Miracles of the Everyday

This week in my New Testament class, we read about some of the miracles Christ performed in his mortal ministry in Matthew 8-9 and Mark 5. In these chapters, Christ heals a leper, heals a centurion’s servant, and calms a tempest as well as many other miracles. Reading about these miracles caused me to reflect about miracles and the Lord’s tender mercies that I’ve seen in my own life. I think often times we define miracles as some huge and spectacular event, which is a valid definition for some instances, but if we are constantly looking for these types of miracles, we’ll miss the miracles of the everyday. As Marjorie P. Hinckley said, “There are very few big and spectacular miracles in most of our lives. But it is a quiet multitude of little miracles that makes life sweet and adds to our testimonies.”  There are miracles all around us, all the time. We just need to have faith and open eyes and an open heart to see them. As it says in Mormon 9:19 “And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles.”

God is an unchanging and if he was a God of miracles in the past, then he is a God of miracles yesterday, today and forever.

Woman at the Well

I never realized what a beautiful story the ‘woman at the well’ was until now. Today, in my New Testament class, we talked about how the woman was essentially a sinner and a social outcast. Women in those days would usually go to the well in the morning or the evening, it was seen as sort of a social gathering for them. However, it is mentioned in John 4:6, that when this particular woman went to the well, it was the sixth hour, which would be noon. The woman was going to the well in the afternoon, probably because she was a social outcast and wanted to avoid seeing the other women because of the things she had done.

The woman was a Samaritan and when she comes to the well, she sees a man, and not just any man, a Jew sitting on the edge of the well. Yikes! Jews and Samaritans did not speak to one another and the fact that Jesus does speak to her was probably very surprising. It’s interesting to note the different titles the woman gives to Jesus while they are conversing. In verse 9, she refers to him as “Jew”. In verses 11, 15 and 19, she calls him “sir”, illustrating her increased respect for Him. In verse 19, she then realizes that there is something special about him and calls him a prophet. Finally, by verse 29, she is fully converted and realizes who this man really is. He is the Christ. She immediately goes and shares her knowledge with other people.

One of the principles that I took from this story is that as we come to know Christ, our testimony will grow and we will come to know Him, as he truly is, our Savior and Redeemer and we can share that light and knowledge with others.

This story also illustrates that Christ is really no respector of persons. He loves each and every one of us. He knows we have shortcomings but He still loves us and through Him we can repent and become clean.

The Example of Mary

This week in my New Testament class, we learned about the birth of Christ. I can't help but admire the strength and example that Mary, the mother of Jesus provides. When the angel appeared to her and told of the things that were to come, He assured her, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” Mary responded with the strength and faith of a stalwart young woman, “And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.” (Luke 1:37-38). She is such an incredible example of obedience and a willingness to do the will of the Father, despite what anyone else thought. She was willing to be the mother of the Savior even though her very life was on the line, for in those days women who conceived out of wedlock were often stoned to death. She would be rejected by everyone she knew and even ran the risk of being rejected by the man she was betrothed to, fortunately Joseph was equally as strong and prepared to do the will of the Lord. In spite of all the risks Mary would take, she sought vertical validation, the approval of the Father instead of horizontal validation, the approval of the world. Mary is the perfect example of the divinity of womanhood. She was meek, gentle, strong, submissive, humble, kind, diligent and prepared. She didn’t run from her responsibilities, she accepted them and did the very best that she could. She was given the task to raise the Son of God. How stressful would that be? Yet, Mary had been prepared for this time and had the Father’s complete trust for this task. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if more women could strive to be like Mary? It saddens me that women nowadays feel like they have to have more masculine qualities, when womanhood and motherhood is such a divine role and responsibility. 

I am so grateful for Mary and her example of what godly and divine motherhood and womanhood should be. 

Born to Be a King (or Queen)

Each week in my New Testament class, we are supposed to share something we learned on social media. Here is my first entry for that assignment. I hope you enjoy! 

In Moses 1, after Moses converses with God and learns what his divine potential is as a son of God, Satan appears to him and tries to get Moses to worship him. I love Moses’ response. He simply looks at Satan and says, “Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten; and where is thy glory, that I should worship thee?” (Moses 1:13) Moses knew who he was, a son of God, who would one day become like his Father and he wasn’t going to let Satan take that divine identity away from him. 
I recently read a story in a talk given by Bishop Vaughn J. Featherstone in the November 1975 Ensign, which illustrates this principle. After King Louis XVI had been dethroned and imprisoned, his son was taken away. His captors wanted to make the prince lose his identity as heir to the throne by destroying him morally. They took him to a place and exposed him to “every filthy and vile thing that life could offer…they used vile language around him constantly. They exposed him to lewd and lusting women. They exposed him to dishonor and distrust. He was surrounded 24 hours a day by everything that could drag the soul of a man as low as one could slip. For over six months he had this treatment—but not once did the young lad buckle under pressure.” Finally, puzzled by the fact that this boy had not given into all the worldly temptations that were so easily his, they asked him why he had not succumbed. His response was simple, yet powerful. He responded, “I cannot do what you ask, for I was born to be a king.”
When we remember who we truly are, a son or daughter of God, it gives us the strength to resist the temptations of the world. Our divine potential is more than anything the world can offer; it is our potential to someday become like our Father in Heaven. Through His strength and the Atonement of Christ, we can live true to that divine potential that we each have in us.