TIME IN A BOTTLE

Written by Margaret Wahlstrom

To Every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under the

heaven:

Ecclesiastes 3:1

………and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment

Ecclesiastes 8:5

We live in a time of natural disasters and temporal challenges. Many in the

world today fear the results of being caught up in one of these disasters or

faced with the results of lost jobs or lost wages due to illness or accident.

The images from the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan are fresh

and compelling in our minds. We all watched helplessly as we saw the

devastation of homes and lives. We are disturbed nightly by our televised

images of people around the world who are starving or in physical pain.

From this fear we are motivated to prepare our food storage, medical

supplies, and extra supplies of clothing and items that would help us be

physically comfortable in the face of such calamities if they were to visit

us. After the disasters in Japan, stores carrying survival supplies and food

storage had a significant increase in business. We are taught through

lessons in provident living to save and spend wisely that we may be able

to withstand such things as the recent collapse of the economy. Most of

us are constantly worrying about the physical aspects of preparing every

needful thing.

But do we realize the critical importance of preparing ourselves spiritually

that we may be able to face any trial that will come our way both physical

and spiritual?

I have a personal testimony that burns constantly and fervently in my

heart of how important that spiritual preparation is to our ultimate

salvation here on earth and in Heaven.

September 11th 2001 was a beautiful morning. Our family was preparing

to go to the airport to see my daughter Maryann off on her mission to

Hamburg Germany. Later that day we would be picking up my husband’s

mother Mary Alice at the airport. She was returning home from Boston

where she had gone to take our nieces to college with her daughter

Carolyn. My son Andrew was in Nauvoo doing a BYU semester there in

the BYU Study program. My other children were all doing well and

engaged in good things. Life seemed perfect. As the news of the terrorist

attacks in New York City reached us, and the awful truth became our

shocking reality that Grandma Wahlstrom and Carolyn were on the first

airplane to crash into the World Trade Center, we gathered our family

around us in our home. Maryann was allowed to come home from the

MTC for a few days until she could fly out to commence her mission. Andy

was surrounded by loving friends in Nauvoo, heartbroken that he could

not be with the family at such a time. Almost immediately our yard was

filled with newspaper reporters and television crews wanting to talk with

us. My husband and his father had no desire to face the crowd of

cameras. Eventually my children began to try and satisfy the curiosity of

the gathering news forces by talking to them. What I realized quickly was

the depth of strength and conviction and testimony that my children

possessed. Their hearts were broken and yet they were at peace with

their gospel foundation. The comments that they were giving the

representatives of the media were mature and positive and full of love

and compassion. When a reporter thrust a microphone into my own face

and asked me if we wanted revenge for the deaths of our loved ones and if

we hated the terrorists, I realized in that split second moment that there

was no hate in my heart, no desire for revenge. I realized that Christ loves

all men no matter the state of their heart or their evil spirits. I realized

that if we are trying to live with Christ in our countenance and trying to

live His commandments then we too will not have hate in our hearts and

no need for revenge. The strength of my testimony and the understanding

it gave me and the testimonies of our family would take us through that

cruel trial and many many trials in the days and years to come. In the end

our testimonies would grow stronger and our faith brighter. I have come

to know that the more difficult the trial the greater the blessings.

Just nine months later a dear sweet harp friend of my daughters would be

kidnapped from her bedroom and put through a brutal nine months as a

prisoner of a man with terrible intentions. The strength of this remarkable

girl is a testament and a shining example to how vitally important the

spiritual preparation is to our physical and spiritual well being before we

are faced with such devastating events in our lives.

For some reason, I have personally known many who have had such

horrible events in their lives. I have a close and personal relationship with

several individuals who experienced the loss of loved ones because they

were brutally murdered. I shudder to mention such events and yet from

such dark moments I have witness a true brightness of gallantry, strength

and hope that was only possible because those individuals had

testimonies of tremendous power and understanding to fall back upon.

The greatness of their spirits and charitable acts as they weathered these

events was due to prior preparation and living their lives so that they

would have the strength of spirit needed when the test came. Their lamps

were full. How often have we read Job and marveled at his great strength?

I testify to you that I have a personal knowledge that if you prepare

yourself spiritually that you will be as Job when the calamities of this life

come at you with full force. There will be nothing that you will not be able

to withstand.

The parable of the Ten Virgins in Mattew 25:1-13 is extremely significant to each of us:

1aThen shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten bvirgins, which took their clamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2And five of them were wise, and five

were foolish. 3They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4But

the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5While the bridegroom tarried, they

all aslumbered and bslept. 6And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the abridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7Then all those virgins arose, and

trimmed their alamps. 8And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our

lamps aare gone out. 9But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not

enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

10And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were aready

went in with him to the marriage: and the door was bshut. 11Afterward came also the

other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12But he answered and said, Verily I say

unto you, I aknow you not. 13aWatch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the

hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

When I was a young girl I wondered why the wise virgins would not share

their oil with the foolish virgins. I now understand why. Our spiritual

strength and testimony can not be shared. Each person has to gain that by

themselves through effort and dedication and study. I would also say that

there needs to be constant and fervent prayer. Each person has to live

precious principles in order to understand them and believe in them.

Someone else cannot do that for us.

There is an important difference between getting our food storage and

filling our spiritual vessels. We can go to the store and buy foods that have

been canned and preserved by others for our food storage or buy pre-

packaged 72 hour kits or first aid kits. We can fill up our storage rooms

with things that have been prepared by others. But our Spiritual vessels

have to be filled by us.

So how do we fill our spiritual vessels when there seems to be so little

time to do it? Perhaps we need to “preserve time” like we preserve other

things. What if we could bottle up our time and spend it when we wanted

to? When my husband and I were dating we had a song that was special

to us called “Time in a Bottle.” I often wondered what it would be like to

have time in a bottle to be used as we wanted to so that it didn’t get away

from us. We could have time bottled up and preserved for reading our

scriptures or attending to our church stewardships and meetings. What

about time to pray and time to go to the temple? We should have time to

fast and ponder and time to read or listen to the testimonies of our

prophets and other church leaders. When you want to use that time, you

just take it off the shelf and open the jar. To use our bottled up time we

have to have a schedule when we can open the jar and enjoy that

dedicated time to spiritual things. If we don’t take the jars off the shelves

and use them as they were meant to be used then they will “spoil” and we

will lose that time.

By not using our vessels filled with dedicated time we cannot fill our

spiritual vessels!!

In the Doctrine and Covenants we read:

Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a bhouse, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;

D.&C. 88:119

Preparing every needful thing means filling our spiritual vessels as well as

preparing for our temporal needs for times of disaster and times of trial.

I have a testimony of our loving Heavenly Father and his only begotten son

Jesus Christ. I have personally felt His unrestrained love and compassion in

the depth of my trials and have been lifted up in my afflictions by his

spirit. I know with every fiber of my being that if we will diligently

strengthen our testimony that it can get us through anything, and I mean

anything. We will have strength added to our spirits to the degree that our

hearts will feel that they cannot hold it. Satan will have no power over us

and we will have what we need to sustain us. I know that the church is

true and that the gospel was sent to us to help us live in peace and return

to our Heavenly father to be exalted and to live in His presence. I know

that the blessings we will receive after we have endured to the end in faith

will far surpass the wealth of any earthly millionaire. I know that the yoke

of the Lord will be light on our shoulders if we walk with Him and obey His

commandments and seek His spirit to always be with us. I say these things

in the name of Jesus Christ Amen

Time for every needful thing…

Oh How Lovely was the Morning

By Margaret Wahlstrom

My life has been abundantly full and overwhelmingly busy. It was my trademark

to run faster than I seemed able and to burn the candle at both ends at the same

time. I have felt a great deal of accomplishment and satisfaction at what I have

been able to juggle. The truth is that even the best juggler has their limits as to

how many balls can be kept in the air at the same time without dropping them. I

have observed jugglers who will get out of balance as they drop one ball and

while trying to save it, will end up losing every single ball that they had in the air.

I know that feeling!

I have been involved in so many different and variable lofty pursuits that it often

seemed like I was in a time prison where I had no control over any of my time. It

was already promised and committed to so many good things that the better

things were getting pushed aside. Even my to do lists were getting ignored and

items remained there for months waiting for me to get around to them as I

attend “must be there” meetings and gave needed assistance to my family and

friends. I was doing plenty of service that made me feel fulfilled but I was

missing some important ingredients in the “stewardship stew” of my own

spiritual nourishment.

I had to find a way to “create” more time…but HOW? I was exhausted at the end

of the day and trying to push into my hours of sleep was taking a toll on me. At

that time, as at all times in my life my priesthood leader in my home, my

adorable husband, showed me the way that would bless both of us and our

family and allow us to better fulfill all commitments. It was a simple observance

of the 88th section of the Doctrine and Covenants. Imagine that? By following the

Lords message of peace to us all we can actually have that peace. D&C 88:124

says “…….cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye

may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be

invigorated.”

Was invigorating the mind that easy? The answer is yes.

My husband and I began to go to bed by an earlier designated time every night

without exception and arise at 5:00 A.M. to exercise our bodies and then our

minds. First it is down to the gym and then home to use the remainder of time to

have a wonderful quiet, and often romantic, breakfast and reading time before

we head off to work and other busy agenda items. Having healthy sleeping

habits has helped us discover more time to use for spiritually uplifting things that

fill our vessels on a consistent basis. My husband began to go to the temple every

single Saturday morning at 5:00 A.M. since that was our regular wake up time.

This rigid schedule has blessed us abundantly as it has given us the “found” time

to do those things that bring us peace and the schedule has provided a healthier

lifestyle to us.

Often in the early morning hours I think of our prophet Joseph Smith as he rose

on that spring morning in 1820 and retired to the woods to pray. That morning

time seems significant to me as a time of enlightenment. Everything seems fresh

and new and promise is in the crispness of the air.

“Oh how lovely was the morning! Radiant beamed the sun above. Bees

were humming, sweet birds singing, Music ringing thru the grove, when

within the shady woodland Joseph sought the God of love, when within the

shady woodland, Joseph sought the God of love.” Hymns #26

Joseph sought his Heavenly Father in the morning and found Him. It seems

fitting that the morning is a preferred time for us also to seek our Heavenly

Father. When I am up and anxiously engaged in the morning I feel like I control

the world instead of the other way around. I am free of my “Time Prison”. Once

all the businesses open and the world is set on its daily schedule of run, run, run,

then I am caught up in the fray. It is only in the morning that I am the queen of

my destiny and there are no phone calls or visitors or appointments to distract

and interrupt that time that I have set aside for my own enlightenment.

I believe for it to work as a long term commitment, one has to be disciplined

enough to have the strict schedule as our missionaries do to get enough sleep

and to wake early.

As I have lived this principle of “early to bed and early to rise”, I have developed

a testimony of the Lord’s words in Section 88 of the Doctrine and Covenants. I

have better health and more energy and a clear mind. When I do not observe

this principle then I am visited with ill health and sluggish days of fatigue. I am

unable to accomplish the things that I know are needful for me to be able to push

the “refresh” button.

I know that if we will heed the Lord in managing our earthly probationary period of time that

we will not waste it and we will find the peace of mind and strength of heart to endure our

challenges. The Lord has given us all that we need to find the treasures of the world and the

riches of His kingdom. I encourage you to test the principles that the Lord has set for us. You

will find that your lives will be richer and fuller than you ever believed possible. I say these

things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

TIME FOR PRAYER……

If the Savior of the world felt the need for constant prayer, how much

greater is our need?

Communication is probably the number one focus of our world today.

We are fixated by the almost weekly advances in the world of

technology allowing us faster and better communication. Most of our

time is spent in communicating and “spreading our message”. Our

computers have replaced pen and pencil and somewhat outdated the

telephone. We can communicate with anyone in the world almost

instantly and with little expense. We marvel at these things and are so

fascinated by them that people spend hours a day “Communicating” by

cell phone or texting, and by using such marvels of technology as Face

book and e-mail and tweeting on twitter among other networking

avenues. And yet we have always had the ability to communicate

instantly with our Heavenly father. The personal privilege of prayer

and the magnificent miracle of ministrations from the Lord has always

been our special gift from our Heavenly father. If we are not taking

advantage of this gift as a constant state of our lives then we are

missing the greatest gifts that the Lord has available to us. These are

priceless gifts that fill our souls, the vessels of our spirituality, with

limitless peace and joy.

Two years ago my son’s kidney failed and he was placed on dialysis.

Anyone who has experienced this difficult way of living knows the

phrase that “dialysis may be a way to keep you living but it is no way

to live.” There is perhaps no way to even explain the difficulty and

endless discomfort of such an existence. My 19 year old daughter who

was attending the University of Arizona was immediately adamant that

she would be the one to donate her kidney to her brother. She could

not bear to see him suffer. We did not wish for her to have to face such

risks to herself or to make such a great sacrifice and tried to explore

other options. What was to be a frightening and tremendously difficult

time for us also became a time of constant and fervent prayer and

fasting individually for each member of our family but especially for

Mallory. Mallory prayed that she would be a perfect match for Andy

and could give her kidney to him. So great was her desire to serve her

brother and show him such unconditional love that she made talking to

her Heavenly Father and consulting Him about her promptings a

constant thing. When the results from the University Hospital came

back we were told that not only did Mallory match her brother as a

donor but she matched all 12 antigens that they test for. We were told

that was almost unheard of except in identical twins. After a very

difficult surgery with enormous complications for Mallory the family’s

ever present sincere prayers were answered and Mallory recovered.

We named the kidney Mindy because it was Mallory’s kidney. As we

watched Andy become healthier and healthier and enjoy added strength

and well being, we thought that we had turned the corner and that

things would slowly get better for Mallory also. Three weeks after the

surgery, with Mallory still very ill and suffering tremendous pain,

Andy ended up back in the hospital with blood tests indicating that his

new kidney was not working. We were all devastated. We had

watched miracles accompany the gift of life that Mallory had given her

brother. It had seemed that the Lord was mindful of us all and had

walked with us through the whole ordeal. We had suffered through

that horrible night with Mallory in the Intensive Care unit when her life

was at risk and in the balance. We had thought that the Lords blessings

had indicated that all would be well. On September 10th

, 2009 they

took Andy in to surgery and did a biopsy of Mindy the kidney. The

doctor later told me that he had almost removed the kidney at that time

because it looked so bad and was so soft that he thought that it was lost.

But something made him wait for the biopsy results to come back so he

sutured up the incision and we waited for the Pathology report. Later

that day we were told that the kidney was in necrosis and would have

to be removed. The kidney was no longer living and Andy would have

to go back on dialysis. They were ready to rush Andy back in to

surgery but his Potassium was so high that they needed to wait and get

it down so that he would not risk heart failure during surgery.

After we informed our other children of what was happening, they all

gathered to our home, like wagons circling, that night and waited with

us to hear from the hospital. The realization of the kind of love that our

family had for each other was truly humbling for me and my husband.

It would be a long night full of tears and hugs and many many prayers.

I remember literally pleading with the Lord with every fiber of my soul

for a miracle.

The call from the hospital finally came at about 5:00 A.M. and we all

headed for the University Hospital which was about a 50 minute drive

from our home. It was September 11th

which was always a difficult

day in our family because of the losses that we had suffered on that day

in 2001. On the drive down, my daughter Mallory was with me. She

seemed at peace after having a desperate breakdown the night before at

the hopeless news of the biopsy. Mallory very tenderly told me that

she knew that Heavenly Father could heal that kidney and make it live

again. She told me that if Heavenly Father was willing to make her a

perfect donor after she had pleaded with him to do so, then He would

also be willing to bless Andy and the kidney to be healed and made

whole. She told me that she had prayed all night for that miracle and

she seemed full of the Faith that sustained her belief that the Lord had

heard her prayers. I knew that what she said was possible, but would

the Lord bless us that way? Sometimes we do not get the answers that

we desire. I was so heartsick at the thought that Mallory’s Christ Like

sacrifice was in vain and Andy would again be back in that horrible

state of living with dialysis. We arrived to find Andy outside the

operating room waiting to go in. The doctor explained the procedure

of removing the non-functioning kidney and left to get some paperwork

for Andy to sign. Andy was quiet and contemplative. When the doctor

returned to us he was full of astonishment. He was absolutely puzzled

at what he had just found out. Andy was again making water and his

blood levels seemed to indicate that the kidney was working and had

made a miraculous and very quick recovery. He canceled the surgery

on the spot and suggested that we wait and see if Andy would recover.

The rest of the day was spent in wonder as we watched Andy’s blood

results get better and better. Not only had the Lord heard our prayers,

he had answered with a miracle; a miracle that the doctors could not

explain. It is a deeply humbling experience to have miracles. We felt

totally unworthy to receive them. I felt that the faith of my daughter as

well as the combined faith of our family had wrought a powerful work.

I felt like the brother of Jared must have when he saw the Lord’s hand

touch the stones. We too had seen the Lord’s hand. There is no

question that the Lord had answered the prayers of our family.

When you pray earnestly and constantly I can testify to you that you

will come to know the Savior on a personal level and you will feel of

his limitless love for you. I know that I am in need of His constant

companionship. I have always loved the song, I NEED THEE EVERY

HOUR. These are words that I find coming into my heart almost every

day.

I need thee, oh, I need thee;

Every hour I need thee!

Oh, bless me now, my Savior;

I come to thee!1

The words, “I COME TO THEE” are so very important. He cannot be there to bless our lives if we do not come to HIM. It might be safe to say as the apostle James wrote, “Ye have not because ye ask not”.

I love the picture of the Savior standing at the door waiting for us to open it.

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the

door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).

Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–85) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

taught, “Temporal and spiritual blessings follow proper prayer. As all the

revelations show, the portals of heaven swing wide open to those who pray

in faith; the Lord rains down righteousness upon them; they are preserved

in perilous circumstances; the earth yields her fruits to them; and the joys of

the gospel dwell in their hearts.”3

I pray that each of you will open the door wide and leave it open. We are all in need of the

blessings and inspiration that constant prayer brings into our lives. So take down your bottle

of time for prayer and use it generously. That will keep it fresh.

Spiritual Preserves to replenish your Spiritual Reserves

The following article was printed in the Ensign March 1996 pages 61-

62 and it offers great insight to Replenishing your spiritual reserves….

Replenishing My Spiritual Reserves

Deborah S. Kent, ―Replenishing My Spiritual Reserves,‖ Ensign, Mar. 1996, 61–62

As I talked with my friends one day about maintaining personal spirituality, each one voiced the same lament: ―I don’t have time!‖ Later, my husband commented, ―We find time to do that which we really want to do—that which we love.‖ I realized then that desire is what motivates each of us to take the time to replenish our spiritual reserves.

Once I learned to recognize my own symptoms of spiritual thirst, I began to seek time in my busy schedule to drink from a spiritual well. Instead of trying to find time, however, I discovered that first I had to remove some of the ―time gluttons‖ from my day, thus creating time. Here’s what I did:

Television. Watching television not only takes time but also can adversely affect my thoughts and feelings, robbing me of precious spiritual reserves. Inappropriate pictures, words, and music that come unbidden to mind require extra effort to resist. By curtailing my viewing and being more discriminating in program selections, I have fewer worldly images to combat and more time for activities that fill my spiritual reserves.

Waiting time. I have found ways to turn waiting time into a spiritual filling station. One morning while waiting in a dentist’s chair and listening to distasteful music, I closed my eyes and mentally walked myself through the temple. This took effort and concentration, but I felt relaxed and refreshed by the time the dentist arrived.

I also carry a book bag nearly everywhere, with scriptures, lesson manuals, paper and pencils, and a good book inside. I always have something uplifting to read while I wait.

Telephone calls. The telephone, as wonderful as it is, can really eat up time. While visiting with a friend for a few minutes can be refreshing, lengthy calls made just to chat or to discuss subjects that are not uplifting or necessary take precious time out of the day.

After ―creating‖ more time in my day, I began using it to sip often from my well of spiritual refreshment and occasionally drink deeply from it in these ways: spending a full hour reading the scriptures, praying during long walks, pondering the problems of the day, and passing a whole day in spiritual renewal (for example, reading scriptures and

playing hymns on the piano while setting aside all other concerns as in Sabbath-day observance).

In addition, great natural and artistic beauties are to be found in the world that can help build our feelings of reverence for our Creator. By seeking time to sip from the well of spiritual nourishment often, we can be spiritually full, better prepared for the droughts and dry spells in life.—Deborah S. Kent, Moberly, Missouri

Like Sand through the Hourglass……

…….. so go the days of our

Lives.

Written by Margaret Wahlstrom

When I was a little girl there was a television show that started with the image of

an hourglass. The announcer would then say, “Like sand through the hourglass,

so go the days of our lives.” Even as a young person this image was unsettling to

me as I watched the grains of sand fall, never to be recalled again. As the amount

of sand in the top part of the hourglass got smaller, it seemed to visually predict

the days of our lives and the eventual end of those days that we have to use. I

also remember the scene in the Wizard of Oz when the Wicked Witch of the West

turns over the hourglass and tells Dorothy that was as much time as she and her

friends had left if she didn’t give the witch the Ruby Slippers. I can still hear that

frightful music in my head as the sand fell through.

Sand represents moments of time in the hourglass. I chose to use sand and golf

balls to give a visual representation of how we manage our time. The Golf Balls

represent the sacred and important things that we should be doing to fill up our

spiritual vessels. The sand represents all the little things that take our time that

are less important and in some cases unimportant. We are using two large glass

containers. The glass containers represent the vessels of our lives. In one we put

the measured sand in the jar of life first. If we fill the jar with the sand,

representing all the less important things first, then there is not enough room for

very many of the golf balls which represent the more important things that fill

our spiritual vessels. This shows how all the unimportant things can crowd out

the important things. In the second jar we will put the Golf Balls into the jar first.

Then we will put the measured sand in the jar. If we put the large important

things into our jars first the small things will fit around them and then we have

room for everything that we need to do. This should visually illustrate that we

can make room for every needful thing if we start with the important things first.

There is a hymn that also illustrates this principle. It is hymn

number 217, “Come, Let us Anew”. The second verse is especially

appropriate to the vision of our time “gliding swiftly away” as a

stream.

Come, let us anew our journey pursue, Roll round with the year,

And never stand still till the Master appear. His adorable will let

us gladly fulfill. And our talents improve By the patience of hope

and the labor of love, By the patience of hope and the labor of

love.

Our life as a dream, our time as a stream Glide swiftly away, And

the fugitive moment refuses to stay; For the arrow is flown and

the moments are gone. The millennial year Presses on to our view,

and eternity’s here, Presses on to our view, and eternity’s here.

Oh that each in the day of His coming may say, “I have fought my

way thru; I have finished the work thou didst give me to do.” Oh

that each from his Lord may receive the glad word: “Well and

faithfully done; Enter into my joy and sit down on my throne;

Enter in to my joy and sit down on my throne.”

I ponder the question: “What if after this life has passed, I find out

that I have not finished the work thou didst give me to do.” It

behooves us to lengthen our stride and put forth an extra effort to

find ways to spend our time wisely. It doesn’t hurt to be a super

achiever when it comes to finishing the work of the Lord.

*note….I explained this visual above with sand since it fits into our

symbol of “Time in the hourglass” I used wheat for the pictures

just to illustrate the visual.

Important and Crucial Spiritual Elements of our lives (Represented

by the golf balls) not fitting in to our life because we fill it with the

less essential things (represented by the wheat). If we fill our time

schedules with the good but less important things first then we

cannot always fit in the more important spiritual things that we

“should be doing.”

BELOW…

If we first fill our time jar with the essential spiritual things (Golf

Balls), then the less important but good things (Wheat) will fill in

around the Larger spiritual things and there will be time for Both

to fit in our jars.

Emergency Kit for “Filling your spiritual vessels” when you live an

extra busy life!

Remember the message of the Ten virgins in Matthew 25:2… And five of

them were wise, and five were foolish. 3.They that were foolish took their

lamps, and took no oil with them: 4But the wise took oil in their vessels with

their lamps. ……… 11Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord,

open to us. 12But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I aknow you not.

The message is clear, the preparation has to be before the coming of the Lord.

We make emergency kits that we may use in case of Temporal disasters. Some

of us have 72 hour kits in the car or by the back door waiting for the need to use

them. We should each have our own Spiritual Emergency kit so that we can

constantly be able to fill those spiritual vessels when the moments present

themselves. Remember that each of us needs to make our own kit based on how

we prepare and our individual needs. I have my own bag that is ready to go out

the door with me to church or institute or even to the doctor’s office or dentist

office when I have time to sit. This would also be nice to have at breaks at work

or riding the bus or airplane. Use your imagination and include those things

that most help inspire you and allow you to be close to your Heavenly Father.

First you need a good bag. I found that a computer bag works great. Some

people like to just do everything on their computers or ipads or smart phones. I

like to have my own set of printed scriptures. So choose what works best for you.

Here are some suggestions for a spiritual emergency bag…

1. Scriptures in some form. (These are separate from the ones you use

at home)

2. Patriarchal blessing….you can shrink this and laminate it to fit in

your scriptures or your bag.

3. Copy of Proclamation of the Family Laminated

4. Copy of The Living Christ laminated

5. Current copy of the Ensign and/or other church magazines

6. Small hymnal

7. Current Relief Society Manual

8. Marking pens or pencils

9. Some people like to use their iPods with conference talks or church

talks on books or even recorded scriptures to listen to when they

exercise or do other chores.

10. Journal for writing down your spiritual feelings and inspirations

and testimony

You will find that having a “spiritual vessel filling emergency bag” to pick

up on the way out the door will allow you to find more times when you

can connect with your Heavenly Father and reach your goals of spiritual

reading and pondering time.

Service Vessels…..

The Christmas Jars…We have started a very wonderful tradition in our

family. After reading the book “Christmas Jars” by Jason F. Wright we

decided that each family member would start their own Christmas Jar and

give it anonymously to a needy person or family each Christmas. We find

that there are numerous opportunities to serve all around us every day

but this special Vessel of love insures that we are able to significantly

answer a prayer for someone every Christmas. I even find myself making

sure that I pay with currency that will assure that I get change back so that

my jar will fill faster, and I can fill more jars.

Also I find great joy and satisfaction in writing in my Responsibility Journal

at the end of every day where I answer the question, “Have I done any

good in the world today.” This journal helps me always stay on top of the

question, “Am a worthwhile person?” All I have to do is read my

responsibility journal to answer YES!!

Preparing “our” Physical Vessel so that it can be a Spiritual

Container

By Dawn McCullough

How We Treat our Vessels...

There are an enormous variety of wells in our lives that we dip in to as we fill our

different vessels. Some of these wells are; scriptures, church resources, home and

family , friends, careers, educational institutions, music, talents, sports,

recreational activities, and many others . The list could go on and on. Each well

fills different needs for our earthly vessels. We tend to go to particular wells at

certain times in our lives as we seek the ingredient that will help lift us and help us

endure particular trials or challenges. We ultimately hope it will make us a better

person or help us to cope with those events in our lives that may be difficult or

challenging for us.

We are usually inspired to seek out the best well that will fill our personal vessel

and that will sustain us the most as it buoys us up and keeps us afloat in the ever

raging sea of adversity.

A principle that I have come to personally appreciate and learn from lately is the

principle of being physically fit, where I am improving my personal Vessel so that it

can hold the sustaining nourishment of what the wells have to offer. I've been

working on the physical part of my earthly vessel, my body, and have been inspired

by the things that I have learned. It is interesting what physical limitations or

challenges a person can give themselves if they are not always mindful of caring for

the earthly vessel that they were given.

When I first started to try and improve my physical fitness 2 1/2 years ago, I could

barely walk on the treadmill for very long at all. I would quickly be winded and

have to stop. I found that I could not lift weights of more than 5 lbs for maybe 10

very short repetitions. I would go home exhausted and discouraged, but I kept

going morning after morning. I am now to the point where I can work out on the

treadmill for a half hour with a very steep incline. I can even keep up the speed

and not be winded. I can lift weights of 20 lbs and not feel like my arms will fall

off. I am gaining self esteem and confidence in myself. I know that I can do hard

things. It may not be easy at first, but with time and consistency I know that I can

get to the next level. As my vessel gets healthier, I find that it is easier for me to

handle more tasks and they are easier to complete. I have to take care of my body

now so that I do not develop those little “cracks” that will keep my vessel from

holding the spiritual things that I am in need of.

I always wished that I could run in races and participate in physical activities. I was

able to do that last summer. It was a small race, but I participated in it with my

whole family and I finished the race! I was not first, but I finished and that was an

accomplishment that I was proud of. It truly lifted my spirit to be able to say that I

had competed in a race that I had never thought that I would ever do. This

experience has taught me that I can do anything that I put my mind to if I just

persevere. I have found a new excitement in living life. I am also afraid of heights

and yet I recently went indoor skydiving. It was a most exhilarating experience. I

felt that all the fear was literally flying above me and gave me more confidence in

having my feet off the ground!

We all have to face hard things, but we are given those God given attributes to

achieve anything that comes our way. We are the ones who give up on ourselves

and quit trying. We need to put our faith in ourselves to achieve those great things

that will take us up to the next level.

Through my experience in preparing my body to be more physically fit I have found

that I enjoy the spiritual wells that I am drinking from more than at any other time.

More important, my vessel is remaining full longer.

Having a TO BE LIST instead of a TO DO LIST……

As we strive to tame the Time Bandit and organize our lives, I want to

bring your attention to the conference address given by Elder Lynn

Robbins of the Council of the Seventy in April Conference 2011. He gave a

fabulous talk beginning with the query, “TO BE OR NOT TO BE…..is actually

a very good question.” He went on to stress the difference between a To

Do list and a To Be list. A “TO DO LIST” is something where you complete

tasks that you are able to check off. A “TO BE LIST” is something that is

never complete for you are always striving to be like Christ. In Third Nephi

Chapter 27 verse 27 we read…..”ye shall be judges of this people,

according to the judgment which I shall give unto you, which shall be just.

Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you,

even as I am.” So that is the challenge. To constantly be striving to be like

Christ. We are going to give you a Time management program that we

want you to use as a TO BE list. As you decide on the things in your life

that you have TO DO, make sure that you include the things that you want

TO BE. That way as you decide on the To Do things you will want to make

sure that they will also help you accomplish your goals of To Be like Christ.

Spiritual Home Storage

by Regina Wahlstrom

Elder Neil L. Anderson said: “... we each have moments of spiritual power, moments of inspiration and revelation. We must sink them deep into the chambers of our souls. As we do, we prepare our spiritual home storage for moments of personal difficulty. Jesus said, ‘Settle this in your hearts, that ye will do the things which I shall teach, and command you.’ (Luke 14:28 JST) “... we are not alone. As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have enormous spiritual reservoirs of light and truth available to us. Fear and faith cannot coexist in our hearts at the same time... ‘Be not afraid, only believe.’ (Mark 5:36)...” I grew up in the church, graduated from BYU, served a mission, then married a convert with a 10 year old son and we soon added two children of our own to that family. Our little family had its share of ups and downs, but I would have been the first to say “It’s a Wonderful Life” until early 1999, when everything about my life changed with a series of losses. First my fabulous father, a man of great faith, full of enthusiasm for the gospel and love for his family, returned home early from his mission with my mother to die an agonizing death over a ten month period of lung cancer. Within a few months of his death, my husband and I began a painful separation and divorced after 18 years of marriage. As I reeled emotionally and spiritually from the challenges of these losses, I learned my 12

year career as an insurance underwriter was about to end due to a massive restructure announced by my employer. I responded to these losses with resilience and even a large dose of my dad’s great optimisim: I missed my dad immensely but treasured the gospel values and work ethic he taught me. I became active in the church singles program-- there was something and often someone for everyone-- and, can you believe it, I gained a testimony of and loved this church program! And I went back to school for a masters degree in teaching, something I had always wanted to do. Then, as a new empty-nester (my daughter left for BYU-Hawaii and my son got his first job and moved into his own apartment), I moved from the city side of Oregon to the rural side to start my first teaching assignment. By now I was feeling pretty good about my new life which was turning out to be in essence, a grand adventure. Was there anything I could not do with the Lord on my side?! Then there occurred one more loss, in truth, the greatest loss of all: my son, my Jordan, that bright precocious but incorrigible light in my life from the moment he was born-- died, a few days after his 21st birthday. It was a lot to process. So much to remember and rethink and regret. So much to come to terms with. There were days when I woke up and wondered what had happened to my life-- and who was this woman wearing my jeans and going through the motions of life? I was living a strange new life in a strange new place and I had no father, no husband, and now no son. I cried, and I cried, and then I cried some more. It became so difficult for me to sink to my knees and express my gratitude to my Heavenly Father for those short but precious years I had with my son (which is always what happened when I was on my knees) and start the crying cycle all over again that for some time I quit praying altogether. Those were dark days.

But 40+ years of lessons learned in Primary, in Sunday School, in Young Women’s and Relief Society, in Seminary and BYU Religion classes, in mission conferences and General Conferences had given me enormous spiritual reservoirs of light and truth to draw on My spiritual home storage was available to me in the darkest hours. My testimony that Jesus lives helped me to understand my son still lived. It did not stop my pain. It did even seem to lessen the pain. As an underwriter, I had been taught to look at the “big picture,” but as a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there was available to me an eternal “big picture” perspective that one without 40 years of spiritual home storage would not have. How I love the Primary song: “Did Jesus really live again? Yes, when the third day came, He wakened and He left the tomb. He called Mary’s name. And there were nail prints in his hands, and a spear wound in his side. Did Jesus really live again, after He had died? Oh yes! And so shall I!” As Elder Neil L. Anderson said: “... we each have moments of spiritual power, moments of inspiration and revelation. We must sink them deep into the chambers of our souls. As we do, we prepare our spiritual home storage for moments of personal difficulty. Jesus said, ‘Settle this in your hearts, that ye will do the things which I shall teach, and command you.’ (Luke 14:28 JST) “... we are not alone. As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have enormous spiritual reservoirs of light and truth available to us. Fear and faith cannot coexist in our hearts at the same time... ‘Be not afraid, only believe.’ (Mark 5:36)...” Elder Neil A. Anderson

Today I am blessed with a husband who loves me and

loves the gospel of Jesus Christ (and who I met at a church singles

dance). My husband shares two of his own precious children

with me while my daughter has made me a grandmother twice

already. And though I worry every time a little one gets sick,

scrapes a knee, or swallows a quarter, my faith overcomes my

fears. I am also blessed to nurture and share my mornings with

15 delightful preschoolers. My blessings are tremendous.

I take great comfort in these words of Elder Joseph B.

Wirthlin: “The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That

which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added

unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we

desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually

be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude.”

I am also heartened by this exciting scripture: “Now, what

do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of

gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven; and a voice of truth

out of the earth; glad tidings for the dead; a voice of gladness for

the living and the dead; glad tidings of great joy...” D & C 128:19

Ours IS a gospel of gladness and great joy. Our Savior lives

and loves us and watches over each one of us, this is my

testimony in His blessed name, Amen.

Saving Time in a Bottle

by Regina Wahlstrom

I remember my first attempt at budgeting was sectioning

off a small shoebox to make various areas which I labeled Tithing,

Savings, my Fun Fund, Clothes and Accessories, the New Bike,

and a great many other things a teenage girl wishes she could

fund from her allowance alone. Needless to say, I soon realized

there wasn’t nearly enough allowance to meet all of my needs--

even when I supplemented my allowance with an occasional

babysitting job at a whopping 50 cents an hour! But my mother,

a convert to the church with a pragmatic approach to gospel

teachings, made it simple when she said: If you pay tithing first,

you will be able to meet your obligations. If you don’t, you

won’t.

Through the years since then, I have come to realize the

same principle applies to scripture study and prayer. If you try to

manage your time in the sections of a shoebox, or even draw it

all out on paper, there simply are not enough hours in the day for

every good thing you would like do-- along with scripture study

and prayer. But if you could save time in a bottle-- and always

use that first bottle of the day for scripture study and prayer...

that is, if you could make scripture study and prayer (and I tend

to think of them as one not two separate practices) your very

first priority of every day, it would not only get done

consistently, every day, but as I have learned, the rest of the

hours in your day become both more productive and more

meaningful.

I was talking with a friend recently about filling our

spiritual vessels when time is short (and time always seems to be

in short supply in our lives, doesn’t it?) Just the day before we

had enjoyed a wonderful Relief Society lesson in which a long list

of ways to fill our spiritual reservoirs were written on the

chalkboard in the front of the room. No doubt that list included

all of the same kinds of things your Relief Society sisters would

identify as well. Then my friend said to me, the problem with

that list is when I need most desperately to fill my vessel is

always the time when I have the least desire and motivation to

do so. I have thought a long time about her point. It is one thing

to know what needs to be done-- and quite another thing to be

able to do it. Consistently. And I suspect that is what filling our

spiritual lamps is all about.

In his wonderful “Of Things That Matter Most” address,

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said: “Let’s be honest: it’s rather

easy to be busy. We all can think up a list of tasks that will

overwhelm our schedules.”

Then he quoted Elder Dallin H. Oaks: “We have to forego

some good things in order to choose others that are better or

best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and

strengthen our families.”

Our General Relief Society President Julie Beck has taught

us the difference between Essential, Necessary, and Nice-to-Do

tasks in our lives:

Essential--

The things that must be taken care of and if I don’t take

care of them, the blessings of eternal life won’t be mine nor will

they be the blessings of my family:

ESSENTIAL PERSONAL PREPARATION THAT STRENGTHENS

FAMILY AND HOME

Revelation

Pray always

Daily scripture study

Time to ponder and fast

Making and keeping covenants (sacrament meeting,

temple)

Love one another

Necessary--

Things we have to do as a part of mortal life in order to be

self-reliant and be of service to our families and the Lord:

NECESSARY

Marriage and family relationships

Homemaking (cooking, cleaning, working)

Self-reliance and provident living

Compassionate service

Temple and family history

Sharing the gospel

Church service

Nice to do--

These add variety to our lives, but they won’t save us:

Crafts

Hobbies

Recreational reading

Lunches with friends

Movies

Travel

Blogging and recreational computer time

What is on your list?

As sisters in Zion, we need to distinguish between good and

better, between better and best. Managing our time and

prioritizing will prevent us from sacrificing the Essential for Nice

but not even Necessary tasks. I testify that as we create more

time for those Essentials, our lives will be more productive and

more meaningful and we will prepare ourselves and our families

for eternal life, in Jesus’ sacred name, amen.