Things have been pretty busy around here lately. Michelle graduated with her master's in social work yesterday, and there was a lot of planning for that, including a surprise visit from her Gumpo from Ontario. It was a great day and a lot of fun to visit with Michelle and Scott in their house before anyone else got there. We don't often get them to ourselves, so that was very nice.
We have also been spending time looking at cars as we are in desperate need of a new vehicle. I have been using the van for my school commute to the tune of around $500+ for gas a month, and the old white car is dying more and more often; it really only drives about 10 minutes before it shuts down. So, while we were in Calgary for Michelle's convocation, we also spent a day looking at vehicles and found one that seemed to be good, and bought it.
Driving home yesterday, I was looking forward to cleaning up and going to bed, as I was exhausted. We had time with the boys who had stayed home, and then time visiting with friends which, although nice, was so late that I thought I would fall asleep standing up. When I finally climbed into bed at midnight, and was thinking of everything I had to do and didn't really have time for, while feeling like I was so exhausted that I couldn't keep going anyways, I remembered that I hadn't read my scriptures. I drug myself out of bed and grabbed a set and opened randomly to Ether chapter 1- I started reading at verse 36 where it talks of Jared asking his brother to pray to the Lord to bless their language not to be confounded. The brother of Jared prayed, the Lord answered and their language was spared. vs. 38- Jared again asks his brother to pray and says"Go and inquire of the Lord whther he will drive us out of theland, and if he will drive us out of the land, cry unto him whither we shall go. And who knoweth but the Lord will carry us forth into a lnad which is choice above all the earth?" I immediately thought of all the great blessings Jared and his brother and their families enjoyed as a result of relying on the Lord, and knew that I could get through this series of problems that were coming up, but also relying on the Lord. My stress melted away, and I was able to go to bed renewed in my committment to rely on Him for the strength and direction I would need in the coming days.
Forward to the next morning, when one of the kids had a meltdown and wasn't ever going back to school as a result of too much homework, and not understanding the work etc. etc. I thought back to my experience last night, and told them about it. Later on, the same morning, talking to one of my sisters, and she related a child's meltdown over some of the same issues. I remembered Barbara Coloroso saying "There is no problem too big to solve" and I said we need to teach our kids that "There is no problem too big to solve with the Lord". They need to take these scripture stories and really see how they can work in their own lives- building boats with no experience, winning wars against unnummerable enemies, traveling through wildernesses; on and on in the scriptures are these stories of uniting with the Lord and as a result, overcoming what seem to be unsurmountable obstacles. In Ether 2 vs. 5 it reads, "...the Lord did go before them, and did talk with them as he stood in a cloud, and gave directions whither they should travel." That is what we need- to rely so much on him that he can direct us on a daily basis through the challenges we individually face.
Often after a learning experience like this, I have had times just like this one where I can relate that learning and share it with someone else to help them and today I reflected on why this happened. I realized that the greatest learning is done by teaching, and I had been given two opportunities in one small part of my morning to teach this to others so that I could have this lesson reinforced in my learning and in my heart.
I am grateful for the lesson I needed today and for a loving Heavenly Father who took the time to really teach it to me.
We have also been spending time looking at cars as we are in desperate need of a new vehicle. I have been using the van for my school commute to the tune of around $500+ for gas a month, and the old white car is dying more and more often; it really only drives about 10 minutes before it shuts down. So, while we were in Calgary for Michelle's convocation, we also spent a day looking at vehicles and found one that seemed to be good, and bought it.
Driving home yesterday, I was looking forward to cleaning up and going to bed, as I was exhausted. We had time with the boys who had stayed home, and then time visiting with friends which, although nice, was so late that I thought I would fall asleep standing up. When I finally climbed into bed at midnight, and was thinking of everything I had to do and didn't really have time for, while feeling like I was so exhausted that I couldn't keep going anyways, I remembered that I hadn't read my scriptures. I drug myself out of bed and grabbed a set and opened randomly to Ether chapter 1- I started reading at verse 36 where it talks of Jared asking his brother to pray to the Lord to bless their language not to be confounded. The brother of Jared prayed, the Lord answered and their language was spared. vs. 38- Jared again asks his brother to pray and says"Go and inquire of the Lord whther he will drive us out of theland, and if he will drive us out of the land, cry unto him whither we shall go. And who knoweth but the Lord will carry us forth into a lnad which is choice above all the earth?" I immediately thought of all the great blessings Jared and his brother and their families enjoyed as a result of relying on the Lord, and knew that I could get through this series of problems that were coming up, but also relying on the Lord. My stress melted away, and I was able to go to bed renewed in my committment to rely on Him for the strength and direction I would need in the coming days.
Forward to the next morning, when one of the kids had a meltdown and wasn't ever going back to school as a result of too much homework, and not understanding the work etc. etc. I thought back to my experience last night, and told them about it. Later on, the same morning, talking to one of my sisters, and she related a child's meltdown over some of the same issues. I remembered Barbara Coloroso saying "There is no problem too big to solve" and I said we need to teach our kids that "There is no problem too big to solve with the Lord". They need to take these scripture stories and really see how they can work in their own lives- building boats with no experience, winning wars against unnummerable enemies, traveling through wildernesses; on and on in the scriptures are these stories of uniting with the Lord and as a result, overcoming what seem to be unsurmountable obstacles. In Ether 2 vs. 5 it reads, "...the Lord did go before them, and did talk with them as he stood in a cloud, and gave directions whither they should travel." That is what we need- to rely so much on him that he can direct us on a daily basis through the challenges we individually face.
Often after a learning experience like this, I have had times just like this one where I can relate that learning and share it with someone else to help them and today I reflected on why this happened. I realized that the greatest learning is done by teaching, and I had been given two opportunities in one small part of my morning to teach this to others so that I could have this lesson reinforced in my learning and in my heart.
I am grateful for the lesson I needed today and for a loving Heavenly Father who took the time to really teach it to me.
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