A Still Small Voice

Fact: Heavenly Father loves us. He literally is our Father, and He wants nothing but the best for us. He wants us to be able to learn, grow and progress in this life. He gave us this time when we are separated from Him and His presence for our good. He knew it would be hard for us, but He gave us tools and resources to help us recognize truth. One of the most powerful resources that our Heavenly Father has given to us is the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Ghost testifies of truth, and bears witness of the Father and of the Son. It's really cool to think that the Holy Spirit, a member of the Godhead, is there to teach us and to help us learn. The scriptures describe the way that the Holy Ghost speaks to us as a "still, small voice." One prophet wrote, "it was not a voice of thunder, neither was it a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but behold, it was a still voice of perfct mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul." (Helaman 5:30).

I've seen in my life, that the Holy Ghost can be an invaluable resource, but also something incredible hard to interpret. So many times in my life I pray and I have a really hard time trying to figure out what my Heavenly Father is trying to tell me. I have learned a few things though:

1. The Holy Ghost is always there to edify. The Holy Ghost is not there to make us feel terrible about ourselves. There are times when he tells us that we have done things wrong, and that we need to repent. That feels saddening, but it is a feeling that moves us to draw closer to the Savior. Satan is the only one who wants us to feel miserable.
2. The feelings that come are very mild. For me, they are feelings of peace and of joy. Sometimes, they are even feelings of pure gratitude for my Heavenly  Father and everything that He has done for me. These feelings can be overwhelming sometimes, but I have often found that if I am not paying attention, I can completely miss them.
3. The Holy Ghost moves us to act. Our Heavenly Father wants us to act. When we make decisions, we are able to learn and improve, and continue to progress. The Holy Ghost will never lead us to do something against the will of God. When we make those good decisions, we are blessed, and we feel joy and happiness.
4. Following the prompting received leads to more promptings. When we listen to the counsel that our Heavenly Father sends to us, we are more likely to receive more counsel! And for me, most of those promptings come as ideas or thoughts that pass through my mind. If they are good, and don't go against the teachings of the Savior, I usually try to follow them. They are probably inspired by a Heavenly Being who wants me to go about doing good.
5. The Holy Ghost is a friend. The Savior sent the Holy Ghost as the Second Comforter. Although the Savior is no longer here on earth, we can feel His love and influence through the power of the Spirit. He loves us, and is always longing for our success. When we are hurt, tired and struggling, we can turn to our Heavenly Father, and He will send His Spirit, and we can receive comfort.

I love my Heavenly Father, and my Savior, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. United in purpose, these three beings work tirelessly for our success and salvation. The odds are in our favor; "If God be for us, who can be against us" (Romans 8:31). And the Holy Ghost is there to help us as we learn to recognize truth, and live what the Savior taught. I know it, and I'm so grateful for it!

Christmas Time is Here!

With only 18 more days til Christmas, let me tell you, I am super excited! Christmas time is one of my favorite times of the year. It is a time when we have the opportunity to reflect on the year, and set goals for the next one. And even more importantly, it is the time that we have to be with friends and family celebrating the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

This time truly is a time to honor Him, and to remember Him, and everything that He did for us. From a humble birth, the Son of God grew and became the master teacher, showing us the way back to our Heavenly home, and dying a worthy sacrifice for the sins of the world. In an act called the Atonement, he suffered and died for every sin, pain and sorrow that every child of God has experienced since the creation of the earth. He did so as an act of pure love for His Father, and for each and every one of us. He asks that we have faith in him, repent of our sins, and are baptized and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands in order to have full access to the cleansing and healing power of His Atonement. As we live the Gospel as He taught it, we will be blessed with a lasting sense of peace and happiness. It has brought me so much personal happiness. I know that I am imperfect, but as I live the doctrine that He taught, I can feel my Heavenly Father help me as I strive to overcome my weaknesses and become more like the Savior. May we all remember the real reason why we celebrate Christmas, and strive to come unto Him, and accept and live His Gospel. Merry Christmas!

Study Shows the Way

Recently, as I was reading the scriptures, I was pondering the power that the scriptures have. I have seen in my life that as I read the scriptures, I am able to receive guidance, or direction from my Heavenly Father. He is able to teach and to instruct me, and allow me to become better. That, truly, is His purpose for us in this life; He wants us to be able to repent, or change, and become more like His Son, Jesus Christ. Because none of us is perfect, we all have things of which we need to repent. When we repent, our Heavenly Father is able to bless us, and free us from the guilt and shame that we feel because of our mistakes. He wants that for us. And so as we study the scriptures and receive divine guidance, it is more often than not an invitation for us to repent of something, and receive the blessings our Heavenly Father already wants to give us.

The Word of God, however, is able to make this invitation with power. That is why prophets have always written their words, so that we can reflect on them. That is why often Biblical prophets use the words of other prophets in order to teach, and call others unto repentance. One prophet attempted to teach a wicked group of people the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Of that experience, a later prophet said, "And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just-yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them-therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God" (Alma 31:5).

Repentance is a doorway to freedom. It is the way that we are able to truly have joy and happiness in this life. We are able to leave the past behind us, and move forward with a new life, dedicated to following the Savior, Jesus Christ. We are able to feel more fully the love of God, and enjoy the feeling of the Holy Ghost. As we study the scriptures daily, we are aided in our efforts to repent daily, and activate the power of the Savior's sacrifice in our lives. I know that as we study, we learn the ways that we can improve and become more Christlike. It may not be in the written words, but the Holy Ghost will be able to communicate to our minds and to our hearts the things that we need to know.

The Shield of Faith

I was thinking this morning about some of the imagery used in the Bible to describe the "Armor of God." More particularly, my attention was drawn to the "shield of faith" (Ephesians 6:16). I was pondering why, of all of the Christlike attributes that there are, was faith chosen to describe the shield. I thought, "in what way does faith act as a shield?" As I considered, the answer came.

Faith is an abiding trust in God. A belief that through the Atonement of Christ, we can find forgiveness of our sins, and quite literally be changed as we live the Gospel, or teachings of Jesus Christ. In my opinion, faith is being able to trust God enough to obey His commandments, even when it might not make perfect sense to us why we should. We trust that we will receive His promised blessings if we do so. And I know from personal experience that when we choose to keep the commandments of God, especially during those times when it is most difficult to do so, our character is changed for the better, we receive the blessings of God, and we are given spiritual strength and courage to continue to face the world. I know that through trusting in God and having faith in Him and in His Son, Jesus Christ, we can be changed.

Now, how does that form a shield? Well, I think that when we trust in God, we are able to deal with our fears and doubts more effectively. By that, I mean, that when thoughts of doubt, fear, or disbelief come, we are able to trust in what we have felt and experienced as a result of trusting in God and living His commandments. As we remember those feelings and impressions, we are able to quickly dispel those thoughts of temptation and doubt. And by striving to consistently obey God, we are able to have more experiences that give us those confirmations that we are doing what's right. That gives us more experiences to draw on during hardship. And so, I think, when we have the faith to trust in and obey God, we have a "shield" that protects us from the "fiery darts of the adversary," or in other words, the thoughts of doubt, fear and temptation that he throws at us.

I know that faith acts as a shield. It protects us from the misery and grief that always result when we disobey God's commandments. His plan is for us to be happy and successful. Hardships will come, but it is that opposition that allows us to grow, progress, and experience the full joy that the Gospel has to offer. I know that the Savior lives, and that it is only through His atoning sacrifice that we have the hope of changing and becoming like our Heavenly Father!

A Little Miracle

When we hear the word "miracle," a lot of times we think of some of the incredible miracles that the Savior performed during His earthly ministry. Those truly were incredible, and confirmed the faith of those that believed. But I think that sometimes we forget about all the little miracles that surround us on a day-to-day basis.

Recently, I had an experience where I was definitely blessed with one of those "smaller" miracles. For the majority of my time as a missionary in Arizona, I have been speaking Spanish, and working with Spanish-speaking individuals and families. Through my time, I have grown to love the language and the culture (and the FOOD!). Recently, however, my assignment changed and I am now working with a congregation that only speaks English. So needless to say I have not been able to use my Spanish as much. Recently, however, we received word that a woman wanted us to come and visit her. So we went to her home, and when we got there, we realized that her entire family spoke Spanish. It was so much fun to be able to use my Spanish again. The family was so nice, and it just made me so happy to be able to talk with them.

And so, that wasn't a huge thing, but it certainly gave me some joy. I know that our Heavenly Father cares, even about little things like that. He loves us enough to bless us with those tiny miracles that have the power to make our day. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father! I know that He lives and that He has a plan for each and every one of us!

Service is Really Neat!

The past few days I've been thinking a lot about service. I recently received an assignment as a missionary that has got me, and will have me serving a lot of other missionaries in the area. I think of the Savior, who said, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it" (Matthew 16:25). It's so easy to get caught up in ourselves and to worry about our own problems. Life is really hard! There are a lot of worthwhile things that all fight for our attention. And if we are not careful, they can become a distraction from the needs of others, and we forget about loving and serving our fellow man. Service is a really funny thing. A lot of times its really hard, and its things that we don't want to do. It often requires sacrifice, mainly of our time. But it's when we are able to forget about ourselves and our own time and interest, and "lose our lives," in the service of others, we are able to develop true charity. We are then able to comply with the Savior's command to "love one another" (John 13:34).

I have definitely seen the effects of that as I have served a mission. The times when I have been happiest are when I am not thinking about myself, and I am worry about the needs of others, both physical and spiritual. As I stop thinking of myself, and stop thinking more about others, I am happier. The Savior's seeming paradox is true! When we "lose our lives" by forgetting about ourselves, we find a much happier and more peaceful life. On the other hand, the most miserable times and days of my mission have been when I am focused on my own needs and concerns. There is never enough time to do all the things that I want, or to have everything that I want to have. And when I am focusing on those selfish desires, I feel disappointed and angry because I just want more and more and more. But when we are able to forget about ourselves and the things that we want, we are happy, because we realize that we do have all the things that we need, we do have a good life, and that in comparison, the problems we face aren't as bad as they could be. I know that service develops charity, a Christ-like love for the sons and daughters of God. It leads us to happiness, and it is for that reason that it is a commandment. Service truly is pretty darn neat!

"If Ye Love Me"

I recently had an experience where my companion, myself, and a local member were teaching a man about God, and how He teaches us the Gospel so that we can be happy. As were teaching, however, I felt that I was the one learning. It was a really cool experience. We all love our families. It's a basic. And there are many ways that we show our love for them, especially for our parents. Our parents love us unconditionally, and only want the best for us. Sometimes we don't always see it that way, and we feel like they are limiting or restricting us. Still being fairly young, I can say that I know the feeling. But one of the greatest ways that we show our parents that we love them, is when we are faced with the hardships and trials of this life, those situations where we just have no clue what to do, and we turn to them, and ask them for their help and guidance. It shows the love and trust that we have for them, and that we value their thoughts and opinions. But then comes the true test of love: do we actually do it. Our parents are wiser than us; they have more experience. And if we really love them, we even make sacrifices to show that love and accept their counsel. And when we do, the relationship that we have with that parent grows, because we have, in a sense, shared that experience together. And more often than not, the advice our parents give is good advice.

So let's put that into a different setting. God is our Heavenly Father, the Father of our spirits. Like our earthly parents, He wants to bless us. He wants us to be happy. And he wants us to be successful. He also wants us to be safe from dangers, both physical and spiritual. His love for us is infinite and unconditional. He asks that we, in turn, love him. It is "the first and great commandment" (Matthew 22:36-40). We can show our love for God in the same way that we show love for our earthly parents. In the chaos that is this life, we can turn to our Heavenly Father in humble and heartfelt prayer and seek His guidance. Then the true test of our love: do we do what He directs. Because God is a perfect being, we can have full and complete trust in Him. We can follow His counsel with a perfect knowledge that doing so will be for our own spiritual well-being, and that it will bring blessings. His counsel, in one way or another, always has been, and always will be to live the Gospel; or in other words to live what His Son taught. In His earthly ministry, the Savior clearly taught, "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). Living the Gospel, which includes the obedience to the commandments, is the way that we show our love for God and for the Savior. It shows the trust that we have that God's ways are better than man's (Isaiah 55:8-9). And when we do choose to obey, we are blessed, and we draw closer to God. We see that His direction will truly lead us to happiness (See John 7:17), and we are better able to more completely trust Him in the future.


I know that sometimes it's really hard to be humble enough to accept the counsel that God has for us. It is not always what we want to do. But I know that doing the will of God instead of our own, especially when we do not want to, is how we grow the most. It follows the divine example of our Savior, who's timeless words were: "nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42). I have seen so many blessings from trying to follow the example of Jesus Christ and keep the commandments. More than anything, I have found happiness and peace. When we trust in God and live the Gospel, we are able to free ourselves from the guilt, shame and burden of past mistakes. I love my God, and I love my Savior. I am imperfect, but every day I am trying to trust more fully in them, and do the things that they would have me do. I know that God live, that Jesus Christ is His Son, and that through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel, all mankind may be saved (See Articles of Faith 1:3).

He Lives!

Today I wanted to take a few minutes just to give my testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ. I know that He is the Son of God, the Savior and Redeemer of the world. He came to this world to pay the price for our sins. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. He gives us the opportunity to improve ourselves, to repent, and to receive peace and happiness.

He showed us the perfect example. He taught us His Gospel. If we have faith in Him, repent, are baptized, receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost and endure to the end, we will be received into Heaven. Following His teachings has brought me so much happiness and joy in this life. I know that I am not perfect, but I do know that my personal progress is only possible because of the Savior, the Lamb of God.

Jesus Christ suffered for the sins of the world, died for us, and was resurrected on the third day. Only through Him can we one day return and live with our Heavenly Father. I am so grateful for the Savior, and everything that He does for me. I love Him, and I want to serve Him. And I know that that is the source of happiness and Eternal Life.

Faith and Testimony

When I try new things, I'll be honest, I'm a bit of a wimp. I spend a lot of time trying to think everything out in my mind, and plan how I'm going to do things. I want to fully understand the concept before I get started. I took a springboard diving class one semester at school, and sometimes this desire to understand before I would try a new dive would cause me to spend a few minutes standing by the pool thinking in stead of just going for it and actually learning. I've learned that there is a fine line that divides conceptual understanding from real learning, and that more times than not, that line comes from experience. We have to experience something to really be able to learn it. That's why this life is so great, because we have so many different experiences that we can learn from, that will eventually prepare us for the eternities.

The same principle is true for Gospel doctrines. Naturally, as humans, we don't understand them, and it doesn't make sense why we would believe in something that we can't see, or keep a commandment we can't see the immediate benefit of. And sometimes we want to fully understand a Gospel principle or doctrine, and have a testimony of its truthfulness before we begin to act on it. Unfortunately, that's not how God works. God wants us to show our faith in Him. And it's only then that the testimony comes. The Savior taught in the Bible, "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself" (John 7:17). The trick, here, is that we are required to act, to experience the doctrine, before we will know whether or not it comes from the Father.

So that puts me in a little bind, because I like to understand things before I act. But that's where faith comes in. I've learned that sometimes, I need to just show some faith and act. In my diving class, I eventually got over my thoughts, and just got on the board and jumped and tried new things. And I learned. I wasn't perfect at first, but my ability improved as I tried it, and I learned as I went. With God, we trust in him, go out and get on the figurative board of life, and jump. He will catch us. He will sustain us. And He will bless us for our faith, our obedience, and our effort to follow Him. He will let us know that our efforts are pleasing to Him, and that the principles we are learning and applying truly are His.

Put on Your Happy Ties!

These past few weeks I've been thinking a lot about being happy. Isn't life better when we're happy? It is. And a lot of times we get caught up in the things that the world tells us will make us happy. We know that money doesn't buy happiness, but we somehow still rationalize our relentless pursuit of it. Even more so, living the teachings of the Savior bring happiness, but sometimes we are able to rationalize out of doing those as well. And we're left feeling empty. And then on top of that, there are a lot of hardships and trials that we face in this life-a lot of them! And it would be really easy to let those things get to us, and wallow in our hardships and be miserable. Lehi, a prophet from the Book of Mormon, taught that, "men are, that they might have joy," and that it is the devil who wants us to be miserable, "for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself." (2 Nephi 2:25,27).

The fact of the matter is, the choice of happiness is ours! We choose whether or not we are happy. As a missionary, life can be pretty tough. We work basically nonstop 16 hours a day, everyday. On top of that, a lot of problems come up, disappointments happen, and some days are just long, tiring and hard. It would be so easy to choose to be miserable. But my companion and I have decided to not let that get to us. God wants us to be happy, and if we live the teachings of His Son, we can be happy no matter what the circumstances. We have adopted the motto of always wearing our "happy ties." It doesn't matter what's going on. If we're wearing our happy ties, it will all be alright. And I've seen miracles these past few weeks. Life has still been hard, but I can honestly say that I am overall happy. When bad things happen, I am reminded of my commitment to wear my happy tie, and I force myself to get over it and be happy anyway. And it works. Happiness is a choice. And so I invite you all to put on your "happy ties," and not let life get you down. God has bigger plans than that!

Being a Missionary Rocks All the Time!

The other day, I'll be honest, was one of the longest and most tiring days of my life. We woke up early, and had a long day of meetings where we learned a lot, but left feeling exhausted. That evening, we went out to visit some families, and had a few great experiences talking with some wonderful people. The weather here in Arizona is beautiful now-the worst of the summer heat is over, and as we were driving to our next commitment, I was blown away by the beautiful sunset. Valley sunsets are incredible. 

Even though it had been a really long and really hard day, I was filled with happiness and joy. The weather confirmed the love that God has for me, and I felt joy as we had been able to share with people the message of the Restored Gospel. God lives and loves us, and I am so grateful for the privilege I have to share His truth. Life gets really hard sometimes, but God sustains us. Being a missionary rocks all the time!

A Little Faith Goes a Long Way

I've been thinking a lot about faith lately. In the scriptures, we find a lot of different descriptions of what faith is. One of my favorite scriptures on faith is found in Proverbs. It reads, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6). When I think of faith, I think of trusting in the Lord. We can't see Him, but we have faith that He is there and that He loves us. We don't have proof that the good things that come to us in this life come directly from Him, but we believe and have faith that they are, indeed, blessings from above.

So when I think of faith, I also think a lot about the promises that God makes to us. Throughout scripture, God gives us commandments. He does so because He loves us and wants us to be happy, protected and blessed. When He does give commandments, He many times promises us blessings for obedience to those commandments. For example, in the 10 Commandments, we are instructed: "Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee" (Exodus 20:12). If we have faith in God, we have faith that He not only gives commandments for our benefit, but also will always fulfill the promises He makes, and that those promised blessings far outweigh the allure of the temptations of the world.

In other words, when I think of faith, I think, "do we trust God enough to obey His commandments?" Temptations are appealing, and that is why it takes trust to do what God wants us to do instead of what we would prefer to do ourselves. When we turn our will over to the Father's we are blessed, and we can enjoy peace of conscious, and just plain happiness. I know that obedience takes faith, but that it brings great blessings. It can be hard at first, but God will always consecrate our efforts to live in harmony with the teachings of His Son.

Little Steps Toward Heaven

Sometimes we think about the big events that happen in life-things like the big game, a graduation, a holiday, or something else. But, many times we forget about the small things that lead to real happiness. It's easy to think that we will be happy when we have that car, or when we have that job, or when we win that game, or when we have x-amount of money, or whatever it be. However, I've realized that true, real happiness comes through normal life, as a result of the basic decisions that we make.

Alma, a prophet from the Book of Mormon, said that "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass" (Alma 37:6). I testify that that is true. The possibility of returning to the presence of God truly is a "great thing." But, through the small things, that goal can be achieved. The most basic of these things include daily scripture study, daily prayer, and regular church attendance. These things give us spiritual strength, and are incredibly important in our own spiritual progression, and even in our salvation.

Now, the choice is up to us. We can choose to follow the invitations of the Lord, and do what He asks, or we can choose not to. I know that happiness comes by making good decisions every day, and especially through choosing the small things. Sometimes is appears like those little things don't matter much, but I know that the basic things of life become the tiny steps that, with time, will lead us to happiness, and ultimately to Heaven.

Hidden Dangers

Recently, my companion and I had a rather scar experience: we are serving in South Phoenix, and one morning for our daily exercise, we decided to climb South Mountain to watch the sunrise. We got up and quickly climbed to the peak of the mountain. We still had a few minutes before sunrise, and so we decided to start taking some fun photos. But, after a few minutes, my companion yelled and told me what he saw on a nearby rock. With horror, I saw, extremely close to us, a nasty rattlesnake! We were pretty scared. At least I was. All the time we were there, we did not realize that this danger was present. It would have been very easy to accidentally get too close, and got a not-so-friendly bite. We were lucky, and I am sure that God blessed us with safety that morning.

I feel that life, in many ways, is very similar. Sometimes we think that nothing we do has any danger. Then we later find out that it wasn’t the best choice. Other times, we tell ourselves there is no danger, even when we know that it’s there. That mountain experience made me think about the importance of always keeping away from spiritual dangers. A lot of times they are there and hidden, waiting to trap us and harm us. We cannot ignore the circumstances in which we find ourselves. If a situation is spiritually dangerous, we need to leave. And sometimes, we do make mistakes. We are human. It’s what we do. And it’s for that reason that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to the earth and suffered for the sins of the world. He made repentance possible. To repent is good, but life is easier and happier when we avoid dangerous situations, and we don’t have to repent. To be able to avoid such situations, and to recognize them when we find them, we should always be striving to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We should always develop our faith, repent, prepare to renew baptismal covenants and live worthy of the Gift of the Holy Ghost. To help with that, God has given us the commandments to pray daily, study the scriptures daily, and attend church and partake of the Sacrament weekly. Obeying these commandments gives us spiritual strength and power. God blesses us when we obey His commandments, and He wants us to be safe from physical and spiritual danger. I know that God lives, that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world, and that even though there will always be hidden dangers in the world, living the Gospel of Jesus Christ will help to keep us safe.

¡Él Vive!

Hoy día quería tomar unos minutos nada más para dar mi testimonio del Salvador, Jesucristo. Yo sé que Él es el Hijo de Dios, el Salvador y Redentor del Mundo. Él vino a este mundo para pagar el precio por nuestros pecados. Hizo por nosotros lo que no podíamos hacer por nosotros mismos. Nos da la oportunidad de mejorarnos, de arrepentirnos, y recibir paz y felicidad.

Él nos mostró el ejemplo perfecto. Nos enseñó Su Evangelio. Si tenemos fe en Él, nos arrepentimos, nos bautizamos, recibimos el Don del Espíritu Santo, y perseveramos hasta el fin, seremos recibidos en los cielos. El seguir Sus enseñanzas me ha traído felicidad y gozo en esta vida. Yo no soy perfecto, pero yo sé que mi progreso personal es posible solamente por medio de los méritos del Cordero de Dios.

Jesucristo sufrió los pecados del mundo, murió por nosotros, y resucitó al tercer día. Solamente por medio de Él podemos, un día, regresar y vivir con nuestro Padre Celestial. Estoy tan agradecido por el Salvador, y todo lo que hace por mí. Le amo, y le quiero servir, y yo sé que ¡eso es la fuente de la felicidad, y vida eterna!

El Poder de la Oración

Dios, como nuestro Padre Celestial, nos manda que oremos. Para decir la verdad, este mandamiento tiene razón. Dios es literalmente nuestro Padre, y quiere escuchar de nosotros, y nos quiere ayudar. La oración es una oportunidad que tenemos, cuandoquiera que queramos, de tener comunicación significativa con el Padre de nuestros espíritus. La oración tiene algunos diferentes propósitos. Uno de esos es la oportunidad que tenemos de pedirle bendiciones a Dios. Dios siempre está dispuesto a bendecirnos, y a veces la sola cosa que necesitamos hacer para realizar una bendición es pedirla.

Otro propósito de la oración es para pedir perdón. Como humanos, ninguno de nosotros sea perfecto. Todos equivocamos, y por eso nos traemos sentimientos de culpabilidad. El milagro es que Jesucristo ya pagó el precio de nuestros pecados, y si vivimos su Evangelio, podemos recibir el perdón. Una parte de ese Evangelio es el arrepentimiento, el cual incluye el pedirle perdón a nuestro Padre Celestial.

Otro de los propósitos de la oración es recibir revelación. Dios nos promete guía personal para nuestras vidas si la buscamos diligentemente. Cuando oramos, tenemos la gran oportunidad de comunicarnos con Dios, y alinear la voluntad nuestra con la Suya. Dios nos habla por medio de Su Santo Espíritu, el cual nos puede guiar y dar instrucción, para que hagamos cambios en nuestras vidas. El Espíritu nos puede enseñar la manera en que podemos arrepentirnos más plenamente, y vivir en mayor harmonía con lo que enseñó el Salvador.

He tenido algunas experiencias en que he recibido revelación personal, que me ha ayudado a ser más como Cristo. Por ejemplo, una vez estaba orando, y la impresión vino a la mente que debo compartir mas cumplidos con los demás. Era una cosa sencilla, pero me di cuenta de que sería una cosa que me ayudaría a desarrollar más caridad por los demás. Estoy agradecido que mi Padre Celestial tomó ese tiempo para enseñarme algo sencillo que me ayudó.

Yo sé que Dios siempre contesta las oraciones de Sus hijos. Nos ama, y quiere comunicarse con nosotros. A veces, la sola cosa que le impide es nuestra flojera o insinceridad. Hay que orar, y cuando lo hacemos, las bendiciones y la revelación siempre siguen.

Pasitos hacia el Cielo

A veces pensamos en los eventos grandes que pasan en la vida; cosas como un partido grande, una graduación, o algún otro acontecimiento. Pero, muchas veces nosotros nos olvidamos de las cosas sencillas que nos llevan a la felicidad. Es muy fácil pensar que vamos a estar feliz cuando tengamos aquél carro o aquél trabajo, o cuando estemos jugando aquél videojuego, o cuando tengamos cierta cantidad de dinero, o lo que sea. Pero a mí, me he dado cuenta de que la verdadera felicidad viene durante la vida normal, como resultado de las decisiones básicas que tomamos.

Alma, un profeta del Libro de Mormón, dijo que "por medio de cosas pequeñas y sencillas se realizan grandes cosas" (Alma 37:6). Yo testifico de la verdad de eso. La posibilidad de llegar otra vez a la presencia de Dios verdaderamente es una cosa grande. Pero, por medio de cosas pequeñas, esa meta se puede realizar. Las más básicas de esas cosas incluyen el estudio diario de las escrituras, la oración diaria, y tambien la asistencia regular a la iglesia. Esas cosas nos dan fuerza espiritual, y son sumamente importantes en nuestro progreso espiritual, y aún en nuestra salvación.

Ahora, la elección nos queda a nosotros. Podemos escoger seguir las invitaciones del Señor, y hacer lo que quiere, o podemos escoger no hacerlas. Yo sé que la felicidad viene al tomar decisiones buenas todos los días. A veces parecen como cosas que no importan, pero yo sé que las cosas básicas de la vida se convierten en pasitos que, con tiempo, nos van a llevar hacia la felicidad, y últimamente el Cielo.

Peligros Escondidos

Recientemente, mi compañero y yo tuvimos una experiencia bien miedosa: estamos sirviendo en el sur de Phoenix, y una mañana para nuestro ejercicio diario, decidimos subir la Montaña del Sur para mirar el amanecer. Nos levantamos y subimos con rapidez al lugar más alto de la montaña. Todavía tuvimos unos minutos antes del amanecer, entonces decidimos tomar unas fotos divertidas. Pero, después de unos minutos, mi compañero gritó y me dijo que viera a lo que se encontraba en una piedra cercana. Con horror, vi que extremadamente cerca de nosotros quedaba una serpiente venenosa! Nos asustó en extremo. Todo el tiempo que estabamos ahí, no nos dimos cuenta de que ese peligro estaba presente. Habría sido muy facil jugar y por accidente acercarnos demasiado, y recibir una pica no querida. Tuvimos suerte, y estoy seguro de que Dios nos bendijo con seguridad en esa mañana.


Siento que la vida en muchos aspectos es muy similar. A veces, no pensamos que algo que hacemos tenga ningún peligro, pero averiguamos luego que no era una buena decisión. Otras veces, podemos decirnos que no hay peligro, cuando sabemos que existe. Esa experiencia en la montaña me hizo pensar en la importancia de siempre guardarnos del peligro espiritual. No podemos ignorar la circunstancias en que nos encontramos. Si una situación tiene peligro, necesitamos salir. Y a veces, vamos a equivocarnos. Somos humanos. Es lo que hacemos. Y por esa razón, Jesucristo, el Hijo de Dios, vino al mundo y sufrió por los pecados del mundo. Hizo posible el arrepentimiento. El arrepentirse es bueno, pero la vida es más fácil y más feliz cuando evitamos las situaciones peligrosas, y no tenemos que arrepentirnos.

Para evitar esas situaciones, y para reconocerlas cuando las encontramos, debemos siempre estar esforzándonos a vivir el Evangelio de Jesucristo. Debemos siempre desarrollar nuestra fe, arrepentirnos, prepararnos para renovar convenios bautismales, y vivir digno del Don del Espíritu Santo. Para ayudarnos con eso, Dios nos ha dado los mandamientos de orar diariamente, leer en las escrituras diariamente, y asistir a la iglesia y participar de la Santa Cena semenalmente. Esas cosas nos dan fuerza y poder espirituales.

Dios nos bendice cuando obedecemos Sus mandamientos, y quiere que siempre estemos seguros de los peligros físicos y espirituales. Yo sé que Dios vive, que Jesucristo es el Salvador y Redentor del Mundo, y que siempre habrá peligros en el mundo, pero el vivir el Evangelio nos ayuda a quedarnos seguros.