This still rings in my ears to this day as I recall how we almost lost our daughter after we ignored a simple warning.

It was a sunny day after a week of thunderstorms and gloomy skies. We received the usual warning notification on our phones about the strong winds and big waves, and to avoid going into deep waters. However, contrary to that warning, the seas seemed very calm and inviting.

“Let’s go to the beach today!”, my children excitedly shouted. 

Upon arriving at the beach, we immediately rushed to the peaceful clear blue waters after realizing that there were no other people except the cottage owners. The sun was shining bright but the wind was blowing cold, probably because of the rainy days prior. 

We rented a unicorn floater for my daughter and played with her. There were four adults there with two kids, so we were confident that we could take care of them. We held on to the floaters as they glided through the small waves. We chased them in the shallow waters as they drifted to the side. It was so much fun. Everything was under control. 

Until it was not…

My daughter glided through the waters, just flowing with the waves, as we took turns holding on to her floater, when all of a sudden, the winds blew stronger in a different direction, drifting my little girl towards the deep. We were still calm and still confident that everything was under control. After all, it was my husband’s hometown, he knows the place. He knows the ocean. Swimming comes second nature to him. 

My husband swam towards her, but as he tried to grab her floater, the wind blew stronger and stronger, drifting her farther away. He swam faster and harder until he realized he could no longer breathe properly and was already in a panic. He had to stop chasing her, otherwise, both of them would drown. 

“Daddy! Please save me!” My poor little girl cried as she was looking back at my husband while holding tightly to the floater, drifting farther away. My husband knew he couldn’t save her anymore. He turned to me, now at least 15 meters away, and with his remaining strength, he shouted, “HELP!” 

After we shouted for help, a young man jumped into the water to try to swim towards the floater, but just like my husband, he ran out of air, had cramps, and had to stop. The floater drifted faster and farther away. We could barely hear my daughter’s cry anymore. The wind just took her away. We were almost losing hope. I was losing my precious little girl right before my eyes. I remember praying to God to please hold on to His dear daughter and to save her. 

She was finally saved by another young man who jumped into the water with a boat. He paddled like lightning! As my daughter drifted towards the big rocks, and while she was holding tightly for her life, even after being swayed back and forth by the strong wind, the little boat came to her rescue.

I know had we listened to the warnings and not relied on our own understanding, that accident could’ve been avoided.

The Lord has given us the wisdom to discern what is right and wrong, and also commandments to lead us to ultimate safety and happiness.

Have you also had any experiences when you confidently trusted your mind, wisdom, and experiences, and missed the warnings?

It could be a red flag in a relationship that you ignored, a symptom of a disease we downplayed, not prioritizing our health after several reminders from doctors, or breaking small rules and then bigger ones, until it was almost too late. 

In my case, it was a warning we ignored because of how seemingly beautiful the weather was. We depended on what we could see with our eyes, and because we simply wanted to have fun. 

Because we wanted to have fun, we ignored the warnings from people who could see the real situation of the weather, people who knew better about the waves and the seas. We relied on our own understanding, which led us to an almost tragic accident. 

Having fun is not wrong, but ignoring the warnings is. Not only will it bring harm to us, but it will also drift us away from the presence of the Holy Ghost, who is our constant companion to guide us to safety and eternal happiness.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct thy paths.”

With so many voices around us, including ours, it is important to recognize the Lord’s voice. In our time, these warnings and guiding principles are everywhere we go. We have the scriptures to have constant communication with the Lord to direct our daily paths, spiritual leaders, our families, teachers, community leaders, laws set in our communities, and many more! 

There are promised blessings if we listen to these warnings, such as unity in our homes and community, safety, peace of mind, success in our daily endeavors, and a stronger connection with the Holy Ghost—these are all life-changing effects of listening and when we lean not on our own understanding.

The Atonement allows us to repent and redirect our paths back to Him.

In a General Conference talk, Elder Kim B. Clark said, “None of us are perfect. Sometimes we get stuck. We get distracted or discouraged. We stumble. But if we look to Jesus Christ with a repentant heart, He will lift us, cleanse us from sins, forgive us and heal our hearts.”

Although we are to constantly follow Him, the Lord understands that we make mistakes from time to time, that is why He has provided a way for us to redirect our paths back to safety when we have gone off course. 

Even when we sometimes are stubborn to heed the warnings, the Lord still sends us help at the right time, to save us. Just as my husband accepted the fact that the situation was no longer under his control, and cried for help, we too must learn to let God take control of our lives and situations. However, we need to be sensitive to the ways the Lord helps us, and then recognize them quickly because the water will rise quickly too. My dear daughter was saved just in time and was brought back to safety. God sent help just when we needed it most. 

As Dieter F. Uchtdorf lovingly reminded us, “God wants you to find your way back to Him, and the Savior is the way.” He atoned for our sins, bled in Gethsemane, and died on the cross, to make it possible for us to turn away from our sins and weaknesses, and be pure again to enter the kingdom of the Lord.

May we not lose hope when we make mistakes. After all, Jesus Christ, our Savior, and Redeemer died for the ones who sinned, not for the ones who are perfect. He will always accept us with arms wide open when we turn our hearts to Him in repentance. We may sometimes fall down, but He will always be there to catch us and guide us back to safety.

The post Why We Should Lean Not On Our Own Understanding: I Almost Lost My Child appeared first on morefaith.ph.

I can still remember how I felt after hearing these remarks from a person I thought would understand why people set goals.

I was a young professional who had just spent the last year working hard for  a consulting firm, which helped me to apply what I learned from college into actual business scenarios. However, as I sought growth within the company, I didn’t see it fitting what I wanted for the future. So I decided to leave for a better opportunity.

Then I stumbled into someone who knew of my work, and I shared with him my goals, hoping to hear some inspirational remarks. But to my horror, I was lectured for being too focused on wanting more and not being happy with what I had accomplished.

For many weeks his remarks kept creeping back into my head, making me question if there was any truth to them. As I reflected on his questions, here are 3 important lessons that I learned.

Seeking growth does not mean you’re unhappy with where you are in life.

One of the biggest misconceptions on happiness is that everyone seeking growth and striving to become better is not happy with where they are and what they’ve accomplished.

Of course, this can be true for some. But there are those who are happy with their present circumstances while also working towards continuous learning and self-improvement. Some even find happiness in the learning process—with its highs and lows, wins and setbacks, and everything in between.

There’s nothing wrong with reawakening your intellectual curiosity on what more you could discover about yourself—what talents you could improve, what skillsets you could learn, and what new things you could integrate into your life that will make you feel most alive and engaged.

Seeking growth doesn’t mean unhappiness. It means you know you can reach beyond the limits you’ve previously set for yourself, toward your greater human potential. After all, isn’t that the reason why we are here on Earth—to learn how to become the best version of ourselves and find joy in the process?

You can find happiness in the present while working towards your goals.

One of the fears associated with setting goals is the “I will be happy when” mentality. It is when one’s happiness is entirely dependent on the outcome that one is hoping to achieve. It is when people delay and ignore any gratification until they accomplish a goal, obtain something of value, or experience a specific life event such as landing a dream job, getting married, or having a child.

Of course, achieving these can give you indescribable joy but finding joy while you’re working towards these goals is also possible.

The first step is self-awareness. Self-aware individuals know how to set realistic goals and expectations. They don’t overestimate the value of their abilities. They know that achieving goals involves discipline, consistency, effort, and most importantly, time.

The second step is self-compassion. You can find happiness in the present by treating yourself with a degree of compassion that enables you to accept setbacks, embrace learning experiences, and find areas that you can improve on. Self-compassion enables you to celebrate incremental progress, even the smallest inch that pushes you towards your goal.

The third step is stepping back so you can see the big picture. Why are you working so hard to achieve these goals? What do all these achievements mean to you? Who are they for? Are these goals enriching other areas of your life? Are you so focused on your goals that you are unintentionally neglecting other areas of your life that can also give you joy?

Seeing the big picture allows you to recognize how the different aspects of your life are interconnected in a weave towards the fulfillment that you’re truly seeking. It enables you to recognize that every day is an opportunity to enjoy and celebrate your progress with those dearest to you.

You can find joy when your focus is on the Savior Jesus Christ.

A wise man once said, “If you look to the Savior for joy, you can never go wrong. After all, He is the source of all joy.”

No matter what path you’re taking, what circumstances you’re experiencing, or what goals you’re diligently working towards, you can find happiness when you pattern your life with the principles and teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This is not to say that focusing on the Savior will take away all the hardships and other factors that can overturn your happiness such as sickness, loss of employment, or goals that seem so out of reach. But focusing on the Savior will allow you to see through the lens of the Plan of Salvation—that growth does not come with ease, that trials can refine you and strengthen your faith in the Lord, and that His grace is sufficient to sustain you in your times of need.

You can find joy in knowing that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father’s love for you “is so vast, so encompassing, that no matter how broken or flawed [you] think [you] are, [their] love is simply there.”

You can find joy in knowing that Jesus Christ has set an example for you to receive a glorious and exalted existence in His and Heavenly Father’s presence. You can find joy in knowing that by following the Savior’s teachings, you can be sure that you are living a good and honorable life.

There are many things that can contribute to one’s happiness, but these are the key aspects that have helped me seek growth and self-improvement, set realistic goals, celebrate incremental progress every day, and most importantly, see the Lord’s hand in my everyday quest for a life fully lived.

What has helped you find happiness in the present? What goals are you working towards that give you hope?

The post How To Find Happiness In The Present While Pursuing Your Goals appeared first on morefaith.ph.

Beauty and the Beast.

Tarzan and Jane.

Sleeping Beauty.

These animated movies were my favorite growing up. Through them, I learned the concept of a ‘Prince Charming’ and ‘Knight in Shining Armor’. Even at such a young age, I knew that I also wanted a ‘once upon a time’ and ‘they lived happily ever after’ kind of story. I would try on my mother’s flowy dresses and dance while imagining someone sweeping me off my feet.

It wasn’t long until I met someone who would be very close to my heart for eighteen years. Our relationship was the typical story of friends eventually falling in love. We saw each other grow and change through the years—cheering and being there for each other for every milestone and struggle of teenage, student, and career life. It was that kind of love that no matter how far apart you are or how long it’s been since you’ve seen each other, you just know that you belong together.

Because of our busy careers, we didn’t keep in touch as often as we wanted. We would call and exchange emails once in a while, but our focus was achieving our career goals. In my heart, I knew that when we saw each other again, we would be able to pick up where we left off. After all, it was a friendship, connection, and love that had been going strong for eighteen years.

He managed to fly to the Philippines to see me one summer. I thought that it was the perfect time to talk about where our relationship was headed. We’d devoted many years to building our careers, so it was time to give ourselves time to be together.

“I got married…for over a year now.”

I pinched my hand under the table to make sure I wasn’t dreaming, and to my horror, it wasn’t a dream. I held my tears back I almost choked. I never really knew what heartbreak was like until then. All my dreams and hopes of a happily ever after were shattered.

The following days were filled with questions, sadness, self-doubt, anger, regret, disappointment, self-pity, and other myriad emotions that laid my tender heart to waste. Days turned into weeks and weeks into months. Moving on seemed impossible. It felt like that young love, that has grown for so long, was impossible to replace or replicate.

And yet I was repeatedly reminded of Spencer W. Kimball’s talk on marriage. He said, “…it is certain that almost any good man and any good woman can have happiness and a successful marriage if both are willing to pay the price.” I knew that it was the Lord reminding me that my desire to build a family of my own didn’t have to end with my heartbreak.

Yes, it was painful, but the Lord knew my pain and how to comfort me through friends and family who listened to my endless rationales, trying to make sense of my reality and what I needed to do next. He increased my understanding of the principles of forgiveness, charity, and prayer as I searched for answers on how I could move forward. He provided opportunities for me to serve so I could lose myself in the service of others.

As I poured my heart out in prayer to Him every day, I found strength knowing that He knew the blessing that I desired the most—to raise a righteous family with a man after His own heart.

I met that man many months after and married him a year later. In the short period of our courtship, he showed me a love that’s “patient [and] kind, [a love that] does not envy, [nor] boast, [a love that] is not proud [and] does not dishonor others. [A love that] is not self-seeking, not easily angered, [and] keeps no record of wrongs. [A] love [that] does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. [A love that] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

I once asked the Lord why He let me suffer such a painful heartbreak when I had been faithful all my life, doing my best to live up to my potential. But as I got to know my husband during our courtship, I realized that the answer to my question was because the Lord wanted me to find a love like His—ever considerate, selfless, forgiving, and merciful.

I don’t believe that my husband and I are destined to be together. But I know that we did not meet by chance either. Although our individual choices were a big part of it all, I know that the Lord was in the details of our love story through a series of personal revelations, the support of family and friends, and the seemingly impossible occurrences that, without a doubt, were only made possible because of Him.

We’ve been married for seven months now. Some may think that it’s too short to end this story with “they lived happily ever after” but we are both striving each day to be worthy of the Lord’s promise that “whatsoever [is bound] on earth shall be bound in heaven.”

When heartbreaks come, as they do in all of our lives, the Lord understands perfectly our pain and struggle, but He can also help us to move past it, hour by hour, and day by day. As we go forward in faith, doing our best to keep the Lord in our lives, serving others, living righteously, and seeking for His help, He will open doors that we didn’t even know were there. He can help us to heal, and guide us toward “happily-ever-after’s” that we can’t even see yet. Above everything, remember that He loves you, sees the end from the beginning, and truly desires your eternal happiness.

The post How I Found Love After A Heartbreak appeared first on morefaith.ph.

So how can we achieve it?

Many people fail to see joy because they have an ‘I will be happy when’ mentality, a belief that once we finally ‘make it’, we’ll be content and happy. What if we don’t make it? What happens then? Is our happiness solely dependent on whether something happens in our lives or not? Is our happiness conditional on our success?

If we let this mentality define us, our lives will become a spiral of momentary peak moments every time we ‘make it’ but without ever truly understanding and embracing the joys that come from learning the ‘aha’ moments and growth we experience while working towards our goals.

It’s not that we shouldn’t focus on our goals and destination. The destination is what gives us purpose. It’s the driving force behind our efforts. But while we enjoy making those efforts, it doesn’t hurt to pause and let the positive emotions linger a little while longer and celebrate our progress every day, no matter how small. If we don’t progress and experience a setback, we can still recognize the lessons that the experience taught us and how we can do and become better. When we do this, happiness becomes something that we can pursue and achieve every day.

Another important thing about happiness is that it is not the absence of struggles, frustrations, pain, opposition, and other unpleasant feelings. We all experience some degree of difficulty in our lives. Happiness is learning how to live with difficulties and responding to them the best way we can. How we respond to these difficulties can expand our capacity to see, feel, and embrace happiness. In our response lies growth and learning that can lead to fulfillment and joy. We can grow through what we go through with optimism and hope for good things to come.

The last and key aspect to achieving lasting happiness is walking side by side with God every step of the way. Because happiness is the purpose and design of our existence, it is not surprising that before sending us to Earth, God prepared a path to help us achieve what we came here for, if we choose to. This path has been laid out for us in the holy scriptures, written by prophets of old and living prophets in the latter days.

This path to lasting happiness is not about living perfectly because no one can attain perfection in this life, except Jesus Christ who was perfected line upon line, precept upon precept. All that God requires of us is our best efforts.  In a meeting with Primary children, President Russel M. Nelson shared perhaps the most reassuring words to help us better understand the immense love that God has for us. He said, “[T]he Lord loves effort, because effort brings rewards that can’t come without it.” Our efforts to follow the commandments, love God, our neighbor, even our enemies, forgive others, live humbly and peacefully, respect others no matter their beliefs, care for ourselves and those in need, remember Him in times of joy and sorrow, and strive to continue in the path that will lead us back to Him, really do COUNT.

Our efforts count no matter how small we think they are. If we give it the best we can, He will magnify our efforts and help us reap the promised reward of eternal happiness. Happiness doesn’t just happen, we make it happen through Christ who is the ultimate author of lasting happiness.

The post How Can We Achieve Lasting Happiness? appeared first on morefaith.ph.

“See the brighter side of things. Be positive.”

“It will be alright. Just stay positive.”

These are words of encouragement that we have all heard many times. But while there’s truth to these statements, we must recognize that positivity means so much more than simply “being positive”.

Here are three truths that can increase our understanding of true positivity.

Being positive does not mean denying or ignoring unpleasant emotions. This is one of the most common misconceptions about positivity. Some think that being positive means only having pleasant emotions. Because of this confusion, we sometimes feel compelled to ignore feelings of discouragement, sadness, sorrow, and disappointment. We try to convince ourselves that we can’t let these feelings rob us of our positivity. But it simply doesn’t work this way. Life was not designed for us to only feel pleasant emotions. In fact, unpleasant emotions and positivity can co-exist.

We can be disappointed with someone and yet feel so much love for them at the same time. We can feel sad when we fail a test and still hopeful that we can do better next time if we put in more effort. We can feel discouraged and humbled at the same time as we realize what we could have done better. We can feel anxious and have so much trust in ourselves at the same time. So let’s not beat ourselves up when we have these unpleasant emotions because all these are part of our existence. They are essential for our learning and growth. They make success more fulfilling, reunions more joyful, and forgiveness much sweeter. Only when we acknowledge that these unpleasant emotions are part of our lives can we feel truly positive.

Being positive doesn’t mean we don’t see the things that can be improved or are not working. One aspect of being positive is seeing the brighter side of things but it shouldn’t stop there. Being positive also means not ignoring things that are not working, need to be corrected, or can be improved.

If we almost get run over by a vehicle while jaywalking, we can’t simply say, “Thanks goodness, I’m still alive” and walk away. If we are in a relationship where harsh words are thrown at us all the time, we can’t simply say, “I know deep down that s/he is a good person,” and ignore the verbal abuse. If we attend church but are scrolling on our phone the whole time, we can’t simply say “I went to church, that’s good enough”. If we try to build healthy habits but do not succeed, we can’t simply say, “At least I tried. That should count for something”.

Being positive means acknowledging that jaywalking is against the rules and committing to using pedestrian lanes in the future. Being positive means recognizing that we do not deserve maltreatment of any kind and we should have discussions to prevent it from happening in the future or it might also mean moving on from that relationship. Being positive means evaluating our church attendance, reflecting on what we have learned, and committing to give the effort and attention necessary to learn more next time. Being positive means desiring and working towards improvement and progress for ourselves. It means being grateful for who we are, where we are, and what we have, while also looking forward and working towards reaching our full potential.

Being positive is a state of mind, so our positivity can change from day to day. There are many factors that can affect positivity—both internal and external. Others may wonder how a very positive person could react in such a negative way to something or how a friend could commit suicide who had been so positive all their lives. The truth is, positivity is like any other emotion—it can fluctuate, depreciate, stay steady, or even fade away. It’s not like, “either you have it, or you don’t.” So the next time we see someone struggling and think they can get through it without help because they are a positive person, think again. Positivity comes and goes. Sometimes we hold on to it and it stays, other times it fades away even if we try to hold onto it. There are times when the people around us radiate positivity, and it makes it easier to feel that way, but most of the time, we choose to build it from within.

Positivity not only helps us survive in this world, it also helps us thrive if we understand what it is and what it is not. When we understand that it is about acknowledging even our unpleasant emotions, we can better understand ourselves and others, grow and improve ourselves, and perhaps even help others along the way.

The post 3 Truths About Positivity That We Might Be Getting Wrong appeared first on morefaith.ph.

The Wonder and Joys of Childhood

When I look back at my childhood memories. I am amazed at how awesome my imagination was. I grew up not having a lot of toys because my family only had enough for the basic necessities. But I look back and I feel like I didn’t lack anything. I remember playing outside and imagining that I was a soldier and scraping my knees from crawling trying to dodge bullets. There was a time when I believed that I was a mermaid. My skin got burned from staying on the beach for long periods of time. I learned to cook rice from playing house – sneaking into our kitchen to get a fistful of grains and cooking them in a can – with real fire made from twigs. Then my father, who was a fireman, would lecture us about fire safety when we got caught. Those moments were priceless! I am grateful for them all – the mischief and the learning moments.

Dating, Courtship & Marriage

Falling in love is a great adventure. People may or may not agree but love is a beautiful journey. My encounter with love started with the crushes that I had when I was a teenager. With the butterflies in my stomach, I learned that love is not always thrills and excitement. It can also involve heartaches and betrayals. I look back at the strange and funny feeling of liking someone. There were also moments when I needed to give way to other girls because we had the same crushes. When I remember those moments, I can’t help but laugh and also realize that some relationships are more important that other relationships. No wonder love is the most common story and song topic of all time. It takes us on a roller coaster ride. But for me, the greatest adventure was finding that one true love and choosing to stay together. I am now in an adventure that I consider the most important. My marriage has been nice, warm, scary, joyful, weird, lovely, and all the other emotions rolled into one. It is a great opportunity for me to be experiencing this type of adventure.

The Journey Towards the Golden Years

I consider myself to be in the middle of my life. I have a goal age when I want to “retire” and I am about half of it right now. At this stage, I look forward to what the coming years have in store for me. Of course I feel the fear of the unknown, but also the excitement of someone who is trying to make a fallout shelter for the end of the world. Now, my adventure is preparing for the sunset of my life. There are still a lot of things to do and sometimes I get overwhelmed. But I have family and friends on this adventure with me. I feel passionately the need to fight for things that I know are important. Although I choose my battles wisely, I am very vocal about a few things that are precious to me. I fight for women and family, for truth, and for the environment. Part of my advocacy is wellness and good health. We have things we need to fight for in life and doing so is a great adventure in itself. I think aging is graceful if we are striving for something better.

As I look at life, we are all on a great adventure. It is sad that some people think their lives are less than those of others because nothing much is happening. There are a lot of things that are happening. We can make a lot of things happen. Our lives are not the same but life is a great adventure in itself. We fight villains and we stand with heroes everyday. As we journey home to our God, let us make every day count. May we leave a legacy of joy, learning, love and purpose as we live our own adventures.

The post Discovering Great Adventures in Our Ordinary Lives appeared first on morefaith.ph.

I Can Be a Producer and Not Just a Consumer

In this world, there are two kinds of beings – the givers and the takers. People are considered takers; thus the title “consumers”. We take and take not just because we need things, but greed is a strong force that propels us to take more than what we need. Working in my garden taught me that I can be a giver. I may not be giving a lot from such a tiny parcel of land, but I feel I have contributed to producing oxygen instead of just consuming it to produce carbon dioxide. Am I a giver in other things in my daily life? Do I produce happiness, and comfort, and service for others? There are so many ways we can contribute to this world. It is indeed an eye opener for me, how much the little things we do can make a difference.

I Can Work With Nature

Humans, through our intelligence and technology, have made breakthroughs that have changed the way the world works. We have solved numerous problems, but advancements in technology have also endangered the natural order of things. We tend to tailor nature to suit what we want, but what we don’t understand is that nature knows better than we do. In my garden, I learned that I cannot force a seed to sprout. I cannot will a plant to flower or fruit. “To everything there is a season” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). I can use all the fertilizers and other concoctions or methods science can offer, but the best produce can only come from the works of the Lord Himself. And it is the same with other things in my life. Some things I can’t rush: my progression in the gospel, the things I am learning in mortality, I cannot even speed through my trials. I must be patient and work with nature and not against it.

Persistence From Weeds

There is one thing I cannot seem to stop propagating in my tiny garden: weeds. They come in different forms but they have one thing in common – they never die! I have gone to great lengths to get rid of them, but they keep growing! Finally, I tossed my garden tools in the air and told myself, “There must be something these weeds are good for…” I may not know now, but maybe someday the cure for cancer could come from these pesky plants. One thing I know for sure… Weeds taught me persistence. No matter what I do to deter their growth, they cleverly find ways to sprout. And so the persistent weeds gave me staying power when I face challenges. And when I am tempted to give up in the face of life’s challenges I tell myself, “Be like the weeds… Be like the weeds…”

Planting Increased My Hope for a Better Tomorrow

Audrey Hepburn said, “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” I am reminded of how Alma compared the word of God unto a seed (Alma 32: 28-43). The nourishing of a seed will eventually bring forth fruit. Well, not all plants produce fruit, they might give edible leaves, medicinal roots, beautiful flowers, etc. The point is if we give a seed a chance to grow – like that of the word of God – we will someday reap the rewards. My faith increases as I tend to every single plant in my garden. And my hope for a better tomorrow exponentially increases as I get to watch a seed develop into a beautiful mature plant.

As I pondered upon the lessons that I’ve learned from my garden, somehow I understood why Heavenly Father prepared a garden for Adam and Eve. I am sure they learned numerous things from all the flora and fauna that they saw around them. I feel Heavenly Father’s love in my tiny garden. His promise that “…the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare…” (D&C 104:17) holds true.I hope we could all experience Eden in our own home as we create beautiful things, with the Lord’s help, in our lives, families, and communities. It is simply magical!

The post Life Lessons I Learned From My Garden appeared first on morefaith.ph.

Why the discrepancy?

When we try to picture godhood, we want to see very nice people wearing white glowing robes and not having any weakness at all. Then we look at ourselves with all of life’s mess and the comparison feels impossible. It seems as though man’s nature is simply vicious and self-destructive. Maybe this is why we often excuse ourselves from our mistakes by saying, “I am only human.”

Or We Can Think Otherwise

While human nature has been overused throughout the ages as a reason for being weak, maybe we should instead try to retrace our steps and ask, “Why, with all these weaknesses, does God trust me to be an agent to myself? Why does He allow me to make mistakes?” Yes, trusting us to retain our agency is one big leap of faith for our Heavenly Father. He places this divine trust in us despite the large chance that we will not be obedient to Him. Doesn’t that make you feel good about yourself? That someone divine knows you can overcome challenges, however big they are? Maybe being human then, is not that bad at all!

Harnessing the Natural Man

Weakness and all, we have the capacity to be honed into something remarkable, if we but humble ourselves and allow God to help us (Ether 12:27). The flaws that we now have are but crude resources that, when overcome, will transform us into better creatures. Consider the natural resources that we use to our advantage. A raging waterfall and a scorching sun are both very damaging if we come into contact with them as they are. But if we make use of our intellect and capacity to work on these crude resources, they can produce something much greater – the electricity to power our cities and homes.

Weakness Into Strength

If we accept our weaknesses and work to overcome them so we can be molded into better versions of ourselves, then we have power within us to bolster a beautiful transformation. Our natural tendencies can either abase us or make us polished individuals. It is all up to us. But wouldn’t it be nice if we considered ourselves diamonds in the rough? Instead of choosing to remain as pieces of coal, let us allow ourselves to be made into precious gems. Being human then, is not a form of weakness but a state of opportunity and a time to understand the raw materials needed for godhood that are already inside of us (2 Nephi 2:21).

For most, it is our goal to rise above our human tendencies, however; it is not always that easy to do. Believing that we are more than what we appear to be right now makes the difference. Our Heavenly Father believes in us. He knows we are innately good, but because we are exposed to a carnal environment, we can be placed in situations when we sometimes forget who we really are. But remember… That is the key. Remember and trust that gut feeling that you are special – that you are divine.

The post Why Human Nature is Not Our Nature appeared first on morefaith.ph.

We should be positive in all things. We have been counseled to choose a positive attitude and find joy no matter our circumstances because that is the way we can obtain peace in our hearts. With all the challenges that each of us encounters in life, looking at the brighter side of things is indeed helpful. Focusing on the positive side of our circumstances brightens our hope for better days and strengthens our resolve to make our situation better.

However, positivity doesn’t mean not feeling sad, distressed, or disappointed. Focusing on the positive side of things doesn’t mean only having pleasant feelings. There are many circumstances in our lives such as losing a loved one or a job, failing an exam, leaving home, saying goodbye to a friend, missing an interview, and many others that might trigger these feelings. Having these unpleasant feelings is a fact of life. Even Jesus Christ wept and felt deep sadness when Lazarus died. We should not push aside these emotions and most importantly, we should not think that these feelings are putting our happiness in jeopardy.

Positivity is a state of mind. And positivity amidst these feelings can take one form or another—sadness that leads to empathy, disappointment that leads to earnest prayer, grief that leads to repentance, and heartbreak that leads us closer to Christ.

We should pay attention to the good. Of course focusing on the good is great. It helps us see the little, often unnoticed, gifts of life. It also helps us to have a grateful and happy heart. But paying attention to the bad also may not be a bad idea. Taking a step back and evaluating the ‘not so good’ parts of our lives can lead us to greater heights of happiness. Looking at our often-drained finances can lead us to reconsider paying a full-tithe. Assessing a failed romantic relationship can lead us to evaluate how we spend time with the ones we love. Asking what went wrong after being disqualified in a try-out can lead us to practice and work harder to better our craft.

Paying attention to the bad side of things can also be good if it helps us find ways to do better. Doing this can be a prelude to brighter opportunities and greater heights of happiness.

As we continue our quest for happiness, may we always remember that happiness is not all about the warm, fuzzy, and pleasant feelings of the heart. Sometimes, happiness can be found amidst and through troubled and unpleasant times in our lives. How is that possible? It is made possible through Christ who has borne all our sorrows and sufferings. He succors all those who seek Him for comfort and showers happiness on those who seek His name and do His will. He enlightens the minds of those who seek further understanding. So the next time we read a principle of happiness that confuses us, let’s seek further light from the Author of Happiness Himself, even Jesus Christ, the Savior.

The post 2 Principles of Happiness We Might Have Gotten Wrong appeared first on morefaith.ph.

In a world with increased access and almost everything at our fingertips, we accumulate clutter every single day. Whenever we scroll through our social media, watch a TV show, or listen to music, we either consciously or unconsciously pick up bits of worldly mental clutter. Sometimes, we think that because these bits of clutter are so tiny, they won’t cause any harm. The problem is that they pile up and take so much space in our minds that we no longer have space for things that really matter. And worse, as our minds become accustomed to the clutter of the world, bigger clutter becomes less of a nuisance.

Other factors that contribute to our cluttered lives could be past disappointments, hatred, guilt, heartache, failed expectations, envy, past mistakes, or other unpleasant feelings. Clutter is not necessarily bad. Sometimes it consists of countless good choices and priorities that we try so hard to fit into our already-occupied life.

So how do we declutter our lives? Here are a few ideas from church leaders we could learn from.

William R. Bradford—Unclutter Your Life, April 1992 General Conference

In April 1992, Elder Bradford said that decluttering is more than organizing things. Decluttering is about getting rid of things that do not strengthen our spiritual foundation. He further added that in order to declutter our lives, “we need to develop a list of basics, a list of those things that are indispensable to our mortal welfare and happiness and our eternal salvation. This list must follow the gospel pattern and contain the elements needed for our sanctification and perfection.” When we know what matters most for us, we would find it easier to forgive a family member or a friend, forgive ourselves of past mistakes, serve others, delete a movie that contains inappropriate scenes, not listen to music that uses profane language, and say no to things that can potentially clutter our lives.

He also pronounced the need to examine how we use our time because essentially “we give our lives to that which we give our time.” Reflecting on our day-to-day activities and writing them down will give us a full view of where we are spending our lives. Then we can reflect if these things are worth spending our time, considering that time spent is something we can never get back.

Dallin H. Oaks—Good, Better, Best, October 2007 General Conference

In one of his sermons, Dallin H. Oaks emphasized that there are many good things that we can do but he cautioned that “it is not enough that something is good” because “other choices are better, and still others are best.“ He admonished to consider the choices we make and ensure that we do not spend too much for that which is good and leave little time for that which is better and best.

With countless options of good things that we can pursue, Elder Oaks implored that divinely appointed responsibilities in the family should not be infringed by other worthy activities. He further encouraged that “we have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families.”

Decluttering our lives does not happen overnight, but in order to achieve a cluttered-free life, we need to start somewhere. We can begin with our closets at home, applications on our mobile phones, or the TV series we watch that consume hours and hours of our lives. Then we can move to determining what good activities we can give less of our time to, so we can give more of our time to the things that matter most.

Decluttering will bring peace, ease our burdens, and lead to greater joy. It is not a ‘nice to do’ item that we can add to our to-do list, but a Christ-like virtue that is worth pursuing, for God delights in plainness, simplicity, and choosing the “good part” of that which is good.

The post How Do We Consciously Declutter Our Lives? appeared first on morefaith.ph.