.: Just Do It

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Just Do It

I wanted to post this 2 weeks ago, but just as I was about to we had yet another problem with our Internet and only got it fixed last night.

Previously written;

The lesson in RS this week was Obedience and I was asked to teach it.

Having very little confidence in myself in front of others, I expected myself to be a complete nervous wreck beforehand, but instead I felt calm and relaxed.

I realized that the more I learned and studied the topic during the week, my testimony of Obedience grew. As my testimony and knowledge grew the more at peace I felt to teach.

Interestingly enough, I really had to discipline myself during the week to devote my spare time to my lesson. I have little spare time these days, but with the time I had, I badly wanted to keep writing posts for my blog since I was finally on a roll. I also had strong urges to vacuum the living room, get draws cleaned out, wash bed sheets that were well over due, etc, etc. In fact, the things I wanted to do kept growing so much that I had to write a list to stick on the fridge; bake muffins for school lunches, buy new pants for Noah, take a photo of Juliet in blessing gown, write a thank you card for the Young family….. I was beginning to wonder why all these things - during this particular week - kept coming in to my mind.

Now that my lesson is over, I realize that those urges (you could also call them temptations) was just Satan knocking at my door wanting me to be unprepared, stressed and nervous. If I had done all those things there is no way I would have been spiritually prepared for my lesson.

And now that my lesson is over and I have my free time back the bed sheets, muffins and living room floor don’t seem that important after all. My motivation is gone!

When I got the phone call asking me to teach I couldn't give an answer straight away. I ‘ummed and arred’ so much on the phone that the RS counsellor told me to call back with a decision in a couple of days. During that couple of days I was extremely close to saying no. I rationalized and felt I had some pretty good reasons as to why I should opt out;
“I don’t have enough time, I have my hands full taking care of the kids.
I have a huge fear of speaking in front of people, so much so that I can’t even make comments during RS lessons. I need to take baby steps and start with making comments first.
I’m not spiritual enough to teach others. I feel too inadequate compared to many of the sisters in our ward. Many of them are very spiritual with a great knowledge of the gospel.
The teachers that are assigned to teach on a regular basis have a real natural ability to teach and they have a gift at speaking from the heart...I definitely don’t.”

I knew exactly why I was going to say ‘no’ but at the last minute I felt I couldn't let the counsellor down, and I knew that taking the easy way out was letting myself down too. Now I realize that had I said 'no' I would still be in the same spiritual place I was a week ago. But because I said yes I grew, and little did I know at the time, the topic was exactly what I needed to focus on for a few days. God really does prepare a way in all things, no matter what the command may be...from the tiny opportunity to teach a lesson or give a talk, to the huge opportunity of being a President or Bishop.

I really like the following quotes on Obedience...something to remember and ponder during the week;

Obedience is a powerful spiritual medicine. It comes close to being a cure-all.Boyd K. Packer

The greatest single lesson we can learn in mortality is that when God speaks and a man obeys, that man will always be right.Thomas S. Monson

I made this my rule, “When the Lord commands, do it.”Joseph Smith

Obedience – that which God will never take by force – he will accept when freely given. And he will then return to you freedom that you can hardly dream of – the freedom to feel and know, the freedom to do, and the freedom to be, at least a thousand fold more than we offer him. Strangely enough, the key to freedom is obedience.Boyd K. Packer

Whatever God requires is right, no matter what it is, although we may not see the reason thereof until all of the events transpire.
Joseph Smith

There are many areas in my life and principles of the gospel that I need to be a lot more Obedient with. After studying for this lesson Joseph Smiths plain and simple words are forever in my mind 'JUST DO IT'. I particularly love what Boyd Packer said in reference to Obedience, that it is the key to freedom. And yet we so often think the opposite, that being obedient (going to church for 3 hours, giving up our time to read scriptures, owning up to a mistake, paying tithing etc) means loosing our freedom.
As I said, I have many areas of obedience to work on, but as a sister pointed out towards the end of my lesson I was obedient to accepting the call to teach and that's a good start!

3 comments:

I'm the Mommy, That's Why! said...: Thank you for that wonderful post. It is SO true! I feel like that so often. I'm sure you did an awesome job!; July 21, 2011 at 1:23 AM
Grandma's Cookie Jar said...: Loved your post! You are a righteous daughter of God! You ARE spiritual! You are an awesome mother! I wish I could have heard your lesson. I know it as probably wonderful! You are wonderful! Love ya! ♥; July 21, 2011 at 3:35 AM
Anonymous said...: Wow good on you loretta x thanks for sharing that.
Julia; December 4, 2011 at 10:47 PM

Funny Comments

Ashton walking into the supermarket quietly whispers to himself: "Please can I have macaroni and cheese, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

Ashton: "I want to live with Jesus." Mummy: "Why?" Ashton: "Because he be nice to me and he gives me bread and water!"

Mummy, examining Ashton's legs, and thinking: My goodness, what hairy legs. Ashton, unimpressed with Mummy's examination, pulls away: "Don't touch them. I'm growing Daddy legs!"

Hayden gets upset at Ashton: "Right Ashton, that's it! I'm telling Jesus on you!"

Ashton with a cold: "I'm snotty as a piggy."

Hayden: "The sun is burning my eyeballs."

Hayden: "Mummy, how come your penis is missing?"

Hayden: "I get the bigger piece of cake because my skeleton is bigger."

Hayden (3yrs old) sees me get dressed in the morning and stares at my breasts with a confused look..."What thooooose be for???"

Hayden: "I don't want to finish my pizza, it's got blood all over it."

Hayden: "Ashton hit me in the heart."

Hayden learns the planets at Preschool: Mercury, Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Penus!

Hayden (shopping with me and whining): "My brain hurts forever because you haven't buyed me anything."

QUOTES

Like the changing leaves of fall...My little boy is now a man.
--Author Unknown

Boys are God's way of telling you that your house is too neat!
--Author Unknown

There never has been, nor will there ever be, anything quite so special as the love between a mother and a son.
--Author Unknown

Boys are found everywhere - on top of, underneath, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around or jumping to. Mothers love them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers tolerate them, adults ignore them and Heaven protects them. A boy is Truth with dirt on its face, Beauty with a cut on its finger, Wisdom with bubble gum in its hair and the Hope of the future with a frog in its pocket.
--Alan Marshall Beck

Something For A Giggle....

I Owe My Mother ....

My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE. "If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

My mother taught me RELIGION. "You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL. "If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

My mother taught me LOGIC. " Because I said so, that's why."

My mother taught me MORE LOGIC. "If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

My mother taught me FORESIGHT. "Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

My mother taught me IRONY. "Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS. "Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM. "Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

My mother taught me about STAMINA. "You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

My mother taught me about WEATHER. "This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY. "If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE. "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION. "Stop acting like your father!"

My mother taught me about ENVY. "There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION. "Just wait until we get home."

My mother taught me about RECEIVING. "You are going to get it when you get home!"

My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE. "If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way."

My mother taught me ESP. "Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

My mother taught me HUMOR. "When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT. "If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

My mother taught me GENETICS. "You're just like your father."

My mother taught me about my ROOTS. "Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

My mother taught me WISDOM. "When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

My mother taught me about JUSTICE. "One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!