The writings of C.S. Lewis...

I love C.S. Lewis.  He was a man of incredible creativity and insight.  He is the known as the, "Great Defender of the Christian Faith", and rightly so.  He had the courage to proclaim the truth of Christianity and love of God without the slightest bit of hesitation or shame.  He went through much in his life that can be seen in his many books, including The Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity and The Problem of Pain. I find I have to digest his works a little at a time, or else the depth of them with go right over my little head.  Here are just a few of his quotes that help me see the eternal perspective.

"Once you call Christ in, He will give you the full treatment."

"Tribulations cannot cease until God either sees us remade or sees that our remaking is now hopeless."

-The Problem of Pain

"Make no mistake, he says. If you let me, I will make you perfect.  The moment you put yourself in My hands, that is what you are in for. Nothing less, or other, than that.  You have free will, and if you choose, you can push Me away.  But if you do not push me away, understand that I am going to see this job through...until you are literally perfect."
-Mere Christianity

I love that last one!  We were with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ before we came to this Earth, and we volunteered for the tests, trials and circumstances with which we are living even now.  This life is a test to see if we will put ourselves in His hands.  All our trials are a part of that, and we need them to be made perfect. In all reality, how lucky are we?  How blessed are we?  Answer: VERY!  So instead of pushing them and Him away, I hope we can each give them to Him and allow Him to make us perfect.

Window Wisdom from Fräulein Maria...

At one point in "The Sound of Music", Fräulein Maria says to the Reverend Mother, "When God closes a door, He opens a window."  I've had to keep running that through my head today.
I had an occipital nerve block performed on Wednesday, not knowing what results to expect. To my surprise, the amazing pain relieving effect of the medication came immediately.  My head and neck no longer felt like they could have possibly hurt everyday for the last several years.  Wonderful! you say?  I did too, until nine hours later when the medication wore off. For. Good. Darn.
Naturally, it's discouraging when something you hope for doesn't happen the way you want it to.  But you can understand that.  So you gear your hopes up or another try, only maybe that doesn't turn out the way you wanted it to either.  With each new opportunity you're afraid to raise your hopes because you don't want to get hurt again. Your hope are no longer lightly squished like a grape, but instead dashed to pieces like a ship upon the rocks. It just doesn't seem fair, does it?

That's where wise old Fräulein Maria comes in.  You may try one door (or several), only to have it close-or slam-brazenly in your face, and in your heart.  It hurts. It REALLY hurts.  But when one door closes, somewhere a window opens up, just for us.  When one decision, option or opportunity in your life doesn't turn out like you wanted it to, it's not the end of the world.  You are just one step closer to finding one that will work out.  That, in and of itself, is a gift in disguise from God. Those closed doors are only leading us to more open windows. And the views from windows are much better than they are from doors.

What's Your Attitude?

No matter the challenges in our lives, we can always choose our attitude. Some days it's easier to choose to be cheerful and go with the flow, and some days things go so badly you literally couldn't paste on a fake smile if you tried. The darker days can be clouded with the failures of the past, the harsh reality of the present, and the fear of the future.  But the way we choose to see and respond to things makes all the difference.

Charles Swindoll said: "Attitude, to me, is more important than...the past,...than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.  Is it more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill.  It will make or break a company, a church, a home.  The remarkable thing is we have a chose every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for the day."

I don't know about you, but that is an empowering statement.  When the winds of life are whipping hard and everything seems out of control, I feel empowered that I actually do have control of something: my attitude. It's in no way easy at first, but as we continue to make that good choice, life becomes a whole lot brighter.

                                                             What's your attitude?

My little Ugandan sister...

One of the biggest challenges I have with my chronic condition is not being able to serve and help others around me as much as I'd like to.  But last year, the Lord gave me with an opportunity to serve that was better than I ever could have expected. Through a series of tender mercies, I began sponsoring a little girl in Uganda through the Child2Youth Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating children in Uganda.  

My little girl is named Ashat (pronounced Asset), and I love her dearly.  I help provide for her education and other assistance for her family, such as purchasing animals to use as sources of income. In her letters, Ashat never fails to thank the Lord for blessing her, her family, and me.  I call her my "little sister across the sea" and she refers to me as her parent and, "beloved" Robyn. 

Here's Ashat with her new goat!

Magaen and I assembling a care package that my co-workers and I  put together for Ashat's family.

 I feel like I don't deserve such praise, but according to the U.S. manager of the foundation, these children say, "the best day of their lives is the day they get sponsored."  They carry the pictures of their sponsors with them everywhere so they can show them to everyone they know.  These people have so little, but they have so much.  I have learned much from them, and they have become one of the greatest sources of joy and fulfillment in my life.

This organization is full of amazing people who are being the Lord's hands to spread His amazing grace in this tiny African nation. I personally know the U.S. managers of Child2Youth and am grateful for their dedication and zeal to move forward this great work. There are so many children who need help obtaining an education, to rise out of poverty.  If you are interested, please go to www.child2youth.org to learn more.  One person has the power to make a difference.

Lots of love,

Robyn

Today I'm grateful for...Children

I am so grateful for children.   I was watching my niece, Magaen, and we started singing primary songs.  I started singing "I know Heavenly Father Loves Me". As soon as I started singing the words, "Whenever I hear the song of a bird", her face lit up. She looked at me with a big grin on her face and said, "That's for Great-Grandma! That's Great-grandma's song!"
Tears immediately started filling my eyes as I gazed down at her.  This was the song our family sang at my grandmothers funeral in October.  This precious little girl remembered that.  She is finally at the age where she is remembering things, but I was shocked and happily surprised that she remembered this specific moment.
Children are such a wonder and a joy to behold.  They make us laugh and make us cry.  They keep us going when times are tough and remind us of the simple things that matter most.  They are so pure and innocent and really can do no wrong.  When things get really bad I often wonder what I have to live for.  Then one day my mother said, "Do you want to know what has kept me going all these years?  You kids. You make the hard times easier to bear.  You are the reason I keep going."  So now, I think of the children I will one day have.
Children give us purpose, and they give us the most pure love and joy we could ever find, the love of Christ.
I am so grateful for children.

Who are the children you are grateful for in your life?

Word of the Day...Friend

I have a list of positive words that a coworker gave to me, with the object of them being to take out one each day and think about them.  I enjoy this daily ritual, as I really ponder a simple word or phrase that I may normally see or hear each day but don't give much thought to.  

What a revitalizing exercise!  I love it so much that I want to use this blog to share some of the words and my thoughts.  This simple act broadens my perspective and increases my gratitude for the little things in everyday life. I see things in a whole new light. I invite others to try the same! 

My word today is: Friend. 

"Wherever you are, it is your own friends who make your world." -William James

I didn't pick this one out of the pile, but I have had it on my mind all day long.  I have a dear friend whom I have known since high school.  She is one of those who makes my world.  She and I deal with several similar issues with our health, and while we would never wish suffering on someone else, we are so grateful that we have each other to strengthen and be there for one another. We were brought back together a couple of years after we graduated when she contacted me out of the blue.  I have come to see over the last 6 years that God is the one who orchestrated our reunion.  He knew we needed each other before we did.  She keeps me going in ways no other human being can.

Our friendship is one of God's amazing graces.  I don't know what I did to deserve such a blessing, such an incredible friend in my life.  

Do you have a friend who you is feel is truly a gift?  Think about it, and please share if you wish!

Today has been one of the harder days to put my chin up and "carry on."  When you hurt so bad you can't even concentrate on the screen in front of you, it's hard to keep the eternal perspective in your focus too.  Many days I experience frustration with my inability to accomplish even simple tasks that are right in front of me, wondering if I'll ever move forward from the place I'm currently in.  I'd spend more time brooding about what I couldn't do: go to FHE, see a movie, volunteer somewhere, be there to help someone out with something they needed.  Seemingly little things that young adults do all the time, but that are rare for me.  They are luxuries I don't often get the opportunity to do.  I felt so useless, that I wasn't fulfilling the mission God sent me here to do.  I wasn't able to do much of anything, let alone serve people around me, and this was causing the greatest distress of all.
But one day I thought of something.  I could spend my time focusing on everything I couldn't do, which would only shove me deeper into what I call "the pit of despair" (far from the one in "The Princess Bride", I assure you). But then a scripture came to my mind, Alma 4:27:
...It is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize..."
It was so hard to not be able to do some the things I really wanted to, but doing so would push me to "run faster than I had strength."  But there were some things I could do, and I could focus my diligence on those.    And I could choose to see them in a different light and enjoy them. Let myself enjoy them.  I could think of my current choices as relaxing and special. All of a sudden, little things like taking a bath or reading a book seemed more appealing and enjoyable.  It was a little thing, but it made a huge difference.
I also prayed Heavenly Father would show me how he wanted to use me, and I He presented me with opportunities to serve in ways that were appropriate for my situation.  I started learning more about my family history to do temple work. I began sponsoring a 6 year-old girl in Uganda, corresponding with her and providing her the funds to get an education.  I made a goal to write one thank you note to someone else for each day in the next year. I started this blog about seeing His amazing grace and love. The things I can do, I can do diligently. I can give them my all.  That's all God asks for.
A wise friend once told me, "If you are doing what you should be doing in life, what's happening is supposed to be happening."  Perhaps the circumstances in my life are supposed to be this way.  The Lord knows what He's doing with my life, as He does with all our lives.  By giving our lives to Him, He can take what we already have and make it more. And that, truly, is better than we could ever imagine on our own.