You Are Loved

So, I've become a bit of an insomniac, not by choice, but a combination of a non-sleeping through the night toddler, among other things really puts a damper on my sleeping. Therefore, rather than sleep, I think,

It's tiring. :)

Recently, I was up and down all night with various sick children, and was thinking as I medicated, rocked and soothed, how a parental love is a type and symbol of God's love for His children.

It's imperfect, the love parent has a for child, but it's still to teach us, to draw us nearer to the love that our Heavenly Parents have for us.

There have been quiet (or not so quiet moments) when I've felt that my heart would burst for the love I have for the small ones with whom I've been entrusted. Any parent can probably testify to the same or similiar experience. The love for your child can cause an actual, physical ache and pain in your body.

Then, magnify that feeling by an infinite amount, and bam, you've got God's love for you.

Not just for "His children" in a very vague general billions and billions over the eons, way.

No.

God is so great, so all-knowing, so perfect and infinite that you are loved NOW, as you are, today, and always, individually, specifically and wholly.

In Exodus, Jehovah tells Moses, "“I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight” (Ex. 33:12)

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said,


"

Even if you have forgotten God, He has not forgotten you.

Can you even begin to imagine the amazing all-encompassing love that this is? I can't. All I can do it try every single day to be worthy of a love I do not deserve.

Amazingly enough, that is God asks of us. To try a little harder, every single day.

1 Peter Chapter 1

I really wanted to do a VLOG for this post, but there are three short people who are refusing to cooperate, so I give up! Written word it is.

In 1 Peter, chapter 1, it says, "Where ye greatly rejoice though now, for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ."  (1 Peter 1:6-7).

Then in verse 8:

Via

This has been on my mind a lot lately, rejoicing THROUGH trials, difficulty, the things we have to GET through. None of us is exempt from trials or pain. None get the "get out of trials free" card in this life. We knew what we were getting in to, when we signed on.

Yet, sign on we did. For all the pain and sadness, we knew we'd find true joy. Just like the apostle Peter said, the TRIAL is precious because brings praise, honor and glory to Christ from us.

Trials are a form of sanctification.

Trials are holy.

Trials, in their awful, nitty, gritty, dirty, down low, painful, worldly, earthly, exhausting way, are holy.

At the end, Peter promises, "Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:9)

If we can view the things we are being tried with as HOLY, DIVINE promises of further grace, further light and knowledge, further growth spiritually, it allows us a greater, deeper patience.

More patience within, more patience in trial.

Because that refiner's fire is oh so hot, sometimes, we waste precious time and energy pulling away, refusing to participate more fully in our own refinement.

But Peter assures us that our souls are in the salvation process as we are tried, as each day we don't give up.

He sums it up beautifully in verses 13, "Wherefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

We can't know the plans that the Lord has but we know He wants good to come to us, through Him.

So, let's go forward, girding our loins, fresh courage taking, determined to be better.

Blessings WILL Come

Via

Do you ever feel like you're just not getting what you need from Heaven? There have been times in my life when I have felt confused, scared, worried, and utterly inept. 

It didn't help that when I prayed, I felt like the blessings I needed weren't coming. 

When I was very nearly due with my fifth baby, I just wanted to be DONE. I prayed that she'd come. She didn't. All of my kidlets come at 39 weeks 5 or 6 days. Always. Every time. 

I didn't want to wait. I wanted her OUT and I wanted it NOW. I started this line of thinking at oh, 37 weeks. 

But, I waited. I prayed. I cried. I walked. I walked. I walked. 

And when she came, perfect, healthy, and whole at 5 o'clock in the morning at 39 weeks 6 days, JUST LIKE THEM ALL, I was reminded:

Blessings come to us when God knows it's time. NOT when we do. 

Elder Holland so eloquently reminded us if this in April 2013 conference. 

Sometimes we get exactly what we wanted, like a kid on Christmas morning. 

But... our Heavenly Parents know us better than we know ourselves. Sometimes this means we get DIFFERENT blessings than we think we need. 

And when we're trying our hardest, and sometimes, even when we're just barely scraping by, the Heavens open in ways and means we couldn't have imagined. 

What is in your heart today? What are you praying fervently for? Don't give up. Pray that God's will, which is perfect, will be done in your life. Have faith that all HE wants for you is goodness. It will come. 

It will come. 

Doctrine and Covenants 104:2 

With promise immutable and unchangeable, that inasmuch as those whom I commanded were faithful they should be blessed with a multiplicity of blessings;

Enjoy the Moment

"It's almost October," I  gasped this afternoon to Derek when we met for lunch.

Derek nodded grimly.

"It's just, life... it's rushing past!" I added.

Derek is very wise. He sighed and said, "I think we need to slow down."

How? How can we possibly slow down? Between the many many responsiblities we've taken on, nothing, NOTHING is ever completely done.

The house is cluttered mess more than it's not.

Derek's work is never finished.

The children are never ever asleep. (No, seriously...)

The world today values busyness, they value speed, efficency. The world demands we be economical with our time.

Derek receives emails at work, and often, people are disgruntled when he doesn't reply immediatley. Deadlines speed up like lightning. There is no rest for the weary.

None.

So, how can we slow down?

After discussing it over lunch with my man, here is what we've come up with:
1. Exercise. Talk a walk, breathe. A change of scenery can make a huge difference in your day.
2. Less technology. Set your phone aside. Look out the window. Read a book. Pet a cat, rock a baby.
3, Make times for things of the spirit. Commune with God. Study.
4. Enjoy the moment. President Uchtdorf gave a wonderful conference talk in April called "Enjoy the Moment." In it he reminds us all that life is a journey, not a race. Enjoy the little things.
5. Count your many blessings. Whenever gratitude surges in your heart, send a prayer heavenward in thanks.

How To Draw Nearer To Christ-- Putting it All Together

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There are as many ways to have a relationship with Jesus Christ as their are people. Everyone experiences spiritual promptings differently. Everyone approaches the Savior differently. However, there are some eternal, simple truths.

1. Christ stands at the door, knocking. All YOU have to do is answer. 
    "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20)

2. Christ in your life brings peace and joy. 
    "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." (Luke 2:14)

3. Jesus is in and can be invited into every good thing in our lives. 
    "But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God." (Moroni 7:12)

4. Let the Savior be a part of your everyday life, through the Holy Ghost's influence. 
   "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (John 14:26)

If you are reading, praying and allowing Christ into every aspect of your life, your relationship with Him will be strengthened. You'll be nearer to Him, and in turn, you'll allow His presence and influence to be more fully experienced every single day. Turn to Him. Talk to Him. Thank Him and recommit yourself each week to be more like Him. Then, when you screw up, repent, and be ever grateful for His grace and atonement through which, you are slowly being refined into the version of yourself that Christ already, always sees.

Instead of Expecting Perfection, Let's Love One Another

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I am not perfect.

I have a propensity to swear, I drink Diet Coke, and I get impatient with my children.

There. See?

I'm not glorying in my sins either. Oh no, the opposite. I do try each day to be better. I've cut back on all of the above.

But, still not perfect.

I'm not confessing these things because I'm proud of them, quite the opposite in fact. I've been known to make sure the Diet Coke is hiding when church members are coming over.

The reality is, I'm not good enough.

So often we try oh so very hard to prove to each other that we are indeed perfect, or at the least, better than we are actually. And we expect, if we're being honest with ourselves, others to do the same.

I believe that we do each other as the body of Christ, a huge disservice when we allow those we love, know and serve with, to think we're perfect and when we in turn, think others are more perfect than we are.

Look, I'm not suggesting that we wear our issues, sins or weaknesses on our t-shirts, but perhaps, if we were a bit more vulnerable with one another, we'd have more compassion, more love, more service and even more patience with one another.

James 5:16 reads, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

Oh how I love this verse! When we share our trials with one another, we are inviting the prayers of one another to heal us. Think of the prayer roll in the temple. What an amazing gift it is to have our friends praying for our weakness, rather than judging.

What if, when we are tempted to click our mental tongues disapprovingly when we notice someone's imperfection, we instead, offered a prayer for them to be strengthened, and for us to be better too.

And when we let go of our desires to see others as perfect and for those others to see us as perfect, we are allowing Christ's grace to be sufficient.

At the end of The Book of Mormon, Moroni pleads with us to become perfected in Christ, through (and only through) His grace. He never says, "Be better, but you're the only one who needs this verse." We ALLLLLL need it. We all need to be perfected through Christ. Let us cut one another some slack. Forgive imperfections you see in people. Remember they desperately don't want you to notice them.

Be kind.

Love each other.

Don't worry about anyone else's imperfections. Just work on your own.

And remember the words of Moroni. " Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God." (Moroni 10:32)

How To Draw Nearer to Christ: Accept His Grace

John 3:16 reads, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

I love this verse. It is beautiful to me. It sums up, in perfect simplicity the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

He died so we can live.

It is only through His grace and mercy that we can be saved.

There is nothing in this world or the next that I can do, to have everlasting life, without Jesus.

Once I started to really embrace that truth, I began to feel closer to my friend, Jesus.

You see, in the LDS world, we work hard. Work is good, and we should be always striving to be better.

But sometimes, I think we do a lot of things, with the hopes that perhaps if we work hard enough, and repent enough, we just might make it to the Celestial Kingdom.

And the scriptures are clear, that's not how it works.

Once I accepted the fact that NOTHING I do will get me to the Celestial Kingdom on my own, my relationship with my Savior expanded 10, 20-fold.

You can not work your way into Heaven.

You can't.

I can't.

No one can.

Jesus is the only person in the history of any world who was perfect. And because I think, Heaven  would be very lonely if it was just He and the rest of the Godhead hanging out, and because our Parents in Heaven loved us enough to let their Son die for you and for me, we get to go back to be with them, with our loved ones, with each other.

And that makes me want to be better. It makes me want to earn that love, even though I can't. It makes me want to lessen the suffering that I caused the greatest human in history to feel.



What can we do?

We can accept the gift that He freely gave when suffered, died and was resurrected.

How do we accept it?

Have faith, repent, make and keep our covenants, and be ever thankful to the One who makes it all come together.

Once you let go of the pain and anguish and GUILT that rides along with trying to be "good enough" to get into Heaven, you will feel your heart lifted, and your spirit draw nearer to Christ, because gratitude will make you want to be better.

Gratitude is one of the only things we can give the Lord. He gives us all. We can be grateful and accept His grace.

Elder Richard D. Scott said, "My reverence and gratitude for the Atonement of the Holy One of Israel, the Prince of Peace and our Redeemer, continually expand as I strive to understand more about it. I realize that no mortal mind can adequately conceive, nor can human tongue appropriately express, the full significance of all that Jesus Christ has done for our Heavenly Father’s children through His Atonement. Yet it is vital that we each learn what we can about it. The Atonement is that essential ingredient of our Father in Heaven’s plan of happiness without which that plan could not have been activated. Your understanding of the Atonement and the insight it provides for your life will greatly enhance your productive use of all of the knowledge, experience, and skills you acquire in mortal life."

Be grateful and accept the gift as it is given. You can't get anywhere without Christ's atonement.

Accept the gift, and be grateful that when you fail (notice I did not say 'if") repentance is yours freely, as is the grace of our Savior to wash away your sins.

You will find, when you accept the Atonement with a grateful heart, that you will be nearer to the Giver.

Don't You Quit

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I had an interesting conversation with my sister (via text) about this quote earlier this week. I love this quote. I love what it says, I love what it implies. I love that when we TRUST GOD that everything will be all right in the end. What an amazing, huge, and humbling promise that is. That if we keep going, doing the things we're supposed to, that it'll all work out. Pain and hardships are a part of this life, but if we persevere, if we continue onward, ever onward, that through the atonement, everything will be okay. 

Omni 1:26 reads, "And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved."

Hang in there, Friend. It'll be okay. 

The sun will rise. 

How to Draw Nearer to Christ-- Talk to Him

This artwork is by Chris Young and can be found here.


So, if we're reading the Bible more, we'll be getting to know Jesus better.

Next, is the idea that if we want to KNOW someone, we need to TALK with that someone.

Can you imagine calling someone your best friend if you never ever speak to them?

In our prayers, we address Heavenly Father, in the NAME of Jesus Christ, right? Because He is our intecessor, He allows for the connection to our Father be sealed in HIS name. In 3rd Nephi 18:19, it reads, "Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father in my name;"

It is a commandment to pray. Since Heavenly Father and Jesus are one in purpose, we know that which we say to our Father, the Son hears also.

But.

But what about actually talking to Jesus?

Where does that fit? How can someone be your truest, dearest and most close friend if you don't talk to Him?

I'm not suggesting that we change our prayers to address Jesus, since we know that is not the commandment. No. But I am suggesting that in an informal, albeit respectful way, that we talk to Jesus.

The Brother of Jared, in the book of Ether talked with Jesus, face to face. We know that his faith was so great that Jesus could not remain hidden from him.

Ether 12:39 says, "And then shall ye know that I have seen Jesus, and that he hath talked with me face to face, and that he told me in plain humility, even as a man telleth another in mine own language, concerning these things;"

Can our faith be so great that we can talk to Jesus face-to-face? I wish it could be. But in the meantime, while we are attempting to become as faithful as that, we ought to include Jesus in our thoughts and conversations.

Recently, I was having a difficult time coping with life. I was going through (honestly, somewhat still am) a very difficult trial. I found that when my thoughts turned to pain and sadness, if I simply turned to my Savior, if I said, in my heart, mind or even outloud, "Lord, I know You know what this feels like. I know You are here. I ask for comfort," that it was given.

It isn't the same as an official "prayer", it's more intimate, more personal, and more about knowing Christ personally.

Again, I ask, how can you have a personal relationship with someone you never talk to?

It will be feel a bit awkward, at first, to try and incorporate such thoughts and small prayers into your daily routine if you're not used to it, but practice. Thank Him informally for beautiful things, for blessings, for bits of grace throughout your day.

Before long, you will KNOW Him better because you will see Him in EVERYTHING.

It doesn't have to detract from you formal communion with Heavenly Father; it isn't about taking away from that at all. It is about creating a line of communication with He who knows you and He who saves you.

Talk to Him. Make Him a part of your every day. In the most sacred way, He will become the most important part of your life.

How-To Draw Nearer to Christ: Read the Bible

As Latter-Day Saints, we are SUPER at reading The Book of Mormon. It is a wonderful and inspired book of scripture, and I love it with my whole heart. There is enough in The Book of Mormon to last a lifetime of study. In fact, we are instructed to read it every single day. I have a testimony of The Book of Mormon.

I also dearly love The Bible.

We Mormons kinda don't rock The Bible like we do The Book of Mormon.

Have you ever read The Bible cover to cover?

Very VERY few Latter-Day Saints have.

I have. It's long. VERY long.

But within those pages are amazing stories that strengthen my belief and knowledge of my Savior.

You see, The Bible is His story. Throughout the Old Testament, Christ is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is Jevhovah, instructing the Jews in the ways of salvation. He is everywhere, His prophets testify of Him and His mission.

The New Testament is his life story. From beginning to end, we learn of His life, His ministry, His death and resurrection.

If you want to know Christ, read about Him.

Some of my most favorite verses of scripture that I return to again and again hail from The Bible. It is beautiful. It is inspired. It is powerful.

So, no, I'm not suggesting that you give up your BoM studies, not at all. The Bible is a wonderful and vital part of our gospel lives, and we need to give it some study as well.

If you're overwhelmed by the Old Testament, start in the New. Begin in the life of Jesus. Get a companion book to help you when you get confused or stuck.

Delve in, read for maybe 10 minutes each day. You will be amazed at how personal your feelings for Christ can become when you are studying HIM.

Some of my favorite tidbits that come from the Bible:

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. ~Colossians 3:17~

2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” 

Joshua 24:15 reads, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”   

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).  

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Give The Bible a try. It will strengthen your resolve to be a better Christian. Your love and appreciation for Jesus as your Savior will increase. 

Read The Bible.

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In Everything Give Thanks

I have been working on a chapter for the book, and keep coming back to the idea of happiness through trials, through difficulties and through, well, imperfection.

I don't know why it's on my mind so much lately, but my brain wanders back to the topic over and over throughout the day.

How do we remain happy and joyful even when things are hard? How do we remain happy when things can be so very bad?

Everything in the scriptures leads us to know that we are to be happy in this life. Men are to have joy. At the same time, warning after warning appear to remind us that choosing the wrong will lead to unhappiness and enslavement to sin.

Since we all sin all the time, how do we remain joyful and happy while we fail?

I think this is a case of PRACTICE makes PROGRESS. We simply choose to be happy. We simply give heartfelt sincere thanks for what we do have. We do not deny the blessing given us by loving Heavenly Parents. Instead, we express earnest thanks for them.

Gratitude equates happiness.

I invite you to do an experiment. You  may have tried it before. In your prayers tonight, don't ask for a single thing. Simply give thanks. List everything you can think of that is a blessing. I bet that you won't be able to list them all. You'll have to give up praying before you get to the end of your blessings. But name them one by one. Then, throughout the next few days, anytime you recognize a blessing, give a quick prayer of thanks.

I promise you'll find it easier to smile and be happy even when your toddler chooses to flush a racquetball down the toilet.

You Are You For a Reason

Hello!  I feel like sometimes it's hard to remember that you are you for a reason, in this time and in this place.  It's not an accident. Heavenly Father wants you to be who you are right now. He wants you to keep getting better too, but he accepts what we can offer right now.

Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great (D&C 64:33).

You are doing good things that will lead to great things. Be happy you are you.

A Wee Bit of Inspiration

I am finding inspiration these days in unlikely places: CHURCH! Don't laugh, I'm serious. When you have five little children to keep quiet during sacrament meeting, the idea of actually HEARING what someone is saying up front is pretty ridiculous. But for a few moments yesterday, I got to nurse Miriam in the Mother's lounge with only ONE extra kid and so, I got to breathe and listen to the words. It was lovely, and beyond the speaker, I had some ideas that I need to get into a word document. That doesn't happen much on Sundays (ever, actually, I try not to work on Sundays), so rather than risk losing my ideas, I jotted them down right then and there (also a miracle, I HAD A PEN AND PAPER!)

I'm thankful for small tender mercies, like a hungry baby and a quiet toddler. I'm thankful that my spiritual self is learning to listen over a bit of chaos as well. Sometimes my best ideas come while I'm wiping off a table or loading the dishwasher, and I'm grateful for that.

(Please note the pile of rocks behind my notes. My life is strange. I can't deny it.)



So, I'm trusting that John 16:13 is true when it says, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come."

I trust that I will hear and be shown the things that I need to do to get this project finished. :)

In the meantime, I shall also continue to try and not yell at my kids when they make messes when I'm distracted. It's a process, people. A PROCESS.

Why is it Called "Practicing Perfection"?

Derek and I hashed this out a bit last night. We want the message of all THIS to be "No one is perfect, you can't be in this life, but that's okay because we keep trying to improve, to be better and in the end, our Savior makes up the difference."

But that was a very long title for a blog or book.

So, we settled here: Practicing Perfection. You keep going, you don't stop trying, you try a little harder to be a little better. You practice for eternity each and every day.

The JST of Hebrews 6:3 says, "And we will go on unto perfection, if God permit." 

Go on, eventually, someday, we'll get there in the next life. This life is a trial, a practice-run for the real deal. Practicing, improving and getting better, working toward our eternal goals is vital. So that someday, through Grace of our God, we'll be perfected in Him.

So, we practice. Every time we get out of bed, we are working on being better, and having faith that in the end, it'll all be okay.

Do Not Be Afraid

***souce: Morgan***