chapter 8 words of wisdom

Throughout my life here on earth I've learned many important lessons.  The past 20 years living with a pervasive trial I have gained true knowledge and wisdom while struggling to continue the fight over ALS. I just want to share a few of my words of wisdom.  

Children of God
We are all children of Heavenly Parents.  Yes, we have a Heavenly Mother.  Before we came to earth we lived with them as their spirit children.  They know us individually by name and know our strengths and weaknesses.  As children of divine parents each of us has our own divine qualities and characteristics that come from our Heavenly Parents.  It is our mission here on earth to discover and cultivate these characteristics.  Our Heavenly Parents love us so very much that they provided a way for us to return to them.  Jesus Christ is the only way through which we can return to live with them again.  Our lord and savior Jesus Christ atoned for our sins and died for us because he loves us.  The atonement was so much more than Christ taking upon our sins.  He took upon himself all our illnesses, sorrows, fears, temptations, and depression.  My savior has strengthened me through each of these tribulations.  For example, one day I fell and fears began to overwhelm my thoughts.  This led to a deep depression. I remember laying in my bed pleading with my Heavenly Father to let me go back home to Him.  All of a sudden a blanket of peace and love was wrapped around me and I knew that my savior was beside me.  My burdens were lightened and I had the strength to face the progression of my ALS head on. Isaiah 53:4-5  
Adversary
Satan is for real and he wants us to be miserable like himself.  He and his followers are destroying souls by the thousands each day.  Satan hates the fact that he does not have a body and we do.  When you feel like you're of no worth, that is him.  Right now he is targeting families because he knows that families are the building blocks of society.  We see evidence that he is tearing down the importance of both a father and mother and life itself. The devil is cunning he pulls you from the right path little by little until he has you in his grasp. Even the elect can be fooled into letting go of truths which they've received through the Holy Ghost.
Trials
I remember when I was first diagnosed with ALS I thought there is no way I could handle this.  Now I look back and I think that was a piece of cake compared to what I deal with now.  How grateful I am that my Heavenly Father chose me to carry such a heavy burden. ALS is one of my greatest blessings.  My heart has learned to trust in the lord which has strengthened my faith more than I ever could have imagined.  I have come to know my Heavenly Father and savior Jesus Christ personally.  I know their manner of speaking and when they want me to bear testimony of them.  The faith that I have is because they have never left me alone in my times of need.  I'm not saying I've never had a trial of my faith because I have.  It is important that we all at some point in our lives face a trial of our faith.  This life is a test and we need to prove ourselves worthy of the blessings God has in store for us.  I had pneumonia i the fall of 2014.  As a result lost my voice. Tim told me that maybe this was my new normal, but I knew that the Lord wanted me to be a witness for him.  How could I testify of the goodness of God if I didn't have my voice?  Months went by and I began to doubt and faith cannot exist where there is fear.  So I put it in the hands of the Lord knowing that He would heal my voice if it was his will.  Right before spring my voice returned and I promised him that I would do and say whatever he asked of me.  Doubt your doubts before you give up on truths you have received from your faith. 1Peter 1:7
Tender Mercies
Miracles are all around us everyday of our lives.  It is up to us to be in tune with the spirit to see them.  These little miracles are called tender mercies.  It is the Lord's way of letting us know he loves us and we receive this knowledge through th Holy Ghost.  My life is filled with tender mercies.  One I will never forget was when we were driving to my grandma Sanchez' funeral.  I looked out the window of the car and there was a white dove flying right beside us.  It flew near us for about 3 minutes which was interesting because the song we were listening to was about returning to live with Father in Heaven again.  Now whenever I see a dove I think that my grandma is just wanting to say hi.  Songs coming on the radio just when I need to hear them is a regular ocurance.  Music has always been a tool that the Lord uses so I can feel his love.   
Service
Charity is the true love of Christ.  We here on earth have an innate desire to help one another.  It is our divine nature to serve each other.  With my limited abilities my opportunities to serve the way that I wanted to was impossible. This became a real struggle for me.  I felt like my purpose in life was through.  I even had trouble asking for help because I didn't want to burden anyone.  The Lord taught me through the Holy Ghost that I was denying people blessings by not allowing people to serve me.  We learn in the parable of the sheep and the goats that when we serve others we are serving God (Matt. 25:31-46). I have learned small ways that I can serve people with a simple smile or a listening ear.  I always accept church assignments and callings because I know that the Lord is shaping me to be the best I can be. 
Prayer
Prayer is how we communicate with our Father in Heaven. It's one of the easiest ways to increase our faith.  Even though He already knows what we want and need before we ask, it is important to ask and not expect him to give us blessings freely. By asking we are putting our trust and faith in God which strengthens our testimony of the love that he has for us.  Every night I pray to be healed of ALS and I know that prayer will be answered someday. Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers. It might not be in the way we want him to answer and not in our time frame but he always answers. I have learned to trust in the lord through my prayers because He has never left me alone. When Jesse was 3 he lost a toy and was crying. I told him that if he said a prayer to Heavenly Father he would be able to find his toy. After the prayer Jesse went into our pantry and found his toy. Then he said another prayer thanking God for helping him find his toy. It is never too early to teach our children the importance of prayer. (Matt 7:7-8)
Life
Life here on earth is  test to see if we can follow and obey the commandments of the Lord.  Each of us has our own purpose and destiny that was given to us before we came to earth.  I know I chose to have the trial of ALS.  Our Heavenly Father would never give us a trial that we could not handle.  God wants us to be happy through out our lives.  That's why he gave us a savior.  The ultimate lesson I have learned in my life is that I am a daughter of Heavenly Parents that love me and want me to return home to them.  Right now my life is great.  I have the greatest husband and best friend who has sacrificed his life to take care of me full-time. I am truly blessed to  know that I will have Tim by my side through out all eternity.  He is the love of my life and Jesse is the joy of my life.  My analogy of life is --Life is like a song and we are all in this grand choir.  Everyone has their own part to sing. Our Heavenly Father is the conductor.  Sometimes we loose the notes to sing or where we are in the song.  Jesus Christ is at the organ and he will play our part when we get lost and help us get on key again.  This book is my life and my song.