So, it's been awhile

October 12, 2014

So, it’s been awhile since we’ve posted anything.  Mostly I’d say we’ve been busy.  It seems like our weekends are gone before we even get a chance to start them.  The kids are doing great.  It’s hard to believe that Zachary is turning 1 this week.  Some days he seems so much older, he’s been walking for what seems like so long and he already doing a great job at expressing his opinion, often I don’t appreciate it.  Still, I’m looking forward to all of his continuing advancements and the development of his personality.  He definitely keeps life fun.

We’ve started working with Ben on reading.  He’s doing pretty well, when he focuses.  He’s still excited about Batman.  We got him a mask to go with his Halloween costume and at least once a day he asks to wear it so that he can run around and play Batman, as long as Bekah Mae is Batgirl and Zachary is Robin.  He loves playing with his Legos and has gotten really good at building spaceships and airplanes.  He even made sure to tell us that Zachary really wanted Batman Legos for his birthday.

Bekah Mae is our princess.  She loves to dress up and twirl around.  She likes pretending to be a ballerina.  I think she may have spent a little too much time watching Angelina Ballerina, but it’s cute and sweet.  I’m looking forward to getting her into a dance class at some point.  I think she’d love it.

Robert and I are busy keeping up with the kids.  We’ve painted Bekah’s room, in hopes of her spending more time in it and so that maybe just maybe I wouldn’t continue to store stuff in it.  So far the not storing stuff in it has worked out, but Bekah spending more time in it has pretty much been an epic failure.  The biggest result of painting Bekah’s room has been a constant demand from Ben that we paint his room blue.  We’ll do it eventually, but we have to forget how much work it is before we start again.

Thoughts

During the Women’s Conference a couple of weeks ago, President Utchdorf gave a talk on what he titled, “Living the Gospel Joyful.”  I’ve got to admit when I first saw it, I kind of rolled my eyes.  I have to admit trying to get three young kids through Sacrament Meeting without going crazy doesn’t exactly leave me joyful, but his talk made me think.

He reminded us, that “God sent you here for a future greater than anything you can imagine.”

He asked the question, “Do we really need to obey all of God’s commandments?”

His answer, “I think God knows something we don’t … In other words, He not only knows what is best for you; He also anxiously wants you to choose what is best for you.  If you believe this in your hearts – if you truly believe the great mission of our Heavenly Father is to exalt and glorify His children and that He knows best how to do it – doesn’t it make sense to embrace and follow His commandments, even the ones that appear difficult?”

He continues, “In reality, Heavenly Father is constantly raining blessings upon us.  It is our fear, doubt and sin that, like an umbrella, block these blessings from reaching us.  His commandments are the loving instructions and divine help for us to close the umbrella so we can receive the shower of Heavenly blessings.  We need to accept that the commandments of God aren’t just a long list of good ideas.  They are divine counsel based on eternal truths, given to bring ‘peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come.’”

“God loves you this very day and always.  He is not waiting to love you until you have overcome your weaknesses and bad habits.  He loves you today with a full understanding of your struggles.  He is aware when you reach up to Him in heartfelt and hopeful prayer.  He knows the times when you have believed - even in the midst of growing darkness.  He knows of your sufferings.  He knows of your remorse for times you have fallen short or failed.  And still He loves you.”

“It is my prayer that you will experience a renewed and an expanded measure of the beautiful love of God in your lives; that you will find the faith, determination, and commitment to learn God’s commandments, treasure them in your hearts, and live the gospel joyful.”

“I testify that the way to accomplish this is to place the selfish desires and unworthy ambitions on the altar of sacrifice and service.”

In general I don’t put too much stock into the talks directed only at the women of the church, not because I don’t feel that they are doctrinally sound or important, but because I just kind of feel like they are filled with a lot of fluff and unicorns and rainbows and I’m really a more direct and to the point kind of person.  But this one truly struck a cord.  I guess I just have felt over that last few months that I don’t get as much as I should out of my meetings because I’m trying to keep the kids quiet and happy and I go because I’m supposed to and not because I get anything out of it.  I guess what I’m choosing to take from this is that handling the kids isn’t going to change, it’s still going to be a lot of work and a distraction, but I choose what I get from my church meetings, my attitude affects the amount of the Spirit I get to feel and so my goal going forward is to try to find more joy and to seek the Spirit and the blessings that Heavenly Father is waiting for me to be ready to receive.

Week in Review - August 17, 2014

This Week in Review

Thankfully this has been a relatively quiet week, which also means that there is little to report.  Our dinner with the missionaries went well.  Ben kept them entertained with his stories and explanations.  Monday night we had dinner with friends and Friday my visiting teachers and their kids came over for a visit.  We’ve been working on reorganizing a few things which has been a particularly slow process, but will hopefully make a big difference when it’s done.

Our Cute Kids

Yesterday after Ben woke up from his nap he came over to talk to me and very seriously asked if I thought he was getting bigger.  I informed him that I thought he was growing up too quickly.  He then informed me that he didn’t think he was growing up at all.  He said that he had been waiting all day and he still wasn’t as big as daddy.

Thoughts

As we’ve been working our way through Alma, we reached chapter 7, which is one of my favorite chapters.  Alma talks to the people of Gideon about the Savior.  Verses 11 and 12 are what make this chapter so important.

11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

 12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

I am grateful to know that our Savior, the one who will stand as our advocate with the Father, know everything that we have been through.  He has felt our sorrows and understands our tears; he knows and understands our pains and weaknesses.

When I was in high school I got hurt playing basketball.  I went to doctors and specialists and none of them could fully determine the problem or offer a solution other than time that would fix the problem or reduce the pain that I felt.  I often remember thinking during these times that even though no one else seemed to know what I was going through, my Savior did.  Since then and hopefully through the rest of my life, I hope to always remember that when life gets tough and no one else seems to understand, there is one person who does that I can turn to whenever I need help, guidance or assistance.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave a talk while I was in college that helps illustrate this point.

Consider, for example, the Savior’s benediction upon his disciples even as he moved toward the pain and agony of Gethsemane and Calvary. On that very night, the night of the greatest suffering the world has ever known or ever will know, he said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. . . . Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

I submit to you that may be one of the Savior’s commandments that is, even in the hearts of otherwise faithful Latter-day Saints, almost universally disobeyed; and yet I wonder whether our resistance to this invitation could be any more grievous to the Lord’s merciful heart. I can tell you this as a parent: As concerned as I would be if somewhere in their lives one of my children were seriously troubled or unhappy or disobedient, nevertheless I would be infinitely more devastated if I felt that at such a time that child could not trust me to help, or should feel his or her interest were unimportant to me or unsafe in my care. In that same spirit, I am convinced that none of us can appreciate how deeply it wounds the loving heart of the Savior of the world when he finds that his people do not feel confident in his care or secure in his hands or trust in his commandments.

Let me quote the marvelous James E. Talmage on this matter:

Into every adult human life come experiences like unto the battling of the storm-tossed voyagers with contrary winds and threatening seas; ofttimes the night of struggle and danger is far advanced before succor appears; and then, too frequently the saving aid is mistaken for a greater terror. [But,] as came unto [these disciples] in the midst of the turbulent waters, so comes to all who toil in faith, the voice of the Deliverer—“It is I; be not afraid.” [Jesus the Christ, 3d ed. (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1916), p. 337]

Brother Talmage used there the word succor. Do you know its meaning? It is used often in the scriptures to describe Christ’s care for and attention to us. It means literally “to run to.” What a magnificent way to describe the Savior’s urgent effort in our behalf. Even as he calls us to come to him and follow him, he is unfailingly running to help us. 

Week in Review - August 10, 2014

This Week in Review

This has been a busy week.  Walking is quickly becoming Zachary’s preferred method of moving around, it’s exciting to watch how quickly he’s improving.  We got to spend some time with cousins this week.  We saw Stanley and Henry on Tuesday and spent Wednesday and Thursday with Clara and baby Bradford.  We had a lot of fun playing.

We took advantage of the tax-free weekend and stocked up on some of our craft supplies, Robert helped a family move and cleaned the church this week and today we are having the missionaries over for dinner.

Our Cute Kids

One of the things that I really love that the kids do is how they watch out for each other.  Don’t get me wrong, they still argue and fight, but they also try their best to be protective.  Rebekah Mae loves to tell me that Zachary is her baby and she wants to hold him and take care of him.  Both Benjamin and Rebekah Mae remind me when one or the other is about to get in trouble for something, “Be nice that’s my sister” or “Be nice that’s my brother.”  It’s just wonderful to see how much they care.

Thoughts

We’ve been reading in Alma Chapter 5 this week, where Alma teaches the members of the Church in Zarahemla and reminds them of the covenants that they once made and asks, “I say unto you, can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands? I say unto you, can you look up, having the image of God engraven upon your countenances?” (Alma 5:19).

I guess what I find particularly significant about this chapter is that Alma isn’t talking to those that are not members of the Lord’s church, but those that are.  How often do we get caught up in everything that we have to do and forget to include those things that will bring us closer to our Heavenly Father?

Elder Dallin H. Oaks gave a talk several years ago entitled, Good, Better, Best that I think best illustrates this point.  He said, “We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families.”

“The First Presidency has called on parents ‘to devote their best efforts to the teaching and rearing of their children in gospel principles. … The home is the basis of a righteous life, and no other instrumentality can take its place … in … this God-given responsibility.’ The First Presidency has declared that ‘however worthy and appropriate other demands or activities may be, they must not be permitted to displace the divinely-appointed duties that only parents and families can adequately perform.’”

My hope is that I can do my best to always remember to put the most important things first because foremost in our mind should be doing those things that will help us to remain an eternal family.  Although sometimes it’s hard to maintain a calm, peaceful and spiritual home, I truly believe the Lord gives us credit for trying and will bless our efforts and our homes.

Week in Review - August 3, 2014

This Week in Review

We’ve had a stray cat wandering our neighborhood ever since we moved in to our house.  It appears that it recently had kittens and our neighbors to the back have kindly taken them in.  We know about them because they are curious about all the noise we make when come out to play.  They have apparently been using one of the fence posts as a scratching post and managed between scratching and digging underneath to create a hole big enough for them to come through it.

Bekah Mae has informed us, “I just love them.”  She does have one major concern that she frequently asks, “Where are the Mommy and Daddy cat?”

I’m not a cat person, but I don’t mind too much that the kittens make the occasional visit.  They’re curious about the kids, but a bit nervous so they never get too close and it makes the kids happy to see them.

Zachary’s walking is continuing to improve every day.  Bekah Mae had fun playing with her Minnie Mouse dolls, she has been having them going to parties and it’s been fun watching her imagination work.  Ben is still excited about playing Batman.  He has a shirt with a cape and enjoys trying to watch it fly when he’s running and swinging.  I try to remind him it’s best to look in the direction he’s running instead of behind him because he does have a tendency to run into things.

Our Cute Kids

Ben has been really good this week at reminding us to read scriptures and then he is the first to volunteer to say family prayers. 

We’ve added another big box to our cardboard box town and Ben and Bekah go from playing in the Batcave, to an elevator and a house.

Zachary has done his best to wake up from his nap as soon as the older ones to go sleep and he and I have had some enjoyable one on one time this week.  He’s got so much personality.  Though I’ll probably regret this statement later, I do love the face he makes when he gets frustrated that I’m not doing exactly what he wants when he wants, he’s so dramatic.

Thoughts

For Family Home Evening we talked about the pioneers and how the children listen to their parents to stay safe and how the pioneers listened to the Lord and then how important listening is in everything we do.

I remember when I was younger the wards used to have Pioneer Day celebrations.  I remember dressing up in a bonnet and participating in a talent show and another year pulling taffy.  Now it just seems like it’s simply a day that goes without recognition except for maybe singing a few pioneer songs during the Sundays surrounding it.

Both sides of our family have pioneers who crossed the plains and I know and have heard some of the stories many times, but like we have been told frequently in General Conference, pioneers aren’t only those who crossed the plains, but those valiantly stand up for Jesus Christ no matter the year of their birth.

So this Pioneer Day, my thoughts went to my Grandma Lynch (my dad’s mom).  At a young age, she was encouraged to marry who was less than pleasant and made great sacrifices to take care of her three young children.  After she divorced him, she met my Grandpa Bergquist, had my dad and his younger brother and when my dad was two, they were introduced to the missionaries and he joined the church.  Due to some of my grandpa’s poor choices, she found herself once again divorced.  She later met Stan Lynch and shortly after they started seeing each other informed him that they would not be able to continue their relationship unless he joined the church.

I feel like it is that situation that makes her a great pioneer example.  The question we each have to ask ourselves is, how important is the church to us?  What are we willing to sacrifice to sacrifice to remain true to our covenants?  There are so many things in the world that can pull us away from our knowledge of the true and everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ.  In a CES Broadcast several years ago, Elder David A Bednar spoke about the iron and the different groups of people who held onto it as they moved towards the Tree of Life.  He says that the final group, those who were continually holding fast to the rod, made it to the tree and never fell away. 

In his words, “In verse 30 we read about a third group of people who pressed forward “continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree.” The key phrase in this verse is continually holding fast to the rod of iron.

The third group also pressed forward with faith and conviction; however, there is no indication that they wandered off, fell into forbidden paths, or were lost. Perhaps this third group of people consistently read and studied and searched the scriptures. Perhaps it was diligence and devotion to a seemingly “small and simple [thing]” (Alma 37:6) that saved the third group from perishing. Perhaps it was “the knowledge of the Lord” and “the knowledge of the truth” (Alma 23:5, 6) obtained through faithful study of the scriptures that yielded the spiritual gift of humility—such that this group of people “fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree” (1 Nephi 8:30; emphasis added). Perhaps it was the spiritual nourishment and strength provided by continually “feasting upon the word of Christ” (2 Nephi 31:20) that enabled this group to heed not the scorning and mocking of the people in the great and spacious building (see 1 Nephi 8:33). This is the group you and I should strive to join.

Nephi’s brothers asked, “What meaneth the rod of iron which our father saw, that led to the tree?

“And [Nephi] said unto them that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction” (1 Nephi 15:23–24; emphasis added).

What, then, is the difference between clinging and holding fast to the rod of iron? Let me suggest that holding fast to the iron rod entails, in large measure, the prayerful, consistent, and earnest use of the holy scriptures as a sure source of revealed truth and as a reliable guide for the journey along the strait and narrow path to the tree of life—even to the Lord Jesus Christ.

“And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life” (1 Nephi 11:25).

To conclude my story, my Grandpa Lynch met with the missionaries and soon after joined the church.  Several years later, before my dad left on his mission, they and their family were sealed in the temple and they still serve faithfully in the Lord’s church.  So thank you Grandma for the example you’ve set.

Three Weeks in Review - July 27, 2014

Three Weeks in Review

We have some big news.  Drum Roll… Zachary started walking. 

It’s still mostly just short distances, but he’s doing better every day.  The delay in the blog has been because I took the kids up to Dallas.  We had fun playing with Nana and Papa.  We started out with a trip to Joe Pool Lake and went kayaking with Tim, Christy and Dallin, Des, Stanley and Henry, as well as Nana and Papa.  Bekah Mae really enjoyed the kayaks except for when they came back to shore.  We enjoyed playing at the parks, went for 4 and 5 mile walks along the Joe Pool dam (saw a coyote on one of the walks).  I think the highlight of the trip was playing Batman Hide and Seek with Papa.  Batman (Benjamin) and Batgirl (Rebekah Mae) were chased by the Joker (Papa) while Zachary was given the role of Robin, though he was carried by the Joker.  We’ve had numerous repeat opportunities to play since we’ve been home and the one real benefit is that the kids are at least tired after all that running.

Robert and Ben have been building a little wooden car this week.  Ben decided it should be the Batmobile, so we are in the process of painting the correct colors.  We’ve also done a lot of building with Tinker Toys, it’s amazing what kind of things Ben and Bekah can come up with to build.

We’ve done a lot of playing at parks, reading and mostly just having fun together.

Our Cute Kids

I have fun listening to Ben and Bekah Mae say prayers.  Mostly they are just thankful for whatever family comes to mind, but occasionally they are a little more unique.  Bekah tends to be thankful for her baby dolls and Minnie Mouse or some of her books.  Ben in one prayer was first, grateful for Batman and then grateful for the prophet.  I appreciate that most of the things they are grateful for come without prompting, but it would be nice if they were a little better at blessing the food.

Thought

This week we finished reading about Alma the Younger and his visitation by the angel.  I enjoy reading this for the conversion story aspect that in most cases, no matter what your sins, you can be made clean, but as a parent there is another verse that stands out to me.

In Mosiah 27:14, the angel is speaking to Alma and says, “Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith.”

I like knowing that the Lord answers parents’ prayers.  There are some days when I feel like I am constantly asking Heavenly Father for a blessing for either my children or my ability to raise them right.  We’ve been given such an important responsibility in rearing these precious souls and sometimes I wonder if I am up to the task and other times I wonder if it is there goal to make me absolutely crazy.  On the days that seem the hardest for either me or them, I often send up a quick prayer for guidance and ask that I might be able to recognize and appreciate my blessings.  I wonder sometimes if I’m getting the guidance, though each day that passes gives me better perspective and I think that helps me to handle everything else, but it’s the blessings that mean the most. 

Ben loves to come up and ask for Mommy Snuggles and he tries to so hard to be a helpful big brother. Bekah likes to watch shows and cuddle.  For her favorite shows, she has given us all the character names.  From Croods, when she is Eep, Ben is Guy and Zachary is Belt, Robert and I get to be the parents.  On Frozen, she is Anna, Ben is Kristoff, Zachary is Sven, I’m Elsa and Robert is Olaf.  She does this for several other shows (Zachary always tends to be an animal, which I find pretty funny).  Zachary has been a bit of a tough baby the last few weeks as he’s quickly added four new teeth, but even on the days and nights that he doesn’t seem to stop crying, he’ll wrap his arms around you and lay his head on your shoulder or lean in for a quick kiss.

I guess what I’m saying is that I truly feel like my prayers are being answered when even on the most frustrating of days, I am able to still appreciate my children for who they are and love all the little things that make them unique and special and the best kids in the world.  

Week in Review ~ July 6, 2014

This Week in Review

This week, we looked forward to a visit from Nana and some of our cousins.  We had a play date with Clara, Baby Bradford and Henry on Wednesday.  It was fun to watch Bekah and Clara play together with the dolls. 

The 4^th of July was busy.  We made a trip down to Bryan to visit with Grandma.  We had a great lunch and spent some quality time with family.  We came back home that afternoon to get ready for to see a fireworks show with one of Robert’s home teaching families.  About 15 minutes before we were planning to leave, it started raining, a lot, but the fireworks went on and the kids absolutely loved them, even Zachary handled them pretty well.

Saturday we made a fun discovery.  The tree in the front yard that we worked so hard to save a few weeks ago is now the home to a bird family.  I can’t say that it was our save the tree efforts that brought them there, but maybe it helped.  We put out some birdseed and hope that we’ll be able to watch them for awhile.

Our Cute Kids

So, I was pretty worried about how the kids would handle the fireworks, they acted excited, but I had memories of my little brothers screaming through fireworks shows when they were younger.  Not so with these kids.  Zachary was the most apprehensive, so I covered his ears, but he seemed to enjoy the colors.  Ben and Bekah were in awe.  Ben clapped and cheered.  His favorite color was the blue ones.  Bekah had the biggest smile on her face and kept asking to make sure that I was seeing them too.  I guess it means that we’ll have to make sure that we make it to more shows in the future.

Ben has enjoyed playing one of the Lego Batman games and so last night we watched the movie.  Ben was so excited, but did have to run out of the room when the Batmobile got destroyed saying that he couldn’t watch.

Thought

We have continued to learn about Abinadi this week and his teachings to King Noah.  For Family Home Evening we told a simple version of the story, so the kids would understand just a little bit about we were reading this week for scripture time.  I think their favorite part was the Gospel Art picture of Abinadi in King Noah’s court.  We heard a lot about the animals.

As I was getting everything thing prepared for Family Home Evening, I saw this message on the Church the website.  Maybe since I was already thinking about Abinadi and his willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice for his witness of Jesus Christ, this thought really stuck with me.

How often do we give up on something because it’s simply too hard, while fighting for things that don’t really matter?  The most important things that we have are the things that we can take with us into eternity.  First, I think of my family.  I would do anything and sacrifice anything to guarantee that we can have a shot at eternity.  That is why we try through the occasional kicking and screaming and other various types of protests to have a meaningful Family Home Evening Lesson and scripture time, making sure that we say prayers and going to Church even when we know we’ll be so busy trying to keep the kids quiet and occupied that we won’t even hear the speakers.  It’s why we willingly sacrifice the things we want to do in order to maximize the time we spend with our kids.  We do these things not because they are always fun, but because in the end, the example that we set for our children and the opportunity to help them build a strong testimony of the gospel are more valuable than so many other options for how to spend our time.

There is of course growing our own testimony, so it’s important to ask what we are doing for ourselves.  Do we make the time to truly communicate with our Father in Heaven, to seek His guidance and then listen for His answers?  Do we make temple attendance a priority?  Are we willing to serve?  I must admit in some of these areas, I’m not as good as in others, but the point is that we have to keep trying.  We are not asked to run faster than we are able, simply to run.  We should seek to continually improve and press forward in faith, knowing that we will have Heavenly aid if we seek it.

One of the lessons we work to learn in this life is where our priorities lie.  If we focus on eternity and are willing to sacrifice some of the rest, than we are working on the things that will mean the most.

Week in Review ~ June 29, 2014

This Week in Review

This week has definitely not turned out as planned—what a surprise—but it’s still been rather successful. One of the goals we had set out was to do some landscaping around our tree in the backyard. After the success of last week, and the cute “save the tree” comments of Ben and Bekah, our hope was that weeding and mulching the magnolia tree in the backyard would be just as easy. Unfortunately, as anyone familiar with landscaping in Texas should know, with all the rain we’ve received this past week, a colony of ants decided to set up shop around our tree. This has complicated the process, since now we need to drive the ants out first. We’ll keep you updated.

We also volunteered this week to substitute teach for Benjamin’s Sunbeams class. Jennifer has been working on developing crafts for the kids, while Robert gets to work on the lesson.

Our biggest success this week has been Jennifer’s expedition on Friday to JC Penney for pictures. Benjamin tried really hard to keep Zachary happy and got some great pictures. Rebekah Mae was her typically beautiful self. And Zachary did his best to be as cute as possible. Make sure to stay tuned for more picture updates.  

Our Cute Kids

With all the rain we had this week; it was quite a task to keep the kids occupied.  We tend to collect large boxes from all of our Amazon deliveries and Ben and Bekah Mae tend to enjoy playing in them.  This week we decided to turn them into houses.  Ben did a lot of the decorating for his house.  He wanted it to look like ours and so he drew bricks and really wanted to color the ceiling white.  Bekah mostly just dictated what she wanted so, she got flowers and hearts and even a rainstorm drawn on one side, but while I was helping on the outside Bekah did a lot of decorating in the interior.

While we were getting pictures done, the photographer offered Ben and Bekah a couple of chocolate kisses if they would take good pictures.  They did and I opened one for Bekah and she happily ate it, then looked up at me and asked if she could have some more castles.  We bought a bag of them so she could have some more.

Bekah has become a big fan of Minnie Mouse over the last several months and due to this new interest we’ve accumulated various Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episodes.  One of these is “Minnierella.”  From the first time we watched it, she has been Minnierella and Ben has been Prince Mickey.  They have a little dance number in the show Ben and Bekah enjoy singing the song and dancing to it.

Thought

This week our Family Home Evening was on Agency and how it is a very special gift from our Heavenly Father.  Whenever I think about agency, I am always reminded of the war in Heaven to get it.  It reminds me of how important it was to Heavenly Father for us to have the freedom to choose.  In the scriptures we learn that one-third of the hosts of heaven fought against the Father’s plan and in the end they were sent away from the Father’s presence.  I can’t imagine how it must have hurt our Father in Heaven to lose even one of his children, but one-third of all of them had to be devastating, but He did it because He knew it was the only way to allow everyone else to fulfill their destiny to become like Him.

I can’t even imagine how much it must break the heart of our Father in Heaven when we use this gift of agency to go against the Father’s plan.  Our scripture reading this week has led us to the people of Zeniff who left Zarahemla to reclaim their lands that had been taken over by the Lamanites.  Though a righteous man, Zeniff admits that his pride led him to make treaty with the king of the Lamanites that began their descent into bondage.  They then spent the reminder of his life in battles with the Lamanites to keep their independence.  Zeniff appointed his son, Noah, to be king and as it states that he did not follow after the ways of the Lord.  In a matter of not many years, King Noah led the people into to sin.  This resulted in the death of Abinadi, chasing off Alma the Elder and his people and eventually significant deaths as the people tried to free themselves from the ever worsening bondage of the Lamanites.  In the end, it was only the people being humbled through their trials and repenting and then asking from help from the Lord that allowed their freedom.

To us, the lesson from this how the decisions of one person can have so great an effect on not just their own life, but on the lives of all those around them.  I wonder if we realize the impact that our actions have on others.  We watch how Ben and Bekah copy what we do, mostly it’s pretty cute, but sometimes it reminds of that we need to be careful about what we do and say in front of them.  We want to always be a good example to them.  We want the decisions that we make to help them to learn to choose the right.  It’s easy to get upset or disillusioned when things don’t go how we hope they will and to take the advice of Job’s friends who encouraged him to curse God and die, but like Job we want our kids to know that we know that our Redeemer lives and no matter what trials we face in this life, we will do everything we can to follow Him and be more like Him.

So, I guess my thoughts on agency conclude with some of the things that King Mosiah taught his people as he chose to appoint Judges verses Kings to rule in his stead.  “For behold, how much iniquity doth one wicked king cause to be committed, yea, and what great destruction!” ~ Mosiah 29:17 ~

So, remember that our actions impact more than just us and that impact can influence the lives of those most important to us for generations.