We are Children of God!

It was a warm, sunny morning and only my shear excitement could have gotten me up and out of bed at the bright and early hour of seven a.m. However, I was about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime, and I had no time to waste. I made good time loading all of my worldly possessions in my tiny, yellow Ford Festiva. It took me all of 30 minutes. I then went inside to wait for my parents to come home from their morning walk so I could say good-bye. I would then get on the road, finally heading towards the long awaited college scene!

I was inside fiddling on the computer when I heard a ruckus outside. When I got up to see what was going on I saw my father pulling out all of my suitcases and putting them on the sidewalk next to my car.

"What are you doing?" I asked as I rushed forward to stop him.

"I changed my mind. You can’t go," was his reply. I gave an exasperated sigh and started piling the luggage back into the car.

"You knew it was coming and you can’t change your mind," was my callous reply to his heartfelt statement of gloom over his only daughter leaving the roost.

After I got the luggage back in the car, we went into the house to say good-bye and my dad had me sit down while he told me how sad he was for me to go. Yet he also needed me to know how proud of me he was. I was off to new experiences and memories and he was excited for that too.He told me all about how he wished he could be a "mouse in my pocket" and see everything I saw. He wanted me to have a good time and to enjoy the journey, even during the hard times.

I remember thinking about the "mouse in my pocket" the whole six hour drive to School. I often wanted to stop and take a picture of the different places on the road so he could have a mouse’s view. I stopped myself though. I knew he had driven this drive before and that was not what he wanted to see with me. He just didn’t want to let me go yet. He knew I needed experiences to grow and shape me but it didn’t stop him from being a father.

I often think about that day when I am facing different experiences in my life. I think of a loving father who wants to be part of my life but understands that part of that life is rising and falling on my own. I also think about how much I wanted to share my experiences with him because knowing he loves me makes me want to include him the whole way. I also think about my relationship with Heavenly Father and how it might be pretty close to the same thing.

God’s purpose is "to bring to pass the immortality and Eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). He wants us to be able to grow and to have the kinds of experiences we need in life to become like Him. Just like any father, I imagine that He had a hard time letting us go. But we needed the experience, He knew it was coming, and I know that at some point before our entrance into this world He sat us down and talked to us about the experiences we would have. D&C 138: 56 says: "Even before they were born, they, with many others, received their first lessons in the world of spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men."

Like my father, He told us how much He loved us and how our earth life would help us grow. He did this hoping that we would have the faith to believe in His love and in a sense, let Him be a mouse in our pocket through a relationship gained through study and prayer.

I know that this life is fun, it’s hard, it’s long, and it’s a blink of an eye. It is everything good and bad that shapes us. But we are never alone if we remember that we have a loving Heavenly Father who wants us to be the best we can be "prefect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Matt 5:48). And even more than that He prepared us for this and we always have the ability and responsibility through our love for him to let him into our lives. What a blessing! We are Children of God!

The Importance of Prayer

I have been thinking about prayer lately. Prayer is different for everybody. For some people it is a personal experience meant to draw us closer to our Heavenly Father. For others it is an intimidating and scary experience. I know sometimes it becomes like a grocery list, filled with nothing but our needs. To others it is a chance to offer all the thanks they have stored up through out the day. I don't know what route your prayers follow, maybe they have a little bit of all of these things at different times. I DO know that the most important thing is to say our prayers.

I came upon a talk by Elder D. Todd Christofferson, given in a CES Fireside in January of last year. The talk is called Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread. Elder Christofferson talks about how it is our daily decisions that will make up the people we become and that we need to look to God to make the appropriate choices. Again I thought of prayer. The daily decision to pray makes up the faithful, Christlike people we wish to be and brings us ever closer to our Heavenly Father. Just as everyday, the Israelites were asked to gather enough manna for their nourishment, we likewise need to collect our spiritual manna, or sustenance for our day through prayer.

As far as how we should pray, Elder Christofferson offers the following pattern with a promise:

"In reality, there aren’t very many things in a day that are totally without significance. Even the mundane and repetitious can be tiny but significant building blocks that in time establish the discipline and character and order needed to realize our plans and dreams. Therefore, as you ask in prayer for your daily bread, consider thoughtfully your needs—both what you may lack and what you must protect against. As you retire to bed, think about the successes and failures of the day and what will make the next day a little better. And thank your Heavenly Father for the manna He has placed along your path that sustained you through the day. Your reflections will increase your faith in Him as you see His hand helping you to endure some things and to change others. You will be able to rejoice in one more day, one more step toward eternal life."

 Elder D. Todd Christofferson

I know that through prayer I have been able to develop a relationship with my Heavenly Father that has sustained me through many a hard time and lifted me higher still at times of joy.