Bugs!

I am cohabitating with box elder bugs-- there are many of them.

Man of Perfect Understanding

When Jesus taught his disciples, he didn't teach as the scribes who quoted scripture, but "as one that had authority." When he taught, he expounded the law taking it down to its core meaning and intention. Thus, many of his teachings were radical compared to what the Jews had been used to. One such teaching in the Sermon on the Mount expounded upon the definition of adultery. According to tradition, women were considered at fault in the committing of adultery. However, Christ taught that "whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart (Matt. 5:28)."

When I first read that verse, I thought it was a little harsh and felt bad for the man who should be brought under condemnation so easily and I wondered why a similar saying shouldn't refer to the woman who might look on a man to lust after him. But, when my New Testament teacher explained the cultural view of adultry at that time, I undertood better the meaning of Jesus' words. According to Christ, women were not to be blamed for adultry; they were not to be considered the temptresses that they had traditionally been viewed as. True, in some cases women do act as temptresses, however, Christ's teaching offers a better understanding of the general situation.

This to me is a great example of Jesus as the perfect judge. He understands everything so completely and therefore can offer a perfect judgement. We being imperfect are often unable to judge a situation or person because we cannot see the entire situation; we lack the perfect understanding needed to judge well and often when we do judge we judge poorly because of our lack of information. Hence the warning in Matt. 7:1-2, "Judge not that ye be not judged.." I am grateful for a Savior who understands me and is merciful in his judgement. He knows the intentions of my heart and judges accordingly. Because of his mercy, it would be ungrateful of me to deny others that same mercy in my judgements. So, to all, the benefit of the doubt!

Yay for women!

The other day I was talking to a friend about her choice to major in astronomy. I asked her what she wanted to do with it and her response pleasantly surprised me. She said that she hoped to be an educated mother. She said it so matter-of-factly, comfortably, and without hesitation or self aggrandizement, for which I greatly admire her.

It's funny to me how I used to be uncomfortable with the idea of deciding on a major because I had no idea what I wanted to do as a career other than be a mother. Now I've become accustomed to the idea of going into graphic design and when people ask what I want to do with it, I tell them I'm interested in web-design, and when they ask why I chose graphic design, I tell them I chose it because I thought it was a good way to apply art. But, what I don't usually tell them is that I also chose it because I thought it would be a mother-friendly job if I find myself needing to work as a mother. And, I probably would never have thought of the response "so that I can be an educated mother." So, to my friend who most likely will not be reading this, I salute you!

Women are and have been under a lot of pressure. There used to be more pressure for women to stay at home and raise children. However, now I believe there is more pressure for women to go out into the career world and prove to the world, that had once been so warry of accepting the accomplishments of women outside the home, that they can make as much of a difference as men.

I think it's great that women have achieved more acceptance in the working world and I think that they have impacted and continue to impact the world in a possitive way with their increased involvement in out-of -home affairs. However, I think it is sad that in many cases, out-of-home achievements are viewed as far superior and more important to those achievements in the home. I think that while women's achievements outside of the home merit acknowledgement and praise, they should not overshadow or replace the importance of motherhood.

It is my belief that no woman has more influence in society than through raising her children in the best way possible. Motherhood is such an incredible responsiblity and by no means should it be demeaned or belittled.

Urgency to Do Good

I'm like a hobbit: I don't like to do things quickly, I like to take my time and am consequently slow. I can hurry when I have to, but I don't like to hurry. I also tend to get distracted easily and somehow my time slips away without me noticing. However, recently I've decided (not for the first time, but this time with more determination, so I think I will follow through) that I will use my time more wisely and cherish each moment as a precious gift that I mustn't waste.

I've made this resolution as a result, in part, of something that impressed me in my New Testament class. The last few weeks we've been studying in Mark and an aspect of Jesus' ministry that Mark emphasizes is the sense of urgency with which Jesus started and carried forth his ministry. For example, in Mark 1:18, 20, and 21 notice the repetition of the word "straightway": "And straightway they forsook their nets....and straightway he called them... and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught."

It makes sense that the savior would know better than anyone else the urgency of his mission and it reminds me of those times when I have felt the spirit and I feel uplifted and excited to do good and I realize the importance of God's work, to bring salvation to his children and I feel the urgency of it. But, sadly, that feeling often wears off and I am left feeling tired and unmotivated. Yet, when I commit myself to following through with my good intentions and perform that service or good work that I had initially felt so excited about, the excitement returns and I become excited about doing more.

So, I hereby resolve to more urgently use my time better because it slips away quicker and quicker every day, and to more urgently do good as Jesus did. His work continues, and I can contribute so much more if I just use my time more wisely. I don't want to reach my dying bed wishing that I had done more. It's comforting to know that I've been given enough time; I just need to see that I use it well.

(Some motivating verses: Moroni 9:6, Alma 12:24, 34:32-35)

I claim the right of way! (even if it's not mine)

So, I almost ran over some pedestrians today as I was cruising down a hill on my bicycle. It made me upset to think that I would be required to stop for them. Yes, there was a crosswalk and a blinking orange light, but it's just so inconvenient to stop on a bicycle. Especially when you are riding at a high speed down hill. And your breaks squeal obnoxiously. And you just want to get home as fast as possible. And you're tired. And your back is breaking under the weight of your backpack that you shouldn't have packed so heavily. And your bike seat has gotten loose and is determined to tip you off of it (I really need to fix that). It's so much more difficult to start and stop on a bike than it is in any other mode of transportation, and more dangerous, I might add. My mom has told me of a man who died when he stopped suddenly on his bike and fell off of it (I think he was even wearing a helmet). So, even though the pedestrians had the right of way in that instance (I looked it up in the traffic code, and unfortunately, they did have the right of way), I think it ought not to be so. Either that, or I just need to pay better attention when I'm riding my bike. And maybe I should invest in a better one that has nice breaks and a comfortable seat.

Daily Bread

Last week I attended a seminar given by my New Testament professor, Richard Neitzel Holzapfel. He talked about the radical nature of Jesus' teachings in respect to the religious stance of his day. One of the things he mentioned that struck me was about Jesus' teachings regarding our relationship to God. Jesus encouraged his disciples to have an intimate relationship with their Father in Heaven. When he prayed, he addressed God as "Abba" which is Aramaic meaning "Father." When he taught his disciples how to pray, he taught them to pray for their daily needs. In the Lord's prayer, Jesus prays, "Give us this day our daily bread." Dr. Holzapfel made the point that people in Jesus' time and still today in Europe and elsewhere, people would go to the market every day to buy fresh bread, or they would bake fresh bread at the beginning of each day. I'd never really thought of it in that way since I've grown up always buying "weekly bread" from the grocery store, so I didn't really relate to that phrase very well. But, Dr. Holzapfel helped me to realize the intimacy of such a request. Such a prayer shows that Heavenly Father is concerned about even the simplest things in our lives - our day to day needs - not just the broad things; he's concerned about the specifics. This point was further driven home for me when in Relief Society (the women's organization in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon church)) the following Sunday, the discussion ended up focusing on ways of improving our prayers and making them more meaningful. Although I'm pretty good about remembering to pray, my prayers are regrettably formulaic at times, repetitive and not as feeling. I tend to repeat the same phrases and use generalities. So, I really appreciated being reminded of how intimate and loving our Heavenly Father is and I've since made the resolve to put more feeling into my prayers and to imagine a loving father listening to me as I pray and eager to assist or to bless or to guide as needed, even in the simplest ways. He's blessed me before when I've come to Him with simple requests, such as for help staying awake in a class, or finding a lost watch or getting along with others. I just need to keep remembering that He's always there and keep involving Him in my daily life.

Timpanogos

Today I hiked Mt. Timpanogos with my roommate and another friend. We started climbing around 2 am. We finished around 1 pm. Given that we had a two hour detour in the beginning where we headed off on the wrong trail, we made pretty good time.

It was a beautiful hike and I really liked starting it in the dark and then finishing in the light. It was pretty cloudy and it rained a little, so we weren't too hot. At the top it was really windy and cold. A lot of storm clouds were blowing by and there was some lightning, so we weren't sure if we should venture all the way to the top. But it was too hard for us to leave after hiking so long without reaching the summit, so we risked being struck by lightning to finish the hike. It was worth it. The view was incredible and I felt incredibly small atop such a large mountain.

It was definitely one of my most exciting hikes. On the way down we got pelted by little balls of hail and lightning struck way close. But, we survived.