My Divine Identity and Destiny

 My Divine Identity and Destiny

The Family: A Proclamation to the World states: “the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children”. What does the Creator have in store for me? What is my destiny?  I have thought about this final blog and, I have to be honest, have procrastinated writing it because I really didn’t to what I wanted to say until now.

I came to this earth as a daughter of God with a purpose. One to gain a body and two, become like God. I have disregarded the body as nothing, with regards to just having it here on earth. Ok, so that part is done. I’ve got one. Taking this class, has really opened my eyes to understanding what this body is and how it plays into my destiny here and in the eternities.

My body is a gift. Elder Bednar stated “Have we ever really considered why having a physical body is so important? … Do we really understand why a body is so central to the Father’s plan of happiness? Do we perhaps recite this answer so frequently and routinely that we fail to recognize its true importance? (“Ye Are the Temple of God,” Ensign, Sept. 2001, 14). In terms of destiny, my body plays a role in understanding who created it, who I am in this body, and why the temptations are so strong to destroy it. First, scriptures teach us that God created us in his image. This body is the same as God’s. In D&C 130: 22 it states “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s”. He sent us to this earth to experience life in a body like his. Experiences have shown me that, in this body, I am his daughter. I have unique talents and qualities that I can use and develop here. I have seen him allow me to grow in ways I never would have chosen for myself. Mine would have been a much easier path. I have also been tempted so many times to hate this body and have thought that it wasn’t good enough. Elder Bednar shared his thoughts on this matter in a talk entitled “Things as they really are”. He states, “The very tool he does not have and cannot use is thus the primary target of his attempts to lure us to physical and spiritual destruction. When any of Heavenly Father’s children misuse their physical tabernacles by violating the law of chastity, by using drugs and addictive substances, by disfiguring or defacing themselves, or by worshiping the false idol of body image, whether their own or that of others, Satan is delighted. To those of us who know and understand the plan of salvation, any defiling of the body is rebellion and a denial of our true identity as sons and daughters of God (see Mosiah 2:36–37; D&C 64:34–35).” I am beginning to understand the body’s importance to my destiny here and on an eternal scale.

My destiny is to become like God. How do I do this? The scriptures share that we came to earth to experience things “in the flesh” to help us become like Him. So what things am I experiencing to fulfill my destiny? I have had the chance to experience love, kindness, forgiveness, service to others, family, peace, pain, and fear. All of these are so important to become like Him. Another important aspect is to overcome our “natural man”. The one part of us that is selfish. Our bodies have this desire to fulfill our own wants. God has asked us to “becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him...” (Mosiah 3:19) He is allowing us to be shaped here, to learn here, to have faith here, and to change here. This is what my destiny is. To take these experiences and ask him for his guidance. He didn’t leave me here alone. I have the gift of the Holy Ghost to protect, guide, testify, and be a comfort to me.

When I realize this, my destiny becomes clearer. There are days that I have to still take that step into the midst of darkness, relying on Him to help me see his path for me. “His plan by which his children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life… The plan of happiness”. (Hawkins, p.337). I look forward to each new day and a deeper understanding of my destiny!


References:
Hawkins, A., Dollahite, D., & Draper, T. (2016), Successful Marriages and Families Proclamation Principles and Research Perspectives, Provo,Utah, BYU Studies

Bednar, David A., (2010,June) "Things as They Really are", Ensign , Retreived from www.churchofjesuschrist.org

Freedom is about Family

Freedom is about Family

Yesterday, we celebrated the birth of our nation. A nation where many have fought and died that we could obtain freedom. I’d like to share a story of how my family and my marriage have lived through the experience of fighting for freedom.

Over 16 years ago, my son Cody was born and 10 days later my husband was deployed to Iraq.

My husband and I were also parents of 2 other boys. Jacob who was 9 and Austin who was 5. As a mother to these 3 boys, I would be on my own for a year. What was I going to do? When I got married to a soldier, I guess I naively thought he would never have to go to war. 9/11 changed all of that. We were married in the Oakland California temple. Sealed for time and all eternity. We shared our lives and responsibilities as equal partners. Now, he would be in the middle east and I would be with our three boys back in Utah.

“A marriage of equal partners will also be one in which the partners help one another in their stewardships, indeed, are obligated to help one another as equal partners.” (Hawkins, p.41) So how were we going to support each other without being with each other? We began to pray for comfort and strength to know how to do this during our separation.

I’ll never forget the first night that he was gone. It was so hard to set the table and not set a spot for him. As days went by, some were easy and some were terrible. I remember trying to be strong and breaking down crying in the shower in tears just missing my husband. Tyler, my husband, and I were able to write emails daily and if we were lucky a phone call once a week. Knowing that he was safe , brought a great sense of peace. During this deployment, I started to notice how the Lord was watching over and blessing our family. The boys and I were praying for their dad’s safety and making packages for him. Sending him pictures of Cody growing each month. We were all becoming a united team. One that was supportive and stronger even though we weren’t together. Our equal partnership allowed us to understand that even though we weren’t together, the third member of that partnership was with both of us spiritually.

There is a great quote by Sheri Dew “Our Father knew exactly what He was doing when He created us. He made us enough alike to love each other, but enough different that we would need to unite our strengths and stewardships to create a whole. Thus, no marriage or family, no ward or stake is likely to reach its full potential until husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, men and women work together in unity of purpose, respecting and relying upon each other’s strengths”. Over time, we did this. Coming together as a strong unit. Truly understanding what we were fighting for, why our husband and father had to be gone, and what was the eternal purpose in it all”.

After one year of service and sacrifice, my husband and his military unit returned home to family and friends. What an experience for each of us. Freedom was gained in during that year. Freedom, according to Webster, means the power or right to act , speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. In our family, our equal partnership allowed us freedom to raise our family the way God would want us to even though we weren’t living in the same house. We were still united in purpose and together in love. Our kids too understood what our family goals were and they worked to help out so we could attain it. Freedom to some is about selfish behavior , but for this household it’s about family!

References:
Hawkins, A., Dollahite, D., & Draper, T. (2016), Successful Marriages and Families Proclamation Principles and Research Perspectives, Provo,Utah, BYU Studies

Dew, Sheri, L. (2001, November), "It is not good for Man or Woman to be alone", retrieved from www.churchofjesuschrist.org

It's Family Time!

It’s Family Time!!

Last week I chose to do wholesome recreational activities with my family while I was with all my kids in Utah. It says in The Family: A Proclamation to the the World, “Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities”. I can testify that this statement is so true. As I spent time with my father, my boys and my in-laws, I realized that more than have fun with these people, I was building lasting relationships with my eternal family.

It started with my dad inviting us to a baseball game. We went to see the Ogden Raptors. It was so fun to watch my youngest son, Cody talking with my dad about the game. Their conversations brought back a ton of memories of my dad and I watching the St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Francisco Giants. He taught me how to keep score, rbi’s, errors and so on. I would eat red vines, peanuts and a hot dog. I can’t tell you much about the game, but I can tell you how special I felt to spend time with my dad. It was so fun.

In spending time with my boys, I tried to do things with each of them that they love to do. Jacob suggested that we go bowling. My husband and I used to take the boys bowling all the time. We weren’t very good but loved to be together. His memory of bowling was when he had his birthday party at the bowling alley. Austin loves to play board games. He chose for us to play trivial pursuit. He doesn’t play to show how smart he is (and he is) but to make jokes and get everyone to laugh. He kept giving the same answer hoping that he would eventually get one right! Cody loves to play basketball. He and I went to the gym and shot around. I enjoy that he loves something that I love. He loves that he can beat me every time. I just love spending time with him.

Meeting with all of Tyler’s family is always a blast, no matter what we do. When we get together its so fun to talk, laugh, play cards, or even play tennis! I am not as close with my siblings and so I dig being around these people. They give me a sense of belonging and joy

to have family.

“Life is complicated and full of demands. The expectation to experience wholesome recreation, while we travel down life’s road does not make life any easier. Recognizing the potholes along the way and the probable consequences if we step in them can help us avoid them making the journey easier.” (Hawkins,2016, p.228)Our family lives far apart and don’t get to spend much time together, so being together these past couple of weeks, allowed us to reconnect and enjoy each other. The gospel is about family. The plan of salvation is about giving his children everything needed to have a successful experience here on earth and to last for eternity.

“The divine plan of happiness enables family

relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave.”

References
Hawkins, A., Dollahite, D., & Draper, T. (2016), Successful Marriages and Families Proclamation Principles and Research Perspectives, Provo,Utah, BYU Studies