{Just love each other through it}

I am speaking in Relief Society this Sunday. This could be my last time since there are lots of releases lately due to many people moving out. I am the 2nd Counselor and our President is moving. :( So, it will get broken up, sadly. As i have been preparing, i have been having lots of thoughts coming to my mind.

One is about how everyone struggles. It doesn't matter who you are, you have some type of struggle or trial or weakness that you are dealing with right now.  It doesn't matter if you are RICH or POOR or average. It doesn't matter if your pretty or average or homely. It doesn't matter the color of your skin. It doesn't matter what you believe.  Every single person has hard times. I think we often have periods of peace, and then come trials to disrupt that quiet time in our lives.   I think that's the story of our lives though. Ups and Downs, good times and bad times, times of GREAT trial followed by much peace. We ALL deal with it. And i also think that a struggle we have is one that most people have had some sort of experience with. So, when we think we are alone, we really aren't. Financial struggles, marriage struggles, struggles with family members, dealing with death and illness, struggling with our testimony, struggling with making friends, struggling with ourselves and our own weaknesses, etc. I think most of us have experience in each of these categories. Some struggle more with some than others. The wonderful thing is that we have each other. We can help each other get through those times. We can love one another through those difficulties. I think charitable attitudes come more easily to some than others. But i also believe that the more we are charitable and the more we practice serving one another, the better we become at it.  Not only do we become better at it, but our capacity to LOVE increases. Love one another as i have loved you, he says. How did HE love? He served, he loved, he was a friend, he listened, he understoood, he didn't judge, he healed, he protected, he watched out for, he noticed needs and acted, he inpsired, he taught, he spiritually unplifted, etc. He is the perfect example of LOVE. No wonder that when we try to be like him we become BETTER. We find more happiness and inner peace.  We learn who we are. We are filled with his love. We have his spirit with us. Our capacity and ability to help others increases. We will be able to achieve miraculous things all because we are doing as he would do with faith. We are doing what he has asked us to do. And we become BETTER for it. And therefore we are blessed for it. So, not only are we helping those we serve, but it is helping us as well. Both sides win.  I think it's easy when we are struggling to think we are the only ones. But that isn't true. Even if we do feel like we are the only one struggling, there is always ONE person who knows exactly what it feels like. Our Savior. I know he cries with us, he mourns with us, he understands it all. I know he does.  And when we struggle and still find ways to serve others through that, we will find that our struggles become easier to deal with.  We might even forget those struggles in those moments of serving because we are focusing on others rather than ourselves.  And we even can find gratitude while serving during our own struggles because we will see that others struggle like us, we will see that our situation could be worse, and our eyes might even be opened to the understanding and purpose of our struggle.  It definitely won't make our struggles and trials disappear, BUT it can make them lighter.

Even when we think our small acts of kindness and service might mean nothing to someone, to that person it could mean EVERYTHING. For example, when we lived in Cleveland and Tanner was in the NICU as a baby someone in our ward had called and left a message on our phone offering to watch Gavin that day(Sunday) so that we could go be with Tanner.  That phone call meant a GREAT deal to me Because of the fact that it was a Sunday.  Sundays are quiet family days. I think most people wouldn't think to offer babysitting on a Sunday, but this person did.  That was such a loving gesture and it really touched my heart, even though we didn't use it. And such a small act. Our small acts can mean so much and that's usually all that people need. Even just someone coming up and asking me how i am. That means a lot to me as well. I think everyone wants to know they are loved. And it's interesting how our acts of love and service will inspire someone. It can Inspire them enough to be that way. And then they go out and start paying it forward by serving, and their capacity to love others and serve others GROWS and then they inspire someone, and so on.  Not only that , but that service and love can help a person, and in turn could help their whole family. You just never know. So, it doesn't matter if you THINK it's not really helping.  What matters is that it matters to our Heavenly Father. He loves you for it, and you are growing for it. That's good enough.

Struggles are hard, but we all go through it and have to go through it. We just need to LOVE each other through it, as my husband said. And i completely agree.

There is a song that i love to listen to. It inspires me. It inspires me through hard times and struggles, not only that but it inspires me with the love of my life. It makes me think of my LOVE because we have been through so much together, so many struggles, heart breaks, sadness, happiness, scary times, joyful times, etc. We have been through so much. And it makes me think of him because it shows great strength in knowing what we have together and how much we have learned together and how we won't let hard times bring us down.  It's a song by Jason Mraz. I think most people can find a way to relate this song in their own lives. It's a good one to relate to struggles we have in this life as well. If you want to listen to the song, which i think you should do, then just google the song "I won't give up" by jason mraz.


When I look into your eyes
It's like watching the night sky
Or a beautiful sunrise
Well there's so much they hold
And just like them old stars
I see that you've come so far
To be right where you are
How old is your soul?

I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up

And when you're needing your space
To do some navigating
I'll be here patiently waiting
To see what you find

'Cause even the stars they burn
Some even fall to the earth
We've got a lot to learn
God knows we're worth it
No, I won't give up
I don't wanna be someone who walks away so easily
I'm here to stay and make the difference that I can make

Our differences they do a lot to teach us how to use the tools and gifts
We got yeah we got a lot at stake
And in the end, you're still my friend at least we did intend
For us to work we didn't break, we didn't burn
We had to learn, how to bend without the world caving in
I had to learn what I got, and what I'm not
And who I am

I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up
I'm still looking up

I won't give up on us
God knows I'm tough, he knows
We got a lot to learn
God knows we're worth it

I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up