“Wherefore,
stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for
behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord.”
I have seen this theme “stand ye in holy
places” many times online or in LDS bookstores and it has stuck with me over
the past couple months. I have reflected on this theme many times and I have
found how important it is in my life to stand in holy places and keep my mind
focused on the truly important things in life. One song from the EFY 2005 CD
has been inspirational and has taken become more special to me as I have been
preparing for a mission. It says, “I stand in holy places, protected from the
storm. Anchored safe in harbor though my sails are ripped and worn. I stand in
holy places and I will not move until the Captain comes and says well done. He
is the hope I hold on to.” I love how this song is a variation of the theme
“stand ye in holy places”, but it
emphasizes the storms and trials ever raging in our lives. Many times with
everything going on in our lives, it is easy to place importance on silly or
meaningless things instead of dedicating our lives to the gospel. Jesus Christ
is truly the hope we have in our lives and we should focus on living as He did
and living in such a way that would please Him. Standing in holy places is
important because it helps you keep yourself away from temptations of the world
and keep your sights focused on Christ.
President
Thomas S Monson in the October 2011 conference talk “Stand in Holy Places”
spoke about the changes in society, technology and morality over the span of
his life time. He cautioned “Although the world has changed, the laws of God
remain constant. They have not changed; they will not change… In this world
where nearly everything seems to be changing, God’s constancy is something on
which we can rely, an anchor to which we can hold fast and be safe, lest we be
swept away into uncharted waters.” The most devastating change that has
occurred is the world’s view of standards and morals. I know that although it
may not always be the most popular thing to do, it is crucial to remain firm
and steadfast on the gospel of Jesus Christ. By doing so, we can remember what
is important in this life and pass through our life’s troubled waters.
President Monson in this address promises “The storms will still beat at our
doors from time to time, for they are an inescapable part of our existence in
mortality. We, however, will be far better equipped to deal with them, to learn
from them, and to overcome them if we have the gospel at our core and the love
of the Savior in our hearts.” What beautiful promises to hear from the mouth of
our prophet. How grateful I am to know that if I set my sights on things of
eternal importance, I will be better able to deal with the unavoidable
struggles in my life.
My
favorite thing about the mutual theme “Stand Ye in Holy Places” is how I have
always seen the Salt Lake temple depicted along with the theme. I have had a
special love for the temple and my love for this holy place has grown as I have
dedicated myself to frequent temple attendance. Even as a young child, I set
the temple as my goal even though I did not yet understand its importance. Over
the past year, I have made a goal to attend the temple once a week. For at
least the first 9 months, I would go at around the same time every Friday
morning to do baptisms for the dead. What a sweet experience it was to so
frequently stand in this holy place, to do the ordinance of baptism for those
who have passed away and to feel the spirit that resides in the temple. I could
not help but feel a huge difference in my life as I was able to set aside a
small amount of time a week to forget about the world and focus on eternal
matters. The temple is truly a sacred place where we can seek refuge from the
storms of life and be reminded of what is truly important. Setting my sights on
the temple has truly helped me get to where I am today. Receiving my endowment
in the temple has been something I have been looking forward to for a long
time. Frequenting the temple, for me has strengthened my testimony of temple
work and has prepared me to be able to make sacred covenants with my Father in
Heaven. What I blessing the temple has been in my life and what a change can
occur as you set the temple as your goal.
Another
thing that I have learned that has been very special to me is the importance of
being led by the Holy Ghost in my life. It is definitely something that I have
learned over time. I will admit that too often I try to tell my Heavenly Father
what I really want and remind him how desperately I want or think I need
something. This is basically the opposite of being led by Heaven Father through
the Holy Ghost. Over time, I have learned that I cannot plan too far in advance
and that He knows better than I do. When I was younger, I thought I had
everything planned out of what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be in my
life. Let me just tell you that I have learned that Heavenly Father has better
plans for me than I would ever come up with on my own. For example, in High
School, I planned on going to a culinary program to learn more about baking and
pastry arts and to further my very small cake decorating business. My dream
school did not end up working out for me and I ended up getting a scholarship
to ASU. That scholarship helped me decided to change my plans and attend ASU
although I was somewhat reluctant to do it. At first, I was kind of upset to go
to ASU because that was not what I had in mind but I know that my Father in
Heaven is aware of my needs and knows what is best for me. It turns out that I
have done well at ASU after all and I have had the opportunity to do so much
more with my cake business while working other small jobs to get me through
school. Sometimes I still do not understand why I could not simply have things
the way I planned, but I know that as I have been led by the spirit, I have
been able to do things and go places that I would never imagine.
The
biggest example of being led by the spirit to go places I would never imagine
was my decision to serve a mission. I never thought in a million years that I
would serve a mission. My dad would always tease me when I was young about
serving a full-time mission and I would always tell him “no way”. For me, that
was never a part of my plan. In October Conference when President Monson
announced the age change for missionaries, I had the first thoughts about
serving a mission. I even remember jokingly asking one of my friends if she was
going to serve a mission now. She said “no way” and asked me if I would. I
surprisingly replied that maybe I would, but I soon brushed that thought aside.
I do not even think I mentioned the serious possibility of a mission to any of
my other friends or family. One interesting thing about promptings is that some
are received instantly and intensely while others come gradually. I was shocked
by the response of many young sisters to serve missions. Even though I had the
slightest thought about a mission, I did not automatically feel the need to go
or the need to go right then like some of my friends did. So instead of
pursuing it, I left that idea aside. The biggest change happened when I
realized that I was really close to graduating from ASU and that I still hadn’t
decided what I wanted to do after I graduated. I started stressing over what I
wanted to do and I again remembered the possibility of serving a mission. I
soon decided that I wanted to serve a mission after my graduation this
December. Not long after that decision, I realized how badly I wanted to serve
a mission and that I wanted to go as soon as I could. Deep down, I knew how
intense my feelings were to serve a mission and I knew that if I did not take
this opportunity while I had the chance, there was a huge possibility that I
would regret it. Let me just tell you that being led by the spirit brought me
to the decision to serve a mission and that it could not be more perfect for
me. I would have never ever thought I would be at the place I am today but I
can honestly say that this is the best decision that I have ever made and I
have never felt so good about something in my life. I cannot wait to serve the
people of Ventura, California and spend the next 18 months on the Lord’s
errand.
Because of situations like these, I have learned to
fully put my trust in the lord. Although it can be very hard, I know that being
led by the spirit has brought the most happiness in my life. I would like to
read a scripture that gives me comfort in times of unexpected change. It is
found in Isaiah 41:10 and says…
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not
dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea,
I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
My favorite
part is “fear thou not… I will strengthen thee yea I will help thee” because it
reminds me that if I am following the Lord, He is bound to help me and bless me
along the way. In my life, I have found how important is it to have a great
relationship with my Heavenly Father. I try to counsel with him with changes in
my life. The most important thing I have learned is that I many times have to
go forward in faith along a path and God will help me along the way. Although I
have tried many different options throughout my life just to find obstacles
completely blocking my path, I have learned to allow myself to let the spirit
guide me and then change my goals and work towards something else. This was definitely the case with my decision
to serve a mission. I had many different goals and dreams that I had tried but
time and time again nothing seemed to work out. Although it has been very
frustrating at times to work so hard for something that ends up in disaster, it
is comforting for me to remember that there is a higher plan for me and that I
will be happy if I just do what my Father in Heaven would have me do. I have
found that recognizing, trusting, and following the promptings of the spirit
are essential to reach your full potential and weather the storms of life.
Although there are many things going on in the world
today and many hardships that many of you face, what a blessing it is to stand
in holy places and receive personal revelation from the spirit. Although there
are trials that may seem to never pass, I know from experience that standing in
holy places and setting your sights on important things in life can help you
overcome them. Not only can you overcome hard times, but you can learn and be
better prepared for the things life may throw at you. Personal revelation can
also bring you hope as you allow yourself to be lead by the spirit through
these times and into situations where you can learn and grow. I know that
standing in holy places and setting my sights on the temple from a young age
has prepared me to be able to serve a mission. It has reminded me of the
eternal perspective and has given me the strength I need to prepare for this
time in my life. I also know how important it is to allow the spirit into your
life to lead and guide you. Looking back on my life, I am glad the spirit has
guided me along this crazy path of life but that these opportunities have led
me to where I am today and my decision to serve a mission.
TESTIMONY
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