Bubblegum Blessings

This isn't the blog I've been promising on Facebook but it is the one I felt inspired to write today. Mostly because the transcripts for the Women's Conference are not available yet. I am waiting until I can actually read the talks before posting my thoughts and the inspirations I received.

So last night I was whining to my poor suffering hubby about all the things that are going wrong and how I don't know what God wants me to do. I want to raise Nigerian Dwarf Goats, volunteer at the Family History Center and drive the sister missionaries around on their visits. These are the things I feel most inspired to do. Various factors make any of those activities extremely difficult. He told me that I needed read the article in the current Ensign about bubblegum blessings. I assume this is the article he meant: Beyond the Bubblegum Machine.

The writer compares prayer and keeping the covenants to dropping coins in a bubblegum machine and getting a prize. When she didn't get the prizes she wanted, her anger and pain caused her to turn away from the church. It was only after realizing that God answers in His own way, in His own time that she was able to build a stronger testimony on a firm foundation.

I trust that God will provide. I don't expect instant gratification. I just want to know that I am on the right path. Lately, I've been questioning how well I am doing keeping the covenants I made with God. Am I truly doing my part? Where exactly am I falling down and what do I need to do to pick myself back up again?

Some of it I have already figured out.

I need to be better about actually setting aside a time to pray. While I still feel the Holy Spirit with me, I really haven't actually sat down and poured out my heart to God. If I can not dedicate myself to asking the question, how can I actually hear his answer? This is hard for me as I never really learned to pray on a daily basis. This also applied to preparing for Sunday School. I need to get my lessons organized earlier in the week. Not Sunday morning while I am still debating if I am actually going to be able to get of bed. Maybe if I plan an awesome lesson ahead of time I will feel more motivated to get out the door and to church.

I need to start taking care of the chickens and the dogs myself. I have been relying too much on Daughter #2 and when she does not take care of the animals for whatever reason, the animals pay the price. Instead of me taking up her slack, I need to do the work myself and hope she is available to take up my slack. This will provide me with a reason to get off the couch and prove to myself that I do have the strength and energy to care for some goats. Maybe once I show that I can do physically handle the work, the money for the 4-legged kids will appear.

I need to get dressed every day.  Yeah, the scrubs are comfy but I need to take better care of myself. Plus there are the temple covenants involved that I have not been following as closely as I should. Those who know the ones I mean will understand.

I need to spend more time each day caring for my home and my husband. This is truly an extension of caring for myself. Keeping a clean home and cooking healthy meals provides for both our needs. Having a peaceful and loving environment at home makes it easier to deal with the stresses of the outside world. Also, we are a team, a single unit, if I keep my covenants and encourage the hubs to keep his, we will both benefit from God's blessings.

Last, and perhaps most important, I need to better fulfill the callings I already have before I start looking for more callings. Writing is just one way for me to organize my thoughts and be a better person. Even when I am writing about something mundane, I still feel the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. The more I channel that inspiration, the more I will be able to teach my Sunday School students and help with Relief Society.

I testify to you that God is alive. Heavenly Father loves all his children and we will be blessed if we keep our covenants. If we take the time to search for and listen to that still small voice, we will be instructed and inspired to fulfill God's plan for us.

I leave these things with you in the Name of His only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

Amen.