Remembering the Lord's Love

My thoughts on Sister Hughes' talk "Remembering the Lord's Love"

WOW! this talk is almost all red and I have only read it once. I have sooooo much to say, but I will take it one thing at a time.. I LOVED THIS ONE EVEN MORE THAN THE LAST! Can't wait to finish the RS session of conference because of the theme they picked "I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love" (2 Nephi 11:15). I think I could talk about that one as well.

If you are reading it from the printed page and see what the editors pulled out as the "sub headline" (I'm sure there is a proper editing term for it), I think that statement has a HUGE impact on me. Especially after last weeks message from Sister Parkin. (OK, I should put a warning here---I'm working on very little sleep and so I'm not sure my words are the words my heart is feeling so if the grammar is horrible and spelling is worse, please forgive. It is very early and I've had very little sleep and I'm not in anyway prepared for today's school-we might just call a "teacher prep" day.)

"We must *seek* to know and feel the Lord's love in our lives." (emphasis mine) says the sub headline.

Being that my kids are working on grammar and right now we are looking at all the verbs (action words) this stuck out at me. "SEEK" what does that mean to you? To me that mean it isn't something we just sit on our lazy chair and if our neck will turn that way we will look that way. To me it means "get off your big bum and find it and do it now," especially after Sister Parkin's talk about Christ's love.

The next thing that jumped out at me was the ending to the first paragraph:

"He invites each of us to come, one by one, to Him that we too may know that He is "the God of . the whole earth, and ]has] been slain for the sins of the world" (3 Nephi 11;14). We learn how it feels to be encircled in His love when we accept that invitation."

I don't know about you, but most invites mean I need to leave my house and go somewhere. Again an action thing! This statement reminds me of 3 Nephi when the Savior comes and blesses the children ONE BY ONE. There must have been 1000's of children there and YET HE TOOK TIME TO TOUCH AND BLESS EACH CHILD ONE BY ONE. If time travel was possible, this is where I want to go back and witness. This is the time I want to go back and be a little child. I want to be in that LONG line just for him to touch me and say, "I love you and don't you ever forget it." And yet, he does that every day..... and I know that. I know that so well I wrote about this almost 7 years ago http://www.waldsfe.org/soapbox/lookforit.htm .

(from another post)

In the fourth and fifth paragraphs sister Hughes talks about what I like to call the "big ones" and the "little ones." Sometimes we get those big gifts-you know the freezer, large appliance, etc and there are times when we get the small gifts. The Lord gives them out too. Sometimes we have those memories that are HUGE, life changing. [name deleted] talked about her experience with the Spirit and I too had a big one with the Spirit. But I have also had a TON of little ones. These little ones are no less significant or special than the big ones, they are just different. I love the times when the Lord speaks softly and gently to my heart. I remember holding my new born babies and those little whisperings of how much the Lord loved me and the child I was holding. There was no big light feeling the room-it was just a thought, Spirit that entered my heart and mind. As she says, "The moment was fleeting, yet the memory of the love I felt has been lasting." In fact I rarely remember the particulars of those moments, but I can never forget the feelings.

The next paragraph then tells us about how we can see God's love all around us in the every day things of our lives. I think of the primary song "My Heavenly Father Loves Me." You know the one that goes "Whenever I hear the song of a bird or walk by a lilac tree." (that is my favorite line since I LOVE to listen to birds and one of my favorite flowers are lilacs) how can we not see His love for us? As she writes in the last line of that paragraph, "Sisters, the Lord is everywhere when we open our eyes and hearts to His love."

Isn't it wonderful to live "in this beautiful world, Heavenly Father created for me."

(from another post)

"As faithful women of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have been blessed with the Holy Ghost. As we invite the Savior into our lives, the Holy Ghost will bear witness to us of the love which the Father and His Son, our Savior, have for each of us. But feeling Their love is dependent not only on our desire but upon our actions as well. And the actions we need to take are known to us: genuine prayer that is specific and humble, followed by quiet listening for the Lord's answers; regular scripture study and time to ponder what we read; and, finally, a willingness to be introspective about ourselves and to trust in the Lord's promise that He will "make weak things become strong unto [us]" (Ether 12:27). As we study and ponder, we are entitled to the promptings of the Spirit, and as we grow more attentive to these promptings, we come to recognize each day the workings of the Lord in our lives. We will find Him, as Elder Neal A. Maxwell stated, "in the details of our lives" ("Becoming a Disciple," Ensign, June 1996, 19). And when that recognition comes, we feel His peace and recognize that we are truly encircled in the arms of His love."

When I was reading this, the list maker in me came out and I notice a few things.

First-the word INVITE. As we INVITE the Savior into our lives... When I was a little girl I had a boy invite me to a school dance (he didn't know I didn't go to jr. high dances) and how he did it was to just shout at me across the field next to my house. I was sort of flattered, but not really. A few years later I was asked to go to a high school dance in a very creative way and I will never forgive my brother for letting him into my room! But boy did I feel so SPECIAL. It was like the princesses getting an engraved invitation to the royal ball. As I read the scriptures I think of how many times the Savior invites us to know him and to find him and to obey his commandments and all those other wonderful things my sleep deprived brain can't think of. Now just like with those young men's invitation it was up to me to make the next step. As the saying goes, "the ball is in my court" and I either play or walk away. What are we doing with the engraved invitation? (And if you want to take this a step further, read Isa 49:16 "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands." what was the last thing he did with his flesh and blood hands. Prepare the last supper, pray and then they were nailed to the cross for you and me!)

Second-look at how we feel "their love" through our DESIRE and our ACTIONS. And then she lays out the actions (this is the list I came up with)

1. genuine prayer that is specific and humble (note to Doreen-work on that one!)
2. quiet listening for the Lord's answers (note to Doreen-schedule more quiet time-have hubby fix the lock on the bathroom door ~smile~)
3. regular scriptures study (note to Doreen-you are doing great on the reading part, but not on the study part, but family study time is AWESOME-keep up the good work.)
4. Time to ponder what we read (see note to #2)
5. Willingness to be introspective about ourselves and to trust in the Lord's promise that he will "make weak things become strong unto [us]" (note to Doreen, find time for being along and getting your bearings straightened out. Also let those weak things into your heart so they can become strong.

Third-WE ARE ENTITLED to the promptings of the Spirit. *WHAT A PROMISE* sisters we are ENTITLED to the promptings of the Spirit. Should we not be shouting from the rooftops this fact? We are faithful daughters of God and he wants us to hear the promptings of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is speaking but are we hearing?

And then the very last thing. "And when that recognition comes, we feel His peace and recognize that we are truly encircled in the arms of His love." When I was at the beach a few weeks ago trying to come to grips with all that was going on in my life. I sat and marveled at the ocean. What a beautiful place---I don't think I could have thunk something like that up and yet he did and he did it JUST FOR ME FOR THAT MOMENT. He did is so in 2006 when his beloved daughter, Doreen, was having a difficult and emotional time could have proof that she was love by her Savior and her Heavenly Father. He did that just for me. I truly felt warm inside even with all the pain and frustration I was feeling.