I’ve been thinking a lot this week about a quote by President Gordon B. Hinckley from 1998 that was reprinted in the October 2009 Visiting Teaching Message:

“Never forget that these little ones are the sons and daughters of God and that yous is a custodial relationship to them, that He was a parent before you were parents and that He has not relinquished His parental rights or interest in these, His little ones.”

Parenting is not easy, and I bet I’m not the only one who worries – not infrequently – if I doing a good enough job preparing my children for all facets of life.  There is so much to teach our children, so much involved in helping them grow and learn and mature.  This quote that reminded me that as much as I worry, our Heavenly Father has at least as much concern and love invested in my children as I do.

All the little things I worry about, I can take to God.  He worries about them perhaps more than I do, and not only that, he worries about ME, and how I react to parenting situations with my children.  If I’m trying to help my children build lasting and loving sibling relationships, I can take my concerns and questions to the Lord about how I should best go about that goal. Am I frustrated with anything relating to my family?  I can take it to the Lord.  Even something like being desperate to have a baby sleep through the night or a toddler finally toilet trained – if these are big deals to us as earthly parents, they are surely big deals to our Heavenly Father.  We don’t have to come up with the answers alone.

I feel like I pray more about my family and my children than any other matter, but reading over this quote again and again the past week makes me wonder if I’m taking everything to the Lord that I can be – and wondering about how our family could be improved if I did take more to the Lord.

I love reading and doing research, so when presented with a parenting challenge, I often turn to my girlfriends, books, and the internet for help.  But why don’t I spend more time about parenting matters on my knees, talking to He who is Father of me AND my children, who has more interest in, and love for, all of us than I can imagine?  Good chance I’ll still find solutions through research, past experience of girlfriends, or books – but I’m guessing I would spend a lot less time searching and likely find the ideal solution for each specific situation much more quickly.

When I was talking about this with a friend while visiting teaching, she brought up another great point that this quote brings up – when we are harsh with our children, we are being hard on HIS children.  Thinking about this makes me want to be incredibly more gentle towards the three wonderful children I’ve been given to love and raise, and wonder even more how God feels about the job I am doing parenting His children?  I’m thankful I know I can ask, and have a sure faith that He’ll tell me, love me, and help me improve.

The post We Believe: Partner in Parenting appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Nearly fifteen years ago, I was a single, working professional living far from my family. My ward [congregation] became my family. At one point, I had a calling as the ward Activities Chair. It was one of the more daunting callings I have had, particularly because I have never fancied myself much of a party planner. I wasn’t much of a party person at all! But here I was, with the responsibility to plan parties for my congregation. (I should note that this was evidence that it very often is not natural talent that is the determining factor in what callings are extended to us in the Church.) I had no co-chair to help carry the load, and I had no husband with whom to brainstorm at home.

But I learned that I was not working alone.

My first assignment was to plan a Halloween party, one that could appeal to all age groups. (That’s never an easy task.)

I felt ideas come freely to my mind. As strange as it may sound — I mean, after all, it was only a Halloween party — it was clear the ideas were the fruits of inspiration because of how easily thoughts flowed and fit. We would have a carnival-like activity with different booths. The youth would be responsible for the booths, so they could feel needed and involved. The children would be encouraged to do service during the week to earn ‘Boo Bucks’ to spend at the event. (No one went without bucks to spend.) New members of the ward, recently baptized into the Church, would be given responsibilities to help and to feel a part of it all.

It all just worked. The party was a success, and I think everyone found it enjoyable.

Life is often pretty challenging and complex. God’s hand isn’t always as easy to see as it was during this time. But a lifetime of experiences, even moments, like this one help me hold on and have faith that God really is  there. He is aware of me. He is helping me. He cares about my life and my load.

What experience(s) have helped strengthen your faith in God’s awareness of you?

——-

For more Sharing Our Voices content, including First Person essays, see here.

The post First Person: Halloween Help appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

I am a deep sleeper. I know as a mother, that is usually an oxymoron. Mothers are typically not the deep sleepers. Mothers will wake at the sound of a slight cough, while fathers will sleep through the earthquakes and thunderstorms.

It hasn’t always been this way for me. When my babies were small, all it took was a little stirring in the newborn crib, and I was up, rushing to their side. If someone so much as sighed in their sleep, it woke me up.

Not so much anymore.

I find that when my head hits the pillow, I am OUT. I often barely wake as the Husband is heading out the door for early morning flights or going into the office (a fact which does annoy him to no end). I love my sleep. I NEED my sleep.

Me and the sunrise? Not good friends. We’ve never actually met.

And it is that fact which makes this experience all the more amazing to me.

Last night, probably around two or three in the morning, I sat bolt upright in bed. I was awake and conscious, but was not sure what had woken me up. I then felt the strong need to go into my boys’ bedroom.

There, in the middle of my two sleeping sons, I saw that their lamp was on, and the shade was tilted, resting on the hot light bulb. There was smoke rising from the lamp, as the heat from the light was burning a hole in the side of the lampshade. I immediately went over and pulled the smoldering shade off, and unplugged the lamp. Not even recognizing the significance then, I went back to bed. Even as I crawled back under the covers, the what-ifs still had not hit me. Like a lug, I was back to sleep in an instant.

It was only when my eyes first opened this morning that I realized and thought about what might have been. What could have happened, had I not been pulled from a deep sleep, and directed into their room. Today, in the light of day, I have a pit in my stomach as my imagination has run wild with the horrible what-ifs.

I know that lamp was off when we went to bed. We always tuck the kids in, turn off their lights, and pry books out from under their heavy arms. Always. The only thing I can think of is that one of the boys must have gotten up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, and turned on the bedside lamp in the process.

So, why did I wake up? There were no smoke alarms going off, no bright lights in my eyes. No noise from stumbling kids. Why?

Well, I’m a dummy if I don’t know why.

I do know why.

My Heavenly Father woke me up, directed me to their bedroom, and helped prevent anything bad from happening to my sweet boys.

Simple as that.

What isn’t so simple is why sometimes bad things happen without such intervention. I can’t answer all those whys. But still, I cannot deny the overwhelming feeling of love and protection that I had in my heart after this experience. In this great big world of ours, Someone is aware of me. Someone is aware of my family. Someone is watching over us. He really is. Even in the middle of the night, when a simple lamp shade is turned too far the wrong way.

This experience awakened much in me, things I sometimes forget. I am grateful. I am grateful to remember that God loves me. That He is aware of me. He is watching over me, and my sleeping angels. Even though I swear sometimes. Even though sometimes I complain about having to go to church on really pretty Sunday afternoons. Even though I get annoyed with my kids. Even though sometimes I tuck my spirituality away, and pretend it’s not there. He still loves me. He still loves us.

I just wanted to share that with you, in case, like me, you had forgotten, too.

—–

For more First Person posts, please click here.

The post First Person: An Awakening appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.