Wednesday evening I decided to treat myself to the hot tub because it was my birthday, so I went to the gym. I put my stuff in a locker, just like I always do. (I have never locked one because I don't own a lock. But I have always figured most people are honest, and it wasn't a huge deal.)
When I was getting dressed again after relaxing in the pool, I realized that my wallet was NOT in my pants' pocket anymore. I dressed as fast as possible, hoping to see it in the locker. It wasn't. It wasn't on the floor. I searched the whole locker room. Nothing.
I went to the front desk in the hopes that someone had turned it in to the lost and found. No one had.
Now, at first this was really devastating to me. Not only did the wallet have my driver's license and all my credit/debit cards, it had my birthday money in it. I had been looking forward to going shopping for some fun stuff for myself.
Anyway, we got the police reports filled out, banks notified, etc. It was a pain, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been for me. (You know, because Scott is a sweetheart and HE did all the icky calls. All I had to do was call a few places yesterday morning to get new cards ordered- things like insurance, etc. He made all the yucky phone calls to banks and credit places...)
As I went to the DMV yesterday morning to get a new license, I thought about how lucky I was. The first thing was that I almost had my wedding ring in that locker as well. But for some reason, I took it off at home and didn't take it to the gym with me. I'd even joked to Scott about taking it off before leaving the house. I've never done that before. (Taking it off before leaving, not teasing Scott...) Now, how devastating would that have been? Losing my ring would have been MUCH harder than the wallet. Everything in the wallet was replaceable...
On top of not losing anything irreplaceable, my friend Cassie watched Katie while I went to the DMV and was more than happy to keep her as long as it took to get the new license. Sometimes that takes HOURS... I was so grateful to her. She was even willing to pick Anna up from school, had I been long enough at the DMV to miss pick up time.
By the time I got the DMV, I was actually looking forward to 'starting fresh' with everything. And you know what? I have lost 20 pounds since my last driver's license picture. I got the first good picture taken for a driver's license in my driving history. (And it only took 15 minutes total.
As I talked to the DMV worker who was processing my application, I was telling her why I needed the replacement. I mentioned that nothing had been irreplaceable. I also said something that I realized was true but that I hadn't realized until I said it out loud. I hoped the money that had been in my wallet had gone to someone who really needed it. I mean, I was going to buy stuff I didn't need to be buying anyway...
My point in all this? There is ALWAYS an upside. Even if that upside is that things weren't worse. And even in bad situations, a good attitude will go a long way. I did NOT have a good attitude about the wallet when it first happened. But by the time I was at the DMV, I did have a good attitude, and it made all the difference. Didn't change the circumstances, but it turned it from a negative to a positive for me, which in turn affected my family.
Someone once said, "Life is 10% what happens and 90% how we react to it." I've always believed that, but this reiterated it to me.
Have a good attitude in all situations. It helps. Trust me. Just a thought. :)
Friday, November 21, 2014
Sunday, November 2, 2014
My Half-Marathon
So yesterday morning I did something I NEVER thought I'd be able to do. I successfully completed a half-marathon. I've been working towards this for about six months, but it has been a drastic change in lifestyles- considering until my sister asked me to WALK a 5k with her, I'd never liked running, never wanted to run, and never dreamed I'd choose to do a half-marathon without a million dollars on the line... (See my previous post about the 5k- posted around May 2014.)
A lot of things led up Saturday's race. First, Katie came down with a bad head-cold that she shared with Mommy. That was Thursday. Friday, Scott got so seriously sick that he had to go to the doctor, and we nearly went to the ER. (He's fine now, in case anyone was worrying.) Katie being sick meant that I was sick and that meant that not only was I attempting the longest run of my running career (if you can call the last eight months a career....), but I was going to be attempting it feeling really yucky to START with. Scott being sick meant that I had to drive myself to the race and had no cheering section at the finish line. (Which I was okay with under the circumstances- Scott would have much preferred being with me than being sick- it isn't like he was TRYING to get out of cheering me on. :D)
Saturday morning, I woke up before my alarm and I felt pretty yucky. You know that whole-body sick feeling you get when you get the flu or a cold? I had that. And I was tired. But I got up and got ready for my race anyway. I packed the bag they gave me with everything I thought I'd need during the race. I put a few pieces of bread in a ziploc bag because I hadn't been able to eat much breakfast and was worried about my hypoglycemia acting up during the race. I put a couple doses of dayquil in there, too. (One for when the four hours had past after my dose at breakfast time and one more in case my goal of four hours turned sour and I took six or eight hours instead....) I also put a bottle of gatorade in, a pack of cough drops, and left in the granola bar thing they had put in there as a sample. It didn't feel too heavy, so I figured I'd be good carrying it throughout the race- even though it was actually a bag meant to put my stuff in and have them take it from the starting line to the finish line so I didn't HAVE to carry it the whole way.
I got to the race and walked from my car to the bus. (I had to park at the finish line and then they bussed us to the starting line.) Just the walk from the car to the bus made me tired. I knew I was doomed. The cold was going to sink me. My next panic attack about the race (and the 'what on Earth have I gotten myself into' feeling) was when the bus driver took us on a half hour drive to the starting line. She kept going farther and farther and farther. I kept thinking, "I did sign up for a HALF-marathon, right?" Turns out she had just missed a turn, but at first I was really scared I had accidentally signed up for a full marathon. I KNEW I couldn't do that...
We waited at the starting line for about an hour or so before the race actually started. It was SO cold. I had decided not to bring my jacket because it wasn't too cold at the high school where the finish line was. It wasn't colder at the starting line, but once we got up the mountain, the wind was strong, and that made it feel freezing. So while I warmed up my muscles, by the time the race started, I didn't feel warmed up. Again, I knew I was doomed.
However, when we lined up at the starting line (or bunched up might be a more appropriate description?), I happened to stand next to a lady who struck up a conversation with me. Just having a friend to talk to melted a lot of my apprehensions and I started to get excited to start the race. By the time they actually had us start, I was pumped up and ready to take on the world.
When I passed the mile 1 marker, I was so excited. By mile 2, I was wondering if my goal of running the race in 4 hours was a little too optimistic for my lackadaisical training pattern. By mile 3, I had decided they were purposely moving the mile markers back just to be mean. I knew that I hadn't been running for that long yet, but I still had SO far ahead to go.
But you know what? Mile 4 was a game-changer for me. Mile 4 was the first of the aid stations. They had volunteers there waiting with water and gatorade. A few of the volunteers were standing ahead of the tables, their sole job being to cheer us on. As I came by (I was alone- far behind the main pack and a little ahead of the group behind me) they cheered me on, telling me I was doing a good job, etc. Just having that cheering section got me pumped up again. I was suddenly so excited to be running that race. Getting to mile 5 was the easiest part of that race- just based on the cheering of a bunch of total strangers.
I was able to run the majority of miles 1-7. By mile 8 my pace was half walking, half running. By mile 10, I was mostly walking and thought I was going to die. By mile 11, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to finish. I honestly didn't know if I was capable of completing the race. I wanted the finisher's medal SO badly (that was the main motivation for doing the race anyway). But I didn't know if I could do it. When I finally reached mile marker 12, I knew I could scrape myself along that last mile, but I was in so much pain... (Funny thing about training. 1) If you don't listen to your husband and train more, your body doesn't like you. 2) If you train for uphill, it does in fact make the downhill feel easier, but it also means your body isn't used to the grade DOWN and you hurt in places you didn't know you had....)
I was finally close enough to the finish line that I could hear the announcer and the music. I rounded the last corner, and I could finally see the school. I had just about a block to go before rounding one last corner and going about 40 more feet to the finish line. I was so relieved. All I wanted to do was get my medal and crawl to the car so I could go home and die a quiet, non-public death.
But as I rounded that corner, there were three people standing on the sidewalk. One had a flourescent pink heart (rudely cut), one had a big poster board that said, "We love you!" and the last was jumping up and down in excitement. Scott and the girls had come to see me across the finish line. Scott had ridden his motorcycle to the school, gotten the car, and then taken the girls to buy poster board, make Mommy signs, and then come to the school to see me through. (Scott was much better by Saturday, but he WAS still sick, so it really was a huge sacrifice on his part to do any one piece of that. All of it together was a HUGE deal for him.)
Seeing my family there to cheer me on gave me the energy boost I needed. I was still incapable of running at this point, but I no longer felt on death's door. I walked the rest of the way with the girls at my side (Daddy had a little more decorum and stayed on the side walk right next to me). The girls crossed the finish line with me. As we did this, we discovered a perk to being one of the last few to crawl across the finish line- they knew they had extra medals and they gave both my girls finisher's medals being so extremely cute as they crossed the finish line.
I learned a lot from this race. The first lesson was that I CAN DO IT!!!!! Yes, I hurt the rest of the day and am still sore today, but I did train enough that it isn't too extreme. I am so proud of myself. I worked for something hard, did something hard, and succeeded.
The second lesson was that you can prepare for things to be hard. What I mean is this: During those first 7 miles, I ran almost all of the time. I was averaging between 11 and 13 minutes per mile at first. (Which is faster than I expected to be able to run- I was planning on about a 15 minute mile.) That meant that even though the last two or three miles I was walking about 24 minutes a mile, I had gained enough momentum that I finished the race in 3 hours 33 minutes- nearly a full half hour ahead of my goal of four hours. (Thank you volunteers at mile 4!!!! I think I can credit a lot of that faster time to you!)
Another lesson I learned is that a cheering section can go a LONG way. Mile 4 really was a game changer for me- and I don't know ANY of the people who were working there. Don't think you need to hold in your praise or encouragement because you don't know a person- well enough or even at all. People still need cheering sections, no matter how small or how anonymous.
Oh, and that bag I packed? I needed NONE of it. During the race, my cold symptoms pushed themselves to the back and my hypoglycemia didn't act up. It was also cool and windy, so when I finished the race, I was tired and sore, but not hot or sweaty. So the bag accomplished nothing but a place to focus pain on as it bounced against my back into a gatorade-bottle shaped bruise... My next lesson was that it's easy to bring baggage with us that we don't need. There are reasons they have drop off bags that you pick up at the finish line instead carrying it with you the whole race...
The last lesson I learned was that finishing with your family makes the whole race worth-while. Yes, I would have been happy to have finished, even if they weren't there to meet me. But my attitude about the race was VERY different finishing with my family. There was a sense of joy there that I don't think would have been there had I crossed the finish line alone.
In fact, I might even be crazy enough to do another one. :) Just a thought....
A lot of things led up Saturday's race. First, Katie came down with a bad head-cold that she shared with Mommy. That was Thursday. Friday, Scott got so seriously sick that he had to go to the doctor, and we nearly went to the ER. (He's fine now, in case anyone was worrying.) Katie being sick meant that I was sick and that meant that not only was I attempting the longest run of my running career (if you can call the last eight months a career....), but I was going to be attempting it feeling really yucky to START with. Scott being sick meant that I had to drive myself to the race and had no cheering section at the finish line. (Which I was okay with under the circumstances- Scott would have much preferred being with me than being sick- it isn't like he was TRYING to get out of cheering me on. :D)
Saturday morning, I woke up before my alarm and I felt pretty yucky. You know that whole-body sick feeling you get when you get the flu or a cold? I had that. And I was tired. But I got up and got ready for my race anyway. I packed the bag they gave me with everything I thought I'd need during the race. I put a few pieces of bread in a ziploc bag because I hadn't been able to eat much breakfast and was worried about my hypoglycemia acting up during the race. I put a couple doses of dayquil in there, too. (One for when the four hours had past after my dose at breakfast time and one more in case my goal of four hours turned sour and I took six or eight hours instead....) I also put a bottle of gatorade in, a pack of cough drops, and left in the granola bar thing they had put in there as a sample. It didn't feel too heavy, so I figured I'd be good carrying it throughout the race- even though it was actually a bag meant to put my stuff in and have them take it from the starting line to the finish line so I didn't HAVE to carry it the whole way.
I got to the race and walked from my car to the bus. (I had to park at the finish line and then they bussed us to the starting line.) Just the walk from the car to the bus made me tired. I knew I was doomed. The cold was going to sink me. My next panic attack about the race (and the 'what on Earth have I gotten myself into' feeling) was when the bus driver took us on a half hour drive to the starting line. She kept going farther and farther and farther. I kept thinking, "I did sign up for a HALF-marathon, right?" Turns out she had just missed a turn, but at first I was really scared I had accidentally signed up for a full marathon. I KNEW I couldn't do that...
We waited at the starting line for about an hour or so before the race actually started. It was SO cold. I had decided not to bring my jacket because it wasn't too cold at the high school where the finish line was. It wasn't colder at the starting line, but once we got up the mountain, the wind was strong, and that made it feel freezing. So while I warmed up my muscles, by the time the race started, I didn't feel warmed up. Again, I knew I was doomed.
However, when we lined up at the starting line (or bunched up might be a more appropriate description?), I happened to stand next to a lady who struck up a conversation with me. Just having a friend to talk to melted a lot of my apprehensions and I started to get excited to start the race. By the time they actually had us start, I was pumped up and ready to take on the world.
When I passed the mile 1 marker, I was so excited. By mile 2, I was wondering if my goal of running the race in 4 hours was a little too optimistic for my lackadaisical training pattern. By mile 3, I had decided they were purposely moving the mile markers back just to be mean. I knew that I hadn't been running for that long yet, but I still had SO far ahead to go.
But you know what? Mile 4 was a game-changer for me. Mile 4 was the first of the aid stations. They had volunteers there waiting with water and gatorade. A few of the volunteers were standing ahead of the tables, their sole job being to cheer us on. As I came by (I was alone- far behind the main pack and a little ahead of the group behind me) they cheered me on, telling me I was doing a good job, etc. Just having that cheering section got me pumped up again. I was suddenly so excited to be running that race. Getting to mile 5 was the easiest part of that race- just based on the cheering of a bunch of total strangers.
I was able to run the majority of miles 1-7. By mile 8 my pace was half walking, half running. By mile 10, I was mostly walking and thought I was going to die. By mile 11, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to finish. I honestly didn't know if I was capable of completing the race. I wanted the finisher's medal SO badly (that was the main motivation for doing the race anyway). But I didn't know if I could do it. When I finally reached mile marker 12, I knew I could scrape myself along that last mile, but I was in so much pain... (Funny thing about training. 1) If you don't listen to your husband and train more, your body doesn't like you. 2) If you train for uphill, it does in fact make the downhill feel easier, but it also means your body isn't used to the grade DOWN and you hurt in places you didn't know you had....)
I was finally close enough to the finish line that I could hear the announcer and the music. I rounded the last corner, and I could finally see the school. I had just about a block to go before rounding one last corner and going about 40 more feet to the finish line. I was so relieved. All I wanted to do was get my medal and crawl to the car so I could go home and die a quiet, non-public death.
But as I rounded that corner, there were three people standing on the sidewalk. One had a flourescent pink heart (rudely cut), one had a big poster board that said, "We love you!" and the last was jumping up and down in excitement. Scott and the girls had come to see me across the finish line. Scott had ridden his motorcycle to the school, gotten the car, and then taken the girls to buy poster board, make Mommy signs, and then come to the school to see me through. (Scott was much better by Saturday, but he WAS still sick, so it really was a huge sacrifice on his part to do any one piece of that. All of it together was a HUGE deal for him.)
Seeing my family there to cheer me on gave me the energy boost I needed. I was still incapable of running at this point, but I no longer felt on death's door. I walked the rest of the way with the girls at my side (Daddy had a little more decorum and stayed on the side walk right next to me). The girls crossed the finish line with me. As we did this, we discovered a perk to being one of the last few to crawl across the finish line- they knew they had extra medals and they gave both my girls finisher's medals being so extremely cute as they crossed the finish line.
I learned a lot from this race. The first lesson was that I CAN DO IT!!!!! Yes, I hurt the rest of the day and am still sore today, but I did train enough that it isn't too extreme. I am so proud of myself. I worked for something hard, did something hard, and succeeded.
The second lesson was that you can prepare for things to be hard. What I mean is this: During those first 7 miles, I ran almost all of the time. I was averaging between 11 and 13 minutes per mile at first. (Which is faster than I expected to be able to run- I was planning on about a 15 minute mile.) That meant that even though the last two or three miles I was walking about 24 minutes a mile, I had gained enough momentum that I finished the race in 3 hours 33 minutes- nearly a full half hour ahead of my goal of four hours. (Thank you volunteers at mile 4!!!! I think I can credit a lot of that faster time to you!)
Another lesson I learned is that a cheering section can go a LONG way. Mile 4 really was a game changer for me- and I don't know ANY of the people who were working there. Don't think you need to hold in your praise or encouragement because you don't know a person- well enough or even at all. People still need cheering sections, no matter how small or how anonymous.
Oh, and that bag I packed? I needed NONE of it. During the race, my cold symptoms pushed themselves to the back and my hypoglycemia didn't act up. It was also cool and windy, so when I finished the race, I was tired and sore, but not hot or sweaty. So the bag accomplished nothing but a place to focus pain on as it bounced against my back into a gatorade-bottle shaped bruise... My next lesson was that it's easy to bring baggage with us that we don't need. There are reasons they have drop off bags that you pick up at the finish line instead carrying it with you the whole race...
The last lesson I learned was that finishing with your family makes the whole race worth-while. Yes, I would have been happy to have finished, even if they weren't there to meet me. But my attitude about the race was VERY different finishing with my family. There was a sense of joy there that I don't think would have been there had I crossed the finish line alone.
In fact, I might even be crazy enough to do another one. :) Just a thought....
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Women and the Priesthood
Last night, we drove by the temple. We do that periodically. The girls love to see it. This sparked a conversation with Anna about her baptism (that will come in a few years). Scott asked her if she wanted Daddy to baptize her when she turned eight. She said she did and was really excited. She then piped up a question that I knew would come up at some point. She asked us why only the daddies baptized kids and not the mommies.
Scott explained that you get baptized by the power of the priesthood and men have the priesthood, not women. Anna wanted to know why. This really struck me because this has been such a big issue in the news around Utah lately. A lot of women are petitioning, protesting, etc. to be considered 'equal' and be given the priesthood. Anna's question wasn't questioning the practice but simply asking why. She is too little to understand those bigger complaints and fight about it. But for me, the question was the same, and I wanted to make sure she understood this concept.
You see, people who think that it is inequality that men have the priesthood and not women don't understand the priesthood or the role of women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This makes me sad, as it is often very faithful members who raise this question. Just a month or so ago a woman in the news was excommunicated because she has been leading rallies and petitions and protests trying to get the priesthood given to women. She was described as someone who went to church every week, had faith in the gospel, etc. I have to admit that I wondered how much of the gospel she truly understood.
Men and women are equal. You see that everywhere in the church. But they are also different. Men have one set of responsibilities and women another. The roles are equal. Men have been charged with protecting and leading. Women have been charged with nurturing and uplifting. In order to protect and lead, men need the priesthood. Women don't need the priesthood in order to fulfill the duties they have been given.
Scott explained it to Anna this way. He asked her if she owned a car. She said no. Then he explained that he needed the car to get to work. She didn't need a car to get to the places she needed to go. Then he continued that a person can't use the priesthood to bless himself. The priesthood is used ONLY in the helping of others.
I think the problem is that people look at the roles given to each gender and say that the roles given to men are more important. As I said above, men protect and lead. That isn't more important. It's more VISIBLE. Women are charged with nurturing and uplifting. That is equally important as protecting and leading. A person can be protected and led, but if they have never been nurtured or uplifted, they still don't come out happy and fulfilled.
For example, in the church, the bishop is always a priesthood holder. The bishop leads the ward. That means he leads church meetings and makes sure the ward runs the way it should organizationally. The Relief Society president is always a faithful woman from the ward. One of her duties is to make sure the members in the ward have food. If they don't, she helps them get food orders to get food from the church's local food pantry. People SEE the bishop do his duties. No one sees the Relief Society president give out food orders to those who need it. But both are equally important. (This is just one duty of many from both callings that I used as an example, of course.)
Look at a family. In a family, the father is charged with protecting and providing. The mother is charged with nurturing. This brings to my mind the old tv shows from the 50s and 60s where Dad is visible and loud and Mom is more in the background. But the reality is this: Children need the things the father provides- they need protection and the monetary provisions. However, equally important is the nurturing- the caring, educating, etc.
Where would society be if we didn't have both sides? In many families, one parent does both jobs, and does it well. That is very true. But studies have proven that the children who are more likely to adapt and succeed are the ones who come from families with two parents, each doing the duties assigned to him/her. In areas with few two parent households, crime is higher than in those areas where it is more common to see the traditional family.
In the bible, Adam is created. Then Eve is created as a helpmeet for him. Helpmeet is defined as a helpful partner or companion. They were helpmeets to each other. It says in the scriptures over and over again that men and women are equal. Yet still some argue that women not having the priesthood is inequality. Let's look at it this way. Moses was given the Ten Commandments. He was a prophet. The prophet Isaiah was NOT given the Ten Commandments. Why? Moses needed them to fulfill his duties to his people then. Isaiah didn't. It doesn't mean that Moses was a more important prophet than Isaiah.
This is my explanation of the question about women and the priesthood. Women don't have it because they don't need it. Men have it but can't use it to help themselves. Every man still needs to ASK someone for a priesthood blessing. And, in the end, you need a COUPLE to reach the highest degree of glory. Rather than fight over not being the same, let's celebrate our differences.
Just a thought.
Scott explained that you get baptized by the power of the priesthood and men have the priesthood, not women. Anna wanted to know why. This really struck me because this has been such a big issue in the news around Utah lately. A lot of women are petitioning, protesting, etc. to be considered 'equal' and be given the priesthood. Anna's question wasn't questioning the practice but simply asking why. She is too little to understand those bigger complaints and fight about it. But for me, the question was the same, and I wanted to make sure she understood this concept.
You see, people who think that it is inequality that men have the priesthood and not women don't understand the priesthood or the role of women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This makes me sad, as it is often very faithful members who raise this question. Just a month or so ago a woman in the news was excommunicated because she has been leading rallies and petitions and protests trying to get the priesthood given to women. She was described as someone who went to church every week, had faith in the gospel, etc. I have to admit that I wondered how much of the gospel she truly understood.
Men and women are equal. You see that everywhere in the church. But they are also different. Men have one set of responsibilities and women another. The roles are equal. Men have been charged with protecting and leading. Women have been charged with nurturing and uplifting. In order to protect and lead, men need the priesthood. Women don't need the priesthood in order to fulfill the duties they have been given.
Scott explained it to Anna this way. He asked her if she owned a car. She said no. Then he explained that he needed the car to get to work. She didn't need a car to get to the places she needed to go. Then he continued that a person can't use the priesthood to bless himself. The priesthood is used ONLY in the helping of others.
I think the problem is that people look at the roles given to each gender and say that the roles given to men are more important. As I said above, men protect and lead. That isn't more important. It's more VISIBLE. Women are charged with nurturing and uplifting. That is equally important as protecting and leading. A person can be protected and led, but if they have never been nurtured or uplifted, they still don't come out happy and fulfilled.
For example, in the church, the bishop is always a priesthood holder. The bishop leads the ward. That means he leads church meetings and makes sure the ward runs the way it should organizationally. The Relief Society president is always a faithful woman from the ward. One of her duties is to make sure the members in the ward have food. If they don't, she helps them get food orders to get food from the church's local food pantry. People SEE the bishop do his duties. No one sees the Relief Society president give out food orders to those who need it. But both are equally important. (This is just one duty of many from both callings that I used as an example, of course.)
Look at a family. In a family, the father is charged with protecting and providing. The mother is charged with nurturing. This brings to my mind the old tv shows from the 50s and 60s where Dad is visible and loud and Mom is more in the background. But the reality is this: Children need the things the father provides- they need protection and the monetary provisions. However, equally important is the nurturing- the caring, educating, etc.
Where would society be if we didn't have both sides? In many families, one parent does both jobs, and does it well. That is very true. But studies have proven that the children who are more likely to adapt and succeed are the ones who come from families with two parents, each doing the duties assigned to him/her. In areas with few two parent households, crime is higher than in those areas where it is more common to see the traditional family.
In the bible, Adam is created. Then Eve is created as a helpmeet for him. Helpmeet is defined as a helpful partner or companion. They were helpmeets to each other. It says in the scriptures over and over again that men and women are equal. Yet still some argue that women not having the priesthood is inequality. Let's look at it this way. Moses was given the Ten Commandments. He was a prophet. The prophet Isaiah was NOT given the Ten Commandments. Why? Moses needed them to fulfill his duties to his people then. Isaiah didn't. It doesn't mean that Moses was a more important prophet than Isaiah.
This is my explanation of the question about women and the priesthood. Women don't have it because they don't need it. Men have it but can't use it to help themselves. Every man still needs to ASK someone for a priesthood blessing. And, in the end, you need a COUPLE to reach the highest degree of glory. Rather than fight over not being the same, let's celebrate our differences.
Just a thought.
Sunday, July 13, 2014
I Will Go, I Will Do
I am the primary pianist in my ward. That means that during the time block during our church meetings designated for classes, I play the piano for singing time for the kids 3-11. The primary is divided into two groups - Junior Primary (kids ages 3-8) and Senior Primary (kids ages 9-11). Both groups love the song I am about to talk about and sing it louder than any other song I have heard them sing.
The song I just referenced is called Nephi's Courage. This was one of my favorite songs growing up, as well. It goes over the story of Nephi, a prophet in the Book of Mormon. God told Nephi's father, Lehi (also a prophet), to take his family and leave Jerusalem because it was going to be destroyed. (In the bible, this would be the time of the prophet Jeremiah.) Lehi had four sons. Nephi and Sam were faithful to the Lord and obeyed their father. Laman and Lemuel were not. They constantly had to be reprimanded and chastened in order to be 'motivated' to keep the commandments.
One of my favorite scriptures is 1 Nephi, 3:7:
7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.
This scripture has so many applications to life. It's why Nephi's Courage is one of my favorite songs. The course says: I will go, I will do the things the Lord commands. I know the Lord provides a way; He wants me to obey.
As the kids in our primary sang this song, they really called it out during the chorus. They were pounding their fists in the air to accent the words, I will GO, I will DO. It is so awesome to see kids with such faith and determination to go and do the things the Lord commands them to do. Listen to the song, and I guarantee it will touch you as well!
We've all been commanded to do things that are hard, just like Nephi was. It isn't easy to keep high standards anymore, and the more time passes, the harder it gets. But the Lord doesn't ask us to do anything that He hasn't made possible. We can all succeed in following the Lord. Otherwise He wouldn't ask us to follow Him. Just a thought.
Here is a link to this song: https://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/nephis-courage?lang=eng
The song I just referenced is called Nephi's Courage. This was one of my favorite songs growing up, as well. It goes over the story of Nephi, a prophet in the Book of Mormon. God told Nephi's father, Lehi (also a prophet), to take his family and leave Jerusalem because it was going to be destroyed. (In the bible, this would be the time of the prophet Jeremiah.) Lehi had four sons. Nephi and Sam were faithful to the Lord and obeyed their father. Laman and Lemuel were not. They constantly had to be reprimanded and chastened in order to be 'motivated' to keep the commandments.
One of my favorite scriptures is 1 Nephi, 3:7:
7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.
This scripture has so many applications to life. It's why Nephi's Courage is one of my favorite songs. The course says: I will go, I will do the things the Lord commands. I know the Lord provides a way; He wants me to obey.
As the kids in our primary sang this song, they really called it out during the chorus. They were pounding their fists in the air to accent the words, I will GO, I will DO. It is so awesome to see kids with such faith and determination to go and do the things the Lord commands them to do. Listen to the song, and I guarantee it will touch you as well!
We've all been commanded to do things that are hard, just like Nephi was. It isn't easy to keep high standards anymore, and the more time passes, the harder it gets. But the Lord doesn't ask us to do anything that He hasn't made possible. We can all succeed in following the Lord. Otherwise He wouldn't ask us to follow Him. Just a thought.
Here is a link to this song: https://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/nephis-courage?lang=eng
Lessons from a Book
When I was just graduated college, I decided that I was going to read the classics. I chose to read the unabridged versions, too- mostly just so I could say I had. I read quite a few of them, too. Most of them I really liked. However, one of the ones I read was Moby Dick, and I HATED it.
As I read Moby Dick, I wondered why on earth it was a famous classic. It was long and boring, and a lot of the book had nothing to do with the story. (There was an entire chapter on the history of whales, their anatomy, and a lot about whaling. The only thing it had to do with the story was that it had to do with whales.) I came to the conclusion that it had to be famous strictly based on how it was received when it was originally written and the impact it had on future works of literature. It could not possibly be the actual story.
Why? Because there really wasn't a story. Let me tell you the story. They chase a whale. They all die. The end. 1800 pages, and that was all that happened. And the main guy- the only one to survive? He doesn't have a name. People ask what his name is and the answer is always, "Ishmael." WRONG. He starts out the book, "CALL me Ishmael." He is never addressed by name in the book. Ishmael is a biblical reference that means wanderer- it isn't actually his name. (Captain Ahab is also named after a bad guy in the bible, if anyone wants to look it up.)
My point? I can say that I have read the unabridged version of Moby Dick. And just because history books and literature courses told me I should love the book because it was awesome, I did not agree. I hear a lot of marketing schemes that say things like, "Ten million Americans can't be wrong." You know what, yes they can.
There are a lot of moral issues facing our country today. And you know what, just because the majority of America says one thing, it doesn't make them right. Yes, ten million Americans CAN be wrong. I thought about this the other day while watching a tv show that talked about immorality, as if it was 'weird' or 'backward' to wait until marriage for intimacy. Just because immorality has become common place does not make it right. God's law is clear, about this and many other things. We still have the Ten Commandments, the scriptures, and the teachings of the Savior to follow.
Just because righteousness isn't cool anymore doesn't mean we don't need to do our best to keep the Commandments. Just a thought.
As I read Moby Dick, I wondered why on earth it was a famous classic. It was long and boring, and a lot of the book had nothing to do with the story. (There was an entire chapter on the history of whales, their anatomy, and a lot about whaling. The only thing it had to do with the story was that it had to do with whales.) I came to the conclusion that it had to be famous strictly based on how it was received when it was originally written and the impact it had on future works of literature. It could not possibly be the actual story.
Why? Because there really wasn't a story. Let me tell you the story. They chase a whale. They all die. The end. 1800 pages, and that was all that happened. And the main guy- the only one to survive? He doesn't have a name. People ask what his name is and the answer is always, "Ishmael." WRONG. He starts out the book, "CALL me Ishmael." He is never addressed by name in the book. Ishmael is a biblical reference that means wanderer- it isn't actually his name. (Captain Ahab is also named after a bad guy in the bible, if anyone wants to look it up.)
My point? I can say that I have read the unabridged version of Moby Dick. And just because history books and literature courses told me I should love the book because it was awesome, I did not agree. I hear a lot of marketing schemes that say things like, "Ten million Americans can't be wrong." You know what, yes they can.
There are a lot of moral issues facing our country today. And you know what, just because the majority of America says one thing, it doesn't make them right. Yes, ten million Americans CAN be wrong. I thought about this the other day while watching a tv show that talked about immorality, as if it was 'weird' or 'backward' to wait until marriage for intimacy. Just because immorality has become common place does not make it right. God's law is clear, about this and many other things. We still have the Ten Commandments, the scriptures, and the teachings of the Savior to follow.
Just because righteousness isn't cool anymore doesn't mean we don't need to do our best to keep the Commandments. Just a thought.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Lessons from a 5K
This weekend I ran my very first race ever. It was a 5K that was held in conjunction with the Salt Lake marathon. I originally decided to do this because my sister was doing it with her family. I thought it'd be fun to go run the race with my sister. (I use the term run loosely- we actually planned on walking the whole thing with her two youngest kids- 7 and 11 years old.)
The race ended up being MUCH different than I planned. Instead of walking with my sister, I ran it with her 11 year old daughter. Kierstin didn't want to walk- she wanted to run. So I ran with Kierstin and Heidi walked with Jaydin. Kierstin and I made pretty good time, too. In the end, we made the whole thing in less than 45 minutes. We did walk more than half of it, but we ran/sprinted at least 1 mile of it, and maybe closer to a 1 and 1/2 miles of it. I was so excited for the accomplishment of having my first race be a success. Not only did I finish it, but I actually did a better time than I'd done in training.
I learned many lessons from this experience. I'll outline only the ones I felt were most important. First and foremost, I did this because of my sister. Heidi inviting me to run this with her really changed my life for the better. I initially decided to train for it because I didn't want my 7 year old nephew to be running circles around me while the medical personnel had to carry me away... I knew we were going to walk. But as I trained for this, I discovered an amazing thing. I ENJOYED it. (I know- creepy.. :D) I never in my life thought I'd enjoy running. And yes, I haven't run tons. I mostly walk fast so far. But I'm building endurance and speed as I continue training. I've wanted to lose weight for a couple years. Because my sister invited me to run with her, not only did I find a new hobby, I have started losing a little weight. Lesson? Surround yourself with good people who inspire you to be better. We don't have time in life for those who try to get us to do things that aren't good for us or that want us to compromise our standards and integrity.
As my sister and her kids started walking across the starting line with me, we were doing our best to walk fast, but we weren't making any serious effort to run. Then Kierstin wanted to run, so I ran with her. Kierstin and I would run for as long as we could, and then we'd walk for a while. When we'd rested a bit, we'd run as long as we could. Because so many other pairs were doing the same thing, we had several pairs of runners that we kept leap-frogging. They'd run past us, then we'd run past them. One of these pairs appeared to be a husband-wife team. Apparently the husband was a better runner than the wife, because I over heard some of his comments as we past them. She was saying that she wanted to but her body just wouldn't. I assume she meant run rather than walk, but I can only assume. His comment back really influenced my attitude the rest of the race. I can't remember his exact words. But he basically told her she could do it because she could have her mind overpower her body. From they way they past us several times, I think it's safe to assume that he was right. Another time when we passed this couple, I heard him telling her, "I'm not leaving you- we are running this TOGETHER." This taught me a very important lesson. Mind really can overpower body. I'm not saying you can tell yourself you aren't sick and just not be sick magically. But we can overcome cravings, appetites, habits, etc. And to repeat what I said above, surrounding ourselves with people who will be a support system and lift us up is invaluable with this.
The last thing I learned was simply that hard work really does pay off. I decided to train for this race. Yes, I went as fast as I was capable of, and it wasn't the greatest time in reference to all the other runners I was up against. But it was the best I could possibly do, and it really made me feel good about myself to do it. In fact, at the end, I had extra energy. (I couldn't have kept running, but because I trained and worked and prepared, I wasn't dead at the end, either.)
I had such a good experience that I'm hoping to do more races this year. :)
Work hard and prepare. It pays off!
The race ended up being MUCH different than I planned. Instead of walking with my sister, I ran it with her 11 year old daughter. Kierstin didn't want to walk- she wanted to run. So I ran with Kierstin and Heidi walked with Jaydin. Kierstin and I made pretty good time, too. In the end, we made the whole thing in less than 45 minutes. We did walk more than half of it, but we ran/sprinted at least 1 mile of it, and maybe closer to a 1 and 1/2 miles of it. I was so excited for the accomplishment of having my first race be a success. Not only did I finish it, but I actually did a better time than I'd done in training.
I learned many lessons from this experience. I'll outline only the ones I felt were most important. First and foremost, I did this because of my sister. Heidi inviting me to run this with her really changed my life for the better. I initially decided to train for it because I didn't want my 7 year old nephew to be running circles around me while the medical personnel had to carry me away... I knew we were going to walk. But as I trained for this, I discovered an amazing thing. I ENJOYED it. (I know- creepy.. :D) I never in my life thought I'd enjoy running. And yes, I haven't run tons. I mostly walk fast so far. But I'm building endurance and speed as I continue training. I've wanted to lose weight for a couple years. Because my sister invited me to run with her, not only did I find a new hobby, I have started losing a little weight. Lesson? Surround yourself with good people who inspire you to be better. We don't have time in life for those who try to get us to do things that aren't good for us or that want us to compromise our standards and integrity.
As my sister and her kids started walking across the starting line with me, we were doing our best to walk fast, but we weren't making any serious effort to run. Then Kierstin wanted to run, so I ran with her. Kierstin and I would run for as long as we could, and then we'd walk for a while. When we'd rested a bit, we'd run as long as we could. Because so many other pairs were doing the same thing, we had several pairs of runners that we kept leap-frogging. They'd run past us, then we'd run past them. One of these pairs appeared to be a husband-wife team. Apparently the husband was a better runner than the wife, because I over heard some of his comments as we past them. She was saying that she wanted to but her body just wouldn't. I assume she meant run rather than walk, but I can only assume. His comment back really influenced my attitude the rest of the race. I can't remember his exact words. But he basically told her she could do it because she could have her mind overpower her body. From they way they past us several times, I think it's safe to assume that he was right. Another time when we passed this couple, I heard him telling her, "I'm not leaving you- we are running this TOGETHER." This taught me a very important lesson. Mind really can overpower body. I'm not saying you can tell yourself you aren't sick and just not be sick magically. But we can overcome cravings, appetites, habits, etc. And to repeat what I said above, surrounding ourselves with people who will be a support system and lift us up is invaluable with this.
The last thing I learned was simply that hard work really does pay off. I decided to train for this race. Yes, I went as fast as I was capable of, and it wasn't the greatest time in reference to all the other runners I was up against. But it was the best I could possibly do, and it really made me feel good about myself to do it. In fact, at the end, I had extra energy. (I couldn't have kept running, but because I trained and worked and prepared, I wasn't dead at the end, either.)
I had such a good experience that I'm hoping to do more races this year. :)
Work hard and prepare. It pays off!
Monday, April 14, 2014
The Trail
On Saturday, I went for a walk/run along the biking trail near our house. These trails are paved and run all through the St. George area. I joined this one at the park near our house and followed it up the park and then alongside highway. My original intent of this walk was simply to take the trail up across the busy Parkway above our house and see where it went beyond that. I'd seen it from the road, but didn't know where it went. I have decided to train myself to be a runner, and I hoped this could be a safe route for me run on.
As I walked along this bike trail, I was truly struck by the beauty. The first little bit of the trail felt straight up. I probably don't want to know just how steep it was. I could see how steep it was from the bottom of the hill, and originally planned just to see where it went when you got to the top. I thought I was going to DIE going up the hill. But when I got to the top... it was beautiful. (It was also flat, which helped my overall sentiment.)
I decided to map out a 5k instead of just seeing where the trail went after the hill. I walked along this trail for a couple miles. The red bluffs were the backdrop. I realized the trail was skirting the outside of Snow Canyon State Park. A breeze was blowing, bringing with it the sweet smell of wildflowers. The red dirt was splattered with light green of the sage and scrub. Occasional flowers of fire orange dotted the scene. It was mesmerizing.
As I walked along this trail, I was taken back about 7 years to when Scott and I had been married for just a couple months. We drove from Salt Lake City, where we were living at the time, to St. George to visit Scott's parents. They had taken us to Snow Canyon State Park. I remember standing at the top of the red bluff looking down over the canyon and thinking, "I could learn to love this place." We hadn't made the choice to move to St. George yet, but looking over that bluff, I KNEW we would be moving there. It wasn't a hope or desire, it was knowledge that I was looking out over my future home.
And here I was, walking along the same state park, looking over the same bluff and canyon, realizing how much I've come to love this place.
I loved the walk so much, I went a 5k and THEN turned around- making my trip a 10k instead. This also got me thinking about life. A lot of times, we see where we are going. We know the destination, even if we don't know how we are going to get there. Sometimes we forget those moments of clarify- until future times when we suddenly look back and realize we made it there.
I also learned a lot about perspective. The distance going OUT felt a lot different than the distance coming back. The reason? Going out it was a lot of steep uphill. The trip up these hills was slow and painful. Coming back I discovered that I can run a 9 minute mile when it's straight down hill. I ran all the down hill stretches, and made the trip back in just over half the time it took me to go out. Life also has uphill and downhill stretches. I think the main thing in life is to make sure that we run in those downhill stretches. The speed and distance really make us feel good, and it makes the whole journey feel better- even with the harder times.
Just some thoughts. :)
As I walked along this bike trail, I was truly struck by the beauty. The first little bit of the trail felt straight up. I probably don't want to know just how steep it was. I could see how steep it was from the bottom of the hill, and originally planned just to see where it went when you got to the top. I thought I was going to DIE going up the hill. But when I got to the top... it was beautiful. (It was also flat, which helped my overall sentiment.)
I decided to map out a 5k instead of just seeing where the trail went after the hill. I walked along this trail for a couple miles. The red bluffs were the backdrop. I realized the trail was skirting the outside of Snow Canyon State Park. A breeze was blowing, bringing with it the sweet smell of wildflowers. The red dirt was splattered with light green of the sage and scrub. Occasional flowers of fire orange dotted the scene. It was mesmerizing.
As I walked along this trail, I was taken back about 7 years to when Scott and I had been married for just a couple months. We drove from Salt Lake City, where we were living at the time, to St. George to visit Scott's parents. They had taken us to Snow Canyon State Park. I remember standing at the top of the red bluff looking down over the canyon and thinking, "I could learn to love this place." We hadn't made the choice to move to St. George yet, but looking over that bluff, I KNEW we would be moving there. It wasn't a hope or desire, it was knowledge that I was looking out over my future home.
And here I was, walking along the same state park, looking over the same bluff and canyon, realizing how much I've come to love this place.
I loved the walk so much, I went a 5k and THEN turned around- making my trip a 10k instead. This also got me thinking about life. A lot of times, we see where we are going. We know the destination, even if we don't know how we are going to get there. Sometimes we forget those moments of clarify- until future times when we suddenly look back and realize we made it there.
I also learned a lot about perspective. The distance going OUT felt a lot different than the distance coming back. The reason? Going out it was a lot of steep uphill. The trip up these hills was slow and painful. Coming back I discovered that I can run a 9 minute mile when it's straight down hill. I ran all the down hill stretches, and made the trip back in just over half the time it took me to go out. Life also has uphill and downhill stretches. I think the main thing in life is to make sure that we run in those downhill stretches. The speed and distance really make us feel good, and it makes the whole journey feel better- even with the harder times.
Just some thoughts. :)
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Yard Work and Charity
So this morning I went over to help the ward do some yard work for a family in the neighborhood. They (and I don't know who THEY is, only that Scott got it) sent a text to everyone saying this family needed emergency help on the yard, and asked everyone to come.
Turns out, the family had a couple sprinklers burst and it caused some big issues in the yard. But the ward decided not to stop at the sprinklers. We weeded, pruned trees, swept, dug, and even planted flowers someone donated. (They had bought them for their own yard, but decided that since no one would see them in the back yard, they would donate them to this family instead.) Several men fixed the sprinklers, which included a lot of hard digging and lots of very involved work. I found out about halfway through the job that this family wasn't even home. They had NO idea we were helping with their yard. They went out of town and while they were gone, a friend noticed the sprinklers were flooding everything and so the ward went over and just took care of it for them. I tried to imagine what it would be like to go home to that- your sprinklers fixed and your yard beautified- all done by friends who love you. I bet it will be an amazing thing for them when they come home.
But what really struck me while doing this project was how much fun everyone was having. One of the younger girls (I think about 10?) commented on how fun it was. I realized I was having fun, too. Then I realized something else- I hate yard work, and procrastinate a ton at my own house. Why was this fun?
The first thing that came to me was that it was with friends. Everyone was working together and talking and laughing while working. Many hands make light work is the phrase that comes to mind. Things are always more fun when we do them with people. I think the Savior meant for us to work together. He sent his disciples out in pairs- not alone. He wants us to work together for a good cause.
I realized another aspect that made today's project fun, though. Charity. Charity is the pure love of Christ. When we have charity, it means God has given us His love for other people. When you do something out of love, you do it happily. A gift given begrudgingly is not given out of love. When a gift (or service) is given out of love, it is given happily. That makes it fun to do.
Let's always try to have charity for others. I bet we'd all be much happier in all aspects of our lives if we did things with charity. Just a thought.
Turns out, the family had a couple sprinklers burst and it caused some big issues in the yard. But the ward decided not to stop at the sprinklers. We weeded, pruned trees, swept, dug, and even planted flowers someone donated. (They had bought them for their own yard, but decided that since no one would see them in the back yard, they would donate them to this family instead.) Several men fixed the sprinklers, which included a lot of hard digging and lots of very involved work. I found out about halfway through the job that this family wasn't even home. They had NO idea we were helping with their yard. They went out of town and while they were gone, a friend noticed the sprinklers were flooding everything and so the ward went over and just took care of it for them. I tried to imagine what it would be like to go home to that- your sprinklers fixed and your yard beautified- all done by friends who love you. I bet it will be an amazing thing for them when they come home.
But what really struck me while doing this project was how much fun everyone was having. One of the younger girls (I think about 10?) commented on how fun it was. I realized I was having fun, too. Then I realized something else- I hate yard work, and procrastinate a ton at my own house. Why was this fun?
The first thing that came to me was that it was with friends. Everyone was working together and talking and laughing while working. Many hands make light work is the phrase that comes to mind. Things are always more fun when we do them with people. I think the Savior meant for us to work together. He sent his disciples out in pairs- not alone. He wants us to work together for a good cause.
I realized another aspect that made today's project fun, though. Charity. Charity is the pure love of Christ. When we have charity, it means God has given us His love for other people. When you do something out of love, you do it happily. A gift given begrudgingly is not given out of love. When a gift (or service) is given out of love, it is given happily. That makes it fun to do.
Let's always try to have charity for others. I bet we'd all be much happier in all aspects of our lives if we did things with charity. Just a thought.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Parable of the Sower
Today we had stake conference. (For anyone who doesn't know, that's a Sunday meeting where more than just one ward (or congregation) meets together.) Our stake president talked a little about the parable of the sower.
The parable of the sower can be summarized as follows: A man was sowing seeds. Some of the seeds fall in stony ground. The plants grow a little, but don't develop roots. When the sun comes out, the plants shrivel up because they had no root. Some of the seeds fell among weeds. When the plants and weeds grew, the weeds choked the plants. Some of the seeds fell in good soil and grew well and there was great fruit enjoyed from the plants.
The types of ground are like different people. The stony ground was the hard-hearted people who heard the word of the Lord but never developed a testimony of it. When trials came, they left the church because they had no testimony of the gospel. The weeded areas were people who let themselves be too worried about what others thought, as well as other worries and fears, etc. They began to develop testimonies, but the worries and fears choked it. They also left the church. However, the good soil was the good people who accepted the gospel of the Lord, developed testimonies, and stayed in the church, no matter what happened. The good fruit was the good things they did and the blessings they enjoyed.
After Pres. Barney talked about this today, I had a little epiphany about this parable. The different types of ground represent different types of people. However, there is nothing written that doesn't say we can't all be the different types of ground at different parts of our lives. But there is a great gift we have all been given- the Atonement. We can repent. We can change. We can be converted.
Yesterday I planted my garden. This was the culmination of a several week project. (That will then continue on all summer...) First, I started the seeds in pots. Then, we selected an area in our yard for the garden. I turned the soil. I removed rocks and sticks. I pulled weeds from the garden area. I removed ivy from areas surrounding the garden area so it wouldn't overgrow its bounds and choke my garden. When my seedlings were big enough to survive in the real garden and not just on my windowsill and countertops, we purchased garden soil, spread it on top of the existing nutrient-dead soil, and transplanted the seedlings into the garden. Then we gave the garden lots of water. Throughout the summer, watering and weeding will be a constant task if we are to harvest anything later in the season.
My garden project is like the parable of the sower. When we first hear the word of the Lord, or the gospel, we start out in a 'safe' environment. We meet with others who believe in Christ. We learn the teachings of the Lord. There is a honeymoon period of learning the gospel. This is our time in the pots on the counters and windowsills of the gospel.
However, we all have to leave the pots. When our seedling testimonies grow big enough, we are transplanted into the garden of the 'real' world. Our testimonies are tried by the transplant, by the weather and soil that is no longer a controlled environment. If we do not watch continuously, as directed in the scriptures, weeds will grow. These can be weeds of sin or temptation. If we do not pull the weeds quickly, they will eventually grow large. The larger they grow, the harder they are to pull. If they are never removed, they will eventually overtake the garden and we will never harvest the good fruits of the gospel.
The world also throws stones into our garden. Many of these had to be removed before our we transplanted our seedlings into the garden. Others will fall in. We will discover many that were there all along but that we didn't see. We need to remove the stones. We also need to be careful of our environment. Most of us do not purposely plant weeds in their gardens, but how many of us throw rocks into them? Sometimes we put them in the garden thinking they will be decorative. Or we surround our garden with them, thinking to keep things out. How many of these stones, or worries and fears, end up choking our seedlings, preventing us from harvesting our good fruits? How many testimonies are crushed by the weight of worries or fears that we brought with us on purpose?
It is a life long task to keep our gardens clear of weeds and stones, and to keep the soil good so our plants can grow. But if we do, we enjoy a bountiful harvest. We learn through service, we feel charity, and we will live with our Father in Heaven again. Let's all get gardening.
Just a thought. :)
The parable of the sower can be summarized as follows: A man was sowing seeds. Some of the seeds fall in stony ground. The plants grow a little, but don't develop roots. When the sun comes out, the plants shrivel up because they had no root. Some of the seeds fell among weeds. When the plants and weeds grew, the weeds choked the plants. Some of the seeds fell in good soil and grew well and there was great fruit enjoyed from the plants.
The types of ground are like different people. The stony ground was the hard-hearted people who heard the word of the Lord but never developed a testimony of it. When trials came, they left the church because they had no testimony of the gospel. The weeded areas were people who let themselves be too worried about what others thought, as well as other worries and fears, etc. They began to develop testimonies, but the worries and fears choked it. They also left the church. However, the good soil was the good people who accepted the gospel of the Lord, developed testimonies, and stayed in the church, no matter what happened. The good fruit was the good things they did and the blessings they enjoyed.
After Pres. Barney talked about this today, I had a little epiphany about this parable. The different types of ground represent different types of people. However, there is nothing written that doesn't say we can't all be the different types of ground at different parts of our lives. But there is a great gift we have all been given- the Atonement. We can repent. We can change. We can be converted.
Yesterday I planted my garden. This was the culmination of a several week project. (That will then continue on all summer...) First, I started the seeds in pots. Then, we selected an area in our yard for the garden. I turned the soil. I removed rocks and sticks. I pulled weeds from the garden area. I removed ivy from areas surrounding the garden area so it wouldn't overgrow its bounds and choke my garden. When my seedlings were big enough to survive in the real garden and not just on my windowsill and countertops, we purchased garden soil, spread it on top of the existing nutrient-dead soil, and transplanted the seedlings into the garden. Then we gave the garden lots of water. Throughout the summer, watering and weeding will be a constant task if we are to harvest anything later in the season.
My garden project is like the parable of the sower. When we first hear the word of the Lord, or the gospel, we start out in a 'safe' environment. We meet with others who believe in Christ. We learn the teachings of the Lord. There is a honeymoon period of learning the gospel. This is our time in the pots on the counters and windowsills of the gospel.
However, we all have to leave the pots. When our seedling testimonies grow big enough, we are transplanted into the garden of the 'real' world. Our testimonies are tried by the transplant, by the weather and soil that is no longer a controlled environment. If we do not watch continuously, as directed in the scriptures, weeds will grow. These can be weeds of sin or temptation. If we do not pull the weeds quickly, they will eventually grow large. The larger they grow, the harder they are to pull. If they are never removed, they will eventually overtake the garden and we will never harvest the good fruits of the gospel.
The world also throws stones into our garden. Many of these had to be removed before our we transplanted our seedlings into the garden. Others will fall in. We will discover many that were there all along but that we didn't see. We need to remove the stones. We also need to be careful of our environment. Most of us do not purposely plant weeds in their gardens, but how many of us throw rocks into them? Sometimes we put them in the garden thinking they will be decorative. Or we surround our garden with them, thinking to keep things out. How many of these stones, or worries and fears, end up choking our seedlings, preventing us from harvesting our good fruits? How many testimonies are crushed by the weight of worries or fears that we brought with us on purpose?
It is a life long task to keep our gardens clear of weeds and stones, and to keep the soil good so our plants can grow. But if we do, we enjoy a bountiful harvest. We learn through service, we feel charity, and we will live with our Father in Heaven again. Let's all get gardening.
Just a thought. :)
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Plan of Happiness
Today I went to the gym and did a 5k on the treadmill. I'm training for an actual 5k in April with my sister. While I was doing it, I realized how much easier it has been lately to push myself at the gym because I have an actual goal in mind. I want to walk far because I want to succeed at the 5k with Heidi. This little epiphany pointed out to me how important goals are. We need a direction.
As I thought about how much more I have enjoyed the gym since I decided I wanted to the race, I realized that many aspects of my life have been a lot easier and a LOT more how I want it because I have been setting more goals lately. There have been many things that I had felt I was not doing as well as I wanted to in, so I created some goals to help me improve. It has worked magic in my life. I've been a lot happier as a result.
Realizing how much happier I've been lately because of the goals I've been setting and keeping made me think of the biggest goal we should all have. Eternal life. We should all be working hard to make sure that we will be able to live with our Father in Heaven again when we are done with our mortal life. After all, He set up the best goal path we could possibly follow. It's called the Great Plan of Happiness, also known as the Plan of Salvation.
It works like this: We lived with Heavenly Father before we came to this earth. This is important to realize because it means quite a few things. It means He really does know us. He had tons of time with us before we were born on the earth- we just don't remember it. But He does remember it. It also means that we were around before we arrived on this earth- we had personalities, talents, skills, etc. already. That means we ALL have things to offer in this life.
Then we were born on this earth. We continued our existence. It didn't begin with birth, it advanced with birth. Here on earth we do our best to follow what Jesus Christ taught so we can return to Him. We follow the Atonement and repent when we make mistakes. The biggest thing of the Atonement, in my opinion, was Jesus Christ's sufferings in the Garden of Gethsemane. He suffered for our sins so we could repent and return our Father in Heaven with a clean soul. He did this because He loves us. No one forced Him to do it. It truly was the greatest gift anyone could give.
After we have finished our journey on this earth, we die. Death is not an end, it is another advancement. After we die, we go to the Spirit World and continue to grow and learn.
In time, we will all be judged. Because of the Atonement, we can truly stand before our Father in Heaven with clean souls if we have repented and done our best to follow what Jesus Christ did for us. There is a second piece to the Atonement. Jesus was crucified on the cross. He gave His life for us. Then three days later He rose again from the garden tomb. Because He was resurrected, we will all be resurrected again.
At Judgment, we will go live in one of three kingdoms. The lowest kingdom, the Telestial, is compared to a star. It is glorious, though it is the least glorious of the kingdoms. The next kingdom, the Terrestrial, is compared to the moon. It is more glorious than the Telestial kingdom, but not as glorious as the highest degree of glory. The highest is the Celestial Kingdom.
(For a much better explanation of all that, go to http://www.lds.org/pages/the-plan-of-salvation-d-and-c-video?lang=eng.)
All in all, the entire plan looks like this:
How does all this relate to goals? We have been given the goal to live worthily of the highest degree of glory- the Celestial kingdom so we can live with Heavenly Father and Jesus forever and be like them. We have been given the path to get there- faith and repentance in the Atonement.
In fact, if you look at the entire plan, it would just about fit into the palm of a hand, about the same shape as a nail piercing would be:
Let's all set goals to live worthily of Salvation. This will bring us happiness. This is why we are here on Earth. We all agreed to this path before we were born. Let's follow the path while we are here so that when the time comes, we can live where we will be happiest- with our Father in Heaven.
As I thought about how much more I have enjoyed the gym since I decided I wanted to the race, I realized that many aspects of my life have been a lot easier and a LOT more how I want it because I have been setting more goals lately. There have been many things that I had felt I was not doing as well as I wanted to in, so I created some goals to help me improve. It has worked magic in my life. I've been a lot happier as a result.
Realizing how much happier I've been lately because of the goals I've been setting and keeping made me think of the biggest goal we should all have. Eternal life. We should all be working hard to make sure that we will be able to live with our Father in Heaven again when we are done with our mortal life. After all, He set up the best goal path we could possibly follow. It's called the Great Plan of Happiness, also known as the Plan of Salvation.
It works like this: We lived with Heavenly Father before we came to this earth. This is important to realize because it means quite a few things. It means He really does know us. He had tons of time with us before we were born on the earth- we just don't remember it. But He does remember it. It also means that we were around before we arrived on this earth- we had personalities, talents, skills, etc. already. That means we ALL have things to offer in this life.
Then we were born on this earth. We continued our existence. It didn't begin with birth, it advanced with birth. Here on earth we do our best to follow what Jesus Christ taught so we can return to Him. We follow the Atonement and repent when we make mistakes. The biggest thing of the Atonement, in my opinion, was Jesus Christ's sufferings in the Garden of Gethsemane. He suffered for our sins so we could repent and return our Father in Heaven with a clean soul. He did this because He loves us. No one forced Him to do it. It truly was the greatest gift anyone could give.
After we have finished our journey on this earth, we die. Death is not an end, it is another advancement. After we die, we go to the Spirit World and continue to grow and learn.
In time, we will all be judged. Because of the Atonement, we can truly stand before our Father in Heaven with clean souls if we have repented and done our best to follow what Jesus Christ did for us. There is a second piece to the Atonement. Jesus was crucified on the cross. He gave His life for us. Then three days later He rose again from the garden tomb. Because He was resurrected, we will all be resurrected again.
At Judgment, we will go live in one of three kingdoms. The lowest kingdom, the Telestial, is compared to a star. It is glorious, though it is the least glorious of the kingdoms. The next kingdom, the Terrestrial, is compared to the moon. It is more glorious than the Telestial kingdom, but not as glorious as the highest degree of glory. The highest is the Celestial Kingdom.
(For a much better explanation of all that, go to http://www.lds.org/pages/the-plan-of-salvation-d-and-c-video?lang=eng.)
All in all, the entire plan looks like this:
How does all this relate to goals? We have been given the goal to live worthily of the highest degree of glory- the Celestial kingdom so we can live with Heavenly Father and Jesus forever and be like them. We have been given the path to get there- faith and repentance in the Atonement.
In fact, if you look at the entire plan, it would just about fit into the palm of a hand, about the same shape as a nail piercing would be:
Let's all set goals to live worthily of Salvation. This will bring us happiness. This is why we are here on Earth. We all agreed to this path before we were born. Let's follow the path while we are here so that when the time comes, we can live where we will be happiest- with our Father in Heaven.
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