Our Sphere

In one of his first talks in General Conference as the prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley said:  "This church does not belong to its President. Its head is the Lord Jesus Christ, whose name each of us has taken upon ourselves. We are all in this great endeavor together. We are here to assist our Father in His work and His glory, “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). Your obligation is as serious in your sphere of responsibility as is my obligation in my sphere. No calling in this church is small or of little consequence. All of us in the pursuit of our duty touch the lives of others. To each of us in our respective responsibilities the Lord has said: “Wherefore, be faithful; stand in the office which I have appointed unto you; succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees” (D&C 81:5).

I am grateful for his words and the reminder that we each have an important role to play.  Each one is very different, but so needed.  The prophet can't be the one to sit next to the lonely sister in sacrament meeting or invite the person we work with to come to church with us.  I believe that the Lord uses us and our unique personalities and talents and opportunities to build His kingdom in large and small ways.  The small ways are "no less serviceable" as President Howard W. Hunter taught.  For some reason I've wondered about my place and purpose and "sphere" lately and have felt a little bit like I'm spinning my wheels, but this quote has helped me remember that we need to "act well our part."

No one else can make the same difference that we can.  As we diligently do our best with the opportunities we've been given and seek to do the Lord's will I know we'll be happy and blessed and be a blessing to others.  It's not a competition or a comparison but remembering who we are and being ourselves.  Obviously we should be trying to improve ourselves along the way and work to find out and fulfill our missions, but I really think that if we are simply being real, genuine, and have a sincere desire to do His will we will be able to assist in His work.  "If [we] have desires to serve God [we] are called to the work" (see D&C 4:3).  He knows us and loves us and we are enough when we're doing our best.

Did you do what you were supposed to?

I've been reminded a bit lately that meaningful questions are key.  We won't learn what we need to if we don't ask.  "Therefore, ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for he that asketh, receiveth; and unto him that knocketh, it shall be opened" (3 Nephi 27:29).

We must ask!!  And going even further...good questions can teach and inspire.  I thought of this post and insight from last October this morning when someone asked me, "How was your weekend?  Did you do what you were supposed to?"  I like this question, but first, my response: "Good.  Yes, I tried."  Immediately I thought of Yoda, "Do or do not.  There is no try."  :)  I better try harder.  :)

Now, back to the question.  Did you do what you were supposed to?  I love that and I've been thinking about it all day.  First of all, did I do what's right?  Did I not get into trouble or make a bad decision?  Second, what was I supposed to do this weekend or today or whenever?  Was I just going along with whatever happened or did I have a plan and live it?  :)  Maybe most importantly, did I ask the Lord what He needed me to do and did I do it?  :)

I'm grateful for the question and the reminder to ask questions and to live purposefully and proactively - asking for the Lord's guidance and doing what I was "supposed to do," what He wants me do with my time, talents, resources, life.

Here are a few good talks and articles for further study:
* Ask, Seek, Knock by Elder Russell M. Nelson (October 2009)
* Personal Revelation by Elder Robert D. Hales (October 2007)
* What is Your Mission? by Elder John H. Groberg (May 1979)
* What a Patriarchal Blessing Can Do for You
* Ten Ways to Know You Are Converted

The Holy Ghost

I LOVE this quote by Parley P. Pratt:

“The gift of the Holy Ghost...quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands, and purifies all the natural passions and affections, and adapts them, by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. It inspires, develops, cultivates, and matures all the fine-toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings, and affections of our nature. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness, and charity. It develops beauty of person, form, and features. It tends to health, vigor, animation, and social feeling. It invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens and gives tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being.”

I'm grateful for the blessing of the Holy Ghost that is given to us as a gift and can be a constant companion when we are worthy and striving to follow the direction we receive.

What I learned during my Christmas vacation

I love Christmas.  I love family.  I love vacation.  I love travel.  All of these things together is just wonderful!  It was a special and unique Christmas - just me and the parents and St. George, celebrating like it was 1979!  :)  I'm grateful.  They are pretty great and it was lots of fun and relaxation.

Here are a few things I learned during my Christmas vacation:

• It's okay to work late and stop and stay at your sister's for Christmas Eve Eve, in fact, quite fun!  Happy Birthday, Joseph Smith!  
• Utah is BEAUTIFUL!  I really love driving across the state in the daylight and sunshine....and have you seen the Payson Temple?  Beautiful!
• Hiking, even in the cold and with a cold and especially in Zions National Park, does a body good!
• I think one of my favorite hikes of all time is Observation Point at Zion.  It's enchanting with the fall leaves in bloom and on Christmas Eve with a dusting of snow....and don't miss the cool nativity set across the canyon on the other mesa.
• You can only be in one place to see the sunset on a given day.  There are lots of great options.  Choose where you want to be and be ready!  :)
• It's good to relax and sleep and play (games, movies, talking) and exercise.
• It's good to spend time with family members, one-on-one.
• It's important to use our time well and to have goals and to keep a journal.
• It's good to spend time at the temple.  I really love the St. George Temple - its historic significance and beauty and the chances I've had to attend and feel the spirit there.  I'm reminded after my visit this time of how beautiful Heavenly Father's plan is and what a blessing it is to be a part of His work.  I think it's remarkable that there is always someone ready to step in and keep doing His work.  We help and serve and bless each other as we serve Him and are ready to step in.  :) 
• Snow Canyon is another pretty great place.  The world is beautiful!  It's good to explore and enjoy and appreciate.
• I'm grateful for weather reports and how they help us plan to avoid dangers, like snow.  :)  Again, Utah is a beautiful place - it was a whole new view a few days later....everything was WHITE!  Watching the sun set out my back window, I felt like I was driving out of the sunshine corner of the world into a beautiful snow globe.  Pretty neat!
• Even after Christmas is over, Temple Square is still magical #becauseofHim #HeistheGift !

Merry Christmas!

Little Drummer Boy

Christmas for me this year has had a lot to do with music.  I love music, but especially Christmas music!  :)  I listen to it anytime of year, but it's wonderful when the whole world is celebrating together with me.  I have some favorite Pandora stations and even though I don't spend a lot of time in my car I love turning on the radio this time of year!

It seems to me that there is always a song that finds me each Christmas - it's the one on the radio each time I get in the car.  A few years ago it was "Last Christmas" (not a favorite).  Last year it was "Christmas Shoes" (a little bit better).  This year it's been "Little Drummer Boy" - every possible version.  It has a catchy tune and beat, but between all of the rum pum pums I guess I never sat and looked at the rest of the lyrics closely:

Come they told me
A new born King to see

Our finest gifts we bring
To lay before the King

So to honor Him
When we come

Little baby
I am a poor boy too
I have no gift to bring
That's fit to give our King

Shall I play for you
On my drum

Mary nodded
The ox and lamb kept time
I played my drum for Him
I played my best for Him

Then He smiled at me
Me and my drum

I love this message!  We all have something to give and are blessed with different talents.  The Lord loves us for our offering and He smiles at us.  :)

One other song that I never would have thought of as Christmas song, but that I heard in that context this year and I'm grateful - Together Forever Someday.

For some of my other favorite Christmas songs this year, follow me on instagram @heatheronthemoor - a line from a meaningful song from the day is included with a picture of the lights from Temple Square.  :)

Giving Gifts

I'm not a good gift-giver.  Gifts aren't my love language, so sometimes I have a hard time finding the right gift for others and I probably don't adequately acknowledge and thank those who are good gift-givers.  I love the idea of giving, but I'm better at giving time and energy myself.  I've wondered why gifts are such a focus of Christmas, but I like to remember that we are honoring the Savior and I am inspired by others who are good gift-givers....and a few articles I've read lately about how to give good gifts:

• 5 ways to give a heartfelt gift that lasts
• Separating Christmas giving from Christmas getting
• Success and fail of the handmade gift
• 3 myths about gift giving
• To the mamas of littles during the holidays
• Seeking the why of giving
• Which Americans give most to charity?
• Inspired Gifts
• It's not too late to give work 'gifts'
• Preparing Gifts for your Future Family by President Henry B. Eyring (from a 1980 BYU Devotional)

One of my favorite quotes on this topic is from President Thomas S. Monson's talk at the December 1998 First Presidency Christmas Devotional.  He teaches, "What will you and I give for Christmas this year?  Let us in our lives give to our Lord and Savior the gift of gratitude by living His teachings and following in His footsteps.  It was said of Him that He 'went about doing good.'  As we do likewise, the Christmas spirit will be ours."  

There was a Christmas exhibit at the Church History Museum this year celebrating the Boy Scouts and doing a good turn daily.  I was inspired by that thought and gift and focus.  I want to be a better gift giver.  I am grateful for the gift that Heavenly Father gave of His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ....and hope I to remember to honor Them every day by doing good.

Window to His Love

Nearly sixteen years ago I first heard the song A Windowto His Love by Julie de Azevedo. I love this song and it has affected me quite a bit over the years. The sweet and simple lyrics teach us that the purpose of our lives is to humbly point others to Christ - it's not about us, it's about Him! Because of Him we live and have hope and can live again. There is JOY now and later because of Jesus Christ and His Atonement. I'm so grateful for His love and truly want to be a "window" for others to see Him....

"I want to be a window to His love,

so when you look at me you will see Him.
I want to be so pure and clear that you won't even know I'm here,
'cause His love will shine brightly through me.

I want to be a doorway to the truth,
so when you walk beyond you will find Him.
I want to stand so straight and tall, that you won't notice me at all.
But through my open door He will be seen.

A window to His love.
A doorway to the truth.
A bearer of the message He'd have me bring to you
And with each passing day
I want to fade away.
'Till only He can be seen And I become a window to His love.

I want to be a window to His love,
so you can look through me and you'll see Him.
And some day shining through my face, you'll see His loving countenance,
'cause I will have become like He is

A window to His love.
A doorway to the truth.
A bearer of the message He'd have me bring to you
And with each passing day
I want to fade away.
'Till only He can be seen And I become...

A window to His love
A doorway to the truth.
A bearer of the message He'd have me bring to you.
And with each passing year
I want to disappear
'Till He's become ev'rything
and I've become a window to His love."

I first heard this song at EFY. I remember having a great desire for this song to describe me someday - I know I still have a long ways to go, but I remember particularly thinking about this as a missionary. When you have the blessing and privilege of spending every minute of the day teaching others about Him and His gospel message it brings great joy, but it has nothing do with you, but with Him. I enjoyed building relationships with people, but wanted to be sure that the real relationships that were developing were with the people we were talking to and the Savior, so that they then knew Him and were close to Him long after we left. :)

Recently, I have been thinking about this a little bit more. While talking to a friend at lunch I realized that there are some people that have a gift for being “windows” – working quietly and often unseen, but pointing to something wonderful and encouraging others to find Him, but I may have misunderstood part of what it means to be a “window.” While being a "window to His love," it’s important to not lose who we are in the process. We should recognize our gifts and let our unique lights SHINE! It’s not about being quiet and not sharing who you are (although that sounds easier to my introverted mind) – I think we become a reflection of Him when we are our best selves and let Him change us to what He needs us to be.

Gifts

I was inspired by a wonderful Sunday School lesson today – D&C 46.

We each have gifts. We have them to bless and serve others. God's work and glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man and our work is to keep His commandments, so that we can help Him bless His children and help them return to Him.

Elder Orson Pratt of the Quorum of the Twelve said, "Spiritual gifts are distributed amount the members of the Church, according to their faithfulness, circumstances, natural abilities, duties, and callings; that the whole may be properly instructed, confirmed, perfected, and saved."

Recently I have been reading a wonderful book called Return by Elder Robert D. Hales. He talks a lot about finding out what our gifts are and using them to bless and build the kingdom. "We are clearly instructed that each of us is given a gift or gifts. Each one of us has different talents and different gifts...Do we know what gifts we have been given? Are we seeking to find out gifts? Through effort, experiment, and practice, our gifts are revealed to us."

In my unique opportunities to watch the building of the kingdom lately I have been struck by how the Lord uses his faithful servants and their unique talents to bless and build and serve and share His love. I know that the Lord would like each of us to be involved in this and He has blessed us with unique talents and opportunities to do so.

We are told to "Seek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given (D&C 46:8)."