The Forget-Me-Not Flower

Dear READER,


Sunday's are super busy these days for me. Today I had the lesson in Relief Society. I always love teaching. Most weeks the assigned teachers teach but each Fast Sunday I as the Relief Society President get to teach. It's exciting and nerve racking at the same time. I stress for about three weeks before it, and the week of is just harsh as I try to really focus on the needs of each sister and what they need to hear.

Today was great. We got to talk about the message given by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf in the General Relief Society Conference this last year. He talked about the little forget-me-not flowers. It was a fun lesson for me to prepare and as usual I'm pretty sure I learned more than my girls did I just wanted to share a little of my lesson. It won't be everything just an outline and it changed a little while we went through the lesson but the following is my lesson outline; most of it comes directly from President Uchtdorf's talk as little things I wanted to mention.


1. Forget not to be Patient

• God is fully aware that you and i are not perfect


• Everyone has strengths and weaknesses


• It's ok that we're not perfect, just that we keep working on it


• Be thankful for the small successes in life


• Our successes may be small but God notices them and they are not small to Him


• ? How do we show patience with ourselves and others?
  
  

2. Forget not the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish sacrifice

• An acceptable sacrifice is when we give up something for something of far greater worth


• Every person and situation is different, and a good sacrifice in one instance might be a foolish sacrifice in another


• MAKE A LIST of some good sacrifices we can make


• ? How can we tell the difference between a good sacrifice and a bad one?


• "Am I committing my time and energies to the things that matter most?"


• TALK ABOUT the talk Good, Better, Best by Elder Dallin H. Oaks and how that applies
  

3. Forget not to be Happy now

• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the Golden Ticket Story


• The Joy of a simple candy bar was lost


• People say they will be happy when ______________ happens


• There is nothing wrong with righteous yearnings -- the problem comes when we put our happiness on hold as we wait for some future even/our golden ticket


• STORY of the women who no children who had the opportunity to teach in a school


• The lesson here is that if we spend our days waiting for fabulous roses, we could miss the beauty and wonder of the tinny forget-me-not's that are all around us
  
  

4. Forget not the "why' of the gospel

• "Sometimes, in the routine of our lives, we unintentionally overlook a vital aspect of the gospel of Jesus Christ, much as one might overlook a beautiful, delicate forget-me-not. In our diligent efforts to fulfill all of the duties and obligations we take on as members of the Church, we sometimes see the gospel as a long list of tasks that we must add to our already impossibly long to-do list, as a block of time that we must somehow fit into our busy schedules, we focus on what the Lord wants us to do and how we might do it, but we sometimes forget why."


• The gospel of Jesus Christ is not an obligation


• The gospel is a light that penetrates mortality and illuminates the way before us.


• "My dear sisters, seek out the majesty, the beauty, and the exhilarating joy of the "why" of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The "what" and "how" of obedience mark the way and keep us on the right path. The "why' of obedience sanctifies our actions, transforming the mundane into the majestic. It magnifies our small acts of obedience into holy acts of consecration."


• ?What are some of your "whys" of the gospel?
  
  

5. Forget not that the Lord loves you

• "As a child, when I would look at the little forget-me-not's, I sometimes felt a little like that flower -- small and insignificant. I wondered if I would be forgotten by my family or by my Heavenly Father. Years later I can look back on that young boy with tenderness and compassion. And I do know now---I was never forgotten. And i know something else: as an Apostle of our Master, Jesus Christ, I proclaim with all the certainty and conviction of my heart -- neither are you. You are not forgotten. Sister, wherever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, you are not forgotten. No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you with an infinite love."


• He who created and knows the stars knows you and your name


• God loves you because you are his child


• He loves you even though at times you may feel lonely or make mistakes


• If you will only allow His divine love into your life, it can dress any wound, heal any hurt, and soften any sorrow.
  
  

It was interesting to see how these truths were once again manifest to me as I gave my lesson. There was a tender spirit in the room that just said "Jenessa, he knows you". I don't know what the girls got out of it but I hope that there was something in it that they were able to take with them for this week. I love my girls and I know that they are not forgotten. The Lord loves them and cares for them so much. They are not alone.

Yours Truly,

Jenessa