Autumn colors, gray hairs and Isaiah

I don't like Fall and I like Winter even less.  While I appreciate the beauty of the vibrant red, orange and yellow leaves, it means the warm weather is leaving me again.  The colorful masterpiece of colors soon fall and leave barren sticks on tree trunks to look at for months.  The cold air makes my feet cold and my favored flip flops winter at the bottom of my closet.  I treasure the summer with its warm air, sunshine, green grass and full trees.

I've been thinking about the seasons of my life for the past few weeks.  I am in the summer of my life, yet I can see the my personal leaves starting to lose their vibrant green color.  I have a college freshman, a high school junior, a high school freshman, a 7th grader, 4th grader and a 3rd grader.  I don't have any little ones who need me to dress and feed them, to kiss their boo-boos, and I'm not the center of anyone's world anymore.  I will never again hold one of my newborn babies or drink in the never-ending questioning of my 4 year old.  The smudges on my windows are from my dog's noses and not sweet chubby baby hands.  Even my hair is betraying me and changing colors.  I had a friend ask me why I haven't started dyeing my gray hair yet and honestly it's because I am enjoying the summer of my life and I don't want it to end.

Yet I am thankful for my blessed life so far.  I have wrinkles from smiling and laughing, I have stretch marks from bearing 6 wonderful and unique people.  I have felt my heart stretch countless times to increase in the love I feel.  I have kind and loving friends and extended family that each add their vibrant personalities to my life.  I have a husband who honors his priesthood, loves me and our children.  We have placed our roots deep in the Gospel sod and weathered many of life's storms together.  We have laughed, cried and prayed together.  The summer of our life is in a forest with high hills of pure happiness and deep valleys of trials, yet we walk through it together.

I studied Isaiah this week.  I'm not going to lie, it was rough.  I can't say I understand all of his teachings, but I did find a few verses that spoke to me.  2 Nephi 10:23-25 reads:

  23 Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.

 24 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved.

 25 Wherefore, may God raise you from death by the power of the resurrection, and also from everlasting death by the power of the atonement, that ye may be received into the eternal kingdom of God, that ye may praise him through grace divine. Amen.

I think one of the reasons I was impressed to ponder these verses is because of the word 'cheerful'.  I am a happy, cheerful person.  My first reaction to everything is to smile.  I've had people yelling mean things to me, and for the first few seconds of their words I am smiling.  It is my nature, so when I see the word cheerful mentioned in scripture it catches my attention.

So, what does Isaiah want us to "cheer up" our hearts about?  The gift of agency.  The opportunity we have to pick eternal happiness or misery.  We are free to make our own choice.  What do you want to choose?

Let's study the next key phrase "reconcile yourselves to the will of God".  What does reconcile mean? Webster says the definition is "to restore to friendship or harmony. to make consistent or congruous".
What about the will of God?  What is His plan for you?  Are you choosing to follow Him or choosing to act according to your own desires?  Will you reconcile your heart to His plan?

If you do reconcile your heart to His plan, the gift of the Atonement of Jesus Christ will provide the grace necessary to cleanse you of your sins and to enjoy the blessings of the resurrection.  I find great comfort in that knowledge.  Our Heavenly Father loves us so much that He provided a way for us to be happy FOREVER.  Everlasting happiness is not brought about by material wealth, a large home, fame or fortune.  It is from adhering to the teachings of God, and abandoning our will to the Father's.

These words from the ancient prophet Isaiah also remind me of my very favorite verses of scripture. They are from modern day revelation, Doctrine and Covenants 61:36-39.

36 And now, verily I say unto you, and what I say unto one I say unto all, be of good cheer, little children; for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you;

 37 And inasmuch as you have humbled yourselves before me, the blessings of the kingdom are yours.

 38 Gird up your loins and be watchful and be sober, looking forth for the coming of the Son of Man, for he cometh in an hour you think not.

 39 Pray always that you enter not into temptation, that you may abide the day of his coming, whether in life or in death. Even so. Amen.

I find great comfort in these words.  The happiness I have felt in the summer of my life will pale in comparison to my eternal joy in the lives to come.  We are loved and valued, and God desires us to be happy.  The blessings of the kingdom will be ours if we choose to have them.














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Putting It All Together, I Nephi 15-22

As I studied this week I found a scripture that touched me and I have pondered it all week.

1 Nephi19:7, For the things which some men esteem to be of great worth, both to the body and soul, others set at naught and trample under their feet. Yea, even the very God of Israel do men trample under their feet; I say, trample under their feet but I would speak in other words—they set him at naught, and hearken not to the voice of his counsels.

This scripture speaks to my soul because I have lived my life in two completely different ways.  I was raised in a home where my father didn't speak of religion or faithful people in a positive way.  He treated those who put their faith in God and wasted time on imaginary things in a very demeaning way.  We didn't have a Bible or ever pray.  

I began attending the LDS church with my friend and her family when I was 12.  My father didn't like it and every Sunday when I got home from church I was in trouble.  Although I ended up getting baptized I did not stay active at church.  I lived my teenage years making some good decisions and some very bad decisions.  My moral compass was very worldly and the standards I was raised with weren't very high.  

My husband and I started dating when I was 17, we moved in together when I was 18, and had our first daughter when I was 19.  We had our second daughter two years later and we both decided the way we were living wasn't how we wanted to raise our children.  We got married and started looking for a church to attend.  I started attending the LDS church and my husband started taking the missionary discussions.  He ended up getting baptized after our third daughter was born.  

Our home is completely opposite of the home I grew up in.  My husband gathers us together every morning and night for family prayer.  We attend church together as a family, we serve in callings, we attend the temple, etc.  We are striving to have a gospel centered home.

The things we place the most value on are things which can't be seen with our physical eyes.  I am a faithful person, and what my father "trampled under" his feet are the things I treasure. My children have knowledge and confidence that was missing in my own life when I was their ages.  Our home is one where the Spirit is felt and we are a happier family because of our life choices.  I know Jesus Christ lived and died to redeem us from our sins.  I know we have a loving Heavenly Father who wants us to return to live in His presence and I try to live by the commandments so I can do just that.