Heavenly Father Prepared Us by Amanda Mills

 I came across a quote that stood out to me this week.  I liked it so much I not only posted it on Facebook, I used it in an Easter egg hunt for one of my teens - paying her for putting the pieces of it together after I cut it apart:

“The question of having moral beliefs is decided by our will.  If your heart does not want  a world of moral reality, your head will assuredly never make you believe in one.

 

Suppose you are climbing a mountain and at one point your only escape is to leap across a deep chasm.  Have faith that you can make the terrible leap and your feet are nerved to its accomplishment.  But mistrust yourself and you will hesitate [until] all unstrung and trembling…. You roll into the abyss.  Refuse to believe, and again you shall be right, for you will perish.  But believe, and again you shall be right, for you shall save yourself.  You make one or the other of the two possible universes true by your trust or mistrust – both universes having been maybes before you made your choice. – American Psychologist William James

To me this says, "What we choose to believe in largely shapes who we become and what we achieve."

At our Easter Brunch this morning Pam mentioned a story that  has been talked about at the reunions and that maybe wasn't what one thinks of as "Inspirational" at first.  I mentioned that I believe that "Laughter is the Best Medicine" and she should definitely share the story.  

What do you choose to believe?  I've also thought about the love of horses that many of us in this family have.  I have been riding horses or paying for my kids to since moving to Lehi.  I mentioned how riding horses was so therapeutic and my teacher said, "It's because the horse does what you tell it.  There is no arguing."  I believe that to be completely true!  Share with us what you believe to be true!

Send me  your stories through Email, phone or form and don't forget to check out the MillsFamilyBook.blogspot.com

 ​for the complete collection of emails I have sent.

This week I turned to the Mavin and Loa branch of the tree.  Again, I have lots of choices.  With us just passing a year since things shut down with the pandemic last year, Conference Weekend and Easter Sunday this contribution by Brent and Cosette's Amanda won the contest going on in my brain.

Enjoy!

Heavenly Father Prepared Us

 

By Amanda Mills

2020 Syracuse, UT

Topic:  Gratitude

 

I was teaching at Weber High School when we began hearing stories of the new coronavirus entering the United States. On the last day of third term, we had a faculty meeting telling us to be ready to switch to online learning the moment the virus was in our district. As it turned out, Governor Herbert preempted the schools and announced lockdown measures later that day. My whole family would be working from home. Many businesses were closed, and many others could only operate on a limited basis. This virus had suddenly gotten very serious very quickly. I remember all of us sitting around the TV watching the news when my mom said, “Aren’t we blessed to have a home-centered, church-supported gospel?” We started to discuss the evolution in the church over the previous year—introducing Come Follow Me, the shorter church schedule, and encouraging regular habits of gospel study as families, as well as individually. My mom concluded, smiling, “Heavenly Father knew this was coming.” The anxiety and fear related to the news disappeared. We made jokes about being grateful they had stopped talking about politics, and we pulled out the board game Pandemic. There were still many unknowns ahead, but I knew unquestionably that God was in charge and that we had been prepared for what was coming. That knowledge gave me a lot of peace, and as weeks turned into months, I was continually grateful for the insight of my mother to immediately draw our attention to gratitude, to the foresight of a prophet of the Lord, and to Heavenly Father’s hand in our lives. What a blessing it is to be a part of a true and living church.