Count Your Blessings, Not Your Burdens: My Testimony

Ollo my happy followers! If you haven't seen Mega Mind you better go watch it so you get the reference of my greeting. Today I want to break away from my usual format and talk a little bit about blessings. Not the huge blessings that slap us in the face, but those small blessings that are in disguise all around us. I know that Joshua and I are particularly blessed in many things. People always ask me how he and I are doing and all I can say is "good" because we are. There are very few things we stand in need of. There's been some instability at Joshua's work, but he still has his job. Sometimes it seems like we won't be able to afford all of our bills, but somehow the money is always there and we make it through with no problems until the next paycheck comes in.

I've been thinking a lot about my patriarchal blessing and a line that when I got it I thought was a little funny. It reads "I bless you that you will not want for the necessities of life because you will be very frugal and self-sufficient." We've had to make some changes in our spending habits and we don't get to go out and play like we used to, but all our needs are met and there is always enough for what we need, and what small things come up. We have been very blessed with a good ward and a bishop who is helping to keep us involved and using our talents. Joshua as I have mentioned in previous posts has been called as the Ward Organist and the Ward Choir Pianist. I am already serving as a Nursery Worker and on Sunday I was called to serve as the Ward Choir Conductor, which I am extremely excited about and I can't wait to help make music a bigger part of this ward. One other thing that has bee on my mind lately is my sweet husband and what my blessing says about him. "You will become attracted to a young man who has been very faithful and dedicated in serving Heavenly Father and has demonstrated a great desire that his whole life will be involved in the family and in the church. You will make certain, before you go to the House of the Lord,  that this young man will be a man that you can love, admire, and respect all the days of your life, a young man who will seek first the Kingdom of God, which must include the family." How blessed am I that I found such a man, who loves me through my faults and who is patient in my weaknesses. A man who is so understanding of me and loves me even when I'm wrong. He is always seeking first the Kingdom of God, and striving ever to be the priesthood holder I need him to be.

I am also thankful for a small cat, who greets me everyday when I come home and who is always by my feet when I wake up in the morning. Who can tell when I'm having a rough day and makes a point to let me know he loves me. I'm thankful to have so many temples so close by. Such comfort I receive from attending the temple and feeling the Lord so close to me. I know it is because we have been diligent in our temple attendance that we have been blessed, and because we have payed our tithing and been obedient to the other commandments of the Lord. There are many areas in which we can improve on and we have been striving to improve ourselves in those areas. We have been blessed with working vehicles, a warm house, food, jobs that provide for us, families who love us and pray for us, the love that we share with each other, and most importantly, a Savior and Heavenly Father who love us. Where would we be without the atonement of Christ? Where would we be had he not chosen to do the will of the Father and grant us a way to gain eternal life? Since being called to Choir Director, I have been thinking a lot about Easter, and the Resurrection of the Lord. On the day that He was risen he gave the best possible gift to us. He gave us the opportunity to be with our loved ones in the eternities. I have thought of this and the other precious gifts that He has given me. What can I give back? How can I possibly repay the debt of my sins and His life? All I can do, and all He asks, is that I obey him and love him, and repent. Three such easy things. So easy in fact that I ( and many of us) forget to take the time to do it. May this be a new challenge to those of you reading this to be more mindful of the small blessings and large ones that the Lord has given us. May we all try to be more steadfast and grateful to our God. Be more mindful of what we have, and learn to ignore what we don't have. Count your blessings, not your burdens. We should all remember that we all fall short of the kingdom of God, but His grace is sufficient and He will come to us and strengthen us. In Jesus name, Amen.