Marie's Sunday Message - January 15th, 2023

I love stories and analogies. I remember one about a man who is walking down the street and falls into a hole. He couldn’t get out. A doctor passes by and the guy shouts, “Hey you, can you help me out?” The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down into the hole, and moves on. Then a priest comes along and the guy shouts up to him, “Father, I’m down in this hole. Can you help me out?” The priest writes out a prayer, throws it into the hole, and moves on. Then a friend walks by. The man in the hole sees him and shouts, “Hey Joe, I’m down in this hole. Can you help me out?” The friends jump in the hole. Our guy says, “Are you stupid? Now we’re both in this hole!” His friend says, “Yeah, but I’ve been down here before and I know the way out.”

Taking a step back, preparation is one of the most important things we do. We wear seatbelts in case of a possible accident, take vitamins to prevent a possible illness, and go to a checkup at the dentist to prevent cavities. We don’t leave our homes without prayer, we read scriptures, we wear helmets. There are even warnings on medications to prevent possible reactions. The list goes on and on. We can prepare for everything our minds can think of. But, sometimes, things still go wrong. When it does, how do we respond? 

So, back to the analogy of the man in the hole. Is it fair to say that he fell into the hole because he was unprepared? Probably not. Did he wake up and make a plan of what to do in case he falls in a hole today? Doubtful. We can prepare for anything and everything, but from time to time, we still need God to help. And he will send people to jump into that hole with us and guide help us out. 

I have a friend who’s a coach. He prepared his team with fundamental drills and for any unusual situation he could possibly think of. But the part he was the happiest with was how his team was trained mentally. These high school boys read books on positivity, leadership, and drive. They enjoyed coming to practice because, in their words, “They didn’t just learn about the sport but life itself.” This approach was highly successful and they went all the way to the state championship. He told me at that game that the referee was making some questionable calls that derailed their plans. His team had to keep playing with very unsettled emotions. This was an unforeseen situation neither the coach nor the players had considered. Instead of plowing back into the game, the new situation got the better of them and they lost. As disappointing as the loss was, he told me, “I believe it was still a win”. He said his team got the opportunity to understand that life isn’t predictable—we can’t prepare for every possible outcome. 

That’s why it’s important that, amidst all of our preparations, we put God first. If we rely on our own preparations rather than keep our faith in God, we completely miss out. There will be catastrophes in our lives, illnesses that take away our independence, and betrayals we don’t see coming. We will lose jobs we desperately need and encounter loss throughout our lives. But there is one thing we can count on, and that’s Him…every time. If we have more faith in ourselves than in the Savior, we will lose every time. 

I am not knocking preparations! I rehearse and rehearse and rehearse…but I still make sure we all have prayer before every show.

He is our light in the storm, our path when we’re lost, and our hope when we can’t take another step. I know this because I’ve been to this abyss. Reading about him daily has been a great source of strength for me through the years. I hope your scripture reading is going well. I promise studying the life of our Savior will prepare us for anything and will be life-altering. I know that we can try to prepare for every scenario but, in the end, the time spent studying the life of the Savior and then following His life and example will be the best investment of time we will ever make.

Here are the next few weeks of the reading schedule I am following for those that have joined me: 

• January 16–22: John 1.

• January 23–29: Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3.

• January 30-February 5: Matthew 4; Luke 4-5

• February 6-12: John 2-4

Marie's Sunday Message - January 8th, 2023

I finished a new quilt and have another idea for one on the way.🥰👍 Quilting is a joy for me now that I found later in life while taking care of my mom. There’s something very satisfying about piecing together small bits of fabric to create a beautiful quilt. This is the latest one I’ve done, and also one of the most challenging so far. I made it for my grandson, Wolf, who loves dinosaurs. He even helped to pick out some of the fabrics with his mom’s and my help. 🥰

Can I just say this thing was so hard to do!!! I called in reinforcements to help me finish! My friend Chris Chamberlain, the master quilter, and her brother Josh(an amazing quilter by hobby and a heck of a UPS guy by trade 😂) helped me make it to the finish line! Just zoom in and look at the eye on one of the dinosaurs - that’s a tiny square within itself! And look at the tiny triangles that needed to be made in between the triceratops spikes on top of him too. They all had to be pieced together… I love the intricacy.🤪🤢😂 It all seemed too difficult at first, but Chris and Josh were not going to let me fail! 

After seeing this quilt done, I realized the process was a lot like our life. If you want, you can slide through experiences haphazardly, with no goals or patterns, and worst, never ask for help. Or we can be very exact and thoughtful in following God's instructions or pattern for happiness, making careful measurements, and eventually, something beautiful occurs. 

Jesus Christ is our master teacher, and when we study His life, He will show us how to make those careful measurements and even point out the flaws we make, then help us resew them correctly.  In Matthew 11: 28-30, the Savior gives us all the hope we need in this wonderful promise…

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

This promise means everything to me. As a young girl, and even now, I’ve been through some difficult times. I know many of you have as well. But these words have given me great hope! I can imagine hearing this promise given directly from the Savior’s mouth and feeling that same hope that they did 2000 years ago. For us now, His promises haven’t changed because His words are eternal.

Remember, the promise to us is not that our burdens will be taken away, but they will be made lighter, and we will feel His power in our lives—giving us guidance, peace, inspiration, and a much-needed PATH!

I know this is true!!! In my life, God’s words mean everything to me. As I’ve learned about Him and trusted Him, I have felt my burdens lift. Just like Chris and Josh, the Savior was there helping me measure and cut, guiding me through some very difficult and very dark times when there was no place else for me to turn. I have learned through the years and tears that I find great joy in doing what God has asked me to do. It goes back to the quilt…Trusting in God brings happiness. Just like trusting in master quilters brings a beautiful creation, satisfaction, and happiness. 

I sometimes hear people say that living the commandments are difficult. Honestly, for me, NOT living them makes life more difficult! God’s commandments protect us from the snares of the world. They help us learn what true self-love actually is and not what the world says it is. True self-love is learning the joy of disciplining the natural man in us. It’s taking control of our physical bodies, our thoughts, and desires. True self-love is living within our means, focusing on having the wisdom to see the real truth and surrounding ourselves with good friends, and making sure we do all we can to uplift those around us. 

When we choose to overcome the world, that means everything from anger, judgment, rationalization, selfishness, or anything that can lead to us having addictive behaviors of the flesh, to name a few. When we can begin to see these flaws in us and start resewing ourselves (so to say), we become happier people for sure!

I know what you are thinking….how in the world do I do it? I want to be happier; I do. I want to turn my weaknesses into strengths, but that is such a long list. Believe me, I know. So, let’s go back to the quilt. Remember, It took meticulous work and many hours. Also, I started over more times than I can count because of the mistakes I made in measuring and sewing. But I had help…I knew Chris and Josh were not going to let me fail. I kept my eye on them and my goal, listened to their instructions, and sometimes even handed the whole project over to them. They didn’t do it for me because how could I learn? But they let me rest, just like the Savior who holds our burdens and sorrows, so they are lighter….also so I wouldn’t give up. 

I know January is a time for resolutions and goal-setting…I bet many of your resolutions are already in the rearview mirror! I included a joke that cracked me up😂 But how about we approach this differently? What if we take our weaknesses to the Savior? How about we lay them at His feet and then humbly plead with Him to show us where to start and how to make them our strengths? Where to start? I was always counseled as a child to begin with what is creating the most problems. Then trust Him! I know He will help with a lasting self-discovery. The scriptures inspire us to take an honest look at ourselves, so we can make the changes needed to improve and heal. But only through the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His atonement will we have the strength, desire, and power to overcome and do this. 

Believe me, our Savior can help us overcome anything!!!!!

Here’s my January reading assignment for the New Testament. I guess you could call it a pattern we’re following 😂 It might help you too! It’s not too late to catch up…. It’s never too late!!!! 💖👈😘 I mean, hey, look at my next project in these photos. I’m doing this next one on my embroidery machine. I know I’m crazy!😂 but I love a good challenge! Who wants to join me?😉🥰

• No January 2–8: Matthew 1; Luke 1.

• January 9–15: Matthew 2; Luke 2.

• January 16–22: John 1.

• January 23–29: Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3.

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