Diverging Paths

I looked ahead and saw the paths.
The one I was on could lead to the past.
The one to my left could lead to my dreams.
I'd have all that I want, glory and prestige.

But the one to my right is the one that I chose.
Full, straight, and narrow is the way that it goes.
I let all things go, and just followed the Lord.
Turned my life to Him, and He helped me to soar.

What prestige on Earth could be better than this,
To pull others out of the darkest abyss?
Bring them to God and help them to see,
Why I chose to be one of God's missionaries!

Through me God preaches the Gospel to them,
And helps them receive the blessings of heaven.
A life given to God multiplies back ten-fold,
I believe in Christ! I believe and I know!


Tara J. Howard


Copyright Dec. 2014

The Purpose of Education

                

               The ultimate goal in this world is simply to understand. We were sent to this earth for a purpose, and it wasn’t just to live and then die. We need to be seeking for total understanding of absolutely any and all righteous subjects we desire. Ludwig Van Beethoven once said, “Don’t only practice your art, but force your way into its secrets. For it, and knowledge, can raise men to the divine.” (Beethoven) There is no greater joy than understanding, and the wisdom that comes with it. It takes a lifetime to understand something, and only a moment to change that understanding. It is something you must constantly be seeking for. It does not matter in what area you choose, but try to fully understand something, for that will open the doors to every single other area of knowledge that exists. Every area of knowledge is connected together in a thick network that is penetrable one thread at a time through diligence. Becoming perfect and all-knowledgeable, such as God is, will not just happen overnight when we get resurrected or anything. We will still have to work for it, so we may as well get a head start on it right now. Knowledge is the source of understanding; and understanding is the source of wisdom. We must gain all three.

           There is not much more important in this world than obtaining an education. We have great institutions set up for the continuous learning of studious pupils, as well as great masses of books and other educational writings available at our fingertips. Since we were young it has been pounded into our heads the need to go to college and get a degree, but why? I will touch on a few points, including what you should study, why, and what you can do with the things you have learned.

Some of the world’s greatest people have never obtained a formal education. Why do we place such an emphasis on it then? Brilliant minds don’t just happen; they must be nurtured and grown. Whether or not the education was formal does not mean they never got one. Some of the best education that has been reached has been informal. In Elder David A. Bednar’s article titled “Learning to Love Learning”, he stated that “The type of learning I am attempting to describe is not merely the accumulation of data and facts and frameworks; rather, it is acquiring and applying knowledge for righteousness.” (Bednar 2) The extraordinary thing about learning is that it doesn’t matter what you learn, as long as it is useful and interesting to you. In my case, I am at a university obtaining an education with the hopes of eventually getting a master’s degree. To me though, that college degree is not the most important education that I am reaching for right now. Although some might disagree, my training in the Martial Arts is even more important to me. Some people have indignantly contradicted me in my hopes for the future, but I know what’s important to me. I love it, and that is what matters. Just because someone, or everyone, might not see the usefulness of the particular education you are obtaining, that doesn’t mean it is wrong. If it is taking you down the right paths, giving you valuable knowledge, and giving you a place to go, then there is nothing wrong with it. Keep that in mind as you seek and set up the pieces of your future.

The greatest ability that continuous knowledge gives us is the ability to venture out on our own to seek and change the world to how we want it to be. Until you learn to tie your own shoes and feed yourself, you cannot break away from your parents and live life your own way. As such, until you learn the things you need to, you cannot break away from society as a whole and make your own paths. As you gain more knowledge, more of the world opens up to you. Nobody wants to just be part of the masses as they move. There is nothing substantial in that, and quite often they are wrong or jumping off of figurative cliffs without thinking first. Hitler had a good idea of how the masses worked. Aldous Huxley described how Hitler thought of the masses in his article titled “The Love of Learning.” He wrote that “the masses are utterly contemptible. They are incapable of abstract thinking and uninterested in any fact outside the circle of their immediate experience. Their behavior is determined, not by knowledge and reason, but by feelings and unconscious drives.” (Huxley 3) We cannot break away from the masses until we have gained sufficient knowledge to do so. Whatever education you strive for, make it proficient enough that you will not be constantly led on by those who wish you to just blindly believe. Granted, you will not be able to obtain all the knowledge of the world in even fifty lifetimes, but general education in all areas will give you enough to get started.

              In the article titled “The Love of Learning” by David McCullough, he talked about how knowledge is not memorizing facts or anything like it, although that can be important. It can be a key in your life through some doorway, or out of some critical situation. The real importance of it though is what we decide to make of it. How we decide to use it will determine its usefulness to us. (McCullough 2) Too often there is too great an emphasis placed on memorizing facts such as the bones in our body, or important dates of the past. What you’ve got to realize is that the memorization is only the very beginning of learning. It is only the very scratch on the surface of the iron cage you are in. In order to break free and enter the world and discover all its value, you’ve got to know how to use that knowledge. You’ve got to go beyond the bounds that your teachers and coaches have set for you and discover what more there is to find. You cannot be taught and spoon fed everything. The most important part of learning is discovering things on your own, figuring out how they fit together, and working to use them in your life in whatever ways you might need to. Everything you learn should make you want to learn more.

              Finally, your overall purpose in learning should include a deep desire to give back to the world the education that it gave you. Face it, learning is fun. There is almost no greater joy to be found in this world. As the generations pass, and we each learn, our new knowledge is compounded with our experiences and the knowledge is deepened and then passed on to those who come after us. Your knowledge came partially from others before you, and so you must give back too. That is the whole grand design behind learning. David Bednar also stated that:

Perhaps President Young was such a consummate learner precisely because he was not constrained unduly by the arbitrary boundaries so often imposed through the structures and processes of formal education. He clearly learned to love learning. He clearly learned how to learn. He ultimately became a powerful disciple and teacher precisely because he first was an effective learner. (Bednar, 2)

As you learn, you will become a teacher; you will become a guide to your children, your friends, anyone around you. One leads to the other, just as day follows night. Knowledge in the world then becomes a great snowball that just keeps rolling, gaining more substance, and gaining more momentum as the time goes on. That will only happen if we allow our contributions to the world of knowledge to be made known. Give back what has been given to you, with your own little seasoning and extra, inspired ingredients added to it too. What you find is yours to keep, but don’t be selfish by keeping it back from either people too. As you share knowledge with each other, everyone will grow and discover something new. Nobody can be totally knowledgeable in everything, but everyone together can be totally knowledgeable in everything. We need each other, and we need to all help each other along.

               Education has a million purposes behind it, although I only talked about a few. That is the whole reason behind us being born here and sent on the journey of life. We cannot neglect it, and we cannot let it die within us. Give back to the world the knowledge you have obtained. Don’t just let the superficial facts clutter your mind, but learn to dig deeper to find the treasured gems. The best things in life are not easy to get. Take what you know and run with it to the next level. I don’t care what you study. Just study what you love, and learn to love what you study. If it was me, I would be spending all day in a Martial Arts school learning kicks, throws, weapons, and any other possible knowledge in that area that I could lay my hands on. If you want to learn everything about butterflies or the values of strawberry pancakes, I say “Go for it!” The world needs knowledge in all areas, not just math, science, and English. Find what you love, and make it every bit of it a part of you, and a part of the world around you.

Tara J. Howard

Copyright 2014

Believe in Yourself

Believe in Yourself

When nobody else will help you, Help yourself.

When nobody else will love you, Love yourself.

When nobody else will check up on you, Check up on Yourself.

When nobody else will be with you, Be With Yourself. 

When nobody else will believe in you,

Believe in Yourself.

That's all it takes. And eventually everyone will see the truth, and will see the goodness in you. And you will have so much more than you even had before.  

And in the hardest days of your trials, when you feel so alone, and maybe worthless. Do Not Forget! There is one person who is always there for you, who will never leave you, who will care about you when everyone else has deserted you. A Loving God who cares about all His children. He will always be there for you.

To Help You.

To Love You.

To Check Up on You.

To Be With You.

And To Believe in You. 

Always and Forever.

Tara J. Howard

~Missionary



Copyright 2014

Memories from the Mission: February 16, 2013

These are the letters I wrote home during my 18-month mission to Texas to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people there:
***************************************************

Dear Family,

P-day today!!! Even though it is only my third full day here. It seems like it's been a month already though. So much has happened. It really is an amazing place here.

On Wednesday, after you dropped me off, they took me around, checked all my info, got all my stuff (including my awesome "Sister Howard" name tag), then we took all my luggage to my room, left it there, and then I went to class. My new companion for these two weeks while I am here is Sister Piutau. She is full-blooded Tongan, and just awesome! She actually grew up in the Los Angeles area though, and hates Tongan food. We get along well.

My four other roommates have been here around five or six weeks now. They're learning Spanish, so they won't be leaving until a week or two after Sister Piutau and I leave. Only a week and half left before I head to Texas!!!

Thursday:

Since it was Valentine's Day, the MTC was decorated up a bit for it. Hearts everywhere, little quotes on the mirrors. It was fun. One really cute sign I saw said "Let's Bring the World His Love!!!"

I loved learning today. Practicing some teaching was so great too. We met with our Branch Presidency and Zone leaders today. We practiced the official invitation that we memorize to invite others to be baptized.

There is a very strong emphasis on listening to the Spirit, also on becoming truly converted ourselves first. There are a lot of little things we need to learn how to do, including responsibilites, TRC's, companion inventory, planning, etc... A TRC is when one of the teachers here pretends to be an real investigator, and we teach him, and he acts just like he would. It's interesting, because, as Brother Leah said, they are as real as you make them. You can really feel the spirit and the promptings even when just teaching a "pretend" investigator. Although sometimes (but only with us English speaking missionaries), people from outside the MTC will volunteer to be an investigator, and sometimes, they really are non-Mormons that are seeking to know about the church. So it's like we are starting already. It's so great!!!

You know, a year and half can seem so far away sometimes, but tomorrow doesn't. Even next week, or next month don't seem so far away. And when you think about it that way, a year and half just seems like way too short of a time to get to be out here in the mission field.

I finally got some pictures these last couple of days. I was going to bring them down here and get them sent to you, but, I need to find my cord first, and I just totally forgot today. Oh well! Next time. There's some cute ones already. I have some great friends here already.

Friday:

We had two 3-hour classes today. Almost back to back. We just had a zone meeting and dinner in between. At the first 3 hour class, that was our first real TRC. It went.... well, but there was so much we needed to fix. We sort of just poured the lesson down the investigator's throat, and we need to be a lot better about reading the signs, and actually finding out what his background is like first, and what sort of things he knows, what sort of things he's got questions about, etc... Especially on the first lesson. Teach them, but find out what they're looking for too, and what's on their mind. We did give him the Baptism invitation on the first lesson (we were taught that right before, and committed to do it). He told us he had already been baptized into the baptist church, and that it was a "good experience". So we discussed proper authority, and he accepted that well.

Then we had zone meeting. We started talking about the importance of prayer, and why it is so important to get an investigator to pray. If they never pray, they can never actually be converted. We're just here to hook up the phone line to God, but they have to take a hold of it themselves. If they don't, there is no way we can ever make any progress.

Then we went to dinner. The food here is interesting. Sometimes you're not quite sure what it is, but usually it's really good. I promised myself that in my lifetime, I would never eat tofu. Well, I took a bit of something that I thought was chicken in a noodle salad, and nope! It was tofu. I didn't really like it that much. But we had pizza for dinner yesterday too, so that was great.

I am loving these treats that you gave me. Any day is good with some chocolate! :)

After dinner, we had another 3-hour class. Every single one of these classes are in a tiny room, with a total of twelve of us in there. It gets really hot and stuffy sometimes. But the time passes fast, because we are learning so much, and just having a good time. We do lots of role-playing, and we are all gradually getting better and more comfortable with it all the time. We are gradually going from the phase of "the investigator has to say yes" to "the investigator isn't sure, or is hesitating" to "the investigator says outright that no, they won't". And you know, it's alright. And we're learning, and we all make mistakes and totally forget what we're going to say. But we love it, and my district is great. And we all love each other, and we're all good friends already. We sit with each other at lunch, and laugh, and have fun, and share things we have learned. It is altogether just such a great environment, and am loving every second of being here.

I have found great comfort and peace in following everything that I am asked to do with complete exactness. We study at certain times, exercise at certain times. Some girls here will just sleep in through their exercise time, and it really does make a difference. I just feel so good all the time while I am here, and it is really helping me to really remember just how much I am really worth. These investigators.... well, I just love them already. I sincerely want to help them to the truth, and to help them to see all the great things that they can have, all the blessings, and the infinite amount of happiness that can come through these teachings of Christ.

Well, my time on the computer is almost up. Since it's P-Day, we get some free time to write a few letters, and to finish up our journals, and clean, and do laundry. We also get to go to the Provo temple today!!! And I am so absolutely excited about that!!! Going to the temple with all of my friends here, is just going to be so great!!!

Oh! And I sister Hermana (Andrea) Rane here (one of my good friends from high school), as well as one of the Elder Robbins, and Hermana Holbrook (one of my favorite roommates from college), and one or two other people that I can't remember.

Life is good, and I love being here. Everyone here is just so happy, and smiling, and everyone says "Hi Sisters!!!" or "Hi Elders!!!" or "Hi Hermanas!!!" all the time.

Life can be glorious!!!! But only if we choose it to be. And only if we can be humble enough to lose our pride and selfishness, and to think of others first!!! Be good, and don't be a hypocrite!!! You cannot teach others what to do, if you are not following you own advice first!!!

Favorite scripture of the week: John 7:17.

Love to you all!!!

Sister Howard

5 Things I Stand By

1. I stand by God. I will never deny Him or His Gospel. I know what the truth is, and I will never let Him down.


2. I stand by my friends. Through life, you will find those that will always stand by you, and I will stand by them. This includes certain friends from high school, college, brothers and sisters, etc...


3. I stand by what's good and right. Integrity, patience, honor, courage, and all the other good traits that are found in earthly heroes, and especially in our Savior Jesus Christ.


4. I stand by growth. Another way of saying this is change for the better. Change is constant, but not always good. We must be consistently striving to change for the better. With that, I also believe that anybody can change and that everyone deserves another chance.


5. I stand by myself. That might sound selfish, but I know who I am, and I also know that nobody has the right to trample me down, no matter who they are. We are all different, and that's okay. We all make mistakes (big and small), and that's okay. We get back up, we brush ourselves off, and we try again. We're not always going to be perfect, great or even totally good sometimes; and that's okay. We stand by each other, we stand by ourselves, and we stand for Jesus Christ and His ability to make us better.




Tara J. Howard


Copyright October 2014

What You Can Do

It's easier to run and hide, than stand back up and fight. 
It's easier to just let go when nothing's going right.
But Jesus never did give up, and neither so shall we.
He bore the pain of weight and sins all through Gethsemane.




He's not the one who puts self-doubt into our finite minds.
He's not the one who tears us down as our short life unwinds.
The adversary wants us hurt, he wants us to just quit.
For we have everything he wants, he will have none of it.





But Christ will always try to show us what our eyes can't see.
That within our hearts, and minds, and souls is pure eternity.
There's infinite potential there, there's nothing we can't do.
And God will always tell us that, and show us how it's true.





We are His sons and daughters, all of the most high birth.
Invisible crowns grace all our heads, and proclaim our infinite worth.
So don't run and hide or ever give up; the Lord will sustain through.
He'll give you strength and power for His Glory is in You.

Tara J. Howard


Copyright October 2014

What Goes With Us When We Die?

Death is literally the separation of your spirit from your body. Your body is dead, but your spirit is still very much alive. There's not much you can take with you into the next life though, as just a spirit. Worldly things such as money, fame, cars, or houses won't have any meaning in the next world. Almost everything you see around you will be gone when you die.

A lot of people say, "Well, you can't take anything with you when you die." That's not true. There are a lot of things you can take with you when you die, and they will just naturally come with you too. Here are some of them:


1.)   Your Faith.
Alma 7:6: "... ye look forward to the remission of your sins, with an everlasting faith...."

The strength of our faith in the Savior will go with us into the next life. We are not going to suddenly die and see Him and have all the faith in the world. Faith is knowing that something is true, even though you can't see it. Faith is stronger than sight, by far.

2.)   Your Love. 

Good relationships are one of the very most important things we can develop in this life. This includes a relationship with God, our family, and others. God and His children will always be the very most important thing you can spend your time with. (see Matthew 22:36-39)





3.)   Your Education.
Doctrine and Covenants 130:18 says: "Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection."

That's a comforting feeling. Whatever knowledge, skills, and abilities I gain in this life, I will still have them when I am resurrected. The Lord has commanded us to gain an education, to learn the good things there are to learn, and to seek learning by study and also by faith. (D&C 109:14)


4.) Your Personality.
When we die, we are not just going to suddenly become some different person. Our personality, bad habits, good habits, struggles, and strengths will all go with us when we die too! (see Alma 41:10-13) So that is why it is so important in this life that we are working on those. We want to improve those now!

Some people might say, "Well, I want to live my life the way I want, I'll work on being better in the next life." No! If you have a careless disposition towards progressing and become better in this life, you will have that in the next life too. Start working on it now.


Conclusion:
Who do you want to be? What do you want to take with you when you die? Out of everything you have now, is anything going to go with you? Are you spending your time on the things in your life that truly matter most?

That is my challenge to you.
That is where true happiness lies.

The Mountain

I stand on the Mountain,
    Looking up, Looking 'round.
You're still at the bottom.
     One step up, One step down.
The view from up here,
The pathway's so clear,
     But you cannot see which way to go.


I'm looking at you.
     You're my friend, take my hand.
I traveled this pathway,
     So can you, follow through.
I know you can't see,
Everything you can be,
     Just trust me and follow my lead.


I stand on the mountain,
With heaven's gates wide open,
     But heaven wouldn't be here if you weren't here too.
I've already come to the top,
But I'm more alone than I thought.
     I turn around, come back down.
     Take your hand, you're my friend.
Let's go together back to God.




We all find God in different ways.
     We all climb that mountain
     On such different days.
But when we get to the top,
And see the path that we trod,
     We must go back down,
     And help others get there now.


Tara J. Howard



Joel 2:1
2 Nephi 12:2



© September 21, 2014

The Country Princess

A young girl born then, and raised quite wild,
Running 'round barefoot and free.
Her hair always tangled, her clothes ripped and dirty,
From climbing around tree to tree.

Her parents may have tried to raise her up proper,
To a beautiful, young lady with grace.
But to the unloving eye and the world’s hateful heart,
She was nothing less than a disgrace.



But in her heart she knew she was someone special,
Her mind was so different from others.
Her spirit was kind, she could talk to the wind,
She saw life in its all different colors.

When a painter came by looking for all life’s beauty,
To paint underneath golden skies.
He may have passed by her, not really seeing,
If not for the light in her eyes.



“Here sits a girl who prefers to be wild,
Than captive to a mean, hateful world.
Though she is the kindest, most innocent treasure,
The world all looks down on this girl.

The princess inside her is clear to be seen,
The golden crown shines brightly through.
A portrait of her I will paint if she lets me,
And sell it for a million or two.

Though sitting there quietly, in the breath of the country,
And muddy with feet in the lake.
The beauty inside her of her loving heart,
Is the portrait I wish I could take."

A princess is never the dress and the kingdom,
The fancy, the crown, or the trinkets.
It’s the love and the kindness, the magic and brightness,
All I saw in The Country Princess.



Tara J. Howard

Copyright September 2014

Virtue and Strength

From the time we are children, we all have fears. There are things that every one of us is afraid of, and probably one or more things that each of us is afraid of more than almost anything else. Such as a fear of public speaking, or a fear of stepping outside our limits of comfort.

Babies and young children do not have these fears though. Fear is something we learn as we grow older. Fear is not of God, it is of the devil. We learn that in 2^nd Timothy 1:7 which says: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Only good things can come from God. Trust and love, Strength and Courage, those are what come from God. Not fear.

One of Satan’s greatest tools is fear. This is a time of fear for much of the world. It is a time when the world is taking absolutely a million directions all at once, and we may not always be sure where our country will stand from one day to the next. We must be strong enough to stay on the right path. Sometimes we are weak, and we desire things that cannot be our own. Sometimes we stray, but we are blessed to always know right where that path is again once we start seeking to have it back in our lives.

None of us has always been perfectly faithful to God. Sometimes the temptations get to us. But God is always faithful to us and will always be there for us; in the good times, and in the bad.

With the change to the missionary age requirements, I found myself placed in a situation that I did not think would happen for a couple more years. I am still just nineteen. I have always been desirous to serve a mission, although I did not expect it so soon, and it was still something that had to be carefully thought over. This was one of the few decisions in my life that felt absolutely completely right though. So I am headed out, and really, it is a big deal, and very important. It is not an easy decision, nor is it an easy task. It’s not meant to be.

The world is falling to pieces in so many different directions. There are people everywhere that are suffering just horribly, whether through fault of their own, or through the fault of another. Sometimes our pride or our fear causes us to do things that we would not originally do. Sometimes we are afraid that we are never going to be good enough, sometimes we are afraid that maybe nobody could ever love us like we might want, and sometimes we might just be afraid of the challenges of the future that we have already seen before us.

But This is a time for us to be Strong! This is not a time for us to back down. God has called us to be soldiers in the Army of God, bearing up the armor of righteousness. The world is a scary place. People get killed hurt, or tortured in some way every day. But we do not need to be afraid. When we are filled with the Light of Christ, darkness cannot enter. The Holy Ghost comes upon us, and we are made strong.

God is near us at all times. We do not need to be afraid, although we all have weaknesses of human nature. If we trust in Him, He can make our weaknesses into our strengths. Ether 12:27 says: “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”

There is nothing wrong with having struggles. There is nothing wrong with being afraid sometimes. We are all human. All of us have our greatest fears. But God is patient and will help us to overcome those fears, no matter how long it might take; Years, a lifetime, or even longer.

When I think of Strength, I often think of Alma. Alma: the Father of Alma the Younger. Alma was a priest in the court of the wicked King Noah. Alma had everything that he could possibly want. His position was, perhaps, envied by many. But when he heard the words of Abinadi, he knew them to be true. He could feel it inside of himself. He had the guts to turn his back on everything that he had previously known and go and believe the words of a prophet that his people had burned to death. He gave up his life of luxury, and took on a life of hardship, and of being hunted by the very people that he used to call friends. But he did it all for the right reasons. He did it all for God. He understood the greater importance of the things of God, and he was not afraid.

In the Bible, God commanded Joshua to, “… Be Strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: For the Lord they God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

As a church, we are still persecuted by the world. We always have been. Each of us that goes out stands as an example to the world. We are all examples to the world at all times. Sometimes you may never know who all is watching you. Sometimes you may not know just how much damage you could cause. You also may never know just how much good you can do for someone as well. So be careful, and always just assume the best of others. Judge only righteous judgments.

Do not speak badly of others. Do not think badly of others. Even if you think that what you see and what you have been told about them are just “facts”, you still do not know the whole truth, so do not act like you do. None of us has the right to speak badly about Anyone. None of us. We must be stronger than that. I would rather think good of a million people and be wrong than to think badly of one person, and then find out I was wrong about that.

Of course, none of us are perfectly good at any of this. But we struggle, and we try. Sometimes we snap and sometimes we lose our tempers. When there are two sides to a heated argument, both are wrong, for the anger that has filled their hearts. That is when we must be humble enough to apologize. Even if we feel that we were not wrong at all.

We all have the ability to judge for ourselves what is right, and what is wrong. The Holy Ghost will guide us. The Laws of Heaven are unchangeable and cannot be determined by a vote. We do not decide what is right and what is wrong, we are simply taught it, and then given the agency to choose for ourselves whether or not we decide to follow it. We cannot, however, ever force somebody else to follow it either.

I know the importance of standing up for what’s right. Edmund Burke once said that, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” We must stand up against wrongs and make our position known. However, it is also extremely essential that we realize the importance of standing up in the right way. If it is just going to be a fight, and there will be absolutely no progress made, do not participate. Missionaries are instructed not to participate in any sort of scriptural battle. Nobody can learn that way, for the Spirit cannot be present.

Fights, and anger, and bashing drive away the Spirit. God will hold us just as accountable if we go around condemning people when we have absolutely no authority to do so. All we can do is teach them, if they will listen; as well as be a really good example of the truths that we are trying to teach to them.

We don’t have to be afraid. God is our strength, and through Him, we can do all things

What is Strength though? And how might we obtain it?

In Mark 5 there is found a story of a woman that had an issue of the blood. She had great faith in God and in Jesus Christ. She knew that if she could just touch the border of His clothing, that she would be healed. When He passed her, she reached out and touched her hand to His clothes, and she was healed. It was her faith that caused her to be healed. The interesting part of this story is in verse 30 where it says: “And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?”

Virtue is often generally defined as purity and cleanliness. But there is another definition that is sometimes overlooked. It is no coincidence that in Greek, that same word actually means Power, and Strength. Our cleanliness and our purity is our strength and our power.

Cleanliness doesn’t have to mean that you have been totally and perfectly clean all the time. Anything that is unclean can become clean once again. It’s not always easy, but it is always, Always worth it. Once sins are fully repented of, they are forgiven, forgotten, washed clean, and they do not ever have to hurt you again. Also, do not let other people’s past flaws be your excuse for continuing to cause them pain. People change. They change every day.

I believe that people are inherently good. We are all sons and daughters of the Most High God. He is the Father of our Spirits, all of our Spirits, not just some. God is good, and there is absolutely no evil in Him. If we came from Him, we could not possibly be automatically evil. All any of us wants is just to be happy. And while certain things may bring temporary pleasure to us, we know the path to true happiness. It is by clothing ourselves in righteousness and seeking after the things of God.

It is a slow process sometimes, but one very much worth every step of time that it takes. Each of us has some things that we must learn to overcome. Don’t be judgmental of anybody that is struggling. Help others. Don’t hinder them. I speak of no one in particular, but just in general. If we cannot be good enough to help those that are in need, and instead just go around telling other people of their flaws or the things that they are struggling with, how do you think we will be treated when we stand in need of their help? How do you think we will feel when we stand before God and need His mercy? Do not judge, or do any form of it. God has said: “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?” That is from Matthew 7: 1-3. We need to be better than that. Accusations and back-biting are only signs of immense pride in a person.

To close, I would just like to finish off with one more scripture. It is in Doctrine and Covenants 121, verse 45, and it reads: “Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.”

We don’t need to be afraid. God is always with us, in everything that we do. But we must seek for Him, for He cannot come into our lives until we let Him.

God is my Father, and I know that I can do anything through the strength that He gives me. Jesus Christ is His Son, and my brother. Christ suffered so that I don’t have to. Life is a process and a never-ending journey to happiness. Live your life, and be Strong.

I believe in this Gospel with all of my heart, and I am so excited to have this great opportunity to be able to go out into the world and preach the Gospel to all those who will listen. I know that God will guide us, and that nothing can stop the work from going forward. There is nothing better than to be a servant of the Lord, going forth to share the fullness of the Gospel, knowing of the happiness that it will bring to all those that will come unto Christ.

I believe in God the Father. I know that God has sent us to the Earth to progress and to grow, and that He will be with us in all that we do. I believe in revelation through God’s prophets, as well as personal revelation to each of us.

I know the scriptures to be true as well. 

Tara J. Howard

Written February 2013

Copyright September 2014

God is Our Loving Heavenly Father

In 1842, when Joseph Smith Jr. was the Prophet of the Church, there were many members of the church living in New Hampshire. Mr. George Barstow was writing the history of New Hampshire, and he wanted to include a part about the “Mormons” in it. His friend, Mr. Wentworth, contacted Joseph and asked him about the church and its basic beliefs. The letter he received in reply contained thirteen statements of belief that have come to be known as the “Articles of Faith”.

The very first article of faith teaches us about the Godhead. It states, “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” (*1) They are three separate and distinct beings, but they are working together for the same purpose. That is, “… to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (*2)

That is everything that they are working for, and their whole purpose in doing what they are doing. Why does God care so much about us? Why is He so concerned about having us come back to live with Him again?

It is simply because we are His children, and He loves us. He loves each of us deeply, and He wants us to return to be with Him again. (*3)

 Acts 17:29 says: “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.”

This teaches us some things about us, and also some things about God. We are the offspring of God. He is the Father of our Spirits. (*4) We were created in His image. (*5)

What does that tell us about who we are? It means we are the children of God, and that one day, we can become like Him. Elder Donald L. Hallstrom of the Presidency of the Seventy said, “… we meet in this priesthood meeting because who we are is not who we can become…. We meet with the confidence that His atonement gives every one of us… the ability to change….” (*6)

Now what does that tell us about God? It is a well-known fact that when a person, or an animal, or any creature has an offspring, that offspring is going to look a whole lot like them. They will not birth a different creature entirely. That defies all logic, and all laws of nature. As well, that offspring that they have will grow up to become a whole lot like them too.

We look a whole lot like God. He is a real being with a body that looks like ours. We are a lot like Him, except for one major difference. That is, He is perfect, and we are not. We are striving to become perfect though.  Christ said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (*7)

http://www.mormon.org/faq/topic/heavenly-father/question/nature-of-god

“God is not only our Ruler and Creator; He is also our Heavenly Father. All men and women are literally the sons and daughters of God. “Man, as a spirit, was begotten and born of heavenly parents, and reared to maturity in the eternal mansions of the Father, prior to coming upon the earth in a temporal [physical] body” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 335).

Every person who was ever born on earth is our spirit brother or sister. Because we are the spirit children of God, we have inherited the potential to develop His divine qualities. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can become like our Heavenly Father and receive a fulness of joy.”

“Our Heavenly Father knew we could not progress beyond a certain point unless we left Him for a time. He wanted us to develop the godlike qualities that He has. To do this, we needed to leave our premortal home to be tested and to gain experience. Our spirits needed to be clothes with physical bodies. We would need to leave our physical bodies at death and reunite with them in the Resurrection. Then we would receive immortal bodies like that of our Heavenly Father. If we passed our tests, we would receive the fullness of joy that our Heavenly Father has received. (See D&C 93:30-34)” (*8)

Sources:

*1: Articles of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, https://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp/a-of-f/1?lang=eng

*2: Moses 1:39

*3: Romans 8:16-17, 38-39

*4: Hebrews 12:9

*5: Genesis 1:26-27

*6: Elder Donald L. Hallstrom, “What Manner of Men?”, April 2014 General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

*7: Matthew 5:48

*8: “Gospel Principle”, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Chapter 2