This is Dave’s Valentine gift- he forgot to get speakers so he bribed me with a pedicure, so the rest of you get to bear with us. Actually, I am grateful for the chance to take the thoughts that have been swirling around in my mind the last couple weeks and put them into words, and I pray that the Holy Ghost will inspire you with what you need.
Since it is Valentine’s weekend I have been thinking a lot about showing love. This whole week I have been pondering how love is more of an action and not just a feeling. l have been paying attention to how I SEE and SHOW love in my life. And thinking also about how I see God’s love in my life?
I have decided to give my talk a title…It breaks through clouds of strife
from the song Our Savior’s Love, it comes from the line: Our Savior’s love shines like the sun with perfect light. As from above- it breaks through clouds of strife.
Do you notice this in your life?
God’s love breaking through clouds of strife?
Strife means contention, struggle, clash, anger or bitter disagreement over fundamental issues, conflict.
Wow. How many of you are feeling a struggle over fundamental issues. Conflict? or contention?
How do you think the Savior’s love break through these clouds?
God’s love might feel vague or feel far off- I asked one of my kids how he feel God’s love and he said, “I don’t know.” I think a lot of us might answer the same way.
I have felt like before too.
Dave and I have been married for 25 years. He told me I could share this with you. Dave has always been a great gift giver. He has fantastic taste, he is thoughtful about the gifts he gives and he is generous but he hasn’t always been the best gift receiver. I would give him gifts and he would not show much excitement. One year, during medical school, we didn’t have a lot of extra money. I babysat and saved all the money so I could buy him a mountain bike for Christmas- he had been eyeing it and researching it for months- I was so excited wanted it to be a huge surprise. He was surprised, but instead of showing his excitement, he got all up in his head- he felt inadequate, worried that I spent all my money on him, and a little guilty of receiving such a gift. It felt rejecting. I made a decision that if he didn’t do cartwheels over a gift I gave him the future, I would take it back and buy myself something…and I did, multiple times…not the best reaction on my part. Him rejecting, then me feeling insecure and then rejecting him right back. This is something we have worked on in our relationship and we both know how to show love and receive love through our gifts so much better now.
Do you ever feel like Dave did about accepting God’s love? God’s love is a gift and sometimes we might not know how to receive it.
So how can we get better actually at feeling God’s love?
Elder Christofferson’s said in the last conference:
Our father and Redeemer have blessed us with commandments and in obeying their commandments, we feel their perfect love more fully and more profoundly.
This reminded me of the quote I have hanging on my fridge from Elder Nelson:
The more you learn about the Savior the easier it will be to trust in His mercy, His infinite love, and his strengthening, healing, and redeeming power.
Obeying commandments and Learning about the Savior -these sound like covenants and I am promised to feel God’s love more fully
As I have prayed about breaking through the confusion and strife and how to feel God’s love- I keep getting the same answer- covenants
Covenants are based on agency. God wants us to SHOW him our love through our actions and he wants to arm us with HIS power when we do.
Love is an action word.
President Nelson promised: to each of you who has made temple covenants, I plead with you- the prophet said, I PLEAD WITH YOU, to seek prayerfully and consistently to understand temple covenants and ordinances. Spiritual doors will open. You will learn how to part the veil between heaven and earth, how to ask for God’s angels to attend you, and how better to receive direction from heaven. Your diligent efforts to do so will reinforce and strengthen your spiritual foundation.
Talk about breaking through clouds of strife- are you feeling conflict or confusions?
Let me say those promises again.
When you seek prayerfully and consistently to understand temple covenants
Spiritual doors will open, you will learn how to part the veil between Heaven and earth, you will learn how to ask for God’s angels to attend you, and you will learn how to better receive direction from heaven.
This is what I want in my life.
It reminds me of the time my brother was given the task of buying my dad a new tv.
He went for SIZE and as my brother was bringing it into the house, my 80 year old dad kept saying, you got ALL that for $200 dollars- he was in awe of what he received.
This is a huge list of promises!
So how do I keep my covenants?
I start by knowing what I’m committed to do.
keeping His commandments
Taking Jesus’ name upon me
Remembering him
Obedience
Sacrifice
Being chaste
Repenting
Giving our time and talents to build God’s kingdom
And I get to feel his power.
I want to share three personal experiences where I have observed covenants being kept by someone I love and I have seen this power in my life- how it has broken through strife and ultimately why I want this gospel in my life.
As I do, I would ask you to also try to recall a time when you or someone you love has sacrificed, obeyed a commandment, given up some time for building God’s kingdom, decided to be more chaste, repented, remembered Jesus, or comforted someone. How did that feel?
Right before covid- my dad passed away. He was suffering from lung disease.
The timing was a blessing. We were able to give him the care he needed before covid restrictions became a thing.
I got to spend time with him. He couldn’t have salt because it would increase the liquid on his lungs. I remember going to see him and he kept telling me he really wanted those orange, hard, crunch things. He thought they were hidden in the pantry- Cheetos?? Really you dying wish is eating Cheetos? I got him some and he loved it!
Even though his body was failing his mind was still very with it.
I remember one particular day as he towards the end, he was very weak. I got there to take my turn staying with him to give my mom a break
He was so concerned about me and wanted to help me reach my goals since I had been talking to him about going back to school. He told me he had been saving money the last couple months for my “school fund” and he wanted to call the bank and switch the account into my name so I wouldn’t have a problem getting the money when he was gone. So with his shaky hands and weak voice I sat by him while he called the bank and told them to switch his account to his daughters name. The money was generous, but he thing that stuck with me was I saw my dad sacrificing and looking outward days before his death.
It reminded me of Christ, hanging on the cross- in pain- he looked down and he turned outward- he talked to the thief on the cross next to him, forgave the people hurting him, and asked his friend to take care of his mother.
When my dad passed away- the day of his funeral, I felt his presence. I felt power. I felt the veil part between heaven and earth and I felt the Holy Ghost and peace and it was a huge gift. I felt God’s love.
Another time recently. My son, Abe is in Africa on a mission. Many of you know what a hard decision it was for Abe to go on a mission in the first place. But then going back after being sent home for covid after just 4 months was even a harder decision. At one point while deciding he said he decided to leave the church- and for 20 minute he felt amazing. Then he started to think of all the things he would give up. He had some cool experiences where people blessed his life and were answers to his prayers and it gave him the courage to return.
He was serving in a small village and with a great companion and loving it, but just a couple days before his birthday he was transferred to a new area, a big city, with his first African companion, who spoke only French, and was not very open or receptive to Abe.
I had the feeling it would be a challenging adjustment and lonely birthday. I prayed and prayed that he would feel the Holy Ghost and love on his birthday.
He called me- a couple days later and after some small talk he asked if I wanted to hear a cool spiritual experience.
Uh yah. He doesn’t share those super often.
He said was feeling lonely the morning of his birthday, so when he was saying his regular morning prayer he added,” and please help me have a good birthday.”
He then told me how the spirit came over his whole body. It was unexpected, and said he hadn’t felt the spirit like that for a long time and He felt it and it was real.
I remember teaching my primary kids and telling them about a time I had a real hard challenge and I was praying and I felt the Holy Ghost like a warm blanket- I asked them, why do you think Heavenly Father let me feel the Holy Ghost if the situation didn’t change? One boy said, “so you wouldn’t give up.” I liked that answer.
Abe said it wasn’t the best day, it was really hard in a lot of ways, but that experience gave him power to get through the day. As I have observed Abe’s effort to act and be obedient to what he felt God asked him personally to do, he has been blessed to feel the Holy Ghost and the Gift of God’s love.
I was so grateful my prayer as a parent was answered and it reminded me of the many times a parent asked Christ when he was on the earth, to bless or heal or raise a child from the dead? I felt God’s hand, and I His love breaking through clouds of strife and I was so grateful.
Lastly, Vivian is in fourth grade. This last week she had a rondevous at school, where they brought a product to sell or game or some way to earn money, not real money, but their school money- I believe it’s called beaver bucks.
Vivian asked Max, my 14 year old, to help her. He stayed up late making her a skee ball machine made out of cardboard and duck tape. It was actually pretty impressive. He saw her need, sacrificed his time, and he responded. I believe this is what max keeping his covenants looks like.
She was so excited when she woke up and saw it. She FELT her brother’s love.
Christ’s first miracle was for his mom. She asked him to change water into wine for a wedding. I think Christ served her because he wanted to SHOW her he loved her.
Although not on the same scale as christ’s miracle- Max’s actions towards his sister filled our home with peace and love-
I felt God’s love through Max…and Vivian felt like a million bucks carrying that skee ball machine through the halls of Midway Elementary School especially when one kid told her as she passed, “wow Vivian- you’re savage!”
What a gift.
I believe Elder Christofferson
Our Father and Redeemer have blessed us with commandments and in obeying their commandments, we feel their perfect love more fully and more profoundly.
God loves me and wants to bless me but also respects my agency so he provided me with covenants.
Covenants bring power
Choosing to keep my covenants I can feel God’s love breaking through clouds of strife
I hope to show MY love of my Savior and Heavenly Father through what I do.
I choose to believe in Jesus Christ and in his atonement.
I am so grateful that God loves all his children and his plan is a saving plan.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen
