Carol, here!! This post makes it more often than posting once a year!! We're moving up!
We are all doing great! Josh is still liking his Job. The kids are all healthy, beautiful and enjoying Tae Kwon Do( Josh started taking it too!) and school. More details in a hopefully soon post.
Many of you may not know, but I am continuing my educational journey with the BYU- Idaho Pathway program. Keeping with BYU tradition, I get to take religion courses! This semester, is the second half of The Book of Mormon! Growing up in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I have read and reread The Book of Mormon many times. But with this religion course, the teacher and the assistance of the student manual, this sacred scriptures have resonated with me on a whole new level. This week, I was studying the Beatitudes, specifically "Blessed are the poor in spirit".
In the New Testament, Mark 5:3 it reads, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. In The Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 12:3 shines more light on Christ's words. It reads, "Blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
What does it mean to be "poor in spirit"? Former President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Harold B. Lee, defined poor in spirit: "The Master said, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' The poor in spirit, of course, means those who are spiritually needy, who feel so impoverished spiritually that they reach out with great yearning for help.. Every on of us, if we would reach perfection, must one time as ourselves this question, 'What lack I yet?' if we would commence our climb upward on the highway to perfection." I know for my spirituality, I go through what seems like waves on the ocean. Spiritual highs and lows, if you will. It's on those spiritual highs that I can see the with more clarity the desired destination: perfection. When in the midst of those spiritual lows, I have felt 'so impoverished spiritually', so distant from the Lord.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." The phrase 'who come unto me' gives hope to those and the times that are 'spiritually needy.' All that is required is that we come unto Him. In Him we find comfort. In Him we find peace. In Him we will be filled with the Holy Ghost, obtain mercy, inherit the earth, or see God.
On this 'ocean of spirituality', may we all continue to strive to come unto Him.
-Carol
