I have been looking forward to reading James and Peter for months now, and was so excited to catch up on my reading over Thanksgiving weekend. The week leading up to Thanksgiving was kind of insane (been working 12+ hour days because of an aggressive deadline at work that I have no control over) so I needed the peace and inspiration of these beautiful letters.
This is what stood out to me about James:
Finding Joy in Affliction
James 1:2: "My brethern, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations."
The Joseph Smith Translation at the bottom explains that divers means "many afflictions."
I have been bookmarking talks from General Conference that inspire me, next to scriptures, so some thoughts on this scripture that jumped out at me:
Dieter F. Uchtdorft gave a talk in 2015 in a Women's Session of General Conference called "A Summer with Great Aunt Rose," where he tells a story about affliction, where Great-Aunt Rose says, 'There is enough that doesn't go right in life, so anyone can work themselves in a puddle of pessimism and a mess of melancholy. But i Know people who, even when things don't work out, focus on the wonders and miracles of life. These folks are the happiest people I know."
Great-Aunt Rose continues to explain, "God didn't design us to be sad. He created us to have joy!"
I think we have to be careful that we're not wrongly assuming that a parents that have just buried their baby girl, or man that has lost his legs, are going to feel joyful about affliction that they are experiencing, but they can feel comfort and joy in knowing that in the midst of their despair, there is someone that knows and loves us, and that weeps for us, and that our Lord wants us to rise from our despair to have joy.
Says Uchtdorft in a talk he gave five years before that, called "Your Happily Ever After," "There are those among you who, although young, have already suffered a full measure of grief and sorrow. My heart is filled with compassion and love for you. How dear you are to the Church. How beloved you are of your Heavenly Father. Though it may seem that you are alone, angels attend you. Though you may feel that no one can understand the depth of your despair, our Savior, Jesus Christ, understands. He suffered more than we can possibly imagine, and He did it for us; He did it for you. You are not alone."
In his October 2018 General Conference Talk, "Our Campfire of Faith," Elder Gerrit W. Gong says, "When we have felt, or feel, uncertain, alone, frustrated, angry, let down, disappointed, or estranged from God and His restored Church, it may take an extra measure of effort and faith to enter again on His covenant path. But it is worth it! Please come, or come again, unto the Lord Jesus Christ! God's love is stronger than the cords of death - temporal or spiritual. Our Savior's Atonement is infinite and eternal. Each of us strays and falls short. We may, for a time, lose our way. God lovingly assures us, no matter where we are or what we have done, there is no point of no return. He waits ready to embrace us."
On the other side of affliction, when we reach joy, is the refiner's fire, that makes us greater beings than when we began. In Peter 1:7 he says, "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ."
In October 2018 General Conference, Neil L. Anderson said, "The Apostle Peter said, 'Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you.' Along with the bright colors of happiness and joy, the darker-colored threads of trial and tragedy are woven deeply into the fabric of our Father's plan. These struggles, although difficult, often become our greatest teachers."
I love this analogy, as I have a beautiful woven skirt that has silver threads woven in, that make it so special. I think of the affliction as those silver threads, and as I'm going through the trials of life (and have currently experiencing one for six months now that has caused me so much stress) - the hope and grace I see on the other side is that I will have been taught, if I can only but it endure it well. (Doctrine and Covenants 121:7-10).
Asking in Faith, with Single-Minded Purpose
I also like that in James 1:5-6, James reminds us that the Lord just wants us to ASK, but that we need to ask "in faith, nothing wavering" because in verse 8, "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."
I reflected on Joseph Smith, whose entire life's work for the building up of the Saints started with James 1:5-6. He truly listened to the admonishment, and never wavered, though he was put to sore trials and experienced great griefs, including the loss of so many of his children.
Seek Faith and Knowledge, not Physical Wealth
I also noticed some themes around wealth vs knowledge, that wealth fades like flowers - see James 1:10-11 and 1 Peter 1:25 for instance.
Our Talents Are for Good
I am so grateful for a Heavenly Father that gives us talents, and it's been so important to me that I never let provide let me forget that what the Lord gives, he can take away, and that we have to use talent for good. So I loved James 1:17, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
Be Watchful
In 1 Peter, 5:7-9, Peter talks about being "sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." I was immediately reminded of Elder David A. Bednar's General Conference talk, "Watchful Unto Prayer Continually," from October 2019 where he talked about watching cheetah's, and how they never let up, and never stopped hunting. "Constant vigilance is required to counteract complacency and casualness. To be vigilant is the state or action of keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties."
Those Who Have Gone Before Us
I was struck by 1 Peter 3:9 and 1 Peter 4:6 and how it connects back to Doctrine and Covenants 128:15 that we need our ancestors in Heaven and they need us.
Patience
While there were so many more gems of wisdom in Peter, I need to wrap up for the evening so I want to leave you with one last scripture. 2 Peter 1:6 states, "And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness." If we can learn patience in our trials, we go back to the promise in 1 Peter 1:4, of "An inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you."
This is what stood out to me about James:
Finding Joy in Affliction
James 1:2: "My brethern, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations."
The Joseph Smith Translation at the bottom explains that divers means "many afflictions."
I have been bookmarking talks from General Conference that inspire me, next to scriptures, so some thoughts on this scripture that jumped out at me:
Dieter F. Uchtdorft gave a talk in 2015 in a Women's Session of General Conference called "A Summer with Great Aunt Rose," where he tells a story about affliction, where Great-Aunt Rose says, 'There is enough that doesn't go right in life, so anyone can work themselves in a puddle of pessimism and a mess of melancholy. But i Know people who, even when things don't work out, focus on the wonders and miracles of life. These folks are the happiest people I know."
Great-Aunt Rose continues to explain, "God didn't design us to be sad. He created us to have joy!"
I think we have to be careful that we're not wrongly assuming that a parents that have just buried their baby girl, or man that has lost his legs, are going to feel joyful about affliction that they are experiencing, but they can feel comfort and joy in knowing that in the midst of their despair, there is someone that knows and loves us, and that weeps for us, and that our Lord wants us to rise from our despair to have joy.
Says Uchtdorft in a talk he gave five years before that, called "Your Happily Ever After," "There are those among you who, although young, have already suffered a full measure of grief and sorrow. My heart is filled with compassion and love for you. How dear you are to the Church. How beloved you are of your Heavenly Father. Though it may seem that you are alone, angels attend you. Though you may feel that no one can understand the depth of your despair, our Savior, Jesus Christ, understands. He suffered more than we can possibly imagine, and He did it for us; He did it for you. You are not alone."
In his October 2018 General Conference Talk, "Our Campfire of Faith," Elder Gerrit W. Gong says, "When we have felt, or feel, uncertain, alone, frustrated, angry, let down, disappointed, or estranged from God and His restored Church, it may take an extra measure of effort and faith to enter again on His covenant path. But it is worth it! Please come, or come again, unto the Lord Jesus Christ! God's love is stronger than the cords of death - temporal or spiritual. Our Savior's Atonement is infinite and eternal. Each of us strays and falls short. We may, for a time, lose our way. God lovingly assures us, no matter where we are or what we have done, there is no point of no return. He waits ready to embrace us."
On the other side of affliction, when we reach joy, is the refiner's fire, that makes us greater beings than when we began. In Peter 1:7 he says, "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ."
In October 2018 General Conference, Neil L. Anderson said, "The Apostle Peter said, 'Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you.' Along with the bright colors of happiness and joy, the darker-colored threads of trial and tragedy are woven deeply into the fabric of our Father's plan. These struggles, although difficult, often become our greatest teachers."
I love this analogy, as I have a beautiful woven skirt that has silver threads woven in, that make it so special. I think of the affliction as those silver threads, and as I'm going through the trials of life (and have currently experiencing one for six months now that has caused me so much stress) - the hope and grace I see on the other side is that I will have been taught, if I can only but it endure it well. (Doctrine and Covenants 121:7-10).
Asking in Faith, with Single-Minded Purpose
I also like that in James 1:5-6, James reminds us that the Lord just wants us to ASK, but that we need to ask "in faith, nothing wavering" because in verse 8, "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."
I reflected on Joseph Smith, whose entire life's work for the building up of the Saints started with James 1:5-6. He truly listened to the admonishment, and never wavered, though he was put to sore trials and experienced great griefs, including the loss of so many of his children.
Seek Faith and Knowledge, not Physical Wealth
I also noticed some themes around wealth vs knowledge, that wealth fades like flowers - see James 1:10-11 and 1 Peter 1:25 for instance.
Our Talents Are for Good
I am so grateful for a Heavenly Father that gives us talents, and it's been so important to me that I never let provide let me forget that what the Lord gives, he can take away, and that we have to use talent for good. So I loved James 1:17, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
Be Watchful
In 1 Peter, 5:7-9, Peter talks about being "sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." I was immediately reminded of Elder David A. Bednar's General Conference talk, "Watchful Unto Prayer Continually," from October 2019 where he talked about watching cheetah's, and how they never let up, and never stopped hunting. "Constant vigilance is required to counteract complacency and casualness. To be vigilant is the state or action of keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties."
Those Who Have Gone Before Us
I was struck by 1 Peter 3:9 and 1 Peter 4:6 and how it connects back to Doctrine and Covenants 128:15 that we need our ancestors in Heaven and they need us.
Patience
While there were so many more gems of wisdom in Peter, I need to wrap up for the evening so I want to leave you with one last scripture. 2 Peter 1:6 states, "And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness." If we can learn patience in our trials, we go back to the promise in 1 Peter 1:4, of "An inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you."
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