June 2010 Visiting Teaching message

I am once again a bit late posting the message for June.  You can find the link to the official LDS Church website, for the Visiting Teaching message at  http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,2044-1-5185-1,00.html  The topic is "Renewing Covenants through the Sacrament".   I posted a link to a handout on the sacrament at the bottom of this post, so read to the end..... 

I want to focus my thoughts on Sister Julie Becks quote and talk found at http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=4663b5658af22110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD
I encourage all of you to go to that talk, and read it.  It is wise.  It offers good advice, and council and the inspired words are from the mouth of our Church General Relief Society President.  She said, "I was with an eight-year-old girl on the day of her baptism. At the end of the day she said with all confidence, 'I have been baptized for a whole day, and I haven't sinned once!' But her perfect day did not last forever, and I am sure she is learning by now, like we all learn, that as hard as we try, we do not always avoid every bad situation, every wrong choice. . . .  " . . . It is not possible to make real change all by ourselves. Our own willpower and our own good intentions are not enough. When we make mistakes or choose poorly, we must have the help of our Savior to get back on track. We partake of the sacrament week after week to show our faith in His power to change us. We confess our sins and promise to forsake them."

When we renew our covenants that we made at baptism from weekly partaking of the Sacrament, we are remembering that we promised to repent, and do our very best to keep our lives on track.  When we remember the great sacrifice that our Savior made for us, we know that He has the power to change our lives.  When we repent, and confess and forsake our sins, we make His Atoning sacrifice live in our lives. We make the marvelous gift he has given us worth the price He paid.

Recently in a meeting that I was participating in, shortly after the meeting began, I started to get a far too familiar headache.  Soon after that, I realized that I was sweating on the back of my neck and hairline, and recognized those symptoms as ones that let me know that my blood sugar level was getting too low.  I began to feel edgy and anxious inside, and I knew that I needed to take action very soon.  The meeting was almost over, and all I could think about was the quickest way to get my bloodsugar up to proper levels, to relieve these symptoms and prevent me from going into a worse stage of hypoglycemia. 

Prior to the meeting even starting, some issues with regard to that meeting came up that made me feel uncomfortable, and as the meeting progressed, more concerns initiated more stress and anxiousness.  Well those feelings mixed with my hypoglycemia were a very bad combination. 

The meeting finally ended, and I quickly got up to leave the meeting, when I was approached by one of the individuals who conducted the meeting with me, and wanted to talk about the uncomfortable feelings we all felt about how that meeting went.  I didn't want to talk at that particular time, knowing that if I didn't get my bloodsurgar up right away that I was going to be in trouble.  She persisted about talking things out, and I gave in.  My attitude was not in the right place, and I lost my temper with this person and blerted out in bold and pretty insensitive ways, the reasons I have felt uncomfortable in that meeting, as well as other issues that had presented themselves in other meetings.  My inner anxiety caused from hypoglycemia just came out and it all fell upon this poor woman who just wanted to talk things out, never expecting what she would get from me.   After my outburst, I left this individual with her mouth wide open, and probably taken back a few steps by the manner in which I spoke to her. 

As I drove down the road to my home, I knew that I had hurt her feelings.  I knew that I didn't handle the situation even close to the way that I should have.  I made a big mistake and in the process, I hurt the tender feelings of another.  I quickly gobbled up a sweet icecream cone, that quickly spiked my blood sugar levels, and my anxiety, headache and sweating ceased.  I may have felt better from my symptoms, but I had an ache in my heart because of how short tempered I was.  I knew that I had some repenting to do and that I needed to ask for forgiveness.

Since it was late at night, I decided it was best if I waited to call her on the phone in the morning and ask for her forgiveness.  I felt horrible inside, and my anxiousness came back.   Throughout the night,  I suffered the natural consequences that follow sin.  I couldn't sleep.  Images of the scene filled my mind and I thought of how I should have handled the situation.  I remembered my vow to never, ever, behave with my diabetes the way that my father did... that is, take out my inner anxieties and symptoms on others around me.  But I lost it, and I knew it. Gratefully I  recognized that I needed to start the repentance process immediately, and I did.  Before going to bed, I talked out the situation with my husband and told him about what had happened.  I then knelt down and prayed, and broke into tears as I realized how inappropriately I had behaved.  I wasn't the least bit sensitive to the other individuals feelings, as was only thinking of my own, and how I could get out of my hypoglycemia crash. 

Rather than ramble about the series of events that followed, I want to close this by telling you that there was a happy ending to this story.  I repented, and asked forgiveness.  I took ownership of the things I said, and apologized for them.  I asked forgiveness and she gave it to me.  That opened up the opportunity to discuss the sensitive things that I so insensitively  blerted out and we resolved all our concerns.  Her spirit was a forgiving one, and I appreciated that.  I didn't linger on the issues that she had done that caused me to feel so uncomfortable, and didn't expect or desire a reciprocating apology, because this was my repentance and ownership of my own  errors and  faults. 

This was a very humbling experience for me and one that has opened my eyes to the fact that nomatter how old a person is, they have room to repent, to learn humility, and exercise faith in the Atonement.  I also realize that though I am not too old of an "OLD DOG", and I can still learn some good new tricks.  No one is ever too old to make  change for the better in this life, in preparation for life to come.

Partaking worthily of the sacrament is an essential reminder of Jesus Christ.  The bread represents his body, and the water represents his blood that he shed for us.  Together we renew our covenants when we partake of the sacrifice, promising for another week to remember Him, and to always have his Spirit to be with us.  I am so grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  This supreme gift, was given freely and without restraint, and once again I sayWhen we make change, He knows that His sacrifice wasn't in vain.

For a handout, I put together a document that you can print out, about the meaning of the Sacrament found here: http://visitingteachingsurprise.blogspot.com/2010/06/meaning-of-sacrament.html
I also thought that you could make up something cute using the thought and key words of  the second to last sentence of my own message.... ...."No one is ever too young or old to make change for the better and we should all make the marvelous gift he has given us, worth the price he had to pay."  Using the key words "Change and price he had to pay" you could print off a template of a purse on some cute printed scrapbook paper, and scor and fold, and glue as needed.  Inside you could also print off the template of some coins  or "CHANGE" and put them inside of the purse or you could use them on a small sheet of paper and add the Quote ...."No one is ever too young or old to make change for the better and we should all make the marvelous gift he has given us, worth the price he had to pay."   Make Change now!

You can find a cute purse template of your choice at: http://melstampz.blogspot.com/2008/03/purse-templates-galore-little-handbag.html
You can find printable coin templates at: http://www.classroomjr.com/coins-paper-money/printable-paper-coins/

Enjoy!
Katie G.