For the past year and a half, I've been hanging onto church attendance. I never miss sacrament meeting, but Sunday School and Relief Society have been a struggle. Some of the people who hurt me deeply teach in those meetings, and I couldn't overcome the anxiety I felt attending them.
Things have changed, however, since I received the calling to be a Gospel Doctrine teacher. Honestly, it feels like nothing but mercy from God to have this calling. I no longer feel isolated and persecuted, but I feel like I do belong somewhere on Sunday. It's been one of the biggest blessings in my personal life in a very long time.
Meetings have also started meaning as much as they used to to me. I am able to listen to people's talks without feeling bad. I'm so thankful for this, because I love church. I always have, and I have missed it desperately in my life.
I thought it might be nice for our family to share something that meant something to them in church today. Some thought that a teacher shared, or some quote that struck the heart strings. As a teacher, I always appreciate people who offer comments, because the majority of the time, I end up learning more from hearing the thoughts of other people than I did preparing the lesson. Even as recently as the past couple of weeks when my own children have been home and have attended the Sunday School class I teach, I have benefited from the comments that they have made.
Me: Today in Relief Society, I heard this line: "Not all trials are time limited. We may never see the end of a specific trial. However, Christ will strengthen us through them for their entirety."
I always think of trials as having an end. I even assume that my own weakness of social anxiety will disappear someday if I pray hard enough about it, and work on it. However, I realized today that it might never go away. I may never be the easy-breezy social butterfly that I so badly want to be. But I can find solace in the fact that when I'm anxious and don't feel like I fit in, Christ will strengthen me through the situation. Maybe he will soothe my insecure social soul. Maybe he will send a friend to talk to me at the event so I don't feel insecure. However, I need to remember that he is walking beside me through all of my trials which means a lot to me since I frequently feel alone in social situations.
Ethan: While much of my church experience was tied up with baby today (she did NOT want me to sit with her on the cold metal seats) I had the chance to think about what it means to take Christ's name upon us during priesthood. Specifically, the teacher asked what we can do to show that we are trying to accept the name of Christ. While thinking about it, I realized that the key to us becoming like Christ is ultimately becoming perfect. However, that is obviously not going to happen anytime soon. It requires a lot of work. The important part, however, is making sure that we are still working to become perfect every day.
For me, I struggle to read my scriptures every day. I don't want to wake up in the morning anyways, so reading my scriptures while I'm eating breakfast sounds much less appealing than reading the latest Michigan football news. However, I have set an alarm for myself to go off at 10 PM every night reminding me to read my scriptures. This forces me to at least think about reading my scriptures before I go to bed, and by and large it has kept it foremost in my mind every night when I go to bed. Sometimes I still make the terrible excuse that I am too tired to read, but more often than not I open my scriptures and read before I go to bed. Even though I'm not perfect at it, I know that the Lord recognizes my efforts to follow the commandment of scripture reading and is grateful that I am trying to be perfect like him.
Rebecca: Today was our Ward Conference, and the focus was on a goal set for our stake - to attend the temple more and have the spirit of the temple in our homes. A few weeks ago Ethan and I had the chance to go to the Detroit temple and do a session. It had been several months since I had been to the temple with having a baby that won't take a bottle. It felt so good to be back in the temple. I was amazed at the spirit I felt just waiting for the session to start. It was a familiar spirit, and was one I didn't know how much I missed. I found myself touched by the spirit more than usual as the blessings of the temple covenants were explained. I thought, "how can I keep this spirit with me after I leave the temple?"
The world we are living in is getting scarier by the day. I often worry about the situations my children will have to face in their lives. As a parent, I need to do whatever I can to prepare my children to be strong members of the gospel. One such aspect is creating a temple-like atmosphere in our home. I need to be the best that I can be so that my children can be better.
The Relief Society lesson today was about having the spirit of the temple in our homes and hearts. It was a good reminder to me to do a little bit better. Not just for me, but for my family.
Mark:
Johannah: Today in Sacrament meeting, the speakers were given the assignment to speak on a conference talk of their choice from this past General Conference. The first guy that got up chose to speak on President Uchtdorf's talk in the Sunday morning session. President Uchtdorf tells the story of being a child in Germany during the war, and his feelings on the bombings of Dresden. President Uchtdorf lived near Dresden, also known as the "Jewel Box." In one night, the city of Dresden was reduced to rubble and ash, and as President Uchtdorf says, "the city once nicknamed "The Jewel Box" was no more." The speaker today likened himself to Dresden. When he returned home from his mission, he thought his life was going to be perfect. He would go to school, marry a babe :) and everything would be fine. Since his mission, five of his family members, including his mother, have died. While the bombs for Dresden were randomly dropped throughout the city, this speaker says that God has dropped the bombs directly on his heart. He has been humbled and hurt since his mission, and often he feels that, like Dresden, he has been reduced to nothing more than ash and rubble. After church, I re-read President Uchtdorf's talk, and he mentions that last year, he had the opportunity to return to Dresden. It is once again a "Jewel Box" of a city. A lot of the materials from historic buildings were used to rebuild them, including the beautiful Frauenkirche. The city has been restored to its previous glory, but it has not forgotten what it went through.
When we experience trials, our hearts are often "bombed." Heavenly Father knows what will challenge us most, and it can often feel like He is attacking us without mercy. But like Dresden, we can come back from these trials. We can build an even more solid foundation on top of the ruin and desolation that was previously our life, and we can grow stronger. President Uchtdorf says "As I pondered the history of Dresden and marveled at the ingenuity and resolve of those who restored what had been so completely destroyed, I felt the sweet influence of the Holy Ghost. Surely, I thought, if man can take the ruins, rubble, and remains of a broken city and rebuild an awe-inspiring structure[the Frauenkirche] that rises toward the heavens, how much more capable is our Almighty Father to restore His children who have fallen, struggled, or become lost?"
God will always rebuild us. It doesn't matter how far we have fallen or how much we have sinned, because through the Atonement and love of our Savior, we can be redeemed and forgiven of our sins, and return to live with our Heavenly Father again. We just need to push through the hard times, and remember that through faith in our Savior and our Heavenly Father, we can rebuild ourselves to be a "Jewel Box" of a person.
Glo:
Daddy:
Things have changed, however, since I received the calling to be a Gospel Doctrine teacher. Honestly, it feels like nothing but mercy from God to have this calling. I no longer feel isolated and persecuted, but I feel like I do belong somewhere on Sunday. It's been one of the biggest blessings in my personal life in a very long time.
Meetings have also started meaning as much as they used to to me. I am able to listen to people's talks without feeling bad. I'm so thankful for this, because I love church. I always have, and I have missed it desperately in my life.
I thought it might be nice for our family to share something that meant something to them in church today. Some thought that a teacher shared, or some quote that struck the heart strings. As a teacher, I always appreciate people who offer comments, because the majority of the time, I end up learning more from hearing the thoughts of other people than I did preparing the lesson. Even as recently as the past couple of weeks when my own children have been home and have attended the Sunday School class I teach, I have benefited from the comments that they have made.
Me: Today in Relief Society, I heard this line: "Not all trials are time limited. We may never see the end of a specific trial. However, Christ will strengthen us through them for their entirety."
I always think of trials as having an end. I even assume that my own weakness of social anxiety will disappear someday if I pray hard enough about it, and work on it. However, I realized today that it might never go away. I may never be the easy-breezy social butterfly that I so badly want to be. But I can find solace in the fact that when I'm anxious and don't feel like I fit in, Christ will strengthen me through the situation. Maybe he will soothe my insecure social soul. Maybe he will send a friend to talk to me at the event so I don't feel insecure. However, I need to remember that he is walking beside me through all of my trials which means a lot to me since I frequently feel alone in social situations.
Ethan: While much of my church experience was tied up with baby today (she did NOT want me to sit with her on the cold metal seats) I had the chance to think about what it means to take Christ's name upon us during priesthood. Specifically, the teacher asked what we can do to show that we are trying to accept the name of Christ. While thinking about it, I realized that the key to us becoming like Christ is ultimately becoming perfect. However, that is obviously not going to happen anytime soon. It requires a lot of work. The important part, however, is making sure that we are still working to become perfect every day.
For me, I struggle to read my scriptures every day. I don't want to wake up in the morning anyways, so reading my scriptures while I'm eating breakfast sounds much less appealing than reading the latest Michigan football news. However, I have set an alarm for myself to go off at 10 PM every night reminding me to read my scriptures. This forces me to at least think about reading my scriptures before I go to bed, and by and large it has kept it foremost in my mind every night when I go to bed. Sometimes I still make the terrible excuse that I am too tired to read, but more often than not I open my scriptures and read before I go to bed. Even though I'm not perfect at it, I know that the Lord recognizes my efforts to follow the commandment of scripture reading and is grateful that I am trying to be perfect like him.
Rebecca: Today was our Ward Conference, and the focus was on a goal set for our stake - to attend the temple more and have the spirit of the temple in our homes. A few weeks ago Ethan and I had the chance to go to the Detroit temple and do a session. It had been several months since I had been to the temple with having a baby that won't take a bottle. It felt so good to be back in the temple. I was amazed at the spirit I felt just waiting for the session to start. It was a familiar spirit, and was one I didn't know how much I missed. I found myself touched by the spirit more than usual as the blessings of the temple covenants were explained. I thought, "how can I keep this spirit with me after I leave the temple?"
The world we are living in is getting scarier by the day. I often worry about the situations my children will have to face in their lives. As a parent, I need to do whatever I can to prepare my children to be strong members of the gospel. One such aspect is creating a temple-like atmosphere in our home. I need to be the best that I can be so that my children can be better.
The Relief Society lesson today was about having the spirit of the temple in our homes and hearts. It was a good reminder to me to do a little bit better. Not just for me, but for my family.
Mark:
Johannah: Today in Sacrament meeting, the speakers were given the assignment to speak on a conference talk of their choice from this past General Conference. The first guy that got up chose to speak on President Uchtdorf's talk in the Sunday morning session. President Uchtdorf tells the story of being a child in Germany during the war, and his feelings on the bombings of Dresden. President Uchtdorf lived near Dresden, also known as the "Jewel Box." In one night, the city of Dresden was reduced to rubble and ash, and as President Uchtdorf says, "the city once nicknamed "The Jewel Box" was no more." The speaker today likened himself to Dresden. When he returned home from his mission, he thought his life was going to be perfect. He would go to school, marry a babe :) and everything would be fine. Since his mission, five of his family members, including his mother, have died. While the bombs for Dresden were randomly dropped throughout the city, this speaker says that God has dropped the bombs directly on his heart. He has been humbled and hurt since his mission, and often he feels that, like Dresden, he has been reduced to nothing more than ash and rubble. After church, I re-read President Uchtdorf's talk, and he mentions that last year, he had the opportunity to return to Dresden. It is once again a "Jewel Box" of a city. A lot of the materials from historic buildings were used to rebuild them, including the beautiful Frauenkirche. The city has been restored to its previous glory, but it has not forgotten what it went through.
When we experience trials, our hearts are often "bombed." Heavenly Father knows what will challenge us most, and it can often feel like He is attacking us without mercy. But like Dresden, we can come back from these trials. We can build an even more solid foundation on top of the ruin and desolation that was previously our life, and we can grow stronger. President Uchtdorf says "As I pondered the history of Dresden and marveled at the ingenuity and resolve of those who restored what had been so completely destroyed, I felt the sweet influence of the Holy Ghost. Surely, I thought, if man can take the ruins, rubble, and remains of a broken city and rebuild an awe-inspiring structure[the Frauenkirche] that rises toward the heavens, how much more capable is our Almighty Father to restore His children who have fallen, struggled, or become lost?"
God will always rebuild us. It doesn't matter how far we have fallen or how much we have sinned, because through the Atonement and love of our Savior, we can be redeemed and forgiven of our sins, and return to live with our Heavenly Father again. We just need to push through the hard times, and remember that through faith in our Savior and our Heavenly Father, we can rebuild ourselves to be a "Jewel Box" of a person.
Daddy:
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