Moving Mountains

I have often wondered about faith.  Sometimes we pray, and we get the chicken we desire so greatly.  Other times, a child is taken from us, even amidst great outpourings of faithful prayers.  In the Book of Mormon, Helaman's son, Nephi was given the power to do great miracles through his faith.  The Lord spoke to him, and said this:

Behold, thou art Nephi, and I am God.

Behold, I declare it unto thee in the presence of mine angels, that ye shall have power over this people, and shall smite the earth with famine, and with pestilence, and destruction, according to the wickedness of this people.

Behold, I give unto you power, that whatsoever ye shall seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven; and thus shall ye have power among this people.

And thus, if ye shall say unto this temple it shall be rent in twain, it shall be done.

And if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou cast down and become smooth, it shall be done.

And behold, if ye shall say that God shall smite this people, it shall come to pass (Helaman 10:6-10).

What power Nephi had!  What faith to move mountains and call down destruction, and seal in heaven and on earth! What makes a faith like Nephi's?

I think the answer is found in the two verses preceding this passage:

Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments.

And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will (Helaman 10:4-5).

Nephi obeyed the Lord with unwearyingness-- even valuing this obedience above his own life.  He came to the point that he would not ask for anything contrary to the will of God.  He wanted for himself and others what the Lord wanted for him.

I want to be that kind of disciple.

ABC's

PRESIDENT THOMAS S. MONSON

I've been thinking a lot lately about what a prophet chooses to tell us today.  A prophet teaches the gospel, directs the Lord's church, and leads us into happier, more peaceful lives.  What, then, has our living prophet taught us lately about finding greater happiness and peace?  In January, the kids and I were talking about this very thing.  When we paused to review the words of our living prophet, Thomas S. Monson, we didn't find counsel on living the commandments more completely, or being better at doing everything we feel we are supposed to do-- though those would be other good things to focus on.  What our prophet taught us today, to find peace and happines, were three simple ABC's.

Have a Positive Attitude

A in my ABCs refers to attitude. William James, a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher, wrote, “The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.”¹

 Believe in Yourself

B is for believe—in yourself, in those around you, and in eternal principles.

Face Challenges with Courage

C is for courage. Courage becomes a worthwhile and meaningful virtue when it is regarded not so much as a willingness to die manfully but as a determination to live decently.

When President Monson led his people by his words at the beginning of the year, he did so in positive paths of belief and courage.  When I feel the need for more peace and happiness in my life, I am going to trust our prophet. 

Watery Eyes

The other day, I was trying to encourage Micah to practice his writing while I was busy doing other things. I got out an alphabet book and told him to find the letters in his name and trace, then practice writing them. He was super-excited until he finished the M's. After that, not so much. I coaxed him into practicing his I's as well before he announced that he was all done. So using my mom creativity, I said, “Well, Mi is a nice name, we can just call you Mi. I wonder if the people at kindergarten will know how to spell it. What do you think, Mi?” He laughed and protested at my silliness and was persuaded into practicing his C's. When he lost interest again, and I began calling him, “Mic,” he laughed and protested again, but this time, he said, “Mom, you are making my eyes water.”

I gave Micah a hug and an apology for hurting his feelings. He gave me a greater appreciation for his simple honesty, and a determination to never make his eyes water again.

Miss Mischief

 
Look at this face!  You'd never guess she tried to get us all thrown in jail a couple of times last weekend.  While shopping on our girls' night, she found some sheets with a to-die-for pink and purple print, and immediately concealed them surreptitiously at the bottom of the stroller.  Luckily, I was watching her shenanigans and put them back.  It should have tipped me off, however, that she was likely to repeat that behavior.  A few minutes later she showed me some darling, pink, jelly shoes that were about four sizes too small for her.  After commenting on her wonderful taste in shoes, I asked her to put them back.  We then went to the skirt section, then to the dressing rooms before Lucy let us know her good-behavior window was over.  We headed to the front, paid for our purchases, and went to leave, when the alarm buzzed.  The friendly sales clerk offered to check if they had left a buzzer-setter-offer thing on our purchases.  Nope.  So, we tried to leave again.  Same thing.  I peeked into our stroller and was mortified to see those darling pink jelly shoes.  “Hmm, I guess we were trying to steal something!”  I exclaimed with a nervous laugh.  Less laughter emitted from the friendly sales clerk as he took the pink police magnets from my hand.  Let’s hope it’s not a sign of things to come for Lydia.

Ode to Buffalo Wings

”The body says what words cannot.” Martha Graham

Though her words do enhance the entire experience.  "So happy!"  Stick around for the slow mo ballerina at 1:50. It's totally worth it.

Hi-yah!

Max's Tae Kwon Do Test

Go Max!

[han-dee]

I took the younger three on a walk the other day. While we were walking, Micah said, “These shoes sure are handy!” I smiled to myself and told him that they definitely were handy.  After a pause, he asked, “What does handy mean?”

Sertifiticket

"Certificate. Free time with kids. I will help you with the thing that you are doing. Turn back to Max after used 4 times."

Sertifitickets are the key to peace on earth.  Or at least on Tuesdays at our house between 4 and 5:00.

The Most Important Cause

[T]here is no service greater than that which converts the home into a divine institution, and which promotes and preserves family life.

[T]he most important cause of our lifetime is our families. 

Put everything you do outside the home in subjection to and in support of what happens inside your home.

[M. Russell Ballard, April 2012 General Conference, "That the Lost May Be Found."]