In these colors:

A few blocks per month over the course of a year…I should be able to handle it, right?

Implementation:

What do you think?

 One of these days I guess we’d better figure out exactly how many there are in Utah…

I’m currently preparing a lesson on change…specifically experiencing a change of heart (see Alma 5:14).   I love these words from Elder Christofferson in an article in this month’s Ensign.  (Read the complete text here).

“Luke records that one of the Lord’s disciples asked Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1). Jesus then gave a pattern for prayer that has become known as the Lord’s Prayer (see Luke 11:2–4; see also Matthew 6:9–13).

Included in the Lord’s Prayer is the petition “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11; see also Luke 11:3). We all have needs each day for which we turn to our Heavenly Father. For some, it is quite literally bread—that is, the food needed to sustain life that day. It could also be spiritual and physical strength to deal with one more day of chronic illness or a painfully slow rehabilitation. In other cases it may be a less tangible need, such as something related to one’s obligations or activities that day—teaching a lesson or taking a test, for example.

Jesus teaches us, His disciples, that we should look to God each day for the bread—the help and sustenance—we require that particular day. The Lord’s invitation to seek our daily bread at our Heavenly Father’s hand speaks of a loving God, aware of even the small, daily needs of His children and eager to assist them, one by one. He is saying that we can ask in faith of that Being “that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given” (James 1:5). That is, of course, tremendously reassuring, but there is something at work here that is more significant than just help in getting by day to day. As we seek and receive divine bread daily, our faith and trust in God and His Son grow.

Asking for and receiving daily bread at God’s hand plays a vital part in learning to trust Him and in enduring life’s challenges. We also need a daily portion of divine bread to become what we must become. To repent, improve, and eventually reach “the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13) is a step-by-step process. Incorporating new and wholesome habits into our character or overcoming bad habits or addictions often means an effort today followed by another tomorrow and then another, perhaps for many days, even months and years, until we achieve victory. But we can do it because we can appeal to God for our daily bread, for the help we need each day.

President N. Eldon Tanner (1898–1982), First Counselor in the First Presidency, said: “As we reflect on the value of resolving to do better, let us determine to discipline ourselves to carefully select the resolutions we make, to consider the purpose for making them, and finally to make commitments for keeping them and not letting any obstacle stop us. Let us remind ourselves at the beginning of each day that we can keep a resolution just for that day.”¹

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles recently taught that consistency in simple daily practices such as family prayer, scripture study, and home evening is crucial in building successful families. “Our consistency in doing seemingly small things,” he said, “can lead to significant spiritual results.”²

President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994), speaking of repentance, gave this counsel: “We must be careful, as we seek to become more and more [Christlike], that we do not become discouraged and lose hope. Becoming Christlike is a lifetime pursuit and very often involves growth and change that is slow, almost imperceptible.”

I thought this was great “food for thought” at the beginning of a New Year!  (Have you made your New Year’s Resolutions yet? ……)

This year, our bishop challenged us to memorize “The Living Christ:  The Testimony of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.”  I just finished a couple of weeks ago.  I have read, studied, memorized, and reflected upon these words throughout the year and it has been an amazing experience!  My testimony of Christ and a deep and abiding love for Him have grown month by month. 

Now that I have committed them to memory, I find these words running through my mind daily, in many different situations.  Phrases like “None other has had so profound an influence upon ALL who have lived and will yet live upon the earth,” “He entreated ALL to follow His example,” “He gave His life to atone for the sins of ALL mankind,” “His was a great vicarious gift in behalf of ALL who would ever live upon the earth,” and “His life, which was central to ALL human history” have taught me that no one is excluded. His example, his teachings, and his atonement are meant for EVERYONE, no matter who they are or when or where they live.  As I have pondered the words “He walked the roads of Palestine, healing the sick, causing the blind to see, and raising the dead,” I have been moved as I have received a witness that he has the power to heal us even today…not only from our physical ailments, but also from our spiritual infirmities.  Contemplating Joseph Smith’s description of the sound of the Savior’s voice as “the sound of the rushing of great waters,” led me to try to define what the Savior’s voice sounds like to me.  His voice has guided and directed me in many ways as I have focused on recognizing and heeding it.  Thinking about the phrase “every knee shall bend and every tongue shall speak in worship before him” has encouraged me to look forward to the Second Coming of Christ, when all the world will recognize His goodness and great glory.  The words “He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world” evoke feelings of overwhelming peace and joy within my soul.

I would like to add my testimony to the witness of the apostles that Jesus IS the Living Christ.  I love Him beyond description, and more important, I feel His infinite love for me.  This inspired document concludes with sublime words of gratitude: “God be thanked for the matchless gift of His Divine Son.”  I would also like to express my gratitude for this matchless gift.  I have really come to more fully understand the depth and meaning that this gift holds for me.  I don’t ever want to let go of the love, peace, and joy that have filled my heart as I have given focused attention to the Savior of the World this year.