The Moment the World Gasped!

 So today I woke up and did my workout with Rick and he mentioned that Lexi had texted him to see if he wanted to do a 1/2 marathon with her in September.  Well I thought I need to do this too.  It will be right after I turn 50, and I need to take this year to respect my body.  I need to treat it better than I have been doing so that it will take care of me as I get older.  So I told Rick and he was very surprised. I then thought to make it a group event. I texted the sibling group text so see if anyone was game.  To my wonderful surprise, Nichole, Dave, Ellie, Dean, and Rachel agreed to join (this is when the world gasped).  They actually have registered which speaks to commitment and here we go!  I am so very excited.  Several of the kiddos are joining in as well so we will have quite the group. 

The word I have chosen for this year is "Becoming" and after I chose it, I have read so many things or heard so many things about becoming.  I want to become more like my Savior and Heavenly Father.  I have divine DNA so I can become more than I am and I can become more like them everyday. This year I want to do hard things that allow me to stretch and grow.  In addition to the marathon which I firmly believe will help my spirit and my mind because I will be taking care of my body that we fought so hard to get, I am taking violin lessons.  Katherine in our ward plays the violin beautifully and after our program, I texted her and told her how I envied her talent.  She responded that it is never too late! She is right!  So I am going to take lessons and my first one will be Jan 25th.  I will have weekly 30 minute lessons.  I am a bit intimidated but doing something that scares me is also how I will become better.

Elder Holland in his talk said something that I found very fitting to my idea of becoming.  "one's life cannot be both faith-filled and stress-free.  "Lord, give me all thy choicest virtues, but be certain not to give me grief, nor sorrow, nor pain, nor opposition.  Please do not let anyone dislike me or betray me, and above all, do not ever let me feel forsaken by Thee or those I love.  In fact, Lord be careful to keep me from all the experiences that made Thee divine. And then when the rough sledding by everyone else is over, please let me come and dwell with Thee, where I can boast about how similar our strengths and our characters are as I float along on my cloud of comfortable Christianity."  

As I was reading the first part of the New Liahona magazines it said, "Like Lehi, we are on a journey.  We will have highs and lows.  Sun and storms.  Peace and pain.  But through it all, there is a divine purpose because we have divine potential.  Our Heavenly Father doesn't just want us to be back with Him; He wants us to become more like Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.  But sometimes we need help.  Under the direction of living prophets, the Liahona magazine in our day is designed to help us know the way and how to walk it.  Learning and living the gospel of Jesus Christ changes us."  So this stuck out to me again in my word becoming.  

I know that in my becoming there will be rough edges that need to be knocked off and polished.  Often that is painful and uncomfortable and not something we wish for, but if I am asking for the blessing or refinement then I need to be willing to do what it takes to become a better version of myself.  Anyway I don't want my prayers to be conditional.  Bless me with this but do not make it hurt, or refine me here but as long at it costs me nothing etc.  I need to trust God and know that whatever I am asked to go through will be for my good.  I also love that becoming is not a one and done.   Becoming speaks to the fact that every day I will continue to try and improve and maybe each day I will do a little bit better but some days I won't but becoming is a continual process.  

So here is 2021 where change will be a blessing and a preparation  for things to come.  I feel there is a sifting going on, and I need to make sure I am anchored fast so I do not go the way of the chaff.