if not more, than Enos did. Christ can heal me just as he healed the physical ailments of those he met on the streets of Jerusalem. This holds true for every single one of us.

I haven’t had any miraculous open-your-scriptures-up-to-exactly-what-you-need situations since that scary evening I endured as an eight-year-old, but I can honestly tell you that when I make a habit of plowing through those couple of pages every day, I feel God in my life. For that, I am so grateful. Like Alma, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel, but I leave what I have shared with you in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.