Prepare ourselves to worthily partake of the sacrament. Partaking of the sacrament worthily is the most sacred part of our Sunday service because it is the act of renewing our covenants with the Lord. It is a way of spiritually recharging our souls. This is our opportunity to feel the peace and sweet companionship of the Holy Ghost, reflect on the Savior’s atonement, and offer our broken hearts and contrite spirits to the Lord.
Preparing for Sunday takes conscious effort, both temporally and most importantly, spiritually. It requires a recollection of our sins, repentance, and the desire to forsake them. It also requires going to church, both to be cleansed from sin and to renew your commitment to follow the Savior. We should go to church early enough to not be rushed, and be reverent throughout the service.

Prepare ourselves to receive inspiration from the speakers. Listening to the speakers during the service can enlighten our minds and strengthen our souls. To fully attune ourselves with the Holy Ghost, we must listen with our spiritual ears and understand the principles that the speakers are trying to teach. Avoid criticizing the speakers. The inspiration we receive is not based on how eloquent the speakers are, but on how well we listen to the voice of the Spirit through the speaker’s message. Our daily prayers and daily scripture study can also be a big help as we prepare for the Sabbath.

Prepare to participate in Sunday School, Relief Society and Priesthood Classes. Sunday school is a time for us to share our thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This is a time for us to comfort and to be comforted, uplift and to be uplifted. It is a time to strengthen those with feeble knees, enlighten those who are confused, and counsel together to bring back to the fold those who are lost. It is a time to learn the principles of the gospel through the lives of prophets and apostles recorded in the scriptures and to learn of the Savior.

To fully prepare for these classes, it is important that we study and ponder the lesson in advance so we are prepared to share our insights about the lesson. It is also important that we are willing to share our experiences if they could potentially help or inspire others. In addition to our spiritual preparation, we must also make sure that we are well rested so that we can be alert and focus on the things Heavenly Father would have us learn in our classes.

Our Sunday worship will have a greater positive effect on our lives as we continually seek to improve our physical and spiritual attendance on Sundays. The Lord will be happy and pleased, and abundantly bless us beyond our expectations if we put our best efforts toward preparing for our Sunday worship.

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It was a song to my parents, asking them to “lead me” and to “guide me” in this life so I can live with my Heavenly Father again someday. And whenever I hear my kids sing it, I am reminded that it is my responsibility to teach them correct principles so they can return to their Eternal Father someday. The best father I could learn from is Heavenly Father and the only way to learn from Him is to draw closer to Him. Fatherhood helped me do that.

Fatherhood helped me understand Heavenly Father’s love for all His children

When I think about Heavenly Father sacrificing His Only Begotten Son to save all His children, I cannot comprehend how hard it must have been for Him. But fatherhood gave me a little glimpse of that feeling— of being willing to sacrifice something for my children’s welfare. Fatherhood taught me that there is no sacrifice too great, and no obstacle too hard that a father cannot do or surpass for his child.

My children’s joys also became my joys, and their sorrows my sorrows. My prayers became more focused on my best desires for them. I became more selfless and giving. My life became less about me and more about my children.

Having experienced this, I came to know how much Heavenly Father loves me, and all His children, and how much He’s willing to sacrifice to see His children come home again. My heart is continually filled with an overwhelming, almost unfathomable, love for my children. And if I feel this way now, how much more can an Eternal Father feel for all His spirit sons and daughters on both sides of the veil.

Knowing how much He loves me has helped me to come to know Him better. I am more comfortable seeking His counsel when I struggle as a father, because I know that He understands perfectly what I am going through.

Fatherhood taught me to be patient like Him

When I was still single, I thought I was already a very patient person. But when I became a father, I realized that my patience was not quite as developed as I thought yet. I guess fatherhood introduces men to our unrealized potential, and challenges us to grow.

Fatherhood is a journey of endless  patience—when the kids throw a tantrum, when they insist on what they want, when they purposefully spill their milk on the floor, when they refuse to listen, when they begin to grow up and think that they don’t need your guidance because they’ve got it all figured out, etc. These experiences have, and continue, to shape my life, and I cannot help but think about the extent of Heavenly Father’s patience towards all His children. He has many children and a good portion of them disobey Him. Some even believe He doesn’t exist. But He loves them anyway. His patience towards all His children is the perfect example for every father to follow.

So whenever I scrunch my forehead over spilled milk or a tantrum, I can think of how Heavenly Father would react to such a situation. Constantly reminding myself how patient He is as a father helps me to re-pattern my fatherhood style to His—the One who never gives up on His children no matter how stubborn they can be. Having Him as a role model draws me closer to Him as I still seek inspiration on how to become a father like Him.

Fatherhood gave me a glimpse of how much He’s willing to forgive

When my children make mistakes, they ask forgiveness by saying, “Sorry, Daddy.” Sometimes, I forgive them right away, but oftentimes, I first ask them what they did wrong and why they did it. I then try to teach them the lesson behind their action, and why it was wrong. After this type of conversation, everything feels great again. Through these countless conversations I have had with my children, I have come to understand more clearly how much Heavenly Father is willing to forgive His children when they ask for sincere forgiveness, no matter how great the mistakes they have made.

Knowing how much he’s willing to forgive has drawn me closer to Him as I have asked forgiveness for mistakes I have made and the times I have fallen short of being the father He wants me to become.

Out of all the blessings I have received from fatherhood, the greatest is coming closer to Him as I have come to better understand the extent of His love and patience for all His children, and his willingness to forgive those come back to His fold.

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Some fathers find that following a certain schedule works best, while some want to be spontaneous in their daily activities. There is no secret formula to balancing our time between all our priorities. Instead, we need to understand that right balance doesn’t literally mean distributing equal amounts of time to everything. I believe that the right balance involves giving our 100% undivided attention to whatever task we have decided to do. It is about being physically, mentally, and emotionally present during family dinners, soccer games and in everything we do. It is about serving in the Church and trusting that God will help our wives take care of things at home.  Giving 100% means giving our best effort and putting our best foot forward when we have chosen to do something. It doesn’t matter how much time we spend fulfilling these priorities but how we spend the time it takes doing them.

One concern that some fathers may have is following the commandment to “put God first.” It is very important for us fathers to understand the meaning of this commandment. We might feel that service in the Church should be our top priority because we want to follow this commandment but this is a distorted understanding.

M. Russell Ballard counseled, “As a result of their focusing too much time and energy on their Church service, eternal family relationships can deteriorate. Employment performance can suffer. This is not healthy, spiritually or otherwise. While there may be times when our Church callings require more intense effort and unusual focus, we need to strive to keep things in proper balance. We should never allow our service to replace the attention needed by other important priorities in our lives. Remember King Benjamin’s counsel: “And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength” (Mosiah 4:27).

The church has been established in a way that can help us balance all these responsibilities. One example is “Ministering.” This new direction of the LDS church does not require us to minister everyday. In fact, this activity can be done as a family. The Church is conscious about not taking too much time from our families so we must not neglect our other responsibilities because of our church calling or assignments. If we ever feel that all these responsibilities are too heavy for us, our bishops are always willing to extend help and discuss alternatives to help us.

The book of Ecclesiastes says, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” I know that by applying this principle in our daily lives, we will be able to manage and balance our time so we can spend it with the people and the things that matter most.

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Mormon missionaries can be seen walking the streets of large cities and small communities around the world. They travel in pairs and the men are dressed in white shirts and ties while the women are dressed in modest blouses/tops and skirts/dress slacks. They knock on doors in rain or shine to find people who are interested to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are Jesus Christ’s representatives in these days, teaching how people may be saved both from physical and spiritual death. They hand out copies of the Book of Mormon, which is another testament of Jesus Christ. They can also be seen participating in community service such as street clean-up or mowing the lawns of the elderly.

Eighteen-year-old young men and nineteen-year-old young women in the church are encouraged to go on missions. Young men serve for 24 months and young women serve for 18 months. These young adults voluntarily become missionaries. They leave their homes and families, temporarily stop their schooling, and devote themselves full-time to the service of the Lord. They do not get any compensation or any type of monetary reward. But they go anyway. Why? Because they want to share the good tidings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They want to follow the Saviors admonition, “If ye love me, feed my sheep.” They understand that man does not live by bread alone but by the words of Jesus Christ. They also know that the gospel of Jesus Christ has blessed their lives and that God wants all His children to experience the same.

The church also encourages able-bodied adults to go on missions after their families have been raised. They are referred to as senior missionaries. Senior couples can go together to serve and single senior adults are encouraged to go as well. Like the young missionaries, these senior missionaries receive no compensation of any kind. However, we don’t usually see them knocking on doors or preaching the gospel on the streets. They are usually assigned to other areas where they can serve according to their physical capacity and individual circumstances.

Moreover, the saying, “We are all missionaries in our own way,” is also true in the LDS Church. Aside from those officially called as missionaries, men and women, young and old, learned and unlearned, who are able and willing to serve can contribute to the divine work of the Lord and can do missionary work. They are LDS members who are willing to share their testimonies about the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are those who are willing to serve, not only in the church but also in their communities. They portray and strive to follow the Savior’s invitation to “to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.”

There is more than one definition that can explain who Mormon missionaries are, but they all share the gospel in hopes that the lives of others will be blessed and that more people around the world will come to know Heavenly Father and the Savior Jesus Christ.

If you want to know more about Mormon missionaries or want to meet with them, click here.

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Their journey to the promised land could be likened to our journey back to our heavenly home, and the ship to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our journey does not include actual waves of the sea, but waves of challenges and trials that test us to our core. Some are the result of unwise choices, some are consequences of disobedience, some are the result of others’ actions, and sometimes they are simply a part of the experience of life.

When those trials and challenges strike, are we going to stay on the ship of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Are we going to stay committed to the covenants we made at baptism? Are we going to continue holding to our faith as we face the trials of this life? If we choose to exercise faith in the Lord and trust that the ship of the gospel will eventually help us reach the promised land we have so longed for, we will be protected from the harsh waves of temptation and spiritual chaos just as Noah, Nephi, and the brother of Jared, were protected on their ships from the unforgiving waters of the sea.

The gospel of Jesus Christ provides protection from false traditions, beliefs, and concepts. It teaches us truths about our divine identity, the individual identities of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, the Plan of Salvation, the necessity of the Fall of Adam, the need for physical death, and many other precious things. It provides comfort and understanding in times of confusion. It helps us to know God better and draws us closer to Him.

If we ever find ourselves thinking of jumping off the ship to escape the terrible storms of life, we need to recognize that the storms are harder to deal with outside the ship. Without the gospel of Jesus Christ, the light that guides us on our journey, the Holy Ghost, will slowly fade and mists of confusion will gradually cloud our understanding and decisions. Outside the ship, we can more easily be swallowed up by the waves of trials.

Staying on the ship doesn’t mean our lives will be easy. Nephi faced many trials while on their ship. He was bound by his elder brothers and almost thrown into the sea. We will still be tested in this life, but staying on the ship will help us see through a spiritual lens the lessons that God is trying to teach us. May we always have the firm resolve to hold to our faith and stay on the ship of the gospel no matter the storms that come into our lives.

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I am a young father of three and the most joyous experiences in my life have been associated with my role as a father. Holding my newborn babies for the first time, watching them grow, helping them learn, teaching them how to pray and soothing them to sleep are just a few of my favorite things about being a father. But as most people say, it’s not all rainbows and butterflies. There are times when, no matter how hard we try, we feel that we are not doing enough.

I work full time as a Project-In-Charge (PIC) in the field from Monday to Friday and each day is a battle against time. I make sure to squeeze in time to spend with my children in the morning before I head out for work and before we go to sleep at night. I wake them up for our morning prayers and read to them at night. On weekends, we do fun things like going to nature preserves, visiting their grandma, and playing at the park or at home. Then we go to church on Sundays. Although I am doing the best I can to fulfill my responsibilities as a father, I sometimes feel as though I’m far from being the father I need to be for my children. The first time I felt discouraged, I questioned my ability to even raise a family. But as I sought the Lord’s help, I realized that it is okay.

It is okay to feel discouraged and exhausted. It is okay to feel far from perfect. It is okay to feel that we are falling short from what is expected of us. It is okay to feel that we are not measuring up. What’s not okay is feeling that way and not doing anything about it. During these moments when we feel inadequate, we can reach out to the one we look up to as a perfect father, our Heavenly Father. Because He is a perfect father, He knows exactly what we need to fill in the blanks. I cannot fathom how helpless He must have felt, witnessing His Only Begotten suffer, the impulse He must have felt to send angels to rescue His Son, and how devastated He must have been when many of His spirit children followed the adversary during the Grand Council in heaven. Because He has experienced all these as a father, He understands how we feel and what we are going through.

He understands when we doubt ourselves as we try to teach our kids the right lessons, when we have to choose work sometimes over a school play, when we are absent-minded thinking about bills and a mortgage to pay, when we don’t have the answers to all of our kids’ questions, when we worry about showing our children our weaknesses, and the other million things that keep us awake at night. He understands every degree of our feelings and insecurities. And because He understands, He knows how to succor and sustain us if only we ask. Many times He sends angels, even earthly angels, to help us in ways that are not obvious to us. But we can be at peace fulfilling our divine duty as fathers to His spirit children, knowing that He walks side by side with us every step of the way.

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Love God with all thy heart. Loving God with all our hearts means having righteous desires. Why? Because our desires directly impact our choices and our moral agency. The desire of our hearts is the driving force behind our actions and choices. Loving God with all our hearts means desiring to submit our wills to God, change our ways, repent of our sins, strive to overcome our weaknesses, and “let the affections of [our] heart[s] be placed upon the Lord forever.” All our desires, be it temporal or spiritual, should be rooted in our love of God.

Love God with all thy soul. The Lord invites us to “come unto him, and offer [our] whole souls as an offering unto him.” Offering our whole souls to Him means following His commandments willingly and joyfully, without the grudging thought that we are only following Him because of the blessings that we will receive or because we are compelled to follow.

Love God with all thy mind. When we love God with all our minds, we strive to remember Him each day, not only because we made a promise to remember Him always when we were baptized, but because we want to be reminded of God’s perfect love for us no matter the circumstance. We also take the time to study the scriptures, attend Sunday school, seminary, and institute classes, and listen to prophets and apostles. Focusing and filling our minds with His words and the words of His servants will help us know Him better and understand His goodness and love for us.

Love God with all thy strength. Loving God with all our strength means losing ourselves in the service of our fellowmen, because by doing so, we are in the service of our God. It involves sacrificing our personal time, using our talents, exerting our efforts, and giving of our substance to those whose hands need a little lifting. It also means caring for and strengthening our bodies to be capable of serving.

Love thy neighbor as thyself. Loving our neighbor cannot be separated from loving God, for in the scriptures the Lord Himself said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” This is the second great commandment. It is important to note that obeying this commandment is not simply about loving others. It is about loving others as we love ourselves. It means looking after the welfare of others, bearing one another’s burden, uplifting those whose shoulders hang down with sorrow, recognizing that none of our fellow travelers on this earth are perfect, and cultivating an attitude of kindness and generosity one towards another. The question, “Would I do the same to myself?” will help us consistently check if we are truly loving our neighbors.

As we obey the first great commandment, our loyalty to Heavenly Father will not waiver even at the darkest stage of our lives. And when the time comes that He asks, “Do you love me?”, we will be able to answer without a second thought, “Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.”

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