Callings & Inadequacy

A few days ago I was wondering whether Apostles ever feel inadequate in their callings. While they are no doubt spiritually strong, the scope of their responsibility is so large I can't even fathom it! Amazingly, I found the answer in a booklet that my sister-in-law received in church for Mother's Day. Not only did it answer my question, but it also taught what to do with those feelings:

"A few months after my calling as an Apostle, I spoke to one of the senior members of the Quorum of the Twelve about how inadequate I felt for the calling I had received. He responded with this mild reproof and challenging insight: 'I suppose your feelings are understandable. But you should work for a condition where you will not be preoccupied with yourself and your own feelings of inadequacy and can give your entire concern to others and to the work of the Lord in all the world.'
"That is good advice when any one of us is called to a new position. Our understandable feelings of inadequacy should be put aside quickly. Our preoccupation should be to do all that we can to prepare ourselves and to serve wherever we are called."

-Dallin H. Oaks
"Trust in His Promises: A Message for Women", Dallin H. Oaks and Kristen M. Oaks

Happy Mother's Day!

"Motherhood is the greatest potential influence either for good or ill in human life. The mother’s image is the first that stamps itself on the unwritten page of the young child’s mind. It is her caress that first awakens a sense of security; her kiss the first realization of affection; her sympathy and tenderness the first assurance that there is love in the world.

"The noblest calling in the world is motherhood. True motherhood is the most beautiful of all arts, the greatest of all professions. ...

"Mothers sow the seeds in childhood that determine to a great extent life’s harvests in adulthood. A mother who instills into the souls of her children respect for one another and love for motherhood and fatherhood, renders a great service to the Church and to humanity in general. Children from such homes go out into the world as good citizens—citizens who will render the service which their parents have rendered, to fight the battles which their fathers and mothers have fought. … 

"Motherhood is the one thing in all the world which most truly exemplifies the God-given virtues of creating and sacrificing. Though it carries the woman close to the brink of death, motherhood also leads her into the very realm of the fountains of life, and makes her co-partner with the Creator in bestowing upon eternal spirits mortal life. 

"All through the years of babyhood, childhood, and youth, yes, even after her girls themselves become mothers and her sons become fathers, the mother tenderly, lovingly sacrifices for them her time, her comfort, her pleasures, her needed rest and recreation, and, if necessary, health and life itself. No language can express the power and beauty and heroism of a mother’s love. … 

"No nobler work in this world can be performed by any mother than to rear and love the children with whom God has blessed her. That is her duty.

-David O. McKay, "Teachings of Presidents of the Church", chapter 16

The Chocolates Made Me Do It

Usually, I find the messages inside Dove chocolates a tad on the cheesy side. I was surprised to find these messages in a recent bag that I was given, listed in the order opened:

"Feed your sense of anticipation."
"Indulge your sense of enjoyment."
"Satisfy your sense of surprise."

Is it just me, or is Dove now encouraging emotional eating instead of smiling? 

The amazing thing, is that I had eaten most of the bag without even reading the messages and realized I was following their suggestions anyway. Crazy!

Instructions for Life

I was recently going through a box full of my college memorabilia and came across these "Instructions for Life" by the Dalai Lama. A good reminder for myself.:

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three Rs: Respect for self, Respect for others, and Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

Speaking of the Dalai Lama, I recently watched "Seven Years in Tibet" for the first time since high school. It is a great movie with a lot of great lessons. It follows the story of Austrian climber, Heinrich Harrer, that befriends the Dalai Lama. It also focuses on how the takeover of Tibet by communist China occurred.