This
past weekend I have had so many wonderful things happen in my family. My oldest daughter made the choice to receive
her patriarchal blessing on Saturday and my 8 year old daughter chose to be
baptized on Sunday. Not only were 2 of
my children making such wonderful choices, but my niece Kiya made the choice to
be baptized as well, so it was a double baptism as well as a baby blessing for
my nephew Noah. My heart was full of joy
and gratitude for my many blessings.
Unfortunately, what should have been a peaceful and happy evening for me
didn’t turn out that way. Negativity
seemed to find me every direction I turned.
Not only from some of those around me, but from other sources that I
invited into my home although unintentionally.
One of the main sources of that negativity was the all popular “face
book.” Don’t get me wrong, I love face
book and all that it has made possible for me.
I live far from most of my family and many of my friends and I love to
keep up with them and hear how they are doing in their lives. I love seeing the pictures of their
children. I love the silly quotes and
the inspirational ones. What I don’t love
is the influence other posts can have on me.
It seems as though more and more negative posts or just plain crude
posts are being shared. I am often
offended by many of them and I find that they drive away the spirit. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, I continually
try to do as the Savior would have me do. I fall short more than not on so many things. We have some scripture in the Pearl of Great Price that states the basic beliefs of members of my church; they are called the Articles of Faith. In particular the 13th Article of Faith states what I have found myself pondering as of late. It states; “We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.” I have come to realize that I have allowed many of the sources that drive away the spirit into my life.
Although there are many things I have no control over (everyone has their free-agency), I do have control over much of what comes into my home. I have decided to put to action what I claim to believe, mainly the part that states “If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we (I) seek after these things.”
try to do as the Savior would have me do. I fall short more than not on so many things. We have some scripture in the Pearl of Great Price that states the basic beliefs of members of my church; they are called the Articles of Faith. In particular the 13th Article of Faith states what I have found myself pondering as of late. It states; “We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.” I have come to realize that I have allowed many of the sources that drive away the spirit into my life.
Although there are many things I have no control over (everyone has their free-agency), I do have control over much of what comes into my home. I have decided to put to action what I claim to believe, mainly the part that states “If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we (I) seek after these things.”
During church yesterday we sang a song by Johnson Oatman Jr. called “Count Your Blessings”. The song goes as follows;
When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Refrain
Count your
blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.
Refrain
When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings. Wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
Refrain
So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be disheartened, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
What a wonderful
reminder to all of us to not dwell of the things that bring us down, but to
count our many blessings. This weekend I
have been extremely blessed. My parents
were able to fly in and share this special time with us, my husband was home
for a whole week, and I have the most wonderful, beautiful daughters who have
taken very important steps in their lives.
I am surrounded by those that love me.
I have wonderful friends who are always willing to lift a helpful hand and
continually strive to uplift those around them.
What a beautiful gift I have been given by a gracious and loving Father
in Heaven. This blog is for me, to
remind me of my many blessings.
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