Another lesson I've had to learn was that I don't actually want everything to be perfect all the time Satan makes me think I do, but that would take us back to the garden of Eden! I would be stuck there forever! I don't want things to be perfect all the time: I want Christ to make me perfect through my weaknesses. I had so many fears about making mistakes. I've come to realize that God would rather I make a mistake than just sit there wondering what to do. He doesn't want me to make big mistakes, but HE CAN HELP ME MAKE THE RIGHT TURN EVEN IF I START TO MAKE A WRONG TURN! If I stay close to Him, He'll make it all BETTER! Not just as good as new, but BETTER than new. I love this story by Elder Packer. I heard it in my D&C class Sophomore year and I love it. Here's the little big I love. Here's the link to the whole thing.
Now, the last thing I want to talk to you about: a broken bird.
Over the years, as a diversion, I have carved wooden birds. Sometimes it would take a year to complete one. I would get specimens and measure the feathers and study the colors and then carve them. I would carve a setting for them. It was very restful. Sometimes when I would get unsettled, my wife would say, “Why don’t you go carve a bird!” It was a very calming thing in my life.
Elder A. Theodore Tuttle and I were going into town one day. I had one of the carvings. I was taking it in to show someone. We had put it on the backseat. At an intersection, he slammed on the brakes, and the carving tipped upside down on the floor and broke to pieces. He pulled over to the side and looked at it. He was devastated. I was not.
Without thinking, I said, “Forget it. I made it. I can fix it.” And I did. I made it stronger than it was. I improved it a bit.
Now, who made you? Who is your Creator? There is not anything about your life that gets bent or broken that He cannot fix and will fix. You have to decide. If some of you have made mistakes and you think you are broken and cannot be put together, you do not know the doctrine of the Church. You do not know what the Atonement was about and who the Lord is and what a power He is in your life.
This is His Church. We are His servants. We who hold the priesthood have His authority and power. We can perform miracles. We do not talk about them. Most of those miracles have to do with healing the body. The greater miracles are the miracles of spiritual growth and healing in the lives of every one of us.
So if you are on the wrong path, then you must decide. You have the agency. You have the promptings of the Holy Ghost to guide you. There is that great truth that the gospel is a gospel of repentance. Repentance is like a mathematical equation. Repentance leads to forgiveness.
I love you so much Momma :) Thank you so much for your sacrifices so I can be refined. I thought I was obedient before, but I'm learning how much more I have to learn. I don't just want to do the right things: I want to do them for the right reasons :) Thanks for all you do! You are so awesome! I hope you have a super day!
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