Ask of God

As I was sitting in church today, pondering on the previous week and what was shared from the pulpit, I felt a wonderful sense of gratitude fill my heart.  I'm grateful to live at a time when the gospel has been restored.  I'm grateful to live close enough to a chapel to walk (that hasn't always been the case).  I'm grateful for revelation, especially personal revelation.  I'm grateful for technology that allows me to stay close to those I love and have access to more information than I could ever read.

A new video about the First Vision was released yesterday.  (Here is the link-https://history.lds.org/story/first-vision) In the introduction it explains that there are nine different accounts of the First Vision experience. The video uses information from these accounts to "provide additional perspectives and insights."  Although I don't understand some aspects of church procedures and church history, I'm grateful that there are places I can go to for answers, primarily my Heavenly Father.  I love the youth theme this year-ask!  Rather than discouraging questions, we are encouraged and counseled to ask (James 1:5-6).

I am grateful that Joseph Smith had the courage to ask and accept the answer he was given.  It is my wish to live my life in the same way.  If there is something you want to know, don't delay, ask!  You will get an answer.

Good reads

I have read and thought a lot about these two messages.  If you need some good Sunday reading, I would suggest these.  They have lots of great insights.


His Grace is Sufficient by Brad Wilcox

http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=1966&tid=7

I am a Mormon Because I am a Feminist by Valerie Hudson Cassler

http://mormonscholarstestify.org/1718/valerie-hudson-cassler

Consider the Blessings

I am happy to report that my lesson today was much better than the one I gave in November.  I have been studying Teaching, No Greater Call and found a lot of much needed help.

lds.org

Consider the Blessings by President Monson was my assignment this month.  He begins by reminiscing about the past 49 years since he was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  Some of the experiences he had were seemingly "unremarkable and even ordinary", but they were enriching.  He recommends that we each "take an inventory of [our] life and look specifically for the blessings, large and small, you have received."  As I spent a few days doing this my list grew lengthy; I would encourage you to follow his counsel and  perform this inventory in your own life.

I love this paragraph-" We are familiar with the truth found in 2 Nephi in the Book of Mormon: “Men are, that they might have joy.”¹ I testify that much of that joy comes as we recognize that we can communicate with our Heavenly Father through prayer and that those prayers will be heard and answered—perhaps not how and when we expected they would be answered, but they will be answered and by a Heavenly Father who knows and loves us perfectly and who desires our happiness. Hasn’t He promised us, “Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers”?^"

^{The bulk of his talk is five stories that give examples of blessings that came as a result of prayer.  In a lesson from a few months ago, Elder Hales discusses Christlike patterns.  As I studied Pres Monson's message I looked for patterns.  The first story he tells is of a trip he took to Australia where he met with a district president and provided him with counsel.  He later learned that this had been an answer to the branch president's prayers.  (Refer to the whole story using the link to Consider the Blessings).  I put together a list or pattern with the precursor of being worthy and in tune with the Holy Ghost.}

^{1. Received impression}

^{2. Follow through/set up an opportunity to talk}

^{3. Spent time}

^{4. Received further impressions}

^{5. Shared advice}

^{The next story we discussed was about Zella Thomas, an elderly widow who once lived in their ward.  Pres. and Sister Monson were on their way home after visiting some friends when he felt impressed to take a detour of many miles to visit Zella.  They found her, "extremely frail but lying peacefully on her bed."  They visited with her and Zella told him she had prayed he would come and give her a blessing.  She passed away the following day.}

^{The pattern in this story is-}

^{1.  Received inspiration}

^{2. Changed course}

^{3. Spent time}

^{4. Gave blessing}

^{I asked the sisters what conclusions they could draw from these two stories and lists.  They mentioned the importance of having some quiet time to allow the spirit a chance to speak.  We discussed the aspect of time.  How time is seeming more precious and that sometimes it is easier to find other ways to contribute.  The spirit, and the Lord, work on their own schedule and when we align ourselves to that schedule we will be more effective in eternal matters.  We need to be willing to change our course and put other matters on hold.}

^{The last story we discussed was of a friend of Pres. Monson's who had lost his lower limbs.  Pres. Monson had been swimming (perhaps giving the spirit a chance to speak) when he received the prompting to go visit his friend.  He immediately left the pool and was on his way to see this man.}  

^{Pres. Monson went to the man's room but found it empty.  If it were me, I probably would have given up and moved on, but thankfully Pres. Monson did not.  He asked and learned the man was down by the pool.  He found him, the only occupant of the room.  They had an enjoyable visit and after Pres. Monson had accompanied him back to his room, he gave him a blessing.}  

^{"I learned later from my friend that he had been utterly despondent that day and had been contemplating taking his own life. He had prayed for relief but began to feel that his prayers had gone unanswered. He went to the pool with the thought that this would be a way to end his misery—by guiding his wheelchair into the deep end of the pool. I had arrived at a critical moment, in response to what I know was inspiration from on high. "}

^{Alma 29:9 "I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do anot bglory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God . . ."}

^{As a musician, this idea of being an instrument is very easy for me to grasp.  An in tune instrument is a beautiful thing and can be very moving.  When a whole group of instruments is in tune it can be a very powerful experience (for me at least).  Being an instrument in the hands of God requires time and practice.  Learning to heed the Holy Ghost is a powerful skill.  I am grateful for Pres. Monson's example in this area.} 

^{"I believe that no concern of ours is too small or insignificant.  The Lord is in the details of our lives."  If we look we will see manifestations of God in the details of our lives.  As I pondered some of those times, I was overcome with feelings of love and gratitude.  We all learn in different ways and at different times.  I believe it is through these details that we know of the Source they come from and that it is because of His deep love for us.  He knows us intimately and with a perfect love.  I like to think He manifests Himself to us in these unique details to send us personal messages.}

^{He ends with these words, which I add my own testimony to-}

"I never cease to be amazed by how the Lord can motivate and direct the length and breadth of His kingdom and yet have time to provide inspiration concerning one individual—or one cultural celebration or one Jumbotron. The fact that He can, that He does, is a testimony to me.

My brothers and sisters, the Lord is in all of our lives. He loves us. He wants to bless us. He wants us to seek His help. As He guides us and directs us and as He hears and answers our prayers, we will find the happiness here and now that He desires for us. May we be aware of His blessings in our lives . . ."

New Year

I am always evaluating my life and trying to become better so setting goals at the new year isn't something unique for me.  I do however, like to use it as a time to focus and reflect on the big picture.  President Uchtdorf's talk will be my guide to the year.  If I can minimize my regrets it will help me on the path to who I can ultimately become.

Tomorrow for family home evening I'm going to "pitch my ideas" to my children who will probably be very underwhelmed, but a mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do.

The question "what can I do now?" has been coming out of my son's mouth between 6-12 times a day.  What he really wants me to do is tell him it's okay to do something electronically, which I have been cutting back on.  We are going to talk about some things we can do now.

Learn-we can choose a topic (turtles, Antarctica, Jupiter, etc) and research it.  Conduct science experiments.  Pick a picture from gospel art kit and learn the story.  Choose someone on our family tree and learn about their life.
Sing-I am so lucky to have a piano in our home now.  I have missed it.  We can learn new songs or dance and wiggle to old favorites.
Work-this is definitely my least favorite, which is why I need to do better at it.  I want to find the joy in a job well done and help the kids feel it too.
Create-build using straws, legos or cushions and blankets; make a picture to send to someone we love.  Write a story.
Serve-think of a way we can help someone.
Enjoy-this beautiful earth we live in, our family and friends, childhood
Exercise-make this one fun!
Play-board games, silly made up games.

This list is just a starting place for us, the possibilities are endless.  Even if it only works half the time, that is still heading in the right direction.
I'm looking forward to studying the Doctrine and Covenants this year.  A couple of weeks ago we read in section 25 which is one of my favorites.  Verse 10 says "And verily I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better." 
I am hopeful that my filling our time with good activities we will be tasting the "better"; that we will lay up treasures in heaven and grow closer as a family.

I pray that this year, it's joys and trials, will bring each of us closer to our Savior.

What's been in my brain

So the lesson I gave on Sunday was my worst to date :(  Rather than relive it I'm going to share two talks that I have been thinking about a lot lately.

lds.org

President Uchtdorf gave a message in the last conference and I seriously thought he had opened up my brain to see what was in there and wrote this talk to help me.

Sorry this is a long quote, but it is wonderful!

"Isn’t it true that we often get so busy? And, sad to say, we even wear our busyness as a badge of honor, as though being busy, by itself, was an accomplishment or sign of a superior life.

Is it?

I shared this message with a cute sister that I visit teach and told her that if she ever needs anything she can let me know.  If I am too busy to help her, than I am doing something wrong.  Serving her and fulfilling my role should be at the top of my priority list and if it isn't, it needs to change asap.

I think of our Lord and Exemplar, Jesus Christ, and His short life among the people of Galilee and Jerusalem. I have tried to imagine Him bustling between meetings or multitasking to get a list of urgent things accomplished.

I can’t see it.

Instead I see the compassionate and caring Son of God purposefully living each day. When He interacted with those around Him, they felt important and loved. He knew the infinite value of the people He met. He blessed them, ministered to them. He lifted them up, healed them. He gave them the precious gift of His time.

In our day it is easy to merely pretend to spend time with others. With the click of a mouse, we can “connect” with thousands of “friends” without ever having to face a single one of them. Technology can be a wonderful thing, and it is very useful when we cannot be near our loved ones. My wife and I live far away from precious family members; we know how that is. However, I believe that we are not headed in the right direction, individually and as a society, when we connect with family or friends mostly by reposting humorous pictures, forwarding trivial things, or linking our loved ones to sites on the Internet. I suppose there is a place for this kind of activity, but how much time are we willing to spend on it? If we fail to give our best personal self and undivided time to those who are truly important to us, one day we will regret it."

Our relief society teacher shared an experience when she was out with her grandkids at a museum and noticed that six of the seven adults in the kids play area were on their phones.  Only one was actually engaged with their children.  I am so guilty of this!  So I made some goals to work on this.  For example, today at Lego Club I didn't get my phone out at all.  I recently pinned a quote that says "Wherever you are be all there" by Jim Elliott.

"We certainly cannot do this (laying up for ourselves treasures in heaven) with a dragging-our-feet, staring-at-our-watch, complaining-as-we-go approach to discipleship.

When it comes to living the gospel, we should not be like the boy who dipped his toe in the water and then claimed he went swimming. As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we are capable of so much more. For that, good intentions are not enough. We must do. Even more important, we must become what Heavenly Father wants us to be.

Declaring our testimony of the gospel is good, but being a living example of the restored gospel is better. Wishing to be more faithful to our covenants is good; actually being faithful to sacred covenants—including living a virtuous life, paying our tithes and offerings, keeping the Word of Wisdom, and serving those in need—is much better. Announcing that we will dedicate more time for family prayer, scripture study, and wholesome family activities is good; but actually doing all these things steadily will bring heavenly blessings to our lives.

Discipleship is the pursuit of holiness and happiness. It is the path to our best and happiest self."

I have felt this nagging tug that I am not living up to my potential.  Thinking about being an invested mother is good, actually spending time with my kids is better.  Dreaming of a clean kitchen is good, actually cleaning it is better.  While I am a long way off from this, there is a peace that comes from knowing that good choices are helping me become the woman God knows I can be, even when I am still trying to figure out what she is really like.  Memories of that peace help me resist temptation, which I hope if I do often enough will become habits.

"As we do so, Heavenly Father will reveal to us things we never knew about ourselves. He will illuminate the path ahead and open our eyes to see our unknown and perhaps unimagined talents."

What beautiful possibilities!  If I want this I need to be willing to work and not 'staring-at-[my]-watch' and complaining.

"We shouldn’t wait to be happy until we reach some future point, only to discover that happiness was already available—all the time! Life is not meant to be appreciated only in retrospect. “This is the day which the Lord hath made … ,” the Psalmist wrote. “Rejoice and be glad in it.”^6" 

^{I shouldn't wait until our house is sold (which it finally is!!!) to be happy, or until the hubby is done with grad school, or until anything else.  Happiness is a choice and I need to choose it.  Of course there are days when happiness isn't even in the picture, just making it to bedtime without losing my temper is my only priority.  But I don't want to waste too many days to that.  Sometimes I pray for an extra amount of God's love for my children when I seem to be out.  I pray to remember that it is a phase and while it is difficult I am not alone and I am in it for the long haul.  Quitting is not an option so I may as well look on the bright side.}

^{This talk is really life changing for me; I hope you will take the time to read the whole thing.}

^{The other talk I have been thinking about, especially in regards to how I want to manage our family is "Mother's Who Know" by Sister Beck.  I'm not going to discuss it, but I encourage you to read or reread it if it has been a while.  It is powerful and gives me the courage to make the hard choices; the ones that will keep my family strong.} 

^{I pray that this holiday season is a meaningful one for each of us and that we will focus on having Christ in Christmas.}

Coming to Ourselves

 Robert D. Hales

My relief society lesson a couple of weeks ago was on the talk Coming to Ourselves by Elder Hales.  My love for apostles/modern revelation/general conference has been growing since I got this calling.

I put together a "top 10" list from this talk.  When my husband asked me if there were any jokes in it, I told him no and he lost interest . . . . so if you're still interested, here they are.

10.  Purpose of self reliance
"The purpose of both temporal and spiritual self-reliance is to get ourselves on higher ground so that we can lift others in need."

9.  Provide opportunities for others, including youth and children.
"All of us have an “imperative duty”¹¹ to assist our youth in preparing for lifelong service by helping them become self-reliant. In addition to the spiritual self-reliance we have been discussing, there is temporal self-reliance, which includes getting a post secondary education or vocational training, learning to work, and living within our means. By avoiding debt and saving money now, we are prepared for full-time Church service in the years to come. . . . Whether we are young or old, what we do today determines the service we will be able to render and enjoy tomorrow."

I especially liked that last sentence and the perspective that gives.  Rather than thinking of each day as it's own separate entity, think of it as being connected to tomorrow.  It gives more meaning and emphasis on the choices we make today.

"Parents and leaders, you can help youth experience the incomparable blessings of the sacrament by providing special opportunities for them to study, discuss, and discover the relevance of the Atonement in their lives. Let them search the scriptures for themselves and teach one another from their own experiences."

We had a good discussion about ways we can do this.  I think it is best to do it in small conversations and moments.  I really like how he says "discover", because it really is something each person needs to do for themselves.

8.  Sacrifice
"I testify that the sacrifices we make to receive temple ordinances are worth every effort we can make."
Simple and powerful.  There are always reasons to not go to the temple, but in the end we are missing out if we are not taking advantage of the temple.

I came across the following quote a couple of months ago and it has had a profound impact on the way I view things.  President Hinckley said "You will come to know that what appears today to be a sacrifice will prove instead to be the greatest investment that you will ever make."

7.  Coming to yourself
He begins and ends his message with the parable of the prodigal son.

"Away from home, far from the place he wanted to be, and in his destitute condition, something of eternal significance happened in the life of this young man. In the Savior’s words, “he came to himself.”¹ He remembered who he was, realized what he had been missing, and began to desire the blessings freely available in his father’s house.

Throughout our lives, whether in times of darkness, challenge, sorrow, or sin, we may feel the Holy Ghost reminding us that we are truly sons and daughters of a caring Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we may hunger for the sacred blessings that only He can provide. At these times we should strive to come to ourselves and come back into the light of our Savior’s love."

Each of us will have times in our lives when we are feeling down and causes us to come to ourselves.  I think the choices we make at these times have very far reaching effects.

6.  Prepare for the sacrament before sacrament meeting

 "To worthily partake of the sacrament, we remember that we are renewing the covenant we made at baptism. For the sacrament to be a spiritually cleansing experience each week, we need to prepare ourselves before coming to sacrament meeting. We do this by deliberately leaving behind our daily work and recreation and letting go of worldly thoughts and concerns. As we do, we make room in our minds and hearts for the Holy Ghost.

Then we are prepared to ponder on the Atonement. More than just thinking about the facts of the Savior’s suffering and death, our pondering helps us to recognize that through the Savior’s sacrifice, we have the hope, opportunity, and strength to make real, heartfelt changes in our lives."

With small children, sacrament meetings are not always the most spiritual meetings one would wish them to be.  I have found that the weeks I take time to prepare before, usually Saturday evening, I am able to have a much more meaningful experience.

5.  Establishing patterns

 " . . .we establish patterns of Christlike living. These include obedience, making sacrifices to keep the commandments, loving one another, being chaste in thought and action, and giving of ourselves to build the kingdom of God."

4.  Power from the temple

"Through the Savior’s Atonement and by following these basic patterns of faithfulness, we receive “power from on high”⁹ to face the challenges of life. We need this divine power today more than ever. It is power we receive only through temple ordinances."

This was one of the most powerful lessons written on my heart.  I truly felt a longing to go to the temple because I need that divine power so desperately.  

3.  Evaluate then work

 "With His love and the love of His Son in my heart, I challenge each of us to follow our spiritual desires and come to ourselves. Let’s have a talk with ourselves in the mirror and ask, “Where do I stand on living my covenants?” We are on the right path when we can say, “I worthily partake of the sacrament each week, I am worthy to hold a temple recommend and go to the temple, and I sacrifice to serve and bless others.” "

Take the time to ask those hard questions then be willing to do the work required.  Help will be given.

2.  Striving

He uses the words-hunger, strive, deliberate, steadily, steadfastly-words that imply great effort and desire.

In my temple recommend interview a few months ago, Pres. Morris and I talked about the word strive.  It doesn't say we need to be perfect, but we need to be striving.  Striving involves emotional, spiritual and physical work.

1.  Father is waiting

Returning to the parable-

"Beloved brothers and sisters, the young man spoken about by the Savior, the one we refer to as the prodigal son, did come home. His father had not forgotten him; his father was waiting. And “when [the son] was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and … kissed him.”¹³ In honor of his son’s return, he called for a robe, a ring, and a celebration with a fatted calf¹⁴—reminders that no blessings will be withheld if we faithfully endure in walking the path back to our Heavenly Father. . . .

I share my special witness that God so loves each one of us “that he gave his only begotten Son”¹⁵ to atone for our sins. He knows us and waits for us, even when we are a great way off. As we act on our desires and come to ourselves, we will be “encircled about eternally in the arms of his love”¹⁶ and welcomed home."

What a beautiful image and message!  

If you made it through all 10 thanks for sticking with it!  I hope the spirit was able to teach you something that will help you this week.

 

Precision vs Perfection

 Julie B. Beck

I love Sister Beck! I will miss her as the relief society president. She spoke at a broadcast a few years ago about the Doctrine of the Family. (For some reason it is not in the online church archives, but I found another blogger who posted a copy here.) Her words are very powerful, particularly the following-"Live in your home so that you're brilliant in the basics, so that you're intentional about your roles and responsibilities in the family. You think in terms of precision, not perfection." Perfection is overwhelming, but precision I can do!

Here are a few ways I am trying to be more precise at home.
1. Teaching the gospel in the home. I have recommitted to family home evenings. We got out of the habit and while it is difficult for me to be in charge all the time with my husband being gone so much it is worth it. I keep it simple and short, just using ideas in books handed down to me.
2. We have this half sized wall that our kitchen table is next to. I can't really hang decorations on it so I have been selecting pictures from the gospel art kit and finding scriptures to go with them. We are memorizing the scriptures together and my son is surprisingly fast at it.  Richard G. Scott recently spoke on the blessings of committing scriptures to memory.  "Learning, pondering, searching, and memorizing scriptures is like filling a filing cabinet with friends, values, and truths that can be called upon anytime, anywhere in the world. Great power can come from memorizing scriptures. To memorize a scripture is to forge a new friendship. It is like discovering a new individual who can help in time of need, give inspiration and comfort, and be a source of motivation for needed change."
3. I am working on memorizing the the family proclamation. I wrote each paragraph on an index card for convenience.  I need to write these words in my heart so I can teach them to others.
4. Sister Beck has come up twice recently in my life in reference to priorities. Once was in this blog post. The second was in stake conference. Some of the ideas are the same, but these are my notes from conference.
What is my ultimate objective? I had to consider what it is and what it should be. Usually my daily objective is to make it to bedtime with as few tantrums as possible. It should be bringing souls to Christ, starting with myself and my family.
Do my daily actions reflect my ultimate objective?
What matters most? President Uchtdorf gave a wonderful talk about that.
To-do list should be divided into essential, necessary and nice to do.
Choose joy.
Pray always.

It will take some time for these principles to become second nature, but I have faith that as long as I keep trying I won't fail. Precision is possible!