boldness

i have truly felt refreshed being able to attend sunday school and relief society.
especially sunday school. we have a new teacher that is a powerhouse in his lessons.

yesterday we spoke about jeremiah and his call.

specifically these verses:

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5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

6 Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.


7 But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.


8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.


9 Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

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he finished the lesson by relating the story of the brother of jared. {all of chapter 3 is amazing but these verses stand out.}

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8 And he saith unto the Lord: I saw the finger of the Lord, and I feared lest he should smite me; for I knew not that the Lord had flesh and blood.



9 And the Lord said unto him: Because of thy faith thou hast seen that I shall take upon me flesh and blood; and never has man come before me with such exceeding faith as thou hast; for were it not so ye could not have seen my finger. Sawest thou more than this?


10 And he answered: Nay; Lord, show thyself unto me.


11 And the Lord said unto him: Believest thou the words which I shall speak?


12 And he answered: Yea, Lord, I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth, and canst not lie.


13 And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you.

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he encouraged us to be more bold and confident in our testimonies, our convictions and our faith. just like the brother of jared. he asked with complete faith and God showed himself to him. this made me think about my life and how i am. do i ask God for things i want or am i so humble to the point of self degredation, convincing myself that i'm not worthy of his blessings?

it reminded me of this beautiful quote.
of how i want to be.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
-- Marianne Williamson