Mommy and the Christus



Hello friends... or whoever is reading my blog.

Funny story. Usually when I am done with a blog entry I post it to Facebook and then send the link to my husband. He usually responds with something like this, "Hey that was a great post. But I think you meant 'lose' not 'loose'." And then I go ugg... you're right... oh well, I don't care THAT much. 

And that's what it's like living with an english major. Haha. No bitter feelings, really. It's actually quite helpful. One of my favorite things is saying a word that he doesn't know! AND in the correct context. It's pretty exciting.

Well, that was completely off topic for what I wanted to discuss today, but I think my husband is grrrreat! And I was thinking about him. And this is my blog and I can do whatever I want. So there.

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My baby is almost 7 months old now. The first couple months seemed to last forever (and I suppose anyone who is sleep deprived feels this way), but the last three or four months have FLOWN by! She's just starting to crawl. Actually, she CAN crawl. I've seen her do it when she wants a toy badly enough. I bet if she was around another baby who was already crawling she would crawl more.

So the other day she was sitting on her bum, which is her favorite way to be on the floor, and she was getting upset and clearly wanted me to pick her up. Instead of just giving her what she wanted I made her work for it (as I assume any good parent does). 

I reached my arms out to her, beckoning her to come to me. In that moment I saw the Christus in my mind: Jesus Christ with his arms stretched out saying, "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." 

(Matt 11:28-30)

In essence, as I reached out to her, I was saying all of these things to my sweet baby. She was tired and needed physical and emotional rest. If she is yoked with me her burden WILL be light because I am bigger, stronger, more emotionally stable, and know more than her.

As a mother I keep having experiences like these that humble me and make me realize how I am a little baby in God's eyes. I need Him like my baby needs me. He is bigger, stronger, more emotionally stable, and knows a whole lot more than me. I am grateful to be a mother. I feel like God is confirming eternal truths to me that I previously knew in my mind, but now know in my heart. 

Happy... what day is it again?

Finding Meaning in Motherhood #1

A Spiritual Baby

It's crazy that Snuggle has only been with us for 5 months. I've learned a lot in 5 months, like how to change a diaper like a pro, how to breastfeed and use both hands to eat a pizza At The Same Time, that when I turn music on while my baby is screaming it will calm her down immediately, and that onesie dresses are the best baby dresses ever invented!

More than the practical things, though, are the glimpses I get into eternity from living every day life as a parent. I have gotten to know who God is much better, because He is our literal spiritual parent.

I'll start from the beginning.

When Snuggle Baby was a newborn she didn't know us yet, even though she was completely reliant on us for everything. We were with her constantly. I fed her, we changed her diaper, we bathed her, held her, sung to her, and took her to the doctor. Even though she got all of this attention she still didn't know us. All I could hope was that she felt loved and confident that her needs would be taken care of, and that some day she would recognize us and love us.

In our spiritual lives we all start out as babies, as utterly helpless and dependent as my precious daughter. God is there with us: feeding us, holding us, and protecting us from things that are completely beyond our comprehension. He knows that we don't know Him yet, but hopes that in time we will start to recognize His face and voice too (or, more appropriately, His spirit).

Our baby girl is 5 months old and she is a completely different baby now! She's gained a ton of weight, she smiles and giggles now, and is even scooting herself around on the floor. When we come to get her out of the crib in the morning she gives us a huge smile because, yes, she finally recognizes us and is happy to see us!

God wants us to grow spiritually. He wants us to trust Him and not stagnate (how horrible would that be for your baby to stop growing physically!! eek!)

This is only the beginning though. My baby is still a baby. She's learning and growing so much, but it is going to take years for her to grown into a toddler, then a child, then an adolescent, then a teenager, then a young adult, then an adult, then a middle aged adult, and then an elderly adult. At each stage we learn new things and get wiser.

If you are just a baby, spiritually speaking, there's nothing wrong with that. Allow God to take care of you and teach you. He will!

How Do YOU Feel the Holy Ghost?

I used to be a crazy good journal-er. I have around 20 journals that are filled- no exaggeration- with my thoughts and experiences. Over the last several years I have filled up probably half of a journal. And these are the years I've been married! So sad. 

A few months ago I read this article in the Ensign, our church magazine. It is entitled, "Helping Children Recognize the Holy Ghost." If you haven't read it, you really should. It helped ME realize how I recognize the Holy Ghost! 

To give you a basic overview of the article (in case you don't read it, although you still should), the mom writes that one of her sons was having a really hard time in school. She realized that his learning style was not meshing with the teacher's homework assignments, so he wasn't getting good grades. As soon as she helped him to learn in the style he was accustomed (auditory/visual/hands-on...), his grades improved! Thank goodness for this mother's wisdom. She didn't stop there- she realized that the same thing applies for spiritual learning. Are you an auditory learner? Perhaps listening to Conference may be the best way to feel the Spirit. Do you learn by Doing things hands-on? Maybe serving others would be a great way for you to feel the Holy Ghost. 

From this article I realized that two of the ways I feel the Holy Ghost the strongest is 

1. When I sing HYMNS, and 

2. When I write my thoughts and feelings about spiritual things. 

I realized that as a teenager, during the time I filled up a journal in a few months, I felt the Spirit more strongly  and consistently during that time than any other. When I testify through writing the Holy Ghost testifies to ME that what I'm saying is true.

So here it is: 

I know that my Redeemer lives. I know that one of my spiritual gifts is having a testimony and faith. I am so grateful for this divine gift God has given me. I know that this life is our time to prepare to meet God, and that we don't have to be perfect right now. We can make mistakes and stumble and fall, and that's okay. As long as we're sincerely trying to do good, follow Christ, and include Him in our decisions, He will make up the difference that we lack. 

I have been contemplating the specific blessings God has grated Joe and I over the past 4 years, and there are a LOT. Seriously, I feel like we have been blessed way more than we deserve. But the thing is that God doesn't keep a tally of how much we owe Him, because that tally would be infinitely in His favor, not ours. He blesses us because He loves and wants to help us. I just want to make sure I always recognize God's hand in our life, because it helps strengthen my relationship with Him. And having a grateful heart makes for a happy person. And I want to be happy. 

It reminds me of this awesome video!

Life is good. God is real. He loves me and you, and wants to help us reach our highest potential. 

Here's my eternal To-Do List:

1. Recognize how YOU feel the Holy Ghost

2. Do things that would invite the Spirit into your life
3. Follow its promptings

4. Be grateful- show your gratitude to God for blessing you

That is all for today.