Who inspires you? What inspires you? and Who do you inspire?
I want you to think about theses questions throughout my talk!
This weekend I was surrounded by Cowboys. Which is normal for me but I usually have my family and this weekend it was just Zeak and I. We were at a roping school with 2 world champions. This was way out of my comfort zone and way out of Zeak’s comfort zone he usually has his dad there not me, but the lessons I learned were worth it. I am going to take some of those lessons and share them with you.
I was asked to use Sister Gibbs talk from Saturday Morning Conference here is a little hint for you.
“I’m a Mormon. I know it. I live it. I love it.”
Because I have to break things down lets start with who we are?
When I am asked the question who are you it usually starts with my name Then that I am a wife, mother, and the list goes on from there. Sad but true I leave out who I really am? I am a daughter of a Heavenly Father
So Who are you?
Stran Smith who is a wold champion calf roper told the youth yesterday when I put on this cowboy hat it doesn’t make me a cowboy? I have to know what this hat represents and live it. This hat represents more than just roping it represents a way of life and that way of life is what our country was founded on so many years ago. You be careful with the things you listen to, what you watch, and what you eat. Because Junk goes in and Junk goes out. When you put on this hat you represent God, this country and me.
So lets think about the know part.
How do I know my name? Because that is what people have called me my whole life. Our parents name us at birth and then we go by that our whole life. This is one of the first things we learn is to recognize our name. How do I know I am a daughter of God that because was lucky to be raised by goodly parents who taught me not only my name but the gospel.
So similar to our friends hat I am a baptized member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. When we are baptized we don’t get a shirt that says we are Mormon but we get another gift the gift of the Holy Ghost and although he is not seen if we choose to let him he is with us always. teaching us the things we need to know to live like our older brother Jesus Christ. We now represent Christ and we need to come to know him and live like him.
The importance of gaining knowledge is an eternal principle. The Prophet Joseph Smith “loved knowledge for its righteous power.”2 He said: “Knowledge is necessary to life and godliness. … Hear, all ye brethren, this grand key: knowledge is the power of God unto salvation.”3
If we want to be good at something we have to learn about it and learn how to be good,
This is why Zeak wanted to go to this roping school is to learn from the best so he could be better.
We come to know who we are by examples and by learning. This is why we come to church every Sunday and learn from the scriptures and learn from each other.
So as members of the church who is the best that we need to look to and learn from. It is our Savior. And the next two months we have an opportunity to really celebrate his life and teach and learn of him. Sister Gibbs says As our gospel knowledge increases, we will begin to feel confident in our testimonies and be able to state, “I know it.”
I challenge you to take this time and season to really come to know who you are and who you represent.
Know that we know who we are and who we want to be we have to LIVE IT this is so much easier said than done. The scriptures say we must be “doers of the word, and not hearers only.”5 The Natural man in us sometimes steps in the way.
The amazing part of this knowledge that we have it that even if we make a mistake we can repent and make things right. I want to share another story from the other World Champion Nate Baldwin he is not only a cowboy but he is a Mormon and served an LDS mission. He was at a rodeo on a great horse when something went wrong and he ended up being caught in the rope and his horse started running in circles. He said the first time around he wasn’t scared the second time he thought he was in trouble and the third time he thought he was going to die until someone cut the rope and he was free. As he was talking the thought came to me this is how sin is the first time we sin we are a little uncomfortable but we are still ok. The second time we start we are in trouble and the third time we need help. If we have gained the knowledge we will hopefully remember that someone is there to cut the rope. Although are parents and friends want to cut that rope they can’t they can only give of the knowledge that someone can cut it. That someone and the only one that can cut that rope and set us free is our Savior. Living something doesn’t mean we are perfect at it it means we are constantly learning growing and trying. This takes a lifetime to accomplish.
I have learned it is just as important for those little everyday sins as for the big major ones. I need the atonement everyday when I yell at my children or husband, when I didn’t listen to the spirit, when I was in such a hurry to survive my day I forgot to pray and read my scriptures. The atonement is needed in everyday life and I testify that our Savior is there to cut the rope. Once we have had the experience of using the atonement we come to LOVE IT!
As we Learn, and Live the Love just comes. I know we are all Sons and Daughters of our Heavenly Father, we are all different and unique and we learn different ways this is why we are all here. Lets go back to my questions Who inspires you? What inspires you? and Who do you inspire?
Now these World Champion Cowboys inspired me to be better and live better yesterday but they wouldn’t have inspired all of you. I have other great people in my life that inspire me that are not cowboys. I have a friend who was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. Although scared out of her mind she still remains faithful and strong. She is a runner and fitness fanatic and she has not let this trial in life change who are what she is. The day of her first chemo treatment she was at the gym with me what and inspiration she is to me. In life Heavenly Father sends us tests trials and a support system to LIVE IT.
Back to our cowboys friend he won the world at age 38 after heart surgery and many other trials. When asked are you surprised you won when all the odds were against you? His reply was No. He said I have a great support team, I have a wife who is behind me, I have extended family, I have surrounded myself with great people in the cowboy industry (our return missionary friend.) And most important I have included my Savior in my support system. Just like him Heavenly Father has given us a great support system. Family, friends, a ward family a Prophet and many other great people even some not of our faith. most importantly he gave us his only be otton Son. The Savior loves us all and he teaches us all. He used parable and have you ever wondered why so many and different parables. Well it is because he has to teach so many of us and we all learn differently so he used different stories and experiences to teach us all.
When we know who we how learn who we want to be and Live it we can’t help but LOVE IT because we are content, confident and full of Light and LOVE! When we have experiences everyday that bears witness that this gospel is true we feel our Heavenly Fathers Love for Us and in return we LOVE HIM.
Let us all of the confidence to know who we are, live it, and love it that we might be an example to those around us for good and inspire them to come Christ.
I Love this gospel, I Love being a Mormon and the peace it brings to me and to my family. I Love my Savior and I am so grateful to have a relationship with him that is constantly growing. I Love my family my husband, my children, my extended family.
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