We live in an age of electronics and text messaging. A time of blogging and facebook and twitter and even snapchat. A time when it is easy to get lost in the view of the world, without really being part of what is going on around us.
I have heard so often that there are times when we need to "disconnect". It is easy to let life rule you with alarms and texts and emails and projects. But sometimes, we just need to be in the here and now. We need to stop and look around us. We need to be right here, exactly where are feet are.
When we are living in the moment, instead of in the future or the past, it is easier to be kind to ourselves. It is easier to find joy and satisfaction. When we can see our children playing with the puppy, or laughing at the birds or bouncing on the trampoline, we can be a part of their lives instead of passive observers along the way.
I love to take pictures. I love photography and the chances I have had to observe what is going on around me, however, I don't think I ever realized before how often I am not in the pictures. I am the left out observer and recorder of the events. When I look back through the family photography, I am missing from most of the shots. I really do hate having my picture taken. But I am realizing that there are times when we all need to be a participant, exactly here and now, and not on the outside looking in. There are times when we need to come out from behind the viewer and be in front of the lens.
Oh yes, today this one is for me. I struggle with this. Once, quite a few years ago, I was struggling in my personal life, and someone at work asked me how I could profess to have faith, and then still be depressed and filled with anxiety. Of course, that statement rather ruined my day, but later on, caused me to look really hard at faith in general, and especially my own faith.
I do have faith, often times, lots of it. But sometimes, it seems as if I struggle to exercise that faith when things go wrong. I have a hard time putting aside worry, and a harder time putting aside the hurt. I can look back at things and really be okay with the way they turned out. To the point that I can accept those times in my life as the things that have helped to make me who I am today. But when I am in the midst of trials, I have a much harder time maintaining the faith that everything will work out for the best, no matter what that might be.
I have decided that it doesn't matter what others think about my faith. As hard as it is, faith is personal, between me and my Savior. What those around me perceive is not nearly as important. I also know that I am blessed, often in unmentionable ways. I know that my Savior lives, that He loves me and that He knows me personally. He knows my name and my heart.
I also know that I am not perfect. But I do strive to get a little better each day. I am truly working on having the faith to be okay no matter how things turn out in my life. There is good and bad for each one of us. Sometimes the most difficult parts of the journey are the ones that bring us the greatest lessons to learn, and eventually, even great joy. So, although I can't always say that I am okay right this minute, if you give me a little time to think about it, I will, in time, admit to being okay with the way things have turned out.
Maybe, before the end of this crazy life I am living, I will reach the point where I can shrug it off, and move on. I don't know everything, but I do know enough to keep in going in the direction that I am moving in. I know that I am a daughter of God. I know enough to believe. I know enough to hold fast. I know enough to desire to become.
I love this thought. It has been so true in my life. I really am working to make it better. A really good example of this is how we remember things when we are young. Several years ago, I went back to the neighborhood where I grew up. I walked to the school that I attended for elementary school, I looked at the apartment that I lived it. I drove the alley where we used to play cowboys and Indians and shoot each other with cap guns.
In my mind, the walk to school is so much longer than it really is, the apartment was so much bigger, and the alley was not a dusty track of gravel filled with trash and empty bottles. In my mind, I see the things that happened, but they are all bigger and somehow more, than reality. There are no more fields filled with tumble weeds waiting for us to build forts, there are no more canals to swim in.
My adult eyes see the area as not such a grand place.
My adult eyes see things that the child never did.
My adult eyes miss the wonder that the child once believed it.
My life has been filled with insecurity. I have large blanks in my memories. I don’t remember really being happy. There are few times that I remember laughing and having good family times. I know we did, at least once in a while, but I honestly don’t remember much of the good that had to be there. That must have existed in the world I knew. I know it was, because my brother and sister remember good times. Sometimes, they even remind me and then I remember. They reminded me of going to pick an ice cream cone on Friday nights when my mom got paid. We all got to pick our favorite colors and flavors. My mom always got daiquiri ice. My sister always got bubble gum. I still can’t remember what I would get, but knowing me, it was probably some form of chocolate.
I tend to remember the bad times that I have been through. They live forever in my head and color my view of what reality was. I remember falling on my bike and needing stitches. I remember passing out when I got a penicillin shot. I remember heartache and not having friends. I remember too much grief and pain and too little love and appreciation.
If it was not good, I remember those things.
My point is that both sides are a form of the truth. There were good times in my childhood, but there were also really bad ones. I had so much insecurity in my life, that the world became a scary place to live. I didn’t want to remember it and so, I have conveniently, forgotten everything that might be important.
My heart sometimes wishes that I could remember the good things that my brother and sister do, but my head creates another life for me, another form of reality. Things are like that to a point for all of us. We all remember things just a little bit differently. We remember heartaches differently as well as kindnesses. We hurt differently, we endure differently, we grieve differently. We all feel our pasts. We all remember our insecurities. We all create our own versions of truth and lies. Interestingly, we even start to believe "if you don't remember it my way, you are lying".
So maybe, just maybe, we all ought to be just a little kinder to each other and try to understand just a little more. We need to open our hearts to the love that surrounds us. We need to let go of those things in the past that we are holding onto and that are holding on to us. We need to believe that He can Heal every single part of us.
He knows us, He knows our insecurities and our thoughts and every single one of our lies.
And yet, He loves us in spite of our worst selves.
He loves us for the truths that we will come to know.
He loves us for the hearts that are overcome with goodness.
Today is the day that I love. I get to join with a bunch of other women who love to write just as much as I do. I hope you take a minute to join us over at Kate's place and leave your own five minutes of joy with the rest of us. Today's prompt is:
Whisper
START Many years ago, I found a scripture that I love with all my heart. It is found in
1 Kings 19:11-12
“And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: “And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice
Sometimes, our lives can be hard. We cry out to the Lord and want Him to answer with a shout, or at least a talking voice. We want desperately to know that He hears us and that He knows us and that He will take the burden from us. We want Him to punish those who hurt us or who hurt others. We want Him to fix it all. To somehow make it not hurt anymore. We want Him to be a fixer of all pain, a healer of all hurts and we want it right now.
I have had to learn that the Lord doesn’t usually shout at us. His voice doesn’t roar. It is a very small whisper of hope. And if we are not paying attention, it is drowned out in the noise of everything else around us. It becomes nearly impossible to hear.
Sometimes, in my heart, the Lord is so real to me that I can’t believe I don’t hear Him all the time. I can’t believe that I allow the noise of all the things that aren’t important to drown out the whispers of everything that is most important. I have learned that the Lord doesn’t stop whispering to His children, we simply stop listening to that still small voice.
He loves us. He wants us to know that. He knows your face. He knows your name. He knows exactly what you need. I have found that I am more willing to listen when my heart is aching; when my future seems uncertain; when I have tears upon my cheeks. His whispers bring me comfort and help me to change; they bring me peace in the turmoil of the world.
Hope whispers whenever we have difficulties; whenever we face trials and adversity. Hope whispers with a gentle touch and a heavenly breath. His is always the voice of Hope. He would never whisper discouragement or anger. He whispers hope, peace, love and trust. He whispers kindness. He whispers, every single day, He whispers.
Today, I am linking up for Five minute Friday over at Lisa Jo's. I love the chance to just write for five minutes and see what happens. It is such a joy to share these few moments.
So, I hope you join me and write without edits and without constraint. Just write, without worrying if it is right or not.
Now, set your timer, clear your head, for five minutes of free writing without worrying about getting it right.
1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you
need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them
in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And
the heart of this community..
OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on:::
See…
- See more at: http://lisajobaker.com/#sthash.MwOA8ziK.dpuf
Now, set your timer, clear your head, for five minutes of free writing without worrying about getting it right.
1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you
need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them
in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And
the heart of this community..
OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on:::
See…
- See more at: http://lisajobaker.com/#sthash.MwOA8ziK.dpuf
Now, set your timer, clear your head, for five minutes of free writing without worrying about getting it right.
1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you
need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them
in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And
the heart of this community..
OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on:::
See…
- See more at: http://lisajobaker.com/#sthash.MwOA8ziK.dpuf
Now, set your timer, clear your head, for five minutes of free writing without worrying about getting it right.
1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you
need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them
in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And
the heart of this community..
OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on:::
See…
- See more at: http://lisajobaker.com/#sthash.MwOA8ziK.dpuf
Now, set your timer, clear your head, for five minutes of free writing without worrying about getting it right.
1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you
need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them
in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And
the heart of this community..
OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on:::
See…
- See more at: http://lisajobaker.com/#sthash.MwOA8ziK.dpuf
The prompt today is.....
Now, set your timer, clear your head, for five minutes of free writing without worrying about getting it right.
1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you
need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them
in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And
the heart of this community..
OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on:::
See…
- See more at: http://lisajobaker.com/#sthash.a9j29wKt.dpuf
SEE
START
Sometimes, I close my eyes tight and the dark surrounds me. I feel it in my heart and in my soul. If I relax my eyelids, a tiny bit of white light seeps through the edges. I still can't see, but that is alright because I know the light is there. I know that if I just open my eyes, the world will be reaching and grasping, pulling from my time and my attention. I don't always want to see the world. I don't always want to face the problems in the here and now. Sometimes, I want to drift, in and out of a quiet, dark place.
I give myself time to center and reach for His hands; time to recognize His touch; time to trust. I haven't seen his eyes, but I am surrounded by His miracles. When the world rushes into my sight and drives out the peace, I must be willing to close my outer eyes and see within. I must center myself in faith and love. I must Come Unto Him.
It is said that without the darkness, we could not see the stars, and that is true. It is one of the things I miss most about my home when I leave to visit others. Up here, the stars shine like eyes in the sky. They are bright, vibrant, and beautiful. In the city, they are dim. But I know they are still there waiting. I just have to be in the right place to truly see them.
God is like that for me. Sometimes, the things that seem to matter most, right this moment, are the things that make Him invisible to my sight. I can get carried away in too many good things. And so I have to stop and focus and look again to truly see.
My crown might be invisible, yet I remember that I am really the daughter of a Heavenly King.
STOP
Now it is your turn. What can you write in your own five minutes? Don't forget to go back over to Lisa Jo's and link up with the rest of us to share your story.
"Precious moments of opportunity to interact and converse with our children dissolve when we are occupied with distractions. Why not choose a time each day to disconnect from technology and reconnect with each other? Simply turn everything off. When you do this, your home may seem quiet at first; you may even feel at a loss as to what to do or say. Then, as you give full attention to your children, a conversation will begin, and you can enjoy listening to each other."
I love this quote. We live in this crazy-busy society. It is non-stop movement. We run here, there and literally everywhere. We have appliances to make our work easier so that we have even more time to run faster. We take the kids to dance, sports, school events, church, youth activities and even more events. Sometimes, it seems as if it will never slow down. Sometimes it seems as if I will never slow down. Turning everything off seems like heaven to me right now. Just think what it would be like to have no phone, no TV and no ipods. I could actually hear my children when they are sitting next to me. More important, they could actually hear me. I think that busyness can be the curse of our society. We get so wrapped up in so many good things, that we can't see the things that are better just around the corner. It is harder and harder to hear the spirit of the Lord with all the noise and confusion in our lives. So, I say, let's all turn off technology for a moment or a time or even a day. Let's just take a few extra minutes to get acquainted again with the people around us who mean the most to us. Let's enjoy our time together and make it something really special.
"Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey and share our love with friends and family. One day, each of us will run out of tomorrows. Let us not put off what is most important."—Thomas S. Monson, "Love at Home--Counsel from Our Prophet"
I sometimes get so caught up in the necessities of living, that I forget to take time to look for the joy. It is the simple things that really do mean the most. The kindness of a stranger, the time spent with a friend, the laughter of children, the comfort of family. We have so many blessing in our lives. It is just a matter of stopping for a moment and recognizing those things that surround us. Joy is everywhere. I found these two flowers in my own backyard. They were just waiting for me to smile. I found a little joy just by taking a moment to notice.
Heavenly Father created this amazing world that we live in. Yes, we have trials and heartaches and difficulties. Life can be so hard at times and it is easy to lose our way, so He also gave us moments of joy that remind us He is near. Those small things that remind us to take a moment and just breathe. Just take it in. Just let it go. Small islands of joy to remind us that the journey is worth it. He loves us and we are His.
"Our children today are growing up surrounded by voices urging them to abandon that which is right and to pursue, instead, the pleasures of the world. Unless they have a firm foundation in the gospel of Jesus Christ, a testimony of the truth, and a determination to live righteously, they are susceptible to these influences. It is our responsibility to fortify and protect them."—Thomas S. Monson, "Three Goals to Guide You"
There are so many voices in the world around us. I was just talking to my younger daughters about the days when "everyone" did not have television in their homes. When there was no cable TV. Only the channels that you could get on one single turn around dial. We talked about when TV would turn off at midnight and the station would play the National Anthem and show the flag. It would not come back on until 6:00AM. If you turned it on, we only saw the grey screen of death. We played outside and did not watch TV after school. We spent time with our families. Divorce was uncommon even though it did happen now and then. Girls did not play sports with Boys. We had to compete separately. I am not saying that everything was better. I know that I really wanted to do some of the things that the boys got to do. But I also know that we were no surrounded by so many voices urging us in the wrong directions. It scares me to know what my children face today. It scares me to see the things that surround them. I am older. My testimony is stronger. Yet there are things out there that I know would weaken me if I let them. I know to stay away. The youth of today still have to learn to be more like Joseph in the Old Testament. When Potipher's Wife tried to tempt him, he left his coat and ran away. There are things in this world today that we need to not investigate. That the best thing for us to do is to run away. We must teach our children to make choices that put them on firm ground and not shakily in the air. There is a reason that the great and spacious building that Nephi speaks about was up in the air. It did not have a foundation on the ground. It's foundation was not real. Today, there are so many things that sound good, but they aren't. They sound right, but they aren't. They demand our attention to be away from those things which matter most. There is so much noise in the would we live in that it makes it so much harder to hear the still small voice that is ever willing to help us through. We have to listen harder. We have to pay more attention. We have to be willing to put the world away. We have to be standing on firm ground.
We all have times when we just look. We observe without really seeing. A glance, a moment, but we are not really paying attention. Time passes and we miss the things that just might be important. All the little things get swallowed in the minute moments. To "look" is to see the obvious; to really "see" is to wonder, inquire, and understand at a deep level, it is to make connections to people and things and to even change the world around us. To really see is to understand that we all have to power to change for the better. Sometimes people look at the common as interesting and uncommon. Others see the situations around them from very unique perspectives. As we begin to see, observe, and study the small details of objects or situations, we will start to notice things differently. We will start to see the uniqueness that surrounds us. We just need to slow down and observe. The journey begins with how each of us chooses to see.
“We come to love not by finding a perfect person,
but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly”
I think this is one of the hardest things to learn for me. My list of "to do's" is way too long. I also don't feel that I have been successful unless I have everything done. My list is too much like the family laundry, no matter how many times you do it, it is never entirely finished! After all, someone is wearing the clothes today that I will need to wash tomorrow!
My problem with trying to do too much is on-going. My husband is fond of telling people that he doesn't need to do any volunteer work, his wife does it all. There are just so many good things that need doing and so few people to get them done.
I remember when I would volunteer to do something and there would be so many people to help that I would have to go home early. Now, I am lucky if I am not the only one doing it. That is so sad to me. If everyone pitches in, the work goes fast and it is fun to do. Then we all go home to whatever else needs doing.
Too many people just don't want to do their parts. They want to have to fun without the work. I see it more and more. It is the same women that bring dinners. The same people who stay to clean up. The same ones who leave early. It makes me so sad to think of all the things that we could be doing just a little bit better, if we would just work together to get things done.
I am still planning on helping where I am needed, and pitching in where it is necessary, but I am also going to work on being a little more careful of what I volunteer for. Life is full of good things that need doing. It is full of worth causes. I just don't want to be choosing a good cause, when I should be spending time on a more important one.
So today, I am trying to learn to leave the unimportant things undone, so that I can spend more time on those things that are most important. The things that truly hold my heart in all of their wonderful hands. Today, I am going to pause, breath and just enjoy the many gifts that the Lord has given to me. I am truly blessed. I am wanted. I am loved. I am with family.
1000 Blessings
31. A mid-west thunderstorm.
32. A visit to my Grand-daughters classroom.
33. Others who love my children.
34. All the work and effort that teachers put into their classes.
35. Andy's Frozen Custard (need I say more!).
"Feed" yourself spiritually "Feast" upon the scriptures
We are a family that tries our hardest to do the things that are right. Most of the time, it is not easy. As a matter of fact, trying to choose the right can be downright hard! One of the more difficult things that we do is fast. I taught a lesson on fasting in Relief Society a couple of months ago. So, since I was teaching, I often use the things I am learning on my own family. We talk about the different principles and how to live them together.
My youngest daughter listened to the lesson, then she came over and climbed on my lap, put her arms around my neck and whispered in my ear. "Mom, do you remember when I was still a little girl?"
(I smiled because she is still pretty little to me).
"Of course I do Nie nie, why?"
"Well", she said, "I used to think that fasting wasn't something you did. It was just something that meant the day went by really, really fast!"
I laughed at her. "Does the day still seem to go by fast?"
"Oh no, mom, sometimes it is really, really slow."
I love my children. They are so good about trying to do their best. Sometimes Sundays can be very slow when you are hungry and you want to eat. But, this gave us a wonderful opportunity to talk about fasting for others and fasting with a purpose. We have been able to fast for family members and for each other. The girls have been able to see prayers answered and lives changed. They know that fasting is hard, but it is also something that can bring the Spirit into our lives and help those we love.
Fasting has to be with a purpose. We usually find someone to fast for. As we turn our hearts and prayers toward others, we are blessed in our own lives. This year has been an amazing experience for our entire family as the girls have added their own fasts and prayers to those who need them. They have been able to see and experience the results of their own simple faith. Sundays have become a day of joy, worship and family for us. Sometimes they go a little slow, but other times, it is a day that passes very, very fast.
My office is decorated from years of foreign exchange students. They like to bring gifts. Most of them have an oriental theme to them and we don't have any free walls at home, so I took them to work. I love looking at the world map on my wall and all of the treasures from all around the world that I have on display. This is one of my favorites. It is on red silk and the picture does not even begin to do it justice.
I work at the Post Office. I get so involved with work, that it is easy to forget to be where I need to be, when I need to be there. Sometimes I forget to remember those that are most important to me. Hence the office door. Several years ago, I started to hang the kids pictures on my door. It serves as a constant reminder of those things which are most important in my life.
When I get involved in work, I look up from my desk and there are those sweet letters and pictures to help me remember why I am here and what I am doing. The pictures were all done over the course of a couple of years. They never fail to bring a smile to my lips and joy to my heart.
I wonder why she drew me as a round circle???? Can you see the resemblance?
I love rainbows. Those always remind me of my Heavenly Father and that His promises are sure. They remind me that I have made covenants with Him and He will honor His side of the covenant as long as I honor mine. They also remind me to take joy in the simple things that surround me.
This is what happens when I leave Miracle in charge. She gets a little carried away by the rules! I think that the world we live in is full of distractions. It is so easy to get caught up in doing the wrong thing. The thing that is not important. My office reminds me of the things that are most important of all. May you also be surrounded by something that reminds you who you are and what you need to be doing. And may we all go forth and be what we need to be.
A fable is told about an eagle who thought he was a chicken. When the eagle was very small, he fell from the safety of his nest. A chicken farmer found the eagle, brought him to the farm, and raised him in a chicken coop among his many chickens. The eagle grew up doing what chickens do, living like a chicken, and believing he was a chicken.
A naturalist came to the chicken farm to see if what he had heard about an eagle acting like a chicken was really true. He knew that an eagle is king of the sky. He was surprised to see the eagle strutting around the chicken coop, pecking at the ground, and acting very much like a chicken. The farmer explained to the naturalist that this bird was no longer an eagle. He was now a chicken because he had been trained to be a chicken and he believed that he was a chicken.
The naturalist knew there was more to this great bird than his actions showed as he "pretended" to be a chicken. He was born an eagle and had the heart of an eagle, and nothing could change that. The man lifted the eagle onto the fence surrounding the chicken coop and said, "Eagle, thou art an eagle. Stretch forth thy wings and fly." The eagle moved slightly, only to look at the man; then he glanced down at his home among the chickens in the chicken coop where he was comfortable. He jumped off the fence and continued doing what chickens do. The farmer was satisfied. "I told you it was a chicken," he said.
The naturalist returned the next day and tried again to convince the farmer and the eagle that the eagle was born for something greater. He took the eagle to the top of the farmhouse and spoke to him: "Eagle, thou art an eagle. Thou dost belong to the sky and not to the earth. Stretch forth thy wings and fly." The large bird looked at the man, then again down into the chicken coop. He jumped from the man's arm onto the roof of the farmhouse.
Knowing what eagles are really about, the naturalist asked the farmer to let him try one more time. He would return the next day and prove that this bird was an eagle. The farmer, convinced otherwise, said, "It is a chicken."
The naturalist returned the next morning to the chicken farm and took the eagle and the farmer some distance away to the foot of a high mountain. They could not see the farm nor the chicken coop from this new setting. The man held the eagle on his arm and pointed high into the sky where the bright sun was beckoning above. He spoke: "Eagle, thou art an eagle! Thou dost belong to the sky and not to the earth. Stretch forth thy wings and fly." This time the eagle stared skyward into the bright sun, straightened his large body, and stretched his massive wings. His wings moved, slowly at first, then surely and powerfully. With the mighty screech of an eagle, he flew.
(In Walk Tall, You're A Daughter Of God, by Jamie Glenn, pp. 22-4.)
I love this story! It has so many meanings to it. But the one I want to focus on today is that our Heavenly Father is the naturalist. He knows our potential and what we CAN become. He knows that we are not and never have been, meant to be chickens. If the opinion of others is the only one we listen to, than we will not ever reach our divine potential. Have you ever noticed, that when you want to do something right, when you want to be your best, others seem to be right there to try and talk you out of it. They would encourage you to stay right where you are. To stay in the barnyard where it is safe. To be just like everybody else.
Long ago, the famous author Charles Dickens wrote of opportunities that wait. In his classic book entitled Great Expectations, Charles Dickens described a boy by the name of Philip Pirrip, (he was usually called, Pip). Pip was born in unusual and sad circumstances. He was an orphan.
He wanted so much more from his life. He wished with all his heart that he were a scholar and a gentleman. Yet, no matter what he did, all of his ambitions and all of his hopes seemed doomed to failure.
Don't we each feel just a little like Pip some days? Don't we each think about these things from time to time? Don't we hope for something better as we go through our journey?
The story continues that one day a lawyer named Jaggers, from London, approached Pip and told him that an someone unknown had left a fortune to him. The lawyer put his arm around Pip's shoulder and said to him, “My boy, you have great expectations.”
We all have "great expectations"- not as a result of someone that we do not know, but rather, as a result of someone we know very well- our Heavenly Father. Great things are expected of each one of us.
Life’s journey is not traveled on a pothole-free highway. There are plenty of obstacles and trials for each of us. Our journey is instead, a pathway that is filled with changes and turnings. We are forced to constantly make decisions. To make them wisely, we must have to courage to become the eagles that the Lord has ordained us to be. We must have courage to climb, to fly, and to soar. Sometimes, we need to have the courage to say, “No,” and sometimes we need the courage to say, “Yes.”
We choose whether we stay in the chicken coop, or whether we are willing to become all that the Lord would have us be. It is our decisions that determine our destiny.
Did you know that there is a sound that children can hear, but their parents can't? I have heard about it before, but never known where to find it. I have heard about it because I sometimes teach college classes and cell phones continue to be a big problem in class. Presbycusis is a common degenerative condition that affects most adults. (How is that for a fancy name of a condition that you just might have! Do you feel old yet?)
People who are affected by this usually start losing the ability to hear higher frequency noises around the age of 18 and their hearing progressively deteriorates throughout their later years in life. Can you believe that the association between advanced age and high-tone deafness was first described by a Dutch scientist in 1899.
This condition is considered a natural side effect of aging, and the exact cause of this type of hearing loss is unknown.
Modern day teenagers have discovered a way to take advantage of this unique situation. There are cell phone ring tones on the web that allow teenagers to hear this sound in places that receiving calls or text messages might be inappropriate. Places like church, school, concerts and work.
I was surfing the web the other night (something I like to do, but don't usually find the time for) and I came across a website that plays the sound over your computer. As long as the speakers are on you can hear (or not hear) the noise. It is called a mosquito ring tone. I went to one of the web sites and played the "noise" over my computer. All three of the girls immediately said, "what is that annoying noise? What is making that sound". They started looking around for it. My husband said, "What noise? There is no unusual noise in here." The girls than started to explain the noise to him. He did not believe them. They argued about the buzzing sound. I sat, smiling at my computer.
How does what you hear or don't hear make a difference in learning the gospel? We have heard often, that we need to become as little children. My little children can hear things that I can't. They can listen to things that I don't know. Maybe the message should be to learn to listen as a child would listen. To really pay attention to that soft sound.
How many of you have ever sat in a church meeting, or gospel discussion and had something in the talk just really make a difference in how you look at things? Have you ever wondered why others don't learn the same information that you do? I have. Especially when I believe that it is a great talk or lesson.
I was reading in one of the past ensigns and found this thought:
"Now I would ask you to think about...your own ability to have great spiritual experiences as you attend a class or a sacrament meeting on Sunday. What is your role in creating the environment in which the Spirit can teach you the things you need to know? If you find a Church class or a sacrament meeting boring, does that say more about the teacher—or about you?
Consider the response of President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) when someone once asked him, “What do you do if you find yourself caught in a boring sacrament meeting?” President Kimball thought a moment, then replied, “I don’t know; I’ve never been in one.” With his long years of Church experience, President Kimball had undoubtedly been to many meetings where people had read their talks, spoken in a monotone, or given travelogues instead of teaching doctrine. But most likely, President Kimball was teaching that he did not go to sacrament meeting to be entertained; he went to worship the Lord, renew his covenants, and be taught from on high. If he attended with an open heart, a desire to be “nourished by the good word of God” (Moroni 6:4), and a prayer—rather than judgment—for the speakers, the Spirit would teach him what he needed to do to be a more effective and faithful disciple. President Kimball was teaching the principle of learning by the Spirit" (A. Roger Merrill, “To Be Edified and Rejoice Together,” Ensign, Jan 2007, 64–69).
This simple story about President Kimball really struck a cord in me. I could not say the same thing about my own experiences in church meetings. I think that President Kimball was trying to teach me that I need to take responsibility for my own learning. I need to do the things to prepare myself so that the Spirit can teach me.
I have sometimes heard people complain that they did not like a lesson or talk. I know that there have been weeks where I don't think that I learned anything. Reading this about President Kimball made me take another look at the way I do things.
I have learned that part of taking responsibility for my own learning means taking the time to prepare to be taught. When I read my scriptures daily, study the lesson, and pray for the teachers and the speakers, I have found that I get much more out of my meetings. I also started carrying a composition notebook and pen in my scriptures. It is a small one that fits in the pocket of my scripture case. I use that to write down the thoughts, scriptures, and stories that mean the most to me. I try to find at least one thing in every talk that applies to me. I have been doing this for a little more than two months now, and I can honestly say that I have not been to a boring meeting since I have started this experiment.
So, take this challenge and prepare yourself to be taught. You might just be a little surprised as your ears are opened and you hear the lessons that the Lord wants you to hear and find a way to apply them in your life. And you just might find out (as I have done) that there really are no boring Sacrament meetings.
By the way, I didn't hear the mosquito noise either, but I sure wasn't going to let my girls know that! Sometimes, what they don't know, won't have the chance to hurt them!
I have three girls. Well, I actually have seven, but only three of them are still home. The rest have out grown the squabbles of youth and moved on into the hurdles of adulthood.
One of the biggest challenges I face with the remaining three, is to get these sweet spirits motivated. Their favorite saying seems to be, "but mom, I caannn'ttttt!"
Why is it that they can't do the things they don't want to do? But they can manage to do the things they want to! Take the dishes. Now, they will let those dishes build up to a mountain that even I am afraid to tackle! On the other hand, if they want to go somewhere or do something, it is amazing how that mountain moves.
There are days that all I can do is shake my head and hope this too shall pass.
We went to the mall the other day and my girls went in a store to look at dishwashers! They all came to tell me how little they cost and how they wouldn't mind putting the dishes in or taking them out. I have to admit, they tried pretty hard to get a dishwasher in our kitchen. However, I also have to admit, that it would never have fit. We have a very small kitchen and until we get enough money saved to remodel, there will be no dishwasher for this house.
Sometimes, life is like that. There is something we think we want. Something that we have convinced ourselves might make our lives just a little easier. Something that we can dream about and distract ourselves from getting the job done in the first place. This something, doesn't seem like a problem. It doesn't seem like a distraction. It seems like a solution. But, if you look close, it is just an empty promise. What good would it do to put a dishwasher in a kitchen that didn't have a place for it to go? What good does it do to dream about it, plan for it, and want it, when it is not the best thing for our home.
I have decided that Satan can get to us through these small, seemingly insignificant distractions in our lives. These are the levers that he uses to get in to our hearts. He takes something that we don't need and turns it into something that we want. Than he takes those wants and uses them to keep us from getting what we really need. As long as our focus is on the distractions in our lives, it isn't on the Lord and His Son. So, what empty promises are working as distractions in your life?
I found a great talk from Elder Quentin L Cook. Here is part of it:
"When our children were small, my wife, Mary, and I decided to follow a tradition which my father taught when I was a child. He would meet with us individually to help us set goals in various aspects of our lives and then teach us how Church, school, and extracurricular activities would help us achieve those goals...Having been the beneficiary of this tradition, I had the desire to engage in this practice with my children. When our son, Larry, was five years old, I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. He said he wanted to be a doctor like his Uncle Joe. Larry had experienced a serious operation and had acquired great respect for doctors, especially his Uncle Joe. I proceeded to tell Larry how all the worthwhile things he was doing would help prepare him to be a doctor.
"Several months later, I asked him again what he would like to be. This time he said he wanted to be an airline pilot...Almost as an afterthought I said, 'Larry, last time we talked you wanted to be a doctor. What has changed your mind?' He answered, 'I still like the idea of being a doctor, but I have noticed that Uncle Joe works on Saturday mornings, and I wouldn’t want to miss Saturday Morning Cartoons.'
"Since that time our family has labeled a distraction from a worthwhile goal as a Saturday Morning Cartoon.
What are some of the Saturday Morning Cartoons that distract us from attaining the joy that we desire? Some want to be married in the temple but only date those who do not qualify for a recommend. Others want to be a good home teacher or visiting teacher but are distracted by the constant parade of TV programs, catalogs, and other material maintenance and don’t find time to minister to those they are assigned to teach. Still others want to have family prayer but allow little matters to build into discord that make it harder for the family to kneel together. If we examine the reasons we don’t do what we ought to do, we find that the list of Saturday Morning Cartoons is almost endless.'"
It is so easy to get distracted in this life. But our Heavenly Father has also sent us guidance today. He knew that we would need the extra help in our lives. He gave us the scriptures to study. They (ancient prophets) wrote them for our time. Just think for a moment. Back during the time of ancient Israel, who was able to read the scriptures? They were not printed and pass out as they are today. They were only available for the prophets and wise men to look at and ponder. Today, they are all over the earth. You can carry them with you. You can read them many times. You can make the parts that mean the most to you. All of these things, you can do because Heavenly Father knew how much you would need their comfort and guidance today.
We also have latter-day prophets to guide us and help us in this journey. If we will listen to their words, we will make better decisions, draw closer to our Heavenly Father, strengthen our faith and have His spirit to be with us. The Prophet will not lead us astray. Don't get distracted by the things that you think you want.
An old Cherokee was teaching his grandchildren about life. He said to them, "A battle is raging inside me ... it is a terrible fight between two wolves. One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
The old man fixed the children with a firm stare. "This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too."
They thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?" The grandfather replied, "The one you feed".
Let us all be more aware of the "Saturday morning cartoon" distractions in our own lives so that we don't keep feeding the wrong wolf. May you remember whose side you are on in this life and above all, may you remember who is on your side!
Tonight I learned another great lesson. I needed to leave the office. Miracle had a volleyball game in Holbrook and I was planning on attending. She has been so good about trying all the sports at school this year, and I really wanted to support her. One thing led to another at work, and I left later than I meant to. It was going to be close, and I knew that I would be late.
It is a long drive to Holbrook and the wind was blowing over 50 mph all the way there. To make matters even worse, I got behind a bunch of trucks, none of whom were going faster than 45 mph. Sooo....I got there late and completely missed her game. Although she was happy to see me, it wasn't the same thing as having me there early enough to see the game.
This got me to thinking a little bit about our earth life and the distractions that take us away from doing what we know we need to do. Sometimes, we have the desire to do right. It burns in our hearts. Our intentions are good, we start out great, we go along just fine, and than something gets in the way. We get distracted by the world and wonder off the path. I love 2nd Nephi 28: 20-22
"For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.
And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well - and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.
And behold, other he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none - and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverence".
I think that in today's hard times, the thing we need to be most aware of is the deception that "all is well". Satan seems to work very well with distractions. We can do a little of this, or a little of that. Gossip a little with our neighbors, not read the scriptures, forget our prayers, stay home from church, lie a little, cheat a little, swear. The distractions go on, but they all have one goal in mind and that is to distract us from the road that leads to eternal life.
Satan doesn't have to lead us completely astray. All he has to do is just distract us from our goal. He just has to keep us off the road that leads home. There is only one way home, but many ways to keep us off the path. I used to wonder how anyone could be distracted away to the great building that Nephi saw in his dream. He truely was talking about our time there. There are so many things that lead to the world and away from the iron rod.
It is so easy to want to be like everyone else, but I wonder if we would make those choices if we could truely see into eternity. Sure it's hard here sometimes. It is supposed to be hard! It is supposed to test us! Remember that Satan's way was the one that would bring us all back, no matter what. His was the way that offered no choices.
If you read the parable of the 10 virgins, you will see that they were all probably good women. They were righteous, they were still virgins, they were waiting for the bridegroom. They were all living the good life, at least by first appearance, But five of them got distracted with the things of the world. They put more worth in the things that matter here and now, but have no value eternally. Because of that, they had to go to buy oil for their lamps and missed their opportunity when the bridegroom came.
Remember, when we die, there are only three things we take with us. Our character, our intellect, and our relationships. Everything else stays. What do you want to have in the next life. Are you so involved in this one that you can't see what he is doing to you? Don't make the same choice that I did today. I sacrificed the things that matter most, for the things that matter least.
Somehow, I don't think that when I die, a single one of my children will say: "I really wish mom would have worked a few more hours!" I think instead, that they will remember the things I did with them and for them and wished that there could have been more time. Today, I let one of my favorite people down for a little bit of work. I am so sorry. I can't undo it though, so I will try and go again and hope that somehow that will make a difference. Don't get so distracted with the things in this life that you make the same mistakes. The things that matter most are always those things that make us better people. They may not always seem to be the most fun, but they are the things that will bring you no regrets. May we each strive to stay on the road that leads to eternal life. Hold to the iron rod. It is worth it.
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