Sunday Reflection: He Knows Me

The past couple of weeks have been kind of a struggle emotionally for me.  I know God loves me and is aware of me as I have had many witnesses in my life to this fact.  I don't really know why the past couple of weeks have been harder than others, but it has.  I have had a thought in my mind for the past couple of weeks of wishing a specific person would be able to come to our home.  When I got the thought I would tell myself to put it out of my mind because there was no way this person would come to our home.  Well, on Thursday night we got a call telling us that this exact person was indeed going to come visit us on Saturday as well as another person.  It was just another witness to me that God knows every thought in our mind and He knows the desires of our hearts.  He loves us so much.  How thankful I am for the visit we had from not only one, but two very special people.  It was an inspired visit and helped buoy not only me up but Kary as well. (Elder Keith Edwards from the Seventy and also President Robert Seger from the Stake presidency)

Sunday Reflection : The Sacrament

I needed to be reminded of this today as I have fallen so short the past couple of days.  I have just been so ornery with my family the last couple of days.  I'm grateful for the opportunity I have to repent every day and to renew my covenants with Heavenly Father each Sunday by taking the Sacrament.  When I am able to take the Sacrament and take it sincerely with real intent my spirit is renewed and I feel my Savior's love for me.  I'm grateful for the Savior and the love He has for all of us.

Tuesday Reflection: Family

The last couple of weeks for some reason have been extra hard for me it seems.  Last week especially I just really felt stressed with all the things I have to do.  And it just seemed like my house was closing in on me.  I try to keep up with it all but can't get on top of things and I just really started to feel like I was drowning.  Then yesterday my youngest and myself got the flu.  Luckily my daughter's bout didn't last long but mine lasted from 7:30 in the morning until 2 or 3 this morning. I felt like I was going to die.  I lost 3 pounds.  I've been wanting to lose weight but not like that.  Ouchy!    So with my anxiety and then getting sick it was just all so overwhelming and I asked my husband to give me a priesthood blessing.  After it was over I just started sobbing uncontrollably and just letting go of all the pent up emotions I had.  Kary put his arm around me, my son (6) sees me and comes over and puts his arms around me and then my daughter (2) comes  and puts her arms around me and pats my back and says, "It's okay Mommy. It's okay."  At that moment I just felt so much love for my little family and was just reminded that our little family and the love and support that we give each other is the most important thing.  It doesn't matter that my house is a mess and that I have a mountain of laundry in my basement, and my dishes are undone, my bills are unpaid, etc....those things don't matter.  I realized that that is why we are sent here on earth to be part of a family....they are a source of love, strength, and support, and comfort to us.  We don't have to face this life alone.  Family is there for the good times and the bad.  They tell you the truth when no one else will.  They love you despite your weaknesses and challenge you to grow and be more than you are because they see you for what you truly can become.  I'm so grateful for my own sweet little family.  I'm grateful for my Mom and Dad and my brothers and sisters.  They have been such a help to me in my time of need.  They have been a source of strength and comfort.  I'm also so grateful for Kary's family.  We feel their love and support as well and are grateful for the strength and support we get from them.

These are old pictures of my family members but I don't have a recent family photo with all of us together.

Sunday Reflection: Letting go of our E.G.O.'s

Okay, so I was reading Alex Boye's profile on Mormon.org.  He is a recording artist and also a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  Anyway, he said  something that I want to share with you.   He said, "God can take ordinary people and put them in extraordinary situations, and can bless us all in ways we cannot comprehend. In order for that to happen, from my own experience I tell people that we need to let go of our E-G-Os ( Edge God Out.) That seems to be the reason for almost every problem we face in day-to day living..... We cannot survive in this world without Gods influence in our lives."

Satan tries to decieve us and get us to believe that there is no God.  He wants us to Edge God Out of the picture. He wants us to believe that we don't need Him to be happy.  We can survive this life on our own; rely on our own inner strength.  Anything we gain in this life is through our own efforts.  There is no God.

 To know God and to love Him means to live as He would have us live and keep His commandments. For some to recognize a God in their lives would mean change and that may be hard for them to accept. If they don't believe in God there is no lasting consequence to any choices that are made.  It's all about the here and now and no eternal consequences.  Do as you please here.  Tomorrow you will die.  No big deal. That's what Satan would have us believe.  He does not want us to return to our Father in Heaven.

I have such a testimony that we truly do have a Father in Heaven who loves us.  He knows us.  He stands ready to bless us beyond measure if we will learn of Him, keep His commandments, and trust in Him.  My life has been blessed tremendously because of my knowledge of my Father.  I know that I can go to Him in prayer and He hears me.  He answers my prayers.  He comforts me.  He strengthens me.  If I did not know God existed and did not know I could rely on Him through our trials I would have cracked a long time ago.  I would have given up on happiness in this life.  I would have given up on myself and my ability to handle certain responsibilities and pressures in my life.    I have just had so many witnesses that He IS!  Like Alex said, "God can bless us all in ways we cannot comprehend".    If we would just let Him in.

“All things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth... and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator” (Book of Mormon, Alma 30:44).

I testify this is TRUE!