Question? What is That?

Question

what is it?

What does it mean?

What does it do?

How can it help me?

Questions are part of our everyday life and help us learn and understand more about our lives. By understanding questions and how we can use them we can learn from them and use them effectively.

So what is a question? A question is one of the most basic tools we have in learning. It is how we gather information, gain new experiences, and learn. By asking questions we can learn from the responses. By learning we can then make better choices and set ourselves on a more definite course to where we want to go.

So a question can help us to gain information and experience. But what does it actually mean? When you break down the word question it breaks into two parts quest meaning search or pursuit of gaining something and tion meaning to act on. So when you question something you are pursuing something that you intend to act on. When you ask, learn, and then act you are refining yourself and becoming better than you were before. By learning and changing we improve our lives as well as the lives of those around us.

After gaining knowledge and acting upon the answers what do those questions actually do? It gives us the knowledge that we need to become happier and become better. This helps us to reach our full potential and achieve our goals.

Its amazing how just one little word has so much power with only a single purpose. To help you learn, grow, and become the best that you can be. All this from a small action by which we can gain what we need to improve our lives.

We are encouraged to question and to learn that we might fulfill our full potential and become the best that we can be. By doing this we can have so much happiness and success in this life and have contentment in who we are and what is going on around us. As we question the things in life we are promised that we will receive answers and as we strive to become better as we allow ourselves to be molded into the best we can be.

We are promised as we ask we will learn, we are promised as we put in our part, as we question, we will receive answers and feel His warmth, his love, and guidance in our lives. 

So what should we do? QUESTION!Allow yourself to be changed as you journey, search for those answers and seek greater knowledge and revelation about who you are and what you mean to our Heavenly Father. You are His beloved child and He has great blessings in store for you. Our Heavenly Father is ever teaching us of our divine potential as His children and helping us to reach our goals of becoming our best and returning to live with Him. We can know this as we ask Him and as we learn more about Him.So question, learn, and become who you were meant to be as a child of God.

Eternity

Definition-infinite time; duration without beginning or end. Also known as Forever, a VERY long time, also known as, longer than you though long was. Eternity as you can clearly see is an amount of time that is rather lengthy.It's not the minute AND a half you have to wait for the popcorn to cool down, or the ages it takes for the movie to download from itunes. Eternity is for FOREVER. that means non-ending, no finishing, going on and on and on and on and on........ You get the picture. Its a good thing, imagine forever with happiness, joy, all that really good stuff. Life would be pretty sweet right? You did everything to be ready for it and you are 100% set for eternal joy and happiness. You get rewarded for the good things you did, all the work and effort you put into life, all that stuff finally paid off with eternal happiness. Also known as HEAVEN! But can also imagine eternity if you weren't ready for it? No reward, no complete happiness, no nothing, just monotony forever for having done nothing. It wouldn't be quite so happy now would it. Eternity would seem a lot longer. Why am I bring up a period of time that is infinitely longer than your patience.(admit it, its a common problem, we all have it)

 What does that mean for you?

 How can you be ready for 

ETERNITY?

It means that when you make a choice and you do things that is how long you are going to remember that decision for. There is none of this its only once and no one will notice or remember. rubbish.Those are the ones that you definitely remember.They almost always blow up in your face. And their is almost always someone with a camera. You have done it, you will remember it, and it will effect you for FOREVER.
* Disclaimer we are not talking about absolute blonde moments. They are principally outside your control. They happen, why? I don't know. That something you can ask someone smarter about later. And anyway you'll still remember them and learn from them in a comical way..... in retrospect..... probably. 
We are focusing on how you are going to get the best place you could ever be for the longest time fathomable. The way to get there starts Now. They start with how you view life. The kind of things that when you do them will actually effect the REST OF YOUR LIFE! How aware are you of the choices you make? how often do you think of your choices and how that choice effects" where I am going?" What does this choice say about where I've come from? How does this choice show who I am?

 Those are things we should all think about. 

To make the most of this life involves asking yourself those questions and putting the effort in the find the answers.

 "Ick"

effort.

 Yep, I know you just did that but guess what?

Anything in life worth getting is going to take some effort. If you a runner, (which I am not) you take great satisfaction in finishing a really hard run or a race. If your a student, you take great satisfaction in school holidays.(because your done with school for a little bit and now you have a chance to breath.) Anything that is really satisfying in life takes a little bit of effort. And to make the most out of life there is one little word that will help in EVERYTHING.

  Genuine.

 Another fancy word from someone with a big vocabulary. Basically this word in a nutshell is 

real.

To be true and authentic in what you say and do.

When you aren't genuine you know it and you feel it and you don't like it because its not you. People may think and say that your so cool and amazing but you know what you really feel like. You feel fake and vulnerable, like you can easily melt under any heat and you are just waiting for the world to crash around you. This life is meant for you to make the most of it and TO BE HAPPY! How can you be happy? when you are content with YOURSELF!  When you know yourself and are happy about who you are you find inner peace and inner strength. It all comes from You. You know where you come from, You know where your going and You know who You are.

  NOW!

 How can you know that? 

How can you be prepared for ETERNITY?

There is one person that knows you and someone who is always there to tell you the answers. BUT you have to be genuine. You have to be honest with Him. You have to ask the blunt, bold questions. Why am I here? What makes me special? Are you really there? Are you really listening? Its like when your asking someones opinion but you don't actually want it, are you going to actually ask the question or change your decision based on what they say? No. You make the changes and the advice when you really want to know, when you are willing to make the CHANGE when you really want that change for the better.
 God doesn't waste time or effort, He knows when you really wants the answer and when you really don't, He knows exactly how to help you when you ask. BUT (yes I know, another one but it is important!) You need to ask. He won't do it for you. Again, effort on our part helps us to grow and gain the blessings. Because that is what we are preparing for. ETERNITY. Its a long time, and there is a lot we need to do to be ready. Heavenly Father knows us and He sent us the perfect example and the perfect person to help us be ready and to help us to learn and become better.

 CHRIST.

 He came to this Earth to suffer for our sins, individually, one by one. He understands our pains and our struggles perfectly and He knows how much we hurt. He knows what we want to become and He knows how we can get there and become even better than what we hope to be. We can get there as we trust Him. We can know Him if we ask. We can get there when we listen to His answer and put our hearts into becoming like Him. So trust in Christ. Know that He is with you and listens to you. He is there and He will bless you as you strive to learn from, and follow Him. You will be prepared and you will be able to receive His greatest blessings.

There is a Gardener Here

We all want to become our best and work hard for the things that we want, but sometimes things just don't seem to fall into place like they should. Plans change, things happen, and we feel as though we have been deprived of reaching our full potential and getting what we want from life. It seems unfair and unkind being pruned back and being left with almost nothing to move on with. Despite how alone and down we may be, there is a promise given to each of us, that as we obey and do what we're asked He is, always, there.

Like the little current bush, we have a gardener who know who we are and what He wants us to be. He knows us best, He knows how we can make the most of this life and become our absolute best. Its hard! giving up what we want to do and what we want to be, But the gardener knows what is best for us, so that we can make the most growth. He is there when we are crying, begging for answers as to why, and the answer is always the same 

"I am the gardener here,

 and I know what I want you to be,

 and one day when your laden with berries you are going to say 

Thank you Mister Gardener

 for loving me enough to hurt me." 

Just because there is pain and there is hurt doesn't mean that you are alone and abandoned. Just because you don't like or want doesn't mean you won't benefit from it. You are given hard thing because you will benefit from it! You will be stronger and wiser. You will have greater experience and independence. Most importantly you will be closer to the person who helped you every step of the way, who loved you enough to hurt you, so you could become better. As you move down the road of life, and look back from where you came, you will see how much you have grown, how much you have changed for the better, and you will say, 

"Thank you mister gardener,

 for loving me enough to hurt me."

Where is My Answer?

   Everyone wants signs and miracles in there lives, they look for visits from angels, and for great miracles that are indescribable, but is that the way we receive answers? Do you really need all the pomp and flair to see Him bless your life? No. "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass" (Alma 37:6)  It is by those little things that He blesses us, answers our prayers, and preform miracles. All we need is to open our eyes and really see how much He is There.
     We have a beautiful world, handcrafted for us to experience this great life and to learn. The world works so perfectly together, opposites balancing one another keeping everything in place. If Jesus Christ, who created the world created a way for so many things to remain in balance, the seasons one with another, the day and the night, could He not make that same balance in our lives? Of course He can! It makes common sense, if Jesus Christ did all of that He can prepare a way for us to have that peace. What is stopping Him? Us.
     It is us that make things complicated and ignore the simple things that He gives us that balance our lives. When something changes or  their is something we want to know, We expect complicated signs and divine messengers to answer our prayers.Why ask for some extreme life altering event when He has given you everything already at your fingertips to accomplish it right now. What a novel idea, having everything in place before you even ask! Isn't that a sign of how eager He is to help you? You are in need of comfort, your parents knock on your door. You are feeling unloved and alone, A friend comes and gives you a hug so you know that they care. All of these people set in your path to help you right now, when you ask for it.
     Who sent these people to knock at that moment? How do they know just what to say to help? It is because of who sent them. They are the angels sent to answer our questions to give that comfort and love. No they didn't arrive with fanfare or with a glowing light or anything that we could see. What we see won't make those changes. It is what we feel. Sure a great sign would look cool and make a great story, but someone that you trust and love, who is constantly there, will help you feel and make that change more than anything you could ever see would. It is the way these people reach out selflessly towards us that makes the difference, it is there action on whatever thought or feeling that made them knock, that made them reach out and comfort you, to answer the questions you want answered. And it is the way we feel when they answer that silent prayer that makes us want to change.
     But you have to ask Him. He will not help you unless you ask for it. Our Savior waits until you choose to ask because the decision is entirely up to you. He loves us and He respects us and knows that it is our choices that will build us up and make us better people. And He knows what will build our faith and make the difference. He asks us to walk blindly, to ask and begin the work towards receiving the answer and then He promises to do the rest. So just ask and act!
       You ask for a sign, he gives it to you. These people are from Him, they know how to help and make the difference. You wanted a sign and help, here it is.Take it.  My answers are always given by friends, family, by people I trust, and I cannot doubt the answers I am being given. I don't always recognize the source and feel the gratitude I should for these people and the way they have blessed my life. But they are there just the same. They still answer my prayers.
       We are invested as much as we want to be, but He is invested 100 percent. If we are giving everything to grow closer to Him, He will be there. That is a promise. There is not a single moment that He is not reaching out towards us,  showing His love for us.There is nothing keeping Him from blessing us and from giving us the knowledge that we are striving for. Just us. If we don't want it and we aren't willing to work for it, He can't give it. He gives you signs, angels, everything to accomplish your goal, but its up to you to accept it.
      In the painting above there is something happening, what do you see? Do you see an angel guiding a child? Do you see a sister helping a sister? It doesn't matter what role either is playing in this moment, what matters is the love and intent behind it. Christ loves us, so He guides us. Our families loves us, so they help us. They are always there for us, and they want to help us progress. He is there and and He is waiting. So what are you going to do?

The Touch of the Master's Hand

Hello to those who have found my blog and have spared a few precious moments of there day to read it. My name is Jocelyn and I am a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.My hope is everyone that reads this blog will grow closer to Jesus Christ and know of His love and influence in your everyday life. He is there to listen to your problems and to lift you when you are in need of His help. That is the purpose of this blog, to learn to recognize His influence in our lives and realize how we can come closer to Him and rely on His guidance and strength. This is meant for everyone who wants to learn more about Christ and take His invitation to "come unto me" (3 Nephi 9:14). Share this message with family, friends, co-workers and anyone who wants to know that He is there.Through Him everything is possible and by following Him we can become more than we ever dreamed we could be.
This poem describes Christ's love and His ability to help us reach our full potential.

 Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer
thought it scarcely worth his while to waste much time on the old violin,
but held it up with a smile; "What am I bidden, good folks," he cried,
"Who'll start the bidding for me?" "A dollar, a dollar"; then two!" "Only
two? Two dollars, and who'll make it three? Three dollars, once; three
dollars twice; going for three.." But no, from the room, far back, a
gray-haired man came forward and picked up the bow; Then, wiping the dust
from the old violin, and tightening the loose strings, he played a melody
pure and sweet as caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer, with a voice that was quiet and low,
said; "What am I bid for the old violin?" And he held it up with the bow.
A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two? Two thousand! And who'll make
it three? Three thousand, once, three thousand, twice, and going and
gone," said he. The people cheered, but some of them cried, "We do not
quite understnad what changed its worth." Swift came the reply: "The touch
of a master's hand."

And many a man with life out of tune, and battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd, much like the old violin, A
"mess of pottage," a glass of wine; a game - and he travels on. "He is
going" once, and "going twice, He's going and almost gone." But the Master
comes, and the foolish crowd never can quite understand the worth of a soul
and the change that's wrought by the touch of the Master's hand.

The Touch of the Master's Hand  
Myra Brooks Welch

Old Violin- by Lily-Anne
http://lily-anne.deviantart.com/art/Old-Violin-22854875