Our Perfect Example

My thoughts on President Eyring's talk "Our Perfect Example"

"That is because the greatest joys and the greatest sorrows we experience are in family relationships. The joys come from putting the welfare of others above our own. That is what love is. And the sorrow comes primarily from selfishness, which is the absence of love. The ideal God holds for us is to form families in the way most likely to lead to happiness and away from sorrow. A man and a woman are to make sacred covenants that they will put the welfare and happiness of the other at the center of their lives. Children are to be born into a family where the parents hold the needs of children equal to their own in importance. And children are to love parents and each other."

No truly word we ever spoken. When Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden they were told they would experience the highest of high and the lowest of lows. Eve knew this and took a bite. There must be a reason she did it. She must have wanted a family that bad. My greatest joys are come with my family and so have my greatest sorrows. I know when I have good news I want to call my husband and children first and when it is bad news I know they will put their arms around me and love me no matter what.

"Love is the motivating principle by which the Lord leads us along the way towards becoming like Him,"

"First, I give counsel to husbands and wives. Pray for the love which allows you to see the good in your companion. Pray for the love that makes weaknesses and mistakes seem small. Pray for the love to make your companion’s joy your own. Pray for the love to want to lessen the load and soften the sorrows of your companion."

I remember when I was going through a rocky patch in my life. I was praying that my husband would change. I wanted so bad for him to change. I don't recall what I was reading or if I was reading anything at all but the thought came to me that I was praying for the wrong thing. I needed to be praying that my heart would change and that I would be the one who would either learn to accept him as he was ("his" faults and all) or that...well there was no "or that". I needed to change my hearts. To this day I can't recall what he was doing that was bugging me, but it shortly was forgotten and I was able to move on.

Of course I could just post the rest of his talk here as it so touches my heart, still does. I have a wondering child. I have a child who is letting go of the Iron Rod and who is making my life bitter sweet. I need to learn to love as the Lord does. I need to learn to keep myself open to loving him no matter what. It is so hard when hate and anger spew from his mouth. It truly is hard. I will have to hold on to Elder Orson F. Whitney's promise. (I'd tattoo it on my forehead if I believed in tattoos ~smile~)

" “Though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold.”

"Then he goes on to say: “Pray for your careless and disobedient children; hold on to them with your faith. Hope on, trust on, till you see the salvation of God.” You can pray for your children, love them, and reach out to them with confidence that Jesus reaches for them with you. When you keep trying, you are doing what Jesus does."

Though I am dealing with challenges that are sometimes beyond me and often times I want to just forget them, I know that I must continually pray for my son's return. I must pray that the Savior constantly remember him and put small tender mercies in his way so that he may see the Lord's love for him.

I need to learn to love as perfectly as the Savior.