Live by Faith and Not by Fear

Live by Faith and Not by Fear - by Quentin L Cook

(http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-775-25,00.html)

Okay just a small thought about this... In his talk Elder Cook uses one of my favorite scripture... : “Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come.” (D&C 68:6) I'm the kind of person who likes to have control on things; I like when things are planned and I like to prepare... Well the problem is that life has a tendency to go the other way, and I get scared when I don't know how things will turn... And that is why this scripture is one of my favorite, because it tells me and reminds me that I shouldn't fear, because the Lord is with me (with all of us), he loves us more than we can understand! We "only" have to turn to him and believe him... believe that what he says is true. And when we trust him, we have faith and having faith in him will help us to walk through the storms of our lives, to keep going even the path seems hard and even if we don't understand everything... It doesn't mean that we won't experience failure or disappointment, but with him we will know that after all everything will be fine.

Good, Better, Best

Good, Better, Best - by Dallin H. Oaks
(http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-775-38,00.html)

As I was reading this talk two things caught my attention. First Elder Oaks says: "As we consider various choices, we should remember that it is not enough that something is good. Other choices are better, and still others are best. Even though a particular choice is more costly, its far greater value may make it the best choice of all." Lately I felt like I was choosing the cheapest choices, because it was easier somehow... Those choices led to cheap results also and a feeling of emptiness. If we want to have things of great value in our life we have to pay the price and give our best efforts... And this is something I'd really like to change in my life right now. I know from experience that making sacrifices for something of great value brings much more than achieving something... it strengthen us, gives us a feeling of achievement and the desire to do always better...

The second thing I've been thinking about is: in what state of mind do I do thing...? Am I doing things because I was asked for or because it's a habit…? Or am I doing things with a purpose and with a real intent... Elder Oaks says: "Here are some other illustrations of good, better, and best: It is good to belong to our Father in Heaven's true Church and to keep all of His commandments and fulfill all of our duties. But if this is to qualify as "best," it should be done with love and without arrogance... To our hundreds of thousands of home teachers and visiting teachers, I suggest that it is good to visit our assigned families; it is better to have a brief visit in which we teach doctrine and principle; and it is best of all to make a difference in the lives of some of those we visit. That same challenge applies to the many meetings we hold—good to hold a meeting, better to teach a principle, but best to actually improve lives as a result of the meeting." Well, I DON'T want to do things only because I was asked to, or because it's my duty... I want to change people's life, I want to see beyond the simple task... I want to achieve a greater purpose...

Let's start...

As an art historian, I had to start my blog with a picture! One of my favourite; Eve taking the fruit in the garden of Eden (Cathédrale d'Autun, France). Why do I like this sculpture so much? Well to me it is the start of everything. When Eve decided to transgress God's commandment and eat of the fruit, she gave all of us the opportunity to come to this earth to have a body and grow through experiences. She could of stay in the beautiful garden but somehow she knew we had to go through this life. Even if life isn't easy and can be sometimes very painful, it's worth it! We are learning, we are growing... And after all, we are never alone, our Father in Heaven loves us and will always be with us, if only we would turn to him. And for all this I am grateful!