Hope Whispers

Today...

I am... the mother with the 2-year-old screaming for 10+ minutes in the grocery store. He wants to walk. I know it's not safe or wise. Costco is a dangerous place for short tots.

I am... so patient. But no matter how much patience I have, it seems that sometimes it's not enough.

I am... trying to parent well. Doesn't it seem harder to do what is right long term than give in to what is easy at the moment with discipline stuff.

I am... good at keeping my tears inside until I get in the car. For today at least.

I am... learning. And I am trying to teach my kids so they will learn that they will be happier and more blessed if they obey. And I'm trying to teach them to obey out of love. I am... still learning this too.

I am ... finally home. I put 3 boys in quiet time, cried it out on the phone to Jimmy, sunk into my computer chair for some distraction... and I saw this first thing...

You know how many times in the past few days I've decided to stop trying to be a nice mom... a lot. I wonder why I try so hard to be kind and loving and thrifty and patient and clean and hard-working... when sometimes it seems that it's going to be hard anyways so why try. (I know - stinky, stinky attitude.) Jimmy reminds me that sometimes the TRYING is for me... to help me become better.

So I won't give up on trying to be a good person ... for "hope whispers: try one more time."


Hope Whispers image by DudaDaze.

Inspiration

I'm getting so excited for General Conference. I can feel that I really, really, really (no - really!) need the spiritual uplift.

I love so many of these Mormon Messages, especially this Easter Testimony Video by our church leaders.


I heard this scripture yesterday in church and was reminded at how much I love it... and need the inspiration from it. Just what my heart needed.

I love this lesson and miracle

This morning I read this article in Meridian Magazine about the Mission President and his wife in the Chile Santiago Mission. I loved the lesson and miracle she wrote about. This is my take-away:

1. We need to be still to listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

2. The Lord won't always take away our trials, pain, or sorrow, but He will give us the resources, strength, and comfort to endure them.

3. We need to act on the promptings we get.

4. If we are prepared we have no need to fear.

These are my favorite quotes from her article:

Nearly two-and-one-half weeks ago, I was awakened at around 4:00 AM by just such a prompting. I did not hear a voice, but the thought was as clear as if it had been in the form of spoken words: "There is going to be an earthquake. Prepare your missionaries." I sat up in bed and immediately remembered Elder Scott's counsel ...("Do not ignore these thoughts. They are promptings from the Holy Ghost who will communicate with you in the stillness of the night or the peace of the early morning hours. He will speak to you then because that is when you are still enough to hear.")... That morning I told Larry what had happened. He immediately set to work organizing our missionaries to prepare for an earthquake.


...We had listened and heeded the quiet, but clear promptings of the Holy Ghost. We were blessed with peace in the midst of chaos. We learned an important lesson: our preparation helped us to avoid panic and fear, but the Lord, in His wisdom, allowed us to experience enough discomfort to know that He has all power.

by Lisa Laycock in Meridian Magazine