Stronger Through Him

I was watching a movie in which one of the main characters and his father were lying on a grassy bank staring up at the clouds painted across the sky.  The father turned to the son and simply whispered, “The longer you look, the more you see.” That is particularly true of scripture study. I can read the same passage time and time again, with new insights and lessons being prompted the longer I engage with the holy text. The story of Hagar found in Genesis is one of those passages for me. Perhaps one of those lessons might be something you need spoken to your heart. 1. Our suffering is not invisible to God.   2. While it may be difficult, it is also very possible to be obedient to God even in horrific circumstances. 3. God will provide guidance and hope through angels when we least expect it. 4. God’s promises don’t focus on just the here and now, but have the ability to impact our posterity for generations to come.  5. Hagar called God “El Roí”, or “the God who sees me.” ...

  Line Upon Line You know those days that seem to have the to-do list building much more rapidly than we are able to cross things off? The last two days have been like that for me. I am having to sometimes leave the 99 for the 1 and when I get back the 99 have multiplied into the 900! I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with that this morning and recognized the frenzy I can get myself into that is actually very unproductive. I said a quick prayer and read my scriptures first. The answer didn't come directly from my reading today, but as I was finishing, the doctrinal phrase "line upon line" came to mind. If it works for Jesus, maybe it could work for me! Make a list. Prioritize and do the best you can. So I made my list of the 10 most urgent items. And I got started. Part way through I needed a quick break and decided to write this thought while it was on my mind. Leave the overwhelm. Focus on what matters most. And do one thing at a time. Line upon line. Like Jesus.

  When I taught preschool I used cardboard cut out magnifying glasses to teach the children to focus in on an object and truly study it.   It amazed me how much better able to focus on the details even if they were not really lenses. It helped them learn to “look” better. In Moses 8:27 we read that “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord”. The roots of the word find include “discovered” and “encountered”.  Think of that!  Noah discovered and encountered grace in the eyes of the Lord. Both of those words have such an incredible interactive element to them. The very Lord who knew him and all his failings perfectly, had divine goodness shining for Noah in His eyes. And the very same Lord sees us and all of our failings perfectly, but has divine goodness and power for us as well. But we have to discover it for ourselves. We have to search and learn to focus.  We get to encounter it in so many beautiful and holy ways, but we have to be looking.   Because that’...

  The Parable of the Test Takers And it came to pass in the season appointed by the State of Indiana that the day of the Great Reading Test was at hand. And the seventh graders were gathered together in one place, each bearing his test ticket, his iPad, and his pencil, yea, even paper also. And the Teacher lifted up her voice with much encouragement, saying, Fear not, for thou art capable, and the students began. But behold, the first student, when he saw the multitude of words set before him, was sore afraid. And straightway he shut down in his spirit, and began to click rapidly through the pages, saying within himself, This is too hard; I can never do it.  And thus he failed before he had even begun. And behold, a second student labored diligently for a season, even for fifteen minutes. But thereafter his focus departed from him, and his pencil suffered greatly, being torn asunder into shards of metal and sawdust. And when the Teacher drew near and whispered ...

  A big cold blast and winter storm is on its way and in checking in with a friend, we realized that we both own generators that have never been used but neither of us is even sure if we have the correct fuel or connectors that would be needed. So I went to the expense and trouble of buying the generator but didn't bother to pick up the fuel. And now the storm is approaching. This would make for a great parable, right? Oh, wait....that one was already taken....some lamp oil comes to mind..... What excuse would we possibly be able to give when it was needed for our safety and survival? I didn't get around to it? I thought step one was good enough? Life is full of excruciating difficulties that will only be spiritually survivable with the aid of Jesus Christ and His atonement. I have seen many of these in the lives of those around me this week. Death, illness, effects of the evil actions of others, job loss, and storms - real and spiritual. But Sister Amy Wright testified abou...

 What other families does your family know well? What other fathers and mothers do they see in action?  Do your children ever sit at the table or in family home evening, or kneel in prayer with another family? Elder Marion D Hanks asked those questions. He then followed up, “With children, as all of us know, life is often a matter of following the leader, and wise parents will want their children to enjoy the influence of other families whose convictions and example will offer them strong incentives to build happy relationships in their own homes.” Every time my adult children come home we hear over and over again about the many good people who have helped shape them. And I am grateful.   And hope we’ve been able to provide, and continue to provide that for others as well.   What a blessing it is to be in  this world together!  Who can you reach out to this week?