Sunday, April 19, 2009

Because I have been given much . . .

Journal entry from today:

Today I'm getting released from my calling as Relief Society president. It has been quite the journey, and much shorter in length than I would have hoped. There have been times when I was doing so much for others that I forgot to take care of myself, and there were times when I was so caught up in my own world that I did nothing and the guilt was heavy. And then there were the sweetest times, where I knew that I had in some small way taken care of a daughter of God, and that for a moment she felt loved, cared about, and known by her Heavenly Father, not because of what I did, but because of what the Lord called and helped me to do. I have been so blessed to feel even the smallest bit of my Heavenly Father's love for each of those girls. If there is one thing I could have accomplished in my small four months with them it would be for them to feel that love, to recognize that love from the Lord, to hold on to it and to never forget it. Each of these girls is such a precious gift of God with personality, talents, and beauty. I wish I had taken more time to treasure each one of them. I hope they know how priceless they are and how lucky I am to have known and served them. The Lord has blessed my life with so much. My circumstances haven't really changed in the last little while (to the outsider they might even look more dim), but my gratitude for the undeniable amount of blessings in my life has. As big things in my life are ending, including college this week and my calling, I realize that although I've gone through a lot of hard things in my life, I have lived a life full of rich blessings. I have been blessed to know and be loved by so many good people, I've had opportunities for so many amazing experiences, but most of all I've been blessed to know that Christ is my Redeemer, my Savior, and my King. He is the Giver of every good gift in my life, and I am so grateful to have been touched by His hands of love, healing, and mercy. I am so grateful to know that no matter what I've done or what I cannot do, the Lord will always make up for it, if I only show faith in Him. My partnership with Him is a perfect one, because He is perfect. I hope that I never lose gratitude for what He has given me or forget the truths of His glorious gospel. I hope that I can spend my life helping to bring people to Him and help them find the true joy and happiness that only comes through Christ, the power of His Atonement, and serving His children.