Remembering

How are you at remembering? For some things I am GREAT at remembering. Football plays, stats, and formations come easy to me. Math formulas, and where I put my keys... not so easy.

Today we all can probably remember very easily where we were ten years ago, which doesn't always happen. Lives were changed that day. From the moments of crisis that enter our lives, what do we remember?


God, our families, anything that is important in our lives floods to our memories. There is a reason the mentioned things come into our minds. They aren't just important, they are eternally important. We have the opportunity to live with God forever, and also our families. Crisis in life brings these close to us because we remember how important they are, and that we can't afford to lose them.

I recently just had an addition to my family. Ashton Steve Nielson joined my Sister Michelle, and their awesome family. I still haven't met Ashton, and his older brother Ayden probably doesn't really remember who I am now, but I love these guys! I am grateful we are an eternal family. Who wouldn't? The fact that spending eternity with your family brings joy to your soul.

That fact also brings peace. There is another nephew I won't get the chance to meet for a long time. Though the sting of death pains our souls, the healing power of Jesus Christ can replace that fear with faith, as we continue through our lives. I know I will meet Maddox one day, and that he will not be a stranger in our family, but a gift and wonderful addition.

Why is it that it takes crisis and calamity to compel ourselves to remember the eternally important things in our lives? Look at the events of September 11, 2001. The world turned to God and to their families, but since then our attitudes have slackened and reverted to our natural tendencies and wants. President Thomas S. Monsen submitted an essay to a recent edition of the Washington Post concerning faith and the tragedy of 9/11. I encourage you to read it.

Another place that we are invited to remember, is the Book of Mormon. Time and time again the ancients plead with us to remember those before us, and to "consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it" (Mosiah 2:41 emphasis added).

As our minds are directed towards those things that are eternally important, let us strive to continue to remember these things each and every day. As we do so, our lives are enriched by the Spirit of God, and we, with our families, will stride into the eternities together.

You're Best

The phrase 'the only constant in life is change' rings true to me yet again as I start over in a new area of Pennsylvania. This change however brought me much more responsibility and expectations. Over the last eighteen months, some of the people I have looked up to, and learned from the most, have been here doing what I am doing now. I see what they left behind and look forward to what I now have to do. Don't worry, you can say it out loud. I sure did--'Uh-Oh!'

 The first week went by so fast I don't even remember everything about it. Now that we have settled into a little more of what we will normally do, the weight of it all also settled in. It's game time and I am still trying to memorize the playbook!

It's a pretty good thing then that I have a pretty awesome guy by my side to keep my head on straight. My companion, Elder Winter, slipped me this quote:

"Don't worry about trying to be better than someone else. Learn from others, yes. But don't try to be better than they are. You have no control over that. Instead try, and try very hard to be the best that you can be." -John Wooden

 We really don't have to 'fill so-and-so's shoes' or leave our mark on whatever we do. We're there for a reason, now do everything you can do to be the best you that you can be. God doesn't put us in any situation that we can't handle, we just get really intimidated at the look of the challenge.

There is an invitation given to all of us that comes to mind that fits into this.

 "Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect." (see 3 Nephi 12:48 & Matthew 5:48)

 Now that is a big wall to climb. The same principle applies though! This life isn't a race, it's not a competition of me vs. you. We can accept and fulfill this invitation by simply trying our very best to be the best that we can become. That isn't always easy, because we grow through trials. I am thankful for the opportunity I now have to grow, and see what I can become. I have my situation in life, and you have yours. How have you grown from your current situation? Are you growing, today? Remember, God is there, and will help us along the way. 

Waves and Washings

I just received one of the greatest letters I have probably ever gotten in the last eighteen months. It came from a dear friend I sometimes call Jimbo, or Jim. Jim had great news. He has decided to dedicate the next two years to serving Jesus Christ and the people of the Washington Kennewick Mission as a missionary (just like me!) for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He is going to be one killer missionary and I look forward to receiving many more awesome letters from him.

Jim and I with Sarah and Steph at Graduation!

The reason I bring it up is not only to show how great of friends I have, but after sharing a particular experience he had had in his life, he shared a quote that has such great meaning in it. Here is how it read from his letter:

'There's some lyrics I love from a song that is like perfect for this, "When the rains fall, when the floods rise, when the storm comes, I am still washed by the water." Try and take that attitude, no matter what happens or how bad it gets, you can still be washed by it, and still become stronger from it.'

Wow. Any trial or experience we go through can benefit us. We just have to look for it. Any way it will hit us, whether it is coming down on top of us, sneaking up on us, or coming like a blast from the side, we can be able to 1) withstand the blow (see Alma 13:28 1 Corinthians 10:13 and Philippians 4:13) and 2) receive some kind of benefit from it (see Ether 12:6 ). God truly looks out for us and will not let us down.

God desires to bless us in our adversity, that is the purpose of life. He wants to know how much we will trust in Him, so he knows we will not squander that which he has given us. I know that in my own life, I have seen a blessing come from every trial I have reacted positively to. I definitely didn't have that in mind as I went through it, and I need to do better at that, but I have the hope and faith that with the attitude that we will come out on top. We can be 'washed' by those waves.

Now don't think that this only will work for me, or for Jimbo, but it is most definitely for all of us. The glory of God can be seen in all of our lives, we just have to look inside us, find it, and bring it out. So do it, have the attitude that you can find good in trials, because you will!. As Jim said to me, I now say to you, 'Go ahead, I DARE ya!'