Early this spring, we decided to move closer to my husband’s work, since his commute is very long. We wanted to move into our new home before it got cold. Finding a house to rent was my job and I went to work on it. I set a goal to pack everything I wouldn’t need before the move, in order to simplify the whole moving process.

I started out with great enthusiasm. I went through my kitchen and gave some of my supplies to my son, who lived on his own; threw out the ones that weren’t worth giving away; and found new homes for other items. Finally, I packed the remaining items in the room I didn’t foresee needing. I packed a few other things at the same time. However, I soon discovered that finding a house in the price range we had set for ourselves that met all our needs—or even just the critical ones—was not going to be easy. My husband’s office was in a more expensive area. The Holy Ghost vetoed two houses we looked at and liked. I quickly became discouraged and stopped packing.

I faithfully searched for homes several times a day and we visited a number of them. Our patient agent helped me find places to examine and even tried to talk landlords into accepting our rescue cat. I continued to not pack.

Then, about the time I was getting desperate, since summer was coming to an end and yet another perfect house was closed to us due to having a cat, I read an article by LDSBlog’s own Ashley Dewey. Ashley writes on living life as a single adult. This particular article was called “The Power of Goals.”

I started to think about my goal to get much of the house packed early. As I wandered through the house, I saw I hadn’t done a very good job of it. I went to sleep that night thinking about Ashley’s article and my neglected goal.

The next morning I got up and read the article again. Once again, I looked around the house and saw that I was not living up to my commitment to myself.

Why not? We had talked to God about this move, and we and God were in agreement that it was a good thing to do. I had asked Him to help me find the right house and felt that He had agreed to do so. So why, then, was I acting as though I didn’t trust Him to do what He had promised to do? By not packing, I was acting like I thought the move wasn’t going to happen. I remembered a conversation I’d had with a friend a few years ago in which we talked about how important it was to show God we trusted Him. It was time for me to act on that conversation.

Chastened, I got up and found one of the bins we were using for packing. I began gathering decorations, which I certainly didn’t need, and wrapping them. When the bin was full, I returned to my computer. I opened up the website I was using to find a home and found nothing new. I then opened the file of houses I had saved, but had never gone to see. There were four houses in the file and all were in the same town. I wondered if God was trying to tell me that town was where he wanted us. I eliminated two of the houses by reading the ads more carefully, but asked our agent to make appointments to see the other two.

He told us one was only a short-term rental, which we didn’t want, so we reluctantly set out to view the remaining home. The ad didn’t have any interior pictures and had very little information, leading me to presume it was an awful house. However, as we drove through beautiful wooded lands and then farmlands that bordered the neighborhood, we felt at home. After viewing the house from the outside and realizing it was nicer than the picture, we spent the next hour before our appointment checking out the area.

When we returned and met our agent, we walked into the house and I caught my breath. The home was beautiful, with the pale yellow walls I love in homes. It had a large and appealing kitchen, and we loved everything about the house. When the men went outside to examine the shed, I sat on the stairs and did my usual potential home test. I pictured us going through our day in the house. I was able to do it and to feel happy with the vision—something that had been lacking from previous home visits.

We are now getting ready to move into that home. Because I didn’t keep up with my goal, it is a real scramble. I am paying the price for my choices. However, I’m taking with me a valuable reminder: If I trust God—really trust Him—I need to act like it. Ashley wrote, in the article that reminded me to show God I trusted Him, “We may not know what tomorrow will bring, but we need to take control of the things we do have a say in.” I couldn’t make the house or town (or perhaps the church congregation) God wanted me to be in become available sooner, but I could go ahead and get ready so that when it was available, God could show us where it was.

While I don’t usually get such quick results to changing my behavior, I have been reminded that when God and I work together, everything works better. Faith really is an action word.

This article was originally published in August 2014. Minor changes have been made.

Terrie Lynn Bittner

The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.

God Loves Us Even When We’re Imperfect

Everything starts with God’s love, and as members of the Church, we have a particularly powerful reason to believe God loves us personally. We believe we lived with Him after our spirits were created. This was before we came to Earth to receive bodies. We built a personal relationship with God at that time. He knew us and we knew Him, and so, when He plans for us, it is all done knowing who we are, and it is the result of a very powerful and very personal parental love. That love impacts every decision He makes about the world and about us.

I have sometimes been told that Latter-day Saints live their lives thinking God hates them when they sin. This is not true. Every parent knows we still love our children when they are doing something wrong. We are sad when they make mistakes, but we still love them. We know they are not going to be perfect, and God knows we aren’t going to be perfect. We teach our children how to repent, as God taught us to repent, and we do our best to help them progress towards the person we know they can be. God’s love for us on our worst days helped me to remember to be loving on my children’s worst days.

God Makes Rules Because He Loves Us

Some people think our faith has too many rules—with some thinking even one rule is too many. As a parent, I learned that having rules for my children was important. When I babysat for children before my marriage, I saw how cruel it was to let children live without rules. I saw children who were not welcome anywhere because they had no self-discipline, no concern for anyone but themselves, and no training in how to behave. I vowed to make sure my children would be welcome in the world, and that meant giving them rules.

Rules also kept my children safe. They used car seats, weren’t allowed to use the stove without supervision, ate healthy foods, and followed other safety rules. They didn’t always appreciate the rules when they were young, but as adults, two of whom are parenting their own children, they understand them now.

Heavenly Father gives us rules for the same reason. He wants us to be physically, spiritually, and emotionally safe. The rules, which are known as commandments, help us to do that. He doesn’t want us to be lazy, immoral, unkind, and unfocused people. We can choose to be, but He provides all the rules we need to help us become worthy to return home to Him someday and also to live great lives today. We avoid so many of life’s trials by circumventing many things the world considers acceptable (even when the evidence shows those practices are bad for us).

God has a Plan for Us

When God created us, He had a plan. Actually, He had a lot of plans. He had a master plan for all His children as a family, but He also had individual plans for each one of us. Our personal plans are the result of having gotten to know us personally before we were born, because we lived with Him after our spirits were created.

These plans mean that the commandments He makes, the events He has happen to us (or allows to happen), and the situations we find ourselves in often have a purpose. He has certain things He wants us to learn and certain ways He wants us to grow. He plans to make them all possible. While we can’t always be forced to take on the opportunities, they are offered to us.

When I raised my own children, I also had goals—goals for us as a family and goals for each child. I worked to create situations that would help those goals happen. I had a child with special needs, so I scheduled in the therapy I had to do and also arranged for her to do things that would allow her to progress as far as she could, which turned out to be further than many doctors thought possible. When I informed one doctor my child had learned to ride a bike, he said that was impossible. I told him that fortunately, no one had told her that. I wanted to be like God in that way. He often puts me into situations no one thinks I can do, and even more often into situations I don’t think I can do, so that I can learn I can indeed do them.

God Has a Plan, But Gives Us Agency

One of the hardest parts of parenting for me was letting go and allowing my children some agency. I noted, however, that God gives His children the right to make choices for themselves, so I tried to give my own children choices. We began with simple choices: “Do you want to wear the blue dress or the pink dress?” We worked our way up to the bigger choices: “What kind of science do you want to study next semester?” “What career do you have in mind?” “Is that a party you feel comfortable attending?”

It wasn’t easy, but I understood why God gives us agency—and I suspect it isn’t always easy for Him, either. It’s hard to let your children make choices when you know they are wrong. Sometimes, though, the only way we learn is by doing things incorrectly and then fixing them. Sometimes, we just need to choose who we want to be. I matched the amount of agency to their age, of course, as responsible parents do, but I did give it to them.

God Allows Us to Experience Consequences

Choices have consequences. We can choose what to do, but we can’t avoid the consequences, either to ourselves or to others. This is good, because consequences often help us to see for ourselves what is good and what isn’t. Negative consequences often help us to find the motivation to change.

God isn’t ignoring us when He lets us face the consequences. He is there and He is sad that we are having to suffer. He wants us to see for ourselves that we’ve made a bad choice and to decide for ourselves to change. We can go to Him for help when we’re truly ready to do that. As a mother, I tried to do the same thing—to be there when my children were ready to make a better choice and to believe they were capable of doing that.

God Really Wants Us to Return Home Someday

image via workingmother.com

When I had my first child, I sat down and made a list of my goals for her. Of course, as I became more experienced at parenting, I altered some of those goals, but I always worked from my goals as I made choices for my family. I wanted them to have the very best mortal and eternal life possible.

Heavenly Father has mortal and eternal goals for us, and they are perfect. Focusing our lives on achieving God’s goals for us is one of the greatest gifts we can offer Him. He wants us to return safely home to Him. He knows it isn’t easy—but He also did everything He could to make it possible. However, eternity is up to us. His longing for us to return home is powerful, but in the end, it is entirely up to us to decide how much that return means to us. Does it mean enough that we’re making the necessary sacrifices, giving up our sins, repenting, and keeping the commandments? Are we staying focused on eternity?

I set out to be a good parent, and I could find no better role model than God Himself.

This post was originally published on October 2, 2014. Minor changes have been made.

Terrie Lynn Bittner

The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.

I’ve seen a disturbing bit of action going on around the blogosphere and social media. People who call themselves good Latter-day Saints are attacking people who stand up for the Church or announce that they follow the prophet. They try to paint them as people who must think they are better than other people.

This comes from various groups that object to one part of the gospel or another–the priesthood ordination rules, traditional marriage, immigration reform, or any other part of the gospel in which a person has chosen some other leader over the prophet in one area, even if they follow the prophet in all other areas.

When did it become a bad thing to try to live the gospel and to proclaim that this is what you are trying to do? There is no judgment in that. We all stand up for what we believe and the source of that belief.

 

Do not criticize

 

To paint those who have chosen the church as the source of their search for truth should not be criticized by those who sometimes choose a different source.

 

I am a Primary teacher. Teaching children to follow the prophet is what I do, week after week, year after year.  I work hard to teach them to trust God, to trust Jesus, and to trust the prophet. I teach them to sing, “Follow the prophet.” I tell them stories about President Monson so they will learn to love him and to understand he is someone safe to follow.

 

I am proud of my work in that field and I am sad that there are practicing church members who would mock that work. I’m sad that they would mock people who are merely doing what we all committed to doing when we were baptized.

 

Take a stand

 

It is very possible to stand for truth and righteousness, to announce our loyalty to church teachings, without being holier than thou about it. We don’t think we’re better than others. We have just taken a stand–as have those who oppose some aspect of the gospel. If it is okay for those people to take a stand against a church teaching, it most certainly should be okay to take a stand for a church teaching–and it should especially be okay among church members.

Mormonism
To read more of Terrie’s articles, click the picture.

 

 

If your cause is just and right, and you are really sure of it…you won’t feel a need to make fun of other people for having a different belief.

 

You can disagree. You can state your disagreement. But there is no place in the gospel for Mormons to make fun of Mormons who choose to live the gospel as it is presented by the prophets and apostles of the church.

Terrie Lynn Bittner

The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.

Your first day back will be easier if you’re with another person. If your home and visiting teachers are still visiting you, tell them you’re coming and ask if you can sit with them during Sacrament Meeting.

If not, you can call the bishop and ask that someone be watching for you when you arrive Sunday morning. Someone will gladly join you for the day and shelter you through your return.

If you’re on your own for the day, do whatever you need to do to feel comfortable. Remember that you’ll be more aware of yourself than others will. Many people may not know you and think you’re new. Others may act surprised to see you. Treat this as something fun. I knew someone who returned after decades away. She took pleasure in quietly seating herself behind or next to someone she knew and waiting for their shocked reaction when they saw her. This game took away the nervousness of wondering how people would take her return.

Most people will be genuinely happy you’re back. smile and say, “It’s a long story, but the important thing is that I’m here. So tell me, what’s changed while I’ve been away?” This will distract them so you don’t have to answer.

Look around for friendly and familiar faces. If you don’t see anyone you know, choose someone to sit with. You’ll be happier if you don’t sit alone your first day. Introduce yourself, but don’t feel you have to tell your story right away. If they ask if you’re new, say, “I used to come to church here long ago. I’ve been away a long time.” Then be prepared to start asking them about themselves to deflect attention from your own story.

The success of your first visit is really up to you. You can’t control anyone else’s behavior but your own. I move a great deal, and I’ve learned that how I feel about a ward depends a great deal on how I choose to feel. If I walk into a ward and start watching for all the things they do “wrong” or count the number of people who greet me, I go home feeling I found a bad ward. If I go in determined to be happy, I notice all the great things and remember all the nice people.

To read more of Terrie’s articles, click the picture.

Then when I think about my day, I remember a wonderful ward. I can see almost any ward as good or bad, depending on what I choose to focus on. This can be difficult when you’re returning, because you may already be sensitive and watching for problems, but try to train yourself to see the good. It’s there, but sometimes the good people are quieter than the others.

After you return home, pray about your day home. If you can, talk to another church member about the experience. She can answer your questions and help you understand what you experienced and learned. Then commit yourself to continuing to attend church and return to full membership.

Terrie Lynn Bittner

The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.

For some, Christmas and Easter church attendance are traditions and little more, something they do twice a year and that’s all. For others, church attendance is a weekly event, but once that hour or so is over, so is their Christian lifestyle. And yet, Christianity was meant to be carried out all year long. The messages of Christmas and Easter weren’t designed to make us feel good for an hour—they were meant to change our lives, every year, every day, every hour.

It’s the day after Easter. Now what?

As the editor for the articles on this website, I have had the opportunity to read every Easter article submitted very carefully, usually more than once. I read them when I receive them, when I place them here, when they are released, and sometimes I go back and read them again just because of what they are teaching me.

I’ve wept over some, stopped and outlined plans for change because of others, and realized, once again that Easter will take all year to carry out. I’ve been making a list of the challenges our writers have offered us for the coming year—and forever.

Nanette noted last week that for Mormons, it’s Holy Week all year. “Holy Week happens every Sunday for the Latter-day Saint—even every day when a Latter-day Saint is serving her fellow man.” In her first Easter article, she outlined the things we can do all year to keep the holiness we sense during Holy Week all year long:

• Follow the Savior, even when it’s hard.
• Find strength in the ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Put aside the desire to judge others.
• Become your brother’s keeper.
• Become a true disciple.
• Increase our love for the Savior.
• Improve our ability and longing to follow Jesus Christ.

Forgiving: Not Just for Easter

Patty asked us to take the time to forgive our family members who have hurt us so that our Easter gathering can be more meaningful and filled with love. She noted that it isn’t always easy, but that our children deserve these special memories. She suggested we lighten up on the elaborate festivities and keep things simple so we can focus more on the things that matter.

Family is a strengthening force. When relationships are good, they are an unequaled source of support and guidance. And with Easter approaching this is a great time to try to better our relationships with our families. It’s not healthy to hold onto grudges and past injuries. And the next generation is looking to us for an example of how to behave. Our kindness will not go unnoticed. And the strengthened family will bless every member of it.

Don’t Forget Jesus When Planning Your Easter Celebration

Then I read Krystal’s article. She caught herself getting so wound up about the secular part of Easter she nearly got carried away. She wrote about how she slowed down and realized she needed to teach her little daughter the real meaning of Easter by starting some spiritual Easter traditions. She suggested a wonderful list of things we can do to put Christ back into our Easter—on Easter and all year long.

“I use the [resurrection] eggs as décor around the house so amidst the egg hunts and visits to see the Easter bunny we can remember the true meaning of Easter because the resurrection eggs are all around us. I am not against egg hunts or anything like that. It’s important to do those fun things also. We love dyeing eggs at our house, and I have an embarrassing weakness to Reese’s Peanut butter eggs…but I will try a little harder to make a point to really focus on the Savior and all he did for us. I also hope to carry that spirit of Easter all year long.

Finding Christ in this Year’s Easter Egg Hunt

The Atonement Helps Us Forgive the Very Worst Things

I had known Valerie’s article was coming months ago, and when I read it, I was so moved I completely forgot to format it. It took me three reads before I remembered I was supposed to be the editor, not just a reader. Valerie is a convert to Christianity and she wrote that one-fourth of her family was lost to Hitler’s vicious attack on the Jewish people.

At first, that was so painful to her she couldn’t talk about it or face it. When she learned about the atonement of Jesus Christ, however, she found what she needed to forgive—and even to forgive Hitler.

Letting Go of Tragedy: Forgiveness and the Atonement from Jesus Christ

Forgive Ourselves on Easter

To read more of Terrie’s articles, click the picture.

Finally, like bookends on our favorite shelf, we return to Nanette, who wrapped up our Easter celebration with the reminder that we can be forgiven by Jesus, no matter how many mistakes we’ve made. The atonement is for us, too.

Peter denied Christ three times during the night before His crucifixion. He wept bitterly because of it. But after His resurrection, Christ sat with Peter and entrusted his church to him. If Peter can be forgiven, so can we.

Forgiving others, forgiving ourselves, strengthening the role of our Savior in our lives…Easter at LDSBlogs.com has reminded us that, as Nanette said, it’s Holy Week every week. Let’s remember as we move forward into the spring.

Terrie Lynn Bittner

The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.

Adam and Eve

Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. (2 Nephi 2:25)

 
This is a very interesting thought. We are that we might have joy. Notice the scripture doesn’t say we will have joy, only that we can have it. In a life that has trials and sorrows, how do we obtain that joy God wants us to have?

It’s important to recognize that joy, happiness, and pleasure are not always the same thing. Pleasure suggests something worldly and fleeting. We might find pleasure in a walk in the park, but then go home and start arguing. Some people find momentary pleasure in sin, but this can never bring true joy.

 
We are often happy when things are going well in our lives. We may be happy the day our child wins an award for best student, dinner turned out perfectly, and we got a raise at work. All of this, however, is momentary and depends on things going well.

While God certainly has no objection to our happiness, what He really wants for us is to find true joy. Joy is deep inside, and is present even in sorrow and trials. We can experience joy even when someone we love has died, we’re coping with unemployment, or a child is causing us heartache.

Joy is deeper than just smiling. We can feel joy even during grief.

Joy is based on knowing God is our Father and loves us with all His heart. It comes from knowing who we are—children of God—and letting that knowledge fill our lives and guide our choices. It comes from trusting God even when we see no way out of our current sadness or trial. It is the result of knowing that the trials of life are temporary and that someday we’ll live again with God in a perfect world.

A person grieving over the death of a loved one may not be happy at that moment, but she can be joyful, knowing the person has returned to Heavenly Father and is now living a wonderful life. She can be joyful because she knows family and love don’t end at death, and so there will be a time when they can be together again.

She can experience all this joy in a quiet way even as the tears fall. She knows why she is sad and that it will someday end. It’s a joy based on faith.

Parents are often devastated when a child who was properly raised makes terrible choices and turns his back on the values of the family. This is a time for genuine sorrow and fear.  And yet a parent, although very sad and frightened, can have a quiet joy resonating in the background because she knows she isn’t coping with this alone. God is waiting to offer her comfort and hope, and furthermore, He hasn’t abandoned her child, who is also His child.

While He won’t take away the child’s God-given agency, the right to choose for himself, God can be standing by to place small promptings into the child’s heart, based on the faith of the parents. When the child is ready to listen, God will be ready to step in and help the child return to his foundations.

To read more of Terrie’s articles, click the picture.

Joy is all about faith. When we trust God and really believe He is kind, loving, present in our lives, and ready to help, we can have a gentle joy that brings us through our greatest trials. We will still cry, still sometimes be afraid, and still experience trials, but we’ll always know we can turn to God to strengthen us as we’re going through them. Joy is all about knowing we’re never facing anything alone. We’re always in the care of a loving Heavenly Father.

Terrie Lynn Bittner

The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.

Of course, she was too young to realize no one is the highest power in the universe, even if you take God out of the picture. She still had to answer to the university she was attending and had to follow their rules. She had to obey government laws.

When she got a job she had to answer to her boss. If her parents were paying her tuition, she had to answer to them. Very few people really have absolute control over every aspect of life without consequences. There are always consequences.

That said, there is a God. I suspected she had enjoyed an easy and maybe even pampered life to that point. She’d never had any big problems her parents couldn’t fix for her. Now, though, she was an adult (more or less) and her parents would not be able to fix everything. Life would eventually send big trials her way.

How would she handle it when she first encountered a problem that was bigger than she was? What would she do when something happened she couldn’t fix herself? If she got cancer or found herself unemployed with bills to pay or she had a child who was struggling with a seemingly unfix-able problem, would she still be comforted to know she was the highest power in the universe?

I have been thinking about this girl lately because I realized that sometimes, even though I know God is real, I act just like her. I act as though I am the highest power in the universe.

One day, many years ago, I was struggling with a problem I’d been trying to resolve for two months. It was a big problem, but I stubbornly went at it on my own, trying one solution after another and not asking for help from anyone in Heaven or on Earth. Finally, I gave up.

I admitted to God I couldn’t fix the problem on my own. I’d tried everything I knew how to do and nothing was better. In fact, I’d only made things worse. Instantly, the impression came to my mind that God was putting the resolution into place at that very moment. He did and things were soon taken care of.

As I thought about this, and as I came to realize that the resolution required solutions I could not have obtained on my own, I thought I was a lot like this college girl. I had been acting as if I was the highest power in the universe.

I had acted like God wasn’t there. I knew that if He could start the solution in motion the very moment I asked, He had only been waiting for me to ask. The whole problem could have been resolved two months ago if I’d humbled myself from the start and asked for help.

Believing in God is not helpful if we treat Him like He isn’t there. I learned from that trial that when my problems are bigger than me, I need to turn them over to a higher power—God. I am grateful every day of my life now that I am not the highest power in the universe.

Mormonism
To read more of Terrie’s articles, click the picture.

I’ve lived long enough to know there is no comfort in such a thought and so, I thank my Heavenly Father for His very existence, and for being there when I need Him.

Questions: How do you decide when your problem is too big for you to handle alone? Do you find you’re good at taking it to God or do you find it challenging to let go of the controls?

Terrie Lynn Bittner

The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (2 Nephi 19 and Isaiah 9)

 
There have been many who didn’t recognize the Savior as the Savior or believe He did what He came to do because, although He was called the Prince of Peace, there has seldom been peace on earth, and certainly none today in his homeland. Those who deny the Savior his glory for this reason misunderstand what He promised. He wasn’t a politician, working to bring a political peace through treaties and negotiations. What He promised us was a spiritual peace if we live the gospel.

Certainly, if everyone chose to follow the Savior, there would be the other kind of peace. Who can love God and start a war against another righteous neighbor, or rob, or abuse? However, we’re not required to wait for the entire world to be converted in order to find the peace the Savior has promised us.

Let’s look at what the Savior Himself said on the subject of peace to understand what He meant.

“34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.” (Matthew 10, King James version of the Bible.)

Satan doesn’t want us to have peace, nor does he want us to find the gospel. He places many stumbling blocks in our way, and tries to distract us through the taunting of the world. This can temporarily disturb our peace. Even our own personal search for truth can disrupt what we once thought was peace, as we battle past Satan’s interference and make the eternally critical decision to covenant with God to live according to His will.

The Savior explained that His peace was not what we often think of as peace:

27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14)

To read more of Terrie’s articles, click the picture.

Notice that He doesn’t promise that we will never be troubled or afraid, only that we don’t have to be troubled or afraid. Fear is a choice. The Savior promised to fill our hearts with a personal peace, a gift just for us from Him, but only if we accept the gift and make the choice to trust Him completely.

By doing so, we can have the peace the Savior promised us. He truly is a Prince of Peace, but of a personal peace that comes from knowing you’re doing God’s will and living as God and the Savior want you to live, that you’re in His most capable hands, and therefore safe from danger—not worldly danger, but eternal and spiritual danger.

Terrie Lynn Bittner

The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.

Little ones like simple games. Anything with a bit of action will entertain them and the same games can be played week after week. Toddlers like that which is familiar, so don’t try to think of new games for each week. It takes time for them to learn activities. Introduce one or two new games at a time. Eventually you’ll learn to stop just before the children become bored, but this takes practice. Watch your students to see if you can tell when they are getting tired or perhaps too stimulated. Then notice what happens just before that.

Following are some simple activities that will keep your little ones occupied for the fifteen minute gathering time:

Blanket and Ball

Have all the children hold the edge of a blanket or sheet. Place an under-inflated ball, cloth doll, stuffed animal or other safe toy on the blanket. Have all the children bounce the blanket up and down to make the toy bounce. This may not sound exciting, but toddlers find this highly amusing. They especially enjoy trying to knock the toy off the blanket, which is why it must be safe.  Eventually, someone will try jumping on the blanket. Sadly, that often puts an end to this game, since they all want to do it each week after that–but it’s fun while it lasts.

Blowing Up a Balloon

I believe this was in a previous nursery manual. Children join hands and move in very close together. They gradually move backwards, blowing as they move. When they are stretched as far as their arms will go, yell “Pop!” and fall down. Children love anything involving falling down.

Flashlight Chase

Move a flashlight beam slowly around the room. Let the children try to stomp on it. If each adult has a light, you can keep a number of children occupied at once.

Balance Beam Game

Create a masking tape line around the room in a square. Have the children line up on the line and move around it following your instructions. Have the children hop, wiggle, tip-toe, take large and small steps and so on. Tell them to pretend they are on a high wire or balance beam way up high.

Let’s Pretend

Have the children pretend to be anything that fits your lesson or interests them. They can be animals, trees, butterflies, fish, and so on.

Line Ball

Have the children sit in a line facing to the left. Give the first child on the left a ball. He must turn around (scooting while sitting) and roll it to the next child. That child catches it and also turns around to roll it. If you have a large nursery, make two lines. The last child could get up and run to the front of the line and sit down.

Toy Pass

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Have all the children sit or stand in a line. Give the first child a toy. Have her place it on her head and take it to the next child. Vary this game by thinking of new ways to get the toy from child to child.  The littlest ones are happy just passing it the normal way.

Block Stack

If your nursery has blocks or other stacking toys, let each child in turn get a block and stack it up. Build the excitement. When it topples, laugh. This helps children decide it’s okay to make mistakes.

Terrie Lynn Bittner

The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.

“What do your eyes do in Primary?”
“Look at the teacher.”
“What do your ears do in Primary?”
“They listen to the teacher.”
“What does your mouth do in Primary?”
“It says nice words in a quiet voice.”
“What do your hands do in Primary?”
“They sit in your lap and they raise when you want to talk and they don’t touch anything on the teacher’s table.”
“What do your feet do in Primary?”
“They walk quietly, and they sit quietly.”

The children loved to do this simple routine and they learned the answers in only a few weeks. Sometimes a class would come up with an odd answer that would stay in the routine all that year. One group always said that feet don’t kick neighbors.

A class that included two hearing impaired children added that hands don’t sign when the teacher is signing. One class, for reasons I never figured out, always chanted that mouths don’t sing when it isn’t singing time. It didn’t really matter. The important thing was that the children learned the rules of behavior.

One advantage to a very simple chart like this is that you can add things as they become necessary due to behavior patterns adopted by your class. When children are doing something wrong, you can simply point to the offending body part on the picture without ever saying a word. The picture hanging on the wall can be a constant reminder.

In addition, I usually hung up the picture in the packets of the young boy standing with his arms folded. His name is Todd. (I know this because a four-year-old told me it was obvious that his name was Todd.) Not only does Todd remind my classes to behave, but he also was the subject of most of the stories I told in class. He became quite an interesting person by the time the year ended as I added details to suit the story.

Senior Primary children are too old for this. When I subbed, I put their chart on the back of the junior Primary chart. For this one, I tried to have only a few rules. Too many were too confusing. Five seems to be a good number. Just choose five broad rules that cover anything that matters to you. For example, mine often include:

1. Only one person speaks at a time. This is the teacher unless she chooses someone else.
2. Only kind and reverent words may be spoken.
3. Only kind and reverent actions may be taken.
4. If it doesn’t invite the spirit, it isn’t welcome in class.
5. The teacher is in charge.

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These rules are often more suitable for older children and for children who are fairly well trained. With the younger senior Primary children, you may need written rules similar to those for younger children. My daughter changed her rule chart periodically because she says her nine-year-olds stop paying attention to it after about six weeks.

Rule charts make clear your expectation for your students and allow you to focus more on teaching and less on discipline.

Terrie Lynn Bittner

The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.