Christlike Love

Happy June!

This week I have been thinking a lot about my motivation for being here in New York on a mission.  Not only that, but I’ve been thinking a lot about my motivation to live a clean life, to stand out from the world, to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, etc…  And I’ve realized that for me, it all comes down to love.  Love for my Savior, love for the people around me, love for the Gospel.  I want to emanate that love to the world!

Think of it…can you imagine a world filled with people who emanated the pure love of Christ?!

I recently came across this gem of a talk by Elder John H. Groberg about the power of God’s love, and I simply can’t resist sharing it:  “God’s love fills the immensity of space; therefore, there is no shortage of love in the universe, only in our willingness to do what is needed to feel it.

… When filled with God’s love, we can do and see and understand things that we could not otherwise do or see or understand. Filled with His love, we can endure pain, quell fear, forgive freely, avoid contention, renew strength, and bless and help others in ways surprising even to us.

Jesus Christ was filled with unfathomable love as He endured incomprehensible pain, cruelty, and injustice for us. Through His love for us, He rose above otherwise insurmountable barriers. His love knows no barriers. He invites us to follow Him and partake of His unlimited love so we too may rise above the pain and cruelty and injustice of this world and help and forgive and bless.

I know He lives. I know He loves us. I know we can feel His love here and now. I know His voice is one of perfect mildness which penetrates to our very center. I know He smiles and is filled with compassion and love. I know He is full of gentleness, kindness, mercy, and desire to help. I love Him with all my heart. I testify that when we are ready, His pure love instantly moves across time and space, reaches down, and pulls us up from the depths of any tumultuous sea of darkness, sin, sorrow, death, or despair we may find ourselves in and brings us into the light and life and love of eternity.”  (October 2004 General Conference, “The Power of God’s Love”)

This is the love that the world desperately needs.  And YOU can go and bring that to someone today.

Spread it! 🙂

We Go In Two’s

Here’s a collage of some beautiful people:

     

     

Okay, actually they are just awkward self-ies, but they will get the point across.

These are my lovely companions, Sister Dimick, Sister Roberts, Sister Tulande Vasquez, and Sister Rosemore! They are some of the finest women I have ever met in my life!  They are the perfect examples of charity, faith, patience, strength, happiness, and Christlike service.

So how lucky am I that for the last 8 months of my life, I have spent every waking moment with at least one of these sisters? SO LUCKY!  Yes it may seem crazy, but when you decide to go on a mission, you are also signing up to be around someone 24/7.  As companions, we pray together, study together, exercise together, eat together, teach together, travel together…the whole shebang.  Why?  Because that is the pattern set up by the Lord.

“And ye shall go forth in the power of my Spirit, preaching my gospel, two by two, in my name, lifting up your voices as with the sound of a trump, declaring my word like unto angels of God.” (Doctrine and Covenants 42:6)

Why am I telling you this?

Well, because I want to instill in each and every one of your hearts this eternal truth:

YOU ARE NEVER ALONE IN THIS LIFE.

No, you may not be with someone 24 hours, 7 days a week like I am.  You may not have someone physically there by your side at all times.  (And you may even be thinking, thank heavens for that!)

But, you DO have a Father in Heaven who is only a prayer away, and is there to listen to you and love you unconditionally.  You have a Savior who has promised that He–the perfect companion of all time–will never leave your side.

“As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”
(Joshua 1:5)

Jesus Christ is there.  He has walked the loneliest path that anyone on earth will EVER walk, and He did it so that we would never have to be alone.  In the words of Elder Holland, “One of the great consolations… is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so.”

As a missionary, I am grateful that I have a companion that is called to serve by my side and support me in every phase of my work, just as I am called to serve with and support her.  Furthermore, as a child of God, I am infinitely more grateful that I have a Redeemer who has walked the path before me and has promised to always be my guide and my support.

Trust the words of the Prophet, who said “We were not placed on this earth to walk alone. What an amazing source of power, of strength, and of comfort is available to each of us. He who knows us better than we know ourselves, He who sees the larger picture and who knows the end from the beginning, has assured us that He will be there for us to provide help if we but ask.                                                      As we seek our Heavenly Father through fervent, sincere prayer and earnest, dedicated scripture study, our testimonies will become strong and deeply rooted. We will know of God’s love for us. We will understand that we do not ever walk alone. I promise you that you will one day stand aside and look at your difficult times, and you will realize that He was always there beside you.” (President Thomas S. Monson, We Never Walk Alone)

So the next time you feel lonely, sad, or discouraged, look up, breathe in, and let the Lord whisper to your heart, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” ♥  (Matthew 28:20, Doctrine and Covenants 100:12)  ♥