Change
If there is one constant in mortality, it is change. I’m not sure that I have always welcomed it
in my life since I tend to see myself as someone who wants stability, but I
have at least recognized that change is an old comrade. And, as I reflect on my life, there has
been change that has blessed me.
One of those changes was the opportunity to be introduced to
the gospel of Jesus Christ when I was in high school. The interesting note about this missionary
moment was not that a friend bore their testimony, or that the elders found us
while tracting. The gospel came into my life because of an acquaintance of the
family. Her name was Emily and she was
the mom of several kids, one of whom was my age; her husband and my mom’s
husband were friends. Emily had invited
the whole family to church several times, I attended a youth group once in a while,
and then, she took a deep breath, and wrote our name on a referral card. I imagine that she handed over that referral
with some trepidation; my mother was not someone you wanted to meet in a dark
alley. But the Spirit spoke to Emily, and
her inspiration became the first step to my baptism.
The stake missionaries called, set up an appointment and
made the first visit. I honestly don’t
remember much about the visit, how their message was received, or how far apart
the appointments were. What I do
remember was the feeling that this was the message that I had been waiting for
my whole life (all 16 years of it.) I
didn’t need to finish the Book of Mormon at that time; I didn’t have burning
questions to challenge the missionaries; I just knew it was true.
If you’re not familiar with the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, let me share with you what was and is true. I knew that this young teenager, Joseph Smith, had
been visited by angels, ancient prophets of old, and most importantly, by God
and his Son, Jesus Christ. I knew that
God, our Heavenly Father, had restored the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth
and that along with that message, He had also restored His ancient priesthood
power back to the earth. Along with
that, I learned about how the body of the Church was organized, why reverencing
the Sabbath was so important for man; how I could accept the Grace of God
and then, daily, live my life exemplifying the gospel principles in which I so
fully believed.
There is so much more:
deeper and sweeter than this short description above. But it was that change in my life that has
transformed me into who I am today. And
with that transformation, I have been able to traverse through the minefields
of life: change.
There are several changes that one must make in their
life. In my life, I have changed from
single to married, child-less to mother of 5, a full house to empty nesting all
the while balancing relationships, responsibilities, and the various roles of
women. One of the blessings of parenting
is welcoming grandchildren; one of the bittersweet evolutions of parenting is
separation.
On my horizon is my next change: moving.
Now I have moved many times and have lived in several states. I used to boast that I had attended 14
schools from 1st grade to High School graduation; as an adult I have moved almost as
much. But this move, for some reason,
unsettles me a bit. I think it is
because with this move, we go from a state of semi-permanence, to a
state of uncertainness. And even though
we move back into our permanent home in Colorado, it is with the knowledge that
we won’t be there long. The next job
assignment for Dennis is transitional, perhaps a few months on his own on the
east coast while I remain in our Rocky Mountains. But separation doesn’t bother me; we’ve been
through that before. It is the absence
of belonging that I fear.
Belonging is one of the basic needs of humans, being a part
of a greater whole. In a lifetime, we
are a part of several groups: families,
classes, clubs, teams, etc. Many of
those groups are temporary, or transitional. A few of those groups are everlasting.
However, I know that there is one place of belonging that is eternal:
in the arms and household of a Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. My knowledge, my faith, and my continual
belief in the gospel give me the needed sense of belonging to maintain my
spiritual foundation, even when my temporal circumstances seem fluid and
ever-changing.
In the end, it will always be my spiritual side that perseveres. Whatever the changes of life may be, I will face them with (or probably without)
grace or style, but face them I will. I know it’s comforting for me to know that I won’t be alone when they come. For Christ is my King, His angels are around me protecting me from evil, the Holy Ghost whispers in my ear that I can do this. With my husband by my side, my childrens' arms supporting me with their love, and my Heavenly Father sending me His peace, the future will become the present without even a glance and my past will contain the residue of trials overcome.
