Richard and I became engaged during the first week of January, 30 years ago. This little remembrance has been like glitter to my thoughts this week as I have swept away most of the sparkle of Christmas decorations. I believe that we make important decisions each day, including how to spend our time, and with whom we spend our time, but there are a few moments of decision that have immense impact.
Choosing to say yes to Richard’s proposal was the best decision. I wasn’t expecting a proposal that evening, but I remember almost immediately after saying yes, I told him that we would have a good life together…as if I could know…which I couldn’t, on my own. This was a little insight from the Lord, given to me at a critical moment of decision: things are going to be good with this man at your side.
Sometimes I wait for permission to do something that would make me happy. Here is a superficial example. My favorite color is red, and I love interior design, but red has been “out of style” for a long time. So, dutifully, after Christmas, I have ushered out most of the red from my house. This year, someone gave me permission to keep some red things on the shelves in January. Four red plates and my seasonal red seat cushions are all it took to make me smile at my January kitchen.
The trends are mainly fueled by consumerism, so here is permission, if you need it, to put whatever you love on your shelves. To ignore the trends. To ignore the noise that tells us we are not stylish enough, sophisticated enough, or tidy enough.
On another level, here is permission to ignore some of the calls to listen to podcasts rather than seek our own revelation from God about life, faith, and joy. Our time is limited. Do we want a life diluted by noise?
There is a universe of possibilities within each of us. It’s a shame when we allow the world to dictate to us that we are inferior and the answer is to chase after relentlessly changing trends. Here is permission to follow the simpler and better way.
My plea to you this morning is to find rest from the intensity, uncertainty, and anguish of this world by overcoming the world through your covenants with God. Let him know through your prayers and your actions that you are serious about overcoming the world. Ask him to enlighten your mind and send the help you need. Each day, record the thoughts that come to you as you pray, and follow through diligently. Spend more time in the temple and seek to understand how the temple teaches you to rise above this fallen world.
I’ve been journaling about the following questions to wrap up the year. They are adapted from several lists I have seen online.
How do you describe your discipleship of Christ in 2024? How do you want to improve?
What did you lose and gain this year?
What is something difficult that you overcame?
Who influenced you the most?
What are you most proud of this year?
What habit or routine had the biggest impact on your life?
What’s the most prominent emotion you felt this year?
What was your biggest source of stress and how did you handle it?
How did Jesus Christ show up in your life this year?
What is a life lesson you learned in 2024 that you want to take forward?
What good things have you done as a colleague, a leader, a spouse, a friend? How can you improve?
What’s something you want to leave behind?
What are some small daily practices that can help in the biggest area you are struggling with?
I’ve also been looking over the books that I read during the year. It was a slow and steady year of reading. Here is what I read in 2024, with my favorites in bold:
This is a photo of my parents and my siblings. My parents are off to serve in the Puerto Rico San Juan mission and they gave farewell talks today in church.My nephew John gave his mission homecoming talk today too. He just got home from Argentina.
Richard took me to a Christmas choral concert and this piece was my favorite. The choir we heard was probably 5 times bigger than this one, so the effect was different, but I want to share with you this beautiful arrangement.
