Continuing and Confirming Revelation

Arriving home from church yesterday, I walked through the door and found myself greeted by the sweet sound of General Conference playing.  "Well, this is nice!" I said to my kids "Who decided to put this on?"
"I did," my oldest son said proudly.
In a spirit of congratulations I hugged him, "Way to lead, Bud! Way to lead!"
It's those moments that mean the most to me as a mother.
I gathered a few things together and then went right back out the door with my youngest to run a couple of errands.
When I returned I was pleased to hear the conference talks were still playing, I gathered my scriptures and made the attempt for some personal gospel study but soon found it completely futile trying to stay awake.
 It's extremely rare for me to ever take Sunday afternoon naps but the exhaustion from my experiences this past week hit me hard and I gave in to finding a little rest.

After about a half hour or so I awoke to the voice of Elder Eyring saying,
"Heavenly Father hears your prayers. He loves you. He knows your name. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and our Redeemer. He loves you beyond your ability to comprehend. God pours out revelation, through the Holy Ghost, on His children. He speaks to His prophet on the earth, who today is Thomas S. Monson. I witness that he holds and exercises all the keys of the priesthood on earth. As you listen in this conference to the words of those God has called to speak for Him, I pray that you will receive the confirming revelation you need to find your way on the journey home..."

Hearing this made me smile.  I love how the Lord always finds a way to tell me exactly what I need in just the right moments. I look forward to April Conference beginning this Saturday and continuing the following weekend.  Hearing the words of the Lord through His prophets is always a spiritual feast for me.  It fills my hungry soul, gives me greater vision, and strengthens me to have the faith to step out into the unknown.

Today, I thumbed through a stack of old Ensigns in an attempt to find the printed version of the talk from October's 2014 conference I heard yesterday.  The cover of the August issue 2013 caught my attention.  I thought we had thrown away all of our of 2013 issues because we only keep Ensigns for about 16 months but I was glad we had somehow held on to this one because featured on the front page were two talks on revelation.

"Revelation is a reality.  It comes in the Lord's way and according to the Lord's timetable...  I have noted that most revelation to the children of God comes when they are on the move, not when they are sitting back in their habitations waiting for the Lord to tell them the first step to take."- Dallin H. Oaks

"As we repeatedly respond to the Light of Christ and train ourselves to 'lay hold upon every good thing' (Moroni 7:19), we increase our sensitivity to the things of the Spirit and enhance our ability to receive messages from our eternal home... We must each find and then guard a time each day to remember these words of the Lord: 'All flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God' (D&C 101:16) A segment of time when we can be still, quiet, and removed from our busyness will help recenter us, refocus our priorities , and bring us back into a position to receive and feel the messages our Heavenly Father wishes to send us." - Elder Patrick Kearon

Coming across such articles two days in a row confirms solidly to me that the Lord is aware of my heart.  He hears my prayers and desires to be open to personal revelation, to truly have eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart that understands His will for me in my life's journey.  I testify that He delights to prove to us His faithfulness.  As we sincerely seek Him first in life He promises, "Prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." - Malachi 3:10

"Not room enough to receive it" is a perfect description because I have felt Him bless my life like a flood. I am completely overwhelmed by His goodness!

This song is one of my favorites and brings me to tears.  I love to listen to it when I go running and watch the sun rise over the crest of the mountains.  I have never seen the music video for it until today.  It's a perfect video though because it makes this overwhelming feeling even more poignant as I ponder upon my experiences this past week at the United Nations and the friendships I made among the beautiful women of Africa: the Congo, Nigeria, Kenya, Malawi and others. My heart is so full.  God is so very good.

"Prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not 

open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, 

that there shall not be room enough to receive it." 

- Malachi 3:10

Overwhelmed

by, Big Daddy Weave

-Alicia

To the Women of the World

I have been given the opportunity to attend the Convention on the Status of Women at the United Nation's Headquarters.  I will be taking note and observing many things that are of grave concern involving the women of the world especially the young women.

I find it interesting and of no coincidence that many of the ladies I am traveling with have recently been given callings in the Young Women's Program, including myself.  Also, my roommate will be an amazing sister who formerly served on the General Young Women's Board. I'm excited for such a privilege.

ARISE AND SHINE by, James Christensen
Young Women Holding The 8 Values and the Banner of the Temple

The reason we are going is because "Far too many corrosive social policies are being made that have direct impact over our sphere of influence. As we gather together our presence and influence will expand to make the creative changes that can grow goodness. Because we are life-affirming, we will not stand idly by as destructive changes take place (such as in national and international policies). We wish to highlight to the world that the internal power that we cultivate is indeed tremendously powerful, and what we do everyday within the walls of our homes is deeply valuable. We are united with women from all parts of the world that care, safeguard, protect, and sacrifice." 
-Carolina Allen

While there, we will seek out and network with women from all over the world who share our desire to protect and uphold the family unit, who believe in the complimentary and Divine relationship we share with men. We will stand as witnesses of God at all times, in all things, and in all places.  The proverbial banners we wave are the values we proclaim every Sunday in Young Women's written in a universal language that sisters of all faiths and nations can understand.

1.) We believe in God and are women of Faith. For many of us worldwide women. We believe in a higher power. It is what gives us our internal strength and courage as we face life's challenges. It is an integral part of our identity and it is powerful.
2.) We  embrace our life-affirming biology. To be a female means that we we have a unique and powerful life affirming anatomy. We celebrate this.
3.) We are each unique and innately worthy of respect. Every individual is worthwhile and special.
4.) We seek after wisdom and knowledge. We have each been endowed with an internal compass that when used can magnify our wisdom and knowledge for the good of humanity.
5.) We have the freedom to choose, and choose wisely. The freedom to choose is inalienable. We choose life-affirming and non-violent paths.
6.) We reach out and serve others in need. We are the innate healers of suffering, and do so with great compassion.
7.) We follow our conscience with integrity. We speak truth amidst confusion and  we follow our intuitions with faith and confidence.
8.) We cultivate wholeness and harness our creative power. Our virtue is priceless and we guard and cultivate our wholeness.

We are ready to embark! Who is coming aboard?

-Alicia


About the Painting
Arise and Shine Forth

by James C. Christensen

“Years ago I did a painting," relates Jim Christensen, called 'Virtue,' which featured a quiet and determined young woman making her way, alone, through the darkness with the light of faith to guide her. One of the things I wanted to say is that not only are our young women strong, they are not alone. They are well prepared and know how to stand for what they believe. They know how to support each other and the community. As a group they are unstoppable in their ability to reach their divine potential. There is always another group coming up behind them.”