Merry Christmas 2014

The year is coming to a close.  I look back with many fond memories.  I have learned so much this year, and especially have learned more about Heavenly Father's love for me and all of his children.  I continue to be amazed at his love and patience for me.

Tonight is Christmas Eve.  I have been tidying up the house, and preparing food for our Christmas dinner.  If I had a choice I would not be cooking, or making sure I find the time to wrap last minute gifts-- BUT, I don't do these things because I love my family.

It is often required of us to sacrifice, in order to bring joy to others around us.  When we focus on our discomfort and wants, we will not learn to give to others and in turn we will never feel true
satisfaction, joy, and peace.

As we celebrate Christmas, let us remember that we give gifts as a way of remembering--remembering the ultimate, most wonderful gift that was given so very long ago-- that of the Savior Jesus Christ dying on the cross for each one of us- so that we might live and have eternal life!

As we give or receive gifts lets receive them in gratitude for the ultimate gift and the love associated to that gift.  For love should be the purpose behind all we do now and each day of our lives.

Prayerfully look for ways to serve those around you.  Pray for opportunities to bless other people--not just in your homes, but in your community.  You will find them as you seek them.

Romans 6:23 

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

I wish you a blessed Christmas!

Christine

Christimas in June (or: Celebrations)

I had an idea the other day.  I told my children we ought to celebrate Christmas this month.  They liked the idea, but had to make sure that we'd have Christmas in December too.  I assured them we would.

You may wonder why I suggested having a summer Christmas.  I wonder that too.  I thinks it's important to celebrate life.  By celebrating Christmas we will have some added fun summer plans.

My 12 year old kicked off our Christmas festivities by helping the younger children set up the tree, and then proceeded to make ornaments out of pine cones she and sister collected yesterday.  I helped find the glue gun and approved ribbons (we seamstresses won't allow some of our more special ribbons to be used!!).

I left the room during the process to finish something necessary, but returned a little while later to discover that they had cleverly begun decorating the Christmas tree.  There on the tree was a peanut butter smothered pine cone rolled in glitter!  I had told my 8 year old girl, earlier that day,l not to make pine cone and peanut butter treats for the birds.  Apparently she thought I really wanted one for the tree!

We generally are surprised by our tomorrows.  Sometimes they are shorter than planned.  I think it's explained here very well :

"None of us will be on earth very long. We have a number of precious years which, in the eternal perspective, barely amount to the blink of an eye."

"And then we depart. Our spirits “are taken home to that God who gave [us] life.”¹ We lay our bodies down and leave behind the things of this world as we move to the next realm of our existence."

"When we are young, it seems that we will live forever. We think there is a limitless supply of sunrises waiting just beyond the horizon, and the future looks to us like an unbroken road stretching endlessly before us."

"However, the older we get, the more we tend to look back and marvel at how short that road really is. We wonder how the years could have passed so quickly. And we begin to think about the choices we made and the things we have done. In the process, we remember many sweet moments that give warmth to our souls and joy to our hearts. But we also remember the regrets—the things we wish we could go back and change." 

Dieter F. Uchtdorf (Full article here: Of Regrets and Resolutions 

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We will be celebrating Christmas soon.  We will read the story of Jesus found in the bible, and the children will act it out. (That's always fun!!  This Christmas both our little boys cried over wanting to play baby Jesus so we had two baby Jesus'--  a 3 year and a 5 year old Jesus---and I'll tell you , it's one of the funniest nativities we've ever had.  One of these days I may even post the video of it for you!) We will make Kouva (a secret family recipe of a special 3 layer German Coffee cake--sweet bread layer, sour cream, and buttery sweet crumble topping) and have hot chocolate.  We will give gifts and play games.

The fun began mounting today as we drew names for a special person for the week to do something nice for or to give a gift to.  I was surprised to see such interest. 

 

My 14 year old son was a hum-bug about it at first, but when he learned he'd get 1 homemade gift, and 1 store bought gift (maybe recycle:)  he decided he liked the sound of it.  My 14 year old started making his little sister (he drew her name from the bowl) a very cool wooden coin collecting gadget.  He cut it on  my table saw and then started nailing the foundation of hits already drafted out idea!  I was so happy to see him busy this way!

K's pop-up thank you card!

Later I discovered that my daughter had given her Dad a popup card she made him, which thanked him for taking her fishing Saturday.  Oh, how cute and sweet!

Many other things have been going on in the excitement of a summer Christmas.  I'll have to let you know how it goes!

For now, here are a few more words to consider from that amazing speaker, Dieter F. Uchtdorf:

"We shouldn’t wait to be happy until we reach some future point, only to discover that happiness was already available—all the time! Life is not meant to be appreciated only in retrospect. “This is the day which the Lord hath made … ,” the Psalmist wrote. “Rejoice and be glad in it.”⁶

"Brothers and sisters, no matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is something in each day to embrace and cherish. There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate it."

"Perhaps we should be looking less with our eyes and more with our hearts. I love the quote: “One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.”⁷

"We are commanded “to give thanks in all things.”⁸ So isn’t it better to see with our eyes and hearts even the small things we can be thankful for, rather than magnifying the negative in our current condition?"

"The Lord has promised, “He who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold.”⁹

"Brothers and sisters, with the bountiful blessings of our Heavenly Father, His generous plan of salvation, the supernal truths of the restored gospel, and the many beauties of this mortal journey, “have we not reason to rejoice?”¹⁰

"Let us resolve to be happy, regardless of our circumstances."

Of Resolutions

"One day we will take that unavoidable step and cross from this mortal sphere into the next estate. One day we will look back at our lives and wonder if we could have been better, made better decisions, or used our time more wisely."

"To avoid some of the deepest regrets of life, it would be wise to make some resolutions today. Therefore, let us:

• • Resolve to spend more time with those we love.
  
• • Resolve to strive more earnestly to become the person God wants us to be.
  
• • Resolve to find happiness, regardless of our circumstances."
  

"It is my testimony that many of the deepest regrets of tomorrow can be prevented by following the Savior today. If we have sinned or made mistakes—if we have made choices that we now regret—there is the precious gift of Christ’s Atonement, through which we can be forgiven. We cannot go back in time and change the past, but we can repent. The Savior can wipe away our tears of regret¹¹ and remove the burden of our sins.¹² His Atonement allows us to leave the past behind and move forward with clean hands, a pure heart,¹³ and a determination to do better and especially to become better."

"Yes, this life is passing swiftly; our days seem to fade quickly; and death appears frightening at times. Nevertheless, our spirit will continue to live and will one day be united with our resurrected body to receive immortal glory. I bear solemn witness that because of the merciful Christ, we will all live again and forever. Because of our Savior and Redeemer, one day we will truly understand and rejoice in the meaning of the words “the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ.”¹⁴

"The path toward fulfilling our divine destiny as sons and daughters of God is an eternal one. My dear brothers and sisters, dear friends, we must begin to walk that eternal path today; we cannot take for granted one single day. I pray that we will not wait until we are ready to die before we truly learn to live."

Dieter F. Uchtdorf 

I hope you will look for opportunities today to find reasons to feel grateful and to celebrate life, and make memories.  I close with a scripture that emphasizes that our choices and good works have long term results.

• Doctrine and Covenants 64:33
  33 Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.
  

Look for ways to celebrate.  The possibilities are endless! 

Christine

"....ye also ought to wash one another’s feet."

I was reading an interesting section of scripture in the Bible.  John 13:33-17 reads:

14 If I then, your Lord and ^aMaster, have ^bwashed your feet; ye also ought to ^cwash one another’s ^dfeet.

15 For I have given you an ^aexample, that ye should do as I have done to you.

 16 Verily, verily, I say unto you,  The servant is not greater than his lord;  neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.

17 If ye know these things, ^ahappy are ye if ye do them.

Let me tell you how I understand these scriptural verses...

If our Savior, who would shortly thereafter die on the cross for our sins and all this sins of the world, was willing to wash the feet of his disciples, why should I hesitate to symbolically wash the feet (i.e. serve and bless) of those around me.

The past year has been a major turning point for me.  I have learned more about what real love is, what putting off idleness means, and I have learned that what a thought was happiness was so limiting compared to the joy and peace I feel now.  Why?  Well, because I made some big improvements in my life, as it relates to God.

I used to pray often as I went about my day, but I was lazy and rarely got down on my knees. My prayers were fairly short.  I used to read the scriptures only occasionally (as I'm LDS/Mormon--that includes The Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price...You can find all of these at this link (Easiest to select book from left hand side.  Free apps and downloads.  And amazing scripture keyword search features! http://www.lds.org/scriptures?lang=eng).  I used to be late to church every Sunday.  And the list goes on.























I was essentially trying to be a righteous person, but in the easiest and laziest way possible.  I wanted special blessings from God, but I didn't want to have to put too much effort in.  Besides, I made a lot of excuses for myself.  My motto was something like, "He knows me best, and He knows I cannot do what the others are doing.  He understands the pain and ramifications left over from my childhood, and he knows I was left to live with the scars."

The problem with such mottos, though there is a great deal of truth there, is that it's all a BIG EXCUSE.  While it's true Heavenly Father loves me as I am, he still wants to see me do better and improve.  With my own children I want to see them work harder.  I don't want them to do things in a mediocre way.  I was scarred from a traumatic childhood, but I've learned that God doesn't want us to settle for less.  He wants us to have hope for more, and faith that he can heal us.  I have felt his healing power in my life, and know it is very real.


By replacing the hopelessness and acceptance of mediocrity of my heart --with hope and increased faith,  I've also chosen to have a change of heart.  Indeed, I have been given a new heart! 

Now I refuse to miss a day of scripture study.  I kneel not just once a day but several times a day.  I also pray much longer, with greater fervor and desire to express my gratitude to God, as well as to pray and listen and learn of what he would have me do with my life.  I am NEVER late to church now (nor have I been in a year!)...  I prepare clothing the night before for my family of 7.  Because of these changes, many other wonderful and even miraculous changes can be seen not only in the actions of my heart, but also my home, and even in the better behavior of my children!)

These changes have required a lot of effort on my part, because it means I try and think of God's will above my own will.  (This has been a challenge, because I have always been a "strong willed girl," and I've always liked to do things my way!)  Now throughout my day, I pray a lot whether kneeling or in silent prayer --whether at work, with my family and friends, or creating my art.  I'm trying to learn what God's will is for me, instead.  I have a few attributes I always pray for.  Among which it to be able to put off the natural man, take the name of the Savior more upon my heart, and to plead for His gift of Charity (See:1 Corinthians 13 --which is another topic for another time.).

Another major aspect of my heart is that I've decided to give far more service to others outside my home.  I used to excuse myself from serving very often, because I have my hands full with 5 young children. 

I used to say to myself such things as, "I can't go clean the church, because if I'm going to clean it's going to be in my own home."  Or,  "I can't take dinner or cookies to anyone, because I have a large family of my own."  Or, "I can't talk in church they don't understand me (or I have too many problems of my own to try and write a talk for church)."

That ugly tune has changed.  I serve whenever and wherever I can.  I often take dinner to people, or cookies, visits, etc.  I open my voice in church  far more than I used to, in sharing my love of the Savior.  It's been among my favorite ways that I feel joy and hope.  I know that I grown in my ability to feel greater depths of love from serving.

I hope you will take verse John 13: 17 to heart: "If ye know these things, ^ahappy are ye if ye do them."

I assure you that if you serve with genuine desire to please your Heavenly Father you can't help but feel joy.  And even if you only serve out of an attempt to feel joy, without having yet developed a genuine desire to do it for God---just the desire perhaps to feel happier (or another good reason)--- it's still hard not to feel some amount of satisfaction and happiness.

I hope you will look around you and pray for opportunities to serve.   In this world of hopelessness, hurt, and despair the opportunities to brighten someones day are endless.  

Christine