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