Sunday, May 4, 2014

Birthday Handout - Young Womens

I am now serving as 1st Counselor in the Young Womens. It is an amazing, albeit consuming, job.
We asked the presidency of our class what they wanted to do for birthdays this year, as we like to just give a small little something to each girl in our class on her birthday.

They all agreed it would be fun to give nail polish (and as they are the ones who get it, that made me realize they WANTED nail polish!) so we came up with this simple little handout.


As our theme for the year is "Come Unto Christ" we had to find a way to tie that in- so simple when you realize it is Christ that polishes our lives, makes them more beautiful, and adds more richness and color to every day! What better thought on your birthday?

We stapled the thought to our bag (that is paper grass from Easter supplies and candy bags from the craft area at Walmart).  You could just punch a hole in it and tie it around the bottle, add more goodies to the bag, or decorate it in some other way.

We found nail polish for $.99 - that's a dollar a girl.  I have loved this little handout and was so happy the girls came up with this idea.  Here is a JPEG- just save it, (or copy it), then paste it and  stretch it if needed to fit your program and print on cardstock.



Finally, I wanted to share this thought that has stuck with me over the years.
As an LDS member who fully relies on the grace of God, the mercy of God, and the saving powers of Jesus Christ I am always a little taken back when I bump into people who think we don't believe in these concepts.  I have even heard it said- recently, mind you- that we feel we must do things to "earn" the love our Savior and his holy Father.  Let me tell you this: that accusation couldn't be more wrong if it wanted to be.
We are fully aware it is only through Christ and his atoning sacrifice we have any way back to the presence of heavenly realms.  I am in full knowledge of my reliance on grace every day.  This is why I love the following thought. 


My received love is not conditional. It is not earned. I do not get more when I am good, or a concept of good.  I am loved always, every day, every thought, every sullen moment and every glorious celebration- because Christ is good and loved me first.

Let me be clear- I happen to believe if I want to walk, talk, and commune with him I will be more comfortable doing that if I am knowledgeable and worthy- (how else would I be able to stand in that glory) but none of those things qualify me for being loved.

That is a great thought, a beautiful thought, and an example to me on how I need to better love as a parent, a spouse, and a friend. We are all loved, exactly as we are, right now.