Hear Me Roar

As I sat here today trying to decide what to do with my day off work I thought of a million things I could do. Than I thought of a million things I should do and million more things I wish I could do. Well tomorrow is institute class and because of my work schedule I won't be able to go. For those of you who do not know about institute it is a class for adults held once a week that is based on the scriptures. This year we are learning from The Book of Mormon. My friend Jenny Denton teaches it and to be honest I never had the desire to attend such a class. As I received my calling to be the Young Women's president in my ward (a leader over girls in my ward ages 12-18) and calls were extended to my counselors one of them talked me into attending institute with her. O.K. can I tell you it was amazing. I was excited to learn and the way Jenny teaches keeps my attention. I told Bret it was my new Sunday school cause I tend to visit and wander the halls during that hour of the block. Last week Jenny encouraged us to read a talk by Julie Beck (link) and now I figured out what I need to be doing with my day off.

Reading is a favorite pastime of mine and it either takes me on a journey or it teaches me new things. Today I learned....

I (since my new calling) have had so many times of feeling inadequate to be able to fulfill my calling as a leader of these girls. I have a great love for the youth. I had a friend once tell me I have a way with teenagers and that they tend to like me. I raised 3 adult children with 2 more to go and my older kids and I got along during their teenage years. They never went through that stage where they hated me and for the most part we got along and were friends. I think I did a good job with them. I hope I can teach the girls I have stewardship over to love their parents, love the Lord, and have a desire to do what is right.

I need to be that lioness that Sister Beck talks about. To safeguard my home and make it a Heaven here on earth. I need to use my time more wisely. I have learned a lot of things lately and one of them is to be humble and to rely on the Lord. I need to follow His promptings to to the things that come to my mind even if they seem out of sorts at the time. Like if I get the impression to take someone a plate of cookies I need to just do it. Not question it. They could need that extra love that day, or they could not need it at all but on my way to deliver them I could find my real reason for doing that act of service. Jenny reminded me of a story I had forgotten. A while back Bret was driving home from work, like we all do when we drive a certain route every day, he was on auto pilot. He had the feeling that he should turn down a street and go into a neighborhood rather than wait at a light. He went down that street not thinking anything of it and as he traveled down that side street he found a little girl on the side of the road wearing nothing but a diaper. He stopped to pick her up and realized it was Jenny's little girl. He returned her home safe and sound. If he hadn't followed his prompting to take that side street the story could have had a tragic ending. We need to be listening for His whisperings and we need to act upon them. We need to do the things in our daily life to keep our minds clear to hear Him. As a mom I need to do better to look for opportunities to teach my children, to make my family eternal. To have the strength of a lion.