Become

I attended a wonderful 2-day conference this past weekend called Time Out for Women.  I was blessed to be accompanied by family and many dear friends.  Just being with these women and soaking up their goodness would have been enough to call the weekend a success.  The conference offered powerful spiritual nourishment of the soul.  The speakers were uplifting and tremendously motivating.  The music was equally inspiring.  The message of the conference and the challenge issued to us was to become something more.  We were asked to ponder on this topic and leave with a direction as to what we can become. 

Jason Wright was a wonderful speaker who talked about his dad, a hero in every sense of the word.  This man had remarkable experiences where he literally came to the rescue of those around him.  William Wright said a prayer everyday before he left the house promising God that if he was given an opportunity to serve, he would see it and take it.  He lived his life looking outward, seeking to meet the needs of others.  The speaker recalled how his father would always check behind him when entering a building to see if there was anyone he could hold the door for.  He mentioned that if his dad saw a woman clear on the other side of the parking lot headed for the door, his father would wait (for what seemed like days) to hold the door for her. 

Before the conference was over, we were all checking behind us and holding doors open a little longer than usual.  The lesson to look outside ourselves was quickly put to use and taken into our hearts.

Messages throughout the conference continued to empower those there.  We learned about habits of happiness, overcoming trials, the equalizing power of the atonement, forgiveness, and remarkable faith.  By the end of the day on Saturday, I was ready to pack my bags and give my life serving children in Ghana.  I wanted to do more with my life - make a bigger difference.  I wanted to become MORE.  I left the conference not sure how to accomplish this new mission.

Sunday morning, as church services began, I looked down our pew and noticed that one of our boys was missing.  I asked James where Dallin was and he pointed to the lobby.  Dallin was still holding the door open for every last member in the parking lot.  He didn't join us until the opening song had been sung.  What a tremendous example he was!  I hadn't mentioned to him the lesson that I was taught just days before.  Yet, my little boy was living an outward looking life, a perfect Christlike example. 

Moments later I was explaining the sacrament to Darren.  I mentioned that they bless the water and as we drink we can think of our mistakes, think of the Savior, and repent.  Darren then adds, "And then we get married!"  I of course giggled and patted him on the back with a big smile.  Then, I realized how right he was.  The sacrament is a step on the path to the temple.  The bread and water are associated with the covenants we make that prepare us for the blessings of eternal families.  Again, I was schooled by a child. 

This morning, I opened the package that contained two magazines, the Ensign and the Friend.  Darren shouted for joy at the golden Angel Moroni statue on the front cover.  He's always thrilled to see the angel-topped steeple.  Then he caught a glimpse of something that he assumed had been on the back of the Friend magazine.  "The Gospel!  The Gospel!" he shouted.  I handed him the Friend and he flipped it over to the back only to be disappointed.  What he was looking for wasn't there.  He said, "Where's the gospel."  I then handed him my copy of the Ensign.  He turned it over and smiled.  There on the back of the magazine was a picture of our prophet, Thomas S. Monson.  "The gospel!" he said as he pointed.  At the age of 3, this little angel knows the source of light and truth - the source of the gospel.  The prophet just addressed the members of our church in a worldwide conference last month.  At that conference, President Monson shared with us the gospel of Jesus Christ.

As I thought over the events of this morning and the challenge to become more, my understanding grew and I knew what I needed to become.

"2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,

 3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."...from Matthew Chapter 18.

I'm so thankful for the mysterious ways that the Lord teaches me.  I am thankful that he blessed me with 3 angels who every day teach me the gospel.  I am grateful for the atonement, for forgiveness, for a prophet that knows and prays for me.  I am grateful for my faith and for Heavenly Father's patience with me as I slowly learn to live the life that HE wants me to live and to become who HE wants me to become.

I doubt I'll ever travel to Ghana, Sierra Leone, or Zambia, but I promise to work everyday to be more like my children, more Christlike, and to forever look around me for those that I might serve.