Lesson for February 23, 2014

Our lesson today was given by Kristine Hansen. Our lesson was part of the Teachings for our Times about Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s talk, “Like a Broken Vessel.” She asked a question about depression and if we’ve gone through it or our loved ones. It is a very common thing. She was touched to have Elder Holland focus on emotional and mental illness. It is nothing to be embarrassed about or ashamed of. There are many ways to respond. Often setbacks and people recover from it. We can assure them that we will work with them. Sometimes in our culture, we think that depression is a character flaw. Elder Holland introduced the topic by saying everyone is downcast at some time or other. Real depression is a crater in the mind so deep they can’t crawl out. He also suffered from depression when he was a young father. He got through it because of friends and family. Some great people have suffered from depression, including Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill and George Albert Smith. Emily Campbell had post baby depression and learned how to get through it. Elder Holland said to never lose faith in your Father in Heaven. Look for help from spiritual leaders and believe in miracles. Trust in better days to come. Be careful about diet and exercise. Some food allergies can cause emotional illness. Sleep enough, but not too much. Get yourself on a good schedule. Have a project. Do service to others. Friends are important—besides family or the spouse. Just hearing their voices can be uplifting. Look for the light any time you can. Feel the sun on your face. Some depression is affected by the dark days of winter. Perhaps the most important thing is to develop relationships with other people. Remember that we are the Relief Society and our job is to bring relief. We can also get out of the home. It helps to have a support group. There is no shame in going to a therapist. If you had appendicitis you would go to a doctor. Prayerfully assess the solutions. You need to set little goals so they aren’t overwhelming—like cleaning the kitchen sink. Praying is the best therapy. Laughter is the best therapy. You have to try lots of things, because not everyone is the same and responds the same way. It is up to us to reach out. Ask people truly intending to be interested and be helpful. The right medication is helpful, although self-medication is not the answer. Knowing what the resources are is very important. Elder Holland said we need to be compassionate with ourselves and with others. We need to know that the great physician is God. Let go and let God take care of you. He testified of the resurrection that will raise weakness into power.

Lesson for February 9, 2014

Lesson for February 9, 2014 Our lesson today was given by Maggie Kopp about the Plan of Salvation. Maggie told about the first time she learned about the plan of salvation and asked others when they learned. Lisa Anderson said she learned that what you do in this life makes a difference in what happens in the next. Sister Lewis said she met someone who had no idea they were God’s children. The lesson is grouped into the steps that are learned in Primary. The first step is the premortal world and rejoiced to learn of the plan. Maggie asked what questions the plan of salvation answered for us. Linda Campbell said she learned about eternal families. Another sister said she learned that God has a plan for us. Sister Hickman said she had an experience where someone said her daughter asked where she was when her parents got married. Sister Hickman said she just said up in heaven and everyone looked at her like she was strange. Sister said she learned at the World’s Fair and saw the film Man’s Search For Happiness. Another sister said that she learned by teaching on her mission about the plan of happiness. Even when we have doubts, we can rest them on the things we do know and believe. The next section is about the Fall and mortality. D&C Section 2 talks about how the Fall was an essential part of the plan to have posterity and learn what we must learn and blessings. Maggie said she learned that mortality is a great gift. We need to learn so we can perfect our bodies so we can become godlike. God created us so we can become like Him. He gave us agency and initiative so we can withstand the vicissitudes of mortality: illness, age, other people’s choices, handicaps, are experiences we need to learn. We can be grateful for the things Heavenly Father has created for me. The blessing is that we CAN learn. We need to learn that we can trust Heavenly Father and His plan for us and our Savior. The next sections are about the Atonement, because it is the center of the whole plan. How do we build on the Atonement and why is it the foundation? Without it, we would all suffer, even more than we do. President Smith does talk about enduring to the end. The gospel helps us know that through the Atonement is that we can repent and keep going. Bonnie said that the new films at the temple shows how hard it was for them to make decisions and go through sorrow to have the blessings. Maggie said that she has struggled to know that the Savior really understands. One thing that has stood out to her is that Jesus has experienced everything, so he does understand us, even if we experience unique things that women go through. He has been lower than all that. He is not embarrassed or shocked by us, but wants to partner with us to help us. The last two sections talk about the blessings of resurrection and eternal life. We are all promised that we will be resurrected and that we will have eternal family relationships if we keep our ordinances. We can look forward to more blessings and continuing to learn and grow. One sister told of her nephew who was concerned when he saw a picture of Christ suffering. Her sister told him that he did that so our families could be together forever. The glorious blessings of eternal inheritance do not come except through willingness to place all things on the altar and join with Christ in carrying out the plan. Nothing we could do would repay Heavenly Father, but whatever we do is appreciated. God loves us so much that he wants us to be with him. No matter how many righteousness points we have, they are less than infinity, which is what Christ gives us and that is enough. We can all come to Christ and be eternal families.

Lesson for February 2, 2014

Lesson for February 2, 2014 Today we had a lesson from the Relief Society president, Amy Young. Elder Neal L. Anderson’s talk on the “Power in the Priesthood” really made an impression on Amy and she felt like she needed to teach about it. The first paragraph told about a young mother who listened to the Primary song about having priesthood power in the home and she felt she did not. However, Elder Anderson said we can live blessed by Priesthood power regardless of our circumstances. Linda K. Burton, Relief Society General President, said that there is a difference between priesthood authority and priesthood power. Authority is given by calling, but power is available to all. Sometimes we overly associate the priesthood power with men in the Church. Maybe because we use the word priesthood to refer to both. Men do not own the priesthood. The greatness of the priesthood is for all. So when we get priesthood blessings, the power of the blessing comes from God, but not from the man who gave the blessing. Men use the priesthood to bless others, but cannot put their hands on their own heads to bless themselves. If we are worthy, we can access the blessings of the priesthood. In the ordinances, the power of the priesthood is manifested. The ordinances are not denied to any worthy person who is baptized. All of the ordinances are to bring us closer to Jesus Christ, and that is a blessing in itself. Sister Burton said that righteousness is the gate by which we receive priesthood blessings and power. If the power and the blessings of the priesthood are available to all, why are they given by men. Elder Anderson said we don’t know why. Some of it is because of our different roles, such as women being able to have children. We know that God did not create men and women the same. In our Heavenly Father’s plan, men may carry the priesthood, but they are not the priesthood. Isaiah 55:8-9 says that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and his ways are higher than ours. Amy says she has learned to trust God, even though she doesn’t understand—she trusts God to know what is best. Emily Campbell said that she can understand more about why men have the priesthood because of her service as a mother, and maybe men need a way to serve as well. Elder Bednar said that priesthood holders are supposed to do God’s will and strengthen others, so they serve and bless and are changed as well. God will tell us things in His own time. Sister Lydia Gibbons said she is glad she doesn’t have that responsibility. Heather Cantrell said her friend left the Church so she could be a priest in the Episcopal church, and Heather told her that women are better at nurturing and having children. President Hinckley said it was the Lord was the one who organized it this way. Emily Campbell said if we feel less, it is because we live in a telestial world where people do not always act as they should. Unfortunately men do not behave as they should and use unrighteous dominion. Carol said that God created men and women to be one. Culturally, men may try to act like they are superior, but doctrinally, we are equal. Men have to be humble to serve and be in the right frame of mind to give blessings and perform the ordinances. Often what the mothers do in their homes fill their homes with priesthood power and continue to bless their descendants, but we have to do our part. We have to remember the Atonement and how it makes it so we are not denied anything and can have the power of the priesthood in our lives.