gratitude lately

Yesterday was one of those days...I felt so discouraged, inadequate, overwhelmed, and overly imperfect. I felt I was barely keeping my head above the water and my limbs were about to stop treading. I am my own worst critic and instead of fighting off all of the negative comments that came into my head, I just waved a white flag and surrendered to them all. I hate when that happens. 

Last night, I could not sleep. My mind was racing and my heart was heavy. So, I got up and did some of the things that I should have done during the day: really studying my scriptures, folding laundry, ironing, etc. 

How am I going to be a better person, wife, and future mother? 

The next morning we had a Stake Relief Society meeting with Sister Burton, the General Relief Society President of the Church. I was really excited to go. I prayed that I would know what I need to do. I prayed to be uplifted and hopeful. 

 

                            

Sis. Burton talked about how in this ever changing world, there is a need for strong, purposeful women.  Women are a vital part of the plan and we are NOT second class citizens in God's Kingdom. We were chosen to be here and now. Great spirits are coming and we have to be stronger wives and mothers for the future generation. 

"These are days of great spiritual danger for this people. The world is spiraling downward at an ever-quickening pace. I am sorry to tell you that it will not get better."                 - Elder Packer                                                                       

The quotation ^^ sounds discouraging but she was humorously optimistic. This statement is "empowering" and should give us confidence. (God has confidence in us, shouldn't we have confidence in ourselves?)  we were chosen to be HERE and NOW.

She went on to mention how this work is moving forward with various strands of thread that are all interconnected: building more temples, issuing more independent limited-use recommends, YW theme of virtue, revision of Duty to God and Strength for Youth, new youth curriculum, and lowering mission ages. (HOW COOL?) Each announcement has come out in the Lord's time through our prophet! The Lord needs strong women to "hasten" His work.

At the conclusion of the morning conference, she asked that sisters come up to the mics on the sides and share what they do to increase their faith in personal righteousness. 

Although I barely knew a soul in the chapel, I felt so much love as I watched various young wives and mothers walk up and share advice and personal experiences. Many of these women are in the middle of very difficult times. Many expressed feelings of inadequacy, loneliness, insecurity, failure.  We all have custom made challenges. It is easy to look at someone and think they have it all, the whole world, but we will never know what they are struggling with. We need to stop judging and start loving. My life needs to be less about me and more about other people. It is okay that I am not perfect, I have a lifetime to keep progressing and moving forward. I can't be and do everything all at once. There is a time and a season. It's a process. “[We] need not try to sing all of the verses of [our] song at the same time”

 "Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see.”  -The Hiding Place

Sister Burton went on to say that Heavenly Father never wastes an experience.

So instead of quickly disregarding various people and experiences in life, we should better reflect on what we can learn from them. I am grateful that Heavenly Father allowed me to come to this meeting truly humbled, it allowed me to see and feel things I probably would not have otherwise. I feel so blessed to be apart of a Church where organizations are introduced at all stages in life; we have a constant support system!