Spiritual Thought: Choose Change

We are in the last month before Punkito can go into nursery. I know everyone worries about germs and such in nursery, but I am ready for some relief. Three hours is a long time to roam the halls with a little and most Sundays I don't feel like I get much out of going.

This past Saturday night as I went to bed, I prayed that I might be able to get a little something extra in the spiritual nourishment department at church on Sunday. I guess I just feel like I need a boost lately. And, as usual, ask and ye shall receive.

I particularly enjoyed our Relief Society lesson. It was about recognizing our personal weaknesses and what we can do to change them. We made a list on the white board and talked about what specific things we can pray for to help us overcome those weaknesses. It was so good I snuck a quick pic:

Any guesses which was my contribution? I bet my family members can guess ;) But based on the comments of the other sisters in the room, some of them may be my soul sisters.

The really good lessons are the ones you keep thinking about long after you go home. I had a few more thoughts on this topic so I'm sharing them here:

1. Looking at that white board, I think everything that's in the right column can fall under one very broad thing: We can pray to have greater love for our fellow man. When we feel love toward someone, we are more patient. We have a DESIRE to be kind. We have greater empathy, are kinder, more willing to forgive. So many of our personal weaknesses can be overcome by stopping thinking about ourselves so much and learning to love others more.
2. We had one young sister in the room who recently graduated from Young Women's and is new to the Relief Society organization. Another sister commented to me how glad she was that this young woman was in the room for this lesson because it really painted a picture of the sisters that we don't often see. It was women acknowledging their flaws in an honest, but not self-disparaging manner. No one pretended to be perfect. It felt very real and less intimidating to hear what the other sisters struggle with and how they are dealing with it. Good for all of us, but hopefully helped her see these "adult" women in a different light. (btw... am I seriously an adult? Who let that happen? But adults are... old...)
3. The teacher talked about how some people use the excuse of "This is just how I am." And (just to let my nerd flag truly fly) I couldn't help thinking about one of my favorite Harry Potter quotes. To quote the wonderful Albus Dumbledore, "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." We can choose to change who we are. We are not bound by our current weaknesses. We can choose to be more positive. More joyful. More kind. We just have to choose those things, ask for help, and try a little harder each day to improve.

So as you go about the week, heed the wise words of Hogwarts' most beloved headmaster and CHOOSE to improve yourself for the better.