The Plan

— Elder Neal A. Maxwell

How can we truly understand who we are unless we know who we were and what we have the power to become? How can there be real identity without real history? How can one understand his tiny, individual plot without knowing, even a little, about Father's grand, galactic plans?(Ensign, May 1986, p. 35)

— Richard G. Scott

…you may be disturbed because your life may not now fit [the] mold. I promise you that through your obedience and continuing faith in Jesus Christ— along with your understanding of the whole plan of happiness, even if important parts of the plan aren't fulfilled in your life now— a fulness of blessings will be yours in the Lord's due time. I also promise you that you can have significant growth and happiness now. As a daughter or son of God, live whatever portion of the plan is available to you the best you can. Finding Peace, Happiness, and Joy (Salt Lake City 2007)

righteous women

"Of this you may be certain: the Lord especially loves righteous women - women who are not only faithful but filled with faith, women who are striving to live and serve as women of God."

- M. Russell Ballard

reverance involves happiness

“As with the other principles of the gospel, reverence leads to increased joy.

“We must remember that reverence is not a somber, temporary behavior that we adopt on Sunday. True reverence involves happiness, as well as love, respect, gratitude, and godly fear. It is a virtue that should be part of our way of life. In fact, Latter-day Saints should be the most reverent people in all the earth.

Joseph Smith said:

I am a champion for the cause of Christ.

I want to be one too

Mothers that are not yet

“To those who are barren and unable to bear offspring, our deepest sympathy is extended. Let us quote for the consolation of those who are not blessed with the procreative power a statement from the Prophet Brigham Young: ‘Let me here say a word to console the feelings and hearts of all who belong to this Church. Many of the sisters grieve because they are not blessed with offspring. You will see the time when you will have millions of children around you. If you are faithful to your covenants, you will be mothers of nations. You will become Eves to earths like this, and when you have assisted in peopling one earth, there are millions of others still in the course of creation. And when they have endured a thousand million times longer than this earth, it is only as it were at the beginning of your creation. Be faithful and if you are not blessed with children in this time, you will be hereafter.’ "
(Deseret News, Vol. 10, p. 306, October 14, 1860.) (Spencer W. Kimball, fireside address delivered in San Antonio, Texas, 3 Dec. 1977, 24–26).

James 1:5-6

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

This single verse of scripture has had a greater impact and a more far reaching effect upon mankind that any other single sentence ever recorded by any prophet in any age.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie; Doctrinal New Testiment Commentary, 3:246-47

Faith and adversity

No one wants adversity. Trials, disappointments, sadness, and heartache come to us from two basically different sources. Those who transgress the laws of God will always have those challenges. The other reason for adversity is to accomplish the Lord’s own purposes in our life that we may receive the refinement that comes from testing. It is vitally important for each of us to identify from which of these two sources come our trials and challenges, for the corrective action is very different.

When you face adversity, you can be lead to ask many questions…. What am I to do? What am I do learn from this experience? What am I to change? Whom am I to help? How can I remember my many blessings in times of trial? Willing sacrifice of deeply held personal desires in favor of the will of God is very hard to do. Yet when you pray with real conviction, ‘please let me know Thy will’ and ‘May Thy will be done,’ you are in the strongest position to receive the maximum help from your loving Father.

Richard G. Scott Nov 1995