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Life Defining Moments Happen When We Least Expect Them

One of the life defining moments that influenced the direction I ultimately chose to follow in life was, as an adolescent, observing my Uncle Merlin kneeling in prayer beside his bed. I was walking from the bathroom to my cousin Jeri’s bedroom during a sleepover. I had never seen a man kneel. I instinctively knew he was praying even though I had never seen such a thing.

I didn’t know that dads knew how to kneel, let alone pray. Actually, it was so unusual that it struck me as pretty funny. Hilarious in fact. With a wide grin, I whispered to my cousin “I saw your father praying.”

Thank-you Uncle Merlin for a private lesson – taught thru your kind and gentle example of Christlike living. You changed my life, and because you changed my life, many years later, you altered the lives of my family, and of my future family.

The truth is, if I was to be completely honest – I wasn’t that good of an influence on my cousins. I sometimes got them into trouble because they were too nice to shut me down, and I often pushed things a little too far even for their comfort (though I did make them laugh). I think that sometimes my Aunt Jolayne must have dreaded me coming over, although years later she adamantly denied it. She certainly never ever made me feel like she did; she let Jeri keep inviting me, and she always made me feel welcome.

Thank-you Aunt Jolayne for YOUR private lessons – taught thru your kind and gentle example of Christlike living. You changed my life too. I owe a lot to you and Uncle Merlin. And I will love you forever for what you both did for me. And through me, for my family, and later for my children’s family.

I sometimes wonder where my life would have led me had I not had this moment, and a myriad of other seemingly insignificant little moments like it that added up. I wonder where I would be now, and by extension where my family would be had my uncle not been transferred to the same military base we lived on when I was a young girl. . . . I told my aunt many years later that I believed they moved up there for ME. That quite literally, Heavenly Father loved me enough and trusted them enough to not let him down – to orchestrate that event with all it entailed because of the sheer weight of influence that would come of it. I told her that I was told by my mom she was unhappy about moving up there to what she then considered the edge of civilization, but that I was convinced it was for ME. Not at the time of course, but with adult eyes as I reflected upon all that came of it. I thanked her for being patient with the direction God led them, and for letting Him prevail.

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We must never, ever, ever underestimate the power of good example and charity. Trust in God. Let Him Prevail. See every moment as a gift with which to do something ordinarily good. Take every opportunity to be kind – even to those you don’t know are observing. And because we’re human, and we can’t possibly always be good – be quick to apologize, and turn it around. Share the gospel by showing and doing. THAT is true religion.

Warmly,

Cindy Suelzle

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God Comes to Women

so, this is an unusual post I’ll admit. In fact none of the words below this introduction are my own. They were sent to me without notation and it took me a while to find their original author. I did by posting it to which a friend responded. Thank-you Kate Evans for solving the mystery. And thank you Heather Farrell for writing them. A link to her facebook page Women in the Scriptures (a marvelous site which I highly recommend) is below.
The message was originally shared by my friend Suzanne, and I was moved by their message. They spoke to my heart, and I have always, always, always believed them.

Mary Heard His Word by Walter Rane;
“… Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:38-42)

God loves His children. All of them. None more or less than any other. But to men and women He has given distinct roles, evidenced by their very natures, and their natural inclinations. There is no need to put one gender down to lift the other up, although many have felt the need to do so. Both are equal to our Heavenly Father, in their different roles. Of this I am confident, and constantly validated.

Seeking Shilough by Joseph Brickey.

In the church I belong to, the “Priesthood” is given to men. I’ve heard some (both men and women) outside the church who have a problem with that. For some reason they feel the need to defend Latter-day Saint women as if somehow we’ve been shortchanged. Not the case. And though I thank you for your care and well meaning intention, I don’t feel threatened by this difference. Not at all. In fact, I am completely content in my standing before God. I feel loved and valued. I serve my congregation in meaningful ways, never in a lesser way than my husband, sons or any other ‘male’ in it, notwithstanding the fact that I do not hold the Priesthood, which means that I will not ever hold some offices within my church. Totally okay with that too, as there are also many roles within the church that men will never hold. We’re back to that ‘difference’ in our roles again.

Some of this is a conversation for another time, but for now, may I share my testimony that GOD SPEAKS TO WOMEN.

Enjoy Heather’s words below.
I have updated this information since my original post.

God Comes to Women

Lamoni’s Wife by James Fullmer

“Have you ever noticed how in the scriptures, men are always going up into the mountains to commune with God?
Yet in the scriptures we hardly ever hear of women going to the mountains.
But we know why—right?
Because the women were too busy keeping life going; they couldn’t abandon babies, meals, homes, fires, gardens, and a thousand responsibilities to make the climb into the mountains!

I was complaining about this to a friend the other day, saying that as a modern woman I feel like I’m never “free” enough from my responsibilities, never in a quiet enough space I want with God.
Her response floored me. “That is why God comes to women.” she said “Men have to climb the mountain to meet God, but God comes to women wherever they are.”

I have been pondering on her words for weeks and have searched my scriptures to see that what she said is true. God does indeed come to women – where they are, when they are doing their ordinary, every day work. He meets them at the wells where they draw water for their families, in their homes, in their kitchens, in their gardens. He comes to them as they sit beside sickbeds, as they give birth, care for the elderly, and perform necessary mourning and burial rites.

As it Began to Dawn (Mary Magdalene) by Elsbeth Young

“Even at the empty tomb, who were the first to witness Christ’s resurrection, were only there because they were doing the womanly chore of properly preparing Christ’s body for burial.
In this seemingly mundane and ordinary task, these women found themselves face to face with divinity.

So if – like me – you ever start to bemoan the fact that you don’t have as much time to spend in the mountains with God as you would like, remember: God comes to women.
He knows where we are and the burdens we carry. He sees us, and if we open our eyes and our hearts, we will see Him, even in the most ordinary places and in the most ordinary things.

He lives.

– Heather Farrell

Originally posted in Heather’s facebook page Women in the Scriptures.
link inserted

Warmly,

Cindy Suelzle