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(but that is another story...)
So happy for my sweet niece - well, until she decided last week that she wanted me to speak at her baptism and I became paralyzed with nerves and anxiety from the idea of having to stand up and talk in front of so many of people. But then someone asking me about it said, "isn't that a good thing?" and I realized, yes! The girl I love wants me to teach her about the gospel I love, and that is a very, very good thing. The rest of the people who will be looking at me don't matter, and probably won't remember a thing I say anyway. So happy day to you kiddo, and here's what I said about the gift of the Holy Ghost (since probably you won't remember much either)! :o)
Dear K,
In a few minutes you are going to be confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, and hear the words said to you “Receive the Holy Ghost.” President Eyring said “From that moment, your life will change forever. You can, if you live worthy of it, have the blessing of the Spirit to be with you, not only now and then, but always.” (President Henry B. Eyring, Oct 2015 General Conference, The Holy Ghost as Your Companion).
Each week you hear the sacrament prayer that tells you how that promise is fulfilled:
“O God, the Eternal Father, we ask the in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them.” (D&C 20:77)
Did you hear the things you need to always be able to have the Holy Ghost with you?
1 . Be willing to take upon yourself the name of Christ
2 . Always remember Him
3 . Keep His commandments that He has given you
Do you think that you can do these things? Yes! Will you be able to do them perfectly from now on, and never make a mistake again for the rest of your life? Of course not! The marvelous thing is that Heavenly Father doesn’t expect you to be perfect now. By His plan you have chosen to come here to earth to learn through all your experiences, good or bad, when you succeed or fail, when you act mean or kind, and when you feel hurt or loved. You can’t live your life perfectly, but the good news is you don’t have to. What you do need to do is to continue to keep trying your whole life, and don’t give up.
Jesus Christ was the only one who lived perfectly, and He gave His blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, and His body on the cross at Calvary for you, because He loves you, and this provides the way home for you. Always remember that through the power of His Atonement your soul is able to be washed clean, to become like Him, and to someday be with Him forever. Through baptism today your body was washed clean, and through receiving the Holy Ghost, your spirit can be washed clean. Each week when you partake of the sacrament you can remember Him, the bread for His body, and the water for His blood, and by partaking worthily, you can be clean again, just as clean as you are today.
If I hold out a gift to you, how do you receive it from me? You must reach out your hands and take hold of it, otherwise it stays in my hands and can’t help you!
Receive is an action word – the Holy Spirit won’t be with you always if you don’t want Him there, or if you don’t ask Him to be with you, or if you do something that hurts Him and pushes Him away. You have already felt His influence in feeling good about your decision to be baptized today. But now you can have Him with you not just occasionally, but all the time. You will learn that sometimes His promptings come as thoughts, or feelings, like the comfort of a blanket, or the warmth of a sun lamp, as a small whispered voice, or occasionally very loud and unmistakable. Learning to hear and recognize the messages of the Spirit, and how He speaks to you personally, will be one of your most important tasks throughout your life. You will learn to know when He is with you, and when He is gone, and how you can repent and forgive to receive His Spirit again. Having the Spirit with you always provides you with precious blessings, since the Holy Ghost will:
1 . Warn and protect you from danger and temptations
2 . Give you power to discern between truth and falsehoods
3 . Offer you guidance and direction as you make choices
4 . Give you comfort and hope in all your experiences
5 . Testify to you of the reality of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ
6 . Cleanse, sanctify and purify your soul - changing you, as you seek to become full of Christ’s pure love, to be like Him
The Holy Ghost will teach you to do good, and you don’t need to wonder or worry if a good thought is from your own desires or from the Spirit. Just do good. I know that as you remain worthy, you are entitled to be guided and directed by the Spirit in all aspects of your life, at all times. I know the Lord will keep His promise to be with you and to lead you along, as you keep your promises to Him. (D&C 78:18) I love you Kelsey, and I know the Lord loves you, and is so happy that you have decided to follow Him today.
I echo the words of Elder Hales, who said: “I testify that if you are there for the Lord, He will be there for you. (Isaiah 49:15) If you love Him and keep His commandments, you will have His Spirit to be with you and guide you… By the comforting hand of His Holy Spirit, He will help you along… As you follow Him, He will strengthen and uphold you. He will bring you up to your highest home. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.” (Elder Robert D. Hales, Oct 2015 General Conference, Meeting the Challenges of Today’s World).
With Love, your Aunt
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| And this is what happens when the baby is wearing a silky dress and you almost drop her! |
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