Friends

Never thought of a friend as a possession. A gift, yes. Not a possession. You can't own a friend. You can earn a person's friendship. Sometimes the friendship is given freely.

The epitaph on Lois Carter's headstone says,

A friend is a gift you give yourself.

~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Elder Ashton says,

"A friend is a possession we earn, not a gift. … The Lord has declared that those who serve him and keep his commandments are called his servants. After they have been tested and tried and are found faithful and true in all things, they are called no longer servants, but friends. His friends are the ones he will take into his kingdom and with whom he will associate in an eternal inheritance."

--Marvin J. Ashton, "What Is a Friend?", Ensign, Jan. 1973, 41

An ensign to the nations

Isaiah talks about lifting up an ensign to the nations. Reading about the ensign (en-sine) reminded me of Captain Moroni & the Title of Liberty. Here President Hinckley admonishes:

"If we are to hold up this Church as an ensign to the nations and a light to the world, we must take on more of the luster of the life of Christ."

--President Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, Nov. 2003, 84 

Elder Marvin J. Ashton tells us, "As children of God we are somebody. …"

Eternity is in the process now

Been working & playing on the computer, procrastinating making a call I should have made a week ago. I decided while I was checking my Netflix account & was already in gmail, I'd request another day's assignment in my scripture reading to get caught up. Both thoughts are repeat. Elder Ashton's thought, which can also be found here, is what I needed today. I am sharing it again, even though it does not deal with procrastination.

"Very often in our anxiousness for the joys of the future we run away from the very things we are wanting and needing today. An appropriate examination of the passing moment will prove it leads to eternity. We need to constantly remind ourselves eternity is in process now."

--Marvin J. Ashton, "The Time Is Now", Ensign, May 1975, 85

I'm sorry, but Elder Wirthlin's thought, Parents, do you know where your children are? is getting kind of old.

The time is now

Tonight's quote from Elder Marvin J. Ashton is a repeat. I prayed incoherently during Nick & Don's argument. It escalated, as it frequently does. Then I read Elder Ashton's words & it was like an answer to that incoherent prayer, "We need to constantly remind ourselves eternity is in process now." This next quote is also a repeat,

"Remember, tomorrow is connected with today, and what we do with today determines the tomorrow."

--Marvin J. Ashton, "The Time Is Now", Ensign, May 1975, 85

Both quotes are from the same talk, "The Time is Now." I prayed that I know we can't have HIS spirit if we have contention in our home. Our home is very contentious. As President David O. McKay said, "No other success can compensate for failure in the home." I feel like we have failed.

The next quote is from President Monson.

"Noah had the unwavering faith to follow God's commandments. May we ever do likewise. May we remember that the wisdom of God ofttimes appears as foolishness to men; but the greatest lesson we can learn in mortality is that when God speaks and we obey, we will always be right."

--Thomas S. Monson, "They Marked the Path to Follow", Ensign, Oct 2007, 4–9

Rewarding

Rewarding is defined as "Offering or likely to offer satisfaction or gratification."

"One who practices pure religion soon discovers it is more rewarding to lift a man up than to hold him down."

--Marvin J. Ashton, "Pure Religion", Ensign, Nov. 1982, 63

 And the next one

"Needed are...[souls] filled with compassion, that we might communicate not only eye to eye, or voice to ear, but in the majestic style of the Savior, even heart to heart."

--President Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, November 1994, page 70.

We are somebody

Two short quotes tonight. Elder Ashton's quote gives me hope. Because sometimes I wonder.

"As children of God we are somebody. He will build us, mold us, and magnify us if we will but hold our heads up, our arms out, and walk with him. What a great blessing to be created in his image and know of our true potential in and through him! What a great blessing to know that in his strength we can do all things!"

--Marvin J. Ashton, "In His Strength", Ensign, Jul 1973, 24

And Bishop McMullin's is keenly felt. I strive very much to listen to the Holy Ghost.

"The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead, sent forth by God to reveal all needful things. He teaches and testifies with divine power and clarity. His witness may go unheard or unheeded, forsaken or denied, but it is never misunderstood."

--Bishop Keith B. McMullin; Ensign, May 1996, Page 6

Live today

Carpe diem - although a synonym of this is take no thought of the morrow, this is not the meaning I thought of when reading today's quotes. One of them is a repeat, as they so often are anymore. It was from "The Power to Heal from Within" by Elder Merrill J. Bateman. 


The other one made me think of the subject of this entry, live today or carpe diem (seize the day).

"Remember, tomorrow is connected with today, and what we do with today determines the tomorrow."

--Marvin J. Ashton, "The Time Is Now", Ensign, May 1975, 85

It also reminded me of the third verse in Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken" which says:

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

Acquiring meekness

More & more frequently I am finding the quotes given are repeats. President Vern R. Peel, my mission president, would always tell us that repetition is the key to learning, or maybe it was Sister Peel. At any rate it seems the 2nd or 3rd time through I learn something just as I did the first time.

"None of us will escape tragedy and suffering. Each of us will probably react differently. However, if we can recall the Lord's promise, "for I the Lord am with you," we will be able to face our problems with dignity and courage. We will find the strength to be of good cheer instead of becoming resentful, critical, or defeated. We will be able to meet life's unpleasant happenings with clear vision, strength, and power."

--Marvin J. Ashton, "Be of Good Cheer", Ensign, May 1986, 66

Bishop H. David Burton in his October 2004 General Conference address tells us meekness "reflects a healthy self-esteem and a genuine self-control." Which I do not have & need to cultivate, just as President Peel used to urge me.

Pray always

Prayer is talking to God. Sometimes I think people make it too hard. I know sometimes I start praying & remember something someone said about people with OCD praying too much. This pretty much sums it up:

However, when you feel the need to pray in order to avoid something bad from happening, and you have anxiety if you don't pray then you have OCD.

OCD & Excessive Prayer

However, if you have a problem, pray for the problem. The dog is out & can't be contained in the kennel because he chewed through the door. A new door is almost $100. Something bad might happen to the dog until the kennel can be fixed - he might get hit if he runs out into the highway; he might attack the kids getting on the bus, not because he's a mean dog, but because he craves affection. His neck is 33 inches & the largest collar, chain, whatever is only 30 inches. He's huge, so he can't be chained, even if we had a chain to chain him. So, this quote from President Monson gives me hope:

"Through personal prayer, through family prayer, by trusting in God with faith, nothing wavering, we can call down to our rescue His mighty power. His call to us is as it has ever been: “Come unto me."

--Thomas S. Monson, "Come unto Him in Prayer and Faith", Ensign, Mar 2009, 4–9

There are at least 2 of us praying for the dog. Of course, even if you pray fervently, something still might happen. But you don't KNOW that. This quote from Elder Ashton originally appeared in the Ensign in February 1993.

"I recommend you come to know your Father in Heaven. Come to love Him. Always remember that He loves you and will give you guidance and support if you will but give Him the chance. Include Him in your decision making. Include Him in your heartaches and heartbreaks. Include Him when you take inventory of your personal worth."

--Marvin J. Ashton, "Becoming a Quality Person Now", Ensign, Apr 2010, 28–29

He knows our concerns.

Friendship

I read the quotes tonight & I'm thinking, "I know I just read this about Joseph Smith saying friendship is a fundamental principle of 'Mormonism.' I didn't like it then & it still bugs me." So, I proceeded to search for Jensen, friendship & Joseph Smith in every one of my blogs. No result for that quote. Then I wondered if maybe someone else had used the same quote & there it was. Kathleen Hughes used it in her conference talk in 2005. Here it is: different talk, different speaker, same quote.

"The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that "friendship is one of the grand fundamental principles of ‘Mormonism.' " That thought ought to inspire and motivate all of us because I feel that friendship is a fundamental need of our world. I think in all of us there is a profound longing for friendship, a deep yearning for the satisfaction and security that close and lasting relationships can give. Perhaps one reason the scriptures make little specific mention of the principle of friendship is because it should be manifest quite naturally as we live the gospel. In fact, if the consummate Christian attribute of charity has a first cousin, it is friendship."

--Marlin K. Jensen, "Friendship: A Gospel Principle", Ensign, May 1999, 64

 And another one about friendship,

"It takes courage to be a real friend ... A friend is a person who will suggest and render the best for us regardless of the immediate consequences. Sir Winston Churchill became Great Britain's greatest friend in his country's darkest hour because he was courageous enough to call for "blood, toil, tears, and sweat" when some would have accepted him more readily as a friend had he advocated peaceful surrender. President Abraham Lincoln was once criticized for his attitude toward his enemies. "Why do you try to make friends of them?" asked an associate. "You should try to destroy them." "Am I not destroying my enemies," Lincoln gently replied, "when I make them my friends?"

--Marvin J. Ashton, "What Is a Friend?", Ensign Jan. 1973, 41

I have always liked Abraham Lincoln. I hope some day to meet him & not be tongue-tied in his presence.

Who's losing?

A couple of quotes from several years ago. They're still appropriate:

Don't be discouraged at seemingly overwhelming odds in your desire to live and to help others live God's commandments. At times it may seem like David trying to fight Goliath. But remember, David did win."

--David B. Haight, Ensign, November 1977

 This next one made me chuckle.

"One warm evening during the past summer months Sister Ashton and I enjoyed a professional baseball game. During the early part of the competition our attention was diverted from the action by a late arriver. As he walked by, he spotted me and asked, 'Who's losing?' I responded with, 'Neither one.' Following my answer, I noticed that he glanced at the right-field scoreboard, saw the game wasn't tied, and walked on, undoubtedly wondering about me. Seconds after he made his way to a distant seat, Sister Ashton said, 'He doesn't know you very well, does he?' 'What makes you say that?' I replied. She responded with, 'If he did, he would know you don't believe anyone is losing. Some are ahead and some are behind, but no one is losing. Isn't that right?' I smiled in approval with a warm feeling inside. Proper attitude in this crisis-dominated world is a priceless possession. Never before is it more important for all of us to move forward with conviction. We may be behind, but we are not losing if we are moving in the right direction. God will not score our performances until the end of the journey."

--Elder Marvin J Ashton, "Who's Losing?" Ensign, Nov. 1974, 41

I remember a professional baseball game I attended in the summer of 1974 in Minneapolis, Minn. I attended with a group of LDS missionaries as guests of Harmon Killebrew for a Minnesota Twins game. We stood out because the young men were dressed in dark suits & ties & the women were in brightly colored dresses, not quite the normal attire for attending a professional baseball game or any kind of baseball game for that matter.

During the game the crowd started yelling & everyone stood up. My companion & I, both being short & not being able to see past the stalwart young men we were surrounded by, stood on the bleacher seats, just to see over their heads. The mission president started yelling, "Sit down! SIT down!" If our team was ahead, why would we want to sit down? It didn't make any sense, but being obedient, we sat down. Well, lo, & behold it had been a streaker running through the bleachers across the field from us. I wasn't even looking there!! I wanted to see what was going on out on the field. I missed the streaker completely, as did my companion. For that matter, we missed what was going out on the field too.

Self-condemning

This first quote is very timely.

"Do not allow yourself to be self-condemning. Avoid discouragement. Teach yourself correct principles and govern yourself with honor. Appropriately involve yourself in helping others. As we develop proper self-image in ourself and others, I promise you the "nobody" attitude will completely disappear. Ever remember wherever you are today within the sound of my voice that you are someone."

--Marvin J. Ashton, "In His Strength", Ensign, Jul 1973, 24

 It's kind of hard not to be self-condemning.

"The teachings and values we cherish the most are not embraced by a secular world. To maintain a firm stance for ourselves and our children, the message of the restored gospel must be firmly planted in our hearts and taught in our homes."

--W. Craig Zwick, "We Will Not Yield, We Cannot Yield", Ensign, May 2008, 97–99

True, so true.

He is risen

President Gordon B. Hinckley said

"These simple words — "He is not here, but is risen" — have become the most profound in all literature. They are the declaration of the empty tomb. They are the fulfillment of all He had spoken concerning rising again. They are the triumphant response to the query facing every man, woman, and child who was ever born to earth."

--Gordon B. Hinckley, "He Is Not Here, but Is Risen", Ensign, May 1999, 70

 The next quote is the emphatic one from Elder Ashton. I still think it should be empathetic & readthescriptures dot com has made a mistake. I should take a minute & find out.

So, in searching for Elder Ashton's talk, "Straightway," in the May 1983 Ensign, I came upon this quote:

Procrastination is unproductive delay. Someone has wisely said, “Procrastination is a silly thing, it only makes me sorrow; but I can change at any time—I think I will tomorrow!” 

And yes, I was right, the word is empathetically. Here is the correct quote:

Just by listening empathetically, we often can help others find their own solutions. Recently a stake president told me that one of the most sincere thank-yous he had ever received came from a young mother with two children who, under very difficult conditions, was trying diligently to succeed as a single parent. After a lengthy interview, her words of appreciation were simply, “Thank you for listening to me. I think I can face my problems much better now.”

History turns on small hinges

More quotes from readthescriptures.

"It has been said that the gate of history turns on small hinges, and so do people's lives. The choices we make determine our destiny."

--Thomas S. Monson, "Choose You This Day," Ensign, Nov. 2004, 67

And this one Nick needs to read this & internalize it.

"Very often in our anxiousness for the joys of the future we run away from the very things we are wanting and needing today. An appropriate examination of the passing moment will prove it leads to eternity. We need to constantly remind ourselves eternity is in process now."

--Marvin J. Ashton, "The Time Is Now", Ensign, May 1975, 85

 As if we could give it to him & he'd "get" it.