On June 9th, 1842, just three months after Relief Society had been formed in Nauvoo, prior to the building of the Nauvoo temple, The Prophet Joseph Smith came to address the sisters.  At that time, as the Relief Society was growing so very quickly, it had been recommended that the new sisters had to be invited and presented on good report by two other sisters.  And because of this ruling a certain Sister Mahala Overton had previously been denied membership.

The Prophet spoke to the sisters and apologized to Sister Overton. He then spoke to the sisters about the topic of mercy saying,  “Supposing that Jesus Christ and angels should object to us on frivolous things, what would become of us? We must be merciful and overlook small things.

It grieves me that there is no fuller fellowship— if one member suffers all feel it— by union of feeling we obtain pow’r with God. Christ said he came to call sinners to repentance and save them. Christ was condemn’d by the righteous Jews because he took sinners into his society, he took them <​up​>on the principle that they repented of their sins.

Nothing is so much calculated to lead people to forsake sin as to take them by the hand and watch over them with tenderness. When persons manifest the least kindness and love to me, O what pow’r it has over my mind, while the opposite course has a tendency to harrow up all the harsh feelings and depress the human mind.

God does not look on sin with allowance, but when men have sin’d there must be allowance made for them. All the religious world is boasting of righteousness— tis the doctrine of the devil to retard the human mind and retard our progress, by filling us with self righteousness— The nearer we get to our heavenly Father, the more are we dispos’d to look with compassion on perishing souls— to take them upon our shoulders and cast their sins behind our back.

If you would have God have mercy on you, have mercy on one another.”¹

That mercy is at the heart of the Atonement.

There are two ideas I would like to share with you today The Power of the Atonement and Divine Harmony – that union of feeling that the Prophet mentioned.

President Boyd K. Packer of the Council of the Twelve beautifully explains the Atonement with the following parable. The Story of the Debtor and the Creditor. ²

There’s a man who borrows a sum of money from a creditor with an agreement to pay it back when required.

One day the creditor demands his money, and the debtor doesn’t have it.

If he doesn’t pay up, he will be put in jail.

The debtor begs for mercy but the creditor cries that if he gives him mercy, he won’t have justice.

They are at an impasse, until a mediator steps in and offers to pay the debt, giving the debtor mercy, and the creditor justice.

The debtor represents all who have the sinned. All those things that come with a price but yet we cannot ever truly repay the errors of our ways: the lies that cannot be taken back, the gossip and harm it causes, the malice and hurtful words, the harm we cause to others and ourselves, the anxiety and fear, neglect and abuse, sadness and loneliness, broken promises and covenants.

The creditor represents those who are harmed, who cry out for justice. Whether or not they receive justice in a court of law. An earthly court of law can never fix the emotional and spiritual wounds that are afflicted.

Only the Saviour can step in as mediator to provide mercy to the Debtor and justice and healing to the Creditor.  He in essence provides healing to both. The Saviour understands completely that the Debtor is only in the position he is in because he is broken and wounded himself. The debtor needs compassion as much as the creditor – the man he has wounded.

That was the lesson Joseph Smith was teaching.

“Nothing is so much calculated to lead people to forsake sin as to take them by the hand and watch over them with tenderness.”³

Mercy!

To the creditor – to the man or woman who has been harmed. When someone who has wronged us, and we are crying out for justice, someone owes us a debt and we are demanding to be paid. It is then that the Savior steps in.

He mediates between us and says, “I see your pain. I know your pain I feel your pain. I will make it right. I will repay you for all you have lost.”

He sees the lies that were told – He knows the truth. He knows the gossip that was told and harm it caused you: the malice and hurtful words, the harm caused to others, the wounded spirits, the anxiety and fear, neglect and abuse, sadness and loneliness, broken promises and covenants. He has felt all of it.

He loves and embraces you and will heal your wounds if you will let him. He will share your burdens. He cried your tears in the garden of Gethsemane. He will kneel beside you as you cry to the Father, and he will stand between you and persecutor.

The beauty of the Atonement is that it helps everyone of us become AT ONE with GOD.

It creates a divine harmony.

I return again to the quote by the Prophet Joseph Smith, “by union of feeling we obtain pow’r with God … When persons manifest the least kindness and love to me, O what pow’r it has over my mind … The nearer we get to our heavenly Father, the more are we dispos’d to look with compassion on perishing souls— to take them upon our shoulders and cast their sins behind our back.” ⁴

I would invite you to consider what that would look like in your life if heart, mind, and soul were to become more in line with the compassion and mercy the Saviour has for each one of us?

That is Divine Harmony.

Harmony comes from the Latin word Harmonia meaning joining or to fit together. How can we fit or knit together with our Heavenly Father? Harmony can also represent the combining of notes or chords to create beautiful music.

 When I consider who God is, my first response is God is loving, compassionate, and merciful. If there was one word to summarize the vibration (Music is a vibration) that represents Him, it would have to be Love – a Christlike love.

 So, if I want to have Divine Harmony, I will need to have Love as my primary vibration. The other notes I can weave into that harmony are Peace and Gratitude. These are notes I will need to sing or play on a daily basis. Not just once but everyday as much as I can. Just like a musician if I hit a wrong note, if I go off key, I can stop, pause, check what notes I should be playing and try again. 

 There are times when we get distracted, angry, frustrated and things just go wrong or at least not as planned and we are no longer in harmony. Once we realize where we are, we can course correct. The Saviour’s Atonement gives us that opportunity. Every moment is an opportunity to let go of the past moment and refocus on love, peace and gratitude once again. 

 Our goal then becomes to raise our vibration to that of love and gratitude, to send the energy of love and gratitude to others and to our Heavenly Father so that it will transform us, so we can become more like God.

 My invitation to you is to consider how would your life look differently on a daily basis if your goal was to live each day by accepting the Saviour’s Atonement in your life and live in Harmony with God?

Looking for more content like this? Sign up to receive the Cup of Courage Newsletter in your inbox every Sunday morning. Read previous posts and newsletters here.

Notes:

1. Smith, J, “Minutes and Discourse: 9 June 1842 full transcript” The Joseph Smith Papers, (June 2023). ttps://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/minutes-and-discourse-9-june-1842/2#full-transcript
2. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, “Chapter 12: The Atonement” Gospel Principles, (June 2023) https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-12-the-atonement?lang=eng
3. Smith, “Minutes and Discourse”.
4. Smith, “Minutes and Discourse”.

The post Divine Harmony through the Atonement first appeared on Laura Lane.

When you allow yourself to be loved it transforms you.​

Everything is made of energy. Our bodies are made of energy. The physical, it is simply the most dense form of energy and as it becomes less dense it goes through different levels or becomes lighter, from physical to emotional to mental to spiritual. Spiritual is the lightest, thus the term enlightenment.

We have a choice on what level we react to and interact with the world around us. We can choose to act on a base physical level, surviving on instinct, lust and addictions. We can choose to react to the world emotionally and be controlled by anger, fear, hatred, jealously and other strong negative emotions. We can choose look at the world solely from a mental, intellectual level based completely on reason or we can attain the level of the spiritual and live and express love, peace and gratitude.

We can allow love to permeate our whole body. When we root ourselves so that we are experiencing love on all levels, feeling it in our body- heart, accepting love, surrounded by love and generating love, when we are giving as well as receiving at the same time, then we are connected to God, connected to all God wants to give us. That is the meaning of “Being One,” being one with God and everything and everyone around us.

That should be the focus of meditation to start every day. Then go out in the world ready to be a conduit: receiving and giving. Ready to receive love, abundance and guidance, ready to give love, abundance and guidance knowing you are connected to a constant supply. It’s important to remember that we can’t give something until we have fully received it ourselves whether it is gratitude, love, abundance, wisdom and knowledge.

When I can fully receive what my Heavenly Father is giving me, accept, embrace His love, abundance, gratitude, guidance, wisdom then He will send me out to share more and more with the world.

When you love something or someone it transforms it or them. When you allow yourself to be loved it transforms you.

Love Heals All. Radiate Love. Charity. Agape. To see someone as God sees them. God is never offended. The pure love of Christ. Charity never faileth.​

The post Charity never faileth! first appeared on Laura Lane.

Right now I am on my way home after a fabulous workshop hosted by Kevin Hall, author of Aspire. On the first leg of my flight I am sitting next to Robbie Parker, father of Emily Parker who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting 3 years ago. I knew Robbie was going to be speaking to us at the event, I didn’t realize how hard it was going to impact me.

The day of the shooting in Connecticut in December 2012, I was heading to the bank to pick up a cheque. I was just suppose to run in, grab the cheque, and leave. When I arrived they couldn’t find the cheque and made me wait and wait and wait.  On the wall was a big screen TV, and the shooting was all over the news – the circus media sharing every detail they could find out as it was happening. In that moment I was crushed, my heart ached for all those families.

It brought me back 32 years earlier to when I was 9 years old and my mother and 7 year old sister and I  were in a car accident and both my mother and sister were killed. My father and I knew the heartache, knew the journey these families were about to embark in And we cried for them.

Fast forward one month, when the doctors gave us the news that my own 14 year old daughter Celeste only had days or weeks left to live. The cancer in her body had spread all over her brain and spine. There wasn’t anything the doctors could do. We were devastated. But at that time we were given the most comforting words I had ever received. A member of our clergy at church shared with us that ‘sometimes there are spirits that are so sweet and so special that God has to call them home.

‘It was then that I looked at my daughter and realized that here was a girl that was such a sweet sensitive little soul, whose heart ached at seeing violence and cruelty in the world. If this was the world that we now live in, with such evil surrounding us, I could see God looking down at her saying “Little girl, you don’t need to stay in this world any longer, you can come home now.” That to keep her here would have been cruel and that this was a blessing to her. It gave me such peace and perspective that I was able to surrender and let her go.

Robbie when he shared his story, told us of the anger he experienced, the lack of control he felt in having Emily taken form him, but when he finally let go and surrendered he was able to finally feel at peace. Of course neither one of us has stopped missing our daughters, they will always be a part of our families, but being able to have that peace and perspective makes all the difference. And now I realize even more the necessity for those of us who have worked through our grief, to share our stories with other grieving parents, in order to help them gain greater peace and perspective and help them heal their broken hearts.

The post Meeting Robbie Parker first appeared on Laura Lane.

“If you surround yourself with greatness, some of it is going to rub off.” Earl Nightingale

I have had the opportunity to learn from and be mentored by some the industry’s top transformational leaders. Jack Canfield, T. Harv Ecker, Bob Proctor, Les Brown, Chris Attwood and Janet Bray Attwood, Marci Schimoff, Debra Poneman, Dr. Sue Mortor, John Newton, Gerry Roberts, Ty Bennett, Steve Seibold, Kevin Hall, Steve Harrison, Dr. Shaun Duperon, Lisa Nichols, Teresa De GrosBois and Natalie Ledwell.

Genshai

” Pravin spoke about his early years. ‘I grew up in Calcutta,’ he began, ‘among the poorest of the poor. Through education and hard work my family was able to break the shackles of poverty.’ After a pause, he resumed. ‘My mother taught me many great things. One of the most important was the meaning of an ancient Hindi word.’
“That brought me to the edge of my chair.
‘In the West you might call this charity.’ Pravin went on. ‘But I think you’ll find this word has a deeper meaning.’
“What word could have more depth than charity? I thought.”
” Pravin spoke about his early years. ‘I grew up in Calcutta,’ he began, ‘among the poorest of the poor. Through education and hard work my family was able to break the shackles of poverty.’ After a pause, he resumed. ‘My mother taught me many great things. One of the most important was the meaning of an ancient Hindi word.’
“That brought me to the edge of my chair.
‘In the West you might call this charity.’ Pravin went on. ‘But I think you’ll find this word has a deeper meaning.’
“What word could have more depth than charity? I thought.
“Speaking deliberately, almost reverently, he continued as if he were revealing a sacred secret.
‘The word is “Genshai,” ‘ he said. ‘ It means that you should never treat another person in a manner that would make them feel small.’ ”  quote from Aspire: Discovering Your Purpose Through the Power of Words by Kevin Hall

Kevin Hall

I met Kevin Hall in Florida in October 2010. Kevin came to speak to us at Bob Proctor’s  LifeSuccess Consultant training. Earlier that year, unbeknownst to Kevin, Bob Proctor had discovered Kevin’s book Aspire and began telling everyone he met about this incredible book even making a short Youtube video comparing Kevin to the Og Mandino’s and Napoleon Hill’s and greatest authors that have lived. Well that day in October, Bob not only gifted each one of us in the training with a copy of Kevin’s book but Kevin also spoke to us that day. and when we lined up for Kevin to personal sign our copies, I made sure to be that last person in line to grab a few extra minutes with Kevin. I never forgot that moment.

Fast forward 4 years later, I was just finishing up writing my own book  Two Mothers One Prayer and was praying about who I should ask to write the foreword. I already had Chris and Janet Attwood, Marci Schimoff, Bob Proctor and Jack Canfield as mentors and I could have asked any one of them but the answer I received was Kevin Hall. As I worked to track down Kevin I learned about his invitation only workshop “Genshai Life Mastery” so now I had to not only convince him to write the forward but also allow me to attend his exclusive event.

Well obviously because I am writing this, you know I got in and he did write my forward, and today Kevin is one my mentors I have spent the last 2 years learning and being guided by Kevin and all because of the calibre of event that he hosted at the Red Mountain resort nestled in the Red Rock Mountains of St. George Utah.

Genshai Life Mastery

Coming to Genshai Life Mastery was like coming home. I made life long friends each year I have attended (3 years running now) and when someone isn’t there each year they are sorely missed. These are people I would open my home to and people who have generously opened their homes to me. This event attracts the most beautiful kindhearted people. People who truly live the word Genshai!

Kevin is a real connector and he has brought in the funnest, wisest and most inspirational speakers to his events. Chad Hymas, Ken Chlouber, Alex Vesely, Mickey Eskimo, Ezekiel Sanchez, Robbie Parker, Romayne Wheeler, Natalie Alexia, Nathan Ogdan, Peter Vidar, Margie Chadburn, Brandon Steiner, Rudy Ruettiger, James”The Iron Cowboy” Lawrence and Dianna Kokoszka.  Those are just from the last 3 events, I have heard about prior events with Lisa Nichols and Dave Blanchard and other amazing speakers.

It isn’t just about the speakers though, Kevin sets the stage for an incredible experience. We take a trip out to Tuachan – the Canyon of the Gods each year. Last year world renown concert pianist Romayne Wheeler played for us (Beautiful!). This year we had a surprise performance by comedian and drummer Clint Pulver, (Wow that was awesome!). We walk the Labyrinth together as group and take time to contemplate the deep insights Kevin shares with us about each daily and yearly theme. This year’s theme was  “Expending Your Limits” and Kevin taught us about the Profound Power of Ollin, Passion and Inspiration as daily themes.

I am extremely grateful to Kevin for all he has taught me, the example ha has modelled and the powerful people he has connected me to and brought into my life directly and indirectly. I am also grateful to his beautiful sweet wife Sherry, she is incredible in her own right. Last year when Robbie Parker spoke about his story of losing his daughter Emily in the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting which happened shortly before we lost our daughter Celeste, Sherry was my rock, holding me while I listened. I didn’t want to miss out on hearing Robbie but knew I couldn’t do it alone. I am grateful to Sherry for being there for me that day.

So should you ever have an opportunity to hear Kevin speak or to attend Genshai Life Mastery –  Do it! Looking forward to seeing you there because you know despite hell or high-water I will be there again next year to hang out with my Genshai family!

The post Genshai Life Mastery with Author Kevin Hall first appeared on Laura Lane.

This last weekend, as I attended Kevin Hall’s Genshai Life Mastery Retreat, he gave us an assignment to find a quiet spot, to think about and answer a series of questions. 

I wandered away from the group, found a hammock to sit in, next to a water feature, in view of the main path. Even though I felt that these should be easy questions to answer I was struggling. I felt uncomfortable. Something wasn’t right.

I kept asking “Why can’t I do this?, Why am I struggling? What’s wrong?” Then an unmistakable prompting or answer came to me. “You are in the wrong spot!” I needed to be somewhere else.

I got up and headed towards an area I had forgotten that I had visited last year. A quiet spot with a waterfall and stream, tucked away behind a building. This time as I sat down and contemplated again, I asked the question “How do I learn to receive?” I have learned how to very boldly ask for what I needed but many times struggle with how to receive openly the things I desire. Then these words came to me:

Allow yourself to be carried
Down the stream of life
Lay back and float in the abundance
Trust the abundance
Allow the stream
To bring to you what you need

The stream had just brought me what I needed. What is your experience in learning how to receive abundance in your life?

The post The Stream of Life first appeared on Laura Lane.

I asked my family if for a change we could forgo on lots of presents for each other but instead put together a couple of backpacks with warm  socks, hats, gloves etc for homeless men we see downtown. I was thrilled by how much they each got into supporting my desire. Some family members picked up non-perishable food, water bottles and juice. Others added toiletries and hand warmers. It was so nice to have these full backpacks under the tree.

After Christmas I loaded the backpacks into my car and looked for opportunities to share what we had. But this year in Ontario, the weather was so mild, we only had a handful of cold days and whenever I drove around, running errands, taking my son to school or shopping I didn’t see anyone who I could give the backpacks to.

Then February arrived and along with it the cold cold weather. The radio stations announced Cold Weather Warnings! Then finally the temperature dropped and the snow fell. I began to pray that God would put me on the path of someone, anyone who needed the gifts I had had been hauling around for weeks.

It was minus 13 degrees Celsius, I was driving my son to school and walking along the road was a man pushing a cart. Over his head were two sweaters draped there to cover his ears. He looked so cold. I pulled over, pulled out a backpack and ran over to him. On his hands were a pair of thin stretch gloves, ones you get at the dollar store that I know from experience don’t keep you warm at all, not in a real Canadian winter.

I asked him if he would like a pair of warm gloves, that I had thermal gloves and hat and socks and hand warmers for him. He was so thankful and it felt wonderful to know that what we had for him would really help. He pulled the sweaters off his head and put the warm hat on right away, followed by the gloves. My eyes welled up as I drove away.

As we pulled into the parking lot of my son’s school, there was a young man leaving the church breakfast program next door. We was climbing onto a bike with what looked like all his worldly possessions packed into 2 bags strapped to his back. He was putting a helmet on but without a touque or gloves on. His hands looked freezing. I quickly ran over to him with a backpack in hand. I told him about the gloves and hat and we fumbled together to get the bag open to pull out the gloves and hat right away, I explained about the hand warmers, that they’ll last for 8 hours, then I attached my backpack to the others on his back. He thanked me repeatedly. He was so grateful and my eyes were filled tears yet again. I was so grateful to been able to help him. To me this is what Christmas should feel like. It was Christmas in February for both these men and me this year.

The post Christmas in February first appeared on Laura Lane.

Flying home today,  I looked out the window just in time to see the sunset. It was beautiful seeing it set as we cruised above a thick layer of white clouds, reflecting yellow, oranges, pinks and purples, turning the clouds into sweet cotton candy.

I realized that I want to be soaring when I see the sunset on my life. I have spent the last few years preparing for take off and taxiing down the runway. This year I have the intention, this is the year that I speed off down the runway and my wheels are going to lift off the ground. This is the year that I take flight. I’m looking forward to the steep climb in the years to come and a wonderful long flight ahead of me.  Then in the twilight of my life, soar off into the sunset! I hope that you too have plans to take flight and soar in your future as well.

The post Sunset first appeared on Laura Lane.

But today a friend posted a picture of Power Girl – a DC Comics Superhero, on her facebook profile with the statement “I intend to fill Facebook with comic book heroes for Childhood Cancer Awareness, give me a like and I’ll assign you a character.” How could I not like that? My daughter was a superhero! I had to become a superhero mom in order to help her. So I clicked “Like” and was assigned Wonder Woman! Every Mom of a cancer patient really is Wonder Woman and every Dad is Superman! That is something I could get behind, supporting all those moms and dads and acknowledging all those awesome superhero kids who are extraordinary in living through the treatments and courageously carrying on or letting go with grace! Yes Superheroes are my preferred way to talk about childhood cancer!

What do you think? Are you into ribbons or superheroes or both?

The post Superheroes first appeared on Laura Lane.

But 2 out of those 17 years I didn’t have the time or energy to plant my tomato plants. The first time was the year I was going through my divorce and my kids were 18 months, 2 and 4 years old. I knew that the next year I would be moving and my landlord wouldn’t want my huge compost pile in the back corner. I asked the local missionaries if they would help me and they shovelled the whole thing onto my garden plot and turned it all over.

But after it was done, I didn’t have the time or energy to plant anything, I just left it. The kids and I got away for a holiday in the summer and when I came back the garden was 3 feet of weeds! I couldn’t believe it. There isn’t anything worse than weeding 3 feet of weeds but I knew the landlord and the neighbours wouldn’t be too pleased if I just left it, so I started weeding. As I went along I came across a plant and thought that’s not a weed, I’m not sure what it is but it’s not a weed.

Then I started seeing tomato plants! I know what tomato plants look and smell like and I was sure that was what I was seeing. They were scattered all over the garden patch and these other non-weed plants. I couldn’t believe it! I was being blessed. I had been so disappointed that this year I just didn’t have the opportunity to plant seedlings like every other year but here it was 2 months later and I have tomatoes growing.

I knew this was a blessing to help me in during this difficult time. At the end of the summer as everything ripened, the tomatoes were cherry tomatoes! And the other plant was parsnips! I have never grown parsnips before, I don’t normally eat parsnips. They weren’t in my compost so I was dumbfounded. Where did they come from? Well even the parsnips were a blessing because I was able to trade them for other veggies the kids and I liked. I knew this was a special crop from heaven. I was reaping where I did not sow! I felt so blessed and so very grateful.

Well it happened again to me this year. I had worked so hard on publishing Two Mothers One Prayer and was exhausted! I was struggling with my health and energy. Years of stress all caught up with me. I had been given seedling in May but June and July came around and they all died on my porch because I never got around to planting them.

I felt bad but I just didn’t have the energy to take care of them. Then I looked at my garden patch and it was filled with weeds. One day I felt well enough to tackle some weeding where I wanted to lay down mulch. As I went along I saw a tomato plant and another and another. I found 14 tomato plants! I hadn’t planted any but here I was being blessed again! I am so thankful! I had tears in my eyes that day, knowing that my Heavenly Father was looking after me during my difficult days, that such a little thing brought me happiness. And now that the tomatoes are ripe, I think of that day and I am so grateful to be eating the fruit of something my Heavenly Father sowed for me. I hope you can look around you and see some little blessings that you didn’t work for but deserved and received and are grateful for. I’d love to hear about it if you are up to sharing.

The post I am grateful for cherry tomatoes! first appeared on Laura Lane.

He needed your talents, your uniqueness to love and inspire those around you. He thought about your time in history, in the world, in your unique environment and created you in order to bless and help those other spirits around you. You were created in a loving manner to love and be loved in a unique time and place.

I am so grateful to be able to see and feel the love Heavenly Father and Mother’s love for me when I was created in spirit. That He created me to be loving and compassionate, to be strong and creative and intelligent for the exact circumstances He saw in the world today. He knew the world would need my mixture of frailties and strengths. He knew the world would need a daughter who could teach them how to love again, how to reconnect with Him again, who would bring love and healing to everyone around her.

Heavenly Father, you blessed me with so much love, wisdom and insight. Why don’t others have these gifts or desire to have them?

Because they have other gifts and talents and purposes. Laura these are yours to help you fulfill your unique purpose her on earth.​

The post Love, Wisdom and Insight first appeared on Laura Lane.