HIS First

This last Sunday I had such an interesting impression during the Sacrament.

Jake was about to pass the Sacrament for his first time. This is a BIG DEAL! He has really been so worried about it. Worried that he wouldn't know where to go, worried that he would mess up or get confused....just a whole lot of worry. We had promised him that we would all be praying hard for him. So, he summoned the courage and took his place.

While I was praying for him, and thinking about how much I love this little man of mine. I suddenly had a very strong impression about my role as his mother, and Ryan's role as his father. These roles are a privilege and a calling.

Our children each come to this world with a specific purpose and mission to fulfill and the Lord is entrusting us, his children, to guide these little ones through their lives. He knows us all personally, and so He knows the order in which we should come to this Earth. We were chosen to come before our children, because  the Lord knew that we would be able to give our children what they would need to meet the requirements of their lives. The interesting thing about this feeling was the sense of being a secondary parent, for lack of a better term. Sometimes I think I look at my kids as being totally mine, but they are not. They are His first! He loves them infinitely! He knows their spirits and their potential and their weaknesses, because He, our Father in Heaven, is literally our Father! Likewise, He knows us, our potential and our weaknesses, because He is our Father as well! His love for my children, and His trust in me, as well as His gratitude for the work I am trying to do with my kids, was so profound today! I know where I fall short, and so does He. I think that is why He sent this loving reminder to me today.

Perspective always seems to do a world of good! I can't help but feel a desire to do a little better, be a bit more patient, pray a little more on their behalf, knowing that the Lord will guide me in this role, when I think of my children as His children first!