My mom asked us to think about what we have learned in the last two years after seeing a list from a missionary she respected. The last two years have been kind of a mission for me, and I have learned things too. I don't know if they are as well distilled as Elder Cochran's, but here are some things that come to mind:
1. The Lord prepares us (and helps us and gives us strength and means) to do things we thought we couldn't do. 1 Nephi 3:7
2. Miracles have not ceased. Angels have not ceased to minister. Moroni 7:29
3. It is important, not vain, to care for your body. Like most truths, this often gets twisted into a distortion of such grand proportions that people (like me) sometimes forget the underlying truth. Doctrine and Covenants 88:15
4. When the Lord gives you blessings, it is your duty to share them (the blessings, if you can; the story and glory to the Lord if it's more appropriate) with others. Mosiah 2:22-24
5. I am undeservedly and extravagantly blessed. Mosiah 2:21
As my friend Laura says, epiphanies sometimes don't seem that impressive when you say them out loud, which certainly seems the case with mine. They are written in the scriptures and I'm sure I probably "knew" them before. But I have learned these things from specific and dramatic experiences within the last two years. Each one is probably a talk in and of itself. And if you've been reading my blog, you already know the stories.
1. The Lord prepares us (and helps us and gives us strength and means) to do things we thought we couldn't do. 1 Nephi 3:7
2. Miracles have not ceased. Angels have not ceased to minister. Moroni 7:29
3. It is important, not vain, to care for your body. Like most truths, this often gets twisted into a distortion of such grand proportions that people (like me) sometimes forget the underlying truth. Doctrine and Covenants 88:15
4. When the Lord gives you blessings, it is your duty to share them (the blessings, if you can; the story and glory to the Lord if it's more appropriate) with others. Mosiah 2:22-24
5. I am undeservedly and extravagantly blessed. Mosiah 2:21
As my friend Laura says, epiphanies sometimes don't seem that impressive when you say them out loud, which certainly seems the case with mine. They are written in the scriptures and I'm sure I probably "knew" them before. But I have learned these things from specific and dramatic experiences within the last two years. Each one is probably a talk in and of itself. And if you've been reading my blog, you already know the stories.
Great learnings! Insightful as usual. I particularly appreciate your take on D&C 88:15. The idea that a principal of the gospel can and often is (by me too) blown all out of proportion.
ReplyDeleteI felt all happy reading about the importance of caring for a body because I realized today that all my tension came from forgetting the power of a nap. This post was the first thing I read when my nap ended. Double refreshment. Yay!
ReplyDeleteYou have had quite a two years! Really tender lessons learned. I agree that knowing them after living them is different than just knowing them.
ReplyDeleteHeather, your mom is such a special person! The love she feels for each of you kids is so obvious in how she relates to you. I too had a special mother and often times thoughts of her just drift into my mind and I feel a sort of sad happiness.....sad that I no longer have her to enjoy and sadness that I didn't spend more time with her when I had her here. I sometimes feel just a brush of something over me and then think of something we did together, or something she told me, or something she did that delighted me and know that she touched me. You would have liked my mom....if you like me! She had a fun sense of humor and many of the things I am/say/do are just like her. Enjoy your mom as much as you can with your busy life, you will never regret it. xo-momw
ReplyDeleteI love this. What great lessons and what an adventurous two years you have had.
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