Be of Good Cheer- Monday, September 8, 2014

Hello Family and Friends,

This past week has flown by! I cannot even think where the time went. Sister Reed and I are having a blast here in Shiloh, IL. It is such a blessing to have a companion who I can get along with so well. And she laughs at all my not so funny remarks, and the weird strange things I do.....no comment. I hope that you all had a good week! Any tornado warnings in Utah, California?  How about Paris, or New Zealand? Eh? The weather has been SO NICE these past few days. Oh man fall is in the air, my all time, hands down, favorite time of year has to be fall! There is no better season. The only bad thing about fall is that you know winter is right around the corner.

So this past week Sister Reed and I got to teach the lesson in young women's it was on language and how the things we say effect us and those around us. It was a reminder to me and a blessing to teach it. I feel like the youth these days just have a greater more unique and special spirit about them! It amazes me how much they understand. But one part that I particularly enjoyed was a talk by Elder Holland, he is the master of speaking. I LOVE HOLLAND! He said this specifically to the women of the church, and women everywhere:

"How is it that such a lovely voice which by divine nature is so angelic, so close to the veil, so instinctively gentle and inherently kind could ever in a turn be so shrill, sobiting, so acrid and untamed? A woman’s words can be more piercing than any dagger ever forged, and they can drive the people they love to retreat beyond a barrier more distant than anyone in the beginning ofthat exchange could ever have imagined. Sisters, there is no place in that magnificent spirit of yours for acerbic or abrasive expression of any kind,including gossip or backbiting or catty remarks."

How true is that!? God did not create such amazing beautiful creations to have them slander one another, and have horrible things proceed from their mouths. Why would he want that? That is not our destiny, that is not our divine inheritance. Cheap, vulgar, and low is not what God intends us to become here on earth. HUGE REMINDER to me.

He then gives a quote which I loved by Elder Orson F. Whitney: “The spirit of the gospel is optimistic; it trusts in God and looks on the bright side of things. The opposite or pessimistic spirit drags men down and away from God, looks on the dark side, murmurs, complains, and is slow to yield obedience.”  We should honor the Savior’s declaration to “be of good cheer.” 7  (Indeed,it seems to me we may be more guilty of breaking that commandment than almost any other!) Speak hopefully. Speak encouragingly, including about yourself. Try not to complain and moan incessantly. As someone once said, “Even in the golden age of civilization someone undoubtedly grumbled that everything looked too yellow.”

First off, I apologize for murmuring, complaining, and looking on the dark side my dear family who and friends who have put up with me for the past 19 years. I cannot say that I have changed completely, but this talk and lesson really opened my eyes. Well it also blew my mind to think that it is a COMMANDMENT from the Lord to "be of good cheer" (D&C 61:36), a literal commandment, I have never thought of that. I have broken that commandment so many times, even on my mission! It blew my mind to think that God NEEDS me to be of good cheer and remember that good things are to come. 

I love this quote:

"Some blessing come now, some come late, and some don't come until Heaven, but for those who embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ, They come"

Be of GOOD CHEER. We are promised by an Apostle of God that good things are always to come. We know that to be true as His disciples. Keep moving forward with a perfect brightness of hope. This life is truly a time to prepare to meet God. So while we are here we must make the most of it, we must try to perfect ourselves each day. We cannot become perfect all at once, it comes overtime. And there will be days, months, and even years when we will mess up. That is why Jesus Christ performed the atonement for us. That is why we have a Heavenly Father who loves us infinitely and will not ever turn His back to us. He is there for us when we need Him. During the happy moments, and even in our darkest hours.

Our Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ truly cannot and will not "leave us comfortless" they "will come to us". Whether that be through the Holy Ghost, or through another one of His Children here on earth, we will have that comfort from Him that we are promised. What a blessing to KNOW all of that. What a blessing to have the fullness of the Gospel in each of our lives. Never forget you hold in your hands the happiness of more people than you could ever imagine. Stay true to it, it is a pearl of great price. There is nothing more beautiful than the knowledge of the restored gospel. 

My prayer is that all of you can remember who you are and who you can become in and through the Savior, and the knowledge that God has given each of you. Let the knowledge that you are sons and daughters of God change the world. If we truly understood who we are, there would be no room to complain, criticize, diminish, or not be of good cheer. 

I love you all so much!

Love always,

Sister Haderlie