I’m back! I took a break for the summer because I was blessed enough to have my two older boys with me. Going from one child to three (two being much older) can be a difficult feat, but we survived!
I have thought about a few topics I’d like to talk about while I was preparing myself for my latest piece, and today in Sacrament Meeting I finally decided on my topic. My husband does not attend church with us currently, so it is just me and my daughter. Well, for several weeks now, our goal is to make it to Sacrament Meeting early enough to partake of the sacrament. I love sleeping in on the weekends, it’s my only opportunity. I tend to stay up as late as I can to do something fun or necessary on Friday and Saturday nights just because simply, I can. Well, then getting up for church, when your ward has the first block starting at 9 am, is slightly difficult. I’ll usually wake up, look at the time and tell myself I need to get up, and then go right back to sleep for another hour. Well, though I went to bed late last night, I had made some important preparations and was able to partake of the sacrament this morning. As soon as my daughter and I sat down (in the overflow no less), I gave my daughter a high five and said, “We did it! Yes!”
As the sacrament was being passed, I thanked Heavenly Father for all that He does and has done for me. I also repented of last week’s transgressions, because, well, nobody is perfect. I then asked to be blessed with His spirit to guide, protect and to comfort me, and to also bless me with the righteous desires of my heart. I ate the bread in remembrance of His body, and then drank the water in remembrance of the blood that was shed for us. I had renewed my baptismal covenants once again, after months of not having done so. I sincerely felt loved by my Heavenly Father today. I knew that I had accomplished a goal I had set, and that it was a goal our Father in Heaven approved of.
I’ve mentioned it before, but it is important you set small goals in place. Make them obtainable by making small changes or improvements to accomplish that goal. For instance, if you want to lose 15 pounds, how are you going to lose them? Will you just wait to leave them somewhere? I think not. You would start by possibly cutting back on the soda, and eating less sweets and carbs. That will definitely help you shed 15 pounds. Maybe the next 15 you could add a form of exercise like walking and change the diet in another way. Start small, and it will eventually work out to be something bigger. Often times a person doesn’t stop after meeting one goal. Once they know they can do it, they’ll want to do more.
I met my goal by starting small. One small step was being conscientious of what time I’m going to bed, and making sure that I have prepared the night before for as much as I can. Let’s face it; I really am a ‘fly by the seat of my pants’ kind of girl. I make do with what I have a lot of the times. Though, I also don’t let anything hold me back from something I really want. If I want something bad enough, I go for it. And that is exactly what I did this week. I know I probably shouldn’t have, but I did put my makeup on at the very beginning of sacrament. But I really wanted to be there to partake of the bread and water! We even ran from the car to the doors, and made it when they were singing the opening song. Phew! Bottom line is, we made it. Start small, commit to it, and make it happen!
The Gospel is very important to me, despite my past. Despite all my past mistakes, and daily transgressions, I love this gospel and feel it has brought me more comfort than any comfort food, or any person can offer me. It was said in my Sunday school class a few weeks ago, “The Lord doesn’t care where you’ve been, what matters is where you’re going.”
Set small goals, commit to them, make them happen, and feel the love of our Father in Heaven! That was definitely my reward today. In closing Elder L. Whitney Clayton Of the Presidency of the Seventy told us:
“Sometimes progress in spiritual things can seem slow or intermittent. Sometimes we may feel we have lost ground, that we may have made mistakes, or that our best efforts to find the Savior are not working. If you feel this way, please do not give up—ever. Go right on believing in Him and in His gospel and His church. Align your actions with that belief. In those moments when the light of your faith has dimmed, let your hope for the Savior’s love and grace,
Finding My Way Back- If you’d like to read more of Maya’s articles, click here.
found in His gospel and His church, overcome your doubt. I promise that He stands ready to receive you.”
Again, as I have said before, I felt like I had failed Him, and my way back to His gospel will be a work in progress for a while still. I am not perfect, nor is anyone else. But His love abounds, and will always be there for you, for all of us.
