Your Eyes

I've been learning a lot recently about the eyes and what messages I'm sending people with my eye contact.

There's a phrase that says "The eye is the window to the soul." I thought that that was pretty cheesy and overrated, until one exercise.

We were paired together with the person we were sitting by. I was sitting by my friend's friend, a beautiful woman and mother.
Our challenge was to sit across from each other and one of us would gaze into the other's eyes. After thirty seconds, we would start to say everything (positive) that came to our minds about that person. It was an unforgettable, exhilarating experience. I felt like I caught a glimpse of the mother's pre-mortal experience with her Heavenly Mother. I saw a growing green in my mind, like healing and nurturing. As I was sharing these things with her, there was an amazing connection between us.

I was struck again with the knowledge that everyone is a child of God, and they all have a divine potential and mission. I know that if I looked into your eyes-- whether I know you or not-- I would see an amazing destiny and power. It's something that God has given to all of us.

Priesthood and Womanhood

 (this post deals with the priesthood; for basic info on the priesthood, visit this site https://www.lds.org/topics/priesthood?lang=eng)

 Recently, around the Conference Center, there was a protest against the Church policy that women can't hold the priesthood.

Today, as part of my Young Women's church class, we discussed this. Why don't women hold the priesthood?

A couple of them brought up that women are more spiritual, or more intellectual than men, and that men need the priesthood to catch up.

I DISAGREE WITH THIS!!!!! I dislike generalities with a passion. I know plenty of girls who aren't spiritual, and boys who are very spiritual (and vice versa, of course :)). I know smart boys and girls, and not-so-smart boys and girls. 

But if the priesthood isn't for boys to catch up, why do they have it?

When I researched this on lds.org, it brought up this exerpt from "The Basic LDS Manual for Women:

“Priesthood is to be used for the benefit of the entire human family, for the upbuilding of men, women, and children alike. There is indeed no privileged class or sex within the true Church of Christ. … Men have their work to do and their powers to exercise for the benefit of all the members of the Church. …

“So with woman: Her special gifts are to be exercised for the benefit and uplift of the race” (quoted by John A. Widtsoe, comp., in Priesthood and Church Government, rev. ed. [1954], 92–93).

Men and women have different but equally important responsibilities in the home and the Church. Priesthood power can help each person perform those responsibilities for the benefit of all 

This is the comment I shared in our class: men and women have different roles. The role of the man is to protect, provide, and preside over the family. The role of the woman is to nurture everyone in her household and to help teach them. 

In order to fulfill these sacred obligations, they have different divine capabilities; the men bear the priesthood, and the women bear children. 

You may think "What? That's not fair. Women have to go through pain to bear children. What do men have to do?" 

Men have a big responsibity--they need to remain worthy of the priesthood.

Here are a couple of talks some of the leaders of the Church gave about worthiness in the priesthood:

Personal Worthiness to Exercise the Priesthood

The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood

If you want to read more about this, there was a page put up on a Church website: http://www.mormon.org/faq/women-in-the-church

I know that the priesthood is the power to act in God's name. I know that it is a man's responsibility to remain worthy of that calling, and a woman's responsibility to support him in that calling, and to pursue her own mission.

Our Talents--They're from God

Leonardo da Vinci was a man of many talents. He was a botanist, an inventor, an astronomer, a painter, a writer. But what would have happened if he hadn't developed those talents? Think of how much would have been wasted. Look at all he did. If he hadn't tried, and committed to his education we wouldn't have Mona Lisa, the Last Supper, or any of his notebooks! We also need to develop our talents.  

In the parable of the Talents, the Lord (symbolic of Heavenly Father) gives his servants (us) talents. Some of the servant use their talents, and gain more. Because of their work, the Lord gives them places in his house. But one of the servants was afraid, and hid his talent. When he showed the one talent to the Lord, the Lord was angry with him for wasting it. He didn't waste it by losing it, he'd lost it by not using  it. Why would Jesus share this parable with His followers, and with us? He did it because He knew that we would be afraid; that we would want to hide our talents. Maybe we think that we don't have talents. Maybe we see others developing their talents, and they seem to be the best, and there's no way we can catch up with them. All those reasons show fear, but we don't have to be afraid. We need to pursue our talents. Dr. Posin said, "Perhaps the development of whatever talent there is counts for more than just having a talent." 

What are some talents that i  want to develop? Well, I want to learn the constellations; I want to read a lot of books; I want to be a writer and a teacher. In order to develop these, I need to look for people who have those talents, or books that teach about those talents. I also need to commit to develop them, otherwise I could just drop them any time, and that is not what talents are for.  

Every agood bgift and every perfect cgift is from above, and dcometh down from the eFather of lights. ... (-James 1:17KJV) Isn't that a nice thought. Your talent, your gift, has come from God. He gave it to you to use, to develop. If you don't use it, it's like throwing a present, unopened, into the garbage. So develop your talents, and I'll develop mine, and together, we can become like da Vinci. Even better, we can give some of our talents to our Heavenly Father, and help His other children do the same.

(this is a video about a young man who worked at a talent he wanted, and really succeeded with it)