Being different and becoming ONE.

Recently we have been talking about the apostle Paul and his teachings. I have been learning that it was not always easy for him to preach to those who disagreed with his beliefs. I love how he often tried to find a common ground with those he met. He loved them, appreciated their truth, and shared what he knew with them. I have often found people wanting to go head-to-head with me and try to 'prove' something about religious beliefs (or rather they have found me). Through some of these experiences, I have found that Paul's approach really works! It really is better to start with (and often end with) the truths you agree on if you want to learn from each other.

Some dear friends of ours attend a Baptist church. One morning, a few years ago, I ran into the husband on my way to a meeting for Primary (the Sunday school program for children at our church). During our conversation, I mentioned where I was going and he seemed really interested. He asked a couple more questions and then said, "You know, I think it's really great that you are willing to serve in your church so much... but that is not what will save you. You Mormons have got it all wrong- it is grace that saves, not what you do!"

I was feeling a little anxious in that moment. I didn't know what to say, or how to engage with him. I wanted to show Christlike love.... I wanted to be honest, but not contentious. I said a silent prayer and then had an inspired thought on how to share what I knew...

"I agree with you! It is grace that saves! I don't serve because I think it will save me, I serve because I love my Savior! I just don't feel like I am really accepting His love and grace in my life if I am not trying to do what I think He would do"

And it's true!! It is because of my love and gratitude for my Savior that I have a desire to serve Him. It is because I accept His role in my life that I have a desire to become more like Him, and minister to others as He did. Especially in Primary. ;) I just know the Savior would never pass up an opportunity to serve and care for His precious little children.

Recently we talked as a family about James 2:26. "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so Faith without works is dead." It is easy to say you believe in Christ. But when you really, truly believe in Christ, when you have faith and gratitude in His atoning power, it changes you. When you know that He is intimately involved in your daily life, and is the sole provider of your salvation, then sitting back and giving lip-service to Him just doesn't seem like enough. Service to Him and to God's children, covenants to become like Him, keeping the commandments He has given... these will not tip the scales of justice in our favor. They are not check-marks in some Heavenly to-do list. More than that, they are a sign of our love, gratitude and commitment to Him. When you love someone, it is easy to want to become like them.

What joy I felt as I bore testimony to this dear friend that not only do I believe in my Savior and His grace, but I was going to do my best to prove it as a sign of gratitude to Him! What tender mercies I felt as I realized that He was feeling joyful too. Then he agreed with me! He loved my reasons for serving. The conversation had quickly gone from a bit of a sneak attack, to a joyful sharing of faith... for both of us!

Not long after that, our friends invited us to attend a Sunday meeting at with their Baptist congregation. We were so grateful to attend and learn from their pastor and congregation. We learned some beautiful truths (for example, that the root of the word 'repent' literally means 'to turn back,' or to turn back to God), and loved spending time with our sweet, faithful, friends. We were able to learn and change for the better as we found common ground, and a little more one-ness in Christ.

What a blessing it is to know our Savior and to share good, uplifting truths with each other. We are not the church of Paul, the church of Apollos, or the church of Mormon... We are the body of Christ. And we need each other. I am so grateful that the spirit has seen fit to teach me that.

Deficits: Too many faults to save myself
Deposits: Grateful that Christ's grace makes up the difference, and that wonderful people help me to know Him better!
Balance: Richly blessed!


Bonus tidbit: A friend of mine shared this beautiful video, and I just love it! There is so much truth here!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUT4trsrBCw&fbclid=IwAR0yKMP5z9y5RbXYv7EN--x0OlY6TepSdwzCLaZ2n9YtFsHhH3kQvYL0gfM&app=desktop

Pure Love

My baby boy is in the cutest phase right now. All I have to do is walk into the room and he will break out into the hugest grin. I don't have to coo or smile at him. I don't have to offer him fun toys. I can be talking on the phone, or doing dishes and I will look over at him and he will be staring right at me, with his face absolutely filled with delight.


I mentioned to my husband late one night that I can't remember ever being so adored for doing absolutely nothing. I told him,
"I don't think anyone has ever been so ecstatic just because I exist."

Almost as soon as I said those words the Spirit mercifully reminded me that he is not the only one who feels that way.

My heart was filled with that beautiful, pure love that only God can give. He loves me just because I exist. That love is not influenced by anything I do or don't do. His love for me does not change because I sometimes drive carpool in my pajamas. It is not influenced by me routinely falling asleep during my scripture study in this phase of sleepless nights. As President Thomas S. Monson said, "It is simply always there."

That message is one that this new, tired mama definitely needed to hear. I'm so grateful that He knows me and loves me.... Even when I'm falling short (and feel like I'm falling apart). What beautiful, divine hope He gives. Where else could we ever find a peace like that?

Deficits: Struggling!! 😬
Deposits: Beautiful, beautiful, LOVE!
Balance: Richly Blessed!

Love is Spoken Here

I love this quote from Peggy O'Mara. I'm actually not sure who she is, but I love it just the same.
"The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice." I have been thinking about this a lot lately.  How do I want that voice to sound?

I am not a big yeller... (something I have worked really hard at), but just because I don't yell doesn't mean my voice is always positive. And this makes me so sad.

I know, I know... I'm a mom. I can't just be positive all the time.

"Hitting your sister again? Well, you sure are building up your arm strength, aren't you?" OR "The 13th outfit you tried on today didn't work either? No rush, just take your time. It's cool if we miss the Sacrament today."

I'm sorry, but some of those teaching moments just can't always sound sugary sweet.

That being said...

I can do better. I need to do better. I want my voice (and my children's inner voices) to start sounding a lot more like the Savior's voice.

Instead of a voice of disappointment, a voice of compassion.
Instead of a voice that criticizes, a voice that teaches.
Instead of a voice that threatens, a voice that encourages.
A voice of unconditional love that helps them understand their incredible worth.

Especially when they are scared, or lonely, or discouraged.
Especially when the voices around them are not very loving.
Especially when they make mistakes.


A few nights ago I sang the song, "Love is Spoken Here," to one of my kids. I couldn't even get through it.

"I see my mother kneeling, with my family each day.
I hear the words she whispers, as she bows her head to pray.
Her plea to the Father, quiets all my fears,
And I am thankful, love is spoken here."

The truths in this songs sunk deep into my soul. I realized that the Lord wanted to use me as a tool to speak peace to my children's hearts. I realized that my words, my prayers, and my love, can help the Savior to calm them in the raging storms they face. What a powerful motivation to speak words of love to them!

And then came a sweet tender mercy.
My brother came to town and we decided to take the kids to a nearby amusement park. My son (who just barely met the height requirement) wanted to ride one of the BIGGEST, scariest, rollercoasters at the park .... sort of.
He kept changing his mind. He finally decided to do it, then turning to me said, "But Mom, will you please sit by me on the rollercoaster?  I feel safe when I'm with you."

And he held my hand the whole. entire. ride...

What a beautiful blessing to know that I can help create a safe place for my sweet children's little hearts. I hope they always feels safe when they're with me. And eventually I hope they realize that they don't need me to feel safe, because they can always be safe in their Savior's loving arms. If I do my job right, I know that they will.


Deficits: Still working on making that voice of love more consistent.
Deposits: Being used a vessel for the Lord to bring peace to others.
Balance: Richly Blessed!

Following the Pattern

Believe.

Love.

Do.

It's a beautifully simple pattern for discipleship, and for reaching out to others ads well (as was recently taught by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf).

Our family chalkboard had been blank for a few days, so I decided to put up this reminder of how simple it is to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I even snapped a quick picture... and it turns out that I was glad I did...

Immediately after I wrote these words, my kiddos thought about them, internalized them, and began showing Christlike love and compassion for each other.....

Hahahahaha! I wish! (Did you really believe that??)

In actuality? They started arguing within minutes. (Not because of my chalkboard art... although I was tempted to think so as their timing was impeccable!)

After quite a lengthy squabble with many warnings and  no foreseeable resolution, I sent them to their rooms for some quiet time. My son was not too happy about this decision, and when the time for his release came, he was still pretty pouty. So pouty that in his agitation he decided to erase the words I had written from the chalkboard... At least the ones he could reach. ha!

I asked him if he knew what had happened to the chalkboard. First he denied his participation. Next, he blamed it on other siblings whose heights did not match the crime. Seeing no way out, he finally fessed up, but was obviously ashamed. I sent him to brush his teeth and asked him to think about this choices while he was brushing.

 A few minutes later, our chalkboard looked like this...

I love it.

And I mean LOVE it.

In fact, I love it even more than my own.

I love it because he tried so hard to follow the pattern that I set, even though it was difficult for him. I love it because it is a manifestation of his sincere remorse and earnest desire to make things right. I love it because, despite the fact that he had made some mistakes, he offered me his very best. I love it because it came from him, and I am just so grateful that he loves me enough to try. (And I told him so!)

After cherishing this beautiful art for a couple of days, I realized that I also love it because it reminds me of how much my Savior loves me.

I am striving to follow the perfect pattern my Savior has set for me, but so often (so very often) my version just doesn't measure up. My version sometimes looks crooked and blotchy. There is evidence of past mistakes and sometimes it might even be hard to decipher what exactly I'm trying to do. But deep down I know that He loves it, and I know because He tells me so. The feelings I receive in my heart as I use the Atonement in my life tell me that even though I stumble, even though I am still working on getting it right, He is grateful that I love Him enough to try. He loves my sincere efforts and He loves me.

So this is my application of that quote from Elder Uchtdorf:
 
Believe (in Him)
Love (Him enough to try)
Do (my best to follow His pattern)

What a beautiful pattern. What a beautiful reminder that I don't have to be perfect, I just have to love Him enough to keep trying. I am so grateful for my Savior's patience with me and his acceptance of my imperfect offerings. What a blessing it is to have the love of Christ in my life!


Deficits: I am not perfect!
Deposits: I know that my Savior loves me!!
Balance: So Richly Blessed!

Look! I "life-hacked!"

We do a lot of baking at our house... which means we go through a 10-pound bag of flour in about a minute... which means we store our baking supplies in 5 gallon buckets instead of those cute little countertop canisters. They work great, except for the fact that they're big. And heavy.

When it's time to bake we have one of three options.
1) Lift the whole 25ish pounds and carry it to the countertop.
2) Carry one cup of flour at a time from the pantry to the countertop, inevitably leaving a trail of flour (or worse, sugar) on the floor.
3) Drag the beastly things and risk scratching the floor.

...and then- Amazon to the rescue!! Can you guess what {this} is??

I'll give you a hint- it's a plant caddy! A plant caddy that happens to *perfectly" fit a 5 gallon food bucket! Now those heavy buckets roll easily, saving both my back and my floor- two things I care deeply about. (Ok, maybe "deeply" is a strong word, but still...)

Linky: https://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-95142-Round-Planter-12-Inch/dp/B005J9CU8W/ref=sr_1_51?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1469507050&sr=1-51&keywords=plant+caddy

There are some less (and more) expensive options, however, I suggest getting ones with 4 wheels for stability.

Have a happy day!

Deficits: Now to keep the rest of the pantry organized... ;)
Deposits: Life-hack! and clean(er) floors! yay!!

Balance: Richly Blessed!

I tried today

 

This day definitely did not go like I planned.

I tried to be totally patient with my kids today.
I failed...

I tried to eat completely nutritious food all day.
I failed...

I tried to be on time to every appointment today.
I really failed at that one!


A couple of days ago I had the opportunity to hear T.C. Christensen (a cinematographer/film producer/director extraordinaire) speak. He talked about a film he created called "Ephraim's Rescue," about an inspired man whose efforts saved hundreds of handcart pioneers on the trail. During one point in the movie (based on true events), a woman asks Ephraim if he is a Holy man. He responds by telling her that he has too many faults to count. She then asks, "Then how can you do so much good?" He answers, "I try."

T.C. went on to explain that in all of his research he found that Ephraim was not, in fact, perfect. He did have many faults, but he helped many wonderful things happen because he tried.



Today was not a perfect day. Not by any stretch of the imagination. I could spend several hours describing all of the mistakes I made today, and there are probably many more I didn't even know I made, and more yet to be made... but I tried.

I was fortunate to find a few quiet moments of reflection today. Becoming distracted by the faults, errors, and to-do list of the day was all too easy, but I tried to bring my thoughts to a higher place. As I did, I found peace. Peace in knowing that my Heavenly Father knows my efforts, that He knows my heart, and that He loves me. Peace in knowing that even though I fail more than I would like, my Father sent His Son and He will never fail me. I can't imagine what life would be like without the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

They say the path to hell is paved by good intentions. If that is true, I hope the path to Heaven is paved by sincere efforts. I am so grateful for a Father in Heaven who blesses me for my efforts... not just for the outcomes that I so often hope for and never seem to reach. It gives me hope, and gives me the courage to keep trying!

I will end with this beautiful quote...

Deficits: too many to count- and that's okay
Deposits: Keep trying!!!

Balance: Richly Blessed!

I see the light!

This is one of my very, very most favorite songs.

Just listen and try not to get the chills!


You can even read it and get the chills!

I see the light of the temple at night
As it shines, it reminds me,
I must prepare if I hope to go there,
But I need someone to guide me.

Please teach me about the temple.
Please show me how to prepare.
And all of my life I will try
To be worthy to enter there.
Please teach me about the temple.
I want to know so that someday I may go.

See?!? It's just. plain. beautiful.

This song was written for the dedication of the Mount Timpanogos Temple. Which my son happens to be able to see shining at night from his bedroom window.

Every time he sees it, he wants me to sing this song. It is his favorite part of his bedtime routine.

Well, we had a bittersweet moment a few months ago. We have lived next to an empty field for the past 9 years, and we found out that we were FINALLY going to have neighbors! We also found out that the neighbors house was {maybe} going to block our view of the temple.

We LOVE our new neighbors... but I was a little sad that we might be saying goodbye to our sweet nighttime ritual...

I needed a PLAN!

So here's what I did...

Ta-da! With just a few simple steps, my son now has his own personal glowing temple... sans view! Yay!! My daughter also loved it, and of course she needed to have one too. Nighttime ritual saved!!!

The bonus is... my son can still see the real temple from his bedroom window... but now we all have a couple extra reminders to stay focused on this beautiful, incredible gift from our Heavenly Father.

We love the temple!


Deficits: I actually can't think of one right now... and I'm not going to try too hard because they're normally terribly easy to find!
Deposits: Temples! How beautiful they are!! <3

Balance: Richly Blessed!