Peace Offering --- Accepted

On November 9th, I shared some thoughts on "Taking the Higher Road" -- you may want to read this, so you understand what I am talking about here.

It's been three days after my peace offering to our neighbors, and today I got a knock on our door. It was the neighbor who I quarreled with, she had a plate of rice krispie treats, and this is what she said to me "This is my peace offering with you. We won't knock on your door anymore, we understand, as we also have kids. And we'll take care of the bikes. We want to not have contention between us either. We understand."

I can honestly say I was surprised. But through this experience, I have gained a testimony that when we follow in the footsteps of the teachings Jesus, the outcome in some way will be a good one. The response from our neighbor shows that she was touched by my act of kindness to her. She didn't have to make a plate of rice krispie treats, and take the courage to knock on our door, apologize and hand them to me, but she did. The outcome could have been good in so many different ways, the very fact that I had a spiritual renewal was a blessing. I always think about how we might plant seeds in people's lives. You can't choose the outcome, but you can plant the seed and they can choose to make that seed blossom now or in the future. The important part, is that you took the step, you took the higher road, you planted the seed. God is watching over us, and I know that He is pleased with us when we make good choices. It truly is simple, sometimes it feels hard, but it is simple. I am grateful for this experience, and I am grateful for the opportunity of planting a seed that blossomed. I would encourage you, if you're frustrated with someone, or something – take the higher road and you will be blessed for your efforts.

Testimony Builder - Thoughts By Me.

Today, I will be taking our boys to church, as my husband is sick with the flu. I think it can be a challenge to be by yourself and take your kids to church, but I also think that it is very important to follow through.

Let me step back a few years. When my oldest was under one, I would take him to church by myself, as at the time my husband was not active in church. During the course of the 3 hour block, I became discouraged because I wasn't getting the spiritual uplift that I wanted and needed. I was spending much of the time in the hallway, because my baby was being too noisy to be able to sit through some of the meetings. At that very moment that I became discouraged and thought to myself what is the point of me being here, the Primary President came around the corner and said to me, "I remember those days, it will get better." At that moment in time, it occurred to me that I am not the only one that has had to go in the hallway, that there will be better days, and it is important for me to be there even in the hallway for a short time period in my babies life. Why? Because it shows him that going to church is an important part of our lives, and eventually when he is older, the habit will be instilled in him, and again, when he grows older he'll start to realize the weekly spiritual nourishment that he can get at church. What a great insight that was for me. It was not coincidence that the Primary President came around the corner at that exact moment, and that what she said to me gave me a better testimony of why it is so important that I come to church with my little one even if it is in the hallway for a brief time in life.

Now, my oldest is in Primary and is loving it. I can see the spiritual growth he has gained by my persistence and faith in bringing him to church each Sunday. It is wonderful to hear him so excited to learn about our Savior. To learn about eternal families, as sometime in the future our family will be sealed for time and all eternity, what a great testimony builder this will be for him, and for our little family as a whole. It is exciting to see him be excited to say the family prayer at night, or during dinner time. It is heart warming to hear him speak with his little voice that permeates a spiritual warmth throughout my heart.

And, I am back to the hallway days off and on with our youngest. He will be able to go to the nursery in about 6 months, which will in turn help for me be able to focus on my weekly spiritual uplift. But again, for now, it is important to teach him that going to church weekly is important to us individually and as a family.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to teach our little ones the importance of living the gospel in their daily lives. I am grateful for the small teachings I receive through my children, for their little insights that give me strength to push forward. This life is truly an amazing journey, difficult at times sure, perhaps difficult is an understatement at times, but nevertheless, it is a blessing. I truly am grateful for the opportunities for spiritual insight and spiritual growth.

A Mighty Change of Heart - TOTW

"We must not lose hope. Hope is an anchor to the souls of men. Satan would have us cast away that anchor. In this way he can bring discouragement and surrender. But we must not lose hope. The Lord is pleased with every effort, even the tiny, daily ones in which we strive to be more like Him. Though we may see that we have far to go on the road to perfection, we must not give up hope."

-Ezra Taft Benson, “A Mighty Change of Heart,” Ensign, Oct. 1989, 2

I so needed this thought today - which came into my Inbox for our own TOTW from On Wings of Faith. Different trials come to us in all shapes and sizes, sometimes easier than others, some really hard to even drag your feet through the mud of it all. I have been through several trials, and in the midst of a few myself right now that have been very trying. But it is so true that we must not lose hope. There are many blessings for each of us as we strive to improve ourselves for the better - spiritually, mentally, and physically. The strength the comes through our trials is an amazing blessing in itself.

Building Character and Increasing Compassion

A friend who is on my group On Wings of Faith posted a thought:

Building Character and Increasing Compassion

"Learning to endure times of disappointment, suffering, and sorrow is part of our on-the-job training. These experiences, while often difficult to bear at the time, are precisely the kinds of experiences that stretch our understanding, build our character, and increase our compassion for others."

Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Come What May, and Love It", Ensign, Nov. 2008, 27

My response? I think I need to read this over and over again every day - when reading it, it uplifts me - at the same time, I choose to laugh instead of cry because I feel like crying sometimes with all that is going on. Although, if I laugh too much, people may think I need to be sent to the lunatic farm.

Quotes from Facing the Giant

"Your actions will always follow your beliefs."

"Coach: I prayed so hard, but I still can’t seem to win.
Mr. Bridges: I heard of a story of two farmers praying to God for rain to come. Both prayed but only one prepared the land. Who do you think trusted God more to send the rain?"

This so relates to me in so many ways right now. I have the know-how to have God send me the rain, I just haven't done my part, I have not prepared my fields the proper way. And so, I am dedicating myself to do just that - I need God to send me rain and I certainly cannot expect him to do it when I'm almost doing my part, it just means that He can only "almost" send me blessings. What a great eye opener!

"Never give up. Never back down. Never lose faith."

Grant Taylor: I want God to bless this team so much people will talk about what He did. But it means we gotta give Him our best in every area. And if we win, we praise Him. And if we lose, we praise Him. Either way we honor Him with our actions and our attitudes. So I'm askin' you... What are you living for? I resolve to give God everything I've got, then I'll leave the results up to Him. I want to know if you'll join me.

Grant Taylor: With God, nothing is impossible.
--Facing the Giants

Think about, REALLY THINK ABOUT what this means. What does this mean to you? I think it is natural for us to lean towards the world, towards man to increase our capacity in all our areas of life - when God has placed before us numerous resources to get through everything and anything we may be going through. It should be natural for us to lean towards God, lean towards Jesus and His teachings. This is the good news.

I often think about something one of our former home teachers expressed one night. The scriptures talk much about faith, and many people from the scriptures had a pure faith that literally made the scripture For with God nothing shall be impossible come to pass. Where is our faith? What do we need to do to work on our faith and make that scripture come to pass in our own lives. What do we need to do to strengthen our testimony?

One of my favorite books is Believing Christ by Stephen E. Robinson. Many of us believe IN Christ, but do you BELIEVE CHRIST? Do you believe his teachings and the powerful affect that it can have upon your life?