Awake My Soul

Scripture

Gal. 5:22-23

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.”

Hymn

There Is Sunshine In My Soul Today – Hymn #227 or A Smile Is Like The Sunshine -Children’s Songbook #267

There Is Sunshine In My Soul Today

1. There is sunshine in my soul today,
More glorious and bright
Than glows in any earthly sky,
For Jesus is my light.

(Chorus)
Oh, there’s sunshine, blessed sunshine
When the peaceful happy moments roll.
When Jesus shows his smiling face,
There is sunshine in the soul.

2. There is music in my soul today,
A carol to my King,
And Jesus listening can hear
The songs I cannot sing.

3. There is springtime in my soul today,
For when the Lord is near,
The dove of peace sings in my heart,
The flow’rs of grace appear.

4. There is gladness in my soul today,
And hope and praise and love,
For blessings which he gives me now,
For joys “laid up” above.

A Smile Is Like The Sunshine

A smile is like the sunshine;
It brightens up the day.
It gives the eye a twinkle
And chases frowns away.

Lesson

*For Younger Children* 

Read and use the tips from “Remembering Jesus”  (taken from the Friend). Testify of the importance of being like Jesus and comforting those in need. 

Comfort those that stand in need of comfort (Mosiah 18:9)

One Wednesday afternoon, I really made a difference in my life as well as in another person’s life. A girl in my class had been very annoying and had refused to answer our teacher when he asked her questions. He very patiently asked her to go to the principal’s office, but again she refused, so he decided to do something different.

All the girls at our group of desks were stunned when he had her sit by us. Then he told us that since she was being disagreeable, we could move our desks away from her. One by one, the other girls moved their desks.

We all know how it feels to be left alone without anyone. I could have increased my popularity by going off, too, which I thought about doing. Or I could stay with her and be more Christlike and not have a guilty conscience. I remembered all the times that Jesus stood up for those who had no one, and I decided to be like Him.

The poor girl started crying, so I put my arm around her and comforted her. I knew that I had chosen the right, and I knew that Father in Heaven smiles when He sees us love each other. That was the day when I knew that, indeed, it is very possible to love one another.

Testify of the importance of being like Jesus and comforting those in need. 

*For Teenagers and Young Adults* 

Read and use the tips from “Sick of Being Sick”  (taken from the April 2013 New Era). Testify of the comfort that the scriptures and the spirit can bring to us in time of sickness or affliction, and the blessings that we can receive from remembering them. 

I trudged back from the bathroom, my stomach rumbling and my head pounding. Falling back into bed, I grimaced. For the second time in two months, I was sick with a stomach virus. I had missed school classes and work. I could hear others having a good time and laughing in the kitchen, but I was curled up in bed, feeling miserable.

I pulled the blankets tighter around me and turned to face the wall. I was frustrated, but I didn’t know where to aim my anger. It wasn’t my fault I got sick. The more I dwelt on the injustice of it all, the more upset I became. My frustration turned into sadness, and I started crying. I just wanted the pain to go away. Hoping for some type of encouragement, I reached for the scriptures and turned to 3 Nephi 17, my reading for the day. I was amazed by the words of comfort found in verse 7:

“Have ye any that are sick among you … or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy.”

I was still crying, but I was no longer upset. Instead of dwelling on the pain, I focused on the invitation of the Savior to come unto Him and be healed. I read the chapter over and over, lingering on the phrase “all the multitude, with one accord, did go forth with their sick and their afflicted, … and he did heal them every one as they were brought forth unto him” (3 Nephi 17:9).

The Savior was opening His arms to me, inviting me to be healed, if not of the virus, then definitely of my frustration at that moment.

Reading that chapter didn’t stop the stomach pains or headache, but that night the words of the Savior healed my heart. I was no longer bitter, because I understood that this stomach virus, like other trials, was simply a fact of life. Heavenly Father knew I was sick, and although He didn’t instantly cure me, He reminded me of the individual love and concern He feels for each of His children. This love is manifest through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, who came to show us compassion. As we soften our hearts and come to the Savior with sufficient faith, we can all receive His healing grace.

Testify of the comfort that the scriptures and the spirit can bring to us in time of sickness or affliction, and the blessings that we can receive from remembering them. 

*For All Family Members* 
Read or summarize “Awake My Soul” by Steve Gilliland (taken from the Ensign). Testify of the comfort that the scriptures and the spirit can bring to us in time of sickness or affliction, and the blessings that we can receive from remembering them. 

Last Sunday a young woman asked to talk with me after sacrament meeting. As she talked, I heard her sharing feelings that have troubled literally hundreds of individuals I’ve talked to as a branch president and institute director. The individuals, the situations, and the words may be different, but the feelings are the same.

“I feel so worthless.”

“No matter how hard I try to perfect my life, I’m becoming more and more aware of how weak I am. I fail at everything I try.”

“I feel so out of place at church. Everyone there but me seems to have his life in order.”

“There is so much to be done, so many people depending on me, and I always let them down.”

Feeling discouraged and inadequate happens to all of us, but when these feelings become a way of life, or even frequent visitors, they’re signs of trouble. And especially if they become clinical states of depression.

How does it help to start with feelings? Don’t I need to change what I’m doing before I’ll feel any better?

Not necessarily. Maxwell Maltz describes people who have gone through drastic plastic surgery to improve their appearance but who still, after the operation, feel ugly. ¹ I’ve talked to people who have made significant positive changes—like giving up drinking and smoking—but they still feel discouraged about themselves.

I am impressed by the description of the Nephite multitude after King Benjamin’s sermon: “The Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ.” (Mosiah 4:3; italics added.) I’m aware, from my experience with people, that they can change their lifestyle and take the steps of repentance without having peace of conscience. Many times the Spirit of the Lord has spoken to repentant and worthy persons, but like the Lamanites converted by Nephi and Lehi, “they knew it not.” (3 Ne. 9:20.)

I think I see what you mean. But how do you shut out the negative voices?

I think Nephi was faced with this problem. He had a hard time after his father died and he could see the conflict coming with his brothers. In the beautiful chapter that we call Nephi’s psalm, some of the critical voices within Nephi begin to break through:

“My heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities.

“I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me.

“And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins.” (2 Ne. 4:17–19.)

I’ve experienced this myself—seeing that I could and should rejoice, but feeling burdened by my inadequacies. I don’t know if Nephi was discouraged at other times or how long it took him to conquer these feelings, but this same chapter tells us how he did it. First, he remembers the good experiences he has had, the times that he has been so acceptable to the Lord that he has been blessed with wonderful manifestations:

“My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.

“He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh.

“He hath confounded mine enemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me.” (2 Ne. 4:20–22.)

In other words, Nephi is reminding himself that his Heavenly Father has trusted him enough and cared enough about him to bless and protect him. He can’t be totally worthless.

Recalling these experiences gives him confidence enough to argue with those negative voices:

“O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath visited men in so much mercy, why should my heart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?

“And why should I yield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul?” (2 Ne. 4:26–27.)

Once we can turn off the negative voices, we can see their source. Discouragement is not the Lord’s method—it’s Satan’s. Satan emphasizes your weaknesses; the Lord, your ability to overcome. Satan urges immediate perfection to make you feel inadequate. The Lord leads you toward perfection. Once we recognize the source, we can cry with Nephi, “Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.” (2 Ne. 4:28.)

(See more Questions and Answers)

What to Do When You Feel Down

At bedtime, you can’t sleep. In the morning, you can’t wake up. Dishes, laundry, cleaning go undone. You feel helpless, hopeless, sad. For weeks, months, or even years nothing seems to go right. You feel like a burden to your family. You cry uncontrollably over little things.

You blame yourself for being unhappy. Your sympathetic family takes over your duties, but friends begin to avoid you. You stay home more. Your favorite activities go flat—it’s been a long time since you went for a walk, skied, or played the piano.

You are depressed, and you don’t know what to do about it. Worse, because the gospel promises happinesses, you feel terribly guilty.

Something, however, can be done, says Eugene Mead, a Brigham Young University professor affiliated with the BYU Marriage and Family Counseling Clinic. All types of depression can be helped, and Church resources stand ready.

First, stop feeling guilty. Depression afflicts persons of all ages and both sexes. Statistically, married women with children at home are most subject to depression, single women least. The proportion of depressed married women has risen in the last ten to fifteen years, according to a study taken in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. Women in general are somewhat more prone to depression than are men.

Depression is a high-risk condition. National statistics show that the suicide rate among depressed people is one in 100, compared to one in 10,000 for the general population.

Second, ask what caused the depression. It may be mostly chemistry, a physiological condition that your physician can prescribe medication for. People forty and over are particularly susceptible to this kind of chemical imbalance. Counseling can help too, sometimes.

Usually, though, depression follows some event—the birth of a baby, the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, separation, children leaving home. This kind of depression is in your mind, not your body, and may last two to three months, with some effects continuing up to a year to two.

“People can do something about this themselves, if they know what to do,” says Dr. Mead. He suggests a combination of disciplined attitudes and disciplined behavior:

1. Consider how you’re looking at the world. You may think everything is going wrong, but usually a lot is going right, too. Are you being rational? Match your picture against reality. Get help doing this; see your bishop, who can draw upon Welfare Services professional help, if necessary.

2. Set a workable schedule. Get enough sleep. Eat enough.

3. A depressed person usually punishes himself by doing few things he enjoys. Try new things, but also make a list of things you used to like doing: rearranging your furniture, making fancy snacks, washing your hair, eating out, visiting friends, discussing politics, playing ping-pong, telling someone you love him, going shopping, doing favors for people, and those all-important spiritual things—meditating, praying, reading scriptures.

Then, every day make yourself do some of these things; increase the number and increase the amount of time you spend.

4. Do your duties. If the floor is filthy, scrub it, or you will feel guilty. Go visiting teaching whether you want to or not. Count simple things, such as answering the phone, as real personal victories. Start to notice how often you win each day.

Dr. Mead also has some suggestions for the depressed person’s family. Be understanding, but not too sympathetic. The more sympathy he gets, the more he may talk about his depression. But the more he talks about it, the less family and friends will want to be with him.

Instead, acknowledge the depressed feelings but expect the depressed person to function—to do his own work, to serve others, to participate in group activities. “If you do his work, you may reinforce his feelings of uselessness.” Also, the backlash may come when family members feel burdened and angry.

Family members can best help by telling the depressed person that he is capable and competent, even if he is not yet able to do all he did before his depression. “Show that any little improvement is appreciated,” Dr. Mead says, “and it will continue.” If the depression persists, help the depressed person see his bishop, who can draw upon Welfare Services professional help.

Testify of the comfort that the scriptures and the spirit can bring to us in time of sickness or affliction, and the blessings that we can receive from remembering them. 

Treat

Brownie Waffles or Bunuelos

Brownie Waffles

Ingredients

1. 1 cup brownie mix (NOT the whole box)
2. 1 egg
3. 2 Tbsp oil
4. 1/3 c milk
5. 2-4 Tbsp butter or margarine (for coating the griddle)
6. Any Toppings you would like (whipped cream strawberries, etc)

Instructions:

1. Heat waffle iron.
2. Mix the 4 batter ingredients together until smooth; it will be thinner than a typical brownie batter.
3. Grease cooking surface (either with cooking spray or with melted butter/margarine).
4. Pour about 1/2 cup of batter onto the cooking surface, depending on how large your waffler is.
5. Close lid. If your waffler has a “done” light, use that as a timer. Otherwise, count about 120 seconds. Open waffler, remove waffle with a fork, place onto a serving plate.
6. Add toppings
7. Serve immediately. Wait for the gasps! You should have enough batter for 4 to 6 giddy guests–or 2 very hungry but madly delighted guests.

(Taken from)