Heroes have endurance. Writing blog posts takes endurance.

Heroes have courage. Sharing blog posts takes courage.

I studied and wrote about heroes in the first two books of The Book of Mormon from September 2013 to September 2014. I learned so much about doing hard things and accomplishing great things. Since that time, I have tried to practice the patterns of heroes by doing more good face-to-face and side-by-side to strengthen my family relationships. I have also enjoyed screen-to-screen, one-on-one connections with some amazing women who are fortifying their families and communities. I have read the scriptures and other great books during this time, have written my favorite passages and thoughts for my own remembrance, and have shared some of them with my family members and study partners. But now …

Now I’m feeling a call to RISE UP and Share. I’m feeling a call to magnify my life. What does it mean to “magnify your life?”

In Jacob 2:1-3, the prophet Jacob speaks to the people of Nephi after Nephi’s death. He speaks to them “according to the responsibility which I am under to God, to magnify mine office with soberness.” He acknowledges that he has “hitherto been diligent in the office of my calling.” Have you ever felt a calling from God to do something? Have you ever felt that you have a responsibility to God to live your life well? I have.

Have you ever felt a calling from God to do something more? To do something better? To me, that’s the call from God to “magnify my life.” It’s the reminder that I’m doing good things and I definitely should keep doing what I’m doing. But it’s the calling to do a little more good. And it is usually accompanied by lots of questions and rejections in my mind such as Why? Who would want to read my ramblings? I don’t have time. It’s too hard. It’s too scary.

Jacob was scared to preach to the people to encourage them to forsake their sins and be better. “It grieveth my soul and causeth me to shrink with shame before the presence of my Maker” (Jacob 2:6). Magnifying our lives is the opposite of shrinking. When we magnify our lives we elevate our lives; we make them greater; we make them better than before. When we magnify our lives we enlarge our focus. We see more clearly what is essential and what is peripheral. We concentrate on the people and things that matter most. When we magnify our lives we expand our minds so that we can receive more light and truth. When we magnify our lives we enlarge our hearts so that we can create eternal bonds.

One way I can magnify my life is to share what I’m studying and thinking about with more people. Another way I can elevate my life is to learn from more people. We can lift each other higher as we share our thoughts and questions in this online community. By sharing what we are learning and practicing, we will magnify our lives and strengthen our families and communities. So please subscribe and leave comments. We also invite you to RISE UP and Share your insights and experiences by contributing to our blog. Interested contributors should complete this short form.

Why should we magnify our lives by sharing what we are reading and learning and practicing?

As we learn and share truth we give encouragement, we expand vision and potential, and we create bonds of friendship and unity. By sharing our insights and experiences, we demonstrate the reality of hope and healing. The prophet Jacob reminds us how much words can help us, especially the words of God, the words of truth. His people had come to hear him preach “the pleasing word of God, yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul” (Jacob 2:8). When I read the scriptures and other great books, certain phrases jump out at me and stay with me. There is power in these words. I call them POWER PHRASES. “Magnify your life” is a Power Phrase I’ve been pondering lately. A better life and personal healing come as I practice and apply Power Phrases. A better world filled with peace and love of God and neighbor will come as we ponder, practice, and share the “pleasing word of God.”

What Power Phrase have you been pondering and practicing lately?

What does “magnify your life” mean to you?

How can you “magnify your life” today?