The Makings of a Disciple

See that happy smiling girl?
That's a girl whose life is in motion.
Her cogs are turning and she's showing no sign of
slowing down.

This was her day to go to the Temple
for the first time.
At the end,
I turned to her and asked,
"Was it worth what it cost to be here?"
Smiling ear-to-ear,
she nodded agreeably.
Yes.
It is.
It is always worth what it cost to come to the temple.

We have another 8 days with her,
and she is cramming as much as possible into these days.
I sat in her room Saturday,
and together we packed her suitcases,
with Daisie and Bee yammering away
and dancing around;

alternately laughing our guts out,
and trying to
stay.on.task.
Times to remember, for sure.

Yesterday was her opportunity to speak in Church,
and share her thoughts and feelings about
what it is to be a
"Disciple"...a Servant.
I had one of those moments
where I was astonished that this
refined, passionate, articulate young woman
could possibly be the same
pig-headed, rebellious, hormonally-challenged teenager
that used to roll her eyes and deflect my admonitions
like teflon.

She was eloquent, thoughtful, and powerful
at the same time
funny and still humble.
My favorite part of her testimony was:
"I am a member of this Church,
because I need God. I need Him."
And the next favorite was when she challenged us all
to be better at sharing the Gospel that has blessed our lives
and not to be selfish about it.
"Too many people say it's too hard to share something so close to their hearts. 
I'm here to tell you that's selfish.  I am so grateful for the two 15 year old girls who opened their mouths and shared what they knew with my mom and that she held on. Because of them, we have an eternal family."

She said more than anything,
she prayed for the Spirit to be with her
and the message He wanted her to share
would come through.
It was evident and powerful,
and if if that was any indication,
she is going to make her
Mission President
a grateful man.

I feel impressed to also share something else she said,
when she acknowledged that she "hasn't been a goody-two-shoe girl"
and that she has "needed and felt the power of the Atonement of Christ."
And what I want to say is that perhaps that is the greatest testimony
any of us can ever offer;
that Christ is real and that He loves us,
He is our Redeemer and because of His Atoning sacrifice,
we can overcome our weaknesses & temptations,
be comforted in our sorrows and grief,
and while we are still imperfect,
He is there for us.
That, to me, is the greatest part of the "Good News".

I want to acknowledge my Savior's love for me;
as I have been blessed with the responsibility of being a mother to many,
I have needed His constant guidance
when I wasn't sure what to do with all of these yahoos
at different ages--
from birth to young adulthood,
try as I might,
I did not come to motherhood knowing what I know
by accident or my own efforts alone.
When my teens, especially, have caused my heart to ache,
I knew only to hold on with both hands
and kneel on both knees in prayer
and listen for the Spirit to tell me
"what next".

The answer has always been the same:
Love them. 
Pull them in closer. 
Live the Gospel, happily, 
so they can see the difference it makes in
your life. 

That's it.

Someone texted me recently and said something along the lines of
"You must be doing something right, as this is number 3 kiddo leaving on a mission!"
I replied:
"I think my children have learned that their mother doesn't have all the answers.  They realized they need God."

Indeed.
I have a firm testimony that if
parents provide for all of their children's needs,
there is no room for God. 
Parents have got to get out of the way, so-to-speak,
so that their children can come to know
their Heavenly Father and His ways.

So holding on with both hands,
but not providing everything--
it's a tricky deal to balance
but it can be done.
IN fact,
it has to be done
because we're all mortal beings,
and eventually we're gonna die.
The lessons have to be learned
eventually, right?

So Diana's lessons have been learned.
She has travelled the way thus far,
and come to the realization
that it is because of the love of her family
and friends
and most importantly, the love and grace
of her Savior,
that she has been invited to serve a mission
in His name and for His sake.
The makings of a Disciple.

Oh these next few days are gonna be over before we know it!