Stand and Lift

Who could use a good lift right now? I mean I could, cause getting out of this monstrous Love Sac is borderline impossible after a good meal... but what about an emotional lift? Spiritual maybe? The skies are gray for what- 98% of the day?- and the post holiday funk seems to be settling in the fog around our beloved (not to mention beautiful) snow-packed condos. Some are sick, some are stressing, and some are just waiting for that spring day full of sunshine that right now seems a little too far away.

So, naturally, we're starting a little bloggidy-blog. We're hoping to keep this a place of warm thoughts, heart-felt encouragement, and a gathering place for friends. We could all use a little cheer. Let's make the clouds open if not for just a minute to let the sun shine on our neighborhood and make our homes all a little warmer.

I was walking around my house today and couldn't get the phrase "Stand and Lift" out of my head. I was saying it over and over and over again until I realized I was singing it to the tune of the the Little People toy my son was playing with. It wasn't until I caught myself belting it out in such sweet (yet cursed- you know how those toys with sound get) melody that I stopped to ask myself why it the phrase was running through my mind.

When my husband got back from the last Priesthood Session of Conference back in October, I asked how it went. I usually got a "good" and a quick sum-up of the themes of the talks and that was about all I got until the next Ensign came out. But this time I listened for minutes as he went on and on and on about President Uchtdorf and his talk. He told me the stories and relayed the message so well- I couldn't wait to read it myself. To this day he uses examples from that talk, and it has stayed with me. So if you don't mind I'm going to share a couple of my favorite things he said:

"When we seek to serve others, we are motivated not by selfishness but by charity. This is the way Jesus Christ lived His life and the way a holder of the priesthood must live his. The Savior did not care for the honors of men; Satan offered Him all the kingdoms and glory of the world, and Jesus rejected the offer immediately and completely. Throughout His life, the Savior must have often felt tired and pressed upon, with scarcely a moment to Himself; yet He always made time for the sick, the sorrowful, and the overlooked."

I find it SO easy to pity myself when there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day. That is pathetic of me, because I'm sure I spend a lot more time in my pajamas than anyone else around here, yet I always seem to find an excuse or a way to justify why I don't have the time to Visit Teach or to go check in on so-and-so. When the truth is- every time I do go I leave thinking "I wish I didn't have to wait a month to come back." I always feel good once I've gone, and I always stop and question myself about why I don't do it more often. There isn't much out there that is more satisfying than a good relationship with a good friend. Nope, not even those rice krispies staring me down over there. And that is saying something!

President Uchtdorf also tells an example of a man named John Rowe Moyle...

"This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of John Rowe Moyle. John was a convert to the Church who left his home in England and traveled to the Salt Lake Valley as part of a handcart company. He built a home for his family in a small town a valley away from Salt Lake City. John was an accomplished stonecutter and, because of this skill, was asked to work on the Salt Lake Temple.
Every Monday John left home at two o’clock in the morning and walked six hours in order to be at his post on time. On Friday he would leave his work at five o’clock in the evening and walk almost until midnight before arriving home. He did this year after year.
One day, while he was doing his chores at home, a cow kicked him in the leg, causing a compound fracture. With limited medical resources, the only option was to amputate the broken leg. So John’s family and friends strapped him onto a door and, with a bucksaw, cut off his leg a few inches from the knee.
In spite of the crude surgery, the leg started to heal. Once John could sit up in bed, he began carving a wooden leg with an ingenious joint that served as an ankle to an artificial foot. Walking on this device was extremely painful, but John did not give up, building up his endurance until he could make the 22-mile (35-km) journey to the Salt Lake Temple each week, where he continued his work.
His hands carved the words “Holiness to the Lord” that stand today as a golden marker to all who visit the Salt Lake Temple.
John did not do this for the praise of man. Neither did he shirk his duty, even though he had every reason to do so. He knew what the Lord expected him to do.
Years later, John’s grandson Henry D. Moyle was called as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve and, eventually, served in the First Presidency of the Church. President Moyle’s service in these callings was honorable, but his grandfather John’s service, though somewhat less public, is just as pleasing to the Lord. John’s character, his legacy of sacrifice, serves as a banner of faithfulness and an ensign of duty to his family and to the Church. John Rowe Moyle understood the meaning of “lift where you stand.”'

We can not only make another's day brighter by service or even a quick smile and wave in the parking lot, but our own by feeling the Savior work through us. As we realize how much our Father and the Savior love others, we also realize how much they love us.

I think we could all use a good lift. And I think we can do it together...

Let's start with trying to get me out of this dang bean bag.