Sometimes I don't have the best attitude. It is something that I know and that I am working on. I am the Primary President in my ward, a calling that I love. But sometimes I don't want to go to all of the meetings that come with that calling. This last week we had our Stake Leadership Meeting. I got the invites in the mail a couple of weeks earlier. I carried them in my bag to give to my counselors, but forgot. Then I went to lunch on Tues. with my friend, Paula, who is also Primary Pres. in her ward. She asked me if I was gonna be there on Thurs...I drew a blank and asked her what was on Thurs. She chastised me and told me I had better be there. But that week had been crazy, and that day was even crazier! Dad had knee surgery a few days earlier and had a little infection and was needing more pain meds. I got his antibiotic OK, but because his pain meds were narcotics, I had to get a whole new prescript. Of course his Dr. is in Show Low and was out of the office. I finally got the call to go pick up the prescription and headed to Walmart to get it filled. They told me it would be 1 1/2 hrs. I didn't really have money to shop, so I just browsed and waited patiently...not! When it was time I waited in the long line to pick it up only to be told it would be another hour before it would be ready. Looking at the time, I wasn't sure I was gonna make it back in time for my meeting...but I had a good excuse! Dad needed his pain pills. I was doing service. But I just kept getting this feeling that I needed to get there. After waiting for another hour I had to fight with them to give them to me...with it being narcotics I needed a note from somebody saying it was OK for me to get them?!?! They finally gave them to me and I headed home. Got there just in time to throw on a dress and give Justin instructions on how to finish the dinner I had started earlier (yes, I was at least on the ball that much). I ran to the meeting and sat down with 2 minutes to spare. My mind was still racing from the days events...I still had to get the meds to dad after the meeting, I wonder if Justin did dinner right, did I put on a slip? The meeting started and Pres. Whipple was the first to speak. His talk was on Reverence, based on talks from Elders Packer and Oaks. It was just what I needed. I felt the spirit so strong. He quoted Elder Holland saying, "Reverence always precedes Revelation." And he talked on how it is more than just being quiet, it is an attitude. Another quote was, "How many of us don't get the revelation that we need because of the lack of reverence in our meetings?" As I listened my mind stopped racing, I felt the spirit, and I learned so much. We had a special number and another talk, which were very good and uplifting. Then Pres. Robbi Hancock talked. She told a story about a little family that was facing a challenge and the Mother was having a hard time. Her little girl came in with some roughly cut up papers, crumpled and scribbled on. She showed them to the mom and asked her if she knew what they were? The mother replied that she didn't and the little girl told her, "these are the scriptures and they tell us to TRUST JESUS!" How simple but how strong. I am so thankful for Pres. Whipple's talk on reverence to help me receive revelation. My heart still aches for Ariel, and I still just seem to slide thru the days. The longer it goes the harder it is to keep the faith. And I just needed to be reminded to TRUST JESUS! And to remain steadfast in Christ. It is only thru him that any of us will make it back to our Heavenly Father. He has paid the price for us already. We just have to turn our hearts to him and remain faithful. A few other notes I wrote from that night are: None of us can survive in the world today, much less what it's going to become without personal revelation; We can teach a great lesson, but unless it is received with the Holy Ghost, it won't really be learned; As I have loved you, love one another; We have to be spiritually strong to survive the world around us; Anchor in the scriptures and feast on the word of Christ; The scriptures are a means to the end; Personalize the scriptures and liken them unto us; Scriptures are like letters from home, they help remind you who you are. I needed to hear all of this so much. I am so grateful that I made it to that meeting, and that I was able to reverence my heart and my mind enough that I could receive my personal revelation. And like the question asked earlier, "how many of us don't get the revelation that we need because of the lack of reverence in our meetings?"
12 years ago