i love sundays. i love going to church. i love the family dinners and having eric with us. today i sat at church and observed the amazing lives of people around me. a ward is truly an amazing thing. the ward we live in right now is a little piece of heaven on earth. i love the people that i am surrounded by there. even those i don't know yet. today, i observed....
the single mother of 4 or 5(?) surrounded by her older daughters who were caring for the baby. they giggled about something with their mom and put their arms around her as they talked. i can't think of a harder situation for this sweet mother to be in. but i could see that she is not left comfortless. those girls are at her side. she is being blessed. the atonement is alive in her life.
then a man i have great respect for who chose a different path for 25 years, coming back to the religion of his fathers and his youth. his strong testimony of the power of the hymns in his life. he said that even when he was 'in the wilderness', he would sing the hymns that he learned as a child. what a powerful testimony of music. what a powerful testimony of atonement. this is just a glimpse.
part of what i love about church is witnessing real people with real struggles in their lives. i don't know everybody's stories. but i know that they are there. i know that if i think that anybody has it easy, i just don't know them well enough. i am not the nosy type. i don't pry. but i love watching the atonement take over in the lives of my friends. it is so powerful. it is so real.
in primary, i observed a sweet young man...probably 11 give a talk on the temple. he didn't read it off a sheet of paper his mom had written out. he just spoke from his heart. he told about how glad he was that his mom and dad were sealed for eternity in the temple. he told that he knew that it was the best place on earth. that it is a place where we can find peace. in all the talks i have heard about the temple in recent months (and there have been many), i have not felt the spirit stronger than the witness of this child.
sometimes, it is easy to be discouraged by the world around us. but the gospel of jesus christ is moving forward. it is changing people's lives. the enabling power of the atonement allows ordinary people to be extraordinary! it made me think of whether i am relying too much on myself and too little on the savior. with his help, i can do and be better...
2 comments:
That was a wonderful post Janine, thank you. I had a wonderful time at church yesterday as well and it something I REALLY needed right now. In primary we had a little 5 year old girl give a talk on temples. With help from her mom, she gave it to us so well and then at the end she held up a picture of the temple and sang "I love to see the temple". It made my eyes water. So precious.
Alright, Janine, I am a total blog-stalker, and I found you! Your kids are darling and your photography is beautiful, and I love reading what you have to say on any topic. I think of you whenever I hear "Close Enough to Touch." Do you remember singing that one? Anyway, miss you, and glad things are going so well!
Love, Chrissy (Ridge) Carlson
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