Challenge #33—Say a Little Prayer

Today’s challenge is one that I hold near and dear to my heart.  All about prayer!

When has God answered a specific prayer that you’ve had?

Now, maybe He didn’t answer it in the way you had hoped, or would’ve liked, but how did that change your attitude?  Was it something big you had prayed for over and over, or something small but significant?  It could’ve even been something that seemed silly, but important nonetheless. 

God answers prayers, and He answers them in the way that is best for us—and we don’t always know what is best for us.  Sometimes my kids ask for things they don’t need or that are not best for them at the moment.  I tell them no (or sometimes, it’s just a “not now” answer).  It’s not that I don’t love them, or want them to be unhappy.  I have lived a bit longer than them, and I know that some things just aren’t good for them right now.  That is exactly how Heavenly Father is.  He knows us better than we know ourselves.  He knows the future and what it holds for each one of us.  Sometimes we are meant to go through the refiner’s fire so that we can come out of it stronger than before.  Sometimes His answer is a right away “yes”…sometimes we have to wait patiently for that “yes”…sometimes we get a “not now” answer…and sometimes it’s a “no”.  No matter HOW He has answered, it’s still an answer!

My very favorite scripture is in Alma 37:37. 

It talks about prayer and how we need to counsel with the Lord in all that we do.  I’ve always taken this to mean that we counsel with him in important matters…not small everyday things like which plates to use at dinner.

You are more than welcome to print off this quote—I just ask that you please follow this blog.  It’s 8x10.  Chalkboard background from How To Nest For Less.  Fonts: Janda Stylish Script, Aargh, Sketch Rockwell.  Flourish: Adobe Photoshop.

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What I did:

This week to record my challenge I was going to make a scrapbook page, but didn’t have time yet, so here’s the story that will soon be put into one.  (And I will post it up on here when I get it done.)

There are many times in my life that God has answered prayers in my life—big prayers: where to attend college, whether or not to go on a mission, if I had chosen the right man to marry.  Littler prayers:  help on a test, comfort in times of trouble and need.  And of course prayers for my family and loved ones in their times of need.  There were also many times I prayed for things that seemed so silly, but it was still important to me. 

One of those times was about a year ago.  One morning I realized I couldn’t find my wedding and engagement rings.  I had never gotten them soldered together, so when I lost them, I panicked, because they could get lost from each other and make it that much harder to find! 

I had looked in my usual three spots that I put my rings.  (I don’t like wearing them to sleep in, and always take them off when putting lotion on my hands.)  They weren’t in any of those places.  I searched high and low—every drawer, countertop, closet, and all over the carpets.  I prayed and prayed that I would find them.  Though, I knew they were just rings and had no eternal value, it was still important to me because it signified two of the most special days in my life.  I knew I could replace them if I had to, but it was a sad thought. 

A week and a half went by and I still couldn’t find them.  I’d decided that they were gone for good.  I was doing laundry, and I rarely check my pockets in the laundry room, because I usually check them before I throw my clothes in the hamper.  But this day, I had this thought come to my mind to check my jacket pocket…and of course I found both of my rings!!!  It came back to my mind, clear as day, that I had put them in my pocket after bathing the kids so I wouldn’t get lotion on them.  I humbly said a prayer of gratitude, and learned the lesson to never give up!  I also realized that day, that even though losing my rings and praying for help to find them seemed trivial in the whole eternal scheme of things, Heavenly Father knew they were important to me.  He does care for us, and wants us to be happy.  And, He does answer prayers!

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Now I challenge you to record a story (or two) of a time when God answered your prayers!

Challenge #27--Integrity

This week’s challenge is all about integrity.  I looked up the definition just for fun, and this is what it said:

in·teg·ri·ty

   noun

1. adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.

2. the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished: to preserve the integrity of the empire.

3. a sound unimpaired, or perfect condition: the integrity of a ship's hull.

Synonyms  1. rectitude, probity, virtue. See honor.  Antonyms  1. dishonesty.

So definition 1. is the integrity we’re talking about today, but what I really loved were the synonyms and antonyms! 

So many times in today’s society, one sees a compromising of integrity.  Rarely can we sit down and watch TV or listen to music for more that 5 minutes without  someone saying or doing something dishonestly, or without integrity.  But, there are lots of examples of integrity all around us as well, and now is the time for you to record a time in your life.

When did you have the opportunity to show integrity?

You can always focus on just one thing that was big in your life, make a list of many times, or even just record your feelings for it in general.  Of course, you can always talk about a time when you saw someone else show integrity and what that meant to you!

Here are a couple of examples to help get your thoughts going!

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What Natalie did:

We often think of integrity when we think of words like cheating, stealing, or lying.  Integrity also includes those things you do when no one is looking.  Integrity is choosing the hard right over the easy wrong.
Several years ago, I participated in my city's "beauty" pageant.  One Saturday, all of the contestants went shopping together, in an attempt to find the perfect pageant dresses.  As I was scouring the racks for a modest dress, the pageant director tried to convince me to wear a strapless dress.  Other LDS girls participating in the pageant were busy trying on immodest dresses, making it hard for me to defend myself.  On the evening of the pageant, I was the only LDS girl wearing modest clothing throughout the pageant.  That evening, I didn't win a crown or banner.  I didn't even place in the Top 10.   It was hard to see the other LDS girls, wearing immodest dresses, with crowns and banners at the end of the night.  I realized that a crown and banner didn't really matter to me.  What mattered the most was that I held on to what I knew was right, and that made me the real winner.
Sister Carol B. Thomas (First Counselor in the Young Women's General Presidency) said, "Remember this: as you develop your integrity you can be more beautiful. Integrity makes you whole and complete. Integrity will bring a twinkle to your eye and a look of confidence that will magnetically draw people to you." I know this is true!

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What I did:

I just made a scrapbook layout, and in the place of where the picture was supposed to be, I typed up my story.

The text is really small, so here is what it says:

A long time ago, I read an Ensign article about integrity.  In the story, a man and his wife had received a letter in the mail that hadn’t been cancelled by the post office.  The man told his wife it was their lucky day and they could re-use the stamp to mail a letter.  His wife responded with, “Is your integrity worth 29 cents?”
Ever since then, I have thought of that phrase when I’ve had to make a choice that would involve my integrity--because honestly I don’t want to compromise my integrity for any amount of money or defilement.  The eternal repercussions are not worth it! 
I haven’t really had any huge experiences with showing integrity--at least not big enough that anyone would know. Most of my trials of integrity have had to do with small instances.  In fact, I had one of those experiences just this last weekend.  Our family had gone to the home improvement store and bought a ton of stuff we needed.  Quinn went to pull the truck up so we could easily load things while I checked out in the chaos that comes with four boys who’ve been shopping for an hour.  I somehow didn’t see a bolt that was in the cart until I was loading everything into the truck.  My first thought was, “oh well, it’s probably only a couple of cents.”  But then I remembered this saying and headed straight back to the checkout counter.  My integrity was not worth only a dollar! 
There have been many small instances like these, and I’ve had to make a choice.  Sometimes I make the wrong one and need to fix it, but I guess no one’s perfect and that’s why we have the glorious atonement to bridge those gaps and make us better than we could be alone!
So, what’s my integrity worth? Everything!

Credits:  Template, Jessica Sprague.  Paper, Urban Boys, L. Riches and unknown.  Brushes, Dainty Swirls, author unknown.  Fonts: Cursive Standard (Integrity), Sketched Rockwell (Title), Spicy Sushi Roll (Journaling). 

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Now I challenge you to record about integrity!

Challenge #12—Sharing Yourself

In the regular This Is Me Challenge, I have team members and have to schedule out the challenges in advance…but here I don’t, so even when I schedule out the challenges, I have the flexibility to change the challenge at the last minute!  This is good because I just read this post and felt inspired that I needed to use this challenge instead of the one I planned. 

When have you helped brighten someone’s day, and how did it make you feel?

It may sound a bit conceited at first, but as I thought about it, isn’t it okay to record that you’re a compassionate person and that serving and helping makes you feel good inside?   Anyway, those were my thoughts…

You could list a few nice things you’ve done for others and write how you felt.  You can focus on just one nice thing and give details about it and how it helped you be better.  Write about how someone helping you helped you realize how you could help others.  You can even record some goals to do better at helping others in a specific way (like Jocelyn mentions on her post linked above). 

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So here’s my little story…I decided to focus on how making some new friends as an adult has helped me, and how that inspired me to do the same things for others.  I know this sounds a little conceited…but I guess it’s good to sometimes give yourself a little credit, right?

Last February I was unexpectedly invited by a complete stranger in another Ward to come to her house to exercise with a bunch of other young moms.  (We had a mutual Facebook friend.)  I was actually quite nervous to go exercise at a stranger’s house with a bunch of people I didn’t even know.  When I showed up, the gals were all so nice to me and I made instant friends. 

Ever since I’d become a mother, I’d never really had any friends that I did things with—we’d moved and my family was all that mattered.  I'd never made time for others. 

That first day I was there exercising, I was invited to go to another gals house for lunch.  I met a few more gals from their Ward and made even more friends.  These gals love to do things together and are always willing to invite any newcomers.  I have been invited to do many things with these gals, and I have really enjoyed having friends to do things with once again!  Sometimes we did things during the day and let all the kids play, and other times we’ve done things in the evenings without kiddos.  It has helped me become a better mother to have time away from the kids, to see examples of other good mothers, to form friendships with people I can talk to about things, and has also helped my boys learn to make new friends. 

Because of my new friends examples, I’ve realized that my neighborhood is in need of the same type of friendships. (As far as I knew no one in my Ward ever did things like that—there was a lack of social gatherings—but then again maybe I just wasn’t invited. )I’ve had a few little get-togethers, and I even hosted a lunch this afternoon with some of the gals in the neighborhood. 

One friend said to me the other day, “You are so good, because we all think we should do more of these types of things, but you’re the only one who actually does them.”  After the lunch, a bunch of my friends mentioned how glad they were to get out of the house and do something with someone!  (We are all stay-at-home mom’s, so we don’t get to socialize much, other than limited time at Church.) 

It has made me feel good that these gals in my neighborhood are starting to form friendships—friendships that will hopefully last a lifetime!  I know I never would have ever thought about hosting these little get-togethers if is wasn’t for that one little invitation and some of my new friends who’ve been such good examples to me!

Challenge #6—Let It Go

Each and every one of us makes mistakes.  Each and every one of us is also on the receiving end of mistakes.  Sometimes it’s easy to just shrug it off and say, “I forgive you”.  Other times, it’s hard to forgive.  So, here’s the challenge:

When did you really have to forgive someone?  What was the process of forgiveness?  How did you learn and grow from it?

This is a hard one.  There are so many things that could, by worldly standards, be left a grudge forever.  I found this video that went along really well with today’s challenge.  As you watch it, I want you to think about what you would do.  Would you be able to forgive as this man did?

I cannot even imagine—I’ve never had anything of this magnitude happen to me.  I think it’s so amazing that he forgave so quickly, and that he has so much faith and a good attitude.  He could have easily cursed God and the teenager for all that was taken from him.  But he didn’t.  He forgave just as Christ has forgiven all of us of our transgressions.

Here’s my forgiveness story: About 10 years ago, I had a friend say and do something that made me think she wasn’t really my friend.  It deeply hurt me.  A month or two later she mailed me a letter asking for me to forgive her.  It took a long time—probably 6 or 7 years—to email her back and tell her that I’d finally forgiven her.  Part of my problem was that I didn’t want to forgive her.  Every time I heard a lesson in Church on forgiveness, I squirmed because I felt so guilty about it!  I came to  realize that I needed to forgive her because it is a commandment, and I started praying for my heart to be softened.  Then all of the sudden one day I realized that I no longer harbored those ill feelings.  We are now good friends, and regularly keep in touch through our blogs.  Someday when I see her again (I haven’t seen her since that day), I think I will have to give her the best hug ever! 

Now I challenge you to record about an experience you’ve had that’s strengthened your testimony about forgiveness!

Now I challenge you to go record about how you've had to forgive someone!