Breakfast: Cheerios and Corn Chex Cereal with milk
Lunch (at Pita Jungle): Roasted Bell Pepper Hummus with Pita bread (hence the name-Pita Jungle)
Regular Hummus with Chicken and Pine Nuts (amazing)
Water (boring)
Dinner: Too full from lunch to eat a full meal, but snacked on Saltine crackers and peanut butter
Crystal Light
Today is Sunday. I had to talk in sacrament meeting on Prayer. This is really long, but I think I did a pretty good job on my talk so I am going to post it too...
When I was little, I danced all the time. If there was music on, I was moving to it. When I turned 3, my mother put me in dance lessons. I started out in a creative movement class through our local recreation department which taught me about rhythm and keeping the beat. When I was about 7, my mom took me to a small studio in a town about 20 minutes away. I took ballet and tap. I absolutely loved it. I practiced and practiced. My dad had a ballet bar made for my room, and my great-grandpa even made me a special board so I could practice my tap dancing and not scratch up our floors (and not annoy my family with all the noise).
After a few years and lots of practice, I was getting good enough to get my pointe shoes. As a ballerina, this is a big deal. I was about 12 when I got mine. Because I was still so young, there were a lot of older girls in my class, so I had to work extra hard during class and at home to get to their level. My hard work paid off. I was able to attend workshops all over the western United States, dance at Disneyland and Universal studios in Los Angeles, and eventually get a scholarship to attend Ricks College for my dancing. I thought I’d done all the hard work while I was a kid, but the real tough stuff was just beginning.
At Ricks, I auditioned to be on the dance touring team, and lucky enough, I made it. The classes I took were very challenging, so once again, I was having to put in extra practices so I could keep up with the other dancers who were very well trained (and definitely more flexible than me). My mom used to tell me that “practice makes progress”, and I’ve tried to remember that always and not just in dance.
Just like all the extra time and dedication I put into my dancing, the same rules apply to prayer. Prayer, for some reason, has been a struggle for me-as in I just forget to say them- so I know that our Bishopric was truly inspired to ask me to talk on this specific topic. And I am so grateful for this opportunity since this is the first time I have EVER had to speak in church. Ever.
Prayers “are the solemn occasions during which the children of God petition their Eternal Father for those things, both temporal and spiritual, which they feel are needed to sustain them in all the varied tests of this mortal probation” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 581). Not only are prayers said to ask our Heavenly Father for the things we need, but to also ask for forgiveness of the mistakes we make. “Prayers are occasions when in humility, having broken hearts and contrite spirits, [we are able to] confess our sins to God and implore him to grant his cleansing forgiveness” (Gospel Doctrine, p. 581). Prayer is truly a gift from God even from the beginning of time.
As children, we are taught by our parents, our primary teachers and leaders, and other church members and leaders, to pray. They have taught us:
1. How we should pray (Sermon on the Mount-Mattew 6:5-15; the Savior teaches us to pray to the Father in his name and pray in secret; President Spencer W. Kimball said “ I have long been impressed about the need for privacy in our personal prayers. The Savior at times found it necessary to slip away into the mountains or desert to pray. Similarly, the Apostle Paul turned to the desert and solitude after his great call. Enos found himself in solitary places to commune with God. Joseph Smith found his privacy in the grove with only birds and trees and God to listen to his prayer”).
2. How we can receive the answers we are searching for through prayer (3 Nephi 18: 15-20 says “And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you”). Elder Richard G. Scott said: “Our Heavenly Father did not put us on earth to fail but to succeed gloriously. It may seem paradoxical, but that is why recognizing answers to prayer can sometimes be very difficult. Sometimes we unwisely try to face life by depending on our own experience and capacity. It is much wiser for us to seek through prayer and divine inspiration to know what to do. Our obedience assures that when required, we can qualify for divine power to accomplish an inspired objective”.
3. When we should pray: (D & C 10:5 says to “Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that ye may conquer Satan…”). President Kimball said: “After a lifetime of prayers, I know of the love and power and strength that comes from honest and heartfelt prayer. I know of the readiness of our Father to assist us in our mortal experience, to teach us, to lead us, to guide us. Thus, with great love, our Savior has said, “What I say unto one I say unto all; pray always.” (D&C 93:49.)
Jesus Christ, our Savior gave us the greatest example on prayer. His whole life, He never forgot to thank His Father in Heaven for the blessings He was given. Even in Gethsemane, He prayed unto God most humbly for our sins, that we could live again someday. His last words upon this earth, to me, were that of a prayer as He asked the Father for forgiveness for those who had hurt Him. I am so grateful for His example of gratitude, humility, and remembrance to God for all things.
Sooooo, how is prayer and dance similar? Well, just like it took a lot of practice to get to where I am today as a dancer, Prayer too takes time, dedication, and practice to better our own personal conversations with our Father in Heaven. We should pray to God in the morning when we wake up, at meals times, before we go to sleep at night, and of course, as often as we need to during our day. In 2 Nephi 32: 9 it says “Ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul”.
As we go about our daily lives, let us remember to practice our prayers daily. Soon, our conversations will be as though our Heavenly Father were talking with us face to face. President Spencer W. Kimball said: ” I am sure that if we pray fervently and righteously, individually and as a family, when we retire at night and when we arise in the morning, and around our tables at mealtime, we will not only knit together as loved ones but we will grow spiritually through communion with our Heavenly Father. We each have so much need for his help as we seek to learn gospel truths and then live them, as we seek his help in the major decisions of our lives, decisions involving schooling, marriage, employment, place of residence, raising our families, serving with each other in the work of the Lord, and seeking his forgiveness and continual guidance and protection in all we do. Our list of needs is long and real and heartfelt”.
I had a friend who was given the challenge to pray for 15 minutes every day. She said at first, it was so difficult. She had prayed all her life, but praying for this amount of time was so hard to do. She found herself running out of the “regular” things to say after about 2 minutes. But after some practice and dedication, she found that her prayers became more meaningful and she truly developed an incredible testimony of prayer and has a better relationship with her Father in Heaven.
President Kimball said:”Learning the language of prayer is a joyous, lifetime experience. Sometimes ideas flood our mind as we listen after our prayers. Sometimes feelings press upon us. A spirit of calmness assures us that all will be well. But always, if we have been honest and earnest, we will experience a good feeling—a feeling of warmth for our Father in Heaven and a sense of his love for us. [Though] some of us have not learned the meaning of that calm, spiritual warmth, [we come to realize] it is a witness to us that our prayers have been heard. And since our Father in Heaven loves us with more love than we have even for ourselves, it means that we can trust in his goodness, we can trust in him; it means that if we continue praying and living as we should, our Father’s hand will guide and bless us”.
I know that as we strive to follow and live the commandments of God, we will be blessed. Our Heavenly Father wants to bless us; we only need to ask Him. I want to bear you my testimony that prayer is truly a gift from God. A divine blessing that we are all entitled to call upon anytime and anywhere. I believe that if we kneel down each morning and each night, we too will develop a better relationship with our Father in Heaven. We will become more like our Savior, Jesus Christ as we pray to God always and remember Him in all things. I love my Savior. I love my Father in Heaven. I love my family. I am grateful for prayer. I say these things in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Now for the fantastically wonderful, amazingly awesome news...We have called it quits on this NO SUGAR CHALLENGE...However, I now realize that moderation in all things is actually a great motto to follow. I don't want to feel like I'm a slave to sugar...like needing a dr pepper because I think that it is what gives me energy. I've realized that if I am eating what I know I should be eating, I will certainly have a ton more energy and I will be healthier all around. So, Good bye NO SUGAR...I will just see you in incredibly smaller doses!!!
