My Angel Mother

"All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."

 -Abraham Lincoln

Tomorrow is my mom's birthday, and I wanted to write a blog explaining all that she has taught me, and expressing my gratitude to her. It is because of her that I am where I am today, just as President Lincoln expresses. I refer to a well-known story in the Book of Mormon. It is the story of the Stripling Warriors. They step up to defend their families in a war-stricken world. They show great strength and courage even though they had never fought before. "Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it." (Alma 56: 47-48)

 Because of the way they had been taught by their mothers they exercised great faith and not one of their lives were lost in battle. I know that because of the way my mother taught me, I too can stand my ground when life's battles come my way. My mother has taught me how to exercise faith, how to pray, how to seek answers, how to study, how to rely on God, how to develop charity, the importance of the temple and many more vital lessons. I consistently look to her example and strive to be more like her. I am so grateful for all she has done and continues to do for me and for all those who stand in need. Thank you, mom for all you do for me and the Christ-like example you are.

Be the Lesser Part

I was reading in the Book of Mormon the other day and this verse really hit me: "And thus ended also the eighty and seventh year of the reign of the judges, the more part of the people remaining in their pride and wickedness, and the lesser part walking more circumspectly before God." (Helaman 16:10) You may wonder why this verse of all verses affected me but my immediate thought was: "Be the lesser part!"

 It is fairly easy to live a righteous, honest life if all those around you are also living in this way, but how much harder is it to live righteously when you are in the minority or "the lesser part"? Our beloved Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, gave a talk discussing this topic entitled "Dare to Stand Alone." In this address he states:

"As we go about living from day to day, it is almost inevitable that our faith will be challenged. We may at times find ourselves surrounded by others and yet standing in the minority or even standing alone concerning what is acceptable and what is not. Do we have the moral courage to stand firm for our beliefs, even if by so doing we must stand alone?"

That question really makes me think: "Do I have the moral courage to stand alone?" "Do I have the strength?" When I have pondered more on this topic the thought that has occurred to me over and over is that even when I feel like I am standing alone, I am never, ever alone. My Savior is always standing next to me, strengthening and uplifting me. This makes it possible for me to stand up for my beliefs even when I may appear to be standing alone. President Monson continues in his talk to give us ways that we can gain the courage necessary to stand alone: 

"In order for us to be strong and to withstand all the forces pulling us in the wrong direction or all the voices encouraging us to take the wrong path, we must have our own testimony. Whether you are 12 or 112—or anywhere in between—you can know for yourself that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. Read the Book of Mormon. Ponder its teachings. Ask Heavenly Father if it is true. We have the promise that 'if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.' "

In order to stand alone we must know and believe in what we are standing for. I know that as we each take the time to develop our own testimony in the Savior and His Gospel we will develop that strength and moral courage to be "the lesser part" and stand tall WITH our Savior for what we know to be true.