Trials

There is a scripture that he quotes in chapter 5 that has me thinking. I certainly must have passed over this a few times when reading scriptures, but it sounded brand new to me--
"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing has happened unto you"

We understand that this life is a time for trials, for opposition. We know that, we teach that, we explain to our children that there are going to be things that come up that feel big and that we need to turn to prayer when those things come up--

AND YET, when a trial comes up in life, unfortunately, we often feel shock. We may tell ourselves that we have it harder than others and then we proceed to prove that line of reasoning in our heads. The counsel that is given is "think it not strange" when there is a fiery trial. Now, I don't know about you, but, the word fiery in front of trial indicates that it is much harder than a "daily" or "smoldering" or "spark" brand of trial. A fiery trial implies big, maybe too big to handle alone.

The rest of the scripture provides guidance in these situations: "but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, that when his glory shall be revealed, you shall be glad also with exceeding joy." (1 Peter 4: 12-13)

So, it seems to me that a fiery trial is inevitable, and that, when we are in the midst of it, we should try rejoicing because we know that we have the capacity to draw closer to Christ and can partake of exceeding joy.

There are times in my life when I have felt like I was being tried-- right now, my biggest trial is living in a hotel room with 5 people--but the hotel room is in England, a maid comes in every day to tidy up and I had tea and scones (with clotted cream which sounds awful but is spectacular with jam) overlooking a river, watching swans. The goodness in my life is so obvious that the inconvenience (which is what I must honestly call it, as a trial seems a bit of a leap right now) is overshadowed by my perspective of the other good things that are happening.

There have certainly been things in my life that have dropped me to my knees in earnest prayer. During those times, I had a difficult time balancing and noticing my blessings. It seems that the counsel to "think it not strange" would help each of us when something comes along that is bigger than us. Trust God, trust His plan for you-- it is always better than you think it will be...

chapters 1-3

I was reading today on p. 39 where he spoke of the people of Moses loosing the blessings of the priesthood and that that would never happen again to us as a people but as individuals, it can happen. Whenever the word "priesthood" is said, in my head, I assign that to the men just like when the word "motherhood" is said, I perk up my ears. BUT, the people not only lost the Melchesdic priesthood, they lost the BLESSINGS of the priesthood. That's all of us-- we all have access to the BLESSINGS. As an individual, how close do I stay to what I know so that I can have a steady stream of support and inspiration from the spirit? "And never think you have been taught enough, that you have listened long enough, that now is your time and turn to rest" I think "rest" is a nice word for "slack" or "skip" or tell myself I am "too busy" to take time to read, ponder and pray.
This morning, Jordan melted down a few times on me and, when it was time to go to school, she had her tights half way on and was sitting on her bed with her arms folded acrossed her chest. My mind was blank as to the appropriate thing to do but not blank as to the reaction that I wanted to have. I walked out of the room, asked God to help me be kind to this little girl that was making my blood boil and asked for insight to how to help her move through her morning. I can't say that I changed the situation into something fabulous, but, by asking for help, I was able to react in a way that dispelled the angst Jordan was having and did it in a way that kept everyones dignity in place. It's just those little unexpected moments that remind me that I need the power of prayer and the guidance of the spirit in every moment. When I am lax about my preparation and forget to ask for help, it doesn't go as well.

So let us begin...

To Draw Closer To God. No matter who we are and where we are in our lives, we all need to put in the time and effort to make sure that we are daily drawing closer to God. This is a far different process than showing up for church or fulfilling callings. It is more than family prayer, more than kindness toward each other and more than trying daily to be a good person. These can all be part of the puzzle, but the real journey is to invest in our ability to develop eternal relationships that bring us joy. These relationships are with sisters, parents, friends, spouses, children. At the end of this life, we will only take our hearts that love others with us. We will have knowledge, and yet, if that knowledge did not get applied as genuine love and concern for others and a close relationship with God and Christ, it will not serve us.

Peace comes from God. I am learning that a life lived in peace is worth the price of daily effort. I will still have problems, but, the peace that comes through knowing that I am not alone and that God has sent angels in my life, is the necessary difference between a life well lived and a life lived.

I read this book a few years ago and took it with me on a trip this fall. I was deeply impacted by it when I read it this time and wanted to share it and open up a conversation around the concepts within the book. The book truly pointed me toward a deeper relationship with God and a centered and peaceful outlook on my life and my role as a mother and a wife. I appreciated the urging to honestly look at myself and find ways to continually move toward a more authentic self.

The last time I read it, I found that it was a message of motherhood,marriage, service and kindness. I am certain that while the words have not changed in the book, I will get a far different message reading it this time. As you read the table of contents, you will find that there are no chapter headings that align exactly with the messages that I gained last time, the message that you recieve will be different from what I receive while we read. It is the message and the insights that you have that I would like you to share as you read and blog. You are in a unique place in your life and have much to offer each of us in terms of your perspective in your life today.

When I left on my trip, I was conflicted about what to do next in my life. We were planning on moving to Florida so that I could teach at the university and Alan would find a job in his field once we got there. We moved on that path and started to feel uneasy about the path. While I was in Virginia Beach, things changed for me as I read the book, journaled and was able to spend time thinking, pondering and praying. I came away from that experience with a sure and solid conviction as to the path that we were going to take. I was much more able to let things unfold in the way that they were supposed to. Alan was given opportunities that we wouldn't have been able to see as opportunities before. I know that my change of heart and peace that the change in our path was the right change made a signficant difference. Reading the book opened my mind to thoughts and answers that I had been too busy to hear or trust.

I journaled while I read last time and would encourage each of you to journal as well. I found that I was much more open to new ideas and personal guidance given through the spirit when I was journaling. I would re-read the thoughts entered into my journal later in the day or to Alan and I began to realize that what I was reading was made much more personal through journaling. Oftentimes, I read the thoughts that came from the reading and compared it with the actual reading and found that the message that I got out of the passage was not always what was on the page, but what was intended for me that day.

So today is the day...

We are officially beginning our book club on blogger. I have given out some of the books and am sending more this week. I am inviting all of the sisters and their adult daughters and daughters-in-law. We video-taped our introductory conversation at our last sister's lunch and, when our technological skills (collectively between Alan and I) mount up to figure out how to post it, we will do so (or if Seth can figure out how to do it for us since he has learned more blogging tricks than I know at this point...)

The rules:
Read three chapters a week. Comment on Wednesday and on Sunday. Any comment or thought is appropriate-- don't edit yourself, just share your thoughts. The point is to share with each other and grow together. Melissa wisely requested a reading schedule:

Schedule:
March 24- comment on chapters 1-3
March 31 " " " 4-6
conference weekend-- no reading assignment
April 7- " " " 7-10
April 14 comment on chapters 11-13
April 21- " " " 14-15

She also requested a grading process-- this will be left for a conversation between you and God :) (Gail suggested that if we see each other in the celestial kingdom, we will know who completed the assignments...)

Thanks for taking this journey together. I am certain we will all be more peaceful and able to see God in our lives as a result.
Love you,
Karen