A Place of Peace

Today, in Relief Society, the teacher mentioned four ways that we can exercise our faith. The fourth way was temple attendance. I had already commented twice, so I refrained myself from commenting again, but if I had known that temple attendance would be the last thing she spoke on, then I would have saved my thoughts all for that.

For the last two months I have attended the temple once a week to do baptisms and if you follow my instagram you know that to be true. One of the times I went with my two friends who are now on missions and I also brought my own names. I have noticed an immense change in my life. I received peace and comfort that I had been asking for in ways that I couldn't even comprehend while first asking them. Hands down, the temple just makes me happy.

I struggled to overcome the effects of a recent trial. It's been three months now since I've really had to deal with it, but I still couldn't completely get rid of the thoughts and feelings towards that trial. I prayed and studied my scriptures and I wanted more than anything to just be completely done with it. It wasn't until I began to attend the temple that I really started to progress. I still struggle with hurt feelings towards that trial, but the thoughts have diminished and I've noticed that when I enter the temple I don't have a single thought about it. I could even try to think about it and the thought wouldn't stick. That has been just one of the few blessings I have experience with attending the temple.

The joy and passion that I feel toward the temple is not containable. The veil is so thin there that I instantly grow closer to God as soon as I just step on the temple grounds. My entire day improves when I attend the temple. I have a strong, burning, and unbreakable testimony of the temple. If you want joy and peace in your life, go to the temple and if you don't have the recommend to go, then change you life so that you can. A temple worker once said to me while I was there, "You had so much to do today, yet you decided to come do the Lord's work." All I thought was, "That may be true, but there is nothing more important that I could be doing." I know that to be the truth.

 

A Prayer of Melody (I Need Thee Every Hour)

"We get nearer to the Lord through music than perhaps through any other thing except prayer." - President J. Reuben Clark Jr.

I had a special experience with a hymn a couple of weeks ago. I had been contemplating the decision of serving a mission. I knew it was something that I desired to do, but wasn't exactly sure if it was something I was really meant to do. The question I really had was whether to serve a mission right when I turn 19 in January or wait until June and do a year of college. My mom turned to me one day in sacrament and said to me, "Lauren, as your mother I can receive revelation on your behalf. You are supposed to serve a mission in January, but you need to get that answer on your own." So, I prayed about it. I kept it in my thoughts and I brought it to the temple. I wasn't really anxious to get an answer soon since it's so far away, but I got my answer sooner than I expected and at a time when my question wasn't even currently on my mind. I was playing through some of my hymn arrangements and I started to play a new arrangement of "As Sisters in Zion". I few lines into the song I became overwhelmed with emotion and tears filled my eyes. I wasn't even hearing the lyrics, just the melody to the song, but I knew what God was telling me. I am meant to serve a mission in January and what better way to receive this answer than through music, particularly piano.

Hymns are prayers and they can be answers to prayers. If you have a question, try turning to the hymn book. Read the lyrics or just listen to the melodies. I promise there is a hymn with an answer to your question. I receive so much peace from the hymns, whether I'm just listening to them, singing to them, or playing them on the piano. They are meant to promote peace. They thin the veil. 

This video is of me playing an arrangement of "I Need Thee Every Hour". This is a favorite among many members of the church and the lyrics are an amazing testimony. I love to play this hymn when I want to feel closer to Christ and my Heavenly Father. I truly need them every hour and in every aspect of my life for I know that only through them can I have true joy. I hope you enjoy the video and that you feel closer to them through it.

Lyrics 

1. 1. I need thee ev'ry hour,
   Most gracious Lord.
   No tender voice like thine
   Can peace afford.
2. (Chorus)
   I need thee, oh, I need thee;
   Ev'ry hour I need thee!
   Oh, bless me now, my Savior;
   I come to thee!
3. 2. I need thee ev'ry hour;
   Stay thou nearby.
   Temptations lose their pow'r
   When thou art nigh.
4. 3. I need thee ev'ry hour,
   In joy or pain.
   Come quickly and abide,
   Or life is vain.
5. 4. I need thee ev'ry hour,
   Most holy One.
   Oh, make me thine indeed,
   Thou blessed Son!
6. 
   

My Philosophy of Life

I actually did a practical assignment for one of my packet classes. We were asked to write a philosophy of life. This is mine:

Richard Paul Evans' wrote a book titled The Four Doors: A Guide to Joy, Freedom, and a Meaningful Life. Throughout the book he goes into detail on his "four doors": believe there's a reason you were born, free yourself from limitation, magnify your life, and develop a love-centered map. The entire book is my philosophy of life. Every quote motivates me and reminds me that there is so much that I have the potential to do and to become. 

 

His first door is "believe there's a reason you were born". This is an amazing philosophy to have. We were all sent here for an incredible reason that we must discover on our own. Evans says, "We are not a mistake of God or nature." I strongly believe that and hold onto that throughout my life. We must first believe that we have a purpose before we can find it.

 

His second door is "free yourself from limitation". Evans says, "To achieve our life mission we must be free to achieve it." We cannot let our limitations control our success. The only time we ever fail is when we give up and quit. And another book of Evans he says, "We can be victims of circumstance or masters of our own fate, but make no mistake...we cannot be both." We can choose to be limited by our trials and our circumstances or we can let them build us up and allow us to succeed in ways that we never would have been able to do before. Limitations are not met to limit us and they only do that if we allow them to. Their real purpose is to strengthen our strengths and to eventually become our strengths.

 

His third door is "magnify your life". Wayne Gretzky said, "You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take." The best way to magnify our lives is to take advantage of opportunities. Our purpose in life is found through opportunity, so why would we allow ourselves to miss the chance of finding that purpose by letting an opportunity pass? If something feels right, then act on it. The best path to take is the one lead by the heart.

 

His final door is "develop a love-centered map". The best description I have of this is a quote by the author, "Love, for the sake of love, will always be enough. And if our lives are but a single flash in the dark hollow of eternity, then, if, but for the briefest of moments, we shine--then how brilliantly our light has burned. For darkness has no power to quell such light. All light is eternal and all love is light." If we take love out of a romantic setting and place it in the way we see and treat others, in the time we spend with our families, and in the image we see of ourselves, then it will always be enough. There are times in our lives that we may not feel loved, but as long as we always feel love for those around us, then we will be happy. 

 

All four doors combine beautifully into an entire philosophy. Know that there is a reason you were born, free yourself from limitation, magnify your life, and develop a love-centered map. That is my philosophy of life and through it I have been promised joy.

Forever and a Day

Forever seems so far, an eternal distance away

I stand without patience for that long awaited day

Though in spirit you stand so near by my side

I'm anxious to see you, my comfort and guide

You came as a gift to this suffering earth 

Without wrapping or bows was your humble birth

Angels appeared to shepherds while asleep

Told them of the Great Shepherd with them as His sheep

Kings followed the star that brightened their way

To the stable and manager where the Savior lay

Your life was as bright as the star that great night

And became the world's king, it's peace and its light

The sick and the dead were healed by thy hand

That created the worlds that numbered the sand

You sat with the sinners and the lowly of heart

You showed their souls' worth and made them a part

Some still didn't believe, despite all the signs

Their faith was flawed and filled with doubtful lines

You continued to walk as the father had said

Even to the garden where you suffered and bled

For this was the Great Plan that your love overcame

That saved all your sheep without sorrow or blame

Then those faithless came with your betrayer too

That the plan may continue through the life of you

They crowned you with thorns and spit at your face

And nailed you to the cross at the sinners' death place

I don't need a sign or a star in the sky

To receive an answer to how and why

I feel your presence abiding in my heart

And thou hast let me see the better part

I'll follow thee and walk the narrow way

As I wait to meet thee in Forever and a Day

Those Significant People

"One of the most beautiful qualities of friendship is to understand and to be understood." -Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Significance
Written by Lauren McIntosh
Can't touch, can't hold, can't see it's form
Can change, can feel, can see us transform
Not easy, it's work, and sometimes too hard
But worth the steps closer to the eye of the storm

Too different, too far, too misunderstood
But somehow it slips into something so good
Day and night are two separate worlds
Yet fade into each the way that they should

Some short, some long, some circle around
There are even the ones that leave you unsound
But then there are those that open your eyes
And those are the ones that are greatly profound

The greatest things will always be hard
Insignificance isn't a cause to be scarred
Stretch for the things that are so out of reach
For these are the things you'll regret to discard

Understand, grow closer, find common land
It's brighter and lighter the more that you stand
Give up and you'll lose the greatest of gifts
A friendship that gives you some meaning in life,
      Though strange and unplanned.

"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit." -Albert Schweitzer

The Journey of Coming Unto Christ

This is the talk that I gave in sacrament meeting this last Sunday. I'm so grateful for the chance that I had to give it. Hope you guys enjoy it and are inspired!

My topic is “The Journey of Coming Unto Christ”. I found that the best source I could find for this topic was my own journey. Now, my journey didn’t involve trials like losing a loved one, doubting my faith, or developing an illness or disease. It did, however, involve finding myself and feeling like I had a purpose and I found myself and my purpose through Christ. There are four things that I want to talk about today that were steps in my journey besides the primary answers of reading our scriptures, praying, and going to church. These are less popular answers and ones that we forget all too often.

Step One: Service

“When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.” Mosiah 2:17

My mom is my go to when times get hard. When I go to her for something that is causing me to feel unhappy, she has replied time and time again, “You should serve.” And she doesn’t say it in a way so much of the world views service—to forget yourself and focus on others. She uses it in a way that says, “Go find your joy by bringing joy to others.”

During my sophomore year, my class went on a field trip up to the planetarium in Salt Lake. My friend and I were passing by a homeless man. I had about two dollars in my wallet and as I pulled them out to put into the man’s jar, my friend put his arm around my shoulder and tried to pull me away, explaining to me that this man would only use it for drugs or alcohol. I replied by saying, “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that I did something.” And I walked back over and placed my two dollars into the man’s jar. The man looked up at me and said, “God bless you.” I knew that God did bless me that day, because I served him by serving that man.

Later, my friend was telling our classmates about how I gave money to this homeless man. Another boy in our group told us how he had given money to a handicapped veteran down the street. I didn’t comment. But I had thoughts flooding through my head. The first was, “Don’t you dare try to top me” since as an actress, I didn’t like my spot light being stolen. The second was similar to what I said to my friend, “It doesn’t matter.” Service is not measured by how much we give, but on how much we listen to the spirit and act on inspired moments.

President Monson said, “It is more important to walk as Christ walked than to walk where he walked.”

Christ was the ultimate example of how to selflessly serve. From giving to the poor, to healing the sick, to washing the feet of his disciples. His ultimate service was his ultimate sacrifice as he suffered and bled not just for our sins, but for how sorrows too. And he gave his life for us. Though He died for us, Christ would not ask us to die for Him. Instead, I feel that He would ask us to live for him by giving our lives to serving God’s children. What a simple request.

“For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.” Then shall we ask the Lord, “When did we do these things?” And the Lord shall reply, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

What does God need? He needs His children to be happy. What an amazing thing to know that we can serve God by doing just that.

Step Two: Family History

This is a topic so talked about now, but why have so many of you not acted on it? When apostles and prophets and teachers and leaders are talking about one thing repetitively, then it is important, so listen and do.

We can do family history in so many ways. We can index to allow others to find their ancestors. We can find our own ancestors names. We can go to the temple and be baptized for those people.

We have been promised that if we do family history, then we will be protected in this life—that the influences of the adversary won’t affect us. Last year, only 25% of church members had registered on FamilySearch and only 8% had logged on and used it. And we wonder why it’s so hard to resist temptation and why so many of us have given into it. If you struggle with temptation, you were just given a way to fight it and I can promise you that it works.

A key thing to remember about family history is that there are two halves to the blessings of it. The first is engaging in family history work. The second is performing the temple ordinances for those names.

I attended the temple with a friend once. I didn’t have my own names, but as I was being confirmed for the temple names, I suddenly started to cry. I had never experienced that feeling while in the temple. As I stood up, the man who confirmed me asked if my last name, McIntosh, was Scottish? I said it was and he said to me, “That’s interesting, because all of these came from Scotland.”

If you had the opportunity to watch your favorite performer on TV or the chance to go see them live, wouldn’t you choose the latter? Watching them on TV is only half the joy, but seeing them live is a whole new experience. Finding names and stories of ancestors is only half the joy of the blessings of family history, but taking those names to the temple is a whole new experience.

Step Three: Forgiveness

Now this was a milestone in my journey. Christ said, “I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.” Forgiveness is a commandment. Christ has made it possible for you to be forgiven of your lowest sins, so why is it so hard for us to forgive others? He expressed His forgiveness to those who had harmed Him the most as He hung on the cross and spoke to His father, asking him to forgive those who had put him there.

A poem by Robert Burns opened my eyes to forgiving others. It reads:

Therefore look gently on men

And even more gently on women.

Although they may go a little wrong,

Do not condemn them.

Above all consider not merely what they have done,

But why.

God alone has the power to look into a human heart,

To judge actions and motives and regrets.

He alone knows not what one has done and why,

But what one has resisted doing and why—

Man’s responsibility is to forgive.

Only God has the authority to judge.

Only Christ is in a position to judge for He is perfect and we are not. We have all made mistakes. “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” We all hope to be forgiven by others, so forgive others. It is not meant for the other person, but for ourselves. For we have committed the greater sin if we do not forgive someone’s imperfection.

Another very important thing with forgiveness is remembering to forgive ourselves. This is probably the hardest thing that we all face in this life; so many of us just choose not face it. We are required to forgive EVERYONE. We are someone, so therefore we are required to forgive ourselves.

Richard Paul Evans’ said, “In a bizarre act of injustice, we try ourselves over and over for the same crime.” He continues by explaining that we are committing double jeopardy which goes against the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution. He later writes, “Oftentimes we specifically attack others for the crimes we are unable to forgive in ourselves. Therefore, the act of forgiving ourselves opens us up to the possibility of forgiving others.”

Forgiving others is for our own benefit and sometimes, forgiving ourselves is for someone else’s benefit.

Step Four: Love

Living Only in Vast Selflessness Even as God.

Our ultimate goal in life should be to see other’s through the eyes of Christ, for Christ loved us so deeply that He gave His whole life to us.

“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart. This is the first commandment. And the second is like, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”

Love is not love without God. He displayed the greatest amount of love by giving his Only Begotten Son that we may return to live with him some day. Christ’s Atonement was a similar act of His love for us.

In Richard Paul Evans’ book The Letter he writes: “Love, for the sake of love, will always be enough. And if our lives are but a single flash in the dark hollow of eternity, then, if, but for the briefest of moments, we shine—then how brilliantly our light has burned. For darkness has no power to quell such light. All light is eternal and all love is light.”

We gain light when we love others. Christ is Light, so ultimately we are gaining Christ—we are coming unto Christ. And if you struggle with loving others, and especially with loving yourself—for you cannot truly love others without loving yourself—then return to step one through three. Serve God’s children, obtain the full blessings of Family History, and forgive everyone—including yourself. Too often are we inspired without action. Let this be your day of inspired action. The journey of coming unto Christ is but a day, for this life compared to eternity, is only a that. But, think about how much we are able to accomplish in one day. This life will be the most important day of your eternal life.

I know Christ lives and I know that only through Him can I feel true joy. My journey will continue every day until I am able to come unto Christ face-to-face. I will choose this life, this day in eternity, to come unto Him. I say these things in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

My Two Dollars

Something stood out to me in the October General Conference that many of us Latter Day Saints heard this past weekend. Elder Holland stood up and repeated a commandment that we have all heard, but never seem to really think about. He quoted a scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 6:38 which says, "Look to the poor and the needy, administer to their relief that they shall not suffer." This is that commandment. Look to the poor. Or in other words, serve.

"Are we not all beggars?" Elder Holland says. Aren't we? Don't we beg for help, for better lives? There are many aspects of my life that I am not content with, that I am unhappy with. But, my life is good. I will never say that I have an unhappy life for I might have a bad day, but there is always something good in every day. However, there is something that we can all do to make those small, unhappy aspects of our lives go away and it's simple. Serve.

I took to heart not just the commandment of looking to the poor and giving to the poor, but serving everyone around us. President Monson said in one of his talks, "It is more important to walk as Christ walked, then to walk where he walked." Christ's life was dedicated to serving those around him even to his last breath when he was on the cross and asked God to forgive those who had wronged him, who had put him on that cross. Every time I tell my mom that I am unhappy with my life she immediately responds to me by saying, "You need to serve." Service to God's children is where we find ultimate joy.

My sophomore year, my class took a field trip up to the planetarium in Salt Lake City. I was amazed by how many homeless people there were. As my friends and I were walking back to the bus, we passed an old man begging for anything we could spare. I had two dollars in my wallet and as I pulled it out my friend pulled me away from the man. My friend said to me that he would just use it for drugs or alcohol. I responded by saying that it didn't matter. What mattered is that I did something. I walked back to the man and put my two dollars in his jar. The man said, "God bless you" and I remember thinking, "I have enough. I hope he blesses you with more." When we got back to the bus my friend told everyone else how I had given money to a homeless man. Another boy made the comment that he had given money to a handicapped veteran down the street, implying that he needed more than the man that I gave the money to. I didn't respond. I was happy with my choice. It didn't matter how small or how great my service was. All I did was set two dollars in a jar. Money that I could probably find in coins in my couch at home. But it's what I had at the moment and so I gave it away. It mattered that I did something. Service is measured by how often you act on inspired moments, not how much you give.

True joy is not an external thing. It is internal, therefore we cannot have true joy through external, tangible things. We must look for internal things, things that come from our hearts, things like serving others. Someone can live in a mansion and have millions to billions of dollars and people around them will say, "Wow, they must be so happy" or "I would be happy if I had their life." But, in reality, this person could be the loneliest and saddest person in the world. What we feel inside isn't always reflected on our outside. I had a teacher tell me that she had the opportunity to marry someone who made eight million dollars a year, but she declined. Later, she found who is now her current husband. When he proposed to her he told her that he would never make eight million dollars. She responded by saying that she would scratch for dimes and nickels if she could just live the rest of her life with him. That is an example of something that can bring you true joy and it isn't tangible, just like service.

Choose to serve today. Don't let this be just an inspiration that makes you think about it. Too many times are we inspired without action. Let this be the time of inspired action. A truly poor life is not determined by how much money we make; it is determined by how much we try to bring joy into others' lives.