The last thing I expected this morning was to wake up to snow. We had a week of temperatures between 55 and 65, I worked in the yard for 1 1/2 hours three of the days (weeding) and then this.
We had some theater fun this week. Roy was in Ashville, NC for a conference, so I was able to take 3 grandkids with me to the play, "Seusical the Musical" at our local theater. It was darling; the actors, singers and dancers did a great job. I'd never seen it before, so I didn't know what to expect. It was a well-thought-out play that used many of Dr. Seuss' stories, the main one being Horton Hears a Who. I took Dojin, Ila and Ollie. All three were entranced--they didn't talk or wiggle at all. Dojin told his dad he kept falling asleep, but I think it was because he was very tired by the end. I never saw him close his eyes. Ila was also very tired, so I was able to talk her out of stopping by my house to retrieve her sweatshirt on the way home.
We also had the treat of watching Ori in her theatrical debut. She played a lost boy in Peter Pan Jr. In the picture below you can see her with her "twin." Ori had great stage presence and even had a few lines which is almost unheard of for a fourth grader.
 |
| Ori one of the twin lost boys |
At the end of the play, Dan's family (they were sitting right behind us) hurried out because Yuli was asleep and Dojin was struggling because he was so sleepy. Ori chased out the door bare-footed in the rain to catch them to give a goodbye hug to Yuna. They are besties. You wouldn't know from this picture, but they are only 1 month apart in age.
We had Ward Conference today. I love hearing from both the Bishop and the Stake President in the same meeting. They talked about love. Our Bishop started by quoting Elder Holland; "The first great truth of all eternity is that God loves us with all his might, mind and strength." He then asked, What can we do to ensure that we're feeling the love of our Heavenly Father. He then talked about the 5 love languages and how a relationship really needs all of the love languages. These include: giving and receiving gifts; words of affirmation; quality time; acts of service and physical touch. He said that one study, some relationship excerpts refuted that people speak in just one of these languages; that the healthiest relationships use all 5, and use them with context. For example, if someone notices that their loved one needs service, he or she will act on that impression and serve. Christ is the perfect example of all-encompassing love. He talked about each "language" and how our Savior uses them all, but is not limited to just the 5. He gave some examples of each love language, but I can only recall two: words of affirmation include our patriarchal blessings or a scripture passage that we come across just when we need it. In the love language of gift giving, The Savior has given us a physical gift as we receive of a little piece of bread and cup of water each week to remind us of our Savior's love for us. Our garments are also a physical, tangible gift that God has given to us. Of course, in the big picture, Christ is the gift. He provides a way for us to repent and return to Him. How often are we noticing Christ's expressions of love. Do we notice the beauty around us or His tender mercies? Are we accessing His words of affirmation? Are we calling on the enabling power of His Atonement.
President Daine's talk was equally inspiring. He repeated Elder Holland's quote shared by the bishop. "God loves us with all his might, mind and strength." God loves us so much that it's His only desire to bring us back to Him. He also quoted President Nelson who said that he prays for us to feel God's love and that "experiencing that love is vital." If we can't feel that love then we need to reconnect.
President Daine's continued by telling us that God's love for us in manifest to us in His son, Jesus Christ. But, he said, that love is not transactional, but transformative. Just because we keep the commandments and go to church doesn't mean that nothing will ever go wrong in our life. His love is manifested to us by allowing us to feel His presence in our lives, even in difficult circumstances.
"God's love is not manifest in the abundance or easiness of our lives. His love is not manifest by a significant church calling. His love is not manifest by the balance of our checking account... His love is not manifest by the current state of our health..."
God's love works this way: "Even when we have merited His love the least, He has loved us most. His love is manifest when we receive strength beyond our own through the merits, mercy and grace of Jesus Christ." The power to do things beyond our ability, to suffer things that we didn't believe we could suffer, the ability to tackle the incredible challenges in our lives. These are all the result of the mercy, merits and grace of Jesus Christ. He strengthens us. His love is also manifest to us when we feel peace, comfort and direction and when the despair that comes to all of us is replaced with hope. His love is also manifest by the incredible gift of the Holy Ghost.
I testify that I have felt Christ's power in my life. I have been able to suffer things I didn't think that I could suffer. I've had strength beyond my own throughout my life. Even now I'm learning more about how we should relate to and pray to our Heavenly Father. I know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live and I'm so grateful for the hope that brings to me.
Comments
Post a Comment