My Gift to Jesus





This is my family. They are growing up way too fast for my liking. We have a tradition every year, on the first Monday of December we talk about the gift from our Heavenly Father of our Savior that came to earth as a baby that special night so long ago. We decide what each of us can do for the month as a gift to Jesus. Then we write it down and place it in a box and it becomes the first present under our tree every year and it is the last one left when all the giving has been done.




Through the years I have enjoyed listening to my kids choose what they want to give. Some choose simple things that can easily be accomplished, like giving a hug everyday. Some like to choose a gift that is more challenging, such as reading the scriptures on their own. We are not perfect in our accomplishment of each gift every year, but with diligence I hope to encourage faith in Jesus and a love for Him that will lift and sustain them as they grow and encounter challenges.
For my gift this year I have chosen to testify of Jesus Christ to someone everyday. To be completely honest, I am somewhat nervous about this gift. I like my comfort zone, very much, and I can't help but wonder if I will be prompted by the Spirit to testify at a time when it will require me to step out of that comfort zone. But I love my Savior more than my comfort zone. So I will press forward, seeking the Spirit as I do so, and hopefully through this process I will increase my understanding and love of who it is we celebrate at this time of year.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"If we acknowledge Him now, He will lovingly acknowledge and gladly admit us then!”

Image
  I have come to the part in the Book of Mormon where a reversal of roles has taken place. Those people(the Lamanites) that had once been taught, now become the teachers. Many of the Nephites had become prideful and ignored their own prophets, so the Lord sent a Lamanite prophet, Samuel, to warn them to repent and prepare for the coming of the Lord. The Nephites didn't like what Samuel had to tell them. A miracle was brought about as Samuel was divinely protected from the arrows of the angry Nephites. In thinking about these chapters I am amazed at how a righteous people, in a matter of a few short years, had come to a wicked state as to seek the death of a servant and prophet of the Lord. How can we protect ourselves from falling prey to the destruction that comes when we are stuck in the pride cycle as described in the chapters of Helaman? One of Samuel's purposes of teaching the Nephites was to remind them of the coming of Christ. Why would teaching about the Savior, Je...
Read more

Fine Tuning a Listening Ear

Image
    The last chapter of 3 Nephi begins with the word hearken. In fact, several times throughout these last chapters of 3 Nephi, the people of our day are given warnings and told to hearken. Throughout the Book of Mormon we are called to attention with such words as hearken, listen, give heed, and behold. When we come across one of these words, it is wise to slow the pace and pay attention. Bishop H. David Burton spoke of hearkening to the word of the Lord in General Conference: "Perhaps the greatest obstacle to our ability to hearken courageously to the word of the Lord involves our egos, vain ambitions, and pride. It seems that the proud find it burdensome to hear and accept the instruction of God. We are told in Proverbs that “pride goeth before destruction” ( Prov. 16:18 )."  I have been consistently, almost daily, reading the Book of Mormon for over a year now. I took part of a Relief Society challenge and read the entire Book of Mormon last fall, then I be...
Read more
Image
  (I just finished another semester at BYUI. This is my concluding essay for my English class.)    The Man in the Red Suit             I stood there, looking at my mother as she sat in front of me on the pale blue, plush covered toilette seat, her feet resting on the matching rug beneath. Some childhood memories end up traveling life’s entire journey with you; this is one of those such memories. Being born with a naturally believing heart, I wholeheartedly believed in the existence of the man in the red suit with his eight, tiny reindeer. When I was just shy of turning 12 years old, I noticed that the kids at school had all changed their view of this man and they boldly declared it. What? Santa Claus not real? Impossible, and I timidly told them so. At home, I must have spoken aloud my fellow student’s change of view on Santa because, shortly after, my mother decided it was time for “the talk”. The h...
Read more