Be a Light!

"And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.

 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.

 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.

 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed." (Acts 13:44-48)

To give you some context for this scripture, Paul (formerly Saul) and Barnabas were teaching in the city of Antioch. They had gathered many people from the city that wanted to hear the Gospel. When the Jews heard what they were teaching, they spoke against them. Paul and Barnabas said that they were suppose to teach them, so they would have the opportunity to either accept or reject Christ. Because they rejected Him, Paul and Barnabas turned to the Gentiles. The Gentiles rejoiced, and many joined the church that day.

Paul and Barnabas were missionaries, meant to be a light unto all the world, to bring the joyous news of the Gospel to all the corners of the earth. While on their journey, they encountered many trials, such as being thrown in jail, beaten, and even stoned and left for dead, all for what they believed in. I'm sure along the way, they were discouraged. I know I would've been.

But just think. If they turned around after their first failure, they would have lost so much. There would have been so many people who wouldn't have heard of the Gospel and baptized if Paul and Barnabas had just given up.

How often do we give up? How often do we let our flame of truth and testimony flicker in the wind at night? Just because there are trials, doesn't mean that we let our light go out. You don't know who needs it. And just think of the times that you needed someone else's light. What if they felt their shortcomings too great, or their testimony too weak, and they just let their flame go out? You wouldn't have been able to rely on their light and strength. So before you let your light go out, think of all those who need you, and keep it burning bright!

Because if you snuff that light, you can not be an instrument in the hands of the Lord. You won't be able to help spread the kingdom of God forward. I know I want to do my best to be involved in that work. Right now, I have been able to work a lot on family history. I have been able to help others find names to take to the temple, and I have taken a few myself. I know that our ancestors are always close by, helping guide us to find them, because we are their light, and they are ours. We are the ones who can help them to eternal life, and they help us as well. 

So, raise up your light! Be a beacon to all the world! Help bring those whom are lost back home.

 Come, all whose souls are lighted

With wisdom from on high.

Shall we, to men benighted,

The lamp of life deny?

Salvation! Oh, salvation!

The joyful sound proclaim,

Till earth's remotest nation

Has learned Messiah's name. (Hymn #268)    

Love your favorite adventurer,

Bekah

Fear not, little flock

"Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail.

Behold, I do not condemn you; go your ways and sin no more; perform with soberness the work which I have commanded you.

Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not."

D&C 6:34-36

These past few months have been really rough for me. I've been trying to juggle school, work, health problems, and trying to re-apply for my mission.

I'm not gonna lie, it's been discouraging.

Really discouraging.

Last month, I got very sick. Long story short, I had to go to the doctor and an OBGYN and have an ultrasound (which is not fun by any means, especially when you're by yourself), almost had to go to the ER (thankfully I didn't), and racked up a $600 medical bill in one weekend alone (guess who met her deductible...). For a college student, $100 is a lot of money (Heck, $20 is a lot of money!). Imagine me when I got a $600 bill:

I was only freaking out a little bit. *please read that in a very sarcastic voice*

At the end of the weekend, I found out that I had PCOS, which is short for Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome. (If you are squeamish or immature in any way, skip over this next part. I'll let you know when to start reading again) Basically, instead of an egg leaving my body after a fertile cycle, it sticks itself to my uterus and becomes a cyst. Yay.

(The squeamish and immature can start reading again)

I've been battling this since I was 14, but I didn't get an official diagnosis until December.

After talking to my bishop and old roommates that had served missions, I found out that there was a high chance that I would have been sent home from my mission to take care of myself, which would have been harder on me emotionally than staying home because of other health concerns.

Remember my butterfly story? Yeah, that was one of the things that tore my wings that I didn't know about.

But, it's given me other opportunities to serve! Last semester, I had the opportunity to take a family history class through BYUI. I learned so much and my love for family history grew. This semester, I have been called as my ward's family history leader.

If you know me, you know how much I love family history, and you can imagine my reaction to the news:

I was very excited.

I am also considering applying to a Young Church-Service Mission. You can serve from home, choose how long you serve, and you can put in recommendations for where you would like to serve. I am really hoping I can serve at the family history center in Idaho Falls or Rexburg! I'm thinking of applying for next year, that way I have time to save up and get ready. :)

And, while life is hard, things are starting to look up. When we follow the Lord, and acknowledge His hand in our lives, we are able to do so much more. He will protect us, and lead us on.

 "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."

Psalms 23:1-6

Love your favorite adventurer,

Bekah

Band-aids

When I was little, I remember that any time we had to go and buy band-aids, I would beg my mom to by the "cool" ones- princess, superhero, or even just colored ones. And, every once and a while, I would get my wish. It seemed like a thing of novelty, getting the beautiful band-aids. They always seemed to magically heal my battle wounds faster than any other band-aid. And, of course, like a typical kid, I would try and make fake owies so I could get one of these beautiful band-aids.

And, of course, they would be gone in a week, because I would use them anytime I got hurt, even if I wasn't even bleeding!

I've been thinking of all the little broken things in life; anxieties, heartbreaks, depression, mental health issues, all things that can't be healed with band-aids. And, of course, the little girl in me then wished that those things could be healed with a princess band-aid and a kiss from mom. But they can't.

Well, maybe they can. It's just a little different.

I, personally, have found strength and healing through my Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the mater healer of both physical and mental, things of the heart and things of the head. He can do it all! So, while I can't get a band-aid and a kiss for a quick fix heal, I can get spiritual strength and healing though Christ. And, while it may take a little longer, the rewards of healing are innumerable.

In Elder Jeffery R. Holland's talk, Broken Things to Mend, he talks about how coming to the Savior can help heal our wounds.

"He said to everyone, whatever their personal problems might be:

'Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.'

In this promise, that introductory phrase, 'come unto me,' is crucial. It is the key to the peace and rest we seek."

Can I just say how much I love Elder Holland? Because I do. He is an amazing, fiery speaker. His words are eloquent and he always knows exactly what to say.

He talks about how when we come unto Christ, when we walk with Him, and learn of Him, we will learn more about ourselves and the answers to our problems. So, while we can't have a band-aid to quick-fix our problems, we can have the strength and healing from our Master Physician.

One of my other favorite talks by Elder Holland is titled, Like a Broken Vessel. It is a beautiful talk about mental health, but the main focus is on depression. I remember when he gave this talk. While I wasn't a psych major at the time, I was very interested in the field of psychology, and I really liked learning about it. I loved this talk so much! Take a moment to read it and post your thoughts in the comments!

So, maybe while we can't use band-aids to fix broken hearts, perhaps there is a better way <3

Thanks for reading! Comment and share this post with your friends!

Love your favorite adventurer,

Bekah

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