faith musings

Jesus As Our Perfect Guide

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

Backstory:
I love the story that Elder Edward B. Rowe shared recently. He talked about having to be in a war zone somewhere for work. There were thousands of land mines that had been laid during the war. He had a guide to help him through so he didn’t step on a land mine. He followed the footsteps of his guide and he made it home safely. Then he talked about how Jesus Christ is our Perfect Guide. He has felt everything we feel in this life. So He can help us heal during the storms we face. Then He can get us safely home someday.

Jesus As Our the Perfect Guide

We all go through hard times in this life
That can break our hearts and bring us strife.
We might feel like no one knows the heartache we each face
Or the weight of the heavy burdens we carry in our space.

But there is One named Jesus Christ who knows how we feel
Because He has felt it all and only He can help us heal.
As we struggle to face our trials every day,
We should know that Jesus will be beside us on our way.

He will walk in front of us when we feel afraid and alone,
 And we can’t see the whole path forward on our own.
We can walk in Jesus’ footsteps when we don’t know where to go,
And He will help us keep moving forward even if our steps are slow.

Our trials are more bearable with Jesus by our side,
Because He has felt all of our grief and every time we have cried.
Even on days when we can’t get up off the floor,
Jesus will help heal our hearts in our silent war.

All we need to do is trust in our Perfect Guide,
Who will walk with us and be by our side.
He knows every painful step that we take our journey 
So we can trust in Him and we don’t need to worry.

The Takeaway: As we walk on our journey in this life, we carry burdens on our shoulders that seem very heavy at times. Sometimes we might feel like we are walking alone. But we are never alone because Jesus walks with us every day as our Perfect Guide. We can trust Him to never lead us astray. He will carry the weight on our shoulders for us when we feel weak.

Watch the YouTube short of me reading the backstory here:https://www.youtube.com/shorts/pvuP_aUsLEI

“Praise the Lord, O My Soul”

/ Christine Maynor / 1 Comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

Melodies & Musings

Ever since I heard the song, It Is Well With My Soul, in a concert of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, years ago, I have loved it. Just having an actor tell the backstory of that song and having the choir sing it was incredibly emotional and impactful for me.

A while back, my Mom and I memorized the words of that song. The third verse really stuck out to me because of the message that it conveys.

The third verse says, 

"My sin-oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!-
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more.
Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, O my soul."

Memorizing the words of this song made me love the words and the message of the song even more.

So, why do I love the words of the third verse so much? Because of my love for my Savior and my faith that He took my sin upon Himself when He suffered for me in the Garden of Gethsemane and when He was nailed to the cross. And because He did that, I will praise His name forever. He is my personal Savior and your personal Savior.

I’m posting a short video of me singing the third verse of this song. I hope it brings you peace and helps you feel the love of your Savior.

Here’s the link to the video:https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8EoWbLIhL0E

What song has brought you the most comfort during a season of trials?

How has music helped you feel closer to God or strengthened your testimony of Jesus Christ?

Following the Light

/ Christine Maynor / 1 Comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

Backstory:
I listened to a story that President Gordon B. Hinckley told that stayed with me. He said that when he was a young man, he worked for the railroad. He used to frequently ride trains through the night. He often wondered how the engineer had the confidence to keep moving forward when the train’s headlight illuminated only a short distance of track ahead. As the train moved forward, more of the path came into view. That is like our lives. Our Heavenly Father rarely reveals our entire journey all at once. Instead, He gives us enough light for the next step. As we continue moving forward in faith, He reveals a little more. 

Following the Light

Our lives on this earth are like a train on a track,
At night we can only see a little of the path in the black.
We lean on the headlight of faith to keep moving forward,
And trust that the Master Engineer knows the path leading onward.

Some days the way will seem dark and we might feel all alone
Like we are on the train by ourselves and our worries are unknown.
When we feel the weight of the dark settling around,
We trust in our Father to guide us to higher ground.

Our Father will send us His guidance to brighten the night,
So that we can move forward surrounded and warmed by His light.
Though darkness surrounds as the train rolls along the track,
We trust in His vision and know that He’s guiding us back.

All we need to do is keep taking one step at a time,
When we are facing a big mountain to climb.
Even though we can’t see the entire path we need to take,
We can trust that the Master Engineer will be there for our sake.

When you feel like you can’t push ahead anymore,
And heavy worries leave you broken and flat on the floor.
Just trust that your Father knows where you need to go
And He will help you so that with His light, you can grow.

The Takeaway: Our lives are like a train on the tracks. As we journey in the darkness of night, we can only see a little ways ahead of us. Our Father in Heaven sees the entire path forward for our lives. He will be with us to guide us on our journey. We need to have faith and let His light shine through us to navigate through the trials we face. 

Watch the YouTube video of me reading part of this poem here:https://www.youtube.com/shorts/o0p6M4j_J_E

Choosing Gratitude

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

Backstory:
During a recent therapy session, we talked about the importance of gratitude in both our mental and physical well-being. As we talked, my thoughts immediately turned to my own journey with chronic illness. My symptoms are never far from my mind, yet I've learned that gratitude doesn't require perfect circumstances. Even on my hardest days, I can thank God for simple blessings, for the strength to keep going, and for knowing I never face my struggles alone. My Heavenly Father knows exactly how I feel, and my Savior understands every pain, every moment of fatigue, and every feeling of discouragement because He experienced it all for us. Gratitude hasn't taken away my trials, but it has carried me through them, reminding me that one day every burden will be made right through Jesus Christ.

Choosing Gratitude

My alarm goes off and I open my eyes,
Then I hang my feet over my bed and I slowly rise.
This day may be hard because of my chronic illness,
But I choose to give thanks to my Father in the stillness.

My body doesn’t let me do all the things I want to do,
And I could choose to let my mind and heart be blue.
Some days I feel discouragement creep inside of  me 
Because on those days, my blessings are harder to see.

Yes, I’m human, and sometimes I stray 
Because my life is difficult and the skies feel gray.
But the sun always rises to bring me peace, 
And I watch the shadows of the morning cease. 

So I try to count my blessings from my Father above
That He pours down on me with His enduring love.
Even when the storm winds begin to blow, 
I can look for the light that He sends below. 

My illness may shape my days,
But gratitude shapes my heart in praise.
There is always hope for another day
And I can feel the love of my Father when I pray.

The Takeaway: Gratitude doesn't deny our pain—it reminds us that God's blessings are present even in the middle of it. When we choose to notice His goodness, we often find the strength to keep taking the next step. And because of Jesus Christ, we can be grateful not only for today's blessings but also for the perfect healing and eternal hope that await all who trust in Him. 

Watch my YouTube short on this topic here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/347416u3gjk

Hope Beyond Our Sorrows

/ Christine Maynor / 1 Comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

Melodies & Musings

One of my favorite hymns is Be Still, My Soul. I especially love the third verse because it is so full of hope and promise. It says,

“Be still, my soul: The hour is hast’ning on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: When change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.”

What I love about this verse is that someday the trials and troubles, grief and fear of this life will be gone, and we will be forever with the Lord. Then the sorrows and trials that we had on this earth won’t seem so terrible, we will forget about them because we will feel so much joy and be safe and blessed when we meet the Lord at last. This brings me so much hope and peace. Because of Jesus, there is hope. That’s why this song and especially this verse really resonate with me.

I especially love the theme of this verse because in this stage of my life when I have a chronic illness that may last the rest of my life, there is hope because after this life, I will be with my Savior and my body will be perfect because of Him.

Music and especially sacred hymns have always brought me peace and hope. This song is one of my favorite hymns. What hymn or song has brought you hope and peace, especially when you are going through hard times in your life?

I recorded a video of me singing the 3rd verse of this song. Listen to the video here:https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2xnsJ63ung4