In the doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we often talk about holy places such as the temple — places where heaven and earth meet, where God’s love and presence can be felt.

But there are many other places that can be made holy in our mortal sojourn.

This beautiful essay shares, for example, how a nursery has become a holy place.

In a few days, we’ll be sharing another Mormon woman’s thoughts on how uncertainty can be a holy place.

This year’s youth theme in the Church is “Stand ye in holy places and be not moved.”.

What places are holy to you?

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Hear one Mormon youth’s thoughts on how every place can be a holy place when we are close to God and trying to follow Him.

The post Standing in Holy Places appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

~by Jeanette Green

You can read a bit more about Jeanette, the mother of a daughter with microcephaly and another daughter who is adopted, here.

Now that it’s February, perhaps many of us are, sadly, done talking about our resolutions. Perhaps our ideas and plans for the year, our goals for self-improvement and personal progression, have faded — or are beginning to, anyway. I have always been goal-oriented, so for me, I enjoy the New Year’s tradition of setting resolutions for the year. I like the tradition, but I don’t necessarily join in. I usually find that I have ongoing goals and so I use the New Year to remind and recommit myself to some of those goals I’ve already made. But, even though I’ve never been a New Year Resolution Die-Hard, surprisingly I have always been a bit sad when others have declared their feelings that New Year’s Resolutions are a silly idea.

This last Christmas, after the gifts had been torn open and we were lounging about, I decided that despite the rain I should go running. It was a very peaceful run. There were few people out. Traffic was quiet. The rain softly fell down and the water sped down the hill. I passed a few other joggers, but for the most part, I felt alone in my thoughts. It was the first time in a few months that I had felt that peace. I had uninterrupted time to think of my children, my husband, our future. I thought about what was important to me. I smiled. I even cried as I thought about our daughter and the blessing her disabilities have been in my life.

I thought about Christmas and the affect this season has on the entire world. As a Mormon child, I had been taught that we are all born with the light of Christ burning within us. That light leads us to truth. This time of year, I believe that the light of Christ within us all grows brighter. Perhaps because our spirits recognize the truth of our Savior’s life and ministry on this earth we desire to be more charitable. No matter our religious views, we all seem kinder, gentler, more patient and caring, willing to serve and have more desire to slow down to be with our family and friends. These are Christ-like attributes that we seem to want to emulate during the time when we celebrate the birth of our Savior. It’s a beautiful thing.

As I conquered the steep beastly hill, my legs ached and wanted to stop, but my thoughts continued. From Christmas, I thought of the tradition of setting new goals for the New Year. And I had a moment of clarity; it all made sense. You see, for a month or so, the world focuses on the Lord. Some may go to church more often. Some may read verses of scriptures. We sing carols, many bearing testimony of the birth of Jesus Christ. As I’ve already mentioned, we are kind, patient, think of others first – whether we are aware of it or not, we are being Christ-like, for a month – at least. How appropriate, then, is it that we would have the desire and be motivated to improve upon ourselves and become more like Him? I think most of us don’t even realize that this is the process that we are experiencing – becoming more like Him – but I believe that’s exactly what we are doing. We believe that we are on this earth to progress, and it’s awfully hard to progress if we don’t see within ourselves what we must work on. Even losing weight, probably the number one resolution year after year, makes us healthier, gives us more energy. With that health and energy we are better able to serve others, have more quality time with those we love. I do believe that our Father in Heaven wants us to be healthy and take care of the bodies He has given us. Truly all resolutions help us become a little bit more like the One we are trying to be like.

After having that moment of clarity (whether I was able to convey it in writing or not), I have decided to allow the Spirit’s encouraging influence to motivate me to become better – to join the millions who make resolutions at the New Year.  Indeed, it’s a good time to reflect on how I can improve and become a new me for the New Year. And, if I “fail” or don’t “keep” my resolutions, then maybe they will be on my list of things to work on in June – or perhaps even in January 2012. However, I know that in my attempt to improve, I become more Christ-like, and that, in my humble opinion, counts for something.

The post The Spirit’s Influence in the Process of Self-Improvement appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Part of being a Mormon is having the gift of the Holy Ghost. This gift has guided my life in many profound ways. I would like to share one particular example.

There have been times in my existence when I felt confused about where I should be going. I have received spiritual promptings hinting in a certain direction. Like when I was deciding what college I should attend after high school.

“Apply for Brigham Young University (BYU),” the voice whispered.

“I can’t. My grades are nowhere near good enough. I can’t afford to live on my own,” I stubbornly answered back.

After a week of indecision, I once again heard that voice.

“Apply for BYU,” the voice said, a little louder this time.

“Fine!” I snapped back.

I applied for BYU. In Hawaii. I thought I had my best chances in that direction.

I received the rejection letter a couple months later.

“Hah!” I scornfully replied to that voice. “I told you I would not get accepted.”

Again, I received the inspiration to apply for BYU. In Utah.

“No way, BYU Utah is the hardest to get accepted into!”

“Do it,” the voice commanded.

I relented. But, to make my point, I applied to all three BYU schools (Idaho, Utah, and Hawaii).

A month later, I received an acceptance letter for BYU Utah. I was astounded. All the evidence supported my theory that my grades were not to the caliber of their regular freshman acceptees. However, I had applied for Winter semester, not Fall. With admission requirements slightly lower for Winter applications, my chances were elevated.

I was also accepted into Idaho, and, once again, Hawaii rejected me. (My mother did not inform me of this until I was on my way to Provo. She is sweet like that.)

The voice that guided me was the Holy Ghost, sometimes called the Holy Spirit. I can recount numerous occasions, some big (like marrying my husband), and others small (help me find my wedding ring!), where I have been guided by the Spirit.

After being baptized, I received this gift–the gift of the Holy Ghost. Elder Dallin H. Oaks has talked about this gift in his General Conference talk, “Always Have His Spirit.”

The blessings available through the gift of the Holy Ghost are conditioned upon worthiness. “The Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples” (Hel. 4:24; see also Mosiah 2:36–37; 1 Cor. 3:16–17). Even though we have a right to his constant companionship, the Spirit of the Lord will dwell only with us when we keep the commandments. He will withdraw when we offend him by profanity, uncleanliness, disobedience, rebellion, or other serious sins.

Worthy men and women who have the gift of the Holy Ghost can be edified and guided by inspiration and revelation. The Lord has declared that “the mysteries of his kingdom … are only to be seen and understood by the power of the Holy Spirit, which God bestows on those who love him, and purify themselves before him” (D&C 76:114, 116).

Living worthily of the Holy Ghost is something that I find very important. I need the Spirit’s guidance. I feel this even more now that I am a mother. My decisions involve more than myself now, they involve my family. It is important for me to be in tune with the Holy Ghost.

Elder Oaks described the impact of the Holy Ghost on a family in the following paragraph:

If we are practicing our faith and seeking the companionship of the Holy Spirit, His presence can be felt in our hearts and in our homes. A family having daily family prayers and seeking to keep the commandments of God and honor his name and speak lovingly to one another will have a spiritual feeling in their home that will be discernible to all who enter it. I know this, because I have felt the presence or absence of that feeling in many  LDS homes.

The turbulent nature of our world necessitates the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. Feeling the Spirit’s powerful presence in my home can help me be a better wife, mother, and teacher.

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For more We Believe posts, click here.

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There are certain things that I do that make me feel close to the Lord.

George Washington Carver said, “I like to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us, if only we will tune in.”

I’m inclined to agree with Mr. Carver, for I see evidence of God’s love as I wander in the mountains,

watch the sun rise or admire flowers growing around me.

Martin Luther said, “God writes the gospel not in the bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars.”

I feel a confirmation from the Spirit that our Savior, Jesus Christ, created the earth for us. These same feelings are the ones that help me know that He lives.

I feel peace in my soul when I am in the quiet of nature, away from the sounds of town. Out here is where I know, God loves me.

He loves you, too.

Please share a time when you felt close to God while enjoying the beauties of nature.

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For more Sharing Our Voices posts, please click here.

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Personal revelation is also essential to our sojourn on earth. Personal revelation exists to provide

…a confirmation in the hearts of the believers that…revelation to the prophets is true. It also consists of individual guidance for every person who seeks for it and follows the prescribed course of faith, repentance, and obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (From the entry on revelation in the Bible Dictionary.)

An important part of our journey on earth is to learn how to communicate with God through prayer and through seeking personal revelation. One of the key ways that we can receive personal revelation is through the Holy Ghost, sometimes called the Spirit.

The Holy Ghost speaks to our hearts and minds. Learning to recognize the Spirit’s voice is an individual process and experience, but sometimes it helps to hear how others experience and recognize the Spirit. We invite you to share how you can tell when God is communicating with you.

One thing to note is that there is no one way that people experience the Spirit. For some, direction from heaven comes in the form of peace and other simple but pure, light-filled feelings. Some feel a physical sensation of burning in their hearts. Sometimes, revelation comes in the form of mental clarity and ideas. Sometimes, it’s simply a feeling that things are falling into place.

Many times, over a lifetime, a person will have experienced personal revelation in various ways. Often, there is a combination of thoughts and feelings that help one recognize the reality of revelation.

Learning to recognize the Spirit is something that can take time, patience, and experience. It certainly takes faith and obedience and diligence. It’s a wonderful thing to know that we, as children of God, can receive personal guidance and comfort and help through the gift of personal revelation.

**Please note: The answers in “Ask a Mormon Woman” and reflect the thoughts, perspectives, and experiences of individuals. Although here at Mormon Women, we strive to have our content consistent with the Church’s doctrine and teachings, we do not speak officially for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For official information about or from the Church, please visit www.mormon.org or www.lds.org.

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For more Ask a Mormon Woman questions/answers, please click here.

Do you have a question you would like to submit? Simply include a comment below, or send an email at gmail with the username ‘mormonwoman’

To hear several members’ experiences with the search for truth and finding answers to life’s questions, see this page at mormon.org.

For more about this topic, see the following articles:

Robert D. Hales, “Personal Revelation: The Teachings and Examples of the Prophets,” Liahona, Nov 2007, 86–89

James E. Faust, “Communion with the Holy Spirit,” Liahona, Mar 2002, 3

L. Lionel Kendrick, “Personal Revelation,” Ensign, Sep 1999, 7

Gerald N. Lund, “Is It Revelation?,” New Era, Jul 2004, 44

Visiting Teaching Message: “Receiving Personal Revelation,” Liahona, Sep 2000, 25

Search for more articles at lds.org – suggested topics include: revelation, personal revelation, answer to prayer, divine guidance, Holy Ghost, pure intelligence….

The post <i>Weekly question</i>: On recognizing the Spirit appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

And watch for Monday’s weekly question, which will relate to this topic.

The post <i>Review, Reflect, and Return</i>: Gospel Doctrine lessons on personal revelation appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

When I was young, however, I was bothered at times that I had no special, one-time experience that I thought I needed to be able to say I really knew the Church is true. I think I was especially bothered that I had gone through the “steps” of “Moroni’s promise” (read, ponder, and pray) and not “received an answer” (as if, perhaps, it was something to accomplish, some concrete event to check off my list). After all, some people did have such experiences — and, I confess, I envied them. (I confess that sometimes I still do!)

How I wish I would have President Boyd K. Packer’s words to help me realize that answers often come in simple, subtle ways:

When I first read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover, I read the promise that if I “would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if [the things I had read were] true; and if [I would] ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he [would] manifest the truth of it unto [me], by the power of the Holy Ghost” (Moro. 10:4). I tried to follow those instructions, as I understood them.

If I expected a glorious manifestation to come at once as an overpowering experience, it did not happen. Nevertheless, it felt good, and I began to believe.

(Boyd K. Packer, “The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ — Plain and Precious Things,” Ensign, May 2005, 6)

My young heart would have appreciated knowing that I was in good company — one of the Lord’s apostles hadn’t had a lightning-bolt experience when he first embarked on his spiritual journey, either!

He continues:

My experience has been that a testimony does not burst upon us suddenly. Rather it grows, as Alma said, from a seed of faith. “It will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow” (Alma 32:30). If you nourish it, it will grow; and if you do not nourish it, it will wither (see Alma 32:37–41).

Do not be disappointed if you have read and reread and yet have not received a powerful witness. You may be somewhat like the disciples spoken of in the Book of Mormon who were filled with the power of God in great glory “and they knew it not” (3 Ne. 9:20).

Isn’t there something in these words that might help my now-adult heart, too? Is it possible that sometimes I expect answers to prayers too soon, or in a way that is too dramatic? Is it possible that sometimes I have received an answer, but simply don’t recognize how the Spirit is speaking to me?

Don’t we all at times struggle, feeling that perhaps we aren’t receiving the answers we seek in the way we want them? Perhaps we second-guess answers we have already received because of trials or doctrinal doubts or conflicting voices that pound around us — all making it hard to remember and hear and feel the Spirit’s sweet peace.

I feel President Packer inviting us to hold on at times like that. I think his words apply not only to those desiring a testimony of the Book of Mormon, but to anyone who just desperately needs an answer. I hear him pleading with us to press forward in faith. Perhaps these are times we might benefit from the counsel President Packer was given. He relates:

We once had a major decision to make. When our prayers left us uncertain, I went to see Elder Harold B. Lee. He counseled us to proceed. Sensing that I was still very unsettled, he said, “The problem with you is you want to see the end from the beginning.” Then he quoted this verse from the Book of Mormon, “Dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith” (Ether 12:6).

He added, “You must learn to walk a few steps ahead into the darkness, and then the light will turn on and go before you.” That was a life-changing experience….

When we face those moments of doubt or despair, let us press forward in faith. Let us remember what the Spirit has felt like in the past, and hope for that feeling in the future. Let us also remember that answers and divine direction often distill slowly, as insights come and things in our lives fall into place or just “feel good.”

The older I get, the more grateful I am for the fact that truth usually doesn’t come in the form of spiritual lightning bolts. The line-upon-line, drop-by-drop nature of the process keeps me seeking and searching and feeling — and, in turn (and, sometimes, in time) being filled with deliciously sweet light, joy, and peace.

By Michelle

Would you like to submit a First Person essay? Send your essay to ‘mormonwoman’ AT ‘gmail’ DOT ‘com’ and put “First Person Essay” in the subject line.

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