state of the heart
I really love this quote that Elder Andersen shared in General Conference. I found Rachel Jankovic’s writings and wanted to remember a few that hit home.
“Live the gospel in the things that no one sees. Sacrifice for your children in places that only they will know about. Put their value ahead of yours. Grow them up in the clean air of gospel living. Your testimony to the gospel in the little details of your life is more valuable to them than you can imagine. If you tell them the gospel, but live to yourself, they will never believe it. Give your life for theirs every day, joyfully. Lay down pettiness. Lay down fussiness. Lay down resentment about the dishes, about the laundry, about how no one knows how hard you work. Stop clinging to yourself and cling to the cross. There is more joy and more life and more laughter on the other side of death than you can possibly carry alone.”
“The gospel is not just something to talk about Sunday morning while you are in clean clothes and the kids are looking orderly. It is not limited to quiet times and reflective moods. It is something to apply while you are in a difficult position in the back of the car trying to buckle a child up who is playing the kazoo and needs their nose wiped. God is not above these moments. He is teaching us, and leading us, and refining us, in them. He wants to see our faith in action. He wants to see us feeding our children with the grace that he has given to us.”
“The state of your heart is the state of your home.”
by Rachel Jankovic | 2011
http://www.desiringgod.org/
Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches
Heather, I can’t even tell you how I needed this today as I sit here crying with such a heavy heart. Today is so hard. I needed these words to help me refocus on what is truly important. Not that I have a headache. Not that I haven’t been able to sleep for months and these last few nights have been especially bad and I ache from being so tired. Not that my 3 year old keeps calling me a poop head and doing exactly the opposite of what I need him to do. Not that my house is a mess and the floor needs to be swept so badly that my barefeet are covered in crumbs. Not that Dave has a night class and I won’t see him until late. What is truly important is my children. My attitude. My kindness and love towards them when they’re not behaving very loving and are frustrating me to no end. It is refining and I need to remember to rise to the task instead of giving in and letting it suffocate me.
I got on the computer to print out a recipe that I am taking to a girl in our ward tonight that just had a baby, and clicking on your blog real quick was a tender mercy moment for me. Heavenly Father knew I needed to see it right now.
Thank you! I love you!
Thanks for pointing out her blog entries, Heather! Looks like it will be some good, inspirational reading. I printed out your lovely quote to put on the fridge to keep me going tomorrow. :) Thank you!
I keep meaning to tell you thank you for including the original author’s name on your pretty word art. It’s made me feel badly for her that on all the word arts I’ve seen show up since conference, they only give credit to elder Anderson. Sad! Yours is the only one I’ve seen to give full credit. Way to go. :)