Bursting

This morning the door to my room creaked open at 5:30 am. A warm little body climbed in bed with me and shook with a cough. Knowing resistance was futile I offered to put on a little "show." He picked his "Chinese" show, "NiHao Kailan." Before I turned it on I noticed this little gem on my computer screen. Apparently Eli has an essay due in school today and he left it on the screen for my viewing pleasure.

Have you ever had a treasure? I don’t mean something material, like a million dollars, but a personal treasure. Something that means a lot to you, but next to nothing to the next guy. I have one. It is my Religion. Of course, I value my family, my friends, and all the other usual things. These are all very important, some more than others, but this is tied with my family for first. There are three reasons why I love the church.

The first reason I love it is because it keeps everyone involved. Not only do I go to church every Sunday, but I do every program my church has to offer. Given the amount of activities it does offer, this may seem like a burden, but it really isn’t. In fact, it takes a lot of stress off of my life. Also, our church is set up in a way that lets everyone talk about once a year, rather than having one person talk all the time. In fact, once a month, we have a meeting where anyone who wants to can get up and talk, 5-year-olds included. In fact, once there was a meeting where about 20 kids stood up and spoke to us. That meeting was a lot more interesting than having one guy talk the whole time.

Another reason I love the church is that it pulls families tighter together. In a recent study, it was found that 50% of all marriages today end in divorce. I estimate about 5% of all the families in our stake, or the general Spokane area of our religion, are divorced. Our Church does not force us to stay married, but it encourages it. The Church also strengthens sibling relationships. Our church is HUGE on family togetherness, and as such, I don’t hate any of my siblings. We have a program called Family Home Evening, where we do something fun every Monday night. These always make my family stronger.

My Coup de’ Grace, or most important thing, is that my church helps me be a better person. For example, whenever I walk to school, I play hymns—religious music—on my iPod. When I get to school, I am less stressed and more concentrated. I am also more driven to work hard. My standards are also higher when I obey church doctrine. People who would generally annoy me are less irksome if I’m in a good mood. I am also less likely to swear at somebody than the average person. This is partially because I grew up not swearing and think it is degrading, rather than “cool”.

To wrap this enchilada up, there are three reasons why the church rocks. It builds better commitments, better bonds, and better standards. This is my treasure, and though you may have a different opinion on what you believe, you cannot deny my church is built on good principals. Though we all have different treasures, they all hold a special meaning for each of us. My treasure is my religion. What’s yours?

This boy is my treasure. I am bursting with joy at what he taught me this morning. He was born in 1995 and a few months later President Hinckley presented the Family Proclamation at the Relief Society General Broadcast. Our family has been strengthened as we've followed the principles outlined by President Hinckley. Last year Sister Beck spoke on Standing Strong and Immovable. I was sitting next to my friend Kariann and we turned to each other after her talk and exclaimed, "that was awesome." I felt like I was set free that night to be the woman I've always wanted to be. I'm looking forward to Saturday where I will be changed again as I stretch to follow.