On My Mind- Part 1

On Sunday we attended stake conference and watched a broadcast that was given for all the stakes in southern California. Paul V. Johnson shared a story about his daughter that had me in tears. It's been on my mind ever since.

A mother was out shopping one Saturday to find a gift for a birthday party her daughters would be attending for their young cousin. She spotted a beautiful music box- the kind that opens up to reveal a twirling ballerina and a sweet, twinkling tune. She stood looking at the music box, which came in a small, and large size, and knew that they were just the sort of thing a young little girl would love. After much time standing and looking she decided to buy one small music box for her niece's birthday, and two large music boxes to save and give her daughters for Christmas. 

That night as she tucked her daughters into bed she talked with them about the birthday party and before she even completed her sentence describing the music box she bought for their cousin, her youngest daughter was in hysterical tears. The mother was bewildered and asked her daughter what was wrong with the gift she had chosen. In between the broken sobs her daughter confessed, "That is the exact kind of present that I want! That's all I want is a music box like that!" 

The mother held her daughter and offered what she thought would be a glimmer of hope, "Well sweetie, maybe for Christmas you could get a music box that's even more beautiful than this one."

The daughter rebutted, "There isn't a more beautiful box than that one! That is the perfect one!"

The mother couldn't help but smile to herself knowing what her downtrodden daughter had in store. She would not only get a beautiful music box too, but her music box would be even bigger and grander than the one she was hoping for.

Through the sound of her daughter's tears and her own words of consolation, inspired thoughts came into her mind. The sweet mother thought how often times she is just like her daughter- full of hope and longing for things she think would be the very best... things she would like to have now. But often her vision is short-sighted. Often times her Father in heaven has a much greater gift in store for her than what she can even imagine, if only she would wait in patience to receive it. She thought about herself- a precious child of a Heavenly Father who loves her more than she understands. He, like this mother, knows and loves His children. All he wants is to give them gifts that are beautiful and grand. Often these gifts require waiting, just as the little daughter experienced, but if we wait patiently on the Lord and trust in His love for us, one day we will receive our big, beautiful music box.

This story inevitably led me to tears... and led my thoughts to many different places...

namely:

 3 Nephi 14:11- "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"

...and, "So many people today are waiting for their own golden ticket- the ticket that they believe holds the key to the happiness they have always dreamed about. There is nothing wrong with righteous yearnings- we hope and seek after things that are virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy." The problem comes when we put our happiness on hold as we wait for some future event- our golden ticket- to appear." Dieter F. Uchtdorf "Forget Me Not"

"In the meantime, be thankful for all the small successes in your home, your family relationships, yours education and livelihood, your Church participation and personal improvement. Like the forget-me-nots, these successes may seem tiny to you and they may go unnoticed by others, but God notices them and they are not small to Him." -Dieter F. Uchtdorf "Forget Me Not"
I am so grateful for moments like the one I had on Sunday- moments of clarity, moments of revelation from God, and moments of comfort from the Spirit. There is so much to be grateful for when God is in our lives.