I wanted to post this video I watched today because this is my mom's favorite hymn: "I Know That My Redeemer Lives"- and because Lindsey Stirling is playing the violin part. I actually lived almost next door to Lindsey for a couple years when we were both going to BYU and she played the violin and danced at a talent show we had while we there. I think she plugged her violin into an amp, and then played that violin like I had never heard it played before while she danced around. It was crazy amazing and she, by far, stole the show.
And I love that despite the fame and attention she has earned, she is willing to be here, in places like these, playing songs like this. I am glad I knew her then and I am glad I get to continue to be blessed by who she is and what she believes through her music.
You can watch the whole interview with Lindsey here.
-elin
who is more than a little jealous that Lindsey got to meet Josh Groban....
My sister-in-law shared this video recently and it gnawed at my insides. Do you know what I mean? When you see or read or hear something that in your gut you know was meant for you--because you recognize something in yourself that shouldn't be there--something that needs to change. But it will require work. And doing things that make you uncomfortable. And giving up your time, as busy as you already are.
Well, that was me while I watched this video. And I've noticed that when God is trying to send me a message, it is usually one that begins to reoccur often. I don't know if He has been sending those messages my way repeatedly for the past 30 years and I am just now seeing them, or if He is watching me and says to Himself "You're ready for this now Elin. Here it is."
So first it was this video. Then it was a conversation with a friend. Then a couple of opportunities to serve presented themselves--opportunities that were difficult and inconvenient. Then I got to know a woman who gives all of her time and life and self to take care of her handicapped daughter.
It wasn't a wake-up call. It was an avalanche. But the message for me is crystal clear: Try to take every opportunity to help and serve that is placed in your path. Stop rationalizing. Stop making excuses. Opportunities to serve are opportunities to grow and be lifted above and beyond your own capacities. God doesn't need us to serve each other. He is perfectly capable of taking care of every one of us. He is the one who knows of every sparrow that falls and "clothes the lilies of the field." He allows us to serve each other because of what it does for us. Letting us take care of each other is, I suppose, often how He takes care of us.
"24 ¶aThen said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him bdeny himself, and take up hisccross, and dfolloweme.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will alose his life for my sake shall bfind it." Matthew 16:24-25
I want to be like these people who so selflessly and wondrously give of themselves--and seem so much fuller and more whole because of it. Jesus Christ exemplified this perfectly. So I'm working on letting go of the things that don't really matter and trusting that His way is the only one that really does matter.
-elin
Who is feeling the Autumn in the air! And who has 2 more lengthy article for you to read on the above topic if you aren't all tuckered out yet: this and this
"Indeed, the power of mere activity is often overrated. It is not what the best men do, but what they are, that constitutes the truest benefaction to their fellowmen. The thing that men do get their chief value, after all, from the way in which they are able to show the existence of character which can comfort and help mankind. Among the people whom we know, it is not necessarily those who, meteor-like, are ever on the rush after some visible charge and work to whom we owe the most. It is often the lives, like the stars, which simply pour down on us the calm light of their bright and faithful being, up to which we look and out of which we gather the deepest calm and courage. It is good to know that even when we can no longer do something for our fellowmen, we can still be something for them; to know, and this surely, that no man or woman of the humblest sort can really be strong, gentle, and good without the world's being better for that goodness." Phillips Brooks, Sermons: The Purpose and Use of Comfort, pg. 105
Does anyone else out there ever have a difficult time responding to the question, "So what did you do this week?" For some reason, whenever someone asks me that, my mind goes blank and I can't remember a single thing of note that I did in the past few days. I remember being busy, but I have no idea what I was doing. A little bit unsettling, to tell you the truth. Could be because I'm still not getting enough sleep.
But I do think part of the problem is that I want to be able to say something fantastic like, "I ran a marathon and then spent the rest of the afternoon writing my next best-seller." Because I care too much about what other people think and for some reason, I think I need to list a bunch of "interesting" things that I do to show that my life and myself are full of amazing things.
That's why I like the quote above. My little sister just sent it to me and it really grounded me. Who we are isn't a list of things we do that look good on paper or sounds good out loud to the rest of the world. We are the things we do and say that most people will never know about or maybe even care about. It is the choices we make when we are alone or with our family and friends or the door we hold open for someone or when we encourage someone as they try and try again to do something hard. It is not doing something because it looks good. It is doing something because it feels right and good. I wish I could say I lived this way more completely. (And I'm not saying that marathons are bad things or flashy. I would love to be able to accomplish something like that.)
I think the Savior was especially good at this. He sought no one's approval but His Father's--and who He was truly made the world and everyone who would ever live on it, better.
Greatest in the Kingdom by J. Kirk Richards
-elin
I immediately think of the apostle Paul and of the prophet Joseph Smith when I think of people who stopped caring about what other people thought of them. I admire them for living what they knew to be true.
"Joseph Smith describes Paul’s character: “He saw a light, and heard a voice; … some said he was dishonest, others said he was mad. … But all this did not destroy the reality of his vision. He had seen a vision, he knew he had, and all the persecution under heaven could not make it otherwise.” Then Joseph adds his testimony regarding his own vision, revealing his own strength of character; “I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it.” (JS—H 1:24–25.) Joseph Smith was a man of great, noble character that the Lord knew he could trust, no matter what the sacrifice.
President David O. McKay said: “Man’s chief concern in life should not be the acquiring of gold, or of fame, or of material possessions. It should not be the development of physical prowess, nor of intellectual strength, but his aim, the highest in life, should be the development of a Christlike character.” (McKay, True to the Faith, p. 32.)" Robert E. Wells, "The Cs of Spirituality"
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or Mormons) in a glance. It is a work of family. It is a work of love. It is the work of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
"If we listen to the prophets of this day, poverty would be replaced with loving care for the poor and needy. Many serious and deadly health problems would be avoided through compliance with the Word of Wisdom and the laws of sexual purity. Payment of tithing would bless us, and we would have sufficient for our needs. If we follow the counsel given by the prophets, we can have a life in mortality where we do not bring upon ourselves unnecessary pain and self-destruction. This does not mean we will not have challenges. We will. This does not mean we will not be tested. We will, for this is part of our purpose on earth. But if we will listen to the counsel of our prophet, we will become stronger and be able to withstand the tests of mortality. We will have hope and joy. All the words of counsel from the prophets of all generations have been given so that we may be strengthened and then be able to lift and strengthen others.
The desire of the prophets is to assist our Father in Heaven and his Son Jesus Christ in bringing about the great objectives of the plan of salvation, or, as one ancient prophet called it, “the great plan of happiness” (Alma 42:8).
We declare with soberness, and yet with the authority of God in us vested, we have a prophet today."
I grew up in a home with parents who believed that Jesus Christ's church was on the earth today and that He continued to guide His Church through the scriptures and through His current prophet on the earth. So I can't really tell you how I would feel if I grew up in a different household with a different faith or without faith at all--I can't really tell you how I would feel if someone declared to me that God still speaks to us today. That we are His children. That He has called a man to preside over the church and that you can know for yourself that all of this is right and true (see the promise in Moroni 10:3-5). I might be cynical and skeptical. I might think it made sense. I might not care. What I will say is that I find the doctrine of continuing revelation--of God continuing to care and converse with His children very comforting. But I don't believe in prophets because it is comforting and nice to think about. I believe in prophets because when I read their words or listen to the current prophet speak, it feels very, very different than reading and listening to anything else. And when I have lived what they teach, it has made all the difference in my life. What they say has been absolutely true for me.
I grew up watching musicals and I always enjoyed Hello. Dolly. It was fun watching Barbara Streisand strutting around in fantastic clothes belting out "Before the Parade Passes By". It was even funner (I know that's not a real word) watching Walter Matthau "singing" and looking grumpy (I love that man). And I think my favorite part was watching the "Put on Your Sunday Clothes" scene at the beginning (and this was way before Wall-e was even dreamed of). So when I decided to write a few of my thoughts about Sunday, I immediately thought of that scene and that is what I titled this post.
Recently, I have been trying to fill my mind with positive, inspiring quotes and ideas. To fill my mind with them, I have endeavored to memorize bits and pieces from books and songs and scripture. It is slow-going, because I have never had a very strong mind for memorization. But I now have a few scriptures, a Dickinson poem, and a Dostoevsky quote under my belt. Hanging on one of my walls is another scripture that I am trying to memorize (and it has been on the wall for months--that is how slow I am):
13 ¶If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
As a result, the Sabbath day, or Sunday, is something that I have had on my mind a lot. These days, many people grow up not seeing how or why Sunday is or should be different than any other day of the week--apart from the fact that it is part of the weekend and so many people don't have to work or go to school on Sunday.
For me, Sunday is a reminder that a loving Heavenly Father and his son, Jesus Christ, "rested" from their physical labors after creating this beautiful earth for us. It is a day set apart from the rest of the week, made for us, so that we can try to separate ourselves as much as we can from the daily toil of the week and focus on the things and people that matter most--focus on the Lord's work and His glory which is His children and their development and progression towards Him, the source of all true happiness and peace (Moses 1:39).
All my life I have put on Sunday clothes and attended 3 hours of church on Sunday. Only recently am I truly recognizing what a "delight" that Sunday can be. When I go to church, I am aware that the people giving the talks and reading and discussing the lessons are imperfect people, just as I am. I am aware that in proclaiming that there are eternal truths that do not change and that there are rules or commandments that we must follow if we want to experience true, lasting joy, I set myself up for looking like a hypocrite when I do not live up to those standards completely--but that doesn't mean that I shouldn't continue to strive and work towards those standards. And my own deficiencies and the deficiencies of those around me do not change the fact that I feel the truth of what is being said and shared as we meet together on Sundays and read the scriptures and the words of the prophet today.
I have come to love Sundays and delight in them because they help me see myself as I really am. They help me focus on my family and on the life and mission and love of Jesus Christ, who helps us do the hard things in this life, do everything in this life-- and helps us better appreciate and love the times when life is not as difficult. Sunday reminds me that I am a child of God and so is the person standing next to me in the elevator--and I should treat them as such. Sunday reminds me that my life and my personality & talents and my happiness are important to God--and if I give them to Him, He can do some pretty marvelous things through me.
I haven't got it all figured out yet. I probably won't for a long time. But I have felt these things and they are changing me into someone that I like a little bit better than before.
-elin
"Put on your Sunday clothes when you feel down and out. Strut down the street and have your picture took. Dressed like a dream your spirit seems to turn about...."
We, as human beings, have this innate tendency to search for ourselves in our interaction with the world around us. And that is not necessarily a bad thing. But we do not really "find" ourselves in the sense that we find something that wasn't there or that was missing. It is a matter of becoming and nourishing who we already are: children of a loving Heavenly Father who knows us and loves us and can help us experience lasting happiness.
Who we are is ever-present- the seeds of what we can become remain inside our minds and hearts whether we acknowledge them or not. Our choices unlock or stifle our growth and potential--so yes our choices and interaction with the world around us do matter and help us reach our biggest brightest selves. But it is always frustrating to me when movies or books depict a character's triumphant self-discovery as something like breaking rules or breaking social norms. Not that all rules or social norms are healthy and should be followed. But I also don't believe that someone has truly liberated themselves or "found" their true selves simply because they jump into a swimming pool without clothes on...or something like that.
I guess, what I'm trying to say, is that the journey to self isn't so much about finding which rules should be broken or what it feels kind of nice and fun to do in the moment--it seems to be more about discovering what behaviors and rules and creative experiences bring true and lasting growth and freedom and happiness...which behaviors, rules, and creative experiences bring you closer to understanding your Creator and thus closer to understanding yourself. Because whether we like to admit it sometimes or not, He who made us, understands us in a way no one else can.
I know that there are some who don't believe we were intentionally created at all...but I still would think that for them, the same principles for self-discovery hold true: that you try to look for and find the behaviors and rules and creative experiences that bring true and lasting growth, freedom and happiness.
But I will quit jabbering. Here is someone who explains my sentiments far better than I can:
"This last thought reminds me of a very beautiful song that is found in the Church’s French hymnbook—one that doesn’t exist in the hymnals of any other country. It is titled “Souviens-toi,” which means “Remember,” and is set to music from the New World Symphony by Antonín Dvořák. It is the song of a parent addressing a newborn child.
“Remember, my child.” One of the great adventures of life is that of finding out who we really are, where we came from, and then living consistently in harmony with our identity and the purpose of our existence.
Brigham Young said: “The greatest lesson you can learn is to know yourselves. … You have to come here to learn this. … No being can thoroughly know himself, without understanding more or less of the things of God; neither can any being learn and understand the things of God without knowing himself: he must know himself, or he never can know God.”7
Recently, my daughters pointed out to me that an excellent allegory of this principle is found in the filmThe Lion King. Your generation grew up to the sounds and images of this movie. You probably remember the scene where Simba receives a visit from his father, Mufasa, the deceased king. After his father died, Simba fled far from the kingdom because he felt guilty about his father’s death. He wanted to escape his responsibility as heir to the throne.
His father appears to him and warns him: “You have forgotten who you are and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the circle of life.” Then this invitation is repeated several times: “Remember who you are. … Remember who you are.”
Simba, completely shaken by this experience, decides to accept his destiny. He confides in his friend, the shaman monkey, that it “looks like the winds are changing.”
The monkey replies, “Change is good.”
And Simba says: “But it’s not easy. I know what I have to do. But going back means I’ll have to face my past. I’ve been running from it for so long.”
We can all take—or take back—our place in the circle of life. Become who you really are. Your happiness and ability to find balance in your life will occur as you find, recognize, and accept your true identity as a child of our Heavenly Father and then live in accordance with this knowledge."
