Woodstock Letter #1

New Member Ivonne & Hermana Hoer

March 2012

I just keep reminding myself that you don't finish progressing in a day. I feel I'm being stretched and pulled, molded. I want to become someone great. I want to become better. I want God to mold me and change me. However, sometimes I resist the molding because it often comes through experiences that are a bit out of our comfort zone. I think the key is to keep looking to Christ. As I read Alma chapter 4 this morning, I saw a big difference between two types of people:

All of the people had just come out of a war situation. All had suffered losses in their families, their homes, their animals, their possessions, in every way. The scriptures state that there was not one person who did not have cause to mourn. They let their losses remind them of something: the loss came as a consequence to their decisions. It was a natural consequence for the way they lived their lives. Rather than be depressed and move away from God, they chose to come closer to Him. So: the two groups.

    Group 1-They "glanced" to God in their time of loss and despair. They turned to Him when they needed help and were desperate. Yet, once they became settled again in their lives, once they became rich and stable, they turned their sight to riches, pride, and power. They stopped looking to God.
    Group 2-They "looked fervently" towards the Lord. Because of that attitude and action, they retained a remission of their sins, and they were filled with great joy. They didn't just glance. They fixed their sights on the Savior.

The difference wasn't in money or loss. It was in attitude and sight. Where were they looking? That's the difference between happiness, contentment, peace,and fulfillment, and pride, insecurity, and envy. Where are your sights fixed? That determines everything.

I read through something I wrote in the MTC when I felt prompted to open to the Bible, and in Matthew chapters 1 & 2, I had previously highlighted the words having anything to do with rising, risen, arose, raised. I've always been intrigued with those words. In each case, following divine instruction involved Joseph "rising". As he did each time, the results were incredible and far reaching.

It's more than rising from bed or rising from sleep. It's rising from your ways to God's ways. It's rising out of yourself in order to be obedient - in order to meet what He has in store - in order to become what He sees in you. I want to be raised. I want to raise up out of myself, because I want to move upward to God. It takes effort. That effort comes from faith. If we have faith in Him, we'll trust His words and instruction, and daily "arise" from our old selves into the person He sees in us. 

Have a great week.

Love,
Leshelle