This past week was so interesting, heart-breaking, and also peace-giving. I had a painful experience last Sunday night where I desperately reached out to God in prayer, seeking for help. I was led by the Spirit as to how to find sleep and comfort, despite the pain. I’m so grateful I was able to sleep soundly. Then the very next morning I received the answer I asked for. I know God doesn’t always reply so quickly, nor does He always give me what I ask for. I don’t always ask for what is best so I don’t always get what I ask for. God always knows what is best and He answers with what is best for me. In this case God answered me right away with what I asked for and I feel extremely gratified. Regardless of the answer or the timing of the answer, it is my job to always find peace in God by following Him. Just that day, earlier Sunday, in church I had heard one of my congregation members tell the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. He quoted them as saying, to King Nebuchadnezzar, “If it be so, our God whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” -Daniel 3:17-18 KJV

I remembered that when I said my prayer Sunday night. It game me comfort to face not getting my prayer answered the way I wanted.

I have been learning to sing this song, below, by Sally DeFord, with my choir at church. We got to sing it today, for the general church congregation meeting for everyone (sacrament meeting). It’s so beautiful! I feel so blessed to know it. It captures my thoughts perfectly. It’s in the new collection of hymns over here, as #1030.

Then later in the week we had the Charlie Kirk shooting. I listened to this podcast above in YouTube format two days after Charlie Kirk’s assassination and it gave me a lot of comfort. It wasn’t a response to the assassination, as it was recorded before. It is for the Come Follow Christ scripture reading for last week of Doctrine and Covenants 98-101. It’s just so positively Providential that the scripture reading for this past week involved the basic question of “What should our response be as Christians when bad things happen to us?” It’s all about when the Saints were living in Missouri and were persecuted and then exterminated. Not a fun time.

Like I wrote, this recording was filmed before the shooting and it’s about D&C 98-101 but it had answers about what to do when violence disrupts peace. She elaborates on the principles outlined in Sections 98-101, about forgiveness, and when to fight back when being attacked.

I thought it was interesting that Sister Anderson mentioned the books above and below. When she first started her therapy practice she was asked what she thought about these books. I have read both of them. The book below I bought years ago and read as a young mom of 3-4 kiddos. It’s about healing relationships by noticing collusions with others and stopping them. I read the one above, later, after I had 6 children. I enjoyed both of them. They are great books.

Sister Anderson said that both books are great, but they only work for terrestrial relationships. Those are relationships between people who aren’t perfect but aren’t intentionally doing evil. Meaning, they work for people who are generally choosing to live by the Ten Commandments. So these books don’t apply to being a victim in a telestial relationships, that is, being abused by someone who is not living on the level of generally following the Ten Commandments. She said that when you are a victim by someone telestial who is choosing not to live at the general Ten Commandments level it’s important to establish boundaries so that the abuser-victim cycle doesn’t keep happening. She calls this being a non-victim Christian and said God wants to be this way. When we are victims we have to spend time healing and aren’t in a place to be leaders and build Zion. So he wants us to be non-victim Christians. If you are a victim you need to establish walls between victim and abuser. She said she’s working on a book about boundaries to teach all about this. Let’s all pray that she will finish it soon! I so look forward to reading it!