General Conference - Day 27

 Today, I am especially grateful for this weekend. This weekend will be host to my one of my favorite times of year, General Conference.  General Conference is put on by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am a part of this church. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are more commonly referred to as Mormons. I am a Mormon.

Just to help any who may not know what General Conference is, let me give an explanation.

We believe that when Jesus Christ was on the earth, He set up His church. He was the head of the church and led it in righteousness. He also called 12 Apostles. These apostles were to help bring others unto Christ and had the authority to be leaders in the church.

After Christ’s death, the Apostles were all killed and the church that Christ had established was lost. It remained lost for many generations, because no one had the authority that the apostles were given by Jesus Christ himself.

We believe that in 1820, Joseph Smith saw God, the Father and Jesus Christ. They later called Him to be the prophet for our day and Christ’s church was again established on the earth, complete with the 12 Apostles, like in olden times. Because our Heavenly Father loves us, just as He loved the people in Christ’s time, He has provided us with a prophet to help give us guidance when it can seem like the whole world is falling apart.

Prophet Thomas S. Monson - I seriously love
this guy.

That authority, since the time of Joseph Smith has been passed down to the Prophet and Apostles of today. Today, the Prophet of God is President Thomas S. Monson. He is a man. He is mortal. And He receives guidance from the Head of the Church, even Jesus Christ.

I believe that I belong to the church that Jesus Christ established. I believe that there really is a prophet on the earth today to reveal God’s will and remind His children of His love for them.

One of the most sacred principles of our church is that I can ask questions, I can study, I can pray and I can receive revelation from God as well. I don’t have to trust blindly in what the church leaders say. I don’t have to take my parent’s word for it. As a child of God, I have the right to speak with my Heavenly Father and receive answers directly from Him.

I don’t believe because someone told me to. I don’t believe because that’s what I was raised to believe. I believe because I pray frequently and receive answers from my Heavenly Father that I am in His church. People often refer to their conversion as a one time, “I prayed and received my answer”. I feel like I am one of those people that needs to be constantly reminded. And it has been such a comfort to know that when I ask, my Heavenly Father will always answer me.

So, I am extremely grateful today for the opportunity to listen to a Prophet of God. I know that what He imparts to us this weekend will be what our Heavenly Father wants us to know. I am excited to hear answers to my prayers. In preparation for General Conference, members of the church try and take an accounting of their lives. They seek answers at General Conference to their prayers.

In fact, frequently, members will write down questions that have been eating away at them, in faith and hope that the answers will be revealed to them during General Conference, whether they are specifically mentioned in a talk, or whether that revelation is of a more personal nature.

I am excited to receive answers to some of my questions and additional insight into some topics that I feel very inexperienced in.

I will include a couple of my questions here. If you are reading this and want to share your questions, I encourage you to do so in the comments. Sometimes there is comfort in knowing that other people have the same question as you.

• Being patient for me is so hard. What must I do to become a more patient person? How can I learn to have joy in the journey and not constantly be fixated on what I perceive as the end goal? 
• I’m going to be a mommy soon. There are all sorts of blogs and advice for how to be a good mother. What does my Heavenly Father value in mothers? How can I be a good mother in His eyes? 
• I want to know more about the role of fathers. My wonderful husband will be a father soon. What can I do to be supportive of him?

And, as is tradition, Austin and I will probably be curled up in our jammies
to watch the Prophet speak, since we will not be able to go to SLC to see
him in person.

I think those are the three main questions I’m hoping to receive revelation on. I’m sure there is more that is on my mind, but I can’t think of everything at once. I’m excited to get more insight on these questions. And I’m so grateful for living prophets and apostles.

The Blessing of Imperfection - Day 26

 It is no surprise that I have missed a couple of days. Like I said before, imperfection courses through my blood like a virus. Which, I guess if nothing else, I am grateful for my imperfections. If I was perfect, I would be held to an impossibly high standard. No one likes to be put on a pedestal.

Because lets be honest, I’m tired. I’m pregnant. My back hurts. I am imperfect. I am grateful that I’m imperfect because it means that I can let myself go to work without make-up on. I can leave the dishes undone. I can eat a hamburger from a fast food restaurant and not worry about every little ounce I may be adding to my already growing belly. I can sleep in late on occasion. I can forget to fill up the car with gas. I can tell Austin that I want to go home after the first hour of church. I can get annoyed with my boss. I can forget to read my scriptures. I can forget to pray. I can forget to tell my husband how much I appreciate him. I can do all of these things because I am imperfect.

Side Note: This is not my house or my picture. You can see more pictures from
this house at
http://swamplot.com/inside-the-messiest-apartment-in-houston-ever/2008-09-23/
And let me just say, that would be overwhelming. 

It would be great if I didn’t. It would be great if I was more Christlike, but I think there is a secret to living imperfectly. I can only change one or maybe two things at a time. The secret to living imperfectly is to be okay with being imperfect so that I can use all of my energy in trying to become better. If I am constantly fretting over my imperfections and down on myself and feeling depressed, the only thing I am accomplishing is wallowing in them. It’s like walking into a messy house and crying over the dirty walls and the dishes in the sink and the scum on the toilet, instead of grabbing a toilet brush and scrubbing that yellow stuff off of there.

But if I can accept that I am imperfect and choose one thing to do to become better, chances are the extent of my imperfections will decrease. That house will start to get a little cleaner.

So, today, I am grateful that I am imperfect. I’m also grateful that I have the capacity to believe that my imperfection is okay for now. It would be too overwhelming to try and be perfect today. It would be overwhelming to try and be perfect in this life. But I can choose one thing at a time and live one day at a time

Day 24 - Just Tired

I'm just grateful the day is over. My back hurts. I'm tired. It was a long day at work. And it's over. Tomorrow I will be 1/4 of the way since I started this whole hundred days thing and that means that baby time is getting closer and closer!! Wahoo!

Day 22 - Holiday Excitement

Today, I am just grateful that September went by so fast. I mean it's almost over! Hooray! We are literally on the doorstep of the HOLIDAYS!! Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas! YAY! And that also means that baby is closer to making her grand appearance. So... 2 1/2 months now.

It doesn't feel like I'm going to be a mom. I can't really even fathom that. A new adventure I guess. So, I'm just excited for the holidays and a little nervous but excited about taking on a new role in life.

Day 18 - Communication

Today I am grateful for communication. I’m grateful for the ability to talk to people and work out problems. I’m grateful for friends and family who listen before jumping to conclusions. Learning how to communicate effectively has got to be one of the hardest things to do and also one of the most rewarding. Instead of becoming frustrated because you are stuck in a world of misunderstandings and assumptions can be extremely disheartening. I love being able to be on the same page with people. I love feeling connected with the people I am openly communicating with. I love having a mutual feeling of understanding. I love that someone can understand how I am feeling emotionally and empathize with me.

Words are powerful tools. They can eloquently fabricate an entire universe in literature. They can meticulously lay out a process. They can communicate feelings and hopes and dreams. They can also destroy trust, disappoint, manipulate and falsify.

I am grateful for the gift of words. And I am even more grateful when words are used to bless rather than tear down. I love the people in my life who use words to uplift and give hope and communicate effectively. I am grateful to them for their sincerity and honesty. If we are friends, you can know that I am talking about you. Thank you so much for using words the way God intended them to be used.

Day 17 – An Eternal Perspective

I’ve been racking my brain, trying to figure out what to write about. I could write a list of things I’m grateful for, but I don’t feel like that adequately expresses what I’m feeling. I think today, I am grateful for an eternal perspective.

I go through life sometimes and I am so tired, so worn out, so fed up with things, so irritated, do annoyed, so ready to give up. And sometimes I want to. I think, if I give up, then I don’t have to care about all of the things that are bothering me. But, that’s not a way out. It’s a way to ignore. It’s a way to escape.

As a human race, I think we have developed an innate ability to escape our problems. There are all kinds of escapes. There’s alcohol, drugs, shopping, running, sleeping, depression, suicide, pornography, sex, video games, television, movies and so many more. It’s whatever we do to make us forget. We subconsciously seek for things that will allow us to escape our lives momentarily. Not all of the things I listed are inherently bad. In fact, many of them are good. I’m sure I’d have a lot of athletes who would be up in arms at my suggestion that running could be an escape. But, we all do things to try and eject ourselves from a bad situation. It’s the fight or flight response.

I am grateful that when those hard times come and it feels like the whole world is crashing down, I can remember that there is so much more to look forward to. This little moment is just that. A little moment. It’ll pass. I’ll have the rest of eternity to live in peace and prosperity. When I want to run away from the hardships of my life, I remember that I can deal with it because I’m made of the stuff for eternity. So, I know that I don’t need to run. I don’t want to run for eternity. Because I know that there’s more to life than just this life, I can face my problems more directly. I can deal with them as they come. And I can be grateful when they’re over and I come out a better person.

Day 15

I'm grateful for a husband who listens to me and helps me work through my issues. And I'm grateful for family who loves and supports us.