Dear Soul, I pray for you often and I feel you wonder how to pray.
It took me some time to really learn to pray after hating God for so long.
People will tell you that you can say anything and in any way, and although that is right, God will still hear you, it won't feed your soul the same way as scared prayer does.
Scared prayer really isn't a thing, per say, it is just my words that best describe how I feel when I communicate with God.
It is more than just talking, it is being aware of the feelings in my heart as I seek to find the words to express them and how I feel after I have prayed.
So the basics for prayer is to remember you are communicating with the God who created all of - well everything!!!!
How great that is and to be able to call him our Father.
Because he is our real father, the father of our eternal spirits.
I share this with you because it really matters to me to know this, and I hope it matters to you too.
OK, so you begin your prayer with that thought in mind and feel honored to have him hear you, because he will.
And after you thank him for anything and everything you are grateful for,
then you ask him for what your really need, not for what you think you need.
There is a scripture that says to be careful for what you pray for, that it will not lead you the wrong way, because with faith you can get what you ask for but will it be for the most benefit for you?
Remember we are here to make choices, ones that will show him that we want to return to him.
Or maybe you haven't gotten that far yet, so praying to know his love for you is the place to start.
Every prayer should be ended with 'in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.'
Because it is through Jesus Christ, that our Heavenly Father has shown us how much he loves us because Jesus Christ has paid the price for things we have done wrong, that we could not help, as well as for when we have chosen to do wrong to hurt another person.
If you don't feel a connection to him, pray to understand his role in your personal life.
I promise you that life will take on a whole new meaning and light when you do this.
Then listen and oh, I forgot to say that if you can, bend your knees and kneel on the floor, because I believe there is something very energetic about that pose.
I have yet to find out what it is, but I feel it when I have done it.
When should you pray? All day long.
Let him be your best friend, it really isn't hard.
I don't always pray on my knees but about twice a day, but as I do the dishes I pray to thank him for what I am grateful for.
I find I feel peace when I do that and it has become delicious to me.
Here's a video on prayer that I love.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfUgVWnTA34
So, one day, when I had first begun to learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ, I was hurt by my birth mother and I felt impressed to pray about it.
In my anger and not knowing who God is to me, I said to the impression in my mind, "Why should I pray to you, you killed your only begotten son, why should you even care about me?"
And the impression came back really clearly, I sacrificed my only begotten son because you are precious to me and if I hadn't done that I could never have you return to live with me again."
That really stopped my anger and opened up my eyes to the love he has for me and for you. I know that if we were the only ones who needed Christ's atonement, that he would have done it just for us.
It brings to mind that scripture that says, "I will not forget you for I have engraven you upon the palms of my hands."
As I sit here and write this I can't help but cry, and thank God for loving me to make sense of all my sufferings.
I write 4 blogs total, but one of them is the letters I receive from my daughter who is on a mission in the Netherlands.
You can read her blog here:
www.lettersfromjen2015-16.blogspot.com
And my other blogs are found on my website here:
www.ruoiled.org/blogs.html
Praying for you always!
Linda
Monday, March 9, 2015
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Found You
I felt impressed to write this blog on Monday. Today is Wednesday, and it has taken me this long to understand what it is I want to share here on this blog.
In the introduction I said I had a hard life, but I don't think I gave you much of an understanding of it. I am aware that there are others who have endured so much more than I have, but pain is pain, there is no belittling, really. I believe we get to endure suffering so that we can understand the greatness of our need for God in our lives.
I was 19, had just ran away from an abusive relationship with 2 babies from different fathers. I didn't plan it that way, but people say you will find people to pair up with who are like your parents and that was true for me. I was staying with my foster parents when the sister missionaries began teaching me about the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I had refused to hear anything about it for 3 years previous, but I couldn't help but want to know more when all I felt was love from my foster mother. She had such a love for it and it was the only church that believed that families are forever and that we came from Heavenly Father as his own spirit children. These thoughts really resonated in my heart when I heard them.
This one day when I had asked the sister missionary why she had come on her mission she told me this story.
I believe we all came from our Heavenly Father to this earth so that we could be tested and tried and come to rely upon our Savior Jesus Christ to help us make our weaknesses strong and then one day return home to our Heavenly Father to live with Him forever in happiness. While on this earth some of us would be born to parents who had the Gospel and could be raised in a happy and loving home, but some of us would be born to parents who did not believe in the Gospel or even God and we would have really hard childhoods.
I believe, she went on to say, that we promised each other that if one of us did not have the Gospel that we would seek to find each other and would make sure we shared it with each other, for it is something more precious than gold.
I felt this story was true in my heart and I feel it is true to this day. I have felt all day that I have someone out there in the world that I promised I would share this precious Gospel with and since I am mostly at home raising my little ones, not a wanderer or a traveler as my older children are, I feel this is the way I can meet you and help ease your burdens with what I have learned about Heaven Father, Jesus Christ and this precious Gospel and help you feel less burdened.
There is a man that lived 600 years before Jesus Christ was born who I feel cried for me when he prayed to see my day. These are the words that are written in the scared record, " For I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry."
I use to feel so alone that I would just cry and sink into depression. I feel like some of you may know what this feels like.
I can honestly say that like Nephi, I cry and pray for you and I know that our God will carry my words of comfort unto you.
Some people will try to say that God loves some of his children more than he loves others. I believe that is not true. Nephi also said that Jesus Christ loveth the world. I never really heard that before. As proof of that love he says that he does nothing unless it is for the benefit of the world, even that he laid down his own life. Nephi ends the chapter with saying these words that I just love,
"he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness;
I have seen what that goodness looks like.
I promise to share more with you later, because I must now go lay down little ones to sleep.
Sweet dreams!
In the introduction I said I had a hard life, but I don't think I gave you much of an understanding of it. I am aware that there are others who have endured so much more than I have, but pain is pain, there is no belittling, really. I believe we get to endure suffering so that we can understand the greatness of our need for God in our lives.
I was 19, had just ran away from an abusive relationship with 2 babies from different fathers. I didn't plan it that way, but people say you will find people to pair up with who are like your parents and that was true for me. I was staying with my foster parents when the sister missionaries began teaching me about the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I had refused to hear anything about it for 3 years previous, but I couldn't help but want to know more when all I felt was love from my foster mother. She had such a love for it and it was the only church that believed that families are forever and that we came from Heavenly Father as his own spirit children. These thoughts really resonated in my heart when I heard them.
This one day when I had asked the sister missionary why she had come on her mission she told me this story.
I believe we all came from our Heavenly Father to this earth so that we could be tested and tried and come to rely upon our Savior Jesus Christ to help us make our weaknesses strong and then one day return home to our Heavenly Father to live with Him forever in happiness. While on this earth some of us would be born to parents who had the Gospel and could be raised in a happy and loving home, but some of us would be born to parents who did not believe in the Gospel or even God and we would have really hard childhoods.
I believe, she went on to say, that we promised each other that if one of us did not have the Gospel that we would seek to find each other and would make sure we shared it with each other, for it is something more precious than gold.
I felt this story was true in my heart and I feel it is true to this day. I have felt all day that I have someone out there in the world that I promised I would share this precious Gospel with and since I am mostly at home raising my little ones, not a wanderer or a traveler as my older children are, I feel this is the way I can meet you and help ease your burdens with what I have learned about Heaven Father, Jesus Christ and this precious Gospel and help you feel less burdened.
There is a man that lived 600 years before Jesus Christ was born who I feel cried for me when he prayed to see my day. These are the words that are written in the scared record, " For I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry."
I use to feel so alone that I would just cry and sink into depression. I feel like some of you may know what this feels like.
I can honestly say that like Nephi, I cry and pray for you and I know that our God will carry my words of comfort unto you.
Some people will try to say that God loves some of his children more than he loves others. I believe that is not true. Nephi also said that Jesus Christ loveth the world. I never really heard that before. As proof of that love he says that he does nothing unless it is for the benefit of the world, even that he laid down his own life. Nephi ends the chapter with saying these words that I just love,
"he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness;
I have seen what that goodness looks like.
I promise to share more with you later, because I must now go lay down little ones to sleep.
Sweet dreams!
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
foreword- Introduction to this blog
I have lived a hard life.
And I take full responsibility for it.
There was a time when I hated God, if there even was a God, then I felt like he hated me first.
I feel I meet so many people who also feel this way and I cannot just stand by and let it happen because I have found out I am wrong.
Not the harsh- punishment, damnation way so many out there preach about- but in a kind, sweet, tender way.
And it happens to me on a daily basis.
I don't want anyone to feel preached to here. I will only include spiritual verses as I feel they will resonate in the hearts of those who need the strength they provide, as a way to comfort them and not to wound anyone.
I have endured spiritual abuse, especially as a child, and I know that this is wrong.
The name of God and Jesus Christ have been used to harm since the world began.
Just think of how people around you use it today- to emphasise what they are saying, just like an exclamation point.
He has become so much more to me than an exclamation.
I pray I can share His goodness in a way that will feel like a warm and gentle hug.
And I take full responsibility for it.
There was a time when I hated God, if there even was a God, then I felt like he hated me first.
I feel I meet so many people who also feel this way and I cannot just stand by and let it happen because I have found out I am wrong.
Not the harsh- punishment, damnation way so many out there preach about- but in a kind, sweet, tender way.
And it happens to me on a daily basis.
I don't want anyone to feel preached to here. I will only include spiritual verses as I feel they will resonate in the hearts of those who need the strength they provide, as a way to comfort them and not to wound anyone.
I have endured spiritual abuse, especially as a child, and I know that this is wrong.
The name of God and Jesus Christ have been used to harm since the world began.
Just think of how people around you use it today- to emphasise what they are saying, just like an exclamation point.
He has become so much more to me than an exclamation.
I pray I can share His goodness in a way that will feel like a warm and gentle hug.
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