Good evening sisters, what a wonderful Sacrament Meeting we enjoyed today. The Spirit certainly was in attendance.
THOUGHT: “Do you read the Scriptures, my brethren and sisters as though you were writing them a thousand, two thousand, or five thousand years ago? Do you read them as though you stood in the place of the men who wrote them? If you do not feel thus, it is your privilege to do so, that you may be as familiar with the spirit and meaning of the written word of God as you are with your daily walk and conversation. Elder L. Tom Perry
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- Stake Woman's Basketball: Which would you prefer – Wed., 9:30 am or Thurs. 8:30 pm?
- Monday, December 5 at 6:30 pm. at the Moons. Empty Nesters annual Christmas potluck dinner party. Everyone should bring a “fun” white elephant gift. All that are planning to attend, please RSVP with Karen Moon. Any questions, call the Plothows 801-763-1962.
- Scouts: Pack Meeting has been changed to Tuesday, December 13 at 7 pm.
- We are in need of Chocolate Fountains for the ward Christmas Party. We will be having Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate and White Chocolate. Contact Amy Waldron at waldrona@byu.net or 801-215-4844.
- Ward Christmas Party Reminders
- PLEASE FEED YOUR FAMILY A NUTRITIOUS MEAL BEFORE YOU COME!
- (It will balance out the divine yummy treats we will serve at the party!)
- By today (Dec 4th) - please send photos of ward members/recent activities to James Jensen, at: jimason3d@gmail.com.
- Don't forget to wear your comfy flannel or Christmas PJ's, robe, Santa hat, slippers, or leisure suit.
- You don't need to bring your ticket to the party – you'll get a “GOLDEN TICKET” there!
- When you arrive, please enter on the East (stake) side; that is where you board the train.
- PLEASE BRING to the party: (if you can...but if you can't, or forget - no stress!)
- An unwrapped toy for a needy child on the Indian reservations (for any age).
- A plate or bowl of something you can dip into a chocolate fountain – Google for ideas!
- For those helping, contact your team leader about set up and pre-party prep.
- With nearly 100 ward members & youth helping, this party can't help but be FABULOUS!
- THANK YOU – for your time, creativity, and talents...what an amazing ward we have!
We will begin setting up for the Party at 10:30 am. On Saturday. Contact your team leader as to when you need to be there.
6. On December 15th at 7-8:30 pm at Sarah Heiner's home, the Genealogy Group will be preparing Pedigree Charts as Christmas gifts. Bring information for 3 or 5 generation, family group sheets, etc. Anyone is welcomed to attend.
7. Sisters, please make sure you turn in all your receipts before the end of the year. You will need to go to the clerk's office and get and fill out a Reimbursement sheet; attach your receipts and turn them in to Lupe Lee.
Today's message was presented by Amy Smart.
I love it when the room is pretty mulch filled up. I have had profound as to what I should talk about, and have found a lot of information but like always am relying on you to what we will talk about. My thoughts are taken from President Uchtdorf's address to the sisters at the Women's Broadcast. I would like to share a personal experience with you. Eight years ago when I was pregnant with Spencer, we were living in a two-bedroom Town hose and we desperately needed a new and bigger home. I had the blessing of having a friend whose sister-in-law and her husband were selling their home. The problem was that the sister-in-law was very picky about who they would sell their home to. She was expecting her 10th child and needed a bigger home. We were the recipients of that blessing. Valarie ( the sister-in-law of my friend) was an amazing person so I felt the weight of having to become her. I felt I needed to be like her and therefore became very discouraged. Some of the neighbors had health needs and emotional needs and Valarie had carried their needs. I should do more and I felt the weight. I would apologized, saying I'm sorry I'm not like Valarie, I said to the Bishop. One day as I was talking to my fired, I heard her said something about one of Valarie's children. Say that again, I said to her, she's not perfect. I had been comparing myself to her. It was a powerful learning experience for me. I realized that the Lord had things for me to do and it was not necessarily the same things he had for Valarie to do. I have recently been reading a book by Sister Virginia Pierce. Through His Eyes, rethinking what you believe of yourself. There is a story of a missionary who gets a new companion who can ride his bike without using his hands on the handle bars. His thoughts were that this companion would become the greatest missionary ever and that he could never be like that. We always seem to think that others are perfect and that we can never be.
Let's read some of the words of President Uchtdorf:
“I want to tell you something that I hope you will take in the right way: God is fully aware that you and I are not perfect. Let me add: God is also fully aware that the people you think are perfect are not. And yet we spend so much time and energy comparing ourselves to others—usually comparing our weaknesses to their strengths. This drives us to create expectations for ourselves that are impossible to meet. As a result, we never celebrate our good efforts because they seem to be less than what someone else does. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. It's wonderful that you have strengths. And it is part of your mortal experience that you do have weaknesses. He wants to help us to eventually turn all of our weaknesses into strengths, but He knows that this is a long-term goal. He wants us to become perfect, and if we stay on the path of discipleship, one day we will. It's OK that you're not quite there yet. Keep working on it, but stop punishing yourself. Dear sisters, man of yo are endlessly compassionate and patient with the weaknesses of others. Please remember also to be compassionate and patient with yourself.”
Any thoughts?
Janet: I came to this theory and it's been very liberating. I read that most people are in the upper half in driving ability. Someone has to be in the lower half of driving and so it released my burden. I can drive however I want to because someone has to be in the lower half. I now apply this theory to all expects of my life.
We do need to accept that we have weaknesses.
Luone: We tend to compare our weakness to the strengths of others. We neglect to look at our own strengths. We list sisters from A to Z and pick out an amazing strength of each of them and then we expect to be the best of everybody in the ward. We do not see behind the scene. We need to built our weakness into strengths. The sisters in our ward may be dealing with something. We need to be more patient with ourselves and others.
Michelle C: I gave a lesson in Young Women on Charity and learned that I need to be more charitable to my self and not just to others. We tend to punish and berate ourselves. It is sad that in our micro culture we do that to each other. There is more depression, more plastic surgery. Why here? We tend to focus on the passing things instead of those important things. We need to be diligent. October's visiting teaching message mentioned 3 or 4 things we can do to be better. It changes everything if we focus on the priorities, if we put our energy on those important things.
Yes, the visiting message was specific in keeping our covenants. It is a liberating thought. Believe our covenants are something we can keep.
Megan: My visiting teachers brought me a message on a card. “When we honor our covenants, Heavenly Father can prepare the way for us. We are to live our covenants with precision. We can, for example, be precise in praying, in studying the scriptures, in holding a current temple recommend, in dressing modestly, in honoring the Sabbath. As we do so, our children will know and be able to say, “We do not doubt our mothers knew it.”
It is doable. Baby steps.
Lynette: I attended a conference once and the gentleman who was presenting the message said that he too put on his pants one leg at a time. We all have similarities, but we do have to be careful when we criticize ourselves because we are
God's handiwork. We are here to learn.
God's handiwork. We are here to learn.
Holly: We are not like the General Authorities. I recall how the Lord compared people to trees bringing fruits. He never said one tree was better than the others. As long as I can bring fruits that I am capable of bringing, that's all he requires of me.
I was inspired by Lupe's story of finding who she was. Not who she should be like. God created each one of us. I am reminded of Shanae's story of when she was on her mission and how she came to the point of praying who the Lord wanted her to become.
Amy W: I have several favorite places in the scriptures that I like to turn to; It is 1 Corinthians chapter 12. It is talking about spiritual gifts. The church is all one part. We feel we are independent and can do it all by ourselves. We see ourselves indecent like an island. “And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given moe abundant honour to that part which lacked:” Maybe I'm just like the gall bladder. We are so different if we look at he individual, but together we can do much.
Thank you Amy. I love that. In a Relief Society meeting of the early church, the sisters contributed what they could. One said she would collect wool, etc for the purpose of forwarding the work. Another would donate material that others maybe employed., others would go out and solicit donations, etc. In one Relief Society meeting, the Prophet Joseph discussed chapter 12 of the book of 1 Corinthians, emphasizing that each sister, fulfilling her own role, was important to the entire Church. He gave “instructions respecting the different office and the necessity of every individual acting in the sphere allotted him or her; ;and filling the several offices to which they were appointed.” He also warned against the disposition to “consider the lower offices in the Church dishonorable and to look with jealous eyes upon the standing of others.” This, he said, “was the nonsense of the human heart, for a person to be aspiring to other stations than appointed of God.” This applies not just in the Church, but also in our communities.
Amy W: I am feeling like a feeble part. My thought would be which sister might be able to help me. Where can I learn, who can I go to for help?
There are points in our lives, when someone is strong and some are weak, but the roles will change. We need to be caring, lifting others. There are many roles women play. The thought is so beautiful, that each offers different things. We need to see ourselves in the same light. Each, makes a contribution. I encourage yo to read this inspiring book: Daughters in my Kingdom. The church has changed so much since Nauvoo, but the offerings are acceptable to the Lord.
President Uchdorf: “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they maybe humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”
It is a profound part of his message. Is my thorn on the flesh on purpose because I screwed up or because I need to rely on him, need his help? Are weakness humbling? It teachers us about ourselves.
Again President Uchtdorf:
“Be thankful for all the small successes in your home, your family relationships, your education and livelihood, your Church participation and personal improvement. Like the forget-me-nots, these successes may seem tiny to you and they may go unnoticed by others, but God notices them and they are not small to Him. If yo consider success to be only the most perfect rose or dazzling orchid, you may miss some of life's sweetest experiences. For example, insisting that yo have a picture-perfect family home evening each week—even though doing so makes you and everyone around you miserable—may not be the best choice. Instead, ask yourself, “what could we do as a family that would be enjoyable and spiritual and bring us closer together?” That family home evening—though it may be modest in scope and execution—may have far more positive long-term results. Our journey toward perfection is long, but we can find wonder and delight in even the tiniest steps in that journey.”
Thoughts: Mine is that it is liberating. Through his eyes we can rethink what you believe of yourself. Truth is in the scriptures and the apostles. We have to be careful. We are so good in embellishing things. To have dinner tied in with the lesson. Or because I cannot be perfect, I will give up now. Sister Pierce helps us rethink our thoughts. There is truth with a capital T or twisted truths. We need to clean out our mental closet.
To sum it up, we need to let go of perfection in this life. That is the role of the Savior. Stop comparing ourselves.
Elder Jeffery R. Holland:
“One observer has written: 'In a world that constantly compares people, ranking them as more or less intelligent, more or less attractive, more or less successful, it is not easy to really believe in a [divine] love that does not do the same. When I hear someone praised, “ he says, 'it is hard not to think of myself as praiseworthy; when I read about the goodness and kindness of other people, it is hard not to wonder whether I myself as as good and kind as they; and when I see trophies, rewards, and prizes being handed out to special people, I cannot avoid asking myself why that didn't happen to me.' (Henri J. M. Nouwen) if left unresisted, we can see how this inclination so embellished b the world will ultimately bring a resentful, demeaning view of God and terribly destructive view of ourselves. Most “thous shalt not” commandments are meant to keep us from hurting others, but I am convinced the commandment to not covet is meant to keep us from hurting ourselves.”
“Brothers and sisters, I testify that no one of us is less treasured or cherished of God than another. I testify that He loves each of us – insecurities, anxieties self-image and all. He doesn't measure our talents or our looks; He doesn't measure our professions or our possessions. He cheers on every runner, calling out that the race is against sin, not against each other. I know that if we will be faithful, there is a perfectly tailored robe of righteousness ready and waiting for everyone, “robes...made...white in the blood of the Lamb.” May we encourage each other in our effort to win that prize is my earnest prayer.”
Remember to recognize the good you can do, can contribute. At our visiting teaching interviews we visited with some of you and heard all the things you do, the love you have for each other. Many of you , we worry about and yet Megan can't minister single handed. The love and acts of kindness you contribute lifts not only Megan but others.
I would like to end by quoting President Uchtdorf:
“Sisters, wherever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, you are not forgotten. No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you with an infinite love. Just think of it: You are known and remembered by the most majestic, powerful and glorious Being in the universe! You are loved by the King of infinite space and everlasting time! He who created and knows the stars knows yo and your name—you are the daughters of His Kingdom...God loves you because you are His child. He loves you even though at times you may feel lonely or make mistakes. The love of God and the power of the restored gospel are redemptive and saving. If you will only allow His divine love into your life, it can dress any wound, heal any hurt, and soften any sorrow.
“My dear Relief Society sisters, yo are closer to heaven than you suppose. You are destined for more than yo can possibly imagine. Continue to increase in faith and personal righteousness. Accept the restored gospel of Jesus Christ as your way of life. Cherish the gift of activity in this great and true Church. Treasure the gift of service in the blessed organization of Relief Society. Continue to strengthen homes and families. Continue to seek our and help others who need your and the Lord's help.”
Next week's lesson is lesson number 46 The Final Judgment.
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