Profound Spiritual Realizations

It's one thing to know the scriptures, to be able to recite them at a moments notice relevant to the conversation or to have a basic understanding of their truths and meanings.  Through the power of the Holy Ghost we can receive personal witness and revelation pertaining to these truths and when He manifests a true understanding of these things they become burned in our hearts and souls never to be separated from us unless we excuse them.  I have had two seemingly simple ideas, theories, principles take on a much deeper meaning.  For some reason I feel compelled to share them.

Bear with me as explaining something that you comprehend in such a profound way is very hard to describe in words but I'll try.  The story of the prodigal son where his son wants his inheritance now and takes off despite his father asking him to stay but as a good father would accepting his son has made his choice and giving it to him.  The son then basically wastes it on parties and such when he has absolutely nothing left to his name sheepishly returns to his father's house expecting to be put in his place and hear I told you so.  But that's not what he received.  He received hugs and kisses and a feast and a party for his return home.  His father rejoiced in his return with such joy and thankfulness.  Similar to Christ speaking of the 100 sheep and one that was lost.  How much He rejoices in the return when the one is found.  The 99 sheep He didn't have to worry about quite as much they already had a testimony of Him, His existence and His teachings and they chose to follow Him.  But that one that wanders off do to unbelief, was deceived and seduced by the glamour and riches of the world or maybe endured some experience or trauma that made them think that God can't exist if there is struggle is the one He worries about the most.

As a parent and after much pondering and certain experiences recently in my own life I have such a profound understanding of just how sacred and joyous this event of the one sheep found or the son returning home is to our Father in Heaven.  He desires all of His children to be happy and to find true joy that will last eternity.  He has established families to help us be strengthened and nurtured on earth and to gain experiences that help us grow and become more like Him.  Of course having free agency we can choose for ourselves to take our inheritance and leave or to stay and labor in the fields learning what we need to, to be truly happy.  How do you describe a feeling that encompasses pure joy and love mixed with a peaceful state of happiness?  I keep struggling to find the words to explain it.  His love for his children exceeds any other emotion in this world.  It's so powerful and so real.  So sacred and beautiful.  That hope for your children to succeed and find their way home knowing that some may never return.  We are His happiness.

The second was a much better understanding of what Christ's ministry was on the earth.  I know He was here to set a perfect example to follow, to share Heavenly Father's teachings and to establish His Church here on the earth with a Presidency and twelve apostles, with Bishops and missionary work.  To establish the gospel and Priesthood authority and to introduce the sacrament and it's meaning and to change the law of Sacrifice.  To atone for the sins of the world in the Garden of Gethsemane and to overcome death to give us eternal life by becoming resurrected.  This might seem so much simpler now having pointed out a lot of big things that He did but it's a very important principle that  I understand really well now.

When watching a movie I noticed this man that they honored, respected and loved who was willing to save them from certain end and gave them hope to endure.  They would wait to get a glimpse of him when he left his house bearing gifts of whatever they had to spare and would follow him with delight and happy energy telling him they believed in him.  Then I thought that sounds like something people who followed the Savior might have done.  He didn't need the stuff, but He accepted it because He knew how much it meant to them to give it.  He didn't need the bowing or worship but accepted it as a sign of the people's love and affection for Him and for most of His followers that was all they had to offer.  He loved them so much.  So much.  What He wanted them and us to understand is that He wanted us to hear His teachings and sermons.  To ponder them, pray to better understand them.  He wants us to go forth and share them.  He desires everyone to have the opportunity to hear His teachings, His miracles, feel His love for us, believe in His name, accept His Atoning Sacrifice for us and to gain eternal life.  He set the perfect example of what He needs us to do.  To love others, to be charitable and kind.  To let people accept or reject His message according to their own free will and choice.  To partake of the Atonement and repent so that we can return to our Father in Heaven.  What He needs us to do is share these things with the world and let the world one individual at a time decide for themselves what to believe and respect their decisions to accept or reject it as He did.  All He's asking us to do who believe in His name and on Him is to try.

He never said it would be easy, He only said it would be worth it.  Go forward with faith and endure to the end with courage and patience and love.  I hope that the magnitude of what I've learned is conveyed even at all.  Like I said it's hard to describe the feelings and understandings of my heart and I'll keep trying.  I hope and pray that you will find your true happiness and return home.

Families Are a Grand Invention

I am truly grateful for my children.  I know sometimes they feel like we aren't committed to them in some way, or that we don't care about the things they care about but we do.  It's an interesting journey for us as parents as we watch our high school students navigate their way to adulthood.  It doesn't always go their way.  We all wish we could get what we want when we want it.  It's almost a blessing in disguise to have a 5 year old in the home with her occasional temper tantrums when things don't go her way.  It's annoys the heck outta the two older kids and as a result they do it sparingly if at all.  Temper tantrums I mean.

We are very committed to loving them, nurturing them, but we no longer reach out every time they fall down because we also have faith in them.  Faith that we have taught them well and that they are capable of more challenges than they realize.  We understand and I myself have a profound respect for the gift of agency.  If they mess up there are consequences they might not like to face but if we let them they learn and grow.  If they do well and succeed there are consequences there too with the rewards of blessings and knowledge and a boost to their confidence in themselves.  They might disagree still quite a bit that we don't always bail them out or agree with things they choose to do and say but they know how much we love them.  I thank God for that every day.  My children know that I love them without a shadow of a doubt.

Families are such a precious and wonderful thing.  They annoy us, steal our clothes, mess up our houses, break our stuff, hug us when we're upset, offer words of encouragement when we need a lift and many more things that we think we could do with or without but if we're honest can't live a day without and would miss the chaos.  Of course we prefer the peaceful silences I really do miss reading. I have so many books and have taken my mind on so many journeys it would be nice to do it again but life is busy.  I would miss the fighting, yes I said fighting sometimes their retorts are marvelously clever.  I would miss the mess, to an extent let's not get crazy my clean house lasts about five minutes because by the time I'm finally done they come home.  I would miss the laughter.  Hearing them in the next room watching a movie altogether on the couch or seeing them play at a camp ground or a park.  I would miss talking to them and hearing about their days and all the things that excite them as well as all the things that are troubling them.  Families are a grand invention.

Just when I think I have everything finally figured out, everyone's schedules, everyone's moods they change and I have to start all over again.  But I can feel it strengthening and changing me in the process.  A blessing that you don't always notice but it's there.  What would we be without a family?
How lonely would we tolerate our lives to become?  It's not always easy getting along.  Sometimes we do things that are unforgivable but we should always forgive.  Forgiveness does not imply giving in or enabling bad behavior.  It's a gesture of love and affection that says we understand what you did was wrong but we still love you and want the best for you.  It's hard to swallow pride, and forgive.  It's hard to forgive without an apology or some kind of acknowledgement to at least attempt to take away the hurt we can feel.  Do it anyway.

I am so eternally grateful for my husband, Nathan.  Whenever I'm flustered and want to give up he simply takes care of it in such a perfect way that I have to admire.  We don't always agree on punishments for kids but if one of us is disciplining and the other isn't home or in the room and we don't have time to discuss it, aka we blurted out a punishment, we are good to back each other up.  Enforcing is both of us and we usually discuss the blurted punishment and try to find ways to usually lessen it without taking it away completely.  Tough but we're getting pretty good at that.  I love that when he's at a loss and isn't sure what to do I have no trouble putting thoughts to action and doing what I can to fix what isn't working.  I love talking to him, sometimes he tends to like discussions more than a simple conversation albeit interesting.  I love staring at him still to this day after almost eleven years of marriage.  I love that together as far as an US is concerned we haven't changed that much and still want the same things and still work hard at our relationship.  Even if we're mad at each other over a stupid fight we just had lol.

The overall scheme of things?  Families are a grand invention.  A lot of work, but magnificent.  The rewards and laundry are endless, the pay is terrible, the jobs are difficult with little to no help from your roomates, but worth it entirely.