"The light of the world"

I like the message given in 3 Nephi 9:14-22. The words of hope from Christ come after chapter 8 when "tempests, earthquakes, fires, whirlwinds, and physical upheavals attest the crucifixion of Christ—Many people are destroyed—(and) Darkness covers the land for three days..." In verses 21-23, it says that "there was not any light seen," they couldn't start a fire or even see any light from the sun, moon, or stars. There was no light for 3 days and the people had just experienced the loss of everything. I can't really comprehend how that must have felt. I imagine they didn't know when the darkness would end, and they must have wondered how they'd get through the night. In chapter 9, it says that "there was a voice heard among all the inhabitants of the earth" and verse 15 explains whose voice it was. "Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God." The Lord's voice and message of hope came at the perfect time, after 3 days of darkness following His crucifixion. He states in 3 Nephi 9:18 -- "I am the light and life of the world." In verse 14, He says, "...if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me."

When have messages or reminders of hope come to you at the perfect time?

A few examples that come to my mind are... the sunrise after a tough night, a kind message from a friend or from family, what I needed to hear from a sacrament talk or a General Conference message, a verse from the scriptures that stands out, a hug, and laughing. We all have our own battles or our own "3 days of darkness" where we need to know if God is there. We can pray for His help and He will answer, not always in the way that we expect and not necessarily in a voice heard by "every inhabitant of the earth," but He will answer. God's messages of hope are unique to the person they are intended for. He knows each person perfectly and knows how to help us get through our trials. 

I have had experiences where I have felt like the "night" would never end. I'm sure everyone has, right? I remember, from when I was really little, waiting up for my mom to come home from cleaning the temple one night. I waited at the window crying for what seemed like days. It seems pathetic now, but I had no idea when she would be back and my child brain didn't comprehend time. She came home, comforted me, and all seemed right again. As we wait on the Lord, He will be there to comfort us. In the midst of trials, we may feel like we'll never feel peace again. We "cry at the window" waiting for something to happen. We can realize that the Lord is there for us and will always be there to comfort and help us in His time and wisdom. We become stronger as we wait. Christ asks us to offer "a broken heart and a contrite spirit..." He says in 3 Nephi 9:22, "...whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom of God. Behold, for such I have laid down my life, and have taken it up again; therefore repent, and come unto me..." 

Bryce and I have talked a lot about trials and have tried to figure out the best way through them. We sometimes forget to ask the Lord for help and we try to take on too much on our own. We're not meant to save ourselves or go through life alone. Christ has already done the Atonement and made it possible for each of us to live and have Eternal Life. He will help us "through the night." He is the Light of the world and we can put all of our trust in Him.

3 Nephi 9• https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/3-ne/9?lang=eng

(Picture from lds.org)

Hope

Winter is pretty tough. Has anyone else felt that way? I didn't know that Seasonal affective disorder or s.a.d. was a thing until we moved up north. It's known as "winter depression" apparently and shows its not so lovely face in the late winter months. The symptoms include stuff like "persistent low mood, irritability, feelings of despair, guilt and worthlessness, feeling lethargic and sleepy during the day, sleeping for longer than normal, craving carbohydrates and gaining weight." Let's be real here, winter makes me into a full grown mama bear (minus the mama part but that's for a different time.) We're St. George people so we've had to majorly adjust to the lack of sunshine, freezing weather, smog, snow and ice, and all that fun stuff. Anyway, I didn't write this to complain, I want to list some things that I've found that can help. I hope it can help someone else struggling with seasonal affective disorder. I'd love to hear your ideas too if you're familiar with the s.a.d. train.

1. Practice gratitude. Thinking about the good can help you get through rough days. I sometimes start my lists with a bitter attitude and then end up feeling better afterwards. 

2. Take good care of yourself. Exercise is always a good thing, but it can also help change your mood. (Endorphins??) Yoga is another option to help improve mood and perspective, if you're into that. Getting enough sleep and eating healthy are also important in feeling good. P.S. We're not perfect at anything on this list, we're still working on everything. :)

3. Pray for God's help. He knows you, loves you, and is always there. He can help even when it seems like no one else understands what you're going through, there's no better Friend. Reading scriptures and participating in activities that help us feel the Spirit are also great for adding light to the day. 

4. Spend time with family & friends. This one can be tough especially when you're feeling down and just want to spend time with your buddy Netflix. Getting out and doing something fun with people you care about helps get rid of winter blues. Netflix is good too though, and ice cream... haha yeah anyway. Being around kind people can make a big difference in any season. 

5. Do what you love. Go on a vacation. Read. Join a sports team. Listen to your favorite songs. Go to a movie. Have fun! This option is different for everyone and that's awesome. Winter can be more fun when you're doing things that make you happy and keep you going. Seasonal affective disorder is thought to be caused by the lack of sunlight, so take advantage of sunny days!

There's some ideas and there are probably a million others. (Check out Bryce's new blog, I think that he has great insights... aguywithatie.blogspot.com) 

With any bad mood or rough day, I have to remind myself: "Keep going, you got this." 

Some helpful scriptures if you're interested:

D&C 6:36 "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not."

Phillipians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."