Parable of the Braces

Last summer Jake started sporting a much more decorated, much more expensive smile. He got braces.

I never had braces and neither did Cameron, so in the weeks leading up to Jake's new look I quizzed lots of people and read up about what sorts of foods would make him comfortable when his mouth was sore, what kinds of food he couldn't eat, etc. And I worried just a tad about how he would respond to this new experience.

I really didn't need to worry. Jake was a trooper for the few days after he got his braces when his mouth was sore. We kept him filled up with smoothies and popsicles, and he was a good-natured little man.

Still, as the weeks passed his new gear gave him grief in small ways. He couldn't always eat the foods he wanted to in social settings. If he forgot he won a free trip back to the orthodontist to have a bracket reattached. And the time (and effort) it took to brush his teeth morning and night skyrocketed.

I think small bits of adversity can help us grow to become wiser, kinder, and more compassionate individuals, so I viewed a lot of his hardships as blessings in disguise. But one night, as he was again talking about discomfort and what he couldn't eat, I found myself wishing that I had needed braces as a child so I could understand his experiences and better know how to help him.

Frankly, as much as I want to know how to perfectly understand and help each of my children with each of their individual concerns, I am one mortal person, and I can't. But there is One who knows us. He has felt everything we feel and knows what we need. He understands us.

"Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows..." ~Isaiah 53:4

"And he will take upon Him their infirmities that His bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that He may know according to the flesh how to succor His people according to their infirmities." ~Alma 7:12

Oh, the times we all have in life when we desperately need the One who understands and can succor us. How I rejoice in his love and grace.
                                         

As we celebrate another glorious Easter weekend, I praise God for a Savior who knows me, my children, and each one of us. He knows what He need and He stands ready to help.

Happy Easter!

Why God Gave Us Families

It was a Tuesday morning, the kids had finished their morning school work, and I was hurriedly trying to fold a load of laundry before lunch. Suddenly I heard a little voice from the stairs behind me say, "Watch me!" I turned to see Emma on the stairs.

Emma has recently been working to perfect her stair-climbing skills. In this instance, she wanted an audience to applaud her. An audience is just what she got. Abby heard her, turned, and started cheering and calling others to join.

Emma beamed as she walked down the stairs. Abby and Grace encouraged her to turn around and do it again, and she did. Everyone cheered and clapped, and Emma just lapped up all that attention.

It was a joyful moment for all of us, and I couldn't help thinking that is part of why God gave us families. Families can be a built-in cheering section. They support, encourage, and urge us on. They lift us up and love us when we're down.

Of course, God and His angels cheer us from the other side, but we don't always hear them. So He gave us families.

I sure love this family God gave me!