Weathering Storms with Optimism

“There are cycles of good and bad times, ups and downs, periods of joy and sadness, and times of plenty as well as scarcity. When our lives turn in an unanticipated and undesirable direction, sometimes we experience stress and anxiety. One of the challenges of this mortal experience is to not allow the stresses and strains of life to get the better of us—to endure the varied seasons of life while remaining positive, even optimistic. Perhaps when difficulties and challenges strike, we should have these hopeful words of Robert Browning etched in our minds: 'The best is yet to be' ("Rabbi Ben Ezra," in Charles W. Eliot, ed., The Harvard Classics, 50 vols. [1909–10], 42:1103).”

L. Tom Perry, "Let Him Do It with Simplicity", Ensign, Nov. 2008, 7

Topics: Adversity, Opposition

FHE Thought 11/16/09

"...the law of tithing [is] a law of protection for my home and the most important principle in the sound financial management of our family’s resources."

-Jenn

FHE Scripture from Kendall

For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things, and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves.
(Doctrine and Covenants 104:17)

FHE Lesson--Managing Family Resources

Managing Family Resources
President N. Eldon Tanner
First Counselor in the First Presidency
What I would like to share with you today are my observations about the constant and fundamental principles which, if followed, will bring financial security and peace of mind under any economic circumstances.

“Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God”
In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Jacob gives us some important counsel on this matter:
“But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.
“And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted” (Jacob 2:18–19; italics added).
The foundation and perspective then are these: We must first seek the kingdom, work and plan and spend wisely, plan for the future, and use what wealth we are blessed with to help build up that kingdom. When guided by this eternal perspective and by building on this firm foundation, we can pursue with confidence our daily tasks and our life’s work, which must be carefully planned and diligently pursued.
It is within this framework that I would like to explain five principles of economic constancy.

Pay an Honest Tithe
Constancy #1: Pay an honest tithing. I often wonder if we realize that paying our tithing does not represent giving gifts to the Lord and the Church. Paying tithing is discharging a debt to the Lord. The Lord is the source of all our blessings, including life itself.
The payment of tithing is a commandment, a commandment with a promise. If we obey this commandment, we are promised that we will “prosper in the land.” This prosperity consists of more than material goods—it may include enjoying good health and vigor of mind. It includes family solidarity and spiritual increase. I hope those of you not presently paying your full tithe will seek the faith and strength to do so. As you discharge this obligation to your Maker, you will find great, great happiness, the like of which is known only by those who are faithful to this commandment.

Live Frugally
Constancy #2: Live on less than you earn. I have discovered that there is no way that you can ever earn more than you can spend. I am convinced that it is not the amount of money an individual earns that brings peace of mind as much as it is having control of his money. Money can be an obedient servant but a harsh taskmaster. Those who structure their standard of living to allow a little surplus, control their circumstances. Those who spend a little more than they earn are controlled by their circumstances. They are in bondage. President Heber J. Grant once said: “If there is any one thing that will bring peace and contentment into the human heart, and into the family, it is to live within our means. And if there is any one thing that is grinding and discouraging and disheartening, it is to have debts and obligations that one cannot meet” (Gospel Standards, comp. G. Homer Durham [1941], 111).
The key to spending less than we earn is simple—it is called discipline. Whether early in life or late, we must all eventually learn to discipline ourselves, our appetites, and our economic desires. How blessed is he who learns to spend less than he earns and puts something away for a rainy day.

Distinguish Needs and Wants
Constancy #3: Learn to distinguish between needs and wants. Consumer appetites are man-made. Our competitive free enterprise system produces unlimited goods and services to stimulate our desire to want more convenience and luxuries. I do not criticize the system or the availability of these goods or services. I am only concerned about our people using sound judgment in their purchases. We must learn that sacrifice is a vital part of our eternal discipline.
In this and many other countries, many parents and children born since World War II have known only prosperous conditions. Many have been conditioned to instant gratification. There have been ample job opportunities for all who are capable of working. Yesterday’s luxuries for most are considered today’s necessities.
Overindulgence and poor money management place a heavy strain on marriage relationships. Most marital problems, it seems, originate from economic roots—either insufficient income to sustain the family or mismanagement of the income as earned.
I realize that young families find it necessary at times to purchase on credit. But we caution you not to buy more than is truly necessary and to pay off your debts as quickly as possible. When money is tight, avoid the extra burden of additional interest charges.

Budget Wisely
Constancy #4: Develop and live within a budget.
It has been my observation in interviewing many people through the years that far too many people do not have a workable budget and have not disciplined themselves to abide by its provisions. Many people think a budget robs them of their freedom. On the contrary, successful people have learned that a budget makes real economic freedom possible.
Budgeting and financial management need not be overly complicated or time-consuming.
Wise financial counselors teach that there are four different elements to any good budget. Provision should be made first for basic operating needs such as food, clothing, etc.; second, for home equity; third, for emergency needs such as savings, health insurance, and life insurance; and, fourth, for wise investment and a storage program for the future.

Be Honest
Constancy #5: Be honest in all your financial affairs. The ideal of integrity will never go out of style. It applies to all we do. As leaders and members of the Church, we should be the epitome of integrity.

Brothers and sisters, through these five principles, I have tried to sketch what might be characterized as the true pattern of financial and resource management.
I hope that each of us may benefit from their application. I bear my witness that they are true and that this Church and the work we are engaged in are true.

From an address by President Tanner in the general welfare session of the October 1979 general conference of the Church (see Conference Report, Oct. 1979, 117–21; or Ensign, Nov. 1979, 80–82).

FHE SCRIPTURE by MICHAEL

Mosiah Chapter 13 : 16-19

16 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
17 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work;
18 But the seventh day, the sabbath of the Lord thy God, thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates;
19 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is; wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

FHE Lesson--from David

The Lord’s Day
Elder James E. Faust
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles


My brothers and sisters and friends, for some time I have pondered what I might speak about today. I seem to have been led in my thinking by a concern that so many in our generation are missing great blessings by not honoring the Lord’s day.
I confess that as a young boy, Sunday was not my favorite day. Grandfather shut down the action. We didn’t have any transportation. We couldn’t drive the car. He wouldn’t even let us start the motor. We couldn’t ride the horses, or the steers, or the sheep. It was the Sabbath, and by commandment, the animals also needed rest. We walked to Church and everywhere else we wanted to go. I can honestly say that we observed both the spirit and the letter of Sabbath worship.
By today’s standards, perhaps Grandfather’s interpretation of Sabbath day activities seems extreme, but something wonderful has been lost in our lives. To this day, I have been pondering to try to understand fully what has slipped away. Part of it was knowing that I was well on the Lord’s side of the line. Another part was the feeling that Satan’s influence was farther away. Mostly it was the reinforcement received by the spiritual power which was generated. We had the rich feeling that the spiritual “fulness of the earth” (D&C 59:16) was ours, as promised by the Lord in section 59 of the Doctrine and Covenants.

Over a lifetime of observation, it is clear to me that the farmer who observes the Sabbath day seems to get more done on his farm than he would if he worked seven days. The mechanic will be able to turn out more and better products in six days than in seven. The doctor, the lawyer, the dentist, the scientist will accomplish more by trying to rest on the Sabbath than if he tries to utilize every day of the week for his professional work. I would counsel all students, if they can, to arrange their schedules so that they do not study on the Sabbath. If students and other seekers after truth will do this, their minds will be quickened and the infinite Spirit will lead them to the verities they wish to learn. This is because God has hallowed his day and blessed it as a perpetual covenant of faithfulness. (See Ex. 31:16.)

On February 1, 1980, when the First Presidency announced the consolidated Sunday meeting schedule, the following counsel was given: “A greater responsibility will be placed upon the individual members and families for properly observing the Sabbath day. More time will be available for personal study of the scriptures and family-centered gospel study.
“Other appropriate Sabbath activities, such as strengthening family ties, visiting the sick and the homebound, giving service to others, writing personal and family histories, genealogical work, and missionary work, should be carefully planned and carried out.
“It is expected that this new schedule of meetings and activities will result in greater spiritual growth for members of the Church.” (Church News, 2 Feb. 1980, p. 3.) It is hoped that priesthood leaders and members of the Church will honor the spirit of more family togetherness on Sunday.

Why has God asked us to honor the Sabbath day? The reasons I think are at least threefold. The first has to do with the physical need for rest and renewing. Obviously God, who created us, would know more than we do of the limits of our physical and nervous energy and strength.
The second reason is, in my opinion, of far greater significance. It has to do with the need for regeneration and the strengthening of our spiritual being. God knows that, left completely to our own devices without regular reminders of our spiritual needs, many would degenerate into the preoccupation of satisfying earthly desires and appetites. This need for physical, mental, and spiritual regeneration is met in large measure by faithful observance of the Sabbath day.
The third reason may be the most important of the three. It has to do with obedience to commandments as an expression of our love for God. Blessed are those who need no reasons other than their love for the Savior to keep his commandments.

In our time God has recognized our intelligence by not requiring endless restrictions. Perhaps this was done with a hope that we would catch more of the spirit of Sabbath worship rather than the letter thereof. In our day, however, this pendulum of Sabbath day desecration has swung very far indeed. We stand in jeopardy of losing great blessings promised. After all, it is a test by which the Lord seeks to “prove you in all things” (D&C 98:14) to see if your devotion is complete.
Where is the line as to what is acceptable and unacceptable on the Sabbath? Within the guidelines, each of us must answer this question for ourselves. While these guidelines are contained in the scriptures and in the words of the modern prophets, they must also be written in our hearts and governed by our conscience. Brigham Young said of the faithful, “The spirit of their religion leaks out of their hearts.” (Journal of Discourses, 15:83.) It is quite unlikely that there will be any serious violation of Sabbath worship if we come humbly before the Lord and offer him all our heart, our soul, and our mind. (See Matt. 22:37.)
What is worthy or unworthy on the Sabbath day will have to be judged by each of us by trying to be honest with the Lord. On the Sabbath day we should do what we have to do and what we ought to do in an attitude of worshipfulness and then limit our other activities. I wish to testify unequivocally concerning the blessings of Sabbath day worship in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
James E. Faust, “The Lord’s Day,” Ensign, Nov 1991, 33

FHE Thought: Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy

Elder H. Aldridge GillespieOf the Seventy in November 2000 Ensign said; The Sabbath lasts all day! In a revelation “especially applicable to the saints in Zion,” 6 the Lord states that the Sabbath was given that we might keep ourselves “unspotted from the world.” 7 It is a day to partake of the sacrament, a day “to pay [our] devotions unto the Most High,” 8 a day of “fasting and prayer,” 9 a day to offer our time, talent, and means in service to our God and our fellowmen, 10 a day to “[confess our] sins [to our] brethren, and before the Lord.” 11 It is also a good day to pay our tithes and fast offerings, a day to be marked by sincere sacrifice of the pursuits and pleasures of the world. It is a day to keep the Sabbath covenant, 12 a day of “rejoicing and prayer,” 13 a day of “cheerful hearts and countenances.” 14

The prophet Spencer W. Kimball counseled: “The Sabbath is a holy day in which to do worthy and holy things. Abstinence from work and recreation is important but insufficient. The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts, and if one merely lounges about doing nothing on the Sabbath, he is breaking it. To observe it, one will be on his knees in prayer, preparing lessons, studying the gospel, meditating, visiting the ill and distressed, sleeping, reading wholesome material, and attending all the meetings of that day to which he is expected. [Failure] to do these proper things is a transgression on the omission side.” 16

Our beloved prophet Gordon B. Hinckley has promised: “If you have any doubt about the wisdom, the divinity of observing the Sabbath Day, … stay home and gather your family about you, teach them the gospel, enjoy yourselves together on the Sabbath Day, come to your meetings, participate. You will know that the principle of the Sabbath is a true principle which brings with it great blessings.” 17

Jesus taught, “The sabbath was made for man.” 18 What does that mean? It means for a man to have the joy and happiness which the gospel promises, on this day he must sacrifice the world, set aside his employment as possible, and keep the eternal covenant of the Sabbath day. The Lord commanded: “Wherefore the children of Israel [which includes all Latter-day Saints] shall keep the sabbath … throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever.” 19
Of all people on the earth, the Latter-day Saints must lead out in sanctifying this appointed day each week. “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees,” said the Lord, “ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” 20

To this very day, “the matter of Sabbath observance remains … as one of the great tests which divides the righteous from the worldly and wicked,” said Elder Bruce R. McConkie. 21

This was one of the hardest things that I had to change in my life. I grew up hunting, fishing, camping and doing many family activities on the weekends including Sundays. But, I can testify that having been on both sides, it is truly a blessing to follow the Saviors example and strive to keep the Sabbath Day Holy. One of the changes Julie and I made some years ago was to wear our Sunday clothes all day on the Sabbath. Although it's a little hard on the threads, it has helped us to stay focused on what the day is all about.

Love you all, Dad

Thought

In giving the Ten Commandments, the Lord declared: "Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness." The Church's thirteenth article of faith states, "We believe in being honest." To be honest means to be sincere, truthful, and without deceit at all times. Let us realize that we are to be Honest and to be honest means to be sincere, truthful, and without deceit at "ALL TIMES." Let us commit ourselves daily to walk an honest life before our fellow brothers and sisters.

Scripture

2 Corinthians 4:1-2

1. Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;

2. But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

LESSON: HONESTY

"We come to the point where faith and works meet each other. Here we ask ourselves: Do our works verify our faith? ...

"Honesty, truth, virtue, and kindness are hallmarks of true Christianity. If we lack them, we can hardly say that we follow Christ.

"Whether it be lying, or cheating, or robbery or deception; whether it is in the home, in business, in sports, or in the classroom; dishonesty is completely foreign to the teachings of Jesus." Elder Mark E. Petersen (In Conference Report, Apr. 1982, pp. 1920; or Ensign, May 1982, p. 15.)

Honesty is a virtue that is woven into the fabric of our every day lives. So many instances rely on the decision to be honest or dishonest. If we choose one end of the scale, we gain self confidence and respect, we retain the Holy Ghost, we can enjoy peace of mind and we become trustworthy in the eyes of God and those around us. If we fall into the slippery path of dishonesty we hurt ourselves and others, we lose our self respect and the guidance of the Holy Ghost. We soon become untrustworthy to those around us.

Honesty with ourselves: If we are honest with ourselves we accept responsibility for our actions and decisions without blaming other people or circumstances. We recognize that our decisions have direct consequences. We can understand and recognize our own strengths and weaknesses. As we do so, we become better prepared to act accordingly, developing our talents and overcoming our weaknesses. We are all unique and special to our Heavenly Father. There is no reason to pretend that we are someone we are not.

Honesty with others: Often times, honesty with ourselves must come first. But as it does, we gain courage, honor, confidence and self-respect that can help us deal more honestly with those around us. Some weaknesses that might keep us from being honest with others are pride, greed, manipulation, hate, rationalization and the fear of being found out. If we commit one dishonest act and do not repent, we often have to continue being dishonest to avoid being caught. This pattern of dishonesty can greatly harm our relationships with others and with the Lord.

Honesty with God: Honesty includes keeping the promises we’ve made to ourselves, to others and to God. Some of the promises we have made with God are that we will take upon us the name of Christ, remember him always, and keep his commandments. If we keep his commandments, God in return has promised us that the Lord’s Spirit to be with us always (see D&C 20:77), that we shall have great treasures of knowledge (see D&C 89:19), and eternal life (see D&C 14:7).

Austin O’Malley said, “Those who think it is permissible to tell white lies soon grow color-blind.” I challenge us all to remember to be honest in our daily lives, that those blessings far out-weigh any good feelings that can come from pleasing the crowd, or appearing better than we are.