What a tremendous spiritual feast the last several weeks have been. Between our Young Women Broadcast, General Conference and Stake Conference I hope each of us has felt a renewal and recharging of the Spirit and that we are acting on the impressions and revelation we received during those times.
One of the impressions I felt is to ramp up a team effort with my son, Chase, as we both strive to complete our respective Personal Progress and Duty to God requirements. In doing so, we’ve had some tender experiences and I want to share just one that happened a few weeks back.
It was on a Sunday. Chase and I sat on my bed combing through his Duty to God booklet to determine what he would be interested in accomplishing that afternoon. He chose "Invite All to Come to Christ" (pg 76) and "Administer Priesthood Ordinances" (pg 72). During the suggested discussion about ways to improve his home-teaching, our conversation naturally turned to the subject of how we can feel and express love for those who are hard to love. In that turning, I learned something about Chase I didn't know before.
He told me that when he feels he can't do something, or that he doesn't even know where to begin to do something, he thinks of Nephi building the ship. He said he draws strength from the idea that it wasn't as if Nephi had a garage to go grab a hammer and nails and get going on the commandment. He had to dig up ore, melt it, shape it, wait for it to cool and then form the tools before the actual building of the ship even began. “If God can show Nephi how to build tools and a ship,” Chase said, “I believe He will show me how to do things I don’t think I can do.”
Then Chase said something that deeply enriched my application of Nephi’s experience. He said, "Mom, I wonder if there are any words out there with 'ship' already in them - you know, things that the Lord can help us build…like…relation-ships or friend-ships or our wor-ship”. I sat in amazement as I watched the Holy Ghost distill upon the soul of this bearer of the Aaronic Priesthood. There was a feeling that I can only describe as a “Godly Enthusiasm” that swept over us as he spoke and I listened. He asked if it would be alright if he taught this “ship building” idea in Family Home Evening the next night. You can only imagine my response.
At that lesson, our family added more “ship words” to the ones Chase shared. We came up with a total of 20, but here are a few of our favorites:
apostle-ship
apprentice-ship
citizen-ship
companion-ship
disciple-ship
fellow-ship
hard-ship
leader-ship
scholar-ship
steward-ship
Chase closed out Family Home Evening by testifying that when we feel we don't even have the tools to build these kinds of ships, the Lord will instruct us and show us His pattern of building them so we can cross the waters of this mortality and return as families to our Heavenly Father.
And all of this because we spent less than 20 minutes in the inspired Duty to God booklet.
Sisters, may the Lord bless us and unite us as we exercise faith in Jesus Christ in building ships in our families, communities and callings. I testify He will as we turn our hearts toward Him.
With Love and Gratitude,
Sister Shannon Gish
Exeter Stake Young Women President
image above used by permission here
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