Read Your Scriptures -- This is Why:

The other day I was reading Romans in the New Testament. One particular verse struck me. As I read that verse, it was as if a light shone into my head and my mind was opened.

I was enlightened. I gained greater wisdom and consciousness. I now lived on a higher plane.

As I gained greater understanding of the Gospel, I was then blessed again with inspiration: this is why we read the Scriptures; it is for the opening of our minds and to make us greater beings.

Our Heavenly Father wants us to learn and grow and change.

We are given the basic skills regarding the Gospel. We are taught to pray, we are taught to sing, we are taught to read. Then the rest is left up to us.

Our minds are capable of understanding great and powerful things. However, these great and powerful things will not always seek us out. We must go find them.

Enlightenment comes to those who place themselves in its way. There is no other single concentrated source of the Gospel than through the Scriptures. By placing ourselves to read the Scriptures, we are more likely to harvest inspiration.

Reading the Scriptures is like unto standing in a sweet, freshwater lake. Should we thirst, all we have to do is dip and drink. (Indeed, as long as we stand in that lake, we would never thirst again.)

Not reading the Scriptures is like unto standing in the desert. Where is the water that would come? From time to time it may rain and we could slake our thirst. But we cannot drink daily and we would suffer for it.

Our Heavenly Father would like to see us achieve a higher plane of consciousness. It is least likely to happen if we sit around and do nothing. We can attend our church meetings, and we'll get a few sips to drink. Attend the temple, and we'll get a glass or two. But if you wish to hasten your enlightenment and become a greater being every morning, take some time each day to read the scriptures.

Facing Fear

A friend of mine told me, "Every once in a while, everyone should do something that scares them." When you are confronted with something that makes you knees quiver, your stomach to clench or your brain to think twice, do you slink away in cowardice? Or do you gird up your loins, cut a fresh slice of courage, take a deep breath and face it? President Spencer W Kimball knew what it meant to face his challenges in life with courage. His personal motto was the simple and powerful: "Do it." Sometimes people spend more energy cowering and avoiding their fear than they would if they were to stand up and face trepidation. Some women have a knack to confront their fears and succeed. Sure, it's scary, but the success of overcoming that fear is sweet. Other women get their lives limited because they give up when faced with their fears. Their spheres grow narrower and narrower as their fears defeat them and push them into a tiny little corner of unhappiness. If you find yourself shrinking back from doing something because you are afraid, ask yourself, "Why am I afraid?" Why are you afraid? Some women let fear control them without truly understanding why they are afraid. Explore your fear. Reflect on why you are afraid. Sometimes overcoming why you are afraid is more powerful than facing the fear itself. Give yourself a bit of self-reflection sometime and look to the example of others. If they can push through fear and succeed, why not you?