The Softened Heart; Alma 62:41, by Ann Y.

"But behold, because of the exceedingly great length of the war between the Nephites and the Lamanites many had become hardened, because of the exceedingly great length of the war; and many were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility."

The Softened Heart Soliloquy

by: Ann Y.

This Softened Heart Soliloquy,

That's written and prepared by me;

I hope that you will test and see,

Tis everything you hoped it'd be.

Through Father's grace he doth provide,

The challenges that feign deride,

He uses to chastise and chide,

To humble me, remove my pride.

At temporal trials I balked and strained,

At blemishes that caused me shame,

I shook my fist and scattered blame;

In ignorance I did remain.

My hardened heart could not be bent;

I would not of my sins repent.

I'd suffer to my pride, no dent.

And thus in sadness, life was spent.

Until that moment, happily,

When all of my life's misery,

First wrought in me humility,

And forced me sobbing to my knees.

I pled forgiveness of my Lord,

With soul and heart in one accord.

In gratitude for faith's reward,

I promised to lay down my sword.

My heart was tenderized that day;

My foolish pride was stripped away,

And Satan's minions kept at bay,

The moment I began to pray.

Although the lesson here is free,

I must confess, twas hard for me.

Take nigh to heart my fervent plea,

This Softened Heart Soliloquy.

I think it is very interesting to note how the same experience can touch two people in very different ways. One person will insist on holding on to his pride no matter what the cost may be, and the more the Lord chastises him, the more angry he gets. Why? Because pride and anger go hand and hand, much as humility and charity go hand in hand. And then, another person, under the same difficult circumstances, will see the error of his ways and be brought to humble himself before the Lord. I hope that I will always remember that "pride goeth before the fall," and that no heart in anger is an acceptable offering before the Lord.

That being said, anger and pride are both things that I struggle with. I will have to work harder.

Unholy Temples ( Helaman 4 )

Helaman 4

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 1 Cor 6:19

I am the mother of six beautiful children. I remember the birth of each. Each brought me great joy. Each came into their body with a unique spirit, unique gifts, and unique abilities. This uniqueness of spirit cannot be explained by genetics. It cannot be explained by environment. God tells us that the body that we gain at our birth "is the temple of the Holy Ghost", which we have because God gave it to us.

I believe their uniqueness can only be explained by recognizing that they are literal spiritual children of God. They lived before they obtained the body that I (through the gift of God) gave them at their birth. They came to earth to learn to exercise their agency and to learn to love God as he loves them. Their bodies are temples. We all inhabit the temples that God created for us. We all learn day in and day out to keep these temples holy.

This made me think about the purpose of temples(the building kind). Temples have been used for many things throughout history, but traditionally they are built so that man might

1. Make Holy Covenants to their God

2. Worship(revere his name) their God.

3. Commune with God

4. Give Service(sacrifice) to their God

Temples were hallowed places where only the best of the best was allowed. Temples represented man's attempt to commune, listen, serve, and to be close to their God.

Our bodies are our temple. Metaphorically speaking we can keep our temples pure by keeping our hearts pure and clean. We can live higher standards. We can learn to keep a prayer in our heart. We can learn to cultivate and listen to the Spirit that God has placed within us. We can teach our spirits to carry our bodies in such a way that others will recognize the reverence we have for our bodies and see God's light within us.

As I read of the plight of Zarahemla's people I was struck with how quickly they turned away from their covenants. As I read of the wars and the contention it became clear to me that this was a story of a people who were caught up in their pride to the point that they forgot to think about their bodies as temples wherein God's spirit strives to dwell. They allowed their temples to become unholy.

Pride is like a double edged sword. If we check our pride with humility it serves us well by helping us achieve success that brings us peace. If however we forget humility, service, and love then the same sword of pride that serves us will also destroy us. If it is coupled with boasting, conceit, selfishness, or discontent then pride is not a good thing. Pride can be used to serve; pride can be used for selfish pursuits. It all depends on how holy we keep our temples.

Words and Phrases

vs 8 those dissenters ... - this is a reminder that it was not the Lamanites that began the war, but the Nephites who were once members of God's church, who once enjoyed the prosperity of living God's word. those dissenters... who forgot that unchecked pride (like an unclean temple) quickly allienates God's Holy Spirit.

vs 11 those who professed - we all profess to believe. What makes the difference between what we profess and what we do? Why do some of us fall away? Why do we forget about the spirit of God that is within us?

vs 12 What makes our temples unholy? Which do I need to clean from my temple? If you think of this list as a reminder for keeping your temple clean, this verse can be a handy checklist.

1. unchecked pride

2. exceeding riches.. when we allow riches to rule our hearts... take the place of God's work.

3. oppression of the poor

4. selfishness .. not helping the hungry, the

5. assault

6. mockery

7. deny the spirit of prophecy (God's direction in his voice)

8. denial of revelation

9. murder,

10. robbery

11. lying

12. plundering

13. adultery

14. contention

15. desertion

I believe that some of these transgressions represent a progression of sin. some you would not commit without first committing another.

vs 13 their own strength - when we are left with our own strength we cannot do the work of God. When we boast in our own strength the Holy Spirit becomes offended that we have forgotten from whence our blessings come.

vs 15 repentance brings prosperity - not because it makes us rich, but because it teaches us to how to keep our temples (bodies)holy so that God's spirit can stay with us. Repentance cleans our bodies so that a clean spirit can dwell there. Repentance takes the ungodly and makes them worthy of his place within our heart. God wants us to prosper. When we read his word, listen to his Spirit, we are led to do the things that will help us prosper. Think of repentance like unto a good cleansing of our house. dejunk, sanitize, organize

vs 21 they began to remember - We all make mistakes that take us away from the Spirit of God, but if we can remember... if we can make it a practice to remember.. then we can keep our temples holy.

22 wicked even like unto the Lamanites The Lamanites did not know the workings of God within them. They did not believe that God would speak to them, reveal his word to them, and help them prosper by helping one another. They set their hearts on the ways of the world, on secret combination, on vanity.

23 to dwindle - diminish in size. why? Why do we forget who we are? We allow other things to supplant God's love. We listen to another voice. We follow another direction. We ignore the prophecy and chalk it up to coincidence. We stop seeking God's help. We begin to rely on our own strength. When we allow ourselves, our numbers to dwindle, God's love in its force also dwindles. (it affects all of us).

vs 24 the spirit of the Lord did not more preserve them - God is bound to hold to his end of our covenants when we do as we promise, but when we do not what he asks of us, then we have no promise.

vs 24 Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples - Our bodies have been created to bring God's Holy Spirit to earth. But it will not dwell in temples that are impure, unclean, or unworthy of his holiness. We will not feel God's joy if we do not do his will.

Just as we must work daily to clean our physical homes, our kitchens, etc, we also must work daily to keep our spirit worthy to house the spirit of God. Just as temples represent a place where we covenant, commune, and serve our God, so do our bodies represent a place where we can (if we keep it clean, holy, and worthy) receive revelation, prophecy, and guidance that will help us prosper in this life. But mostly... because our bodies represent the temple of God, we can set an example to others by our actions, our words, our aura, our service... so that others may want to know God and be drawn unto his safety and love.

vs 25 except they should cleave to their God - God will protect us when we cleave to him. When we choose to follow our own strength we stand alone. We stand with our own strength against the might powers of Satan. We our but human with human skills, human strength, human senses, unless we cleave to our God.

vs 26 they became weak because of their transgression.. the power of believing lies in believing. When we forget to believe, or choose not to believe in a God who brings strength to our souls, then we lose the strength of God's holy spirit. We lose the power of revelation, of prophecy, of compassion, of selfless love, of generosity, of service, of one another's talents, of community, of family...

I wanted a family for many different reasons. One of the most important is that I believe God's spiritual children reside in heaven awaiting their turn to come to earth and receive a body. As a daughter of God, I wanted to do my part to allow God's spiritual children the opportunity to experience life. I wanted to allow these choice spirits into my earthly family. I feel very blessed by each of my children. They are each very unique and spiritual giants in their own right. It brings great joy to my heart to see my children recognize, accept and entertain the spirit of God that dwells within them. It brings great joy to my heart to know that I have done my part on as their mother to teach them of their true spiritual nature.

What a wonderful gift it is to be able to not only give a spiritual child of God a temple within which to dwell, but to also help them keep it clean and holy by teaching them the value of service, of love, of God's word. What a wonderful gift it is to gain a true understanding of the importance of keeping our temples worthy of God's love. What a wonderful gift it is to see your own family grow and prosper as they too practice keeping their temples holy.

The Last and the First

1 Nephi 13

When I was a little girl, I used to read scripture verse cards that my mother kept on her bed's headboard bookshelf. One verse that always perplexed me was Matthew 20:16. How was it possible for the first to be last and the last to be first? Did it mean that if I actually got to stand at the front of the lunch line I wouldn't really get to eat my lunch first? Or, did it mean that if I stood at the back of the line I was inferior for some reason? Why did standing at the back of the line make me feel so sad?

When I read chapter 13 (I have read it many times) I once again fell into the trap of believing it was only about viewing an elapsed time frame of earth events. I took my son’s advice once again and chose to dig deeper. I found one truth of what it all meant in the very last verse, a verse that complements Matthew’s teachings. (See vs. 42)

While on our journey here on earth I have basically two paths to choose from. I can choose to seek the praise and pride of the world (the front of the line) finding a momentary sense of power, and praise, or I can choose to follow God’s plan (the back of the line) a place that does not bring earthly praise but does promise to give me a plan whereby I can learn of his power, blessings, and love.

As I read, I kept a keen eye to the idea that I can either cultivate pride through the praise of men, or I can cultivate promise through the plan of God.

Vs. 42 then he shall manifest himself …and the last shall be first, and the ^first shall be last. -

I believe that God’s plan helps all of us find place. We can be at the front of the line gloating in our position, or helping others. It depends on our understanding of God’s promise. We can be at the back of the line too proud to accept the blessings of his powerful love, or humble enough to learn from the words of his promise.

The world has always taught that fame is a flash in the pan. It exists to satisfy the selfish pride of the world. God has always taught that he has a plan for us. He has always taught that plan through his prophets, his scriptures, and by the power of his Spirit.

What I like most about knowing and understanding that he has a plan for me is that I don’t have to worry about where I stand in line. If I find myself at the front of the line, I know that God’s love will keep me in check and remind me to love as he loves, to bless others, to let those who are hungry eat first, and to practice His love first. If I find myself at the back of the line, I know God’s love will help me reach out and find peace and safety in his love.

As I read this chapter yet again I was reminded that when we choose the pride and praise of the world, it’s like playing king of the mountain. We can only stay on top for a short while before another replaces us. But when we choose God’s plan and promise, we are promised to always have His love and his protection to guide us.

I know that no matter where I find myself, a deep understanding of God’s promise will keep me safely within my plan of promise.