Lift Where You Stand

Today at Church it was as if each talk and lesson was specifically for me. We have had some things happen the past week that have been really difficult to deal with and this morning I was struggling with even wanting to be at Church. I really can't ever remember a time other than today that I seriously DID NOT want to be at Church. It was such an awful feeling. I KNOW that is where I was suppose to be and I am so glad that I went despite of the feelings that I was having.

In Sacrament meeting today the subject was, 'Controlling Your Thoughts'. It is so easy for each of us to have thoughts of all different kinds pop into our head with out even really meaning for them to be there. Until today I guess I had never really thought about WHY different thoughts pop in our head. One of the speakers mentioned that often times it isn't us putting those thoughts there at all, it is Satan. He wants us to be unhappy, so it would make since that he would try to place thoughts in our minds that would cause us to feel sadness. She gave some great examples of what some of these thoughts might be. Honestly how many of us have ever had a thought like, 'Wow (so in so) is such a good mom, I am not as good of a mom as she is' or 'She is so pretty, why am I not that pretty'. I know that I have had similar thoughts to those and really I always just thought those types of thoughts were coming from my own insecurities when in actuality Satan is placing those types of thoughts in our minds. The speakers also touched on how important it is that we control our thoughts because ultimately our thoughts control our actions. When we have a bad thought we need to immediately replace it with a good thought. One speaker suggested singing your favorite hymn to your self whenever a bad thought comes to your mind. I am very grateful that this was the subject in Sacrament today, I really need to work on controlling some of my thoughts that are causing me to feel unhappy, I may not be able to control the trials I will face in my life, but I can control how I let them effect me.

Normally I don't get the opportunity to go to Relief Society, but I was able to go today and we had such a great lesson. The lesson was 'Lift Where You Stand'. I was actually on my way to my car right before Relief Society started, my little man was so tired so I was going to drive him around the parking lot a few times until he fell asleep, well as I was headed to my car I realized that it was a friend of mine giving the lesson so I thought, 'ok well I will just go in for a few minutes and see how he does.' The sweet little guy must of some how known how much his mama needed to hear that lesson because he made it through 3/4 of the lesson before we had to leave. It is so important that we work hard to 'Lift Wear We Stand' in whatever it is, wither it be our marriages, motherhood/parenthood, magnifying our callings, etc... We need to ALWAYS try to do our very best in all that we do in life. I know for my self that it is very easy for me to get discouraged and think that I can't do certain things, but if we put our trust in the Lord ALL things are possible. The Lord will help us to fulfill the challenges he has given us, he will help strengthen us, and we can 'Lift Where We Stand' when we have him as a companion in all that we do.

I am so grateful that I made the choice to go to Church today, it wasn't easy for me and it truly made me so sad that I was feeling the way I did. I know that my Father in Heaven wanted me to be there today, there were messages given that I NEEDED to hear. I feel so incredibly blessed to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, my faith in the gospel is the foundation of who I am and without it I would be so lost.

With love-
Brittany