If You Judge People You Have No Time to Love Them

Tonight was the General Relief Society Broadcast. It happens once every other year, always the weekend before General Conference. I always look forward to it.

For those of you who don't know, the Relief Society is an all woman's organization. It's actually the largest woman's organization in the world. It stretches across the world in over 170 nations. It is affiliated, and is part of the religious practice, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons). It's amazing.

During this broadcast we are able to hear from the Prophet on the earth today. As of now, this is Thomas S. Monson. He spoke on charity tonight. He shared this quote from Mother Teresa, which is now the title of this blog:

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them"

It struck me in about five different ways all at once. I am speaking of just one at this time.

We have to love. It is a necessity and a natural instinct for all women, everywhere. A thought crossed my mind as I pondered this...we have to love ourselves. If we don't realize who we are and what we are sent here to do it is impossible for us to fulfill the mission we have been given to be charitable. We, in order to be filled with compassion, have to know the love our Savior has for us. After all, charity is the pure love of Christ.

Charity Never Faileth.

That's the Relief Society's theme. It's kind of a loaded sentence. President Monson said that Charity, to him, is the opposite of criticism and judgment. We, as humans, judge and criticize mercilessly. We view different as bad, obnoxious, annoying, etc. We see others as less than or more than ourselves. Yet, these judgments we make in our minds on a daily basis are some of the most incorrect assumptions on the face of the planet. They are only what we create in our own minds. We each see the world around us in completely different lights. Our reality is not the next persons. We are all different.

He shared a story, a true story, about a woman who had a boarding house across from a hospital. She used to keep outpatients there. One night an elderly man with a swollen, red face came to her door. Her rooms were all filled. She spoke with the man, he had been looking for a room since noon that day. He had been turned away by all others. He offered to even sleep in a rocking chair. Her husband set him up a cot. He left the next morning, refusing breakfast, thanking them for their kindness. Throughout the years of his treatment for his face, he came back to the inn and stayed, each time bringing a gift. Sometimes he would send them packages with gifts for their kindness to him. A neighbor, who had turned the man away, told the woman she was most likely losing business by letting people who looked like him in. The woman just thought to herself, if they only knew him.

It's what is inside each of us that counts. Nobody but God Himself knows what is truly in us. Let Him be the judge.

Have charity...it never faileth.

Her Eyes Met Mine, and I've Never Seen Such Windows Into Heaven

Have you ever had the opportunity to sit and look into a newborn baby's eyes?

I've had a lot on my mind lately and came home from a long commute of thinking about all the things that I had been avoiding the whole day in order to keep it together at work. I was expecting to go to a ward activity with a good friend of mine and instead I walked into a home with two rambunctious toddlers, a decently content newborn, and one very sick Sister-in-law. Sara sat down to take her temperature and it was a whopping 102, which for a nursing mom is never good...never really good for anyone. She sat up awhile, I got a pizza for dinner, and then I took the baby and sent her to bed.

After wrangling the older two and having scriptures and prayers and getting ready for bed and singing songs and getting cups...I was sitting quietly rocking the newborn, Kaylee, and enjoying the most peace that I had in weeks. She was hungry, I gave her a bottle, she finished it off and as I pulled it away her eyes met mine. Usually newborns' eyes don't really have a lot to say. They just aren't that expressive at two weeks old. But, tonight it was different. Her eyes met mine and I've never seen such windows to Heaven before. It was as if I could see the excitement, the love, the happiness, the joy and any other emotion you could possibly think of being there, and it all came from that tiny baby's eyes.

I sat there with her staring at me, me staring back at her, for a few minutes. I felt more love from that little Kaylee girl than I have from anyone or anywhere for a long while.

The words of Amazing Grace come to mind when I think of how I might express the feelings which flooded over me in those few moments. "I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind, but now I see".

There is a Heaven. In that Heaven there is a Father and His Son. They love us more than we will ever comprehend. They are perfect, in Them we can become such,and only in Them. It is our choice to turn towards or away from them. Sometimes that choice as simple as it always is, seems as if it may be the hardest decision we will ever have to face. All I know is that life is hard no matter what we choose. If we choose to do it with Him, sometimes we get fleeting moments where we are on top of the world and we realize that although it is hard, it is right. If we choose to turn away we fall. This fall is always easy, always long, and always hurts in the end no matter the thrill that comes on the way down.

I am Yours

So, I came home from work the other day and my niece, Aurora, who is two years old, climbed in my lap and looked up at me with her big blue eyes and said, "Many I your squishy". This, if you know her, is what she says almost every day when I walk in the door from work. It's a nickname I gave her when she was a newborn because her cheeks were so big! I looked back down at her and said, "yes, you are my squishy, and I love you!" She then pulled out the book, 'You are Special'.

I read it to her. Most of you are familiar with the story. A wooden doll doesn't realize his potential or value or worth because nobody around him does. He goes to see the wood worker, his maker, and realizes that he is special because he was made by this wood worker.

The application to the gospel is obvious, but sometimes the most obvious things in life sometimes get overlooked the most. Plenty of people prove this every day.

I had tears in my eyes as I read the line, "you are special, because you are mine". How many times does our Father in Heaven tell us this throughout the scriptures? Throughout our days? Through those around us?

I began to think of the worth I am told I possess. I pondered on how incomprehensible the love my God has for me. He is my FATHER. I am HIS. How amazing is that?

I watch the way my parents love me, and care for me, and are concerned for me. It never ceases to amaze me that after all the wretched things I have done to them, they still love me as if I were perfect. They guide me at 25 almost more than they did at 2. They are there when I'm happy, sad, frustrated, and any emotion in between. They are righteous, kind, and loving parents. I watch them do this and then realize that there is a Father I have who loves me even more fully, even more intensely. I cannot fully grasp it. Yet, even the thought of it literally brings tears to my eyes.

I am special because I am HIS.

There will most likely be more on this thought to come. Just had to get this much out on 'paper'.

Inspired People

Can I just say how incredibly thankful I am to have so many wonderfully inspired people around me?

Not gonna lie, this week has been a doozy. I'm not going to go into detail about why it was that way, don't feel like explaining it. I will tell you about how our God is an awesome God and how He puts people in our paths continually!

I got a blessing because of this doozy of a week and had two wonderful friends there to support me in a time of need. Since one of these friends is an amazing and worthy priesthood holder, he was able to give said blessing to me. The words which came out of his mouth are words only my Heavenly Father could speak to me. Those are the words that started my head thinking clearly again and helping me see the people Father has put in my path.

I know that there are many ways our Father can speak to us. He seems to either knock me upside my head with a giant club of some sort or He just lets me do my own thing and nods his head quietly in the corner as I move around the room eventually finding the spot where He wanted me to be in the first place. He's been nodding a lot lately, unfortunately I've been wandering a lot more than normal. This is where the inspired people come into play. Everywhere I turn there is a person in my day that normally wouldn't be there. Oddly enough these people have spoken to my heart more than they will ever know.

Example 1: My aunt calls me up out of the blue late last night. She had read my previous post and told me her opinion on it. I value her opinion very much. She is one of those people I utterly admire. She helped me think clearly about myself and about my thoughts. She boosted my confidence and roweled up my spirits. Her words were exactly what I needed to hear but had no clue that I needed them until I heard them. I don't normally have late night phone conversations with my aunt, this one was inspired.

Example 2: I had a niece born today. Her name is Kaylee and she is a beautiful, healthy baby at her 8 lbs 9 oz weight. Because of this miracle taking place I came home to my other niece and nephew being taken care of by their grandma. She's my brother's mother-in-law...kind of an odd person to have a personal conversation with. She's been through a lot in life. She hasn't done everything perfectly, but she has done her best. She was able to relate to a lot of things going through my mind right now and help me gain clarity. Yet again, odd person to have a deep, personal conversation with, but it was inspired.

Example 3: One of my cousins, who is the same age as I, talked to her mom, said aunt, and decided to call. She also spoke words of comfort to me. She was able to logically think through much of what is going on and yet still emotionally feel for me. This was an early morning phone conversation. I don't normally pick up my phone in the morning. Yet again, this was inspired.

These are just the examples that I have off the top of my head. Throughout my life there have been many individuals placed in my path who have been able to help me along my wandering ways. I still haven't quite reached that spot that my Father has waiting for me, but I believe I am closer because of these people. I'm at least facing the right direction now.

I love inspired people, thank you for listening to Father.

How Can I Help You Understand?

All little girls dream of a day when they are swept off their feet in their own unique way and ride off into the sunset to live happily ever after with their "prince". Some little girls get their dream exactly the way they planned it. Others get surprise after surprise through life until their dream molds into something completely different than what they first saw. I am one of those little girls, my dreams have molded to fit what my life has become.

My dreams have changed many times throughout the years. Finally they came to a stand still. I realized that I would never be able to pin point what my dream was going to be, what was going to really make me the happiest that I could possibly be.

This is where it gets cheesy, but it's needed. You have helped me see that dream. You've helped me recognize what my dream was all along, to be loved. To be loved by someone who is more wonderful than they themselves could ever know, or imagine. I have always dreamed of walking next to a man who knows exactly how to let me be me and how to help me become better than before at the same time. I want to have the chance to help someone reach the potential they have. Someone who I can confide in without apprehension. A person that is willing to give of himself to anyone and everyone who needs him. He has the desire to serve continually and to love unconditionally. A partner in everything I do.

I know you have things about you that you tell me I've never seen. There are sides of you I should be terrified of. The thing is that those sides are in every person. Those things, although they may be unique to you in your situation, would come with anyone. If it wasn't your issues it would be something else with someone else. It'd be a hidden pornography problem, an open infidelity issue, an alcohol problem, not respecting leaders, not having a desire to do what's good and right. The thing is that for every person who seems to be that prince charming there will always be a darker, more realistic side to him, always.

I've chosen to see where you and me go together. I've chosen to see that darker side of you when it comes out and to stand by and see if the brighter side of me can help you pull out of the darker side of you. I'm hoping that you can do the same for me.

I'm not a perfect, nor will I be here and now. I have many faults of my own. Mine might not be as visible as others. They might take more than a couple of weeks to unravel and to show. These issues of mine can be just as detrimental to my health, my relationships, my progression, etc. as yours are to you. Just because they aren't visible doesn't mean they aren't there.

I knew what the snake was when I picked it up my love, I'm just hoping that it isn't as venomous as it thinks it is.

Hopefully this makes a little bit of sense, I never know if it will as I write with more emotion than logic.

In my head and in my heart all I know is that I love you. I love you and that is about the only thing that has made sense in my life for the past two years. It makes more sense the longer I feel it.