The Thorn in MY flesh

I used to work as a fitness trainer helping people overcome life-long habits of poor health.  There were many times that I listened as someone expressed their difficulty with overcoming cravings for unhealthy food.  I could see that these people were so sincerely wanting to change but seemed unable to make it happen for good.  I remember pondering on why it was so hard for some people to control what they fed to their bodies.  No one was physically forcing a brownie into their mouths.  My compassion was not where it needed to be at that point because I had not yet experienced........

The Thorn in MY flesh.

I was recently talking with someone I admire very much and he said to me something along the lines of: "it is in vain for us to consciously be breaking a commandment on a regular basis and expect our prayers - our personal conversations with God - to be truly sincere." 

The second he said it I felt a twinge of guilt within my spirit.  I was consciously breaking a commandment without any consistent effort on my part to change.  For years the words of the Lord in D&C 88:124 had nagged at my conscience:

"Retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, 

that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated."

For the first few years I came up with reasons trying to justify why that counsel did not apply to me.  Then I became a little more teachable and began thinking "I need to obey this and I will........when the summer comes and it is lighter in the mornings."  Then the summer would come and I wouldn't change my habit.  So I would decide it would be easier for me to go to bed early in the winter when it was dark earlier, but that would not change it.  I decided that I needed to schedule exercise commitments early in the mornings a few times a week to make me get up early but I only ended up sleeping in much later on the other mornings.  I started setting timers and reminders for myself but that did not work.  I finally decided that it was my husband's fault and if he changed his work schedule then I would start going to bed early - well, he drastically changed his work schedule and I was still climbing into bed at midnight.

I finally realize what it means to have a thorn in MY flesh- a habit that seems bigger than my ability to change it.  I had tried and failed, and tried and failed, and tried and failed, and tried and failed..... 

Finally I just decided that I would obey it for sure--- at some point in the future and that is where I left it.  Then I had this conversation and realized that my prayers had not been sincere and filled with the Spirit.  This was not because I was still staying up late but because I was not STILL TRYING to overcome the habit.  

When we are struggling with very difficult thorns in our flesh, as long as we are still trying to overcome them, that is precisely when our prayers will be as sincere and meaningful as can be.  

God knows we will have setbacks - He expected it from the very beginning which is why He provided a Savior for us.  He is not concerned so much in us failing when we try - but He is certainly concerned if we fail to try again.

“That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do, not that the nature of the thing has changed but that our power to do has increased.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

So, I am trying again!  And I will keep trying, and trying, and trying, knowing that as long as I am sincerely trying the Lord will make up the rest - and my personal conversations with Him will be meaningful.

I know there are blessings attached to this particular law.  I have felt the increased productivity and order that prevails in our home when we live life this way and I want to master this habit for good.  I know that I can and will in time with God's help as long as I do my part to just keep trying.  Which means I need to go get ready for bed right now!  :)  Good Night! 

Seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom....

“Self-education is the only possible education; the rest is mere veneer laid on the surface of a child's nature.” 

“Thought breeds thought; children familiar with great thoughts take as naturally to thinking for themselves as the well-nourished body takes to growing; and we must bear in mind that growth, physical, intellectual, moral, spiritual, is the sole end of education.”  

"The mother who takes pains to endow her children with good habits secures for herself smooth and easy days."

- Charlotte Mason - 

Her writings have shaped our family's approach to home-schooling.

 They are filled with truth and wisdom.  Every mother and teacher would benefit from reading and pondering her words.

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"Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom."

"He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors."

- Thomas Jefferson -

His courage and commitment to truth paved the way for freedom and provided an environment where the restoration of the gospel could begin.  

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“William Carey chides his countrymen for deciding it would be impossible for the Gospel to travel over great distances and to penetrate varied cultures when they are willing to face the same trials for the sake of commerce.” 

   “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.” 

- William Carey -

He used up his mortal life in serving God and did not allow worldly acquisitions and endeavours to distract him from his God-given mission.

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"And as the circumcised in the flesh, and not in the heart, have no part in God's good promises; even so they that be baptized in the flesh, and not in heart, have no part in Christ's blood."

- William Tyndale -

This man sacrificed his very life (along with many others) in preparing the way for the restoration of the gospel. 

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"Appoint among yourselves a teacher, and let not all be spokesmen at once; but let one speak at a time and let all listen unto his sayings, that when all have spoken that all may be edified of all, and that every man may have an equal privilege." 

 "seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith."
 

"Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;"

 

 - Jesus Christ -

D&C 88

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I began this post with quotes from a few people whose lives and words have inspired me.  There are two reasons why I did this.  First of all, I wanted to point out that their language is of such a higher caliber than what we hear in our current conversations and writings.  Find the most popular blog on the internet, the most viewed series on television, or the latest new book and you will find language that is not near as beautiful and uplifting as these quotes above.  As a society we have not been filling our minds with ideas and language that takes us to a higher level and thus we have gone backwards in our speaking and conduct from the point where our founding fathers began.

I remember being a leader over a ten-year old girl from our church and I was always saddened inside because what came out of her mouth was a constant stream of silly, crude, unintelligent comments that came straight from the cartoon channels on television into her sweet impressionable spirit and then she brought them with her to our church classroom.  I wanted to tell her parents: "You are not raising Sponge Bob!  You have been given the sacred responsibility of raising a daughter of God!  Please, feed her spirit those things that are right, true, and inspiring so she could stand in God's presence once again and not feel out of place there."

The second thing I wanted to point out is that these people spoke with real power and authority because the Spirit accompanied their words.  It is the role of the Holy Ghost to bear witness of the truth.  So, if we want to feel the companionship of the Holy Ghost more frequently then we need to immerse ourselves in truth - reading it, pondering it, speaking it, living it.   If we want our children to become confident in recognizing and following the Spirit, then we need to provide the very sources which will bring the Spirit as often as possible so they can build that relationship of familiarity and trust.  

When Lehi journeyed from Jerusalem to the promised land he was directed by the Lord to take with him the records of the scriptures and their genealogy.  This was done so that their language and true history would be preserved.  Ponder on what God would ask us to retain today if we needed to preserve the future language and understanding of our children.  Would we pack the most popular books and movies of our day?  Would Lehi have gone out and packed up all that was popular in Jerusalem and carried it away with him?  Certainly not!  It was precisely because of all that was popular in Jerusalem that the Lord was commanding him to leave.

Carefully (and prayerfully) scrutinize every book that you have in your home and ask yourself: would this belong in a Zion environment?  Or would this prevent my home from becoming a Zion environment?  Is it filled with language and content that is moral, uplifting, and wholesome or does it contain even the smallest stain of the world?  Most importantly, does the Spirit accompany the words written within?

When all the destruction and death takes place before the second coming of Jesus Christ we will have a great amount of work to do.  We will be held responsible for re-building our society.  But we will not be re-building it how it was before.  We will be building up a society that the world has not known since the days of the Nephites after Christ's visit to them in the ancient America's.  It will be the same kind of society that Enoch helped to establish in his days.

This process of building up Zion starts within our own hearts then extends to our marriage, our family, our extended family, and finally our community.  We cannot be successful in bringing about permanent change in the society around us if we have not yet followed the invitation to bring about that change within ourselves.

Satan is so pleased when we spend our time watching the latest movies, playing the latest video games, and quoting and mimicking all the fictitious characters contained in those activities.  Not that these things are bad, but precisely because they keep us from focusing on that which is good and true.

There are many courageous men and women throughout history whose stories would touch us more deeply and inspire us more profoundly than any pretend story ever could.  Why?  Because we know we are reading about real people - this knowledge plants within our own hearts a connection with someone who really lived in mortality, who really felt the whisperings of the Spirit in their heart, who really overcame great odds and ridicule to be true to the inspiration they had been given.  They are real, and we are real - and if we hear enough stories of real courage, real miracles, and real obedience we begin to believe that those things can really happen in our own lives.  That God is and has been playing a role in individual's lives all throughout history and because of it those people rose to higher planes than they ever would have on their own.  We begin to believe that God has a work for us to do as well and we gain greater faith to follow the guidance of the Spirit within our own hearts.

Don't we need those kinds of stories in our lives?  Don't our children need those kinds of stories in their lives?  Consider what the prophecies tell us we are facing in the last days.  We are going to need many miracles to make it through and those miracles will only come through faith.  We need to fill our spirits and our children's spirits with as many examples of real faith as we possibly can in the time remaining.     

When it comes to these men and women of courage and faith Satan has labored diligently to spread falsehoods about their character and the divine guidance that motivated their accomplishments.  A quick search on the internet will show you that these great heroes are being portrayed as people of low morale.  Joseph Smith was told that this would happen to him as well.  One of the best ways to learn the truth of these men and women is by going back to their own original words and journals.  This allows us to feel the Spirit of truth and enlightenment that attended their very words. 

In our own home we threw out all of our "good" and "better" books through the direction of the Spirit and have slowly replaced them with that which is "best."  The Spirit told me that the majority of our modern books are written with only some truth and the rest are polluted with the philosophies of men.  We must preserve that which is best and will bring about a caliber of people who are moral, just, thoughtful, and obedient.   A caliber of people prepared to be in the Savior's presence when He returns.

This is not an assignment for just our family alone but everyone who feels the Spirit testify in their own heart that they are to create a "Holy Place" for the Spirit of God to reign freely.  Eventually we all have a higher level of character to rise to.  Those who are responsible for fulfilling this assignment at this very time will feel that calling within their hearts even as they read this.


I wanted to end with another inspiring quote written by one of my ancestors:

"But let them plan and devise; there is a God who still directs, still holds the destiny of nations in His hands; and against His designs and will, they can do nothing.  But as truth, eternal truth, is destined to prevail over evil, and right to triumph over sin and wickedness, their perseverance in plotting evil and opposing the Almighty in His great plan of redemption must eventually prove their own overthrow.  I deeply regret their blindness and shudder for the misery they are storing up for themselves." 

 

 Jacob Miller 
1870

There are treasures to be found that will bring us and our children to a higher level of faith, courage, understanding -  ultimately a higher level of character.  Anything that is worth it comes with a price tag.  Are we willing to clear out that which hinders our spiritual growth and 'give place no more for the enemy of our souls'?

Drowning in Garbage

The Spirit told us to start eliminating plastic from our home.  This seemed to be such a huge undertaking to me and I was so overwhelmed by the thought of it all that I did not move forward on it for several months.  I have found that is one of Satan's tactics - to just paralyse us from moving forward on something that the Spirit has told us to do.  He whispers to us "that is too expensive" or "that is too time-consuming" or "it is not possible - plastic is everywhere, why even bother."

Satan knows that if he cannot tempt us to do really wicked things then he will at least distract us from doing what the Spirit has told us to do.  He wants to stop us from "acting" and place us in a mindset where we wait to be "acted upon." 

So here I waited telling God, "this is just the world that I live in and plastic is a part of it, even if it is not ideal."  .......................  and there I waited  .........and waited.... waiting to be acted upon because I was unwilling to act.

The power of the Spirit had withdrawn from me and I sat distracted in my home clinging to my plastic.

Unfortunately this process has been repeated many times for me and still I am learning how to trust and obey a little quicker each time.  In every situation however the real motivator for me to change course is the loss of the Spirit.  When I have lost the Spirit I feel so hopeless, so unsure of myself, and I seem to loose the clarity of vision and happiness that I once had when It was my companion.  I imagine that is what eternal damnation would be; just being cut-off from that Source of direction, love, happiness, and peace - there would be no need for fireballs and brimstone, it would already be miserable.

So once again I eventually moved forward "acting" in obedience, and once again the Spirit taught me the real reason why I was eliminating plastic after I first acted in faith.  It was brought to my attention that by replacing plastic with natural elements of wood, glass, metal, canvas, paper, leather, and fabric we were creating an environment that was self-sustaining.  God wanted us to return to the lifestyle that our ancestor's had lived for thousands of years, a lifestyle where everything could be re-used, composted, melted down and reshaped, or burned in a healthy manner.    

Consider our ancestors' lifestyle: did they purchase a bunch of things from the store, unwrap and consume all the goods, then fill up large garbage bins with all the wrappers, and set it out once a week for a truck to come pick it up and dump somewhere far away from their home where they would never have to visually see the impact of the lifestyle they were living?  No, everything they used was natural and went back into the earth just as it came from the earth with very minimal processing.

Creating this lifestyle for our family has been a major transition from where we were before but slowly we have been leaving behind our wasteful ways and learning to live according to God's ways.

Undoubtedly the tribulations that precede our Savior's second coming are happening throughout the world.  If they have not hit your area yet then prayerfully consider some simple ways that you can eliminate some of the packaging that will eventually turn into a sea of garbage in our homes and neighborhoods.  If you replace your plastic containers with glass be sure to earthquake proof!

I snapped a few pictures to share some ideas of what it looks like now in our home:

 IN THE KITCHEN

We have purchased our dried goods in bulk to minimize packaging.  Eventually we hope to refill the jars with our own produce as we increase in our ability to grow our own food, harvest it, and naturally preserve it.  Until we reach that point- we will just rotate through our stored foods and sprout the seeds, grains, and legumes we have stored for fresh nutrients and enzymes.

IN THE BATHROOM

We removed all plastic packaging from our year's supply of toilet paper and stored the rolls in large boxes to eliminate garbage later.

 We make our own toothpaste out of bentonite clay and brush with wooden toothbrushes - it all took some transitioning but it is nice to actually encourage our children to swallow their toothpaste now because of the health benefits it offers.  That was not the case with the toothpaste we had always used before.

We have licorice root sticks as a back-up for teeth cleaning. :)

We switched to wooden combs and hair brushes with natural bristles.  I bought a beautiful handmade wooden mirror.  We switched our deodorant to a natural salt rock and a crystal.  We keep them in a small burlap sack.  We replaced our lotion with coconut oil, and we switched to an all metal razor.  We still buy our soap from a wholesome company, but I know that I need to learn how to make it myself soon.  We also replaced any plastic containers in our bathroom with glass jars (and metal lids or cork stoppers).  I did not take a picture but we found a favorite shampoo bar that we buy a dozen at a time.  It comes as is with no added packaging- just 12 bars of soap in a cardboard box.  These boxes of shampoo bars replaced all the plastic containers of shampoo bottles that we used to have stocked up in our year's supply.  Just this change alone eliminated a lot of unnecessary packaging and future garbage.

 

 IN THE LAUNDRY ROOM & CLOSET

  Our plastic laundry baskets were replaced with handwoven jute baskets with cotton liners, they are much more respected and cared for now that our children know they cannot be used as cars. :)

My husband made me a wooden ironing board with a cotton cover and a wool pad.  We switched to wooden hangers, wooden and shell buttons, all-metal scissors and sewing/mending tools, cotton thread with wooden spools, organic cotton yarn and organic wool yarn.  It was quite an undertaking to replace all of our plastic buttons with natural ones, we are still not all the way finished with that project but our young daughters have become quite proficient at replacing buttons. :)

Here is an up close shot.  We are still using an electric iron, I haven't switched over to that cast iron one..................yet.  I am hoping that prompting doesn't come for a little while because my heart is still obviously attached to ease.  :)

The Real Deal or The Facade

The Spirit told me that I needed to give up make-up, hair-coloring, and nail polish.  I have to admit that it was weird to see my natural toe nails, they had been hidden under a coat of deep red for years.  I also have to admit that I slowly eliminated my make-up in stages.  It was easy to throw out the lipstick and blush because I rarely used those but I reluctantly let go of the eye-shadow and concealer.  That was enough right?  After everything I had done surely Heavenly Father would not care if I kept my mascara.  It took me four months and I ignored the feeling I felt every morning as I reached for that mascara tube.  I kept thinking "I will get rid of it....eventually."  The Lord was not pleased with my "eventual obedience" and one day the thought hit me, "am I really allowing a tube of mascara to come between me and the Lord?"

It went right in the garbage and I was finally at a point where I could be taught why He wanted me to leave those ways behind.  
 
God loves a sincere heart.  One that is real, is honest, is true.  Nothing fake, nothing false, nothing pretend.  No hidden realities masked by a pleasant-looking illusion.


"The Great Imitator" - that is what President James E. Faust referred to Satan as.  Consider for a moment the similarities between the Law of Consecration and Socialism.  Isn't each individual giving up their time and abilities and belongings for the benefit of the community in both plans?  Yes, only there is a HUGE difference.  With Socialism it is forced, with Consecration it is freely chosen and lived by each individual.

Start watching for it and you will find that Satan has established imitations in our society that mimic God's ways and can deceive many (even the very elect).

For example:

After all the work of the creation was complete did Adam behold his wife Eve and see bright pink nail polish on her toes and long acrylic nails on her fingers?  At what point were women "inspired" to began enhancing themselves and where did that source of inspiration originate?  If God had wanted us to have colored toe-nails then why did he not create us that way?  If He wanted us to have thick, everlasting hair color then why did He create bodies with hair that eventually turns gray and thins?

Until we embrace the realities of mortality then we are not learning the lessons that we need to during this life.  For us to be worthy of inheriting a terrestial world we first need to live in harmony with the laws that govern the telestial world that we are living in.

God wants to bless us with things far greater than we can even comprehend, but He cannot until we are willing to recognize the truth and the imitations for what they are and live according to truth.

Before you assume that this post is just about our physical appearance, ask yourself:  Do I pretend that I can afford things that I cannot?  Do I pretend that I have ideal family relationships when I do not?  Do I pretend that I am living the way God wants me to when I am not?

Christ was uplifting to everyone He encountered except the hypocrites.  They were the ones who were so irritated by Him that they planned and executed His crucifixion.  If you are being hypocritical about something, then change - we all are or have been at different times in our lives and in different circumstances.  All we have to do to remove the facade is admit the truth to ourselves and to God (and others if necessary).  When we come unto Christ with "real" intent, with a broken heart, confessing the reality of our situation then He can heal us and make us whole.  Don't be surprised if this needs to be repeated, we should consider ourselves like an onion with not just one layer but several that need removed to get to the core.  The Spirit will bring those layers to our attention one by one (Ether 12:27).  Trust me, there is a lot of work and patience that is being put into each one of us, we must be pretty valuable to God. :) 
 
Remember, in the parable of the prodigal son after he squandered his inheritance and finally "came to himself" - starving, broke, homeless... He returned to his Father- humble, teachable, sincere.  The Lord cannot make anything of us until we come to this point.  Unfortunately the seemingly perfect older brother had yet to reach that point and his Father lovingly showed him yet another outer layer that needed peeled away.    

I have a handful of friends who have been blessed powerfully with the Spirit - the common quality among them is that they are all completely sincere.  They are real, they don't shout their imperfections out to all the world but they certainly don't try to hide them.  They acknowledge them and acknowledge their reliance on God's power to overcome them.


I thought I would include the definition for "facade:"

Facade - an outward appearance that is maintained to conceal a less pleasant or creditable reality.

As Obedient as a Mosiquito

What is the purpose of life?  This life is a test.

We are made of a spirit and a physical body.  Before our physical bodies were created and we were born, our spirits lived in Heaven with God who is the Father of our spirits.  We were there a very long time, maybe even thousands of years or more.  We loved our Heavenly Father and wanted to become like Him so we learned from Him and progressed in our learning until we were finally at a point where He could test us to see if our hearts would still choose Him and His ways even in a setting where there were many other options.  So, He sent us to earth where we would gain a physical body and be in an environment full of other options.  Our memory would be temporarily wiped clean of our time in Heaven, yet when we would encounter truth - pure truth just as we had known in Heaven - something inside our spirits would stir and we would stop and wonder why it seemed familiar to us.  IF, we embraced that truth then another truth would be put in our path, and another, and another, until we had fully come to a spiritual rememberance and realization for ourselves that we are indeed passing the test and still choosing our Heavenly Father's way.

So, what does this have to do with a mosquito?  Well, all of the creations were made with specific roles to play in providing this opportunity for our testing.  The mosquitoes were commanded to pester us.  They are only being obedient to God when they perform that duty.  The weeds were instructed to grow in our gardens and be a hindrance - they love God and are being perfectly obedient.  The seasons with the blistering sun and the bitter cold winter are only being obedient to the pattern God commanded them to follow.

Since Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden man has battled all of these (and more) challenges to their daily survival.  There comes a change of heart when we recognize the humility and faithfulness of a mosquito trying to suck our blood or a squash beetle trying to kill our zucchini plant.  When we recognize their obedient example it is hard to think of them as an enemy that needs destroyed.  It is all a test to see if we will respond with anger or if we will patiently learn to exercise righteous stewardship over them.  I like this talk with the story about Joseph Smith and the rattlesnake.

Just maybe this is the beginning to bring about Isaiah's words:  

 Isaiah 11:6

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.    

The Work of Thine Own Hands

Before learning all these truths I had seriously prepared several years worth of clothing and shoes for my children.  I had them all organized and labelled by size in bins.  After the Spirit told me to give it all away I was then told to replace it with fabric so their bigger sizes could truly be the work of my own hands (see D&C 42:40-42). 

The Spirit told me to get a floor-loom, a spinning wheel, a treadle-sewing machine, and a quilt frame.  I then researched cotton seeds and flax seeds and purchased those to learn how to grow cotton and linen.  We had replaced many things with wool and I was quite overwhelmed with the prospect of us really growing, harvesting, spinning, weaving, and sewing everything that I prayed with real concern over how we could possibly raise sheep as well.  The answer came immediately, "I have prepared someone else to raise the sheep, you just be obedient to what I have asked you to prepare."  This experience helped me realize more what a Zion-society would be.  It will be a place where we all share of our talents and gifts to build up Zion and freely help one another.  The equipment and seeds I was asked to gather may not even be for me to use.  It may be that we pool all of our resources together and each accept a trade to learn and willingly share the goods we have produced. 

Down the street from us lives a man who has spent much of his life caring for his orchard and garden.  He studied the trees and plants to know which ones would produce fruit in the Spring, which would produce early in the summer, then mid-summer, and late-summer, and early fall.  His harvest is continual and not too overwhelming because of the timing.  What a blessing his experience is and will be to many of us who have just depended on the grocery store for our produce.  Over the years as many of us have been caught up in spending our time and energy on all the entertainment and activities that the world offers, this man has been learning how to be a righteous steward over the earth he was given.           

Let all thy garments be plain..

So as we replaced some of the clothing we had thrown out this scripture seemed permanently branded into my mind and heart.

D&C 42:40-42

And again, thou shalt not be proud in thy heart; let all thy garments be plain, and their beauty the beauty of the work of thine own hands;

And let all things be done in cleanliness before me.

Thou shalt not be idle; for he that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the laborer.

Our denim jeans seemed to really nag at me and although they were cotton I knew they needed to go.  My daughters and I were left with mainly skirts and dresses and the Spirit confirmed that was the direction we were to go.  All the flashy stitching and bright colors seemed to scream for the wrong kind of attention.  So we stuck with the counsel in the passage above and kept our color scheme plain and simple.  Now each of us have about 6 or 7 dresses (or skirt and top combinations) and that is plenty.  The men and boys in our family have mostly khaki and some dark corduroy pants.  Their shirts are mostly all cotton button-ups.

A few of our skirts and dresses I have sewn myself.  I am definitely still working on improving that skill and plan to keep working at it until we are fully obedient to the counsel to produce it with our own hands.  I removed the tags from our other clothing because I felt that there were many 'name-brands' that were not to be brought into Zion.

As I searched for shoes made from natural materials I came across the concept of Earthing or Grounding and again felt the Spirit.  I had not ever considered the healing and energizing benefits of being connected to this amazing planet that was created for us.  Now most of our shoes have soles made with natural materials so we can still receive those benefits of being in touch with the earth.  We also spend a lot more time just going barefoot.  

Click here to watch an introduction to grounding.  I have not even watched the full-length of this movie.  I just felt the Spirit when I came across it and knew God was showing me the kind of footwear we should purchase.