Sunday, September 25, 2011

I am a child of God

A couple weeks ago Walt was in his room with the ukelele and started singing his favorite church song, I am a Child of God.  Of course when I pull out the camera he stops and has to be coaxed into singing it.  It was cute nonetheless.

Last night I went to the General Relief Society Broadcast.  It was an amazing conference for the women of our church. The first three talks were good, but I have to admit that it was the last talk that really hit home for me.

Here are my notes from it:
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf began talking of the tiny blue flowers called forgetmenots and then created a metaphor for its 5 petals.

1. Forget not to be patient with your self.
  • God is fully aware that we aren't perfect.
  • He is also aware that those we think are perfect are not
  • Don't compare your weaknesses to others' strengths
  • Eventually we will all be able to turn our weaknesses into strengths with Christ's help. It's okay that we're not there yet. Stop punishing yourself.
  • Be thankful for small successes in the home.
2. Forget not the difference between foolish sacrifice and worthy sacrifice.
  • Am I committing my time and energy to those things that matter most?
  • It might be good to sacrifice a little sleep to read and study for a class you are going to teach in church.
  • It might not be good to sacrifice your sleep to stitch the theme of your lesson onto a potholder for every woman in your class.
3. Forget not to be happy now.
  • Are we too worried to find a golden ticket instead of enjoying the candy bar?
  • Don't put your happiness on hold while you are waiting for something else (perfect marriage, perfect kids, bigger house, less debt, etc.) to appear.
  • The Golden ticket may never appear.
  • If we spend our days waiting for roses, we may miss the wonders of the tiny forgetmenots.
  • Don't close your eyes and hearts to each day's everyday-moment-wonders.
4. Forget not the why of the gospel.
  • The gospel is not just a long list of tasks we must somehow fit into our already busy schedules.
  • The gospel of Christ is not an obligation, it is a pathway. It's a light that illuminates the road before us.
  • The gospel ceases to become a burden and becomes a light.
  • What and how mark the way, but the why sanctifies our actions.
5. Forget not that the Lord loves you.
  • YOU are not forgotten.  You are NOT forgotten.
  • No matter how dark it may seem or how insignificant you feel, God, the King of infinite space and time is your Father and has not forgotten you.  God loves you even though you make mistakes. Allow His divine love in your life.
Every bit of his talk resonated with me and I felt (as many other people have expressed as well) that it was exactly what I needed to hear at this point in my life and motherhood. I can't wait till it comes out in frint so I can read it again.

Yes. I am a child of God, the King of infinite space and time. And I know that he loves me.

1 comment:

Lois said...

I have never heard Dean sing. That was great. And Walter is a natural for sure. Loved your synopsis of the talk. Thanks!

My word verification is tedica. That sounds like the name of a little girl whose father's name is Ted and mother's name is Monica. :)