Lent Challenge Day 18

Kelley Barrow Miles

March 22 near Durham, NC

Day 18: Tomorrow is Sunday! I love Sundays. Some of you know that for me Sunday is a day when my activities are limited. No work, no dancing  , no homework (if I'm good), no fun (not true, I always have fun). I've been asked "What do you do all day!?" and "Can't you just go to church and then (insert activity of your choice) afterwards? Isn't that enough?" In this post I will try to answer both questions.

For me the Sabbath is more than going to church, it is a day to thank God for what he has done for me in the past week. It is a day that I can prepare myself for the upcoming week. It is a day to recommit to doing better. It is a day to appreciate the blessings I have. It is a day to remind myself of the purpose of this life, it is not to earn money, or become popular. Nor is it so that I can become "the best," "the most powerful," "the most influential." Life isn't about material things, or worldly status. Life isn't about what is fun or what I want. Life is about growth and becoming someone who lives in line with God. Life is about learning humility, faith, patience, hope, service, love, discipline, etc. It is about glorifying God particularly as we grow to become more like Christ. Life is about recognizing who we are as children of God and acting as children of such a Father should act. It takes more than an hour on Sunday to recommit to, to remind yourself and realign yourself with all that.

The most important part of my Sabbath is taking the sacrament (Eucharist, communion, partaking of the bread and wine (water in our case)). We take it every Sunday at the beginning of church. It is the most ritualistic thing you will see in a Mormon service. During the sacrament two prayers are recited:

"O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen."

and...

"O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this water to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen."

During these prayers and the passing of the bread and water is the time that I recommit myself to God. I am reminded of the sacrifice that Christ made for me so that I could one day return to my heavenly home. I am reminded that at Baptism I took Christs name upon me and that I promised to represent him and his church. I promised that I would keep God's commandments, that I would serve those around me and that in all that I do I would remember Him. I use this time to assess how I have done in the past week, what I have been blessed with, and where I can improve. I talk with God the whole time asking for His forgiveness, His help, His blessing, thanking Him for what He has given me and for all that He has taught me.

By the time Saturday comes around so much as happened between now and the last Sunday that I am ready for a day to just step back, take a deep breath, and remind myself the real purpose of all that I do. I spend the day at church, with my family (talking to faraway siblings and in-laws), reading words of our prophets, apostles, scriptures etc. I've also *thought* about (but struggle to actually do) making goals that will keep me aligned with what I have promised God for the week. Andrew and I have some of our best talks about the gospel, us, our plans and goals etc. On Saturday we always try to make sure our errands are run, the house is cleaned, our homework is done all so that we can make Sunday special.

I love Sundays. I'm not always great at using them to their full purpose and potential, but I am grateful for the opportunity each week to do better. With the commandment that was given by God to keep the Sabbath day holy can come sweet blessings, ones that I think can be easily missed in a world that is so easy to get caught up in. Mostly, I appreciate all of you who have respected my beliefs enough to give me that time to become a better Christian and daughter of God. #40daysoftruth #LentChallenge2014

Ann Barrow Bradley shared a link.

March 22

Day 18: Often we hear and read reports of world events in a negative sense. And, for good reason- there is a lot of upheaval happening.

Today I wanted to share a video of several young adults who live in Eastern Europe. Not that their lives are filled with turmoil, but we can all get frustrated with what is going on in our everyday lives. They accepted a challenge to read the Book of Mormon each day and record their thoughts and fellings. This is what they had to say: http://youtu.be/VsUu-7i5IL4

The Book of Mormon was written for you and me today. It is a guide and a compass.  Ann #40daysoftruth #LentChallenge2014

Book of Mormon: Messages from Heaven

President Monson and President Erying encouraged youth to read the Book of Mormon. Youth from Eastern Europe share what they have learned from reading the Bo...

Jenny Barrow shared a link.

March 22 · Edited

Day 18: Because Jesus Christ was resurrected, all mankind will live again with a resurrected body.

There are many opinions on life after death, and about resurrection. Many people who profess a belief in Christ, do not believe in the resurrection. The body seems an unnecessary element for heaven's glory.

But God has a body, and he wants all of his children to have all of the blessings He has, the body is a good gift. A perfect body is a better gift.

Because we live in a fallen world, we were all born with mortal bodies. We had little choice in the matter concerning our mortality, so concerning the resurrection of our body, Jesus Christ is our Savior. He is our emancipator from the bonds of death, from a mortal body. Every person who ever lived on this earth will live again with a perfect resurrected body. It is a free gift from God.

This is a comforting doctrine. If you have lost someone you love, they still live, and you will see them and touch them again with a resurrected body. We all will have this gift.

There are many testimonies of Jesus Christ's resurrected body, both from ancient witnesses, and modern day witnesses. (Alma chapter 40 in the Book of Mormon is a great discussion on the resurrectionhttps://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/40?lang=eng)

I know Jesus Christ was resurrected. I know because He was resurrected, we will all live again with a perfect body. Jesus Christ is my savior from death.

#40daysoftruth #LentChallenge2014
https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/jesus-is-resurrected?lang=eng

Jesus Is Resurrected

Peter and John find the empty tomb. Jesus, now resurrected, appears to Mary.