The Importance of Grief, Voices, and Names

As I was reading the lesson in Come, Follow Me a few weeks ago, I was struck by something that I hadn't thought about before. Well, at least not within this context. It's a two part thought, and it came to me as I was pondering the account of Christ showing Himself to Mary Magdalene in the garden as she is overcome with emotion.

Before I continue with my new thought, I just have to say that it has always been an amazing blessing in my life to know that God and our Savior value women just as much as men. We are all equally important to them. I am so grateful for scriptural accounts that help me understand this, such as the account of this sacred moment in the garden immediately following our Savior's return to earth in His resurrected form.

I have always been able to relate to Mary Magdalene's feelings. She felt so overcome with grief because of the love she had for our Savior. I cannot imagine coming to the tomb to complete the rituals of your faith and finding the body of a beloved one gone. Even with the angels' account, even with their words meant to comfort, I still understand her grief.

I believe that families can be forever. That, when we make covenants with the Lord and keep them, we will be crowned with glory in the next life and continue the loving relationships we have on this earth. This gives me hope. But it doesn't negate grief. And I don't believe our Father in Heaven meant it to. Grief is an expression of extreme love and gratitude for the life of a person that has been such a large part of our own. It is the way we honor those we lose. 

We can continue on with our lives, but that love does stay with us, sometimes in an overwhelming way that sometimes brings us to tears when we hear a song, smell something that reminds us of the person, or see a photo/picture of them. This is why I love the story of Mary Magdalene in the garden. She was not afraid to show her grief because of the love she has for our Savior.

So, now comes my *NEW*-ish two-part thought. The first thought is this--will I recognize the voice of my Savior, even in grief? At first, Mary did not. I don't judge her for that. I do the SAME THING when I am in a place of grief. But she didn't tell the Savior to leave. Instead, she asked for help, or rather, asked if He knew how to help her by giving her information. She wanted to make things right in her grief, and I love her for that. Even though she didn't recognize His voice immediately, she was willing to ask for help.

Now, the second part of my thought. How will the Savior say my name when I see Him? How will Heavenly Father say my name when I see Him? Will they say it lovingly in disappointment, or lovingly in happiness? You see, Christ says Mary's name in a way that is loving. I believe the Savior and our Father always speak our names lovingly. But, I also know that, based on our actions, we will be judged after this life. So, how do I want my name to be said? Lovingly in disappointment, or lovingly in happiness and celebration for a life well lived?

Writing that also makes me think about the way I say other people's names. Am I emulating my Savior and Heavenly Father and speaking names in a loving way, or do I speak names in derision and anger? Yep, I need to work on that!

I love this story. I love that Christ chose to appear to a woman before anyone else. I love that she recognized Him because of the way He said her name. I hope to have that experience one day.

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and read my thoughts! My goal is to write something each week. Sometimes it will be shorter, sometimes longer. Sometimes I won't write, and that will be ok. :) I hope that you feel our Savior's love for you! He is there, even when we feel He's not. Remember, that's our grief getting in the way. Don't let it!

Choose to Believe

I have been thinking a lot about the ability to choose. I firmly believe that people are born with the ability to choose and that we can make choices to help us become happy, no matter our circumstances. This is a gift from our Father in Heaven. We learn how to choose correctly by making choices at an early age and learning from low-stakes mistakes made by those choices. Without the ability to choose, we are objects being acted upon instead of capable human beings who have the power to make decisions.

I love that the Spirit can guide me to more information to help me perfect my belief and knowledge about this agency that has been given to me. This week's talk is called "Choose to Believe" and was given by L. Whitney Clayton back in April of 2015. As I read, I realized that I have to DAILY  choose to believe in Christ, in the Father's Plan, in the power of the Holy Ghost, and in my own abilities in order to become the person that I am meant to be.

Each of us will go through difficult times. There will always be a trial just around the corner. If we choose to believe, we are choosing hope, and with that hope will come peace. May each of us choose to believe in the all-knowing and all-loving power of God, the Eternal Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ, each day is my prayer. Have a beautiful week, friends!

Seeking Holiness

Happy Sunday, friends! I have been doing a lot of self reflection as of late. Parent teacher conference time always brings that out in me. I try to determine if I am finding ways to make sure student strengths are being utilized to help them overcome weaknesses or areas of concern. I also try to examine if I am doing the same for myself. The only way to do this is by relying on the Lord to lead me to change.

As I've been pondering this, I have been reading the account of Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah. They certainly changed. Sometimes I wonder if I really am capable of that type of immense character change. Other times, I look back and can't believe how much I've changed in general! I firmly believe that all these changes need to be leading me back to God. Enter the Lord, yet again, and this conference talk!

If the changes I am making are not leading me towards holiness, which is a word I need to think about more, then they are not changes that are being approved by the Lord. This can get tricky, I think. Especially when other people want to judge our actions and have all sorts of opinions about what we do or think or feel. (If you don't believe me, just go to a blog on any topic that has a larger following than this one and read the comments. YIKES!)

If I can lay down at night, feel that I have done my best, and have peace given to me by the Lord from His Spirit, then I think I am on the right track. I have had times in my life when I have not received guidance from the Spirit because of my actions, and it is not pretty. I am SO thankful to have Heavenly Father's guidance on a daily basis, helping me to do my best in all facets of my life.

Thanks for sticking with the post this week. I know it was very stream-of-conscious. I encourage you to do some self-reflecting on a regular basis. I truly believe that this is a fundamental part of the repentance process and one of the ways Heavenly Father can guide us. Let me know how your time spent doing so goes, should you feel the need! Until next week, sending peaceful wishes for a Spirit-filled week!