Category: Christian

A Perfect Brightness of Hope

Welcome to the pointing toward hope podcast/blog.  I am Wendy Bertagnolli, your host for today. If this is your first time joining, welcome!  I hope you can find a little bit of joy and healing as you listen and hear the stories of others who have overcome and found joy and healing in their lives.  We believe that it is through our hope and faith in Jesus Christ that we can overcome the many trials and challenges of our day. If you have a personal story to share that you feel may help others to be able to find the light again, please reach out to me.  I would love to have you on the show.

I’ll start today off by sharing a quote from President Russell M. Nelson, it reads:  

We have never needed positive spiritual momentum more than we do now, to counteract the speed with which evil and the darker signs of the times are intensifying. Positive spiritual momentum will keep us moving forward amid the fear and uncertainty created by pandemics, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and armed hostilities. Spiritual momentum can help us withstand the relentless, wicked attacks of the adversary and thwart his efforts to erode our personal spiritual foundation. 

~President Russell M. Nelson~

This was a talk he gave back in April of 2022 called spiritual momentum

Being caught in an attack by the adversary to erode our personal spiritual foundation can happen to anyone!  Even the most stalwart people can sometimes find themselves in situations where the light of Christ is not burning as brightly in their life as it once was.  

There can be so many reasons for this, grief, loss, miscarriage, lies, threats, surgery, pain, mistakes, death, betrayal, and so many more.

So How can we protect ourselves against the fiery darts of the adversary that are ever increasing in these days and times? I don’t have all the answers for sure.  But I wanted to talk today about a few habits that we can work on that will help us withstand these relentless attacks of the adversary.  Our world is certainly in the throws of darkness, rocking too and fro, knowing not which way to turn.  I pray that we can be strong and immovable when it comes to fighting the battles that will come our way.  And that we will not be moved in our desire to be a beacon of light in an ever darkening world.

And we can do that with the help of our Savior and by practicing some good solid spiritual habits. These habits will improve our abilitly to withstand all that we have been asked to face in the rough and unexpected times in our lives when we may feel less than stellar.

The first habit, and arguabley the most important, that I want to talk about comes from a talk given by Peter M. Johnson from the October 2019 General Conference.  This is one of my all time favorite talks.  I’ve mentioned it upon occasion here but it seems as though it is becoming an even more important warning as years go on.  He states:  

You are elect sons and daughters of God. You have the power to overcome the adversary. The adversary, however, is aware of who you are. He knows of your divine heritage and seeks to limit your earthly and heavenly potential by using the three Ds:

  • Deception
  • Distraction
  • Discouragement

Unfortunately, this is becoming more and more common among our Christian brothers and sisters.  Whether in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter day saints or other churches.  Everyday, I see my friends being led away by the wiles of the adversary.  And it usually happens slowly.  I begin to see small differences in them and in their posts on social media.  Then suddenly they declare that they no longer have a testimony, and at times, exclaim that there is no God.  It breaks my heart, because I was once there.  

I remember many days defending myself and saying that I was happier than I ever remember being.  And the key word there is “remember”.  Such an important word that has great meaning. It is stressed over and over again in the Book of Mormon and the Bible. And as we know, the opposition can take something that is meant to be good, and twist it and turn it to meet his agenda.  And I believe that he has a way of seeing that we don’t remember the joy that the Gospel and our Lord Jesus Chrits bring us by exposing us to distractions.  Hitting us with discouragement.  And working in mischievous ways to deceive us.  

 In Heleman 5:12 Nephi remembers the words that his father Heleman had spoken to them saying:

And now my sons, remember, remember,that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ the Son of God, that ye must build your foundations; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea when all his hail and mighty storms shall beat upon you it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built which is a sure foundation; a foundation wheron if men build they can not fall.

And in verse 14 it says:  And they did remember his words, and therefore went forth, keeping the commandments of God….

In 2016, my husband, Joe, was baptized a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  And I remember that during the time that we were having discussions and messages given to us by the missionaries, we felt the spirit of the holy ghost regularly.  We would always be so happy after their visits and felt such peace, even though we were going through some really difficult things at the time.  

I started to go to the temple once a week because I was in a position that I could, even though our temple is 45 minutes from our home.  It usually would take half of a day.  But I could definitely feel the power that renewing my temple covenants each week brought into our lives.  

So many blessings would come right after or even during my sessions at the temple.  To the point that we could not deny it.  Do I still go once a week?  I’m sad to say that I do not make it every week. I’ve found it really difficult to get back into that habit since the pandemic.

I think it’s really easy to forget the added strength that regular attendance at the temple brings into our life.  It is meant to help sustain us in these latter days as things begin to get even harder, and as the veil gets thinner.  We need to remember and practice keeping the commandments.  The cloak of darkness gets heavier when we are distracted or deceived by the adversary.  It gets harder and harder for us to get back on track. Soon we find ourselves living and acting in ways that we never would have believed previously.

Distractions are hitting us from every angle. And things happen daily that can make us feel great discouragement. We must REMEMBER the words of our prophet and leaders if we are to make it through the mud and the muck that we face each day. We recently had another amazing General Conference.  Hearing from our prophet and leaders can be so uplifting and help us to stay the course or switch courses if needed.  It helps us to remain vigilant in these tumultuous times.

In Peter Johnson’s talk he states: 

In our day, there are many distractions, including Twitter, Facebook, virtual reality games, and much more. These technological advances are amazing, but if we are not careful, they can distract us from fulfilling our divine potential. Using them appropriately can bring forth the power of heaven and allow us to witness miracles as we seek to gather scattered Israel on both sides of the veil.

Let us be careful and not casual in our use of technology. Continually seek for ways that technology can draw us closer to the Savior and allow us to accomplish His work as we prepare for His Second Coming.

I have a dear friend that uses Facebook to share positive uplifting quotes daily.  I know it is not an easy task to do this every single day.  But she is diligent.  And in so doing, she strengthens herself as well as many others who see her posts every day.

If we look for good uplifting content in our social media time, it can be a time of upliftment and fulfillment.  But if we get caught up going down the rabbit hole of despair and discouragement it can completely change our day and at some point, if we continue this practice, it can change the trajectory of our lives.  

You may think that could never happen to you.  But, believe me when I say, it happens  so slowly that soon you don’t even realize how the adversary is essentially coaxing you into this deep abyss.  Either you find yourself depressed and discouraged over the state of things.  Or Angry and bitter.  Both of which do not come from the marvelous light of the Savior.

So how do we avoid these things?  Well, some of the ways that I have learned on my own journey, include;

  • Removing Distractions
  • Journaling
  • Sharing your light by serving others
  • Remembering your worth

Of course the main things that we can do and always should be doing to remain close to our Savior and his marvelous light are: Personal Prayer and scripture study, fasting, attending the temple, and weekly partaking of the Lord’s sacrament.  However, I’m not going to talk about those today.  However, I don’t want you to foget how important those 4 things are.  When I look back at my time away from the church and my Savior, these are some of the things that I can pinpoint that I had neglected and that, I feel, led me down the path that I was on.  So please remember to participate in those habits regularly so that Satan has no room to send thoughts and ideas into your mind.

We’ve already discussed distractions, so let’s move on to journaling.

Journaling has become such a huge part of my personal striving to be close to the Savior and to never stray again.  I find it so soothing and therapeautic to write my thoughts, hopes and dreams, on paper.  Whether it’s a gratitude journal, a prayer journal or daily thoughts, journals can really help us to learn more about ourselves and keep us growing toward a closer relationship with our Maker.  

President Henry B. Eyring in a talk that he gave in October 2007 General Conference called O remember, remember, he told a story about how he began Journaling.  I’m not going to share it all because it is long and definitely worth going to check out.  But speaking of his experience, he says this:

I wrote down a few lines every day for years. I never missed a day no matter how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day. Before I would write, I would ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?” As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done.

More than gratitude began to grow in my heart. Testimony grew. I became ever more certain that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I felt more gratitude for the softening and refining that come because of the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ. And I grew more confident that the Holy Ghost can bring all things to our remembrance—even things we did not notice or pay attention to when they happened.

It is so important for us to remember certain events in our lives.  I love How President Eyring shared the question that prompted his own journaling each day.  We can each find a way that journaling can work for us.  I can not tell you how many times I have gone back through my journals to read of specific experiences.  It has helped me to remember the important and not so important moments that have helped strengthen me, and build and grow my testimony.  I highly encourage you to start today.  Even if you don’t have time to do it daily, start with once a week.  You will be amazed by how much writing of your experiences will help you to grow and keep you safe from the attempts of the adversary to sidetrack us from our spiritual journey.

The third practice that I encourage you to take on is serving others more diligently.  Listen to those little promptings from the spirit that whisper someone’s name and don’t wait.  Immediately text or call them.  Make up a little care package or take them a treat or dinner.  In my experience both when being served and while serving others, I have seen lives change. I think it was Marjorie Pay Hinckley that said “Never suppress a generous thought”.  All of those good and positive thoughts come from the marvelous light of our Savior.  And it is for their benefit as well as our own.  We can strengthen our own testimonies as well as help others by reaching out in service and taking every opportunity to help someone in need.  Even if they are not in need, everyone loves to be remembered and thought of.  You can literally make someone’s day brighter by just remembering them and letting them know it!

One experience that I had happened fairly recently.  I had a thought come to mind to reach out to a friend that I hadn’t talked to for a few weeks.  She responded telling me how she had been ill for several days.  I immediately offered to help which she denied saying she was fine.  But I didn’t relent.  I said,”I’m bringing you lunch, what sounds good?” She replied that she hadn’t eaten anything in a day and half and that she really was hungry. I took her order and immediately went and picked it up and dropped it at her door.  She was ill, so I didn’t dare expose myself, but I texted her and let her know it was at her front door.  A few hours later she texted and told me how much that had meant to her and how good the food had tasted and she had enjoyed every last bite.  

I remember feeling so blessed that I had been prompted to reach out.  The food tasted so good to her, but the feeling that I had for having blessed her that day, I think was better than any food could taste.

We were meant to be here for one another.  The Lord did not put us in this life to be alone.  Remember the great commandment Love one another as I have loved you! If you will look outside of yourself and help someone in need, I promise you that you will be strengthened, uplifted and better able to fight off the adversary.

And finally Remember your worth! 

In D&C section 82:10, we read:  Remember! The worth of Souls is great in the sight of God.

There’s that word again.  Oh how the Lord wants us to remember who we are!  How divine and infinite we are in His sight. 

In Sister Tamara W. Runia’s talk this past conference she said:, “Your worth is constant; it never changes. It was given to you by God, and there’s nothing you or anyone else can do to change it. Obedience brings blessings; that is true. But worth isn’t one of them. Your worth is always “great in the sight of God,” no matter where your decisions have taken you.”

In today’s world the adversary would have us believe that our worth is tied to certain things like successes or the perfect job, or by the shape of our bodies, or how many followers we have.  He wants us to believe that all those perfect photos that we see on social media are real life.  And if we don’t have that kind of life then we have no worth. He deceives us by spreading the lie that our worth is conditional, based upon what we do or believe. He covers our eyes with shiny distracting objects and lures us away into temptation.

Dont’ you believe it!

In the book of Mormon a father has a dream or vision where he sees mists of darkness leading people away from the word of God left wandering in unfamiliar paths.  I think of this story so often.  Because it seems that this vision is taking place at a rapid pace.

In 1 Nephi 12:17 And the mists of darkness are the temptations of the devil, which blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost.

The Lord has said over and over that He loves us and that he will never forsake us!

In Hebrews 13:5 we read:  for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

You are worth fighting for, my friends! Don’t believe the lies that Satan spreads.  We are daughters and sons of the King!  No one can take that away from us! In the darkest night and on our worst day, He still loves us! When we mess up and make mistakes, He still loves us.  When we are struggling and fighting trials, He still loves us. And when we have good days and major wins, He cheers for us and still loves us! 

Please don’t let Satan’s deceptions, discouragement, distractions, and lies cheat you out of your eternal destiny!  Oh Remember, please remember how precious you are in His sight! Hold your head high and keep pressing forward.  Look to the perfect brightness of hope that He promised us! I can testify that He is our anchor when things get rough, that we can look to Him for refuge in our difficult times.  He loves us so much and wants us to return to Him!  I know the Savior loves you my friends, and I do too! And I pray that you will believe Him!

That’s it for today, my friends!  Please like and share and if you feel moved, please give the podcast a positive review.  It really helps us to be found among all the other content out there!  Have a great week!

Even When you can’t feel Him, He’s there with McKenna Monson

This week’s episode is so good. My good friend, Mckenna, will share with you her experiences with her mental health and paralyzing anxiety. You can listen below or on your favorite podcast platform.

When In Doubt, Turn to the Lord

And I have been waiting 2 years to interview this special guest today.  It was 2 years ago almost to the day that I started this podcast and when I started it, I was particularly focused on the mental health part of it, because that is just such a huge part of my life and my mission, I believe, to help people who may be struggling or know or love someone who is.  And so I had wanted to have the perspective of my biggest supporter to give his side of the story and had planned to do so back then but he just wasn’t ready at that point because having someone you love go through something like we did is really quite traumatic and it just wasn’t the right time.  

Fast forward a couple of years, as you may have guessed the person that I am talking about is my husband, Joe.  And instead of talking about being the supporter, I asked him if he would share his side of that, but also his conversion story of how he came to know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is indeed the restored gospel of Jesus Christ on the Earth today.  And he agreed.  So this podcast is a tad bit longer than most but I think it will be worth your time.  And we had so much fun putting it together and reminiscing that we decided together that we would love to share other couple’s stories of  conversion if there is anyone who would like to share.  The good news of the gospel needs to be felt and shared more in today’s world and we would love to be a part of making that happen.  If anyone is interested, please contact us.  We would love to have you share your story with the world. 

Go here to listen to the interview and Joe’s conversion story.

Let it Refine You

Well hey everyone!  It’s good to be back.  I planned on taking a little break but it just ended up being a little longer than planned.  But that’s ok, because that’s kind of how life is right?  We think we have it all figured out or we have a plan and then the Lord comes in and says, “nope, I’ve got something else prepared for you…it’s going to be hard but it’s something better.”  

And that’s kind of how I feel about this whole past year.  I was looking back recently at some of the goals that I set for myself at the beginning of the year and I am nowhere near where I thought I would be because of the circumstances that I went through in the beginning months of this year.  And you know what?  I am not even unhappy about it!

 I feel like I am in such a better place than what I would have been.  I don’t know for sure, I mean my situation today would certainly look different than it does.  But I can most assuredly tell you that I see the hand of the Lord working in and over my life in so many ways as I look back and as I see things unfolding before me looking forward.

It’s a marvelous thing to have the spirit of the Lord guiding and directing you as you go.  But in that, there is a lot of ongoing work that has to take place to get to that point.

 As you may have guessed from the title I’m going to talk just a little bit about the refining process that we go through when faced with trials, challenges, adversity, etc. And how we can gain the inner strength to let them be a refining process rather than a defining process. 

It is the 50th episode!!!  YAY!!!! I felt like I should definitely lean in to what we are all about here at “pointing toward hope”.  And I feel like the pieces for this episode have kind of been collecting over the last several days as I have had mini moments of inspiration when things that I heard or read or dreamt just sunk in.  So I am going to try to collect all of those things and hopefully organize them into something that will be meaningful and impactful for you as you listen today.

I found a great talk By Ellen W. Smoot from April 2002 General Conference talk Called Developing Inner Strength.  I will be referring to that  throughout this podcast and will link it in the notes.  I loved this question she posed.  “How do you and I become so converted to the truth, so full of faith, so dependent on God that we are able to meet trials and even be strengthened by them?”

That just got me thinking about how we sometimes tend to lean into our trials more, then lean into the Lord. If that makes sense.

For example, we might tend to say this is just who I am, this is how it’s always gonna be and there isn’t a thing that I can do about it.  So in my situation instead of saying I HAVE bipolar, it becomes I AM bipolar.  Which is a totally false statement.  

Do you see the difference? To say I AM something… is basically removing the possibility that I can change it from something that defines me. Just changing that one word or that one negative feeling, can allow me to turn it into something that refines me and grows me as a person if I let it.  

From my standpoint, having Bipolar is definitely not something I enjoy. But it’s definitely not who I AM either.  Changing my view of it has allowed me to turn something that has such a negative connotation into something of a miracle.

When YOU do this, then you can see the opportunity in the trial to make it into something miraclous. Something that will strengthen you from the inside to the outside.

Personally, I have worked really hard to take that feeling of being defined by my trial to being strengthened by and through it. I’ve tried to turn it into something positive that I can learn and grow from rather than feeling defeated by it. Which is not easy at all!  To be honest, somedays it just downright stinks and I do feel totally defeated by it. There are just so many negative feelings that surround it.  

I don’t think that I’m alone in that, when it comes to trials or adversity.  There are a lot of situations where negative feelings and thinking take place. Thinking that you are defined by your trial, can happen with a lot of different types of experiences that we go through. 

There are so many big traumatic parts of your life for sure!  I am not diminishing those experiences in any way!  

However, I feel like our tendency as human beings having an Earthly experience, we do tend to want to let those things define us or maybe we tend to look at them with negative thoughts and feelings. Like this is how other people define me or describe me.

I mean I could fall into that category very easily by letting those labels that are thrown around so lightly, be overwhelming and  defeating.  But I have gotten to the point where when someone says something like, “So and so is so dramatic and does this and this and this, they are definitely Bipolar”.  I can blow that off.  It always stings a little and sometimes I want to get defensive about it.  But I’ve learned that I can’t take things like that personally.  And you have to understand that when someone says something hurtful in a situation like that, they probably don’t have any idea that you were hurt.  So why make yourself a victim over it?

Anyway, I kind of got sidetracked there for a little bit but I want you to just take a second and think about some of the things in your life that you see as negative experiences or trials.  Maybe it’s not a sickness or illnes. Maybe it’s something that happened when you were a child, a mistake you made, or something that happened unexpectedly that has changed your life immensely.  We’ve all experienced that in the last two years haven’t we?  

The point I’m trying to get at is, can we try to see ourselves and our trials as a growing, learning, refining process? Think of it as being purified and polished just as a piece of metal when it’s being molded? And I’ll talk a bit more about that in a minute.

Recently, there was a brilliant woman that gave a talk in my church.  And I think her talk was what kind of started the ball rolling for me.  She gave so many good nuggets of wisdom.  Her topic was having gratitude through adversity.  That kind of sounds like an oxymoron, right?  I mean how do you have gratitude when you’re going through really difficult situations? 

While I was listening to her speak (it was a phenomenal talk btw) I kept having a thought run through my mind that I’d heard someone say on a podcast that I listen to.  “Sometimes the miracle is IN the tragedy”.  I don’t know why I was thinking that specific thought, but maybe it was because when we are going through something, anything really, if we try to look at it from a different perspective (which is what I think having gratitude in adversity means), then the whole experience can become a beautiful miracle.

At the end of this woman’s talk she said one thing that I have talked about before here on the podcast. And if you weren’t paying attention to her talk then you would have missed it.  She said, when it comes to hard things and being grateful for them, think of them as refining you, NOT defining you!  And even though I’ve said it myself many times, the way she paired it with gratitude just made me look at it from a little different perspective.  

There is a video that I have watched and I’ll try to link it if I can find it again.  About the process that a Blacksmith goes through when refining metal.  I’m not sure if you are familiar with the process but let me just explain somewhat. It is a long and grueling process that requires intense heat and repeated hammering. A refiner is really good at knowing when the fire is hot enough but not too hot!  And you also have to use fire and water, and you need to know how to use both of them together.  And the reason is because the Blacksmith (or the refiner) needs to be able to bend and mold that piece of metal into something completely different.  Free from impurities and something polished and beautiful.

Nobody wants to go through a refining process, right?  I mean it is super intense.  But in this process from what I understand the refiner is right there the whole time.  He is completely in the entire process.  The metal can not be left alone.  There are certain things that need to happen at certain times.  And you love this because in Isaiah, he teaches us about what our refiner, meaning Jesus Christ is like, when he says this in 

Chapter 43:1-3  1 But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob (insert your name), and he that formed thee, O Israel (insert your name), Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

3 For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour…

So He’s basically saying, Don’t you worry, I am going to be here every step of the way.  I love you and I’m not going to leave you!

Is’nt that just so cool?  He knows when the water comes and you feel like you’re drowning, He’s gonna be there!  He knows when you feel like you are walking through fire and the heat is too intense and you want to give up, He’s gonna be there!

He is our refiner.  

So I want you to remember that process as we talk about a couple of other mini moments of inspiration that I had this past week.  So I was reading the Book of Heleman, and if you are familiar with this part of the Book Mormon, it is part of the war chapters and it can be difficult chapters to get through.  But I determined when I started the war chapters back in Alma that I was going to get something to apply to my life out of these chapters.  And you guys,  I feel like the Lord answered my prayers on that so completely.  I have really had so many mini moments.  So I encourage you to really dig into those chapters and see if you can’t grab some gold nuggets out of there.  

Anyway, back to Helaman it is Chapter 3 So just a refresher this is a time when many people are dissenting from the church and persecuting members of the church.  At that time Nephi the son of Helaman is filling the judgement seat and he decides that because of the persecution they are going to leave Zarahemla and move to the land Northward.  And it says it was a great distance. And you know they didn’t have cars and carts and all that back then. So I’m sure they were traveling with everything on their backs or their donkeys.  It was probably extremely hot and they were thirsty and it was super hard.  

And it says they crossed over many waters and rivers (remember the water and the heat of the refiner’s fire?).  And when they arrived it was a land called Desolate.  Why? Because there was nothing on the land it was barron, everyone!  And so what did they do.  In verse 7 it says this: nevertheless the people who went forth became exceedingly aexpert…..  And then it goes on to say how they built houses and when trees grew they took care of them until they could use them.  They built cities!  So they took this trial that was upon them and they turned it into something amazing. And the Lord was with them through every step.

But then in verse 16 I believe, it was Mormon talking here.  He goes back to before they left Zarahemla to explain what was happening there and what caused them to leave.  And the following verse is what stopped me that morning.   

35 It reads  Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.

And that’s the word that caught me, everyone! Yielding.  What happens when we yield?  We give others the right of way, right?  So in this case they are yielding their hearts to the Lord!  They are turning it over to the Lord knowing that he will sanctify them and purify them.  Just like a Blacksmith does with the metal.  When it is under that intense heat it is purifying it.  Jesus is our refiner!  He sees things from a much grander perspective.  He can turn us into something beautiful.  Something so much more than we can achieve on our own.  

It just gives me chills when I think about how many times the Savior has walked with me through my trials, and turned them into a miracle.

It reminds me of when I was younger and I went through a pretty hard experience with some friends.  I won’t get into the details, but I will tell you that it was something that happened to me way back when I was barely 13.  And it concerned being bullied. 

So you can imagine at 13, you are at such an impressionable age and you’re molding your identity and just changing so much and trying to figure out who you are. 

And just at the peak of that time in my life is when this experience happened.  It was an event that happened because of something careless that I said to someone, not thinking anything of it.  Someone walking behind us heard it, and within minutes….. I’m not even kidding.  I was surrounded by a group of girls pointing and laughing and bullying me.  My friends that were with me when they surrounded me, quickly slipped out of the circle.  And I felt so alone at that moment. 

And to make matters worse, the bullying continued for several weeks.  To the point that the principal and parents got involved.  It was really quite hard as a 13 year old.  I remember days when I thought I just couldn’t go to school.  I would get stomach aches thinking about it.  It still makes me anxious to this day. 

But it was during that time that I decided to yield my heart to the Lord.  What did he want me to do?  I decided that I needed to have my patriarchal blessing. 

So we scheduled it.  And I was determined that I was going to prepare myself and be so ready for this because I really, really needed to hear from the Lord himself that everything was going to be ok.  

So I did those things from verse 35… I fasted and I prayed and I humbled myself and I had faith that the Lord would come to me. Or at least be with me during this fire that I was experiencing. I yielded my heart to Him with all that I had. 

Well the night came that we were to go to the blessing and I remember so distinctly like it was yesterday.  I was so nervous and my palms were sweating and my stomach was growling and the Patriarch seemed to talk forever before he started the blessing.  

And so he began… it was still and quiet except for when his clock chimed at the beginning.  And at that moment I got my miracle.  In the midst of my trial I recieved a miracle.  It wasn’t from the words that were said, because honestly he was very well spoken and I didn’t understand a lot of the big words he used.  Or the way he worded it.  It was like scripture.  But…. I do remember how I felt.  When his hands and my father’s hands were on my head and the patriarch called upon the priesthood power, I felt a tangible presence like I’d nver known before.  And it stayed with me until the clock chimed again and the patriarch closed the prayer.  

It was so powerful that as we were driving home I remember asking my dad if someone else had joined them in the prayer.  He was surprised at that of course and I explained what I had felt.  And my parent’s and I were all in awe at the sacredness of that moment.  He was there to let me know that He was with me every step of the way.

When I got my blessing and read it.  There was one little part that talked about the friends I would have in my life.  And some counsel on the importance of choosing good friends. 

One thing that I determined at that time, is that I would do everything in my power to never make anyone feel the way I had through that experience

It left such an impression on me that I have never doubted the power of the priesthood.  And I never hesitated to call upon it in times of great need. 

Would I have been able to have that experience if I hadn’t gone through the bullying and felt abandoned by my friends?  Maybe, but I don’t think so.  I had to go through that trial to experience the miracle.

So let’s go back to talking about finding that inner strength to keep moving forward. As we have been studying the Doctrine in Covenants, in come follow me, about all the horrible things that the early members of the church went through, it has made me think more about where that inner strength comes from.

“In sister Smoot’s talk she shares an experience from a Pioneer woman who traveled across the plains from Navoo, ILL to Utah.

She shared the following: “To demonstrate the kind of inner strength I am talking about, I would like to share the story of Susanna Stone Lloyd, who at the age of 26 left England in 1856 and traveled to Utah alone. The only member of her family to join the Church, Susanna was a member of the Willie Handcart Company. Like so many other pioneers, she endured life-threatening hunger, illness, and fatigue.

Upon arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, Susanna borrowed a mirror to make herself more presentable. Despite her best efforts, she recounts: “I shall never forget how I looked. Some of my old friends did not know me.” Having sold her own mirror to an Indian for a piece of buffalo meat, she had not spent much time looking at herself. Now she did not recognize her own image. She was a different person, both inside and out. Over the course of rocky ridges and extreme hardship came a deep conviction. Her faith had been tried, and her conversion was concrete. She had been refined in ways that the very best mirror could not reflect. Susanna had prayed for strength and found it—deep within her soul.

If someone like Susannah can take a horrible situation like that and turn it into something so beautiful, can we?  I am sure that she had to dig pretty deep within her soul to find the strength that comes in and through our Savior.  Because let’s face it.  We don’t get through these experiences without divine intervention.  We can try.  But speaking from experience, it sure is a lot harder when we try to do it alone.  Without the help of our refiner.

We can walk through the fire on our own.  We can feel like we’re drowning in our adversity.  We can be hammered over and over again by the  happenings of this mortal life. But it is so much more doable when we allow our Refiner, Jesus Christ, to be a part of the process.  This proving process.  This refining and growing and polishing process.  Yes it stinks.  Yes it hurts.  But at some point we will be able to look back and see the tiny mercies.  The little miracles.  And in the end.  If we endure it well, we can come out having been molded into something beautiful that anyone who looked upon us would just say, “wow”!

Have you ever done that when you have seen something that someone made that was so intricate and detailed and beautiful that all you can say is, “wow”?  That’s the kind of miracle I’m talking about.

I promise you, everyone.  You CAN receive a miracle in the midst of your trial.  I have no doubt that the Savior is walking with you through it!  He is in the process every step of the way.  He won’t leave you.  He can’t leave you!  In order for you to be molded through the fires of life He has to remain by your side, so that the right things happen at the right time.

Lean on Him.  Trust Him.  Pray and fast often.  Be humble and YIELD your heart to him.  Let him take the lead.  And then follow Him!  I beg you to follow Him with all of your refined and purified and polished heart! 

That’s it for today my friends! If you or a friend have had an experience that you’d like to share.  Please contact me, I’d love to have you on the show. Talk to you again soon!

You are the ONE

Today’s message is short, but sweet.  And I hope one that will resonate with you as you hear these words. “You are the ONE”. 

These past several weeks I have had so many things weighing heavy on my mind.  It all started with an experience that I had a few months ago that will forever leave an impression on my mind and caused me to go into deep research mode in all of the scriptures from the Old Testement in the Bible to the book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price.  As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ we believe that we have many scriptures that have been given to us in these latter days.  And we continue to be blessed with counsel and guidance from living prophets, seers, and revelators. 

As I have struggled through this trial of faith, I have been so grateful that my Heavenly Father and mother and my brother Jesus Christ, see ME!  Who am I, I have asked myself many times,  to receive such love, compassion and understanding? And the answer is always quick and unfailing, “you are mine”.  And you are “one” of my children whom we dearly love.  It almost never comes in the same way.  Most often it comes in the form of others lifting me and sharing their love with me.  Messages that they have no idea, come directly from the Lord through them, to little ole me.  But I see it and I recognize it and give praise for it.  Because without it, I would be like a fish floundering out of the water, struggling for breath.  

You see there are moments in this life, many moments when we need to be reminded that we are the “one”.  The one that He sees and He loves, and He wants the best for.  But it doesn’t come without work.  It doesn’t come without asking, seeking and knocking.  Sometimes we fall to our knees in anguish because it seems so impossible to get through what we’ve been asked to endure. 

But I promise you, that if you will turn yourself over the Lord, if you will let faith lead you, if you will put your trust in the arm of the Lord and not in the arm of flesh, He will find you, the “one” that He has been waiting for to come follow Him.

Today I will be sharing some thoughts from Elder Ronald A. Rasband’s talk from General Conference, October 2000. Incidently, the General Conference will be held this weekend on October 2nd and 3rd.  You can stream from the https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/ and I encourage all to watch, take notes, pray for personal revelation and then watch how the Lord caters to YOU, the “one” amongst many.

In His talk, Elder Rasband shares the following, “Throughout my life, I have come to know through my own experiences that Heavenly Father hears and answers our personal prayers. I know that Jesus is the living Christ and that He knows each of us individually, or as the scriptures express it, “one by one.”

This sacred assurance is taught compassionately by the Savior Himself in His appearance to the people of Nephi. We read of this in 3 Nephi, chapter 11, verse 15:

“And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth” (3 Ne. 11:15; emphasis added).

To further illustrate the “one by one” nature of our Savior’s ministry, we read in 3 Nephi, chapter 17, verse 9:

“And it came to pass that when he had thus spoken, all the multitude, with one accord, did go forth with their sick and their afflicted, and their lame, and with their blind, and with their dumb, and with all them that were afflicted in any manner; and he did heal them every one as they were brought forth unto him” (3 Ne. 17:9; emphasis added).

We then read of the special blessing given to the precious children in verse 21: “And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them” (3 Ne. 17:21; emphasis added).

This was not a small gathering. In verse 25 we read: “And they were in number about two thousand and five hundred souls; and they did consist of men, women, and children.”

Certainly, there is a very profound and tender personal message here. Jesus Christ ministers to, and loves us all, one by one.”

I know that was a large portion of his talk to share but I felt like it so perfectly illustrated how Christ caters to the “one”.  Even in the midst of a sea of people that number the grains of sand on the shores, He sees us each.  He reminds us each that we are important and that He is very aware of the details of our lives that can be distressing for us.

As I said before, these last 2 months have been a struggle, but so many good and precious events have taken place that have reminded me that He sees me.  It did not come without pleading and prayer and fasting.  I was prompted to give up social media for a time. To clear my mind of clutter and unnecessary stress.  I have been guided to the correct people, places and passages of scripture that have guided me on this continuing journey.  

I have not found all the answers.  Far from it.  But I have learned a very important lesson.  That the Lord works in “ones”.  He does not forsake us.  He never has and He never will.  

So if you are having a similar struggle with something in your life.  And you’re just not sure how you will go on or how it’s all going to work out.  I want you to know that you are that “one”.  He sees you, He hears you, and He will come to your rescue.  It might not happen quickly.  It might not happen in the way that you had hoped it would.  But, it will come!  Of that you can be sure!

Thanks for listening/reading.  I hope that you will watch General Conference this weekend and let the Lord speak to you through his anointed ones.  Until next time, my friends, choose to stay!

XO Wendy