Opening Up the Windows to Heaven

I tend to live my life pursuing anything that interests me wholeheartedly. The downside of this is that I almost always have more interests than I do time. As a result, I have to inwardly reflect on what my strongest values are and make choices that reflect those.

Right now I am at a crossroads as I consider new job offers, getting my doctorate degree, focusing on my family and kids these last 3 years before Travis and I are empty nesters, future dream jobs, and retirement plans. Yes I am a planner and so choices are being made now for that. Once again, I am grateful but torn over so many awesome options.

So like I have historically with any major decision in life (including who to marry, where to live - all seven moves, what homes to buy, when and how many children to have, what jobs to take, when to start and stop phases of life) I find myself using tonight and tomorrow to fast and pray about it. This is something members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have the opportunity to do each month.

And even though I can't have it all, or at least all right now in this moment, I feel peace because I know I will get direction as I lift my heart and mind to commune with my Heavenly Father. "Fasting, coupled with mighty prayer, is powerful. It can fill our minds with the revelations of the Spirit." He will guide and direct me and continue to make my life better than anything I have ever been able to plan or imagine for myself.

And if there is any one thing I have wanted to teach and pass down to my kids, it is that absolute confidence in recognizing the voice of the Lord and knowing he loves and cares about them and that he will talk to, guide, and direct them as he has me throughout my life. I know that they will feel the peace and assurance and confidence in all areas of their life that I have been able to have. So regardless of your faith, I challenge each of you - try it out, at least once, see what you think and consider how you feel.

For more about fasting, see here!

The Power of the Fast

Many times in my life I have exercised faith in the principle of fasting. As a result I have seen marvelous and miraculous things.  I also participate in the paying of tithes and offerings.  Here too I have seen many miracles.  These are principles of the Bible that a lot of people don't as frequently participate in, but I can't help but want to when I see so many immediate blessings in my life.  Malachi is an expert when he explains the commandment and blessing in chapter 3 vs. 10 "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."

There are lots of ways to tithe.  I try to tithe both my income (money) and time (service).  Each one I strive to give a minimum of 10%.  One such blessing happened this particular week.  As a default I pay tithing the first week of every month, for the income I plan to receive that month.  My husband gets paid quarterly bonuses as well.  Without going into too much detail, the first week of this month, I paid the tithing for our household on both April's income as well as the first quarter bonus.  The bonus that had come in the check I noticed was not as much as it should have been, but before we had time to address it with his employers, I decided to still faithfully pay on the intended amount assuming the details would work out later, because I had trust in the Lord.

Just yesterday, my husband came out to me as I was working in the backyard and he said, "Good news, bad news"  Of course I wanted the bad first and he said, "Bad news is they are doing another round of layoffs/furloughs today, good news is I am safe once again."  You see this is the second round since this COVID stuff has started.  I felt hugely relieved, even though I hadn't realized they were going to do another round.  These are scary economical times and Travis is one of their newest employees.  Immediately the words came to my mind, "this is your blessing for paying your tithes".  Now this isn't to insinuate that every tithe payer will never lose their job or face economic difficulties, but that Heavenly Father spoke from heaven to me regarding my circumstances this past week.

Despite my initial relief for my own personal circumstances, I couldn't feel joy yet.  My heart hurt as we discussed who may be going from his company.  People I have been getting to know and coming to love.  We discussed a lot of other people's fears and concerns at this time that we knew about who have been adversely affected and I am worried for.  And so tonight my family is eating dinner and starting a fast for tomorrow.  Because I can't be happy for myself when so many other people are hurting, I fast for them.  I fast for solutions, that I can't conceive of.  I fast for people with bigger brains than mine to come up with medical answers, economic answers, for peace, for comfort, for God's will to be done, and our hearts to humbly accept his will even when we don't understand it.  Please join me in fasting.  I really believe miracles can and will occur in our life and in the world at large!

Sunday, Sabbath and Fasting

Sundays are awesome!

My kids look beautiful in their nice clothes.

Even when not at church, the kids love more mellow activities like reading.

Dinner can run the gamut but is always delicious, usually after fasting we do huge like a roast, but this particular one, we did breakfast for dinner in a big way (eggs, waffles, hash browns, sausage, bacon, smoothies, etc...)  Yum!!!