Be not afraid, only believe Mark 5:36

 I want to start off by introducing myself.  My name is Brooke Rosen, and my Mormon birthday is coming up this week.  On April 13^th, I’ll be 8!  I have 3 children, Hannah is 13, Elijah is 10, and Leah is 8.  And for the past two years, I’ve been a single, working mom.  I am a school speech language pathologist for EVSC.  My schools are Daniel Wertz Elementary, Perry Heights Middle School, and Reitz High School.  I was completely unfamiliar with the west side of Evansville until August 2014 J . My closest family members, beyond my children, live 700 miles away, and this ward has become my family. 

I actually volunteered to give a talk, which I generally enjoy, though I am nervous.  I’ve had a month to prepare, but it didn’t really come together as quickly as I thought it would.  I guess I’m one of those that “fills the time available”.  The topic Bishop asked me to speak on is “Be Not Afraid, Only Believe”.

Now, I didn’t realize that Bishop Daines was going to preach a sermon on this passage on Easter, but I suppose, you can never hear a good scripture passage too many times.

I want to read the story behind this quote.  It’s in Mark 5, starting in verse 21.
21 Jesus got into the boat again and went back to the other side of the lake, where a large crowd gathered around him on the shore. 22 Then a leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet, 23 pleading fervently with him. “My little daughter is dying,” he said. “Please come and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live.”

24 Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around him.

{we are going to skip the story of the woman with the issue of blood}

35 While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. They told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.”

36 But Jesus overheard[d] them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.”

37 Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn’t let anyone go with him except Peter, James, and John (the brother of James). 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw much commotion and weeping and wailing. 39 He went inside and asked, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.”

40 The crowd laughed at him. But he made them all leave, and he took the girl’s father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying. 41 Holding her hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means “Little girl, get up!” 42 And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed. 43 Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone what had happened, and then he told them to give her something to eat.

Jairus is a lot like us.  He has the faith to ask Jesus for help in the beginning.  That’s pretty easy, I think.  Things start to get rough, a loved one gets sick, or we need an answer.  That first prayer is pretty easy.  But what happens when things get worse before they get better? Maybe the loved one gets worse or even dies.  What if we don’t get the answer we want, or we don’t seem to get any answer at all?  What then?  That’s when we have to dig a little deeper, and “fear not, only believe”

The last talk I gave was in Feb 2014.  My family was getting ready to move to a tiny town in Kansas.  I had prayed for friends in this new town, and God had provided.  However, life didn’t go according to MY plan, and my former husband ended up moving without us. 

I WAS afraid.  I had not worked full time in 10 years, though I had worked very part time, every other weekend the previous year.  However, I did know what I needed to do.  I had exactly one job interview and easily secured a full time position.  I remain thankful that I listened to earlier promptings that told me to keep my certification and licenses up to date.  There were many years where I nearly let them lapse. 

I KNOW God has blessings waiting for my family.  They likely are not what I’m expecting or planning myself.  I constantly make plans for how things could be better for my little family.  How could I work fewer hours and still earn enough money to pay the mortgage?  Should I move closer to my family?  I just have to remember to pray about decisions and wait to see if doors open or not.  Fear not, only believe.

I want to share a story with you.  When I got the topic for this talk, I thought this would be the perfect story, and at that point I thought it had a nice, happy, miraculous ending.  I was wrong.  I don’t know what the end will be, because it’s still just the middle of the story.

I have a friend named Jim.  He has been having some health issues since November or so.  Every time I talked to him, the doctor’s had told him some new diagnosis for his aches and pains.  First, he was told he was having withdrawal symptoms from taking Lyrica for a month.  Then, they thought he’d cracked a rib or two after having a month of coughing from a respiratory infection.  Then, the pain was from pleurisy.  Then, the doctor thought maybe he had kidney stones, so an x-ray was taken.  Turns out he has a hole in his pelvic bone the size of a silver dollar.  The doctor said it was probably bone cancer, but if it was what he thought it was it would be pretty easily treated.  Blood tests were run to confirm the diagnosis of bone cancer and a PET scan was ordered.  The blood work came back negative for bone cancer.  However, the news came across as “not cancer”.  This is where I thought the end of the story would be a few weeks back.  Jim was feeling like prayers had been answered…  But then he had the PET scan.  The real diagnosis is Stage 4 lung cancer that has metastasized to 7 places in his bones.  That diagnosis was like falling off a cliff after thinking he had no cancer.   His prognosis is still good with new medications that directly target the mutated cancer cells.  There are a few different medications he can take and they each target about 5 specific mutations.  He has each of those 5 mutations, which is very unusual.  There’s only a 5% chance that each of his mutations would match up with the medication. I believe that makes it a 1 in 3,200,000 chance.  Every time I get an update from Jim, things continue to sound positive.

However, Stage 4 Cancer.  Those are scary words.
I don’t know how this story ends.  I mean I know the END ending of this story… it’s the same as our story in the end.  But I don’t know how the “Jim has Cancer” story ends.  Jesus says, “Fear not, only believe”.

I’ve shared this story in the past, but there are so many new faces in our ward, it seems safe to share again.  This is what caused me to investigate the church for the SECOND time.  My friend Venita now has 10 kids, but this happened back when she just had 6.  Christian Alexander was born July 16, 2003, when Hannah was 9 months old.  Fast forward to August 2004.  Venita sent out a message to the Yahoo mommy group we were both members of.  “Christian is very sick, please pray for him.”  At that point in my life, I didn’t attend church, but I had strong faith in Jesus Christ.  I prayed that Christian would be healed, and I put him out of my mind.  The next message from Venita was shocking.  Christian had died.  He was born with a brain malformation that caused fluid to build up on his brain.  By the time they got him to the hospital, it was too late.  I was devastated because, I HAD PRAYED FOR THAT BABY, and he died anyway.  Venita mentioned that her husband had given her a priesthood blessing.  I didn’t know what that meant, but I KNEW I had to find out about it.  I called a grieving mother, who I only knew through a Yahoo group, on the phone to hear about her priesthood blessing.  After a lot of crying she said that in her blessing it was stated that “Christian died to bring others to Christ”.  Venita was CERTAIN that meant me, but honestly, I wanted no part of that!  That was way too scary for me to consider.  Could that happen?  Could a 13 month old baby die so that I would get my act together?  Maybe.  It certainly started me moving that direction (I didn’t join the church for 4 more years).  Not only did I find the Restored Gospel, but so have my three children.
We can’t see the bigger picture in that terrifying moment, but God knows what it will become. 
Jesus says, “Fear not, only believe.”

I spend at least 40 minutes in the car every school day commuting to and from work.  I fill that time with KLOVE radio.  When I give a talk or teach a class, I often am reminded of a song from KLOVE.  I actually have two that I want to share today.  The first one is

Sparrows – Jason Gray

You can’t add a single day

by worrying, you’ll worry your life away

don’t worry your life away

You can’t change a single thing

by freakin’ out, it’s just gonna close you in

don’t let the trouble win

You may feel alone, but you’re not on your own

If He can hold the world, He can hold this moment

Not a field or flower escapes His notice

Even the sparrow knows He holds tomorrow

Lean in, it’s hard to miss

everything can change when you make it His

He wants to carry it

Care free, in the care of God

when you let it go, you’ll find that He’s enough

You never leave His love,You don’t walk alone

If He can hold the world He can hold this moment

Not a field or flower escapes His notice

even the sparrow knows, He holds tomorrow

There’s not a single star that’s out of place

There’s nothing broken He can’t remake

If you long for hope when you’re afraid

Look at the sparrow

During my recent Scripture study, I’ve found so many verses that I want to share.  The first one is

Luke 11:5-13 NLT

Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat. And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.””

Luke 11:5-13 NLT

I love those verses!  Jesus is telling us to keep pestering Heavenly Father with our prayers.  Honestly, that does sound like an older brother, doesn’t it?

Here’s another

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

And one more

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

James 1:2-4 NLT

Now this song, I heard on my way home from work on Friday when I realized I had to include it.

Trust in You – Lauren Daigle

Letting go of every single dream

I lay each one down at Your feet

Every moment of my wandering

Never changes what You see

I’ve tried to win this war I confess

My hands are weary I need Your rest

Mighty Warrior, King of the fight

No matter what I face, You’re by my side

When You don’t move the mountains I’m needing You to move

When You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through

When You don’t give the answers as I cry out to You

I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!

Truth is, You know what tomorrow brings

There’s not a day ahead You have not seen

So, in all things be my life and breath

I want what You want Lord and nothing less

When You don’t move the mountains I’m needing You to move

When You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through

When You don’t give the answers as I cry out to You

I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!

You are my strength and comfort

You are my steady hand

You are my firm foundation; the rock on which I stand

Your ways are always higher

Your plans are always good

There’s not a place where I’ll go, You’ve not already stood

When You don’t move the mountains I’m needing You to move

When You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through

When You don’t give the answers as I cry out to You

I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!

***

Think about Moses and Red Sea.  There he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.  God tells him to strike the water with his staff.  I can imagine Jesus whispering to him “Fear not, only believe”

Or what about David and Goliath?  The Israelites were terrified, but that young man, David knew what to do.  He was humble, and he knew the Lord would help him.  He was able to Fear not, and only believe.

Remember Shadrach, Meshach, Abednigo?  They weren’t afraid of the consequences of choosing the right.  I somehow doubt that they thought they would survive the burning furnace, but the certainly were able to Fear not, only believe

Even Jesus when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemene.  He asked if there was another way.  He will always tell us “Fear Not, Always Believe”.

That doesn’t mean everything will turn out the way we want, expect, or plan.   But it will turn out the way HE planned.  We know how it all ends, and we win. 

I want to  bear my testimony that I know….

General Conference -Saturday sessions

I hate to admit it, but for the past couple of years I have missed more of Conference than I've watched. I used to DVR it and would attempt to watch it piecemeal, but I'd get distracted. I no longer have cable TV,  BYU-TV, or a DVR... However, there is still plenty of technology in my house.

Today, I planned to set up the Apple TV downstairs and watch. I got distracted with chores and didn't get it turned on until 11:15 ( it starts at 11am here). Between laundry and cleaning, I missed seeing the morning session live. I did watch the afternoon session, and I was touched, especially by D. Todd Christofferson's talk.

I decided to watch the morning session before going to bed, and it was amazing!  Not only did there appear to be a clear theme (marriage, marriage, marriage, and husbands), but L. Whitney Clayton quoted the very scripture I had highlighted half an hour before.

My faith has been increased and personal revelation has been revealed. I will definitely be watch both sessions on Sunday!

Talk - Unconditional Love - February 2014

During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught the people the following:

Matthew 6: 28-31

        

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith ? 

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 

When Jesus was sending his disciples out to teach he told them this:

Matthew 10: 28-31

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

 31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Heavenly Father knows us, every detail, even the ones WE don’t know about.  He knows our worth. He values us.  He knows our struggles.

Even a tiny one celled creature is more complex than most of us realize.  Hannah I watched a video for science that talked about the complexity of the flagellum on a single celled creature.  Those little whip-like tails that move the tiny cell around are powered by a tiny motor that works just like an outboard motor!  The tiny parts of the motor are created from proteins that assemble in exactly the right order.  That’s just the cellular level, it gets even more complex at the molecular, atomic, and quantum levels.  But our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know all of these tiny bits that make up our bodies.  They did the organizing!  I can’t even keep my house organized and clean…

I’ve been listening to Christian music on the radio while driving my minivan for the past two and a half years.  I have found it amazing at what having those positive messages whirling around in my subconscious can do in my life.  (Just imagine if I were better at reading the Scriptures!!).  I have found myself reliving past hurts and disappointments or having negative conversations in my brain (anyone else do that?), only to realize that the next level deeper is the refrain to a song… He is faithful, He is faithful. 

I woke up the other morning with the following chorus from the song “I AM” by David Crowder running through my mind.

There’s no space that his love can’t reach

There’s no place where we can’t find peace

There’s no end to amazing grace.

Take me in with Your arms spread wide

Take me in like an orphan child

Never let go

Never leave my side

I am

Holding on to you

I am

Holding on to you

In the middle of the storm

I am holding on

I am

Now you can take this song two ways.  You can think I am holding on to HIM.  Or He is holding on to me. Think of that.  The Great I AM is holding on to YOU…

I am continually amazed by how much Heavenly Father cares about our seemingly insignificant lives, how he answers prayers for things that we sometimes wonder if they are too inconsequential to even ask for.  But if we don’t ask, we might not realize just how great our God is!

Last summer, my husband heard about a department head job at Pittsburg State University…  That’s in Pittsburg… Kansas.  I’d never heard of it.  My parents are FROM KS, and they’d never heard of Pittsburg.  But on the other hand, I’d never heard of Evansville before we moved here either…  So, Pete heard about this opening, and I was already convinced he’d get the job.  Before he had even applied to the school, they contacted him saying they thought he was a good fit (Pete’s mentor from his PhD student days had made a phone call and recommended him) and would he like to interview…  I wasn’t the least bit surprised when they offered him the job after a phone interview and a campus visit (he had to demo his teaching and research). 

So, I had 10 months to get us ready to move…  I’m not sure if that is better or worse than short notice.  The stress lasts a LOT longer.

I started researching what I could, and found that Pittsburg did indeed have a ward, not just a branch.  I’m on a FB group for LDS homeschoolers and one day someone asked if anyone else in the group was in KS.  I responded, ‘we are moving to Pittsburg, KS in June… not that anyone lives there.’  I got a super excited response saying ‘we just moved from Pittsburg to KC, and we loved it there.  Great ward.  We are meeting the Pittsburg youth at the KC temple tomorrow, and I’ll let them know about you.’

umm, wow.  I started praying for friends in Pittsburg.  We would be leaving so many wonderful friends here, we would have to have good friends there as well. 

In December, we planned a side trip to Pittsburg on the way to OKC  to see my parents for Christmas.  I wanted to spend one night and go to church on Sunday to see what it was like.  About a week before our planned arrival, my husband got a phone call, on his cell phone mind you, from a church member in Pittsburg asking us to stay with them.  Pete had him call me and work out the details and left it up to me whether or not we spent the night with strangers…  Honestly, we can only guess how all that happened.  The homeschool mom refused to ask for our phone number because it was ‘too creepy’…  Our church is very connected, and the persistent find a way J

The members we stayed with were amazing.  They invited the Bishop and his wife over to meet us on Saturday night, and they were really nice.  The church was initially disappointing to me.  So small.  It was the Sunday before Christmas and the weather was awful… so there were fewer people than normal.  My 3 kids were ¾ of the primary, the Bishop’s son was the 4^th.

I started thinking we could live 20 minutes away in a town just north of Joplin, MO.  We would go to church in Joplin then… that sounded better to me, and the houses in that area are NICE and super inexpensive.  Very temping.  However, I really felt we were supposed to live in Pittsburg.

Fast forward to early Feb.  Pete had been invited to some meetings, so we planned another trip to Pittsburg.  We’d see the town, look at some houses, maybe look around Joplin, etc.  We stayed with the same older couple the first night, and they invited a family over to meet us, a family with a professor dad, Primary pres mom, and 5 kids (ages 9 to almost 2).  Friends! 

Church on Sunday was better (still no girls Hannah’s age), and the family we’d met invited us over for dinner the following day.  They ended up with a snow day, so we came over to play in the afternoon as well. 

Looks like God wants us in Pittsburg.

His love for us is so great.  He has plans for us.  We just have to follow him.  Every once in a while I have to sing the Primary song, “I will go, I will do, the things the Lord commands…”

The ultimate act of unconditional love was made through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  There is no sin that is too big.  Nothing is too big for God.  Through the Atonement God can use our sinful selves to do Great works for Him.  He wants us, He pursues us.  Think of some of the “Great Heroes” of the Old Testament.

Noah – we know he got drunk at least once

Abraham – grew up as an idol worshipper, a liar (how many times did he lie about being Sarah’s brother?)

Isaac – major family issues

Jacob – thief, liar, usurper (Jacob even MEANS usurper)

Joseph – I don’t know this for sure, but I get the feeling Joseph was an insufferable, spoiled brat

Moses – murderer

David – adulterer & murderer

Jonah – disobedient prophet

Solomon – sex addict

I think (hope!) most of us are doing a better job than these guys, and think of how God was able to use them.  Do his work through them, when they obeyed…

When I was pondering what I could talk about for this talk, the parable of the Prodigal Son came to mind.  I wanted to find a modern take on it, but found this article from Christianity Today.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/february/prodigal-son.html

***

Disclaimer: one month after giving this talk, my marriage ended, and the kids and I didn't move.  However, I know that God has something better planned for us.

Talk - Charity Never Faileth - October 2011

Charity never faileth is the beginning of 1 Cor 13:8.  Leading up to that statement is a description of what charity is.  Charity is another word for the Love of Jesus Christ.  So, love never fails or ends.  Really what we are saying is The Love of Jesus Christ is Eternal. 

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things

When I started to think about this talk the first thing that came to mind was how we treat our children.  Of course we all love our children with all of our hearts, but do we always show that to them?  I know I don’t.  I get frustrated and yell.  Sometimes I yell when it’s not even the kids I’m frustrated with. 

I was reminded of a story that I read on a homeschooling blog written by a dad who was a preacher and wanted to shelter his children from the world as much as possible.

“When my oldest son was almost 16 we let him get his first job washing dishes at a restaurant managed by a Christian friend of ours. As diehard shelterers we wrestled with whether or not our son was ready to enter the world's workforce. We knew we couldn't shelter him forever, and so finally concluded that he should be old enough to send into the world two nights a week. What we didn't realize was that he would be working with drug-using, tattooed, partiers, and our Christian friend was never scheduled to work our son's shift.

Within a month it became apparent that our son's new work associates were having an effect on him. He came home one evening and asked, "Dad, can I dye my hair blue?" After my wife was finally able to peal me off the ceiling, I laid into him, reminding him whose son he was, and that I would not have people at church telling their children not to be like the pastor's son. I explained that just because he wanted to use washable dye, it didn't make me any happier. (Note that my intense reaction had to do with "outward appearances" and the impact on me.)

Of course, my wife and I immediately began to evaluate whether we had made a mistake by letting him take the job. After an intense discussion we decided to coach him more carefully and let him keep his job.

Two months later he came home from work and asked me if he could pierce his ear. Again, my wife had to peal me off the ceiling. He thought it might be okay since he wanted a cross earring -- like I was supposed to be happy, because it would be a "sanctified" piercing. If that wasn't enough, he also wanted to get a tattoo! But it was going to be okay, because it would be a Christian tattoo!

As I was looking back on this experience several years later, something my son said shortly after he started his job kept coming back to me. When I picked him up the second night of work, he got in the car with a big smile on his face and said "They like me!" As I dwelt on that comment, it suddenly came clear to me - my son had finally met someone who liked him for who he was. Few others in his entire life had shown him much acceptance, especially not his mother and I. It is no exaggeration - in our efforts to shape and improve him, all we did was find fault with everything he did. We loved him dearly, but he constantly heard from us that what he did (who he was) wasn't good enough. He craved our approval, but we couldn't be pleased. Years later, I realized he had given up trying to please us when he was 14, and from then on he was just patronizing us.

The reason our son wanted to adorn himself like his work associates, was because they accepted him for who he was. He wanted to fit in with those who made him feel significant. He wanted to be like those who gave him a sense of identity. The problem wasn't one that could be solved by extended sheltering - he could have been sheltered until he was 30 and he still would have been vulnerable. The problem was that we had sent our son into the world insecure in who he was. He went into the world with a hole in his heart that God had wanted to fill through his parents.

Whether believer or unbeliever, those young people who are least tempted to follow the crowd are those who are secure in themselves and don't need the approval of others.”

We need to make sure that we let our kids know about all the good things they are doing.  I was reading a book where the parent of a drug addicted young adult decided to focus only on his positive traits.  She said at first she could only think of one thing…  Her son came home late at night obviously under the influence of something.  She looked at him, and said, “Good breathing son”.  Surely our kids are doing more than just breathing well! 

Small children, under the age of 3 or 4 don’t even understand the negatives in a sentence.  While they may understand “NO!” they generally don’t understand when you say “don’t run” or “don’t jump on the couch”.  They truly do not process the word “don’t”, and that’s why they may grin at you and do exactly what you told them not to.  They heard “run” instead of “don’t run” or “jump on the couch” instead of “don’t jump on the couch”.  They thought you were just being a really fun mom.  Imagine their surprise when they are then further reprimanded.  We need to tell our toddlers and preschoolers what we DO expect them to do “Please walk” or “Please sit on the couch”, then when they do those things we need to let them know what a great job they are doing.  I think for people who got into this habit with small children it is easier to keep it up with the older kids.  “I just love the way you sit so quietly during Sacrament Meeting.”  Or “Thank you for helping with you little sister, you did a wonderful job”

I know my mom was very difficult to please when I was a kid.  She had lots of rules about the way things had to be done like folding towels.  Did you know that towels have a right side and a wrong side?  Well, they do, according to my mother.  First, you must find the tag and fold it to the inside, and the first fold must be the long direction, then you fold it in half the short way, then fold it in half again the short way.  I was just too short to fold a towel the long way first…  However, every time I folded the towels wrong, my mother would heave a heavy sigh, unfold all the towels and say, “I’ll just do it myself”.

Of course, I too, am critical, and being critical is NOT showing the love of Jesus Christ.  I have learned a valuable lesson about keeping my critiques to myself.  I’m sure that many of you have heard that people have different Love Languages.  I give things to people, but my husband does acts of service to show love.  That’s great because I hate housework!  When he’s feeling particularly loving, he’ll clear the dinner table and load the dishwasher.  Now, I fully enjoy having the dishes washed without my having to do it, BUT I often feel that I could do a better job.  I know just how to load the dishwasher so it is at maximum capacity.  I can almost always get all the dishes in, and if not it’s usually just one big pot or pan that is no big deal to wash by hand.  Sometimes Pete will put 3 big pots and pans in the dishwasher along with some silverware and call it good, leaving 20 plastic cups and bowls in the sink…  A few times I decided to share my organizational knowledge with him and tell him how he could do a better job.  He walked away!  And he didn’t offer to do the dishes again for weeks!  Now I keep my mouth shut and just run a second load of dishes later…

If “Charity Never Faileth” is really going to be a motto in our lives we have to focus on seeing the good in people, especially in our own family. 

President Thomas S. Monson said, “Charity is having patience with someone who has let us down. It is resisting the impulse to become offended easily. It is accepting weaknesses and shortcomings. It is accepting people as they truly are. It is looking beyond physical appearances to attributes that will not dim through time. It is resisting the impulse to categorize others.”

A few years ago there was a knock on our door in the evening.  When I peered through the peephole, I didn’t recognize the person but I decided to answer the door anyway.  On our porch stood a very disheveled man.  He asked if this was the policeman’s house.  I said, “no, he lives next door, but can I help you?”  This man was mentally challenged, and he’d gotten lost while taking a walk.  He knew it would soon be dark and he wanted to get home.  I asked if he knew his address and he provided one that didn’t sound too far away.  So, I asked Pete to drive him home.  Well, the address he gave wasn’t right…  He told Pete he lived close to the mall, so Pete headed toward Eastland Mall, but the man didn’t recognize anything and he was starting to get scared.  Then they tried Washington Square Mall (which is a lot closer to our house), and eventually found his apartment complex.  Turns out if he’d gone half a block further west and turned south instead of north, he would have been home.  Pete and I felt so good to have helped this helpless man whose name turns out to be Jimmy Carter.  What if he’d knocked on another door and been refused or hurt?  God definitely led him to the right place!  I’m not sure even our policeman next-door neighbor would have been as accommodating and patient as Pete was.

So, to sum up:  show the Love of Jesus Christ to you family and don’t be critical, make sure your children know all the good things about themselves, and be a good example for others.  If you see someone who needs help DO something.