Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Take Your Place

A message I gave at my church's Relief Society birthday party in March.  Just thought I would share.


A few weeks ago I was having a bad morning.  The kind where your 4-year old is throwing a fit over breakfast and the baby is yelling in the high chair.  I looked around myself and saw a mess of a house in every room.  Dishes piled high, laundry to be done, food stuck to the wall, toys and junk mail scattered everywhere, shoes (mostly mine), diapers, bottles, burp clothes, spills on the floor, unmade beds, uncleaned carpets, a bathroom coated in water spots and toothpaste, bottles of various products and wet wash clothes.  Stairs with dust and dirt in the corners and the massive clutter of things that get put on top of other things waiting for me to decided where their home really is or if they are even needed.  I thought of my seemingly mile long to-do list tat didn't even include "deep clean the house because for. the. love how can you stand it anymore!"  All the while the 4-year old fit still playing in the background and I thought "Heaven help me I can't do this anymore!  I just can't."

I was on the verge of my very own 40-year old fit and decided to put on some music to soothe the savage beast within me.  The first song that played was "Come Take Your Place" by Hilary Weeks.  I started to cry.  I listened to the words and they touched me.

"You carry the light of the Son.
An running through your veins is royal blood.
You're the strong, You're the brave, You're the faithful
You have been saved for this moment in time
You hear the call, you feel the flame, you've been prepared
Come take your place."

I had been pondering what message I wanted to share with you as sisters and in that crazy chaotic moment of my life I knew this was it.

Sisters.  Do you know how loved you are?

Just think about it.

Some of us are blessed to know we are loved without doubt.  Never questioning.  Others struggle daily, sometimes hourly with feelings of self worth and insecurity.  Still others are in between.  Bouncing back and forth.

I wish with all my heart that I could saw the words that would take all that insecurity away.  That every one of you could go home and never feel insecure again.  That my words could fix hearts, heal wounds, take pain away, put light in your eyes, give purpose to your step, to your life.  That I could change your whole outlook to one of joy, hope, confidence, and security.

But that is not my super power.  It's His.  You carry the light of the Son of God.  You.

Running through your veins is royal blood.

You are strong-- look at what you've faced, what you've gone through and are going through to be here.  This place in your life.  Here and now.  In your own specialized personal progression.  Look at your past and see His hand in your life.

You are brave-- You are brave
You are faithful.

You have been saved for this moment in time.  These latter days.  These days of joyous blessings amidst the seeming insanity of the world.  You were chosen to come here and now.  You are here when the gospel of Jesus Christ is strong and established and under attack because you are incredible.  You have something that the rest of the world needs.  You know that you are a daughter of God.  Your nature is divine.

You know that Heavenly Father is more than a vague concept.  You know he is real and cares very much about what happens in your life and your level of joy.  "Men are that they might have joy."

You know that you can talk to him and he will listen.  Hey will answer your prayers.  He will help you through your trials.  He loves you.  As you are and who you will become.  He is your Father, the father of your spirit, the creator of you.  And if you doubt his love for you... Ask him.

Ask Him.  Out loud or in your heart, simply ask God of his love for you.  He will answer.

You hear the call and you answer.
You feel the flame of the Spirit testifying of truth, the truth of who you are and what this life is all about.
You've been prepared.
Come take your place.

Want to learn more about Relief Society and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints?  Visit www.lds.org