My quest in preparing a lesson

Piko has been in Korea for a week on duty and I thought I could handle all of our children on my own for just a week... the first two days were so actioned packed that on the third day I was all sore all over and could not get out of bed... so I literally stayed in bed all Sunday and let the kids have rule over the house... of course the next day I cleaned all day long and was finding banana peels in the strangest places... yet I did not clean alone... my children officially have a chore chart and it rocks!!! I found it here http://confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com/2011/01/chore-chart-cards.html

I had to modify it because I have more children then there are pockets in the cute wall hanging pocket chart holder thingy you can get at any school supply store. I ended up putting magnets on the back of everything and sticking them to a very large dry-erase board. It works great for my little crew. There are yet a few more modifications I'd like to make to it and then I will post a picture of what I've done and share more later.

Well at the end of the week the kids were doing so well with their chores and happily doing them that they had all earned their rewards and once they got them they went back to their misbehavior and I went back to screaming.

I only share this experience because I was striving to finish my lesson for Relief Society. The lesson was on Obedience. I thought about my children and their desire for reward and that drove them to do as they were told. But once they received their reward they went back to their disinterest in their chores. How many of us do that with our Father in Heaven... we agree to obey simply because we need a blessing and once we get the blessing we become lax and disinterested.

I was having a difficult time organizing all of my thoughts on the subject of obedience... I had absolutely no desire to sit down and get it done thinking... "obedience is such an easy principle what more can be taught about it?

The Sunday that was my turn to teach had arrived and I was rushing around trying to ready my family for church feeling guilty that I had put so much on my exhausted husband whom I had just picked up from the airport that morning [remember he was in Korea] and guilty that I had not planned better and arranged for a sub knowing I would not have the energy to teach this lesson. I thought I could handle it all and soon realized I was stretched too thin and was struggling to feel the spirit of God to comfort me and teach me the things I needed to know to be able to present this lesson so some of his most precious daughters. I seriously wrestled with the spirit trying to keep my composure but I lost it and began to tantrum like one of my toddlers. [Looking back at that makes me laugh inside, the image of big mama rolling around on the floor saying... I can't do this... while sobbing and blubbering. Now I'm laughing out loud.] I went into my closet and sobbed and cried more as I prayed to my Father in Heaven for peace and the ability to do as I have been asked... I felt the strength of prophets of old especially Nephi {1Nephi 3:7}. And I keep hearing a quote resonating in my mind that I had read on this blog which inspired me to do this...

"When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power." -Ezra Taft Benson

Mind you I don't find being obedient irritating at all but I do find the things that get in my way of being obedient very irritating. So I realized that in order to be obedient and "accomplish the THING" that I had been commanded to do I needed to get through the irritating things like changing diapers and tantrums and getting dinner in the crock pot so we could have a warm meal when we got home from church (I'm very one tract minded and just want to concentrate on the big project and neglect the important little tasks that I am responsible for too.)

Needless to say once I got to church I calmed down, relaxed and knew that I was prepared for the spirit to help me teach this very powerful lesson on the importance of being obedient. I needed to go through the inner conflict of fighting to feel of the Spirit of God to more truly appreciate the meaning of obedience. That obedience governed by FEAR or REWARD is not the kind of obedience our Father in Heaven expects of us. He wants us to obey simply because we LOVE Him. And I learned that when I concentrate on the LOVE I have for Him all things are possible and the frustrations of life are non lasting. He will bestow you with the power to overcome and endure and see the beauty in all things so you can live a life of happiness!

Relief Society was wonderful and I felt like a valuable instrument in the Lord's hands when some of my sisters in Zion approached me after and whispered to me that this lesson was made just for them to hear.

I have a strong testimony that this life is for each of us to help one another draw closer to our Savior Jesus Christ and our Father in Heaven.