If you're not a member of or not familiar with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I encourage you to check out the website, LDS.org. This weekend is our General Conference, where the living prophet of God on the earth today speaks to us, as do modern-day apostles and other general authorities of the Church. Check here to find out more and to find out how to watch General Conference. The messages you will hear about Jesus Christ, families, faith, and other topics are inspired and true. If you have questions or would like to know more, feel free to leave a comment or visit lds.org or mormon.org.
I give you my witness that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church of God upon the earth today. Priesthood power - the power and authority of God- has been restored upon the earth today. The Book of Mormon is true and serves to draw us nearer to Jesus Christ through its witness of Him. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that He is our Savior and Redeemer. He has covered our sins and redeemed us from them. I love Him and I know that He loves you and wants us all to come to Him so that our lives may be made clean and whole.
I invite you to find out for yourself if these things are true.
-Megan
Friday, October 4, 2013
Friday, September 27, 2013
BE Brave
There is a quote on a sticky note next to my bed that I see every morning and every night, and every other time in the day that I sit or lay on my bed.
It says:
"Do one thing every day that scares you." -Eleanor Roosevelt
The last few days this has seemed particularly applicable for me. I've always been somewhat of a cautious person. I have tried to be safe, tried to not take too many risks. The only thing I've really risked willingly has been my heart...Which is sometimes the scariest thing to risk. However, I think the longer we live, the more we realize how resilient we are, and how good it feels to do the things that scare us, even if we don't have complete success on our first try. I heard someone once say something like "You haven't really started living until you've gone out of your comfort zone." I like it. I agree with it. Something of the Divine told me how selfish I am today. This is true. I stay in my comfort zone sometimes because I am scared to go out of it.... I get scared to be my true self. The Divine said "You are the way you are for a reason. I made you to love people the way you do for a reason, why do you sometimes withhold that extension of love because you are afraid of how others will perceive you? Don't be afraid of your own gifts!"
Today I did something that scared me. It was a small thing, but it required serious courage in the moment. But you know what...It turned out awesome. It was exactly what I needed and I almost missed it because of my fears. So, I was thinking today "You know what, I'm gonna be ok. I can be brave in my life. I can take risks. I can be me. I can love the challenge of doing something scary every day."
So, my challenge to you is: "Do one thing every day that scares you," and maybe, just maybe, you will start to see your world through different eyes. Maybe you'll love a little more. Maybe you'll laugh a little more. Maybe you'll love yourself a little more because you weren't afraid to be expand yourself.
Life is good. Oh so good.
BE Brave.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
This is What Life is About
I read the words of the LDS hymn 'Lean on My Ample Arm' tonight and I tell you what...its message is what life is about. It is powerful and sweet.
"Lean on my ample arm, O thou depressed! And I will bid the storm cease in thy breast. Whate'er thy lot may be on life's complaining sea, if thou wilt come to me, thou shalt have rest. If thou wilt come to me, thou shalt have rest.
Lift up thy tearful eyes, sad heart, to me; I am the sacrifice offered for thee. In me thy pain shall cease, in me is thy release, in me thou shalt have peace eternally. In me thou shalt have peace eternally."
I love it. I love it, I love it, I love it.
I am amazed at Jesus' infinite Atonement and how He can constantly and continuously and eternally take my burdens from me. HE bids the storm cease in my heart. HE gives me rest on my life's complaining sea. HE lifts up my tearful eyes and my sad heart to the hope of his sacrifice for me. HE takes my pain, HE releases me from it. HE gives me peace. EVERY TIME. Every Single Time. That alone makes me weep. I have pain a lot. I turn my tearful eyes and sad heart to him a lot. And He takes it every time. He will do this eternally. Forever and Ever. He is Endless and Eternal. These names He has make me think of this little song.
Let me just tell you, I know He lives. I KNOW HE LIVES. Eternal and Endless. Provider and King. I know that He is our release, our rest, our peace, and that all this is because He offered himself for us. All he wants us to do is to come to him, to give him all of our burdens and all of our fears and all of our pains so that we can better know him. He just wants us to trust him and to love him and to let him take everything that he suffered for on our behalf.
His arm is ample.
"Lean on my ample arm, O thou depressed! And I will bid the storm cease in thy breast. Whate'er thy lot may be on life's complaining sea, if thou wilt come to me, thou shalt have rest. If thou wilt come to me, thou shalt have rest.
Lift up thy tearful eyes, sad heart, to me; I am the sacrifice offered for thee. In me thy pain shall cease, in me is thy release, in me thou shalt have peace eternally. In me thou shalt have peace eternally."
I love it. I love it, I love it, I love it.
I am amazed at Jesus' infinite Atonement and how He can constantly and continuously and eternally take my burdens from me. HE bids the storm cease in my heart. HE gives me rest on my life's complaining sea. HE lifts up my tearful eyes and my sad heart to the hope of his sacrifice for me. HE takes my pain, HE releases me from it. HE gives me peace. EVERY TIME. Every Single Time. That alone makes me weep. I have pain a lot. I turn my tearful eyes and sad heart to him a lot. And He takes it every time. He will do this eternally. Forever and Ever. He is Endless and Eternal. These names He has make me think of this little song.
Let me just tell you, I know He lives. I KNOW HE LIVES. Eternal and Endless. Provider and King. I know that He is our release, our rest, our peace, and that all this is because He offered himself for us. All he wants us to do is to come to him, to give him all of our burdens and all of our fears and all of our pains so that we can better know him. He just wants us to trust him and to love him and to let him take everything that he suffered for on our behalf.
His arm is ample.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Grateful
I just had to share a quick thought about my gratitude for the opportunities God gives us in life to learn to love Him more and to learn to love other people. I've realized that in order to learn to love other people in a deep way, I have to come to love God more and be closer to Him. I have to have a relationship that is such that His love flows through me ... that I get closer to Him and that His love fills me so that I have love to give to others.
I am grateful for the good people God prepares for us to have in our life. Sometimes life seems so unsure, and the outcomes of certain things in our life are so uncertain that we may become afraid, however, God reminded me today of two things. The first was about how to love and it comes from Luke 6 in the KJV of the Bible.
I am grateful for the good people God prepares for us to have in our life. Sometimes life seems so unsure, and the outcomes of certain things in our life are so uncertain that we may become afraid, however, God reminded me today of two things. The first was about how to love and it comes from Luke 6 in the KJV of the Bible.
Jesus says, "Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you. Bless them that curse you, and pray for them that despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye?...and if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye?....and if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? ....But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father is also merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."
I love this pattern of love that God lays out in these verses. They are truly holy to me. I love them beyond expression. I am going to try harder to pattern my relationships after this kind of love.
The second comes from the Book of Mormon from the book of Moroni in chapter 7, verse 16. "For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God." This reminded me that I don't have to be able to see all the outcomes, but that I can have faith and trust in the good things in my life at the present time.
I am grateful for God, a loving family and an amazing boyfriend who bring light and hope and joy to my every day!
Sunday, June 9, 2013
"Every Breath"
Every Breath by Jenny Phillips
His hands are
Catching your tears
And even without any words
He hears
You feel so far
But he's right where you are
And He knows
Every breath
Every pain
He knows your heart and
He knows your name
The giver of life
Light in your soul
Oh come home
Come rest
Let Him bless
Your every breath
Silence your voice and be still
And even without any words
You will feel
You think you're far
But he lives in your heart
And he knows
Every breath
Every pain
He knows your heart and
He knows your name
The giver of life
Light in your soul
Oh come home
Come rest
Let Him bless
Your every breath
There's nowhere you can go
That He hasn't been below
Every breath
Every pain
He knows your heart and
He knows your name
The giver of life
Light in your soul
Oh come home
Come rest
Let Him bless
Your every breath
His hands are
Catching your tears
And even without any words
He hears
You feel so far
But he's right where you are
And He knows
Every breath
Every pain
He knows your heart and
He knows your name
The giver of life
Light in your soul
Oh come home
Come rest
Let Him bless
Your every breath
Silence your voice and be still
And even without any words
You will feel
You think you're far
But he lives in your heart
And he knows
Every breath
Every pain
He knows your heart and
He knows your name
The giver of life
Light in your soul
Oh come home
Come rest
Let Him bless
Your every breath
There's nowhere you can go
That He hasn't been below
Every breath
Every pain
He knows your heart and
He knows your name
The giver of life
Light in your soul
Oh come home
Come rest
Let Him bless
Your every breath
I just wanted to share tonight a few songs that always help me feel closer to my Heavenly Father. Though life is hard, the connection we have to our Heavenly Father can literally be a lifeline. We really are His children. He loves us so much. I'm grateful for the whisperings of the Spirit and for good people in my life who help me see who I really am. I love my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Dreams and Joys
I was reading some of my blog recently (like reading old journals, sometimes reading from previous experiences in my life provides valuable learning, perspective and gratitude for me) and I realized that so many of my posts are about the experiences I've had with health problems over the last few years. Much of my mortal spiritual tutorials have come through those experiences in these recent years. However, I want to just write briefly about some of the things I love most deeply in this life...things that bring me pure joy, things that delight my soul in every way and give vision to my life. If you don't like random ramblings about joyful things, I suggest you not read this. :)
I love summer. I love how green it is. I love the sunshine. I love the warmth. I love going running outside. I love summer sunsets and how the earth cools down and how good it feels to be outside in the evening when the day has been super hot. I love the places I get to go with the people I most love being with, and the food I get to eat. I love that everything is alive and growing, covering the earth with absolute beauty.
I love being a woman. I love the feelings of being a nurturer, comforter, and friend that come naturally for me. I love knowing that I am not only a woman, but that I am a daughter of a Heavenly Father and Mother who are perfect beings. I love that I can speak with my Father in Heaven through something as simple as prayer. I love that I have that access to Him anytime I want it, wherever I am. I love that I can feel Him just by taking a moment to be still. I love that I can know He is there, just by thinking about Him, and talking to Him. I love that marriage is part of my Father's divine Plan. I love the thought that I get to be a wife and a mother one day. Those are the two things that I have wanted beyond all else since I was just a tiny child. Most of the dreams of my whole life fall into these roles. I believe in love. True love. Happily ever after love. For time and all eternity love. The concept of forever, though it blows my mind, creates a deep sense of joy within my soul. I love that there is potential for creation within each person. And because of that amazing blessing, I rejoice in being clean and chaste, and in being around people who are clean and chaste. I love that my spirit is the creation of two people who were so clean, so pure, so righteous, that though once mortals like me, they became exalted beings who out of their love and their goodness created my eternal spirit. Such potential....to be a creator of spirits and to live in an exalted state with my eternal companion makes me want to be clean above all else. I love the vision that the Relief Society program provides for me. It inspires me to be my most charitable, most spiritually feminine self. I love that I get to be part of God's eternal family.
I love learning. I delight in productivity. I love "getting things done." I hope to make a difference in the world around me by the training I give my minds and my hands. Though I sometimes would rather focus on people than schoolwork, I love that I have the opportunity to attend a university and learn of secular things. As I learn of them, I feel that I grow closer to the Lord because all things testify of Him. So many of the things I learn in my schooling are reflections of God's laws....and of course it is so because He is the creator and ruler of this world.
I love singing. Singing is my favorite thing. Maybe second only to smiling. I just love singing. It makes me so happy and renews my soul. Plus, it is one of the ways I worship and praise the Lord, and express my delight in life and the world around me.
I love how the Holy Ghost cleans my spirit. I love that how immersing myself in things that bring the Spirit literally cleans out my mind, my heart and my spirit of all things not in alignment with the Lord. I love how the Spirit changes things. I love how something can look so big or bad or hard and how the Spirit can put it into an eternal perspective and give me patience or strength or hope or love, etc to deal with it. I love that each person has their own unique spiritual strengths and weaknesses and how our interactions with each other help us to grow. I love that growth and service are endless opportunities because of our Savior. I love that change and love and hope can always grow and improve within us. I love that the work of discipleship will always exist. There will always be work to do for my Savior.
One of my favorite quotes hangs on my door and I read it every day when I leave my room:
"YOUR PERSPECTIVE IS VITAL TO YOUR HAPPINESS. Some, blind to the bountiful opportunities around them, live lives of sadness and despair with brief moments of joy. Be alive to the abundant potential that surrounds you so that you live a life of peace and happiness with periods of challenging growth." -Elder Richard G. Scott
...And one more, just to share a goal that I am trying to work on (focusing on the good in myself and others)
"Do you want to affiliate with the Christ in people or the Adversary in people? Which ever one you choose, it is necessary for you to find those characteristics- either Christ's or the Adversary's - in each person you meet...and in, I might add, your self."
I love summer. I love how green it is. I love the sunshine. I love the warmth. I love going running outside. I love summer sunsets and how the earth cools down and how good it feels to be outside in the evening when the day has been super hot. I love the places I get to go with the people I most love being with, and the food I get to eat. I love that everything is alive and growing, covering the earth with absolute beauty.
I love being a woman. I love the feelings of being a nurturer, comforter, and friend that come naturally for me. I love knowing that I am not only a woman, but that I am a daughter of a Heavenly Father and Mother who are perfect beings. I love that I can speak with my Father in Heaven through something as simple as prayer. I love that I have that access to Him anytime I want it, wherever I am. I love that I can feel Him just by taking a moment to be still. I love that I can know He is there, just by thinking about Him, and talking to Him. I love that marriage is part of my Father's divine Plan. I love the thought that I get to be a wife and a mother one day. Those are the two things that I have wanted beyond all else since I was just a tiny child. Most of the dreams of my whole life fall into these roles. I believe in love. True love. Happily ever after love. For time and all eternity love. The concept of forever, though it blows my mind, creates a deep sense of joy within my soul. I love that there is potential for creation within each person. And because of that amazing blessing, I rejoice in being clean and chaste, and in being around people who are clean and chaste. I love that my spirit is the creation of two people who were so clean, so pure, so righteous, that though once mortals like me, they became exalted beings who out of their love and their goodness created my eternal spirit. Such potential....to be a creator of spirits and to live in an exalted state with my eternal companion makes me want to be clean above all else. I love the vision that the Relief Society program provides for me. It inspires me to be my most charitable, most spiritually feminine self. I love that I get to be part of God's eternal family.
I love learning. I delight in productivity. I love "getting things done." I hope to make a difference in the world around me by the training I give my minds and my hands. Though I sometimes would rather focus on people than schoolwork, I love that I have the opportunity to attend a university and learn of secular things. As I learn of them, I feel that I grow closer to the Lord because all things testify of Him. So many of the things I learn in my schooling are reflections of God's laws....and of course it is so because He is the creator and ruler of this world.
I love singing. Singing is my favorite thing. Maybe second only to smiling. I just love singing. It makes me so happy and renews my soul. Plus, it is one of the ways I worship and praise the Lord, and express my delight in life and the world around me.
I love how the Holy Ghost cleans my spirit. I love that how immersing myself in things that bring the Spirit literally cleans out my mind, my heart and my spirit of all things not in alignment with the Lord. I love how the Spirit changes things. I love how something can look so big or bad or hard and how the Spirit can put it into an eternal perspective and give me patience or strength or hope or love, etc to deal with it. I love that each person has their own unique spiritual strengths and weaknesses and how our interactions with each other help us to grow. I love that growth and service are endless opportunities because of our Savior. I love that change and love and hope can always grow and improve within us. I love that the work of discipleship will always exist. There will always be work to do for my Savior.
One of my favorite quotes hangs on my door and I read it every day when I leave my room:
"YOUR PERSPECTIVE IS VITAL TO YOUR HAPPINESS. Some, blind to the bountiful opportunities around them, live lives of sadness and despair with brief moments of joy. Be alive to the abundant potential that surrounds you so that you live a life of peace and happiness with periods of challenging growth." -Elder Richard G. Scott
...And one more, just to share a goal that I am trying to work on (focusing on the good in myself and others)
"Do you want to affiliate with the Christ in people or the Adversary in people? Which ever one you choose, it is necessary for you to find those characteristics- either Christ's or the Adversary's - in each person you meet...and in, I might add, your self."
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Love, Peace & Warm Fuzzies
I feel compelled to blog today. I am not totally sure why....but I do.
All I really have is scattered thoughts, so this may not be worth it to you to read, but writing is satisfying to me.
I think almost constantly about my future family. As I date and meet various young men, I think about how there has to be someone out there who is perfect for me....Perfect? Of course not, but perfect for me? There has to be. The more young men I meet, the more convinced I become that there is someone out there for me who has the potential to be the person I need and I will be the same way for him. I have given much thought over the past couple of years to the possibility of serving a mission for the LDS Church. As I have thought this, though my soul wants to serve, there is something within me that cannot go. There is this feeling within me that has held me back, a feeling that I can't stop dating for a year and a half, and even a feeling that though no blessing would be withheld from me if I went on a mission, I may miss out on someone I would not want to miss out on if I went. (I promise I'm not making that up. That feeling has come from divine inspiration.) I trust completely in the Lord's timing. I know He will lead me to the right person and the right places at the right times. I know He will take care of me and that He has prepared a young man for me who wants the same kind of marriage and life that I do, who has hoped and planned and worked for a loving marriage and family, who has kept himself clean from the evils of this world, and who is deeply devoted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I wish we could all understand that there is never any need to settle for someone who is not the kind of person we wish to be with. The Lord doesn't ever ask us to settle. He just asks us to be patient. He will lead us to where we want to go if we will ask Him and stay close to Him.
If you are LDS, I hope you know of the power found in the holy temples. Go there. Life changes when I go. I change when I go. Everything changes when I go.
One of my favorite hymns is "Where Can I Turn For Peace?" I love ALL of the verses.
"Where can I turn for peace? Where is my solace? When other sources cease to make me whole. Where with a wounded heart, anger or malice, I draw myself apart searching my soul.
Where, with my aching heart, where when I languish, where, in my need to know, where can I run? Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish? Who, who can understand? He, only one.
He answers privately, reaches my reaching. In my Gethsemane Savior and Friend. Gentle the peace He finds for my beseeching. Constant He is, and kind, love without end."
One of my favorite songs lately is this one ...two of the most comforting hymns ever, combined. I also love this song of hers. I just love how motherly it is. I think I just love everything motherly.
I have the opportunity to teach institute in my stake of young single adults right now. Teaching the gospel in this capacity humbles me and reminds me how much I love getting to share my feelings about the gospel. I feel so much joy and excitement every week as I study the lessons. I feel so blessed and I feel that, in a way, it is a compensating blessing of my not being meant to go on a mission.
Yesterday, my mom asked me if I'd had any good thoughts about suffering in my down time the last couple days. Let me back up. I had a gum graft done in my mouth. I didn't think it was going to be that big of a deal, but it has been far more miserable than I had expected. Having a somewhat compromised body anyway, anything extra usually knocks me out for a few days. I've pretty much just been laying in my bed since Thursday afternoon. So, back to my mom's question ..... I told her that I hadn't. In fact, I told her I hadn't been thinking about the suffering. I had put other things into my brain. Things of laughter, of humor, of light-heartedness and relaxation. Odd as it may sound, this was significant to me. I've had a lot of physical pain and discomfort and sickness in the last several years, and have had much cause to contemplate suffering. There have been some deeply poignant moments in those times and a lot of learning has taken place. However, I feel grateful that recently I do not seem to have to go as deep emotionally with suffering. Suffering is an essential part of this life. It has the ability to soften us and to help us understand what is really important. However, I think there may be a larger place for not focusing on our suffering. When we suffer, we need not pause to think deeply about every pain we are experiencing. The Lord would have us continue on in joy, no matter what is happening. I feel that this understanding may have come to me recently....That even though I may be suffering, I don't have to stay in the suffering. I don't have to dwell on it, even if my dwelling is not a negative thing. I used to focus a lot on the suffering. The more I have suffered however, the more I have learned to distract myself from it with joyful things and the hope that this too will pass. My mom told me that she once had the impression "Don't go too deep with any trial." I have a testimony that there is joy to be found even in uncomfortable and painful situations. We can learn from every trial, but we need not be paralyzed by it or delve too deeply into them. What we need from them will come to us if we are seeking the Lord's will in our life. We can have hope and joy even as we pass through them because of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Last, I really love lullabies. I think that, again, it is because I so deeply love being a woman and the feelings that accompany that divine gender role for me...I love all things soft and sweet and tender and encouraging. This one is so cute. The same artist also has a couple others that I love here and here. And one of my favorite Christian artists wrote this one and I love it. Get ready for warm fuzzies.
All I really have is scattered thoughts, so this may not be worth it to you to read, but writing is satisfying to me.
I think almost constantly about my future family. As I date and meet various young men, I think about how there has to be someone out there who is perfect for me....Perfect? Of course not, but perfect for me? There has to be. The more young men I meet, the more convinced I become that there is someone out there for me who has the potential to be the person I need and I will be the same way for him. I have given much thought over the past couple of years to the possibility of serving a mission for the LDS Church. As I have thought this, though my soul wants to serve, there is something within me that cannot go. There is this feeling within me that has held me back, a feeling that I can't stop dating for a year and a half, and even a feeling that though no blessing would be withheld from me if I went on a mission, I may miss out on someone I would not want to miss out on if I went. (I promise I'm not making that up. That feeling has come from divine inspiration.) I trust completely in the Lord's timing. I know He will lead me to the right person and the right places at the right times. I know He will take care of me and that He has prepared a young man for me who wants the same kind of marriage and life that I do, who has hoped and planned and worked for a loving marriage and family, who has kept himself clean from the evils of this world, and who is deeply devoted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I wish we could all understand that there is never any need to settle for someone who is not the kind of person we wish to be with. The Lord doesn't ever ask us to settle. He just asks us to be patient. He will lead us to where we want to go if we will ask Him and stay close to Him.
If you are LDS, I hope you know of the power found in the holy temples. Go there. Life changes when I go. I change when I go. Everything changes when I go.
One of my favorite hymns is "Where Can I Turn For Peace?" I love ALL of the verses.
"Where can I turn for peace? Where is my solace? When other sources cease to make me whole. Where with a wounded heart, anger or malice, I draw myself apart searching my soul.
Where, with my aching heart, where when I languish, where, in my need to know, where can I run? Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish? Who, who can understand? He, only one.
He answers privately, reaches my reaching. In my Gethsemane Savior and Friend. Gentle the peace He finds for my beseeching. Constant He is, and kind, love without end."
One of my favorite songs lately is this one ...two of the most comforting hymns ever, combined. I also love this song of hers. I just love how motherly it is. I think I just love everything motherly.
I have the opportunity to teach institute in my stake of young single adults right now. Teaching the gospel in this capacity humbles me and reminds me how much I love getting to share my feelings about the gospel. I feel so much joy and excitement every week as I study the lessons. I feel so blessed and I feel that, in a way, it is a compensating blessing of my not being meant to go on a mission.
Yesterday, my mom asked me if I'd had any good thoughts about suffering in my down time the last couple days. Let me back up. I had a gum graft done in my mouth. I didn't think it was going to be that big of a deal, but it has been far more miserable than I had expected. Having a somewhat compromised body anyway, anything extra usually knocks me out for a few days. I've pretty much just been laying in my bed since Thursday afternoon. So, back to my mom's question ..... I told her that I hadn't. In fact, I told her I hadn't been thinking about the suffering. I had put other things into my brain. Things of laughter, of humor, of light-heartedness and relaxation. Odd as it may sound, this was significant to me. I've had a lot of physical pain and discomfort and sickness in the last several years, and have had much cause to contemplate suffering. There have been some deeply poignant moments in those times and a lot of learning has taken place. However, I feel grateful that recently I do not seem to have to go as deep emotionally with suffering. Suffering is an essential part of this life. It has the ability to soften us and to help us understand what is really important. However, I think there may be a larger place for not focusing on our suffering. When we suffer, we need not pause to think deeply about every pain we are experiencing. The Lord would have us continue on in joy, no matter what is happening. I feel that this understanding may have come to me recently....That even though I may be suffering, I don't have to stay in the suffering. I don't have to dwell on it, even if my dwelling is not a negative thing. I used to focus a lot on the suffering. The more I have suffered however, the more I have learned to distract myself from it with joyful things and the hope that this too will pass. My mom told me that she once had the impression "Don't go too deep with any trial." I have a testimony that there is joy to be found even in uncomfortable and painful situations. We can learn from every trial, but we need not be paralyzed by it or delve too deeply into them. What we need from them will come to us if we are seeking the Lord's will in our life. We can have hope and joy even as we pass through them because of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Last, I really love lullabies. I think that, again, it is because I so deeply love being a woman and the feelings that accompany that divine gender role for me...I love all things soft and sweet and tender and encouraging. This one is so cute. The same artist also has a couple others that I love here and here. And one of my favorite Christian artists wrote this one and I love it. Get ready for warm fuzzies.
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