This morning my little family finished a five year journey.
Every weekday morning for the past five years we have spent fifteen minutes (give or take) reading sacred scripture. It begins by gathering sleepy children, singing a hymn or primary song and then each of us takes a turn reading one verse. That's it. We only read one verse each. At this rate, I didn't know if we would ever get through the Book of Mormon. After each of us read a verse, or sometimes in the midst of the verses, we would discuss the principles being taught, the story line, the people mentioned, the counsel we were being given.
Our study of the Book of Mormon has evolved over the years. We started when oldest daughter was not even a toddler. We would read from the illustrated Book of Mormon, a book that takes the stories from the Book of Mormon and abridges them with pictures and captions. As our family grew, we continued our daily study from this illustrated book.
Finally, when oldest daughter started Kindergarten, we decided it was time to open the genuine book. We began a study from The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. When we began, there were only two members of the family who could read on their own- the husband and me. So, as it was one of the children's turn, one of us would read their verse and the children would repeat what was read. As we finished today, each of us was able to read our verse all on our very own.
Our scripture time is not perfect, sometimes we are finishing a bowl of cereal or spreading peanut butter on bread for school lunches as we are reading our verses. And sometimes, like in the summer, we missed a few days here and there. The point is, though, that we sent our children and ourselves into the world each day with a special set of armor to shield, protect and strengthen us.
At the start of this week, we found ourselves in the last chapter of the last book in the Book of Mormon. So, we read a few extra verses each day to ensure that we would finish the book this week.
There are 6,604 verses in that book. Reading one verse a day, Monday through Friday, will take 5.08 years to complete the book. Upon completing the book and closing it, the husband asked the children their favorite parts. Oldest daughter loved the part where "the one man got his head cut off and he did a dead push up."
"What was that man's name?" I asked.
Without even a second thought, middle daughter burst out, "Shiz. His name was Shiz."
Last week we read about charity. After we discussed the meaning of charity, the husband counseled the family to pray to have charity. I have loved listening to the children pray over the last week that we would learn charity.
On Monday, our reading included Moroni's promise where he tells us that if we desire to know the truth of the book, we should pray to our Heavenly Father to know the truth of it and Heavenly Father will reveal the truth of it to us. Similarly, the children have included this promise in their prayers. I have eavesdropped as little voices have asked their Heavenly Father in their personal prayers to help them know if the book is true.
I have been strengthened in the realization the children have taken the teachings seriously. They have listened as we have studied. When we began a study of this book, I didn't know if we would ever get through the Book of Mormon. But, I do know one thing for sure: the Book of Mormon definitely got through us.
Showing posts with label spiritual enlightenment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spiritual enlightenment. Show all posts
Friday, August 24, 2012
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Judge Not
As promised, following is the script I wrote for Girls Camp- an account of the woman taken in adultery in my own words.
On one of the darkest days of my life, I came face to face with goodness.
I am a married woman. I was caught in the act of adultery by a group of angry men who immediately took me to face judgment. I was not properly dressed nor put together and as we entered the temple I felt naked, humiliated and exposed- not to mention unworthy to be in the temple.
My accusers dragged me in front of a man I had heard much talk of in the city. He was sitting in front of a group of people, teaching. I was degraded as the angry mob began spilling the details to this man whom the people called Jesus. Immediately, I fell to the damp earth in shame, hoping it might swallow me up.
The men intended to catch Jesus in a trap. They told him they had caught me in the very act of adultery. The law dictated that a person caught in adultery must be stoned, although this law had long since been abandoned or uninforced by the Jews. Still, they demanded I should be stoned to death, and then they asked Jesus, “What sayest thou?” Perhaps they were intending for Jesus to declare the law obsolete, which would be proof that he was presuming himself to be above the Law of Moses. Had Jesus proclaimed that I should suffer death, my accusers would have said Jesus was defying Roman authorities who were the only ones authorized to approve capital punishment. If he had said I should go unpunished, they would have charged him with disrespect for the Law of Moses.
I could hear the murmurs of the crowd and wished that I could be swept away from this place- but here I was, caught in the act of doing something that I should not- and I knew I must face the consequences of my actions. I could not do enough to hide my face, wondering if there might be someone I knew among all these people.
The longer the men spoke, the more clear it became to me that they were more interested in condemning Jesus than finding justice for my sin.
Immediately Jesus stooped down. My first instinct was to cover my head with my hands, believing that he was seeking a stone. Instead, with his finger, he began to write in the dirt as though he heard them not- and I relaxed my tense hands.
The men continued pressing Jesus for an answer. Jesus lifted himself up and the crowd quieted. It was at this moment I heard him tell the men, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”
He again stooped to the earth and wrote on the ground. And again, the people fell silent.
The mob began to disperse, one by one, being convicted by their own conscience and I was left alone with Jesus. He did not leave me. He asked me where my accusers were? Had any of them condemned me?
I answered, “No man, Lord.”
And Jesus spoke the kindest words anyone had ever spoken to me, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”
He never left me. Through the whole ordeal, he stayed and protected me from my accusers. He didn’t forgive me, yet he gave me hope that I could be forgiven. I felt neither condemned nor judged by Jesus but rather that I could repent and turn away from this sin and have a second chance to live worthily. Jesus didn’t worry about the trap that the men were trying to catch him in, instead his concern was for me - he showed me charity and taught me a better way. And in the process invited the men to examine their own lives. He focused on turning the men away and encouraging them to leave the temple, thus preserving the holiness of that place- and inviting me to become a better me.
Not once throughout the experience did Jesus cause me to feel embarrassed or ashamed. He instead taught me that when I make an incorrect decision I am always welcomed by His loving arms, and that I am a beloved daughter of God, worthy of His dignity.
I have never felt more love from an individual than I did on that day.
As I slowly walked the dusty road to my home to face my husband with the knowledge that my sin was public, I felt a joy I had never before experienced. I had been accepted by the one person whose life was the most opposite of mine- and still He loved me. I had been in His presence and had felt of His goodness. And now I knew that I wanted to change and he had taught me how I could do it.
A painful truth I learned was that because of my sin, I could not remain in His presence. But once I repented and promised to forsake that sin, He would always dwell with me.
On one of the darkest days of my life, I came face to face with goodness.
I am a married woman. I was caught in the act of adultery by a group of angry men who immediately took me to face judgment. I was not properly dressed nor put together and as we entered the temple I felt naked, humiliated and exposed- not to mention unworthy to be in the temple.
My accusers dragged me in front of a man I had heard much talk of in the city. He was sitting in front of a group of people, teaching. I was degraded as the angry mob began spilling the details to this man whom the people called Jesus. Immediately, I fell to the damp earth in shame, hoping it might swallow me up.
The men intended to catch Jesus in a trap. They told him they had caught me in the very act of adultery. The law dictated that a person caught in adultery must be stoned, although this law had long since been abandoned or uninforced by the Jews. Still, they demanded I should be stoned to death, and then they asked Jesus, “What sayest thou?” Perhaps they were intending for Jesus to declare the law obsolete, which would be proof that he was presuming himself to be above the Law of Moses. Had Jesus proclaimed that I should suffer death, my accusers would have said Jesus was defying Roman authorities who were the only ones authorized to approve capital punishment. If he had said I should go unpunished, they would have charged him with disrespect for the Law of Moses.
I could hear the murmurs of the crowd and wished that I could be swept away from this place- but here I was, caught in the act of doing something that I should not- and I knew I must face the consequences of my actions. I could not do enough to hide my face, wondering if there might be someone I knew among all these people.
The longer the men spoke, the more clear it became to me that they were more interested in condemning Jesus than finding justice for my sin.
Immediately Jesus stooped down. My first instinct was to cover my head with my hands, believing that he was seeking a stone. Instead, with his finger, he began to write in the dirt as though he heard them not- and I relaxed my tense hands.
The men continued pressing Jesus for an answer. Jesus lifted himself up and the crowd quieted. It was at this moment I heard him tell the men, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”
He again stooped to the earth and wrote on the ground. And again, the people fell silent.
The mob began to disperse, one by one, being convicted by their own conscience and I was left alone with Jesus. He did not leave me. He asked me where my accusers were? Had any of them condemned me?
I answered, “No man, Lord.”
And Jesus spoke the kindest words anyone had ever spoken to me, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”
He never left me. Through the whole ordeal, he stayed and protected me from my accusers. He didn’t forgive me, yet he gave me hope that I could be forgiven. I felt neither condemned nor judged by Jesus but rather that I could repent and turn away from this sin and have a second chance to live worthily. Jesus didn’t worry about the trap that the men were trying to catch him in, instead his concern was for me - he showed me charity and taught me a better way. And in the process invited the men to examine their own lives. He focused on turning the men away and encouraging them to leave the temple, thus preserving the holiness of that place- and inviting me to become a better me.
Not once throughout the experience did Jesus cause me to feel embarrassed or ashamed. He instead taught me that when I make an incorrect decision I am always welcomed by His loving arms, and that I am a beloved daughter of God, worthy of His dignity.
I have never felt more love from an individual than I did on that day.
As I slowly walked the dusty road to my home to face my husband with the knowledge that my sin was public, I felt a joy I had never before experienced. I had been accepted by the one person whose life was the most opposite of mine- and still He loved me. I had been in His presence and had felt of His goodness. And now I knew that I wanted to change and he had taught me how I could do it.
A painful truth I learned was that because of my sin, I could not remain in His presence. But once I repented and promised to forsake that sin, He would always dwell with me.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Climbing the Mountain
As you may have read, I am recently returned from Girls Camp. And as you may have also read, you know that I had an amazing week.
Our stake is blessed to be able to go to an amazing camp- complete with cabins, electricity, indoor toilets, running water and cooks who kept us well fed. And those who were in charge of the spiritual feasts were even more amazing. I came home with so much more than I went in with.
I was in charge of 2nd year certification and cabin mom to 22 girls, ages 16-18, who were some of our youth camp leaders. These were stellar young women. They were so prepared for camp- their main responsibility was to teach these 2nd year girls all the certification requirements- and they truly fulfilled their assignments.
I was paired up with a woman in another ward whom I had never met before our first planning meeting in March. I so loved getting to know her and it was a blessing for me to work with her. And, you may recall a while back when I worried about my fun factor slipping- well, thanks to her, I am happy to report that I believe I have retrieved a bit of my fun. And I believe, in time, I shall have all my fun back! And let me tell you- YOU can't wait for that day.
Friday was hike day and as we started, it was a beautiful day- overcast with a nice little breeze. We were just over 8 minutes into our 5 mile hike when two of the girls lost confidence and wanted to turn back. As I listened to them, it came to me that they had never felt the satisfaction of succeeding on a hard task. I talked them through their anxiety and they continued on. Within a minute, the path flattened and our hike was small rises and easy terrain the rest of the way. It occurred to me that in life, we often stop just short of our ultimate rewards. Just when the path seems too hard, but if we persevere, it usually straightens and we find we are really much stronger than we thought we were. And we are blessed with beautiful rewards.
At the top of our hike, we stopped for lunch and completed a couple certification requirements. Then we unfurled a golden flag with a large "V" appliqued on it. I talked to the girls about committing to leading virtuous lives. Lives that will result in temple blessings. All those willing to commit signed the flag and declared their commitment. It was a wonderful moment- all these pure young women who had desires to live lives that would result in the greatest blessings possible. I'm telling you- spiritual experience.
Both girls completed the hike, all smiles and extremely proud of what they accomplished. Ready to take on the world!
But, the thing that impacted me most was a special assignment I was given to study the story of the woman taken in adultery in the New Testament and prepare a 5 minute account of the incident as if given in her own words. And then, I was to recite her experience- in full costume- 4 times on a particular night of camp. I was in great company. Some of the other women were Mary, the mother of Jesus; Mary and Martha; Mary Magdalene; the woman at the well; the wife of Jairus; the woman with an issue of blood. Each of us traveled around to 4 separate groups and shared our accounts of these women.
As I studied the account of this woman, I was touched with her story and humbled to attempt an enactment of her experience. I felt a love for her that transcends anything that I can explain. I was blessed to be given the assignment.
Check back Sunday- when I will post my script, along with a few feelings and a bit of my reflections following the experience.
Our stake is blessed to be able to go to an amazing camp- complete with cabins, electricity, indoor toilets, running water and cooks who kept us well fed. And those who were in charge of the spiritual feasts were even more amazing. I came home with so much more than I went in with.
I was in charge of 2nd year certification and cabin mom to 22 girls, ages 16-18, who were some of our youth camp leaders. These were stellar young women. They were so prepared for camp- their main responsibility was to teach these 2nd year girls all the certification requirements- and they truly fulfilled their assignments.
I was paired up with a woman in another ward whom I had never met before our first planning meeting in March. I so loved getting to know her and it was a blessing for me to work with her. And, you may recall a while back when I worried about my fun factor slipping- well, thanks to her, I am happy to report that I believe I have retrieved a bit of my fun. And I believe, in time, I shall have all my fun back! And let me tell you- YOU can't wait for that day.
Friday was hike day and as we started, it was a beautiful day- overcast with a nice little breeze. We were just over 8 minutes into our 5 mile hike when two of the girls lost confidence and wanted to turn back. As I listened to them, it came to me that they had never felt the satisfaction of succeeding on a hard task. I talked them through their anxiety and they continued on. Within a minute, the path flattened and our hike was small rises and easy terrain the rest of the way. It occurred to me that in life, we often stop just short of our ultimate rewards. Just when the path seems too hard, but if we persevere, it usually straightens and we find we are really much stronger than we thought we were. And we are blessed with beautiful rewards.
At the top of our hike, we stopped for lunch and completed a couple certification requirements. Then we unfurled a golden flag with a large "V" appliqued on it. I talked to the girls about committing to leading virtuous lives. Lives that will result in temple blessings. All those willing to commit signed the flag and declared their commitment. It was a wonderful moment- all these pure young women who had desires to live lives that would result in the greatest blessings possible. I'm telling you- spiritual experience.
Both girls completed the hike, all smiles and extremely proud of what they accomplished. Ready to take on the world!
But, the thing that impacted me most was a special assignment I was given to study the story of the woman taken in adultery in the New Testament and prepare a 5 minute account of the incident as if given in her own words. And then, I was to recite her experience- in full costume- 4 times on a particular night of camp. I was in great company. Some of the other women were Mary, the mother of Jesus; Mary and Martha; Mary Magdalene; the woman at the well; the wife of Jairus; the woman with an issue of blood. Each of us traveled around to 4 separate groups and shared our accounts of these women.
As I studied the account of this woman, I was touched with her story and humbled to attempt an enactment of her experience. I felt a love for her that transcends anything that I can explain. I was blessed to be given the assignment.
Check back Sunday- when I will post my script, along with a few feelings and a bit of my reflections following the experience.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
You can fly...
This morning as I ate my cold cereal, I chose to read a talk by Elder Neal A. Maxwell that was given to me by my mom this past weekend.
It is a beautiful message entitled The Women of God. You can read the entire article here. (please, go and read it! you will be so glad you did) It is overflowing with tender words and praise of women. I especially loved these passages:
As I read these tender words, eating my Marshmallow Mateys, tears coursing down my cheeks, feeling the love and support from an Apostle of Jesus Christ, little son came over to the table to join me. He climbed up and said, "Hi, Mom." And I stopped my reading to wipe my tears, respond to him and acknowledge his little presence.
As I looked back down to continue reading and eating, I noticed a black speck in my cereal. Upon further inspection, I realized it was a fly. A dead fly. Floating in my Mateys.
Kinda killed the spirit of the article.
I got up, poured the cereal down the drain, and began to blog.
Thanks a lot, little fly. But especially I am thankful little son came over to offer his mom a hello. Were it not for him, I may have a little dead fly floating in my tummy. And I probably would never have known it.
Now I'm off to finish reading that article.
It is a beautiful message entitled The Women of God. You can read the entire article here. (please, go and read it! you will be so glad you did) It is overflowing with tender words and praise of women. I especially loved these passages:
God trusts women so much that He lets them bear and care for His spirit children.
In our modern kingdom, it is no accident that women were, through the Relief Society, assigned compassionate service. So often the service of women seems instinctive, while that of some men seems more labored. It is precisely because the daughters of Zion are so uncommon that the adversary will not leave them alone.
We salute you, sisters, for the joy that is yours as you rejoice in a baby’s first smile and as you listen with eager ear to a child’s first day at school which bespeaks a special selflessness. Women, more quickly than others, will understand the possible dangers when the word self is militantly placed before other words like fulfillment. You rock a sobbing child without wondering if today’s world is passing you by, because you know you hold tomorrow tightly in your arms.
So often our sisters comfort others when their own needs are greater than those being comforted. That quality is like the generosity of Jesus on the cross. Empathy during agony is a portion of divinity!
I thank the Father that His Only Begotten Son did not say in defiant protest at Calvary, “My body is my own!” I stand in admiration of women today who resist the fashion of abortion, by refusing to make the sacred womb a tomb!
When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses? When the surf of the centuries has made the great pyramids so much sand, the everlasting family will still be standing, because it is a celestial institution, formed outside telestial time. The women of God know this.
No wonder the men of God support and sustain you sisters in your unique roles, for the act of deserting home in order to shape society is like thoughtlessly removing crucial fingers from an imperiled dike in order to teach people to swim.
We men love you for meeting inconsiderateness with consideration and selfishness with selflessness. We are touched by the eloquence of your example. We are deeply grateful for your enduring us as men when we are not at our best because—like God—you love us not only for what we are, but for what we have the power to become.
We have special admiration for the unsung but unsullied single women among whom are some of the noblest daughters of God. These sisters know that God loves them, individually and distinctly. They make wise career choices even though they cannot now have the most choice career. Though in their second estate they do not have their first desire, they still overcome the world. These sisters who cannot now enrich the institution of their own marriage so often enrich other institutions in society. They do not withhold their blessings simply because some blessings are now withheld from them. Their trust in God is like that of the wives who are childless, but not by choice, but who in the justice of God will receive special blessings one day.
As I read these tender words, eating my Marshmallow Mateys, tears coursing down my cheeks, feeling the love and support from an Apostle of Jesus Christ, little son came over to the table to join me. He climbed up and said, "Hi, Mom." And I stopped my reading to wipe my tears, respond to him and acknowledge his little presence.
As I looked back down to continue reading and eating, I noticed a black speck in my cereal. Upon further inspection, I realized it was a fly. A dead fly. Floating in my Mateys.
Kinda killed the spirit of the article.
I got up, poured the cereal down the drain, and began to blog.
Thanks a lot, little fly. But especially I am thankful little son came over to offer his mom a hello. Were it not for him, I may have a little dead fly floating in my tummy. And I probably would never have known it.
Now I'm off to finish reading that article.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)