Threads in a tapestery

today I wanted to share some simple yet profound things I've been taught lately.

First let me share some of the things I'm so grateful for:

-Sunsets...
-Star lite skys

When I used ot suffer from suicidal depression I had this blessing of an epiphone which looking back I know was God sharing one of his most tender of mercies...

I was walking back from subway eating an oatmeal cookie. I was about 16 at the time and I looked up at the sky and wondered what if this were the last sky I ever looked at? The last cookie I ever savored?

I just stood there and felt this great peace and sadness at the same time. I felt a gratitude that I had never felt before suddenly I saw and felt God in every little thing in my life and started to notice Him in everything I saw, touched and experienced.

I will never forget that day.

Stars hold a deep and profound affect on me.

There have been many times when I felt so lonely and just looking at the stars I know there was someone out there having the same issues also gazing up at the stars wondering if anyone else was there who could understand. I would have a prayer in my heart that they too could feel that they were not alone.

I am so blessed it's astounding.

I'm sure I'll tell you more about stars in the future. I even had this dream but it's of a personal, revelatory nature so it goes in my real journal.


Anyways, here are some beautiful things I;ve been blessed to learn:

1. Love as God loves. Our relationships with others must ultimately folow the patterns we have with God.

I've been really undertstanding this recently as I've been blessed to share many things with others and my closest friends.
One insght that came to me really truly amazed me.

In our relatioship to God we have:

Humility
Faith in Jesus Christ
Repentance
Baptism(covenants)
Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

We often refer to this as a summary of the gospel. This in truth is the means we develop and create a relatioship with our Father in Heaven but not just Him, but also those around us.

I've noticed true love doesn't blossom unless these same steps are taken:

1. To humble ourselves. To realize we are powerless over another and the admit our flaws and mistakes to another person and ourselves

2 Have Faith in Christ's Atonement to change...but let's go simpler. To have faith and exercise faith in the people we love. To believe and trust in them. To believe in adn trust ourselves.

To have faith in what cannot be seen but is true (which are things which are revealed to us through the Spirit)

3. Approach this other person in the spirit of repentance. to forgive and seek forgiveness when we have harmed or been wrong. Not only this but to show we are willing to do whatever it takes to change not just by words and actions but seeking God to help change our heart and perspective, the sources of our mistakes/sins/weaknesses.

4. to make and keep commitments. To show love by the commitments we've made. God needs to be involved. Commitments of any nature fall apart when we haven't truly repented and had a change of heart so this is the true test.

5. The having the Spirit, share greater love and bless the lives of those you love.


Alright so I didn't exactly describe this perfectly by any means...but think of it:

You are having issues with someone.

1. Be humble. Look at yourself and not the other person to change. Admit that you aren't perfect of understand everything and invite God to help you.
2. Have faith that you, they , and God and things can change.
3. Repent: Change what you can change and striving to not just heal your actions but your heart
and that includes forgiving and seeking forgiveness and continually acknowledging your flaws and mistakes.
4. Make and keep commitments that not only show change but instill and deeper love and trust between you and those you love.
5. Now that you have made sincere efforts and relied on God to help change you and faithfully kept your commitments, a change of heart not just in you but in your relationship should occur.

This is where God intervene's and invites another to change.


Notice how this pattern had nothing to do with blame or seeking out what was wrong in another.

I am starting to learn and understand that showing love is about showing what we are willing to do to bless another all of the while respecting them and their choices and feelings..


Lesson # 2:

The spirit is the key to communication.

Well I received and answer to my prayers. I have been praying and pondering if it were ever possible to communicate in a manner that was infailable; that in particular with someone in my life , I would never harm or hurt them again by my words and actions.

Then someone said something profound at ARP tonight which struck me (impression? Yeah)
...how they had this issue with how no matter how loving they strived to say something , this one particular person kept getting hurt and they didn't know what to do because they thought "hey I'ma loving person. how can they keep getting hurt?" and then it dawned on them that the spirit wasn't present when they spoke with them and then they said and that's where they were sinning.

Now looking back I'm starting to see the same thing.

It's only when we ahve the spirit that love or misunderstanding is surpaased and things gently and kindly are communicated. It's not even in just our intentions or how we say it. It is truly dependant that while we speak or write or do anthing that the Spirit is fully present...not half present...I'm begining to understand this more and more each day.

Lesson 3:
In relation to Lesson 1, see Heavenly Father is your Dad and Jesus Christ as your Big Brother and see them both as your best friends.

This one brought tears to my eyes when I saw it things this way and has changed the way I interect with my Father every day.

How do you talk and spend time when you are with your best friends, and not when you play or goof off but when you are having a serious, reverent , intimate and open conversation with them?

Now imagine your Father in Heaven beside you and simply talking with you as a friend does...how would you speak back. Now yes, I absolutely encourage reverent and respectful language when you speak with your Father in Heaven who is the creator of all things, all powerful, merciful and more...yet notice this...

He would always support you
Speak well and good to you
Not lie to you and always be truthful to you
respect your space and knows not to interfere unless it's critical to save you
Listens to everything you have to say
Cares about what you have to say.
Has compassion for you
comfort you when things are hard.
Offers counself when asked for and needed.
been where you have been and you can rely on them through the thick and thin.
Never tear you down, stand up for you and assist you when you get stuck.
Remind and inspire you to be your best self, always set a good example to you
Would give their life for you in a heart beat and more.
Want what's best for you even when it's not always the easy path.

That's our Saviour and our Father in Heaven.

For those of you reading this, imagine a God that is personal and knows you and listens and trusts and believes in you.

What a perfect example of friendship.

John 15: 12-15 (read 15 in particular)

12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

Now read that again...not just as some impersonal God/ Saviour but as your Saviour and your Big Brother and your Best Friend....

I believe that as we strive to allow our Heavenly Father and Saviour be our best friends and we strive to be their friends, the relationships in our lives will begin to reflect this very relationships we have with them.

It's my prayer that I will always be considered not only one of God's sons but also my Saviour's friend and that I will treat all people especially those I love (above all my future companin and my children) with the kind of love Christ shares with me everyday and that I in turn strive the share with Him everyday.


Well that's all I'm going to share today. I can't spend forever writing in this blog although i'm not surprised that I can write this much in such short period of time.

I'm thinking that Lord knowing what he's talking about when I finally felt impressed to take up copywriting. It will be very interesting.

I hope you all grow and discover more and more of the Lord's tender mercies all around you.

We are all part of this great tapestry where we cannot see the whole picture because we are just this small thread, but one thread out of place can be seen by those who see it all and every thread plays an important part in the expresion of something greater and more beautiful then the thread can realize.

Know you have a place and purpose and reason foir being and that you are a part of something great even when you cannot see if all.

Love you all.

Till next post!