Becoming

Fireside last night {raise of hands, who would have liked to have a fire in the middle of the chapel last night with the cold raging outside?} Judge Higbee spoke about choices and he referenced an older conference talk that I can't remember who gave and it's making finding it difficult {if you know where it is I'd love to read it} but it was about living the Gospel not being a tally mark of what good we do, what bad we avoid with demerit marks for sins we commit but instead about who we are becoming.  This was piggybacked on a comment that Bishop made in Ward Conference that we don't stay where we are at.  It's difficult, if not impossible for some, to stand in one place for 8 hours but an 8 hour hike?  Sure, that I can do even though it's long and hard with weather around these parts that will either be freezing or boiling but I can do it.  Same with our spiritual self, we do much better in motion and I'd rather my motion be forward.  Besides, it's hard to become anything when you are just standing around.

When I toss in a side of challenges and trials that no one wants to go through but we all have to the image of becoming grows very clear in my mind.  I don't read and study because of a tally mark I get on some celestial blackboard, I read and study because of who I become when it's regular habit.  I'm more patient, increasingly patient, more likely to hear and follow promptings.  I kept picturing a flower budding, the bud is beautiful {okay, depending on the flower} but with continued sunshine, water, healthy soil that bud is going to become a beautiful flower.

It's not too big of a step as head of house to take a step back and look at what my family is becoming.  What are our choices and decisions helping us to become?  The trials we are going through together as a family are indeed helping us become something, how are our choices around that situation helping us to become something beautiful?

What are you becoming?  Are your choices and decisions helping you become what you want to be?