Since I was called to be the ward music director, I get to sit on the stand at church until after the sacrament has been passed. A couple weeks ago, Steven had been asked to help pass the sacrament, and so the kids (minus John, who was also helping to pass the sacrament) were sitting on the bench without parental supervision. As I watched from the stand while the sacrament was being passed, my two younger boys started squabbling over something, obviously causing a distraction for the family behind them. I tried in vain to catch their eye, to motion to them to be quiet, but they were too involved with each other to look towards me. It wasn't until the brother in the bench behind them leaned forward and tapped them on the shoulder and gestured to me on the stand (with my finger on my lips) that they realized that they were being too loud.
On fast Sundays, like yesterday, a young woman in our ward directs the music and I can sit with the family. Yesterday, again during the passing of the sacrament, as I was moderating a conflict between these same two boys, sending one to sit at the opposite end of the bench, I remembered the incident a couple weeks ago and thought about how much easier it is to deal with things when I am right there with my children. As I was contemplating this, the thought occurred to me that this may be how our Heavenly Father feels sometimes.
When we lived with our Father before coming to this earth, he could teach us and guide us and show us what he wanted us to do. And then we came to earth and forgot all that we had been taught there. Here, we sometimes get so wrapped up in our lives and in what we want and what we are doing, that we forget to look to our Heavenly Father for guidance. He may attempt to get our attention, but we can only receive his messages if we look to him. So He sends prophets to teach us, to remind us of what we learned when we lived with God, to show us how to look to Him to receive the guidance we need in our lives.
I am glad that our Heavenly Father has patience with us, and that he doesn't give up on us when we take a long time to look to him, and I'm grateful for the prophets and others who (like the brother in the bench behind my boys) show us what direction we should be looking for guidance.
On fast Sundays, like yesterday, a young woman in our ward directs the music and I can sit with the family. Yesterday, again during the passing of the sacrament, as I was moderating a conflict between these same two boys, sending one to sit at the opposite end of the bench, I remembered the incident a couple weeks ago and thought about how much easier it is to deal with things when I am right there with my children. As I was contemplating this, the thought occurred to me that this may be how our Heavenly Father feels sometimes.
When we lived with our Father before coming to this earth, he could teach us and guide us and show us what he wanted us to do. And then we came to earth and forgot all that we had been taught there. Here, we sometimes get so wrapped up in our lives and in what we want and what we are doing, that we forget to look to our Heavenly Father for guidance. He may attempt to get our attention, but we can only receive his messages if we look to him. So He sends prophets to teach us, to remind us of what we learned when we lived with God, to show us how to look to Him to receive the guidance we need in our lives.
I am glad that our Heavenly Father has patience with us, and that he doesn't give up on us when we take a long time to look to him, and I'm grateful for the prophets and others who (like the brother in the bench behind my boys) show us what direction we should be looking for guidance.
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