Jesus the Christ

Several months ago I took this invitation to heart:

I energetically encourage you to establish a personal study plan to better understand and appreciate the incomparable, eternal, infinite consequences of Jesus Christ’s perfect fulfillment of His divinely appointed calling as our Savior and Redeemer.

--Richard G. Scott, April 2010

I decided the way I wanted to come to understand my Savior's purpose better was to read Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage. I have been eating away at it a little at a time every morning as I eat my breakfast.

As the Christmas season approached this year, I was searching for a way to make this Christmas a meaningful one for me personally, and decided I would finish the 550 pages by Christmas day. That has meant reading 10-15 pages a day instead of two. When I decided to make it happen, I knew it was going to be something I would really have to make an effort to do and that would be a sacrifice of my time... but as the case always is in situations like these, when I have tried to do something for the Lord, He has blessed me with an experience far greater than my sacrifice.

I am truly at a loss for words to describe what I have learned about the kind of Man Jesus the Christ is and why I am grateful He came to this Earth to minister, atone, and die for us. One of the realizations I am making is that all that our cherished Christmas music says about Him is a true description of who He really is... and if that is the case, what a wonderful, majestic, merciful God He is, and oh what reason we have to rejoice.

Born that man no more may die. Born to raise the sons of earth. Born to give them second birth.

Son of God, love's pure light radiant beams from thy holy face with the dawn of redeeming grace.

Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Son of righteousness! Light and life to all he brings. Risen with healing in His wings.

Joy to the world, the Savior reigns. Let men their songs employ, while fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains repeat the sounding joy.

I know more deeply that He lives. I know more of His greatness and majesty and love and mercy and how much we need Him. I love Him. I hope this Christmas season allows you to find a way to more fully come to know Him too.

Merry Christmas!

Burdens Eased

This picture may end up in a brochure for the tutoring center where I work (photo by Joanna Taylor). This morning I was reading an article in October's Ensign called The Lord Can Ease Our Burdens by Elder Maury W. Schooff. He talked about being a husband and father while going through an intensive graduate program when he received a call to serve in the bishopric. He accepted the call with the promise from his stake president that he would be able to fulfill all of his responsibilities. The article goes on to talk about Alma and his people when the Lord promised them that he would ease the burdens on their shoulders even so much that they would not feel them while they were in bondage to the Lamanites. I am grateful that I'm not in bondage to any Lamanites, but I can say that the Lord is easing our burdens as a family this very year, day, and minute. We knew there would come a time when only I would be working to put Danilo through school. Sometimes when I pull in to the house it's amazing and a little overwhelming to think the work that little me does each day is what keeps us in a house with the electricity and gas and water on and food in the cupboards and cars running. Last year after teaching a full day of school, I would come home and collapse on the couch and nap with the news on. This year after teaching a full day of school, I go to the tutoring center or teach piano lessons for a couple of hours. I usually get home around 7 and sometimes 8. I don't feel stretched too thin, and it gives me peace of mind to know I can be bringing in a little extra. One of the blessings I recognize aside being able to get up each day and do it all again with out being extremely exhausted is that in order to get to my other appointments after school, I can't stay very long grading, preparing, etc. It has actually worked out for the good because the time I do have to plan after school gets used very well since I know I have less of it. Heavenly Father has truly blessed our family as we strive to make time for each other and live healthy and balanced lives.

Beautiful Things

Last night I had the sweet opportunity of attending the General Relief Society Broadcast with my Mom and sisters. While all of the talks were uplifting and inspiring, Elder Dieter Uchtdorf's message lifted my mind and my spirit in a beautiful way. He spoke about the most supreme form of happiness being God's happiness, and how our Father in Heaven experiences this happiness because he creates beautiful things. Our spirits were created and individually designed by our Heavenly Father and knowing and understanding that increases our sense of worth. It sunk in in a way it never had before when I heard him say that. We are the sacred creations of a Divine Being who is our Father. He went on to say that as God experiences happiness from creating beautiful things, so we as his daughters can experience joy from beautifying that which surrounds us. Our homes, our gardens, our communities, the memories we create as families, beautiful meals, beautiful music, beautifying and improving the quality of life of those around us, whatever it is we do best with the talents our Heavenly Father has blessed us with, create things of beauty. As we do these things, we will glorify our Heavenly Father and find joy in living. It's true. That message was soothing to my soul and I pray that I will follow that pattern for happiness.
Before I head for bed tonight, I also want to tell my Dad that I love him so much! He had invited Danilo and me to attend their sacrament meeting today where we found out with the rest of the family that he had been called as second counselor to the bishop. I wholeheartedly sustain him. My Dad is a rock in my life. He has consistently put his family first in all of his responsibilities. That example has made me feel loved by and important to him. It is an example that will have far-reaching effects in the lives of his children and I am grateful to be one of his daughters.