My Sister Carol

I have been reading a book recently about my sister Carol's life. She passed away a number of years ago in a car accident. I was very touched by the way she lived her life in quiet, Christ-like ways. She was a mother of 9 children, and the family struggled quite a bit financially. She had to work outside the home part of the time, and she was always very tired with everything she had to do to care for her large family. 5 of her children wanted to play soccer and there was no money to pay for their registration. So she made a deal with the person in charge that they could all play in exchange for her setting up all the nets, flags, etc. for each of the games. This she did, as well as drop off her kids at four different locations, and pick them all up and take everything down.

Well, there was a neighbor boy who used to come to visit, named Albert. He didn't come from a very good home, and he was treated unkindly there. He used to come and visit at Carol's home, and she always treated him kindly, and fed him and showed him love. He eventually got into drugs, and started stealing from them to support his habit. Over time, he stole hundreds of dollars in cash from her purse, and thousands of dollars in things in the house. One day he was caught by Carol's son in law, and he was arrested. Carol was glad about this, because she thought that now he could get the help he needed. He was sent to jail(not prison, like he normally would have been), and was sent to rehab, all because Carol went down and plead his case. Even though he had abused her kindness, she forgave him and tried to help him.

Sometime later, after she died, Carol's husband and new wife saw Albert in Denneys. He hadn't heard about what had happened to Carol. When he heard of her passing, this 6 foot 2 inch tough guy broke down in tears. He said he wished he had been able to thank her for all she did for him. He had since gotten out of rehab and had turned his life around and had a good job.

Carol lived her life always thinking of others and serving others. She has been a beautiful example to me of Christ-like love.

Let the Little Children Come

Liz Lemon Swindle painted this remarkable picture of the Savior, Jesus Christ, with the children. I like this picture because this is the way I see Christ: as my friend who loves me and rejoices with me and enjoys my company. He is personal. He laughs and is someone I can always talk to and depend on. He always sees me in a better light than I do my own self. He sees the best in me and inspires me to be my best self. He is never critical and is ever patient. He leads me with His love to become nearer to Him. Without my Savior, life has no meaning at all. I would feel desperately alone. With Him, I can do anything. I can meet every challenge. I know great challenges are coming. Christianity is being assaulted everywhere I look in our world. It is time to decide where we stand. I recommit this day to live a Christ-like life. I have taken His name upon me. I have made sacred covenants to remember Him and to keep His commandments, all of which bless my life continually. I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. I love Him with all of my heart and look forward to the day when I shall kneel at His feet and feel the loving embrace of His arms around me. He is the Savior of the world, the Son of God. He is divine. This I know and testify of in His sacred name. Amen.

Planting Seeds

My daughter, Stacy, gave my son, Cody, who is on a mission, a little kit for Christmas where he could plant grass seeds for hair on a little man. He planted the seeds, watered it, and patiently watched it grow into the very attractive hair style we see today.

Likewise, Cody is planting the seeds of the gospel every day as he tracts, and teaches people about the gospel. As he nourishes people with the good word of God and patiently watches over them, he will be able to rejoice with them as they embrace the joy that come through living the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I am grateful for the light of the gospel in my own life. My greatest joys in life have all been centered around the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am especially grateful for temple ordinances that seal our family together forever. As I watch our family grow with sons-in-laws and grandchildren, all striving to live the gospel, I feel great joy. I am grateful for the seeds of truth that my parents planted in my life, and for the seeds I planted in my children's lives. We are all reaping a great harvest!

Insights on the Atonement of Christ

A few days ago, in the wee hours of the morning, I woke up with a really bad headache. I felt so sick that I got up to take something for it, and as I got back in bed, I wondered to myself why we have to suffer and go through pain. What is the purpose for suffering? In my case, I realized that suffering brings me closer to God, because that's when I really turn to him for help - through prayer and supplication, asking Him to help me through it.

Then my thoughts turned to our Savior's suffering and to His atonement, and I realized that He had not only suffered for our sins, but He had suffered for all our sicknesses and pains of every kind, both mental and physical. It was incomprehensible to me how He could have accomplished this: suffering for all mankind all at once for everyone who would ever live on this earth, and other earths, as well. I was having trouble handling the pain of my own headache!! How awful, I thought, that our Heavenly Father would ask Him to do such a horrendously painful thing! How awful that it had to be done! I thought how much our Heavenly Father must REALLY love us to have asked His beloved Son to go through such a thing. I thought of how hard it must have been for our Father to ask this of Jesus; how much it must have hurt Him.

Then, clearly to my mind, came this thought: "The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do."(John 5:19) And, "When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me."(John 8:28)

I realized then, like I never had before, that the Father knew exactly what He was asking of Jesus. He had experienced it Himself. He had been a Savior and suffered the same way Christ did in another time and place. He wasn't asking anything of His Son that He hadn't been willing to do Himself. I realized how important the plan of salvation really is. I never want to take repentance for granted, for I was truly bought with a price - and that price, even for me, just one person, was incomprehensible suffering. How could I have anything but adoration for my Savior, my closest Friend.

I still don't completely understand why there has to be suffering, but I think it might be tied to our joy. Maybe if we weren't capable of great suffering, we wouldn't be capable of great joy. Having each of my children has brought me the greatest joy I have experienced in my life. Giving birth to them, also brought me the greatest physical suffering I have ever experienced. My great love for them, I believe in part, comes from what I went through for them. By that same token, I am able to better understand why the Savior loves each of us so much. His suffering for each of us individually during His atonement, connected Him to us more than could have happened in any other way. Because of this, I know that He will do all He can to help me become the kind of person I need to be and to stand clean in His presence. It gives me great peace and hope. I want to praise His name forever!