January 19, 2020
To my children,
A new year! A new year to start afresh and try to be a
better parent to you kids. In my studies this week from the Book of Mormon,
Lehi caught my attention in his dream of the tree of life when he “beckoned” to
his family. It made me stop and wonder, how do I beckon to my children? I
really have good intentions to share some insights with you as I learn/remember
the wisdom I’ve been taught. I didn’t do so well last year with my intentions
to write and I want to be better. I hope to be better. One of my goals this
year is to focus and make room for the things that matter the most to me, and
writing letters to you kids is one of those things I feel strongly about.
As we witness in Lehi’s dream, family was important in this
journey. This life was not meant to trudge through alone, and I want to make
this journey with you – not ahead of you, not behind you. I used to think that
Lehi’s dream of the tree and the path and iron rod was a linear experience – we
get to Mile 10, then Mile 20, then Mile 50 and eventually we get to the tree.
Now my belief is that it is more of a fluid experience. I can look back on my
51 years and at different times find myself at several places in the dream:
clinging to the rod attempting to make my way through Satan’s temptations, looking
longingly at the great and spacious building, partaking of the fruit and being
filled with joy, blinded by the mists of darkness, on the path but not holding
very tightly to the rod of iron, wandering in strange paths, and yes, even
finding myself in the river of filthy water. Whichever way you learn, from
others or from the school of hard-knocks, I hope that what I share is of value
and that it is received in the spirit of how it’s given – in love and
invitation to taste what I have tasted.
DISCLOSURE FIRST: My experiences are my own, but I do listen
to a lot of podcasts, read conference and devotional talks and read books.
Insights I share are most likely not my own, but I share them with you because
they made an impression on me and the ideas wouldn’t leave my mind until I
wrote them down.
Two things I’d like to share at this time:
(1) Lehi’s
second vision was of a man in white coming down from heaven with 12 others. He
handed him a book. He didn’t talk to him at all, but “bade him to read.” If we
liken the scriptures to ourselves, isn’t that what we are asked to do from Heaven – to read
from a book? Jesus Christ, the greatest teacher of the universe, asked his apostles to write down his words. And He still does today. This tells me that what we’ll find in our canon of scripture and in the
words of the living prophets is what we really need. All the answers are there.
All the healing is there. All the direction is there. He invites us to read. You may not like reading, but we all can. "There are worse crimes than burning books. One is not reading them." [Joseph Brodsky]. We can all read one verse every day. As we follow this simple instruction, the Holy Ghost will draft, craft and provide the messages we need to hear. I've had too many experiences where these messages have jumped out at me in a time of need. His voice is clear. His voice is real. I invite you to hear what He has to say to you.
(2) When
Lehi’s family stopped to camp for awhile, they did so in a valley with a river
running through it. Lehi says to Laman, “O that thou mightest be like unto this
river, continually running into the fountain of all righteousness!” The “Fountain of all Righteousness” is
another name for the Savior. What if we were
the ones “continually running into” Jesus?
At school, at the post office, scrubbing the bathroom, at the grocery
store, at our jobs, in the halls at church, in the kitchen, on the street, at
the gas station, at the library, driving beside him on the freeway, folding
clothes, in our ministering? What would our lives be like then? Just something
to think about. I believe we can invite Him to be more part of our lives as we
wake up and first hit the floor with our knees. Then as the day progresses, we
can include him in decisions and strive to live in a way to have the influence
of the Spirit in our lives to be guided, directed and led. He wants to walk beside
us, but the decision is totally up to us.
Love,
Mom
Giving credit where credit is due - my thoughts were influenced by the "Don't Miss This" podcasts and "Teaching with Power" podcasts.
