FOOD FOR THE SPIRIT -- Personal Peace

Yesterday was a hard day.  I won't go into the details too much, but let's just say, sometimes this mama is a little emotional.  Sometimes she gets grumpy and sometimes she yells.  Last night was one of those times.  Sigh. 

I was thinking about how I can have more peace and order in my home.  We love each other like crazy and we have lots of fun in our little home, but I long for a more noticeable feeling of reverence and peace.  I know that's asking a lot with four kids and crazy schedules, but I really am craving more peace in my life and I want to be able to help my kids to have a haven from the craziness of the world.

Last night after my drama queen mama moment, I started playing some beautiful, uplifting music in my bedroom and those little ones fell asleep without any further debate.  Perhaps they were craving some reverence in the home as well.  I'm sorry that it took so long for me to foster that feeling for them.

I read the following conference talk this morning, by Quentin L. Cook, which was a very timely message for this frazzled family:  http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/personal-peace-the-reward-of-righteousness?lang=eng

The main message I brought away from the address is that the most important thing I can do to bring peace into my home is to live more righteously so I can first have peace in my heart.  There were several beautiful examples and quotes in this talk and I would highly suggest that you take the time to review it.  Here are a few of my favorite gems:

“There never can come to the world that spirit of peace and love … until mankind will receive God’s truth and God’s message … , and acknowledge his power and authority which is divine.”  (Joseph F. Smith)

"We earnestly hope and pray for universal peace, but it is as individuals and families that we achieve the kind of peace that is the promised reward of righteousness. This peace is a promised gift of the Savior’s mission and atoning sacrifice."

"For those who reject God, there is no peace. We all participated in the councils of heaven that provided for moral agency, knowing that there would be mortal pain and even unspeakable tragedy because of the abuse of agency. We understood that this could leave us angry, bewildered, defenseless, and vulnerable. But we also knew that the Savior’s Atonement would overcome and compensate for all of the unfairness of mortal life and bring us peace. Elder Marion D. Hanks had a framed statement on his wall by Ugo Betti: 'To believe in God is to know that all the rules will be fair, and that there will be wonderful surprises.'"

Wonderful surprises...sounds good to me!