Sunday, July 18, 2010

I gave a talk at church

from a talk I gave in July of 2010...

We are each of great worth to our Father in heaven. In a resent article by Thomas S. Monson, which I will be quoting throughout my talk, it says "The world is filled with yellow canaries with gray on their wings. The pity is that so precious few have learned to sing. Some are young people who don't know who they are, what they can be or even want to be; all they want is to be somebody. Others are stooped with age, burdened with care, or filled with doubt—living lives far below the level of their capabilities.
To live greatly, we must develop the capacity to face trouble with courage, disappointment with cheerfulness, and triumph with humility. You ask, "How might we achieve these goals?" I answer, "By gaining a true perspective of who we really are!" We are sons and daughters of a living God, in whose image we have been created. Think of that: created in the image of God. We cannot sincerely hold this conviction without experiencing a profound new sense of strength and power."
This past week I was talking with Rudy advising him to ask the Lord for the thing we were so in need of, Rachel wearing only her diaper was crawling back and forth between us happy as can be. I thought we are so much like her coming to the Lord with our simple understanding. the things she needs are so easy for us to give. I know her needs before she asks. I don't take away all her challenges, and I find joy in her every accomplishment. She is walking this week Oh, it's so cute the way she throws her little legs out and just go's for it. She laughs with pure joy as she makes it to my arms and throws herself into my lap. She is so wonderful, but her life depends on our care for her, all the little and big things we do. and I thought if the Lord love me, with all my simpleness when compared to him, like I love my children he will take care of me and help me. In my simpleness I have a hard time understanding his ways and his love for me. but I know that he is there with his arms outstretched to catch me if I fall as I try to walk to him and we both find joy in the little accomplishments.
Proverbs 8:29-30
29 When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:
30 Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;
 
"Some are young people who don't know who they are, what they can be or even want to be; all they want is to be somebody." How many times as a youth I sat in the Oakland temple waiting room I can't say but my favorite move shown there was Johnny Lingo. Remember in Johnny Lingo...there was an island where men bought their wives with cows. It was something the women bragged about later, "well my husband paid three cows for me!" Four or five cows was a great honor. Well, poor Mahana...no one thought she would ever be married, they thought her so undesirable. When they found out that Johnny Lingo intended to ask for her hand, they thought he was a skin flint, just trying to get a "good deal", i.e. he could get a wife for one cow. But Johnny knew something they didn't. He could see her value. He paid ten cows for Mahana. . .a price previously unheard of in the village, and Mahana truly became a ten cow woman!
"The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart" (
1 Samuel 16:7)
We are like Mahana, Satan would like us to think we are only worth one cow. But the Savior has already seen our worth, and has paid more than ten cows for us. He believes you are worth more than ten cows, worth the price he paid, the only question now is do you believe Him?
A number of months ago I had a dream, it is very precious to me. in my dream I was sitting in a meeting not paying too much attention to what was being said, I think it was going long, Rudy was sitting in the pew next to me. We were about midway back. There was a woman commenting that she would be unable to deal with the challenge given her. She was taking on enough. This challenge, a boy, would be put in another place and left there. abandoned. I felt something well up in my tummy, I touched Rudy's arm, as the feeling grew making me stand-up, as I did this something turned to words "I want him" the sound of me saying the words woke me from the dream. I knew that the dream was a gift from the Lord about my sweet Phil.

There is a song from the primary program this year that really touches me, called "I'll Walk with You"
If you don't walk as most people do,
Some people walk away from you,
But I won't! I won't!
If you don't talk as most people do,
Some people talk and laugh at you,
But I won't! I won't!
I'll walk with you. I'll talk with you.
That's how I'll show my love for you.

Jesus walked away from none.
He gave his love to ev'ryone.
So I will! I will!
Jesus blessed all he could see,
Then turned and said, "Come, follow me."
And I will! I will!
I will! I will!
I'll walk with you. I'll talk with you.
That's how I'll show my love for you.

As we learn to be like our father becoming extensions of his love we gain that true perspective of who we really are, We are sons and daughters of a living God, in whose image we have been created. Through this lineage our potential is truly awesome. To all faithful Saints He has promised thrones, kingdoms, principalities, glory, immortality, and eternal lives. (See
Rom. 2:7; D&C 75:5; D&C 128:12, 23; D&C 132:19.)
I bear my testimony of his love for us and of the worth of each person to him, no matter what we see the Lord knows us, who we really are "We are sons and daughters of a living God, in whose image we have been created." as we learn this we truly will "experience(ing) a profound new sense of strength and power."