Goals

Over the past several months, I have been striving to work on one goal at a time until I achieve it before moving on to the next one.  I could really use some suggestions for a scripture study goal for the next few months.  Two years ago, I read the entire Old Testament.  Last year, I read the entire New Testament as well as studying the Institute manual as I went along.  Over the past few months, I have been studying The Book of Mormon more deeply; some parts more deeply than others.  I will accomplish my goal of reading The Book of Mormon in 3 months in 2 days, and I am not sure what goal to make as my next focus.  Do any of you have any suggestions?

Jess Knox

Listening

It's amazing how many voices are in my head at any one time -- it's a very busy place. I never realized how much I talk to myself.

So I've been listening and identifying my voices for a couple of days. Then I've been trying to redirect those voices in a positive direction, if necessary. And you know what? It's not easy. But it's definitely a valuable exercise in self-evaluation.

I've also been doing as President Uchtdorf suggests: slowing down and taking time to get to know myself better. When I notice that I'm in a hurry to get somewhere or move on to the next task at hand, I stop what I'm doing, close my eyes for a minute and breathe deeply. I've been more diligent in my prayers and scripture study. When I go for a walk I try to notice my surroundings instead just walking to get it done.

I wouldn't say I've had a life-changing experience, but it's helping. When I slow down it gives me time to think about what I really want, how I really want my body and spirit to feel. I think about those days when I over-indulge and go to bed feeling uncomfortable -- and then wake up feeling the same way. Those are rough nights and I honestly don't want to experience them anymore.

The past two days have been particularly good days. I've kept my promises and that's worth 1,000 ice cream sundaes -- or at least that's what I tell myself when I'm feeling really strong. I feel more confident when I keep promises and that confidence encourages me to try another day, and then another, and then another... Check the comments for tomorrow's promise(s) and feel free to shout out one of your own.

Voices

Sometimes I have way too many voices jabbering away inside my head. Does that ever happen to you? My most common voices seem to be rationalization, judgment, and comparison.

"It may seem odd to think of having a relationship with ourselves, but we do. Some people can’t get along with themselves. They criticize and belittle themselves all day long until they begin to hate themselves. May I suggest that you reduce the rush and take a little extra time to get to know yourself better. Walk in nature, watch a sunrise, enjoy God’s creations, ponder the truths of the restored gospel, and find out what they mean for you personally. Learn to see yourself as Heavenly Father sees you—as His precious daughter or son with divine potential." (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Of Things That Matter Most," Ensign, Nov. 2010)

I. Love. That. I want to hear less of those voices and more of the voices of acceptance, compassion, and forgiveness. So my promise for tomorrow is to recognize and name the negative voices. Next step will be to replace the negative with the positive, but I don't think I can handle both in one day. First recognize -- then replace.

You Are Stronger Than You Seem

One of my favorite Disney characters is Winnie-the-Pooh and here are some of his wise words:

"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."

All I can say is "amen" to Pooh.

I had to repeat the phrase "Just for Today" many times, but I did it. No sugar, strength training and a walk with Hannah this evening. Anyone else try one today?

Check out my promise for tomorrow in the comments section -- and shout out your own if you have one.

Just For Today

It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since I first proposed this challenge. I learned a lot that first time, held on to some of those things and completely fell apart in other areas. How about you? Similar experience or did it lead to life-long changes?

I need to commit myself to my physical well-being, really commit for the long term. But it seems so overwhelming. There are good days followed by one rough day that leads to twenty more. Then I beat myself up and commit to try again. This past week, however, has been a little different and here’s why.

I’ve been part of a group that my sister started about three months ago. The premise was to choose a long-term project to work on and complete over the next 300 days. Once everyone declared their project, my sister divided us into smaller groups: projects ranged from creative to spiritual to health, among others. I was part of the health group, as was my sister. About two months in, she realized that those of us in the health group had special issues that needed to be addressed privately and more frequently so she made a sub-group. It was better, but still no real progress was happening for any of us.

 Last week she introduced a new idea, and I can honestly say that it has made all the difference for me. The idea is nothing new, just simple and effective. Here’s a quote she shared from fitness trainer and author Chris Powell:

“The more you honor your integrity, the more dignity you have. Your promises to yourself must be so important and easily kept that you'll reach out and grab them every single day -- because you want what you've promised yourself!

“Keeping each promise to yourself has to be your focus, because it shows you that you are your own top priority. Each promise made is another step toward valuing and loving yourself and a brick in the foundation of your transformation. Each promise kept – your integrity – is the mortar that holds the bricks together, and the more promises you honor, the stronger the foundation gets. Transformation happens when you honor your promises over your reasons.”

It’s that simple. How many times do you make and keep promises to others? Breaking a promise to others is something I don’t even think about doing and yet how often do I do that to one of the most important people in my life – me?!?”

Making and keeping promises – it’s that simple. But there’s one other important part to it: your promise is “just for today”. For me, the most self-defeating part of getting healthy is the overwhelming thought that once I start I have to do it forever. Will I really never be able to have another Andy’s custard? Is this the end of family pizza night? Will I ever be able to eat a piece of chocolate fudge cake without feeling guilty? It becomes too much and so I either never start or I promise myself that tomorrow will be “the day”.

But this promise is “just for today”. If today I promise not to eat sugar, tomorrow I can promise that I will. If I promise to go on a 30 minute walk, tomorrow I can make it 15 or skip it all together. The key is not what I promise but that I keep my promise. Start simple: make a promise you know you can keep. But make it real. My first promise was not to eat sugar and walk 30 minutes. The sugar one I knew would be a challenge, but exercise wasn’t too much of a stretch because it was already a regular habit. When I got to the end of the day and both promises were kept – WOW! I can’t even begin to describe how I felt. You would have thought I had solved world hunger, traveled to the moon and back, and run a marathon. And all I had done was keep a simple, but real, promise – to. myself.

I have posted the challenge from a year ago so if you want parts of this to be your promise feel free to use it. If keeping track of credits on the daily log is part of your promise, than do it. If you want to throw in a spiritual aspect, it’s your choice. You do whatever you think is most important for you, just for today. I have found that it’s helpful to write it down the night before and hold myself accountable the following night. I will be posting regularly and invite you to do the same – but only if that’s something you want to do. This is about your integrity, your transformation. And we are here to support and encourage each other in whatever way we can. (Look for my “just for today” in the comment section.)

Try it! See what happens. See how you feel. Don’t be afraid to make it a little challenging but always remember to be gentle with yourself. Don’t ever give up! I know that with the Lord’s help ALL things are possible.

The Savior's Suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane

A few Sundays ago, Sister Beard gave the most wonderful lesson in Relief Society about the Sacrament!  Her inspired message was just what I needed to hear.  Ever since she gave her lesson, I have been pondering over the Sacrament and the Atonement of the Savior.  I chose to do my scripture study focusing on the Savior’s suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane to help me have a better understanding about these topics.

These are the words and phrases that I found that described the Savior’s suffering in the scriptures and in the Institute manual: 

·       Sorrowful & very heavy

·       “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death.” 

·       “let this cup pass from me”

·       He prayed that, if it were possible, let the hour pass from Him.

·       “take away this cup from me”

·       “remove this cup from me”

·       He shall suffer temptations, pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue.

·       His anguish will be so great that he will bleed from every pore.

·       He shall suffer pains, afflictions, and temptations of every kind.

·       He will take upon Him death.

·       He will take upon Him the infirmities and the sins of everyone. 

·       He suffered both body and spirit.

·       Profound grief

·       Indescribable anguish

·       Overpowering torture

·       “He bore the weight, the responsibility, and the burden of all the sins of men…”

·       “He had struggled against the powers of darkness that had been let loose upon him there, placed below all things, His mind surcharged with agony and pain, lonely and apparently helpless and forsaken, in His agony the blood oozed from His pores.” 

·       “It was not physical pain, nor mental anguish alone, that caused Him to suffer such torture as to produce an extrusion of blood from every pore, but a spiritual agony of soul such as only God was capable of experiencing.” 

·       “In that hour of anguish Christ met and overcame all of the horrors that Satan, ‘the prince of this world’ could inflict.  The frightful struggle incident to the temptations immediately following the Lord’s baptism was surpassed and overshadowed by this supreme contest with the powers of evil.” 

·       “In some manner, actual and terribly real though to man incomprehensible, the Savior took upon Himself the burden of the sins of mankind from Adam to the end of the world.” 

It is an interesting parallel that the name “Gethsemane” means “oil-press.”  Just as olives are squeezed so that oil can be taken from them, the Savior was also mentally, physically, and in every other way squeezed to the point that drops of blood came out of every pore of his body.  If olives were living beings, they would undergo intense suffering and pain when oil was extracted from them, just as Jesus suffered there in the Garden of Gethsemane.

While the Savior was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, His disciples were sleeping.  The Savior then taught His apostles that they need to watch and pray always because the flesh is willing, but the spirit is weak.  This example of the Savior to go to Heavenly Father in prayer teaches me that I also should do what it says in Doctrine and Covenants Section 10 Verse 5: “Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work.”

            The Savior was motivated to “drink the bitter cup” because His will was swallowed up in Heavenly Father’s will.  In other words, the Savior was willing to do whatever it was that Heavenly Father wanted Him to.  That is such a good example to me!  Sometimes I have a hard time accepting what it is that Heavenly Father wants me to do. 

            Even though the Savior initially asked for the bitter cup to be taken from Him, He still submits to His suffering by saying that He will do whatever it is that Heavenly Father asks Him to.  In order to submit one’s will to the Father in this way, no matter how painful or difficult the outcome might be, it would take immense faith and trust in Heavenly Father and in the fact that this period of time here on earth is a small moment in comparison to the eternities. 

            A few months ago, I went through a very hard trial that I asked to be taken from me.  I was told that it would not pass from me, because I needed it to help me be the person that Heavenly Father wanted me to become.  While I have had extremely difficult days as I have gone through this trial, especially knowing that it is a trial that will follow me throughout all my life, I have also felt closer to the Lord because of it. 

            When the Savior’s agony became more intense, His prayer became more earnest.  I definitely feel more like praying when I am suffering than when I am not, because that is when I feel that I need my Heavenly Father’s help the most.  Sometimes, unfortunately, that is why we go through trials – so that we are compelled to be humble and to seek God instead of forgetting to pray consistently.  When I turn to the Lord earnestly in prayer, especially when I am suffering, I almost always feel immediate peace; as though a burden has been lifted from off of me.  I am so grateful for the wonderful blessing of prayer! 

            I think the thing that I can learn from my study about Jesus’s suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane is that I need to always submit my will to Heavenly Father’s will and that I need to make sure that I am consistently saying my prayers.  By doing those things, I know that I will feel less burdens upon my back and I will also be living a life that is more pleasing to my Heavenly Father.  

Leadership and Service

As I was studying John Chapter 13, I pondered over service and leadership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  The people of leadership in our church are NOT paid, yet they spend an endless amount of time serving, caring for, and watching over all of us.  They do it not for recognition or for any selfish reason; they serve us because they love us.  While some leaders in the world feel that their only duty is to lead others, the leaders in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints understand that in order to most effectively lead someone, they need to also render service to them.  By doing service to those whom you lead, you show them that you love them.  When someone loves you, it makes it that much easier to love them.

A really good example of this in the scriptures is King Benjamin.  In Mosiah Chapter 2 Verses 10 to 17 (a part of The Book of Mormon), King Benjamin addresses his people by first humbly telling them that he is nothing more than a mortal man.  He then goes on to say that he was chosen to be a ruler over the people so that he may serve them.  He served them not to boast, but because he knew that by serving them, he was also in the service of God. 

I am very grateful to all of the leaders in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!  As General Conference is right around the corner (which is an event that happens every 6 months when we are blessed to hear from the Lord’s prophet and His apostles. https://www.lds.org/general-conference?lang=eng), I can’t help but be full of gratitude for these leaders for all of the time, love, and service that they give to each and every one of us.  

Preparing for the Second Coming of the Savior

Last Thursday, my friend Heather and I had the blessing of being able to go to the temple.  It had been a really long time since I have been to the temple, and the timing could not have been more perfect.  Last week was very difficult for me and going to the temple gave me the peace and assurance that I was in desperate need of.

As we were in the car for the long 2 hour journey to the temple, part of what we talked about was concerning the Second Coming of the Savior.  I shamefully do not know as much about this as I would like to, so I decided to focus my studies over the past few days about it and how I can be better prepared for it. 

One of the things that I need to watch for in order to be prepared to meet the Lord is people that will try to deceive me.  I also need to be paying attention for signs and continue to be prayerful.  I find it interesting that the scriptures say that no one knows when the Second Coming will be.  That really makes it vital that I strive to be my very best each day so that I can hopefully be prepared to meet Him when He comes!

Digging further into the scriptures, Doctrine and Covenants Section 45 Verse 57 talks about the importance of having the Holy Spirit be my guide.  I am grateful for that reminded that I need to strive to listen and obey the promptings that I am given by the Holy Ghost.  I also think that it is very important that I continually strive to do the daily things that we are commanded to do, such as reading my scriptures and praying faithfully.  I also feel that it is important to continue to strengthen my testimony of the Gospel and to share it with all those who will listen.  When I attended the temple on Thursday, I felt the Spirit burn so strongly inside of me; more than I ever have before.  I have a very strong testimony that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the true church, and it is my hope and prayer that I can do the very best that I can so that I can be in the Lord’s presence once again.

The Last Week of the Savior's Life

When I was attending BYU-Idaho, one of the weekly devotional speakers talked about the last week of the Savior’s life, and I have always wanted to study it more in depth.  For that reason and more, my scripture study focus for this week was about the events that occurred during the Savior’s last 7 days of life and on the day of His resurrection.  Below is the commentary from the Institute manual about what happened on each day.  

First Day

Jesus arrived at Jerusalem. He secured a donkey and a colt, and rode through the city gates into Jerusalem. A “very great multitude” who knew him to be “the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee” placed palm branches in his way and greeted him with a hosanna shout: “Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” (Matthew 21:9.)

He went directly to the temple, and according to Mark, took note of what he saw and retired to Bethany for the night (Mark 11:11).

Second Day

Early the next morning Jesus went again to the temple and made a decisive thrust calculated to challenge the Jewish religious leadership. He drove from the outer court area of the temple those who were trading and making money exchange from foreign currency. The money exchange was apparently sanctioned by the Jewish leaders; and by preventing the merchandizing, Jesus was in effect challenging their leadership. The issue was clear: Was the temple to be a place of worship of God or of pursuit of gain? As he cleared the temple courts, he said, “It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” (Matthew 21:13.)

Again that evening Jesus returned to Bethany.

Third Day

Jesus’ wrath in the temple raised the issue of authority, and the priests were not about to let the incident pass. As Jesus came to the temple the next day, the priests challenged him: “By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?” (Matthew 21:23.) Jesus responded by relating a series of parables that offended the religious leaders of the Jews. The scribes and Pharisees challenged him again; Jesus openly denounced them and condemned them as hypocrites.

From this point on, Jesus did not teach the public, but only the Twelve.

Perceiving that Jesus had gained the upper hand in their confrontations, the Jewish leaders consulted again how they might bring about Jesus’ death. They would have to move quickly before the Passover to avoid a riot, however, since Jesus had become very popular with the Jewish people. How to bring about an arrest without provoking crowd reaction was the problem. An unexpected turn of events that took place abetted their plot. One of Jesus’ own disciples offered to betray him.

Fourth Day

Jesus well knew of the plot. The fourth day was spent outside the city, perhaps at Bethany. The record of the gospel writers is silent on the proceedings of this day.

Fifth Day

Jesus had arranged to commemorate the Passover meal in a home privately reserved for him and the Twelve. Following the Passover meal, Jesus introduced a new ordinance, the sacrament, which presaged his atoning sacrifice. He then prophesied of his death and indicated who would betray him.

After some instructions, Jesus offered his great intercessory prayer. Then, with the eleven (Judas had left), Jesus led them outside the walls to a familiar spot—Gethsemane. Then taking Peter, James, and John with him, he went further into the Garden where he then left those three and went off by himself to pray. (See Matthew 26:36–39.) There he pled with his Heavenly Father to “let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matthew 26:39.) The cup did not pass and Jesus suffered “the pain of all men” (D&C 18:11), an agony so excruciating that it caused him to bleed at every pore (D&C 19:18).

Some time later he rejoined his apostles and indicated that his betrayer was at hand. While he spoke, an armed band led by Judas approached Jesus to seize him. Without resistance Jesus submitted. Jesus was brought to an illegal trial that night.

Sixth Day

The Jewish leaders now faced another problem. They were not content that Jesus should be put to death; they also wanted to discredit him before his own people. To do this, the leaders arranged to have Jesus charged with two crimes. The first was blasphemy, a capital offense under Jewish law. He was unanimously convicted of this charge solely on the evidence that he had said that he was the Son of God. (See Matthew 26:57–66.) Such a conviction would discredit Jesus before the Jews, but the rulers knew well that they could not carry out the death penalty; only the Roman governor could pronounce this. Therefore, they had to find political indictment against Jesus. The surest means of securing this was the charge of sedition against the state, for he had claimed to be a “king of the Jews.” Though Pilate’s examination found Jesus guiltless of the charge, the Jewish leaders had incited the crowd to “destroy Jesus.” (Matthew 27:20.) Fearing a demonstration, Pilate gave in to the clamor to crucify Jesus, and the death sentence was pronounced.

And so Jesus was executed by the brutal Roman practice of crucifixion. Later that afternoon he voluntarily gave up his spirit. The next day, which began at sundown, was the Passover, and the Jewish leaders abhorred the idea that a man should remain on a cross on the Sabbath, particularly the paschal Sabbath. Before nightfall, Jesus’ body was removed from the cross and buried in a sealed tomb by two revering disciples.

Seventh Day

This was the Jewish Sabbath. Jesus’ body remained in the tomb, but in spirit he ministered in the realm of departed spirits. (See 1 Peter 3:18–20.)

Day of the Resurrection

Had the gospel ended with Jesus’ burial, there would be no gospel story, no “good news.” The great message of these testators is that Jesus was risen and was seen again by many witnesses. On the first day of the week, the most memorable Sunday in history, Jesus Christ emerged alive from the tomb, and appeared before Mary. The testimony of these witnesses constitutes the gospel story, the “good news.”

“These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” (John 20:31.)

Parables and Accounts That Teach Eternal Truths

This week, I wanted to study about parables and accounts that teach eternal truths.  There were 5 that I looked into more deeply to try to discover what principle the Savior wanted me to learn from Him by way of His parables. 

In Luke Chapter 16 Verses 1-12, it talks about the parable of the unjust steward.  The principle that I obtained from these verses was the importance of preparing for my eternal future.  While it is wise to prepare temporally for the things that we need while we are here on this earth, temporal things are just that—temporary.  It is vital that we also take care to prepare spiritually for our eternal life after we leave this earth.

In Luke Chapter 16 Verses 19-31, it talks about the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.  The principle that I got out of this was the importance of temple and family history work.  The people who are loved ones of the past are waiting to hear the gospel message.  To paraphrase Elder Ballard’s October 2013 General Conference talk titled, “Trust In the Lord,” he said that it is up to us to invite but it is up to whoever we invite to choose whether or not they want to accept our invitation.  Therefore, doing our family history work and temple work is crucial in order to give deceased members of our family a chance to make that choice for themselves. 

In Luke Chapter 17 Verses 11-19, it talks about the parable of the ten lepers.  The thing that stuck out to me the most, and therefore became the most important principle to me from this parable, was the reminder that what the scripture says in Doctrine and Covenants Section 18 Verse 10 is correct”  “Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;”    

In Luke Chapter 18 Verses 1-8, it talks about the parable of the unjust judge.  The principle that I got from this was the importance of consistent, honest prayer.  I need to learn how to pray to Heavenly Father as though I was talking to Him face to face, instead of just having my prayers be a set of random words strung together.

In Luke Chapter 18 Verses 9-14, it talks about the Pharisee and the publican. This parable reminded me that self-righteousness is no justification before God.  I want to strive to do all I can to stop justifying things, as well as stamp out any self-righteousness that is inside of me.   

What do I need to do to become a disciple of Christ?

As I was doing my scripture study this week, I pondered over what a disciple of Christ is and what characteristics they hold.  Here is a list of a few things that I came up with:

1.    A disciple of Christ gives up all that they have to follow Him.

2.    A disciple of Christ puts their complete trust and faith in the Savior.

3.    A disciple of Christ lives their life in a way that emulates the Savior. 

4.    A disciple of Christ lays up treasures in Heaven instead of putting their love and heart into treasures on earth.

The characteristic that I want to apply more fully in my life is to be sure that I am laying up treasures in Heaven.  I am going to strive to make sure that I continue to be grateful for all that I have been blessed with, instead of being jealous of the things that I do not have (such as a backyard).  I know that the Lord has blessed me with all that I currently stand in need of, and for that, I am truly grateful.  I am also extremely grateful to Him for blessing me with things that I do not necessarily need, but that make my life easier and better.

What is ultimately required to become a disciple of Jesus Christ is to give our whole souls as an offering to Him and to be willing to sacrifice all that we have for Him.  It is also required of us to press forward and to endure to the end.  Sometimes, enduring feels like the hardest part!  However, I know that the Lord can strengthen us as we continually go to Him in prayer and ask Him for comfort, guidance, and strength with whatever we stand in need of. 

"If thy right hand offendeth thee..."

As I was doing my scripture study this week, several things really stood out to me that I wanted to share.  I found it interesting that the Joseph Smith Translation for Matthew Chapter 18 Verse 9 explains that a man’s hand and foot symbolize his friends and a man’s eye symbolizes his own household.  That really emphasized to me the importance of having quality friends around me and the importance of choosing my husband wisely (which I did)! 

There is no way to completely avoid being around people who have the potential of being an unrighteous influence on you, however.  That being the case, I believe that the best way to be around them and to avoid falling into transgression or temptation at the same time would be to always keep the Spirit with you. 

Someone made a comment that she was breaking up with a television show because it did not add any value to her life.  I pondered over that comment and realized that there were a few things that I needed to “break up with” myself.  I prayed to the Lord and asked for forgiveness for participating in those time-sucking activities that were not bad, but that did not add value to my life and I have been striving to be more intentional in the way that I spend my time.  I listen to the General Conference talks periodically throughout the week and Elder Cook talked about this topic in his talk titled, “Lamentations of Jeremiah:  Beware of Bondage” really stuck out to me.  He said:

"...some addictions or predilections, while not inherently evil, can use up our precious allotment of time which could otherwise be used to accomplish virtuous objectives. These can include excessive use of social media, video and digital games, sports, recreation, and many others." - Elder Quentin L. Cook

In John Chapter 8 Verses 32-34, the Savior explains what the sources of freedom and bondage are.  Truth is the source of freedom and sin is the source of bondage.  That reminds me of an analogy I heard about a kite string.  It would make logical sense that the string of the kite is holding the kite down, and if you only cut the string off, then the kite could fly high and free.  However, we know that if the kite string gets cut, the kite falls down to the ground.  Commandments are the same way.  They do not hold us down, they help us be free and closer to the Savior.  An example of this is the commandment to stay morally clean.  There is so much bondage when you do not keep that commandment and miss out on so much happiness by participating in sin.  Since the Savior is the way, the truth, and the life (as it says in John Chapter 14 Verse 6), that goes to show that He truly is the source of freedom and happiness that we can obtain if we follow Him and keep the commandments.  I believe that knowing the Savior makes us free in so many ways.  For example, we are free from devastating loneliness and despair because we know that He is there to comfort us and bear us up when we are going through trials.   

Have faith, not fear

As I was studying Matthew Chapter 14 Verses 22-33, I pondered over the story about Jesus walking on the sea.  It was completely understandable why the Apostles were frightened when they saw Him walking towards them on the water!  I love how Peter’s response to the Savior showed how much faith he had in Him.  However, even Peter’s faith wavered when he lost sight of the Savior and focused on his fear of drowning in the sea.  Despite that fact, I loved how Peter knew that He could call upon the Savior for help when he started to fall beneath the water.  Jesus did not make Peter wait; He immediately stretched forth His hand and helped him. 

In Doctrine and Covenants Chapter 88 Verse 67, it talks about how we need to have our eyes single to the Lord’s glory.  In other words, we need our whole bodies to be filled with His light so we do not have any darkness in us.  The principle in this verse about having faith in the Lord instead of having doubts or fears relates to Peter being able to walk on the water when he had faith that the Savior could make it be so.  Likening that to my own life, I need to remember that the Savior will help me get through the storms in my own life if I trust in Him.