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!

(Re)Challenge #20—Miracles Never Cease

So when I gave my team members the topic for today’s challenge, I didn’t realize that I’d already given it, but it’s a great one for this time of year, so we’re going to do it again!  (The original challenge can be found here.)

What are some miracles that have happened in your life?

On the original challenge I wrote: You can list or write about a few of them—big or small.  (Sometimes it’s a miracle for that I didn’t kill a certain child, ha ha!)  You can focus on the details of one miracle that you’ll never forget and want to record.  You can start a miracle journal, where you write the little miracles that happen everyday.  The possibilities are endless!

Here are some ideas for you to record this challenge!

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What Robin did:

Here I am doing my SECOND challenge and I am still so excited to be here. Now, for those of you who read my last post/confession, I am truly sorry for the heaviness I brought about in that post. I didn’t mean to seem like such a “Debbie downer” or turn the post into something negative, it was never my intention and I am sorry to those of you who may have taken it that way.

Anyhow, on to this week’s challenge, which is: “What was a miracle that has happened in your life?”

This question here is a particularly loaded one for me, as I have witnessed many MANY miracles in my life, and while I have narrowed it down to just one miracle for this particular post, I still feel the need to mention how thankful I am for a couple of other miracles in my life. I nearly lost my brother in a snowboarding accident, where he punctured a lung, broke ribs, lacerated his spleen and ripped up his kidneys, and still lives to this day to tell the tale. I love him and am so grateful he is still in my life to this day.

I nearly lost my daughter Allyson when she was 3 years old. She climbed the dresser in her bedroom, which had a TV on top of it, and it all came crashing down. She fractured her skull in 6 places, and was life-flighted to Primary Children’s Medical Center in SLC, Utah, where she was treated for a severe concussion and nothing more. She had a bleed in her brain that the doctors were worried about which is why she was life-flighted in the first place. I am so very thankful to my Heavenly Father for sparing her life, for allowing me to continue to take care of her on this earth in this life.

However, the biggest miracle of my life came about when I was about 10 years old. We were out at the lake jet skiing with my family and another family. It was getting late and dark and we were packing up to leave. My brother was still out on his jet ski, so my mom jumped on hers and headed out on the lake to find him. Just a few minutes later, my brother came riding up to the dock on his jet ski in a complete panic, just sobbing uncontrollably. We were finally able to figure out that my mom had been hit by another jet ski while on her own jet ski. The other rider had apparently (not purposely) used the front end of my mom’s jet ski as a ramp and hit her head full on with his own jet ski.

Thankfully my mom had her life jacket on, and I am even more thankful to the 3 teenage boys who were in a boat nearby that pulled my mom out of the water, saving her life, and bringing her to us. I remember that I could hear her cries of pain from the boat way before she even reached the dock. (Wow, I am crying even as I write this, every time I think up this memory, it still bring tears to my eyes, aches my heart, but always makes my heart swell with love and gratitude to my Heavenly Father for sparing my mother’s life.)

My father and the father of the family I came with carried my mom to our car. I remember being in a complete panic. I remember seeing my mom holding MY t-shirt that I had worn to the lake, up to her bloody face to help soak up blood and stop the bleeding. I can still hear her screams; I can still hear her crying. I can still see the police lights out the back window of our car that my dad ignored until the cop realized we were rushing to the hospital and raced ahead of us to clear an easy path to the emergency room.

I remember those first 2 weeks at home after my mom was released from the hospital. Her jaw had been busted and nearly every tooth had been knocked out. She had to have teeth implants and her jaw was wired shut for 6 weeks. I remember her having to drink meals from a straw; I remember my dad spoon feeding her soup. I remember lying next to her while she laid in bed, I remember holding her and hugging her.

I am so VERY VERY VERY thankful that my Heavenly Father spared her life, He must have known that I would need my mother. That she would be one of my best friends in this whole world. I would not be the mother I am today without her. I am so thankful for Heavenly Father’s hand in her life, and in mine.

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What I did:

Since I had written about a big miracle that happened to me awhile ago, but never scrapbooked it, I wanted to take the opportunity to get it done!  I’d completely forgotten about the miracle journal idea until I was re-reading the challenge from the original time.  It’s often so easy to forget or overlook those little miracles that happen everyday, and I want to remember them, so I’ve decided to add writing about everyday miracles in my journal at night (which I faithfully do already, so not a big change, just a change of thinking about what I write!).

Here’s a look at my scrapbooked page with the story I wrote about the first time I issued this challenge.

Supplies: Template, Scrapping With Liz.  Papers, Crystal Wilkerson.  Fonts, Scriptina, Sketch Rockwell, Century Gothic.

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Now I challenge you to record about some of the miracles in your life!

 

And….

Don’t forget about the very special December we’re going to have here on the TIMC—LDS. 

Anyone can send me a finished challenge of any kind, sharing how you and your family keep Christ as the focus of your Christmas!  This will be a great opportunity to help others start some new traditions in their homes!  (See details here.) 

Challenge #26--Faith

Everyone has had, or will have, an experience that tries or promotes their faith.  Some people seem to get to have that experience a lot more than others.  We can choose to use these experiences to help increase our faith in Heavenly Father, or we can turn them into doubt and fear, and end up turning away from Him.  So, here’s today’s challenge for you:

Record an experience you had, that helped build your faith.

You can record a major, life-changing experience, a small one, or even record two or three!  This is a chance to tell your family and posterity how faith has helped you become who you are today!

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What Natalie wrote about:

Some of the most wonderful faith building experiences of my youth came from watching my mother. My parents divorced when I was 7 years old.  This left my mother a single parent raising 4 young children.  My mother only had an associates degree in college.  She did not have a career that she could turn to, to help provide for her young family.  My mother went back to school and got a degree in Paralegal Studies.  She worked as she could during the day, was home with us when we got home from school, and went to school at night.  She knew she couldn't give up.  Her 4 young children depended on her.

Things were not easy for my mom.  She wanted to bad to give her children the best childhood possible.  We may not have had the latest mall fashions, the hottest electronic items money could buy, or fun family vacations.  Instead, my mother taught us to work as if everything depended on us, and pray as if it all depends on God.  As I watched my mother do this, my faith was continually strengthened.  The Lord was mindful of her and us, and always provided a way.

When my mother spoke at my mission farewell, she talked about how at times she asked the Lord to help her to mold her children into the children He wanted them to be.  My mother's prayers in our behalf have been answered.  Her faith in God has strengthened my faith.  Several years ago, I faced the same challenge my mother faced - Divorce.  I was devastated.  I felt like I wanted to give up.  It was my mothers faith that helped me to stay strong.  My mother had it so much worse than I did.  If she could stay strong and make it through this trial, I could too.  My mother never lost her faith, even when it would have been so easy to let go so many times.

I am thankful for my mother, for the strength of her testimony, for her courage, for her prayers.  My mother loves the Lord, and He loves her!  I hope that as I grow, I can become more like my mother and be the kind of woman that she is.

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What I did:

I decided to do a digital scrapbook page of a faith-promoting experience I had on my mission. 

(Template and elements: Scrapping With Liz)

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Now I challenge you to record about a faith-building experience you’ve had!

(And who can think of taking a leap of faith without thinking of this Indiana Jones clip? )