Every night, with an occasional circumstantial skip, we do “Come Follow Me” as a family. It’s a scripture study guide provided by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Every Monday morning, as a part of my personal study, I sit down and adjust the plan for our family, mostly deciding which night we should study which group of scriptures and sometimes adjusting the lessons to make them age appropriate for our kids. This morning, as we were driving to church, Maverick asked me, “Mom, when will we get resurrected?” This was a question that was spurred after a lengthy discussion on why others don’t go to church and the “plan of happiness,” and how God has provided a lot of opportunities for us to learn about Christ and will continue to do so even after death. I told him, “When Christ comes again.” He said, “When is that?” I said, “We don’t know, but we know it will happen.” Then he replied, “How do we know?” I said, “It’s in the scriptures.” He said, “Wait, the scriptures are true?!?” Despite having me testify nearly every evening after sharing scriptures, this was a new realization for our seven-year-old. I said, “Well, I know they’re true because they make me feel good inside and bring me peace and joy. How do you feel when I read scriptures to you?” He said simply, “Good.” I told him he’ll have to study and pray about them to know for himself, but those feelings will help you build a knowledge that the scriptures are true. I am truly grateful that I have that knowledge and I’ve had the opportunities in my life that have led me to 1) want to know for myself 2) have the time and focus to study them and make them a part of my thoughts and actions. The scriptures are a big part of my life. Sometimes I only get a few minutes with them each day, but it is those atomic habits that really sculpt and mold our lives, not the sporadic splurging on scriptures (or really any spontaneous once-in-a-blue-moon choice). It is the daily repentance for the small things that keep us from committing the big sins. It is the daily cultivating of our relationships that help build a solid foundation, not the over-the-top proposal or big, but rare romantic gestures. It is from our thoughts which lead to our daily choices in how we treat others and prioritize our time. For me, I strive to prioritize my scriptures and prayers as a way to show God, and myself, that he is one of my main focuses. Then of course my family.
With that thought, I’ve been absent from this blog for about a month. We’ve been visiting family or busy preparing to visit family. I’m going to leave this blog as it is and add another “travel log” if you will for those who want to catch up on all the going ons and photos from the last bit.