Measure of Creation

Dear readers

I am writing this post on Mother’s Day, 10^th May 2020. 

Happy Mother's Day

I love that the world which consists of many different countries and cultures all celebrate the divine role of motherhood. Our mothers are irreplaceable. There is no one like mother, like there is no place like home.

Our Heavenly Father designed this earth life with the intention for us to fulfil our measure of creation. To achieve this, he designed each and every one of his children to be born to a mother within a family. This is the way that heaven is designed. Families are the foundation of Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation.

Yet, I acknowledge that there are bad parents out there. I acknowledge death and estrangement and war torn countries. But I know that this plan of salvation and part of our purpose here on earth is to have trials, temptations, heartbreak and anger. As tough love as it sounds, that is the sure way to progression. And is it really tough love when Heavenly Father has provided a way for us to have peace and happiness no matter what trial? It is through the Atonement of His Son Jesus Christ. Like the people of Moses, all we have to do is look at the serpent and be saved. It is as easy as one, two, three, if you let it.

What Does The Lord Want To Happen In My Life?

Sister Wendy Nelson once accompanied her husband to Sydney to speak to us. These three subheadings and the principles I learned from them are derived from her talk. It sets out three type of prayers that we can use to strengthen the power of prayer.

I came across this question in my life at a time that I hardly knew any pain. I certainly hadn’t had any life threatening experiences back then and certainly wasn’t planning to. But I knew that my life would not be so dandy. In fact, before I married my husband, I had a distinct impression that my life after marriage would not be easy. The Spirit was preparing me to be strong for the challenges up ahead. But I also knew that marrying Lawrence was something that the Lord wanted to happen in my life. And I also knew that the Lord intended for us to have children.

Can you believe that I accept that the Lord also intended for us to lose our pregnancies?

If I had given birth to my first pregnancy ... then I would have a two month old baby right now. How absolutely heartbreaking is it that I am mourning that loss of our first pregnancy on a day that celebrates Motherhood? How absolutely heartbreaking is it for you, reader? But I can rejoice in the fact that Lawrence and I had this experience together and grew from it all the more. Sometimes, we need life changing occurrences and heavy grief to wake our faith from a tiny spark to a roaring flame. 

And I didn’t know that it was possible, but from this tragic loss grew the miracle of faith.

Thy Will Be Done

Prayers are a powerful thing. But we have to know how to pray right. The beautiful thing about prayer is that it is an unbreakable and direct connection to the heavens. Heaven truly prompts us to pray for what the Lord wants of us, but only if we are in tune. It is a wonderful experience to pause and slowly speak as we pray to listen to the whispering prompting of the Spirit within our heart.

Maybe Heavenly Father intends for your happy marriage, but with another person and not the person you have in mind.

Maybe Heavenly Father intends for you to have a long engagement, kind of like Lawrence and I.

Maybe Heavenly Father wants you to wait for the Right Moment. To start a family. To change jobs. To build a home. To visit a loved one. To bear your testimony. To change the daily schedule with your companion on a mission! I loved doing that. Every time the Spirit prompted me to do that, a miracle ALWAYS occurred.

Heaven prompts us to pray for what the Lord wants of us, if we are in tune.

And when we pray and have that power... that’s when miracles happen.

Or Something Better

This is a hard one to swallow. We can really want something with all of our heart, only to realise that it literally is not possible.

That promotion at work? Offered to someone else.

That house that you had your heart set on? Already sold.

Sister Wendy Nelson, wife of the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, shared an experience regarding our first modern day Prophet Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith sat down with his family in front a meagre meal. When he blessed the food, he prayed “for something better” and received flour and ham at the door moments later.

The moral of this story is that the Lord may know something better than we ever know to ask.

The miracle of Motherhood.

One of the miracles that came out of the trial of losing my pregnancies ... was that the Lord knows that I can be a great influence to children and called me to serve the primary ever since that I came back to live with my parents in 2018. I love serving the primary and am happy to do this for the rest of my life. (Don’t take that seriously pls Bishop).

Another miracle of Motherhood is how well my family currently gets along with my Lola, my mother’s mum. My Lola was a less-active member of the Church for a long time and also felt bitter about things that happened twenty years ago. Don’t anyone be like that, please. But she came back gradually by the miracle of the faith of my mother who went to the temple each week and consistently submitted my Lola’s name on the prayer roll. There wasn’t a day in the temple for perhaps two-three years when my grandmother’s name wasn’t on the temple prayer rolls. In 2017, my grandmother not only came back to church, but also attended the most sacred part of my wedding day when she was there to witness the sealing ordinance of marriage between my husband and I. Certainly by doing this, my mother was fulfilling her measure of creation and also helping my Lola fulfil her measure of creation.

What miracles of motherhood have you experienced in your daily life?

Written with love,

Eliza.