SUNDAY

I love this picture. Sierra has been interested in taking pictures lately. I love that she is willing to take some of me with my babies. They are growing up so fast.

This was my Valentine's Day talk if you are interested. 

 

 

Sister Carole M Stephens of the General Relief Society Presidency spoke of and experience she had. When our oldest daughter, Jen, brought her third daughter home form the hospital, I went to their home to help. After getting her oldest daughter off to school, we decided that what Jen needed most was rest. So the best help I could give was to take her daughter Chloe home with me so her mom and new baby sister could have some quite time. I buckled Cloe into her car seat, secured my own seat belt, and drove out of their driveway; however, before we reached the end of the street, Chloe had unbuckled her seat belt and was standing up, looking over my shoulder and talking to me! I pulled the car over to the side of the road, got out, and buckled her back into her seat.

We started again but had gone only a short distance when she was out of her seat again. I repeated the same steps, but his time before I could even get back into the car and fasten my own seat belt Chloe was already standing up!

I found myself sitting in a car, parked on the side of the road, having a power struggle with a three year old. And she was winning.

I used every idea I could think of to convince her that remaining fastened in her car seat was good idea. She was not convinced! I finally decided to try the if/the approach. I said, “Chloe if you will stay buckled in your car seat, then as soon as we get to Grandma’s house, we can play with play dough.”

No response.

“Cloe, if you will stay buckled in your seat, and then we can make bread when we get to Grandma’s house.
No response.

I tried again, “Chloe, if you will stay buckled in your seat, and then we can stop at the market for a treat!”

After three attempts, I realized this was a futile exercise. She was determined, and no amount of if/then was enough to convince her to remain fastened in her seat.

We couldn’t spend the day sitting on the edge of the road, but I wanted to be obedient to the law, and it wasn’t safe to drive with Chloe standing up. I offered a silent prayer and heard the Spirit whisper, “Teach her.”

I turned to face her and pulled my seat belt away from my body so she could see it.  Chloe, I am earing this seat belt because it will protect me. But you aren’t wearing your seat belt, and you won’t be safe. And I will be so sad if you get hurt.”

She looked at me; I could almost see the wheels turning in her little mind as I waited anxiously for her response. Finally, her big blue eyes brightened and she said, “Grandma, you want me to wear my seat belt because you love me!”

The Spirit filled the car as I expressed my love for this precious little girl. I didn’t want to lose that feeling, but I knew I had an opportunity, so I got out and secured her in her car seat. Then I asked, “Chloe, will you please stay in your car seat?” And she did all the way to the market for a treat! And she stayed buckled all the way from the market to my home where we made bread and played with play dough because Chloe did not forget!”

As I drove back onto the road that day a scripture filled my mind: “If you love me keep my commandments.” We have rules to teach, guide and protect children. Why? Because of the great love we have for them. But until Chloe understood that my desire for her to remain securely fastened in her car seat was because of my love for her, she was unwilling to submit to what she considered a restriction. She felt her seat belt limited her freedom.

Like Chloe, we can choose to see commandments as limitations. We may feel at times that god’s laws restrict our personal freedom, take from us our agency and limit our growth. But as we seek for greater understanding as was we allow our Father to teach us, we will begin to see that His laws are a manifestation of His love for us and obedience to His laws is an expression of our love for Him.

In John 14:15 we read, “If you love me keep my commandments.”

A lesser quoted scriptures is found in John 15:10

If ye keep my commandments ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

It is imperative that we come to feel and know that Heavenly Father loves us individually. As we come to know and feel his love for us, keeping his commandments will become easy.

I have never doubted Heavenly Father’s love for me personally. I received a strong conviction at a young age. I remember singing the primary song, “I am a child of God and feeling his love for me through the words of this powerful children’s song.

I am a child of God and he has sent me here. Has given me and earthly with parents kind and dear lead me guide me walk beside me help me find the way. Teach me all that I must do to live with him some day. This song conveys the trust and love children put in and feel from their eternal Father.

I have been the primary chorister before and in that calling I felt every Sunday how generous Heavenly Father is with his spirit in the primary room. I always felt like I was on sacred ground. For didn’t his son say, “Suffer the little children to come to me.”

I have been reading a book recently about an unlikely convert to Christianity. In the book the woman claims that she lived on the other side of the spectrum, from Christianity, in part because she had never known a Godly man. I am grateful my life has been filled with Godly men because of this it has been easy for me to understand that I have a loving Father-in-Heaven. I love the Father’s Day video the church put out  a while back, in it talks of a father that wakes before his family and heads off to work and all the sacrifices he make to help make their world possible. The video compares a Father to our Heavenly Father. I am grateful to be married to such a man who works endless hours, who loves me unconditionally, who has integrity, who tries to always do his very best at everything he does, who leaves the world better because he is in it, who loves and fears God, who loves and serves the weirdest among us and is always on the lookout for the underdog. Watching the way he loves me and our children and others makes it easy to understand the love my Father-in-Heaven has for me and all his children.

 

 I was also blessed with a Father who is a Godly man. My sister tells a story of when she was younger. She was a part of a scary and difficult situation. There was a man stocking her. She was working late one night at the office and because of past experiences she was apprehensive about going out to her car alone. She called our dad and said, “Dad, I am nervous.” She still had more work ahead of her. My dad told her to call when she was ready to leave the office and he would talk to her as she walked to her car.  She finished up her project, called our dad, and walked out to her car and climbed in. After she locked the door and started to put the car into reverse she said, “Dad there is no snow on my car. Isn’t that strange? There is snow on all the other cars in the parking lot.” My father said, “Look behind you.” She looked in her review mirror and saw our dad sitting in his car parked in the stall right behind her. He said, “I have been here the whole time.” I know that my Heavenly Father will never forsake me or leave me alone. He will always be there for me because my earthly father always has been. 

Through the words of the prophets and apostles I have gained a greater understanding of the love the Father and the Son have for me. I love the apostle Elder Uchtdorf message, about Heavenly Father’s love. I shared them with my children a while back in family night. I hope they always remember his words. “Think of the purest love you can imagine. Now multiply that love by an infinite amount—that is the measure of God’s love for you.

God does not look on the outward appearance. I believe that He doesn’t care one bit if we live in a castle or a cottage, if we are handsome or homely, if we are famous or forgotten. Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost, God’s love encompasses us completely.

He loves us because He is filled with an infinite amount of holy, pure, and indescribable love. We are important to God because we are His children. He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed or awkward God’s love is so great that He loves even the proud, the selfish, the arrogant, and the wicked.

What this means is that, no matter our mistakes, our infinitely compassionate Heavenly Father desires that we draw near to Him so that He can draw near to us.

I testify that God is in His heaven. He lives. He knows and loves you. He is mindful of you. He hears your prayers and knows the desires of your heart. He is filled with infinite love for you. “

 

I think His love is summed up so beautifully in John 3:16, where we read…”God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

My friend Lily said once, “Heavenly Father gave us children, in part so we could understand what true love is.” I know she is right. I could never come close to comprehending what the Father went through when gave us His Only Begotten until I had children of my own. I can’t imagine the absolute pure love He felt for me and all of you when he allowed the Savior to come to his earth and suffer and die for me, you and all of us.

The scriptures have filled me with my Father in Heaven’s love as I have read their words. With words from John 5:19 in mind, then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do:  for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. Let us reflect on these words from the Book of Mormon.

3 Nephi 17: 18-24

1 Behold, now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words he looked round about again on the multitude, and he said unto them: Behold, my time is at hand.

 2 I perceive that ye are weak, that ye cannot understand all my words which I am commanded of the Father to speak unto you at this time.

 3 Therefore, go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and prepare your minds for the morrow, and I come unto you again.

 4 But now I go unto the Father, and also to show myself unto the lost tribes of Israel, for they are not lost unto the Father, for he knoweth whither he hath taken them.

 5 And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus spoken, he cast his eyes round about again on the multitude, and beheld they were in tears, and did look steadfastly upon him as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them.

 6 And he said unto them: Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you.

 7 Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy.

 8 For I perceive that ye desire that I should show unto you what I have done unto your brethren at Jerusalem, for I see that your faith is sufficient that I should heal you.

 9 And it came to pass that when he had thus spoken, all the multitude, with one accord, did go forth with their sick and their afflicted, and their lame, and with their blind, and with their dumb, and with all them that were afflicted in any manner; and he did heal them every one as they were brought forth unto him.

 10 And they did all, both they who had been healed and they who were whole, bow down at his feet, and did worship him; and as many as could come for the multitude did kiss his feet, insomuch that they did bathe his feet with their tears.

 11 And it came to pass that he commanded that their little children should be brought.

 12 So they brought their little children and set them down upon the ground round about him, and Jesus stood in the midst; and the multitude gave way till they had all been brought unto him.

 13 And it came to pass that when they had all been brought, and Jesus stood in the midst, he commanded the multitude that they should kneel down upon the ground.

 14 And it came to pass that when they had knelt upon the ground, Jesus groaned within himself, and said: Father, I am troubled because of the wickedness of the people of the house of Israel.

 15 And when he had said these words, he himself also knelt upon the earth; and behold he prayed unto the Father, and the things which he prayed cannot be written, and the multitude did bear record who heard him.

 16 And after this manner do they bear record: The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus speak unto the Father;

 17 And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.

 18 And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying unto the Father, he arose; but so great was the joy of the multitude that they were overcome.

 19 And it came to pass that Jesus spake unto them, and bade them arise.

 20 And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full.

 21 And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.

 22 And when he had done this he wept again;

 23 And he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones.

 24 And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them.

 25 And the multitude did see and hear and bear record; and they know that their record is true for they all of them did see and hear, every man for himself; and they were in number about two thousand and five hundred souls; and they did consist of men, women, and children.

 

When we begin to understand and feel his love for us, obedience to His commandments will be easy. We will find joy in obeying him. I prayer is that this week every time you climb into your car and put your seatbelt on you will be reminded of the protection that comes from keeping the commandments and more importantly your Father-in-Heaven’s great love for you.

 

I would like to bear my testimony to all of you. I have felt Heavenly Father’s love for me in my life. I felt it in a sunrise. I have felt it as I have born witness of his reality and love. I have felt it playing on the floor with my children. I have felt it listening to the words of our Later-Day prophet and his apostles. I have felt it reading the scriptures. I have felt it singing primary songs. The more I have obeyed his will the more I have been filled with his love. The more I have been filled with his love the more I have wanted to obey him. I say these things in his son’s name Jesus Christ, my savior and king.

Amen.