the power to change.

The power to change is very real, and it is a great spiritual gift from God.



today's lesson relief society was on the talk elder faust had been preparing for the october conference before he passed away. as i read the words of this humble man i tried to close my eyes & picture hearing his voice speak them. i loved some of the thoughts of other sisters who added a different perspective of the lesson.

we spoke mostly about humility, that that is what is the first step to change. and i thought about how in this life, we are sometimes afraid of change. we are afraid of the unknown, of the trials change could bring, of getting out of our comfort zone.

while working with the kids here at the group home, almost every single one of them has said, "STOP TRYING TO CHANGE ME!!!" they get very defiant in the beginning of their treatment here. they say that the skills we work on with them are "dumb" or that they don't "need" them. but we let them know that the way to show us you don't "need them" is by showing us you know how to "use" them. (the skills we start with, BTW, are following directions, accepting consequences, accepting a "no" answer and disagreeing appropriately). obviously these kids have ended up here in our home for a reason. most of the time, they feel they are there because of someone else's problem. and isn't that what we as normal human beings do in our lives? blame others for something going wrong? the natural man has a tendency to look everywhere but inside when it comes to facing problems. it is so hard to admit that we are the ones who are at fault. but the kids slowly (some slower than others) realize that whatever they were doing in their lives, whether they feel it was "their fault" or not, wasn't working for them. that in order for them to go home, there needs to be a change. and ben & i are the ones who are supposed to be there to help them see it.

once they have mastered the basic skills, they move up to intermediate skills. that would be something like showing respect even when frustrated, stopping negative behavior, only being asked once, etc. the intermediate skills are tailored to each of the kids' specific needs, whereas the basic skills they all start on the same ones. after that then they move on to advanced skills...independent living skills, doing something without being asked, having a positive attitude throughout the day, being able to cope with disappointing situations, etc.

so i was thinking about that. what are the "basic skills" that i need to have in my life? honesty, obedience, kindness, love (these are just a few). do i have them already down pat? what are the intermediate skills? not being so self-critical, being more optimistic instead of pessimistic, forgiving easier. the advanced ones? stopping negative thoughts as soon as they start, having true charity, being more merciful, truly letting go of worldly things. i know that even if i could really master all of the skills or weaknesses that i know i need to work on, there will always be more. and that is because the only perfect person here on earth has been Jesus Christ. sometimes that feeling can be overwhelming, that we will never be "done" here with trying to perfect ourselves.

this is not an easy life. we are required by our heavenly father to constantly be growing & working & striving & perfecting & trying....and changing. but this is the way to mold us to become more like Jesus Christ & more like our Heavenly Father.

i think there are times in our lives too, where we need others who can point out to us areas where we might need to change. in a loving way, hopefully. and this is where the humility comes in, to be able to listen to what someone is telling us & be able to hear the possibility that they just might be right. i have been in this situation before & it's really difficult, where someone has told me something that i need to change. my first thoughts are always defensive & i'm always justifying my actions. but then as i think more about it...and humble myself...i become open to the "maybe they really are right" thoughts.

i love this quote:
"Remember: the heavens will not be filled with those who never made mistakes but with those who recognized that they were off course and who corrected their ways to get back in the light of the gospel trugh." -Elder Uchtdorf

and then one of my favorite poems:


Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both...
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverges in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference
-Robert Frost

and lastly, another fantastic quote:

"Each one of us has been given the power to change his or her life. As part of the Lord's great plan of happiness, we have individual agency to make decisions. We can decide to do better and to be better. In some ways all of us need to change; that is, some of us need to be more kind at home, less selfish, better listeners, and more considerate in the way we treat others. Some of us have habits that need to be changed, habits that harm us and others around us. Sometimes we may need a jolt to propel us into changing." -Elder Faust



anyway, that's all. i guess i really am a blabber mouth. :) but i loved elder faust's talk & i believe that usually people speak their most important thoughts before they pass on. if you'd like to, you can read his talk here