Turning Point

Alohers!!!!

So I cheated..yeah I skipped week 4 and yes it is now week 5; but I daresay that much has been learned in the past 2 weeks...especially today.

As March wraps up and welcomes April (and hopefully Spring) I am so blessed to have experiences that help me draw closer to Heavenly Father. Today I was unable to go to church so Michael (that's my courageous husband...love him) braved the 5 inches of fresh snow and went to church...mostly because we couldn't bear to leave our Nursery without teachers...but also because church is important. Anyway, while he was gone I took a shower to feel better and laid down watching the snow fall. At first the snow was depressing (we all know why) but then while looking outside and drifting into a somewhat nostalgic mood, I suddenly had something similar to a flashback. It was like I was realizing all the things that I needed to change in my life AND realizing that I could. It wasn't shallow or fleeting, it was solid and real. An answer to my pleas to be free and to find the courage to change. It was so overwhelming I couldn't help but cry; cry tears of sorrow, pain, remorse and then joy and love. A song came to mind as I lay there, crying: (Text: Mary B. Wingate, 1899-1933)

Dear to the heart of the Shepherd,

Dear are the sheep of his fold;

Dear is the love that he gives them,

Dearer than silver or gold.

Dear to the heart of the Shepherd,

Dear are his “other” lost sheep;

Over the mountains he follows,

Over the waters so deep.

Dear to the heart of the Shepherd,

Dear are the lambs of his fold;

Some from the pastures are straying,

Hungry and helpless and cold.

See, the Good Shepherd is seeking,

Seeking the lambs that are lost,

Bringing them in with rejoicing,

Saved at such infinite cost.

I didn't understand how much I was worth; not really and not truly. Maybe even now I don't really see the value of one person like myself. But today in that quiet hour watching the snow fall I felt a little bit, probably not even a speck, of how much Heavenly Father loves me. It was enough and even too-much that he chose to reach out to a "lost sheep" who was "hungry and helpless and cold". I don't know that things are going to be easy from here on out but I know that they can be if I choose to follow the Good Shepherd. It was a turning point I could have missed but through tender mercies, I was allowed to experience.

So just as a reminder, this month we celebrate Easter. We are reminded of the joy and life that comes from the Atonement. Let's focus on what the Atonements means to us, individually, as that is what it was...an individual and personal sacrifice for you and me.

Peace, 
Mabs