This Made My Day Extra Special!

Thank you Doug, Amber, Asher & London

Patience

How many of us need to be patient and compassionate with ourselves?

Often we are harder on ourselves than we are on others.  We expect perfection!

When we have challenges, deal with them in patience.  Learn from the past through the scriptures and study life of the Savior.  Look to Jesus! Doing this will help us get over our inadequacies.

Take Time to Be Holy Every Day!

The story of the farmer looking for diamonds . . .

ACRES OF DIAMONDS

The story — a true one — is told of an African farmer who heard tales about other farmers who had made millions by discovering diamond mines. These tales so excited the farmer that he could hardly wait to sell his farm and go prospecting for diamonds himself. He sold the farm and spent the rest of his life wandering the African continent searching unsuccessfully for the gleaming gems that brought such high prices on the markets of the world. Finally, worn out and in a fit of despondency, he threw himself into a river and drowned.

Meanwhile, the man who had bought his farm happened to be crossing the small stream on the property one day, when suddenly there was a bright flash of blue and red light from the stream bottom. He bent down and picked up a stone. It was a good-sized stone, and admiring it, he brought it home and put it on his fireplace mantel as an interesting curiosity.

Several weeks later a visitor picked up the stone, looked closely at it, hefted it in his hand, and nearly fainted. He asked the farmer if he knew what he'd found. When the farmer said, no, that he thought it was a piece of crystal, the visitor told him he had found one of the largest diamonds ever discovered. The farmer had trouble believing that. He told the man that his creek was full of such stones, not all as large as the one on the mantel, but sprinkled generously throughout the creek bottom.

The farm the first farmer had sold, so that he might find a diamond mine, turned out to be one of the most productive diamond mines on the entire African continent.The first farmer had owned, free and clear ... acres of diamonds. But he had sold them for practically nothing, in order to look for them elsewhere. The moral is clear: If the first farmer had only taken the time to study and prepare himself to learn what diamonds looked like in their rough state, and to thoroughly explore the property he had before looking elsewhere, all of his wildest dreams would have come true.

This story that has so profoundly affected millions of people is the idea that each of us is, at this very moment, standing in the middle of our own acres of diamonds. If we have the wisdom and patience to intelligently and effectively explore the work in which we're now engaged, to explore ourselves, we would most likely find the riches we seek . .  . perhaps riches we cannot buy with money i.e. happiness, a family, and eternal life.

I love this story!

Moral of Story:  When giving your all, 

Slow down and be patient!

Safe Haven for Your Spouse

"The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil." Proverbs 31:11


Questions:


WHERE DO YOU FEEL SAFE?


Some answers might be: In your home, in your church or temple.  In the arms of your husband or wife.


WHO TRUSTS YOU?


Hopefully, it is your spouse!


DO WE [HUSBAND AND WIFE] KNOW EACH OTHER?


It is an essential part of marriage to share experiences and feelings in depth.


WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WENT ON A DATE WITH YOUR SPOUSE?  


Dating is essential for a happy, long-lasting marriage.


SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR YOU:

1. Don't push your spouse away.
2. Speak softly -- a soft answer turns away wrath.
3. Use a quiet voice.
4. Refrain from criticizing or judging.
5. Discipline yourself!

The Savior Always Welcomes Us! 

Trust

"To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved."  ~ President David O. McKay

Trust in people is like oil for a car.  The car runs better when it has oil in the engine.

People seek to reduce vulnerability and uncertainty.  Trust is the willingness to become vulnerable in order to reduce uncertainty.

When someone has low trust in you -- Avoid criticism, advice [even with good intentions].

Simple ways to build trust through interaction:

1. Frequent conversations
2. Personal Talk (The more the better)
3. Positive Talk
4. Low Risk (Don't talk about the BIG issues)

When there is misunderstanding or miscommunication ask:  

"Did you mean this . . .?"

Trust is built piece by piece!

Patience = Trust 

To Build High Trust with the Lord

1. Prayer 
2. Sacrament Meeting Attendance/Sacrament
3. Family Home Evening
4. Family Scripture Study
5. Visit Temple together

Four Core Areas in a Relationship:

1. Be Compassionate
• "Nothing is so much calculated to lead people to forsake sin as to take them by the hand, and watch over them with tenderness. . . ." ~ Prophet Joseph Smith
2. Be Open
• Approach someone mildly and kindly
3. Be Reliable
• Day in and Day out
4. Be an Expert
• In an Area
• Learn
• Read
• Experience

In a High-Trusting Relationship, it's okay to make mistakes!

Reward voluntary confession; even though, there will still be consequences.

"Jesus Christ's Atonement is the One Success that can compensate for failure in the home." ~ " . . . Safe Haven for Your Spouse," Hank Smith, BYU Women's Conference 2012 

Posted by Christy Larsen