Consider the lilies

I frequently need the Lord's help- trouble seems to be all around us, and it's hard keeping the trouble in the world from getting inside me. Walks are good times to talk to Jesus. He is generous to help me every time I come to Him all knotted up inside- which is often. Jesus is a Wonderful Counselor and Prince of Peace, it is true! Sometimes I try to speed up a bit as I walk, embarrassed that everyone is passing me. Then I hear the Lord tell me, "Slow down! You're going too fast!" There are answers to prayers in the slower moments, I need those moments of understanding. The Lord created meaning and beauty everywhere. We are literally swimming in a deep rich ocean of the Lord's creations. As we walk every day, you and I are passing stars and galaxies in miniature forms. Much of the time we are oblivious to the beauty the Lord created around us. Too hurried, too busy with our lists of things to do. 

I watched a video about a gardener that made a beautiful garden and opened it up for the public to enjoy. He said that the best way to experience the garden was alone, and that it made him thankful to see people thoughtfully enjoying his garden. 

A couple years ago, I was praying over a family trial, job loss. Thanks be to God, everything has worked out. Noticing how trees handle loss- a broken branch, made me think. I wrote about it a couple years ago here.

When pine trees lose branches, the wound causes the tree to reach down to its roots to draw on the healing properties deep inside it. It oozes medicinal pine sap, which heals its wound. Pine sap can be gathered, heated, and mixed with oil and beeswax to make a healing salve for wounds. The tree's wound brings forth healing properties from the depths of the tree's roots. The difficult things in our lives make us reach deeper to our roots for healing, for Jesus, our Master Healer, the Balm of Gilead. We find Him there- waiting for us, in the hurting and the praying. The trial becomes part of our healing if it brings us to know the Lord better. For some people, their challenge uniquely prepared them to understand and bless others in similar trials. They are kinder, more thankful, and more generous after having gone through a trial. 

When branches are broken off of the aspen, the aspen tree also heals its wound. The shape that is left in the aspen's bark where a limb was broken is an eye. The Lord showed me that where there is a  loss, is the opportunity for eyes to see more clearly. To see more of the Lord's hand. To reach upwards more than before. Our trials make us see God moving in our lives. In the trials we see that He has been there all the time.  Unbelief is more easily peeled away from our eyes when we are praying for the Lord's help to survive a trial. We see with more faith. We see others with renewed appreciation for the trials they have gone through.

On a hike with my kids this summer, we noticed a maple tree with an irregular hole in it where a branch broke off the tree.  There were other spots on the tree where the bark had completely grown over a broken limb, and the tree bark was already beginning to close this hole too. A rock was sticking out of this particular hole in the tree. I explained to the kids that eventually tree bark will cover up the hole, and that rock will be in the center of the wood. It will make a weakness in the tree, making it more vulnerable to break in wind storms, and die from bugs and disease. I looked up at the tree branches, some branches were already dead while others were alive. My son reached up and started trying to pull the rock out of the hole, it hadn't occurred to me to try. After a few minutes of struggle, we got it out. Behind it was another rock, then another. Close to 20 rocks had been stuffed in the tree- some pebbles, others the size of mandarin oranges. The hole reached the center of the tree, and it was packed with rocks. We were able to get most of the rocks out.

Like the tree, we too can have a hole in our heart, maybe from loss, or from being worn down and joy sapped from our life. It might be the trials loved ones are going through, or seeing the wicked state our world is in. The enemy of our spirit, the devil, can make these things become bitter, like a rock in our hearts. Sometimes it is many bitter rocks in our hearts, taking up a big part of our energy. The bitterness can make joy and the fruits of the Spirit hard to feel. The rocks in our hearts have to come out, the bitterness rejected and expulsed. Jesus is waiting for us to give him the burdens, we weren't intended to carry them all. If we ask, He can help us understand what happened, I wrote about an experience with that here. Jesus' love and forgiveness can heal the wounds in our hearts.  He replaces the bitterness with his love. We can ask him to do that. "Lord, please take this bitterness out of my heart. In the hole that is left behind, please fill it with your light and love." He is the one who gives us healing, joy, and hope. Time and time again Jesus is willing to do that for us. What a wonderful friend we have in Jesus! 

Wild olive trees along a trail have drawn my attention. Their branches were reaching out, wanting to interact with the people who passed it by. In the winter I first noticed the thorns on the wild olive branches. They were more visible because the leaves were gone. The thorns reminded me of Jesus' crown of thorns. For our sake, he was crowned king of the cursed, king of the sinners- me and you. In a grove of olive trees, he suffered for our sins. Crushed for our transgressions, like the olives are crushed to make oil. This spring for the first time I saw the yellow flowers that emerged with the olive tree's velvety sage-green leaves. The yellow flowers are in the shape of a cross. One of my kids said the flowers look like the star of Bethlehem. Yellow has always meant hope- which Jesus is to us. He is why we have hope. Jesus is the personification of love and forgiveness. At his core, Jesus is so purely love and selflessness, that he was able to conquer sin and death- our enemies. He gave his life for us! Because of Him we can be forgiven and forgive others. With His stripes we are healed! The wild olive tree testifies of Jesus! 

In turning our hearts to Jesus, we begin to see that He has been caring for us even in the smallest details in our lives. In the spring I saw a tree with delicate tiny pink flowers and leaves that were so tiny, I couldn't see them until I used the zoom on my camera. Each flower is about the size of a chia seed.  They were perfectly made miniature bouquets. I used an app to look it up and it is a tamarisk tree.

Matthew and Luke record Jesus saying "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? . . . But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:28-30, 33. Other translations of that verse say, "Learn from the way the wild flowers grow." or "Think about how the flowers of the field grow."  Matt 6:28. The plants have something to teach us.

Why would the Lord make the tiniest flowers so perfect, when most of us can't see the details? Maybe it's because He is a God who is in the details- all the little moments that no one else notices. The Creator who made those tiny flowers notices every detail about you, your hair, your fingerprints, your smile, what is in your heart, because you are His child- you are more loved than the flowers. You are a priceless treasure to Jesus. There is nothing too small for Him to notice when it comes to His children. 

When Jesus says to follow him, He knows by experience the sacrifice it will be to live Our Father's will- selflessly forgiving, following the Spirit, speaking truth when prompted. Take heart in knowing that every detail of your life, your circumstances, your efforts at following Jesus is known to Him. 

All of nature praises God. He is a wonderful Father giving gifts when we least expect it. He answers prayers in His own way and His own time, always in ways that benefit us most. He doesn't forget our prayers, though they may take years to be answered, they always are! He cares more about the state of our heart and spirit than the physical worries that we can be consumed with. Growing our faith, love, humility, patience, and repentance is where He works, helping us know Him better, even if it takes trials. What a loving Father He is! There aren't enough words to tell of how wonderful our Heavenly Father is! Even all of nature with its many forms of beauty and perfection isn't enough to tell of Jesus' love for us. Like the garden that is best experienced alone, coming to know Jesus is an individual experience. His love must be experienced personally, with Him as the guide. What a treasure we find in Jesus, and in knowing Him!

Baby Chicks

Our son wanted to try hatching chicks this year. When Grandpa was alive he started a flock of chickens at the home of one of his children. Grandpa loved chickens. Our sister sent some eggs and Grandpa's incubator. The eggs were a beautiful mix of greenish blue, some light brown, others cream colored, and a couple eggs with spots. Our son felt a connection to Grandpa in trying to incubate eggs with his incubator and from the flock of chickens he started.

I wanted to share what we learned, some of it was surprisingly spiritual.

Chicken eggs take 21 days. We watched the eggs, carefully monitoring their temperature, humidity and turning the eggs every day. It took one gallon of distilled water to provide the right humidity in the incubator, a little water every day. That was a lot of water!  As day 21 approached, we bought chick feed and pine wood chips for bedding. As our son was preparing the the chick feeders, there was a mishap. He came running to us as we were working outside, "You have to come to the basement!" We went downstairs so see the theater room had flooded. One of our kids had turned on the outside water in winter- a month or two ago. The water in the pipes froze. With warmer spring weather, the break in the pipes melted and began spraying inside the basement wall. Water was soaking the carpet, baseboards and 2 walls of the theater room. We gathered all the towels in the house and started mopping things up- but it wasn't enough. Edward called a home restoration company, they came out a couple hours later and cut out the wet baseboards, dry wall, ceiling, and set up some fans and a dehumidifier. After it happened, I was surprised that this hasn't happened before with 8 kids. It was a crazy and exhausting Saturday, 2 days before the eggs hatched. Hopefully insurance will cover it.

 

Setting up the lamps, food and water for the chicks proved to be more a lot more work than we thought!

When day 21 came, we woke up to a few chirps. We were so excited to see the eggs wiggling and chirping coming from inside the eggs. We talked to the eggs, telling them how excited we were to see them. The chicks inside the eggs chirped back at us, as if we were having a conversation with them. The kids didn't go to school,  I had taken a day off work, we were all waiting for the chicks to be born. The little girls put on dresses in spring colors for the occassion. They came downstairs and we quietly and anxiously waited for the eggs to hatch. Maybe we thought it would be like a tea party. Then nothing happened, all day. The kids moved on to play somewhere else. The chicks quit moving and making noise. I was worried that no eggs would hatch and my kids would be heartbroken. I asked the kids to come and say a prayer with me for the chicks. We wondered if the chicks were still alive since they were so quiet. We held hands, making a circle around the incubator. We asked Heavenly Father to bless these chicks, to help them live, and thanked the Lord for the miracle that baby chicks growing inside eggs are. As we were praying, the chicks began chirping inside of the eggs. Our daughter reverently whispered, "That is the loveliest sound!" The thought came that a mother hen would not sit silently waiting for her chicks, like we were being quiet, but that she would encourage them, clucking a lot over them, and cheering them on in the fight for their lives. 

We started talking to the eggs, encouraging them. We could tell they were struggling and tired. "You can do it! Keep going, we want to see you! You're strong! Move those little legs and move that little head and beak! You're doing great and getting closer! We can't wait to see you!" One child said, "I want to hold you forever when you come out!" When we ran out of encouraging words to say, we started singing. We made up words to songs, with whatever might sound encouraging to baby chicks, to let them know we wanted them to keep fighting to break free of the egg shell. The chicks responded by chirping as we talked and sang to them. We told them it was a beautiful world with sunshine, blue skies and grass, and that they would like it out here. Breaking free of the small egg shell would be worth it! 

The thought came that our guardian angels probably encourage us like we were encouraging the chicks. We also have tough shells to shed and lots of growing to do. Some have said that our physical body is the veil that keeps us from seeing what is spiritual all around us. Most of us spend most of our time worrying about the physical world- food, health, homes, income- what we need to survive. Breaking free from what is physical and having a meaningful spiritual life and seeing what is from God around us is a struggle. Even if we can't see it, the Lord's love and care, and his angels are all around us! 

We took turns sitting by the eggs and talking to the eggs until we went to bed. We told the chicks that their chirping was so lovely, and that we so much wanted to see them. The eggs started wiggling and squirming again. But still no hatching that day. As night came on, I asked my family and a couple friends to pray for the chicks. Worried, I was up a lot that night, remembering when I was pregnant with one of my children and we didn't know if she would make it. Remembering how much the Lord took care of us helped!

The next morning we heard chirping again. We ran out to see the chicks, and 2 had hatched! They were clumsily trying to get up and walk in the incubator, tumbling around and pushing all the other eggs to the sides. They were soaking wet, and there were spots of blood on the egg shells and on their feathers. They looked more like baby dinosaurs than baby chicks. But their feathers soon dried and fluffed up, and they were adorable. There was more chirping and wiggling from the other eggs too. That was an exciting morning. The kids went to school a couple hours late because they watched several chicks hatch. Each time a chick hatched, we waited for it to dry inside the incubator. Then we put the chick in the warm brooder box we'd prepared, removed the empty, broken shell, and rearranged the eggs that had been pushed to the sides. We were so happy. We said a prayer thanking the Lord that at least a few of the chicks had made it! 

As chicks began to break out, a couple times the inside membrane remained sealed for a minute after the outer shell cracked. We could see the pulsating heart beat and the chick moving under the semi-clear membrane. What an amazing and precious treasure life is! Here are a couple videos of them breaking out of their shells.

It was interesting seeing the different ways chicks broke out of their shells. Each chick was unlike any other chick in its way of breaking the egg shell. It made me think of how we all progress and grow so differently. Shedding what keeps us from growing (like the egg shell) is difficult and messy for most.

One chick chipped a perfectly symmetrical line around the circumference of the egg, and then popped out. That was the only one that did that. Two chicks popped out almost at the same time- within just a few minutes- both of them had dark feathers. They seemed to be connected like siblings! They were the only ones that came at the same time. 

For most of the chicks, breaking free of the egg was very individual and exhausting work. This was no tea party, this was the fight for their lives! They had to take many breaks to regain their energy.  A couple of the chicks had a hard time straightening their heads, their heads had been pressed against their chests for so long. After several minutes they learned to lift their heads. The kids said, "I can't believe that the chicks used to fit inside the egg! They look so much bigger now!" 

When the chicks broke free from the egg shell, their uncoordinated and awkward attempts to walk often landed them back into the egg shell they'd been trying to shed. They sat with their heads or tails back inside the egg shell resting before making more attempts at walking. For us, falling back into old patterns or habits, like the chicks fell back into their egg shells, is something we struggle with.

One special chick made a tiny hole that it kept sticking its beak out of. It responded to our words through it's miniature window, shaking its beak at us and peeping when we talked to it. 

We kept encouraging that chick, it had been many hours and it hadn't progressed at all. Finally around 10 pm, 12 hours after it had started, that chick broke free from it's shell. It was so exhausted, it barely made it out! 

When the chick began moving and lurching around, it was dragging its egg shell behind it. After several minutes, we intervened and found that there was a cord wrapped around its leg, connecting it to the egg shell. We removed the cord with scissors. That chick probably had the cord wrapped around its leg when it was developing, because it had a hard time walking. It also has a hard time eating. We have been feeding it with a dropper. It still responds to our encouragement and seems to be doing a little better, but is more sleepy and smaller than the others. When I see it poop, I am happy that at least some food is getting through!  

If chickens who only take 21 days to develop, are so responsive to encouragement when they are still inside the egg, how much more receptive a human baby must be to the feelings and sounds of its mother when it is within the womb for 9 months! What a precious gift unborn life is!

Over the next couple days, 11 chicks hatched. There were still 9 eggs in the incubator. It had been 24 hours without any more movement from the remaining eggs, and I thought it was time to turn off the incubator. Our son insisted on opening each egg, in case any of them were alive and needed help to get out before we turned the incubator off. We cracked a hole in each egg very slowly and carefully in case they were still alive. Three eggs didn't develop at all. Six eggs developed into mature chicks, but were unable to break out of the thick shell. They died before we opened them. It was sobering and difficult to see how close they had come to making it out. We didn't know what to do with the eggs that had full grown chicks in them. If we buried them outside, an animal like a cat or dog would dig them up, so we put them in the garbage can- not a very dignified burial. We said a prayer and thanked Heavenly Father for the life that had developed in these chicks, and for the gift that they were from Grandpa. We asked if Grandpa in Heaven could take care of the chicks that died. Our son was crying, he almost never cries. We returned our focus to the living chicks, and to being happy they survived.

We have constant chirping inside the house now with chicks inside our kitchen. It is relaxing and calming to hold them, to watch them eat and sleep. When we reach our hand down to pick one up, they all gather around, as if they want to be picked up. They will put themselves in the palm of your hand. These chicks seem more happy and content than other chicks we've had before. Even when I leave the house, I can still hear the chirping. I hear chirping when I'm driving, at work, and on walks. I hear birds chirping more everywhere. Kind of like when a mother hears a child call "Mom!" at the grocery store and without thinking you turn around to look, in case it's one of your children. 

Our son says his goal is to have each chick fall asleep in his hands every day, so that they will learn to trust him. I don't know where he comes up with these things! It made me think of Jesus falling asleep in the boat during a storm, He knew whose care he was in and fully trusted in our Heavenly Father. 

So what has incubating chicks taught me? Growing is more like a long battle than a tea party. It is really hard and each person progresses in their own way. Encouragement makes a big difference, and a lot of cheering and love helps. Sometimes there are valid reasons that someone's progress is different or slower than expected, be patient with them as they struggle.  Life is so precious. God answers prayers! 

Since I've been thinking about chicks and eggs, I noticed on a walk the theme of rebirth all around me. Leaf buds closed tightly over winter open in spring. Flowers buds closed tightly open into beautiful flowers. Eggs- chicks are held in a tight space then break free to grow. Jumping, flying, swimming- all come after breaking free from the egg shell. Caterpillars become cocoons before butterflies. Butterflies can fly longer distances than a caterpillar could ever crawl. So many themes of rebirth and new life in nature. The old life is not much like the new life- it is an entirely new thing.  

Jesus also talked about being born again, and that we must all be born again in Him.  Jesus told Nicodemus, "I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God." "What do you mean?" exclaimed Nicodemus. "How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?" Jesus replied, "I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don't be surprised when I say, 'You must be born again.'" John 3:3-7 NLT

Jesus changes our lives and makes us new, as we turn to him to be our Wonderful Counselor, our Friend, Healer, and Savior.

"Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone, a new life has begun!" 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

If you or I am like the chick working to be free of the constraints of the egg shell, what is the next step? How do we break free of physical worries and constraints and enter more fully into a real spiritual life with Jesus? Is it making prayer a higher priority? Is it forgiving someone? Is it putting away something? The Spirit will tell you if you listen. It is a battle, but the Lord will give you strength! Don't give up! 

Simply Be His Child

When it rains, the rainwater washes down our driveway, bringing a fine layer of soil with it. When our children were younger, this smooth dirt was enticing to them. They loved to run their fingers through the cool silt. They said it was "fairy dust" and would throw this dirt up in the air and throw the dirt on each other's heads. It was funny to watch how completely dirty they would get, and how simple their fun was. I let them play because they were my youngest, and I knew this magic would fade as they grew. I thought that we must all look like dirty toddlers to our Heavenly Father, all in need of a good bath and cleaning. We like to point fingers at how dirty our brothers and sisters might be, but we're not much cleaner if any at all. 

I'm always catching judgmental thoughts in my head and tossing them out, but they keep coming! One time I felt frustrated, seeing some mistakes others were making, and feeling judgmental of them. Yet I could see some of those same mistakes and problems in my own life. I asked the Lord, "Don't you ever get tired of the MESS that we all are? How do you have it in you to show love to us all the time? How did you show love at the cross when you were so tired and had gone through so much suffering?" He told me that he had given and shown love so many times before, that it had become who He is. Kind of like when electricity flows through a channel for a long time- it retains the memory in its cells. Maybe over time love will become automatic if I keep choosing to see others with love instead of judgment, it's a daily struggle for sure. 

While we want to avoid judging others unfairly, some judgment is necessary to know who we can trust, and to decide how to spend our limited time and energy.  A little while ago someone who I considered a friend came over, but this time I wasn't sure if they were sincerely a friend or if there was something else going on. After they left, I prayed and asked the Lord to help me understand their heart, and what their intent was. The Lord answered by asking me a question, "How do they speak about those closest to them in their family?" Unfortunately, it wasn't good. Another time some of our friends were talking about Zion, and Edward prayed and asked the Lord about Zion. The Lord's response was a question, "What makes you think you can build Zion with other people, if you haven't built Zion in your own home? Worry about building Zion in your own home before you worry about building Zion with anyone else." This isn't a reflection of Edward, he gives being a father and husband everything he has, and is adored by our children. That's just the Lord's speaking plainly. The work of living what Jesus taught- loving and forgiving each other, is first practiced in our home. It is easy to maintain appearances publicly, but actually living Jesus' teachings of forgiveness, humility, kindness is most genuine and  real at home.  "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." John 7:24 When Jesus tells us to judge a righteous judgement, part of it is honestly looking at ourselves and recognizing we have repenting and work to do in the relationships that matter most- our families. Jesus is the only righteous one.  

Recently I had an interaction that made me think. A friend who has been kind in the past, expressed concern because I am not attending church. She said that some outside of the "covenant path" of church might make it to the tree of life, but that they would come crawling on their hands and knees. I didn't know if she was referring to our family's challenges, it felt like she was. In her view, the right way is to stay on the church path, and we aren't there. We all have moments where we feel like we're crawling on our hands and knees- in or out of the church. That interaction reminded me that I also judge others without knowing their hearts. Maybe we are trying to analyze what we don't understand in our mortal, flawed, human way, instead of allowing each other to be held in the Lord's capable hands. 

A few days later, I read John 9 about the blind man being healed by Jesus. The disciples asked the Lord, "Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents that he was born blind?" In the question of the disciples is a huge assumption. The disciples assumed that sin is the cause of this man's challenge. 

I am so thankful that the disciples didn't omit their very human questions in the records they made. Many of our own questions are found in what the disciples asked Jesus. Why do I struggle so much with what seems so easy for others? Is there something I have done wrong? Who sinned here? When I hear about others' difficulties, I am tempted to think of their faults too. Assuming challenges are a result of sin is ignorant of how the Lord tutors and teaches all of us. It is ignorant of God's mercy and incredible love for his children. How easily we ascribe personal trials to God purifying the righteous (we all think that's us!). Yet we see others challenges as their merited, just reward for their sins. How little we know and see of Jesus' mercy, love and grace for all of us, and how willing the Lord is to talk to us and help us! We are all blind in many ways to the majesty and miracles Jesus places around us every day. We are all beggars before God, and yet he loves us and sees something worth saving in us.

Jesus answered his disciple's question about the blind man, as always with astonishing truth and love. "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him."

What a contrast between how we see each other and how Jesus sees us! When Jesus saw the blind man, Jesus saw someone in whom God's works were waiting to be made manifest in. For many of us, when we see others struggling, it is easier to assume that sin is the cause. Jesus saw in the blind man someone that would bring glory to God, because he was in need of God. We are all in need of God! We can try to see each other with grace and love, looking for God's hand in each other's lives, instead of looking for sin and blame. When we hear about others challenges, we may be tempted to feel justified because we don't have their particular challenge. I hope we can respond more like Jesus would, waiting for God to show his miracles and His glory in their life and praying for them. The God we worship meets us in our challenges, that is where His miracles come to help us! We all need the Lord to perform his amazing work in our lives.  Praise God for being willing to love and help us in our unworthy state! 

I mentioned this to Edward, and he commented that after Jesus healed the blind man, the Pharisees were unbelieving. They accused and questioned the blind man about the miracle that had changed his life. Their unbelief didn't allow them to see the miracle and feel joyful that this man's life was forever made better. I hope I don't let others rob me of the joy of being loved and perfectly cared for by the Lord, even in my trials. I hope I don't take the unbelieving Pharisees' approach with friends, diminishing their miracles and the Lord's sustenance to them in their trials.

One time I was praying, asking for one particularly big trial to be taken away, the Lord told me that we are in His care, and that being held in His hands, is a much more stable and secure place to be than anywhere else in the world. I feel so thankful the Lord has taken care of us in every way! Whatever your trial, let Him lead you through it and transform the difficulty into something beautiful. That is what Jesus does, He takes a mess and makes it beautiful. 

My friend with the gift of blunt honesty referred to an important point. Is salvation, or exaltation dependent on belonging to an organized church, and covenants made in that church? The scriptures define church differently than our modern definition. 

"Behold, this is my doctrine—whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church. Whosoever declareth more or less than this, the same is not of me, but is against me; therefore he is not of my church. And now, behold, whosoever is of my church, and endureth of my church to the end, him will I establish upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them." D&C 10:67-69.

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except by Me." John 14:6 "This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." John 17:3 Do we really believe those words? Do we need someone other than  Jesus to be saved?

It's between you and the Lord. It's about having a relationship, where you can speak to Him and know Him personally. Learning to speak with the Lord, distinguish his voice and follow Him is the most important thing we can do. Having a relationship with Him doesn't require joining an organization, there is no money required to speak to Him, there is no special clothing you can buy that makes you more worthy, or special building you must gain access to for worship. No middlemen are needed. Just your humble and repentant heart turned to only Jesus. Your heart is where true worship happens. 

You can hear His voice. It is not reserved for those that deserve it, the Lord even spoke to Cain after he had killed his brother. In the church, sometimes we think that Jesus doesn't speak to us, that privilege is reserved for prophets. But we believe the Holy Ghost may speak to us. The Holy Ghost IS Jesus' voice, it is the mind and will of the Lord speaking to you. We might think- "No, I haven't heard Him, I only occasionally hear the Holy Spirit." The Lord has been speaking to you all along. 

Is organized religion helping you hear the Lord's voice and know Him personally? When you go to church, is Jesus the main focus or a side note? Maybe the answer is different for each of us. 

When I was listening to Christmas songs, the song "Joseph's Lullaby" came on. In the song, it is as if Joseph is speaking to baby Jesus, telling him to rest, "I believe the glory of Heaven is lying in my arms tonight. But Lord, I ask that He for just this moment, Simply be my child." The line "Simply be my child" stayed in my mind, like it was on repeat. It felt like the Lord's message to me. With so many things calling our attention, and the increasing chaos in the world, "simply be my child" gave my heart peace. In many ways I'm falling short, but "Simply be His child" is reachable. The Lord wants me to remember that He is my Father and I can rest in his care. He is a good Father that takes care of his children. How He loves us!

The phrase, "Simply be my child" still echoes in my mind. Be the child of Heavenly Mother and Father who love you more than you understand. They have held you, covered you with their love and protection like a blanket, cherishing every smile and moment holding and being with you, and have given a great sacrifice, Jesus, to have you come back to them.

Song "Joseph's Lullaby"