Remember!

You know when a mom tells her child not to do something, and the kid does it anyway - looking right at her knowing full well he's disobeying. Is there NOT a mom out there who finds this frustrating beyond all measure?

Yet, how often do we do this to the Lord? The patience He must have! I'm not just talking about an innocent mistake, later realized. I'm referring to the very instant sin is being committed, big or small, telling yourself, "I know better, I really shouldn't..." then choosing sin over righteousness.


Why? Obviously, there is a lack of self-control, but it goes deeper than that. Self-control is born from a desire to become our best, which desire is the fruit of understanding our divine heritage. When we know who we are and our relationship to our Father in heaven, choosing righteousness is a pleasure. Obedience becomes a quest, rather than an irritation.

Satan would have us forget our divine nature, as is so well illustrated in the story of Moses. This was, and is, his first plan of attack.

Never forget who you are.

Sabbath: A Day of Rest

The Sabbath is a day of rest and worship, which we should set aside to honor and keep holy. Blah blah blah.... Let's be honest, the word "honor" is not always the word that comes to mind. Irritation, hindrance and detention might sound a bit more familiar. (Hahaha. Detention. I like that.) Don't get me wrong, I've had plenty of Sabbath days where I'm overcome with gratitude and wish the day would never end, but I'll admit - I've also had days where I simply feel restricted and slightly annoyed.

Recently, as I was pondering the Creation, the significance of the Sabbath took on new meaning. In referring to the creation, Joseph Fielding Smith said, "Adam helped to form the earth. He labored with our Saviour Jesus Christ." (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:75.) Naturally God would have presided over it, instructing them what to do on a daily basis. For "six days" they worked tirelessly, pressing forward in obedience and quite possibly unaware of what would be asked of them the next day. How delightful it must have been to witness all of the "pieces of the puzzle" fitting together. The Lord had a plan, and the result was glorious and beautiful. Only after they (even Christ) received line upon line and endured to the end did they obtain a day of rest.

Likewise, only after we have completed our work, pressing forward one day at a time in faith and obedience, may we obtain our day of rest. As I attend church each Sabbath day I can reflect on the last six days and evaluate where I'm at in my journey, then make the necessary adjustments to improve on the coming week. I long for the day that I can "cease from my works" and enter into the rest of the Lord.

The Sabbath is not a day of restriction, it is a day of reward.

Love thy Neighbor as Thyself

Love thy neighbor as thyself. I've always construed this to mirror the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do to you." It wasn't until a couple of days ago that this hit me in a completely new, glaringly obvious, light. The commandment reads, "Love thy neighbor as thyself"... and the remarkable truth is that we do just that. We are only able love others as much as we love ourselves.

This would explain why the first commandment is to "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart," and the second is to "love thy neighbor as thyself." It is not feasible to give sincere love to others unless we first understand God's love for us - a testament gained through loving Him with all our heart, might and mind and strength. As we begin to know of our divine heritage and believe in our own worth, only then will we recognize the great worth of others.

Elder Lynn A. Mickelsen said, "Charity and love for one’s neighbor are best developed when one has a healthy sense of self-respect. Self-respect comes from obedience to the laws of God. Those with a strong sense of self-respect have a greater capacity to forget themselves and love others. Conversely, those who are insecure about their self-worth often become more self-centered and less capable of building strong, loving friendships."

Let us love ourselves a little more and never forget who we are. Royal children of God. There is no room for self-loathing or disparagement.... for an empty vessel has nothing to give.

His Genuine Treasure

The Lord's plan is far greater than any we could ever create on our own, or even imagine. Despite the tribulations we may face throughout life, there is undying hope in this fact. As I reflect on this last year I'm baffled over the events of 2009. It was nothing like I imagined! To have a child and then end up divorced... I never fathomed that could happen to me. I had great plans for 2010 - plans which are now drastically altered. I was sharing this with a friend when he said something along the lines of, "We always say Heavenly Father's plan is greater than anything we could imagine, so perhaps we have to go through things we have never imagined so he can give us what we could never imagine."

In the end, the only possession we have that is truly ours to give the Lord is our will. To give up that which we think we know, that which we think we must have, that which at times we feel we could never live without... all the while trusting that the Lord has has something better in store.

I've thought a lot about this story lately and it's one of my favorites, always bringing me to tears. Such a beautiful message. As this new year begins perhaps we can each step back long enough to determine what cheap dime-store jewelry we're holding on to, then find the courage to give it up, trusting that the Lord has genuine treasure awaiting us.

The Pearl Necklace

A cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them: a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box. "Oh please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please!"

Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face. "A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from grandma."

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.

Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere--Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night when he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?"

"Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess-- the white horse from my collection. The one with the pink tail. Remember, Daddy? The one you gave me. She's my favorite."

"That's okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night." And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?"

"Daddy, you know I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my babydoll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is so beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."

"That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you." And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian-style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek. "What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?"

Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And, when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here, Daddy. It's for you."

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's kind daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of beautiful genuine pearls. He had had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her genuine treasure.