Eternal Life or Bust!

President Henry B. Eyring: “Because our Father loves his children, he will not leave us to guess about what matters most in this life concerning where our attention could bring happiness or our indifference bring sadness.

That feeling can come because what our Heavenly Father and his Son Jesus Christ want for us is to become like them so that we can dwell with them forever, in families. We know that from this simple statement of their intent: “This is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).

We must have the goal not just in our minds but in our hearts. What we want is eternal life in families. We don’t just want it if that is what works out, nor do we want something approaching eternal life. We want eternal life, whatever its cost in effort, pain, and sacrifice.” (The Family, BYU Address, 5 November 1995)

 

C. S. Lewis remarked, “For God is not merely mending, not simply restoring a status quo. Redeemed humanity is to be something more glorious than unfallen humanity would have been, more glorious than any unfallen race now is. . . . And this super-added glory will, with true vicariousness, exalt all creatures.”

4 Powerful Lessons Learned from Children

I have been privileged to meet and spend time with children around the world. As I have traveled and met many different children I have learned great lessons from them.

The scriptures teach “and a little one shall lead them…”  It is a common theological ideal found in many ancient forms of writing from Oriental writers to Greek and Roman. It is found throughout history and throughout the world because it is true.

A few lessons I have learned from the children I have met on my many travels are these:

1. “Bless that we will love everyone wherever we go” a thoughtful prayer uttered by a 10 year old boy in Cambodia. If only adults and political leaders could follow this boy’s example there might be peace throughout the world. What a sweet and simple, yet powerful, prayer to express each day. The Savior said “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” (John 13:34)  It’s all about love; loving everyone wherever we go.

2.  “My name is Pasco” announced the gentle 11 year old boy in the Philippines. He lived in absolute poverty, his name was Michael Luis but they called him Pasco. Now, that is only significant if you know what Pasco means. Pasco means Christmas. What an amazing lesson to be learned from such a young, impoverished boy. Pasco, who had nothing of his own, somehow managed to always have little gifts for his friends and family.  So much so that he earned himself the nickname of Pasco. He was always giving. He is charity in action.

3. I learned a heartwarming lesson from a sweet 3 year old girl in Mongolia. When we arrived she was very shy and clung tightly to her mother. We got busy and began visiting with the family and taking photographs. Slowly but surely she started to warm up. At one point, I was in the bedroom setting up for the next shot. I wanted to photograph the three sisters. All of a sudden, sweet little Yuki climbed onto my lap. It didn’t matter anymore that I was from America. It didn’t matter that I, at 5’8” with long blonde hair, looked completely different than her mother, or any other woman she knew, for that matter. She now realized I was warm and kind. I was a mother too and I could love her. A mother’s love and kindness breaks through boundaries, it crosses boarders and it speaks every language.

4. The darling Ho boys: Mao and Wang from Hong Kong taught me another lesson. Even if you traveled the whole world over you couldn’t find cuter boys than these two brothers. After spending several hours with this wonderful family these boys decided they really liked us. We were sitting around the table and they were hiding underneath. They would hide, then sneakily peak their heads out and shout “Boo!” We would act surprised and giggle. They would fall back under the table laughing hysterically. Over and over “Boo!” hee hee hee hee!  “Boo!” ha ha ha ha!  I’ve come to truly appreciate that children are the same wherever we go. They play and laugh and giggle just like other children. All children like to be happy. All children want to be happy. And all children, if surrounded by a loving family, are happy no matter where they live.

The Savior commanded, “Suffer the little children to come unto me.” (Mark 10:14) He knew the sweet innocent children were really the most worthy to be in His presence. As I traveled and met these sweet children around the world I was reminded why the Savior loved the children so. No matter where they were they taught me beautiful lessons. They reminded me what is most important in this world. It doesn’t matter where we live, the color of our skin, or the language we speak. We are all children of God. And children are kind & generous, humble & teachable. This is why the Lord said, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 18:3)

Gentle Hands

With Mother's Day approaching this is dedicated to my Mother. She is a small woman, standing just 5’3”. But her soul is large and her heart enormous! I sometimes wonder how it all fits into her cute little body. J She serves quietly, diligently, and tirelessly behind the scenes. I once heard someone say that God will just look at our hands and be able to tell the kind of person we are.

One of my favorite quotes from Sister Marjorie Hinckley describes my mother perfectly. Sister Hinckley said, ““I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived.” That is my Mom!

My Mother will go to heaven with beautifully worn out hands! She’ll have scars from needle pokes and pricks as she mends torn clothes and sews brand new ones. She’ll surely have flour and dough stuck to her fingers from all the delicious homemade bread and sweet rolls she bakes. Her hands will be worn from the many years of serving others; cleaning, working, washing, fixing. Mostly, they will be soft, warm hands from all the love and giving.

 Gentle Hands

By: Kristen Rhead Sweeney

Gentle hands always serving

Working, Weeding, Sewing, Stirring

Never shouting words of fame

No awards, applause, acclaim

But still Serving, Loving, Working...

just the same

Gentle hands always Giving

Mending, Kneading, Helping, Healing

Never shouting words of fame

No awards, applause, acclaim

Bit still Playing, Sharing, Feeling…

Just the same

Eternal Families

The subject of family - Eternal Families - and covenants are my favorite subjects.  

The Family Proclamation declares, “The family is ordained of God,” and “it is the most important unit in time and in eternity.” I believe that in my very heart and soul.

Follow this link to see the entire Family Proclamation to the World:

https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation?lang=eng&cid=PA0414-02

Our greatest joys are truly found within the family. And the greatest blessings and promises available to our families are found in the temple. The Lord explained this very clearly to the Saints in the early years of the restoration as they too were commanded to build temples. He said “ye should go to the Ohio; and there I will give unto you my law; and there you shall be endowed with power from on high.” I love that. The early Saints didn’t exactly know what that meant; they just knew they needed to get to Ohio. There is a great parallel for us. Someone may not exactly know or understand what blessings await them in the temple, but, if they can be faithful and diligent, like the early saints and get to Ohio(or to the temple), they will find out! Like the early Saints we can discover the powerful blessings of the temple. I love the idea of being “endowed with power from on high”. It is humbling, but it is also enlightening and literally empowering.

Elder Todd D. Christofferson said “What is the source of such moral and spiritual power, and how do we obtain it? The source is God. Our access to that power is through our covenants with Him.” (Conference, April 2009) It is in the temple that we make those most holy and sacred covenants. If I make the effort to go to the temple often and if we teach our children and help them to go to the temple as well, we truly will be blessed with “power from on high.”

As a family we had the most amazing and sacred experience just a few months ago as we experienced being endowed with “power from on high.” My youngest daughter was married in the temple and all five of my children and their spouses were in attendance, as well as parents, grandparents and aunts & uncles. My heart was full to overflowing with love and gratitude. How thankful I am for families, for temples and for sacred covenants that seal us for eternity.