The Most Sacred

I am finally trying to be brave again, so I want to write about something intimately important to me, Temples.

Temples are one of the biggest blessings that come along with being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Temples are amazing. Temples are sacred. Temples are special. The spirit of God dwells there, and it is impossible not to feel it.

I have had friends ask me questions about what we do there. Our experiences there are so sacred that we don't share details about the covenants or  ordinances we experience there. It isn't weird or crazy. Just sacred and personal.

We make covenants that require us to live righteously. We are instructed about the Lord's gospel. We do ordinances for the dead.

The dead people part creeps people out sometimes. Other people think that we force our religion on deceased persons by doing this. It isn't creepy or forceful. We look into our family history, perform the ordinances by proxy for those who have lost their bodies through death, and they have the opportunity to accept or refuse those ordinances.  We aren't pushy. The Lord has promised that every person will have the opportunity to accept His gospel, and this is part of how He keeps that promise.

The part that always leaves me feeling unexplainable gratitude is the fact that in the Temple I was able to be sealed to my husband forever. Time and eternity baby. And, as we have our children, they are bound to us eternally as well. If we live righteously and keep our part of the covenants and promises, our relationship will be always.

I can't imagine not having my C with me. Ever. Because of the temple, I never have to be without him, even after we go to the next thing after mortality.

Every time I leave the temple I feel empowered and more capable of dealing with my personal temptations and trials than I did when I went in. There is no better place to find peace, and escape from the trouble and pain and frustration of being human.

I love the temple.

 

I was hiding under a bush, so to speak.

Fear is something I have in abundance. I am afraid of a lot of things. Much to my chagrin, a lot of my fears have to do with what I think other people will think of me. Like every human being, I battle feelings of inadequacy. 

I'm working on it.

One of my biggest fears has always been talking about my faith. The faith that I have in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The faith that I have in Jesus Christ as my Savior, in living prophets, in studying the word of God, in serving people. I also believe in being good and kind to all people, no matter how they may differ from me. 

Growing up in Utah where the overwhelming majority of people went to the same church, meant that I took people's beliefs for granted. 

I was also afraid of putting my testimony, my soul out there on the line only to have it scoffed at or rejected harshly. 

Going to College helped me learn that even in Utah, people are diverse and believe many things. I also learned that there are a lot of non-Mormon people in Utah that find the church or some of its members annoying,overbearing, or even offensive. The idea of becoming that person scared me enough to almost never talk about religion with people outside of the Mormon community. We just talked about everything else instead. Occasionally friends would ask me questions, and I would answer them quickly, and try to move on in order to get out of the danger zone.

Facepalm.

I am trying not to be afraid anymore. 

I'm a Mormon. I adore being a Mormon. The knowledge of the Gospel gives me a foundation and a direction that I could not get anywhere else. I have a close relationship with a Heavenly Father who knows me very well, and makes his presence obvious in my life by answering my endless prayers, and extending tender mercies when I feel like I am nearing the end of my capacity to cope. 

I have now had the chance to have wonderful, non-scary talks with friends about my testimony. Even if they aren't that curious, so far, no one has been scary or unkind. Its not like we are talking about politics...its just religion right? :D

In order to help me really move past this dumbly immense fear I have created for myself, I am going to start posting once in a while about some of the things I love about my Faith. If spiritual things annoy you or make you uncomfortable, feel free to skip those posts. I won't mind. Don't worry about this blog becoming a bible school. Not going to happen. I will continue to make other posts as well. 

If you are ever curious about anything I post, please don't hesitate to ask me through the comments or an email. If you don't want to ask, the church's website holds many answers and resources. 

Here is to the end of fear.

This Book : 2

The chapter that I read for this week was titled "Leading in Meekness". As a person who has very rarely been in a leading position,it was harder for me to connect with, but it was still full of amazing things. I suggest you read the full chapter. He says some wonderful things about Churchill and some other leaders.

When I grow up, I am going to speak like Elder Maxwell.

"The pattern of having 'a form of godliness, but [denying] the power thereof' (2 Timothy 3:5) is sometimes expressed in weak faith or in a commitment to a passive god. Form Survives, but some will have nothing to do with religion as a force."

"The exercise of power requires an especially sharp and sensitive conscience, not a dull one."

Talking about Moroni's furious letter to Pahoran for not sending reinforcements at a difficult time in the war. (Moroni 60 & 61) :

"Pahoran's was not a resentful rejoinder lamenting the fact that Moroni was foolish without the facts. Pahoran did not engage in sarcasm or bitterness by lamenting that things were at least as rough for him as they were for Moroni and the army. He could have been sarcastic, saying he no longer had any throne to sit upon 'in a state of thoughtless stupor.' He could have justifiably boiled over at the accusation of his being a traitor, telling Moroni to do his job as chief captain and that Pahoran would do his job as governor. Instead, this exchange permitted these two leaders to rally themselves an their forces to retake the city." 

"Where individuals have said too much with too little data, meekness plays a very crucial, correcting role in what follows." 

Sidenote: Don't we wish people understood that last one when it came to politics?! And Doctor Who.

"Truly great individuals are not anxious to have themselves elevated."

"...Pride not only 'goeth before...a fall' (Proverbs 16:18), but pride also precedes a failure to ascend, spiritually."

"Leadership can call forth bossiness instead of meekness in a leader, if he is not careful."

"Perhaps, therefore, some who run away from discipleship do not do it out of badness but because of the impending demands of goodness."

"Nor does the meek leader forget the purpose of the Lord's work: to save, not count , souls. Did he who proposed to proceed so that 'one soul shall not be lost' hope to impress?(Moses 4:1)"

Chapter 1 Quotes Here

This Book

Is one that I have started multiple times. I am not sure how or why I have never been all the way through it because it isn't long, and it is so...good. 

It is the only book that I have had the urge to highlight more than is left unhighlighted. If the reader really takes to heart what good ol' Neal A. is trying to say, it can be transformational. 

As in, your life can change. 

Elder Maxwell had a way of putting things that requires a lot of dictionary use for me. He is so eloquent and thorough. 

To help myself not let this get put on the back burner again, every week I am going to share here some highlights from each chapter. I know this is a heavier topic than I usually blog about, but it is so personally important, that I would feel I was cheating if I didn't share.

.   .   .   .   .

Chapter One

"This is still the 'great queston' for mortals. Anciently, it was whether there shall be an atoning Jesus Christ. Now it is whether there was an atoning Christ who lived and who still lives. Other questions are insignificant by comparison, since an affirmative answer to the 'great question' eliminates the need even to ask certain lesser questions." 

"It is ironical even to write of the virtue of meekness, especially in a world so much taken up with assertiveness, aggressiveness, and selfish, insensitive individualism. This virtue will seem anachronistic in the world, which, ironically, is failing for want of it whether in high political places or in marriages and families." 

"It is not simply a matter of our having received mild encouragement to become meek and lowly. Rather, meekness is at the center of an astonishing invitation and commandment."

"Furthermore, in the exchange between Jesus and a righteous young man, we can see how one missing quality cannot be fully compensated for by other qualities, however praiseworthy."

"What the unmeek actually do is refuse to enter the realm of their own spiritual possibilities."

Speaking about Amulek in the Book of Mormon, "He is a classic case of an essentially good man being out of touch with the great spiritual realities; he resisted the things of the Spirit because, though he was basically good, he was preoccupied with the cares of the world."

"{This} is the Lord's church, and those who are too eager to steady it and too quick to focus upon a single issue or concern will fail to comprehend the important undergirding function of meekness that includes trust in the Lord."

"Meekness is neither alarmist nor shoulder-shrugging unconcern. It involves shoulder-squaring self-discipline, and what follows is the special composure that meekness brings."

It has ARRIVED

Spring that is. It came! We spent a glorious weekend showing M what grass feels like on the toes, what pickles taste like, and how to spot birds way up in that finally blue sky.

It was so good. 

I mastered the art of walking by very lonely looking yard sales without making eye contact with the people trying to reel me in with their will power to buy their things. Unless you are selling that Sprite that I am having a hankering for, I don't need any of those things at present.

We got to help with a baptism at our church. I have never helped with one that wasn't family, so it was neat! It was two hispanic girls, so the program was bilingual. The speakers did a fantastic job of keeping everyone involved and understanding. It is a wonderful thing to feel the spirit even when you don't understand through language what is being said. It was neat. 

Speaking of church, I went alone for the first time up here. Husband was sick, and I could 't take M and teach my 5 year old primary class. It was an interesting time. My four little boys are..... a handful. Never still. I was wishing with fondness for the Sunday a few weeks back when one of them was kind enough to point out with much surprise and exclamation that I have hair on my arms. A lot apparently.  It seemed that would be easier than pulling them back from walking on all fours in front of all the children with their shoes on their hands. 

We had a lovely rain storm roll in while we were having a cook out with some friends. It smelled gorgeous, and felt gorgeous, and made me forget that I was up in arms about Mav not taking ANY afternoon nap AT ALL. Heathen. 

It really was SO good.

Q & A Session: With Myself

Q: Saying that Elder Holland is stellar is cliche by now, but will you say it anyway?

A: Duh. Elder Holland has a special gift to touch the hearts of people who listen to him. I am certainly not an exception. 

Q: How many episodes of Doctor Who did you watch this weekend?

A: Well, I didn't count on purpose because I knew I would be ashamed. The number mostly likely reached the double digits. 

Q: What is a current fear that you have?

A: That Maverik won't know how present I was in his infancy because there will be few pictures of us together. I am always behind the camera. Selfies can only be done from so many angles. He might think I had no body. Also, chicken thighs. I loath them. They always have veins and blood left in them, but I keep buying them because they cost so much less than breasts.

Q: Is it acceptable that the sexiest thing you have worn in the past three months is your husbands spandex baseball thermals? (Too much?)

A: a. They are soooooo comfortable, and I was tired of my sweats.  b. It is hard to find time to be sexy on purpose. (waaaaaay to much?) c. No. I will go cook something delicious for him immediately.

Q: Can you continue to have kind thoughts for the 12 people that trudge heavily and unceasingly in the apartment above you into all hours of the night?

A: It is getting iffy. I mostly wonder how two grown families can stand to live in a two bedroom apartment. I applaud them for pulling it off, but if they don't get hover-socks soon, I might have to start morse-coding mean things at them with my broom handle. 

The Shining Gem

The most important thing I took away from my weekend may have been this wisdom from one of the shoeless five year old boys in my primary class.

"Sister Lewis, this sock, smelling it, that would not be a good thing."