Spiritual Janitors - Guest Post

It's All About the Maintenance

I've been thinking a lot about maintenance of late.  One of my children has decided to major in facilities
management, which I took to mean that his aspiration in life is to be a janitor.  I was a little disappointed in his decision.  But maybe--just maybe--I was wrong.

One of the reasons I may be wrong about the whole janitor thing occurred recently.  I was privileged to attend a week of teacher training at a local, private school that happens to be LDS-based.  One of the speakers was the head of the school's facilities management and securities.  As I listened, I was impressed by this well-spoken, intelligent man and his capability and caring.  Not only did he not fit my own person judgment of a "janitor," he was truly magnifying his job.  In addition to making sure the building is beautiful and well cared for, he has been preparing the school for a natural disaster, possible intruders, and other possible emergencies.  I haven't ever thought of a janitor as being concerned about the future.  It was inspiring because he was doing his job not only for the income for his family but also to provide a clean, beautiful place in which children can learn more about the world and its Creator.

This talk and the others that I heard during the week helped me to see that how I live the gospel has, in many ways, been childish.  Just like a well cared for building, my testimony is always going to need repairs and updates.  I have lived the last 25 years maintaining my seminary testimony, when in reality, I really ought to update it to a more current, adult version.  Once I wrote down a testimony from a brand new (adult) member of the Church, and then compared it a year later with her more developed testimony.  In many ways, I found I was jealous because her testimony was different--deeper--than mine, but I couldn't figure out why.  I now know it was because she had not only maintained her beginning testimony, but she had immersed herself in the gospel and quickly updated it.

For example, I have always had a fairly decent, albeit superficial understanding of faith in my life.  But instead of simply learning about faith so I can give a Relief Society lesson on it, I need to steer my life by faith.  I also need to really focus not only on saying my prayers, but listening to the answers and then acting upon the thoughts I later have.  Over time, I can learn the difference between revelation and my own wishful thinking based on the consequences--which requires me to pay attention not only to the problems at hand but also to think and study what has happened to me before.

Now that I know that my spiritual maintenance is more than ready for an update, how will I go about it?  I'm going to participate in the goal of my stake president, which is to read the entire Book of Mormon between September 1 and December 31.  I will recognize the blessings my family has received because we've consistently paid our tithing, even though it's been really, really tight.  I can see (because I'm finally looking) the hand of God throughout not only my own personal history but the history of our world.  And so I must admit:  I'm excited to embark on a spiritual quest to become a better person.  I'll even be proud to call my son a janitor.

This post was written by the wonderful Cathy. I have known her for quite some time now... and have to say, she's pretty great. Her kids are pretty awesome too.

помню, Vergessen ,记住爱, Ingat, Tandaan, Remember

I'll shortly be posting another guest post, but wanted to share a quick thought that I had.

I like to look at the stats for this blog, even though I don't actively market it more than just putting it on my Facebook page. And over time, I've noticed a steady stream from around the world, most notably Russia. Unfortunately, I don't know any Russian to formally greet these viewers, but it is intriguing to me that something I say here can reach across the world.

So, if I could tell the world to remember one thing, it would be to remember to love and follow God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. That's a very brief summation, and one would need to explain what that sentence means, but another time.Google translate is pretty good, so I hear... So, I want to use it, to translate my message into more languages. Please forgive me for grammar and incorrect usage as I have no way to know if it's right (and if you're reading this in another language, I think Blogger uses Google Translate, so it would be consistently wrong anyway).

помню, чтобы любить и следовать за Богом Отцом и Его Сыном Иисусом Христом.
Vergessen nicht Sie lieben und Gott den Vater und seinen Sohn, Jesus Christus.
记住爱，并按照上帝的父亲和他的儿子，耶稣基督。
Ingat untuk mencintai dan mengikuti Tuhan Bapa dan Anak-Nya, Yesus Kristus.
Tandaan na ibigin at sundin ang Diyos ang Ama at Kanyang Anak, Jesu-Cristo.
N'oubliez pas d'aimer et de suivre Dieu le Père et son Fils, Jésus-Christ.
Pamatovat milovat a následovat Boha Otce a Jeho Syna, Ježíše Krista.
Lembre-se de amar e seguir a Deus, o Pai, e Seu Filho, Jesus Cristo
Recuerde a amar y seguir a Dios el Padre y Su Hijo, Jesucristo

זוכר לאהוב ופעל אלוהים אב ובנו, ישווע המשיח.

Please remember that. We can improve our relationship with Them and in order to find peace and happiness in this life, we must.

I just read that on the popular blogging platform, Word Press, alone there are over 500,000 new posts and 400,000 new comments each day. That's 20,833 posts each hour. I started feeling like my blog could never make much of a difference. Then I got to thinking about how important it is to lift where you stand, and what that means for me and my blog. I may not speak Russian, German, Chinese, Malay, or even Spanish. I don't have the most well thought out posts, the best arguments, or even original ideas.

Reach out how you can, turn to God and find a way to utilize your talents and the gifts He has blessed you with to help change the world in the way that only you can. Lift where you stand. It does make a difference

Happiness and a Fullness of Joy

Mini thought today:

There are different degrees, and indeed, different types of happiness. And somehow, it all makes sense to call them happiness.

Just remember that just because your wildest dreams aren't coming true yet, there are ways to still be happy now.

I know that's a common message. I just wanted you {and me}to remember that today. Look for the joy in the little things today and have faith that the big things: i.e., a stable and fantastic job, a happy family, a new house, a world-wide vacation, {The Hobbit and Les Mis coming to theaters...}, are still on their way.

So, remember to smile today, and remember that happiness is a choice, and you can have it... NOW.

First World Problems - Guest Post

Lately I've been listening a lot to the radio show The Nightside
Project. One of their regular features involves listeners texting in
their first world problems - stuff like "There isn't room in my garage
for both my boat and my RV", "I hate it when my monster truck gets a
spot of mud on it", "The remote control is sitting on top of the TV",
or "There was too much sauce on my hamburger and it spilled out onto
my shirt". The fun of First World Problems is that we realize that
these things we complain about are testaments in themselves about how
lucky we have it. Just the opportunity to suffer such annoyances is a
blessing.

Because we are aware that we're lucky to have the things and
opportunities we do, sometimes people end complaints about their
trials with something along the lines of, "I know I am so blessed and
there are so many people out there who have it much worse off then
me." Like because other people are suffering with things they haven't
experienced, their own sufferings are not worth mentioning. Other
times people from the outside compare two different people with a
similar trial, but one person seems to have it to a greater extent.

In the October 1980 General Conference, Boyd K. Packer said, "Some are
tested by poor health, some by a body that is deformed or homely.
Others are tested by handsome and healthy bodies; some by the passion
of youth; others by the erosions of old age. Some suffer
disappointment in marriage, family problems; others live in poverty
and obscurity. Some (perhaps this is the hardest test) find ease and
luxury. All are part of the test. And there is more equality in this
testing than sometimes we suspect."

And seriously? Even what seem like the simplest comparisons can get
pretty complicated. Just think of the smallest trial you can. Now
imagine that comes right after a month of one thing after another. Is
it easier to get through because you've grown through your other
experiences or is it the straw that breaks your camel's back? And
imagine two women with developmentally disabled children. Maybe one is
six months behind her peers in two areas and the other is two years
behind in a wide range of areas. But if the second woman has a strong
support system of friends and extended family and the first has
recently moved and her husband refuses to believe there is a problem,
who has it harder? And whose insurance provides better coverage for
therapists?

There is no point in comparing trials because, for one thing, we
can't. We don't know enough.We are all unique and even if we were
somehow to have the same exact trials, those trials would affect us
each differently. But we can be confident that Heavenly Father is
going to give us the trials we need to grow and he is going to make
available the help we need to get through them. And in the end, it
will all even out.

This post was written by the lovely Marissa, who I've known for a few years now and kindly consented to  be a guest blogger. Isn't she fabulous?

Moving and... Guest Posts Coming Soon!

So, I've been moving and transitioning to life
From this

 To... dun dun DUN:

Yes, this one was a little scary:

 But most importantly:

I always love a good sunset {I'm sure I'd love the sunrise too, but I seem to love sleep too much... haha}

In other news, start getting excited for some guest posts! I love other people's viewpoints and if you ever think of something and want to post it here, just let me know, and we can talk. :) I've got some great people on the line up, to add some great content to this blog. Hopefully you'll all love it and share it too!

War in Heaven, War on Earth: Politics

This idea is definitely limited, because there isn’t one side who is truly evil, and one who is truly good. So, keep that in mind with what I have to say.

War in Heaven:

No blood shed

About issues

Difficult to separate the truth from the lies

Some only seek power, others seek to lead us on a better way.

Some make the wrong seem right, by the power of words and selective truths.

Wars in the Book of Mormon:

Dissenters—those who had the truth and purposely left, do the most damage

Use flattering words to gain support

Distract us from what is important
Some make the wrong seem right, by the power of words and selective truths.

Alma 46:8-9 describes the power of one evil leader: he was incredibly persuasive; he made a lot of sense to a lot of people.

One righteous leader can shake the powers of hell, and it is this kind of leader that I strive to follow.

Political War:

Mosiah 29:26-27 Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law—to do your business by the voice of the people.

And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land.

We have the choice to choose a path that follows our God, or turns away from Him. I remembered so strongly today why I have the political opinions I do.

I have so much I want to say on this topic, there is a reason there is such a long list.

Neither major political party nor its members are close to perfect. However, one is much closer with my testimony. Let me bring it back to the War in Heaven. One side believed that there shouldn’t be any question about who gets back to God, everyone should. And they knew how it should be. God would force us back, either by taking away choice or by making our choices not matter. That is one of my favorite discussions, but I’ll save it for another time. It is so strikingly similar to some aspects of politics today. See, no one would say that some people aren’t deserving of God’s love, everyone should be saved, and we want to be with all our loved ones in Heaven, don’t we?

It does matter what we choose though, no one is disputing that. We were not put in equal places in life, given the exact same life course, and the exact same outcome. We each have an experience tailored to our situation, and no, life is not fair and we shouldn’t stop trying to help those we can. In the same way, we should all come back to Christ, but we should come back because that is the kind of person we’ve become, not just because that is the way God’s laws were set up, that everyone gets a free pass.

In today’s world, we are faced with the same underlying questions, shouldn’t we all be given an equal portion? Of course. Do we have a perfect system? No. Should we just have the government make our decisions for us because of their power? Some would say yes, I definitely say no. Why? Because it changes who we become. When we expect, depend, and are always given everything we need or want, our eternal natures are changed.

We are different for a reason. We need to do our best to help those around us, but the government, like God, should not force us to be saints, and it shouldn’t make our efforts worthless because the result of all our actions are the same. We need a better system, we need a righteous leader to help us get back.

Why do we say some children are spoiled? Is it possible for adults, even non-wealthy people, to be spoiled?

Yes.

How? I am spoiled when I just expect everything to be given to me, when I no longer have the internal motivation to help someone else, when I just do what I’m told and I no longer think for myself, when my opinion is lost, when who I am becomes just a cog in a machine.

Who are we becoming when we buy into these ideas? We are not becoming like our Savior.

What are we fighting for? We are not fighting life and mortal death battles here, but everyday battles of eternal significance for who we are becoming. Politics are a big part.

I will just end with this: Choose your vote wisely. Make your choices with care. These things have eternal significance. I know that we will either be led to Christ or away from Him as a country because of politics. Choose wisely, choose actively. Trust God, and remember, the war for our souls is still going, it didn’t end. I can make a difference, even if my candidate isn’t elected. Because of my choice, I am coming to know my God a little better, and see His perfect love for each of His children. And now, I am more motivated to find better solutions and elect better people to help even more of my brothers and sisters.

Carrying an Ego?

So, last week I went on a backpacking adventure. This afternoon, I went on a hike with my family. On this last hike, we talked about the backpacking trip. And, something came up that my mom said I needed to write down.

Before the trip even started, I knew I'd be one of the slow hikers. So, when we started hiking and I soon realized that, among other things I would need to adjust to, I would need to just let go of my ego - just for this trip - because it was going to be too much to carry.

After that, it was easier just to put one foot in front of the other, and have an enjoyable journey - even with all the bugs.

So, remember my friends, that sometimes we just need to stop carrying our ego around. It's by far one of the heaviest burdens we task ourselves with and one of the least important. Learn to let it go. It's ok to admit you're a slow hiker, that you made a mistake, that you're still learning, that another person has valid opinions even if they don't match yours. It's ok to smile along the way even if you're not quite perfect yet. You'll get there.

Princess

I recently have been thinking about princesses. Ever since I was young, I loved the story of Cinderella. Probably because I looked the most like her as a child. The common idea of our time is that princesses were weak girls that couldn't save themselves and had to wait for the men to save them.

This is ... fine I guess. It's just not the whole story and I think, like the book of Isaiah, we just lack a little context. I've had a lot of thoughts on this, I hope to get them across clearly and concisely.

There are 4 main ideas on which I can think of off the top of my head that I want to elaborate on, that will hopefully help us remember the worth of princesses (and of course princes/knights etc.) This post is not to glorify the evils that were also present in the time, but I just want to present something I feel is worth thinking about.

1. Etiquette
2. Jewels and fine clothing
3. Blood line
4. Embroidery

1. These skills were not necessarily taught to restrict women, to put others down, or to be negative. The idea behind teaching proper behavior was to help everyone feel comfortable, to be respectful. Obviously there's more I could say about this, but your attention is needed on my other ideas right now :)

2. Ok. First, I just want to say that these were used in an attempt to reflect the worth of the wearer. Naturally, things got out of hand because today we are still judging each other on our possessions, but people make sacrifices and try to give the best gifts to those they love. I am not suggesting anything more than that. Obviously, worldly wealth is something that is easily taken to extremes and is incredibly hard to balance. See Mark 10:25

3. Blood line is a little trickier for me to explain, but when it comes down to it, I think it would not be too much of a stretch to remember covenants are/were often passed down in families. The whole world is a family and we're working on getting it to everyone, but it starts in the family.

4. Embroidery was actually the first thing to come to mind when I was thinking of this post. See, we see skills like embroidery as useless. And to an extent, even in those times it was more frivolous than other endeavors. However, it was a skill valued because it made the house a home, or the stone walls a castle. Embroidery and other homemaking skills, where not vital to life in the middle ages, showed the value the 'princess' had on education, on bettering her mind and her talents.

These things get twisted over time, people easily loose sight of what's important, including you and me, princesses, noblemen, peasants, anarchists, etc. :)

Context matters, no time nor person is perfect. People should only be criticized or admired to a certain extent. I just want to remember that there were reasons princesses were valued. They came from good families, they treasured education and making a house a home, they made others feel comfortable, and they had great worth.

Before I end, I want to say something about the issue of "damsels in distress." Now, I don't always want to be in distress, but it sure is nice when I am in distress that there is some kind of solution, like a knight in shining armor, to help me. No, I can't say I want to be made to feel weak, powerless, or foolish. Yet there are legitimate situations where I need help.

Don't we all need saving sometimes? Yes, we do. Maybe after the knight saves the princess, he realizes that she in turn saves him every day by the person she has become, a princess, a daughter of the most High God. She has become someone who values family and teaches those around her, who looks out for the feelings of others, who edifies and comforts those in her life. Princess are still worth admiring. I think there is a bit of a "princess" or queen in every every woman, for we truly are Daughters of a Heavenly King, and our inherent character inspires us to act that way.

In every man then, it follows, that he is inherently a knight in shining armor, a prince, a king. We then see them working together, to rule over their 'kingdom' (or family), in righteousness, caring in their different roles for those they can help. We have different strengths, and they change with our contexts. Let's remember the meaning behind the things we can easily see.

What do you think? What did I miss? What did I confuse you on?