Don't let your mortality get in the way...

My friend, Gena, shared a conversation she had with a friend with a terminal illness.  This friend knows she is dying and that her remaining time on earth is short.  And yet, she looks forward with an heart full of faith.  She knows where she is going.  She knows the body that is failing her is not "her".  It is a sacred temple, which houses her spirit, which is eternal and part of a Heavenly Family.  As she referenced what it will be like as time goes on, her health getting worse, and the distance between this life and the next narrowing, she wants the transition to be welcomed, as uncomplicated and as smooth as possible.  She said, "I'm not going to let my mortality get in the way."  This woman knows that inside of her body rests a spirit that will continue on long after her mortal shell has expired.  She knows this is not the end and therefore does not think with her mortal eyes, but her spiritual eyes.

This made me think about my own life.  Do I let my mortality get in the way sometimes?  No, I am not terminally ill.  But at times does my spirit - the eternal part of me, the part that existed before this life and will continue to exist in the next - want to shout at my mortal being, "Stop getting distracted with these temporary things!  Mortality is temporary!  It's only a part of your eternal experience!"  Will my spiritual eyes look back on this life here on earth and realize I focused too much on what was here, on things (possessions, hobbies, busy-ness) that would remain HERE, instead of focusing on what I CAN take with me (love cultivated for others by serving them, a testimony built unshakable by seeking the good, acquiring better understanding of God's word, applying the Atonement in my life and recognizing that my Savior's sacrifice was for me, personally).  The things of mortality that I am seeking and centering my energy on are not wrong.  They are all good things and serve a purpose.  But good doesn't mean they are better, and it certainly doesn't mean they are the best.  I'm so grateful that Gena shared the conversation with her friend.  It was a tender mercy and a gentle reminder that while seeking the good, I need to reserve time for the better and the best.  I must serve my spiritual ambitions as much or more than my mortal goals.

I mustn't let my mortality get in my way.

"We're sorry we can't come to the phone right now..."

 This weekend my family and I will be unavailable for activities or phone calls on both Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to Noon, and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.  During those 8 precious hours, we will be eagerly listening to prayerfully-prepared words of wisdom delivered to us from the mouths of the Lord's servants here on the earth.

There was a brief period of time after I graduated from high school that I wasn't making the best choices in my life.  And, like many teenagers, I began to question some of the doctrine and principles of the religion in which I'd been raised.  And yet I could not fully separate myself from it, because there was one thing that I knew I absolutely could not, and would not, deny: that the President of the Church truly was a man of God, and that the men who serve with him, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, truly were men of God also, set apart and devoted to further His work on the earth.  I could not see these men - whether in person (as living and working where I did at the time, I occasionally I would have the pleasure of bumping into one of them), or on a television broadcast, without feeling overwhelming love and an increase of the Spirit.  I know that was the Lord's way of saying, "Hold on.  Don't give up.  The answers will come."  And they did.  Because I was able to cling to my faith in a modern-day prophet, in time my faith was restored in other doctrines and principles as well.  Now I can say that I do not question the gospel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I do not fully understand every little detail of it, but that doesn't bother me.  I don't expect to be an expert on it until well after this life is over!  I am comforted that I understand all that I need to know at this point in time and that if I continue faithful on the right path, more knowledge, enlightenment, and comprehension will come as I'm prepared for it.

Some say Divine Revelation is an ancient tradition, and no longer applicable to us in these modern days.  My heart (and my mind) tell me this is not so.  Why would a loving Father in Heaven only speak to His children from days past?  I tell you that the hand of the Lord is in our lives today and that He speaks to us - through prayer and personal revelation, scriptures, even beautiful sacred music, and most He definitely continues to speak to us through Prophets and Apostles, just as was done in ancient times.  Our God is unchanging and unwavering, and for the great blessing of modern-day leadership, directed by Jesus Christ, I am so very, very grateful!

Our great desire is to raise our children in truth & righteousness!

Yesterday Wyatt shared his testimony publicly for the first time in Fast and Testimony Sacrament Meeting.  He had mentioned earlier that morning he thought he wanted to do it but was feeling very nervous.  We talked about how testimonies don't have to be a bunch of fancy words.  They are simply when we share what we believe and how it makes us feel.  I could not have been prouder - or weepier!  He testified that he knows Jesus was resurrected and that Heavenly Father loves us.  He testified that he knows President Monson really is a prophet from God.  He had poise and courage, and was overall totally amazing.  Earlier that day he had also confided that he wasn't sure he wanted to fast because it was hard to be so hungry.  I told him fasting wasn't supposed to be easy - that was one of the reasons we fast.  We are proving to ourselves and to Heavenly Father that our spirit controls the desires of our bodies, not the other way around.  Of course, as I'm telling him this, he's looking down at his feet as he makes them turn side-to-side.  So glad I had such a captive audience!  But THEN....  in primary just a few hours later where I was substituting for the pianist, they discussed fasting in Sharing Time.  When she asked what some of the blessings we can receive from fasting are, Wyatt raised his hand and said, "We get power.  Our spirits get power over our bodies."  Ka-Pow!  To top it all off, that night he presented a sweet lesson about testimonies during our Family Home Evening time.  Brett and I were genuinely impressed at his confidence and preparation.  He reminded us that when we share our feelings and experiences with the Holy Ghost, we are sharing our testimonies.  What an awesome kid!

David A. Bednar has said, "Our testimony of gospel truth should be reflected both in our words and in our deeds.  And our testimonies are proclaimed and lived most powerfully in our own homes.  Spouses, parents, and CHILDREN should strive to overcome any hesitancy, reluctance, or embarrassment about bearing testimony.  We should both create and look for opportunities to bear testimony of gospel truths - and live them."

Wyatt, hearing your testimony today brought the Spirit into my heart.  Your words made my own testimony grow and I was strengthened by your example.  I'm overjoyed to know that you really do believe in Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father.  They ARE real and they DO love know you.  The Savior has encouraged us to be as little children.  That is because children usually have faith so much easier than adults and are more willing to learn and change.  You have been a shining example to me of someone with great faith and a submissive nature.  I hope you will continue to help your testimony grow through prayer, reading the scriptures, and being aware of making good choices.  I also hope you will continue to share your testimony often.  I know the more you share it, the stronger it will be and as you grow into a young man your foundation will be strong and sure, just like the man who "build his house upon the rock" instead of sand.  These are some of the things that will help you keep the promises you will make when you are baptized in a few months.  I know your Heavenly Father is proud of you and very, very pleased that you have such an anxious desire to enter the waters of baptism and make covenants with Him.  You are an important person in my life and I'm grateful for the different ways you make me a better person.  You inspire me!  I love you!

the look of hope...

I can't get over the feeling I had when I first saw this painting by Liz Lemon Swindle. Immediately your eyes are drawn beyond the movement of the apostles to the look in their eyes. It is the expression on their faces that Liz Lemon Swindle chose to use as the title of her masterpiece: "HOPE". It stirs within me my own feelings for my Savior. My own hope that I can live my life in a way that is pleasing to my Heavenly Father. That as I utilize the atonement in my life, to right my wrongs and heal my hurts, I will earn a seat at His table and live with Him forever. I love what Ms. Swindle wrote about what inspired her to paint this image:

When Mary came to the tomb, she found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. She ran to the disciples crying, "They have taken away the Lord…and we know not where they have laid him" (John 20:2). Peter and John immediately ran to the tomb.

What did they think as they ran? Were they simply curious to see for themselves? Did they fear, like Mary, that their enemies had stolen the body? Or did they remember His promise, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up"?

The decision that faced Peter and John that Sunday morning is the same decision that faces each one of us today. Will we doubt? Will we hope? Or will we know that He lives? I know that He lives.

And so do I. This Easter weekend I desire to shout from the mountain tops that I know my Savior loves me, understands me, died for me, and lives for me!

"How great, how glorious, how complete,

Redemption's grand design,

Where justice, love, and mercy meet

In harmony divine"