Perfecting the Saints

Over the winter I was asked to speak on perfecting the saints and although my thoughts weren't needed in the end I would like to share with my friends and family what I prepared. As always the reflection and preparation taught me more than it probably would have taught anyone else. So when I was asked to speak on perfecting the saints I immediately thought about my own journey. Just to tell you a little about myself, my husband and I were tracked into and baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints a little over 4 years ago. At the time we had just bought our first home. Ally was not quite 1 years old and I was working as a nurse on the weekends to keep her out of daycare. After being baptized I knew I should be at church on Sundays but we had the perfect arrangement. At the time there was no way I could quit my job and still pay our bills so we continued on and I was rarely at church. Over time we were able to pay off debt and the decision to work was less a necessity and more a decision. I loved my job and we lived very comfortably. Last summer when Jerry was preparing to start graduate school at University of Connecticut we knew the move would be hard financially so I remained in Georgia with our home and continued to work weekends. Being apart was hard, especially when our home sold. My family was so good to me though. I was a wreck and they loved me and supported me anyway. I am blessed to have been born into such a loving and giving family. Not everyone is so lucky. This arrangement changed things though because with Jerry being in CT my work schedule meant our girls were not at church. This tormented me daily and I began to question if I had made the right decision for my family. I began praying a lot and reflecting and what I realized was that I probably had not made the right decision. So not knowing how we would make it work, and without a job, I placed all my faith in God and moved to CT. After being here and attending church in our ward only 3 weeks I made a promise to myself and my family that I would never work on Sunday again. I would keep the Sabbath holy and continue to feed my spirit. It's hard to look back now because for a while I questioned the Lord. I Asked him why Jerry wasn't accepted into University of Georgia's program when he was perfectly qualified. I pitied myself for having to leave my home and what I thought was the perfect work arrangement for my family, not realizing it was part of the plan all along. Moving my family across the country was the only way I would come to realize that I was putting worldly things ahead of my spiritual growth. I know that my Father in Heaven wants me here. I know that I am far from what He wants me to be but I feel like I have taken a step in the right direction. As members of this church, as families and as individuals we can all work toward perfecting ourselves by 1. increasing our faith in Christ, 2. Following the teaching of apostles and prophets through scripture study, 3. protecting ourselves from the wickedness of the world by immersing ourselves in things that our righteous and 4. developing strong healthy families and friendships. In doing this we will not only continue on our journey to perfecting ourselves but will be better equipped to protect ourselves from the wickedness of the world. After all Satan is all around us. He knows us well. He knows our weaknesses and he will prey upon them. I want to leave you with my testimony, that I know this church is true. That our Father in Heaven loves us and that if we heed his guidance and work to become more like Christ we will be truly blessed in this life and beyond. These things I leave with you in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.