S.P.A. Night

Last week, for Enrichment, we had a Spa Night that was all about renewing ourselves. I walked away from the meeting feeling so overwhelmed with the feeling that this meeting had been arranged just for me. Heavenly Father knows what is going on in my mind and in my heart and he worked through other people, as President Kimball tells us He will, to reaffirm His love for me.
There were three mini-classes : (S)piritual, (P)hysical, and (A)ffirmations. The spiritual part was about doing what we can and rejoicing in it rather than piling on guilt because we didn't do enough. There are days when I have time to read three verses of scripture and there are days I can get in a whole chapter before being paged by one of the boys. There's a time and a season - right now may not be my time to study and read for an hour a day and take notes so I can publish a book on the teachings of the Book of Mormon. But, right now is my time to be obedient, read what I can, try to implement it in my life, and be an example to my boys. Satan is the Father of Guilt. He would have us believe the Gospel is black and white - either we read an hour a day or not at all, we kneel and pray for 10 minutes each morning or not at all, we take dinner to everyone in need or not at all. And when we have to choose the 'not at all' option, He helps us pile on the feelings of guilt and unworthiness. I realized that our Heavenly Father doesn't expect perfection just as I don't expect it from my boys when they do what I ask. I only expect that they will try and if needed, try again tomorrow to do it better.
The second class, Physical Renewal, was a big kick in the pants for me! The lady leading the class told us to do away with the hand and glove example we have seen so many times in Primary when we've learned about the body and spirit. Instead, think of the body as a ski jacket that's snapped, zipped, and velcro-ed around our neck and wrists. It's tight. The body and spirit are connected. Then, she had us close our eyes and think about how we feel about our bodies. Do that. Now, close your eyes and think about how you feel about your spirit. Come on, do it! OK, did you have conflicting feelings? Can you really love your spirit and hate your body if the two are connected? That's where she got me. Time for an attitude change.
Lastly, we heard about affirmations. That's right, the standing-in front-of-the-mirror-and-telling-yourself-how- great-you-are stuff. It feels a little cheesy at first, but, dang it, I am a good mom! Remember how we all used to stand in Young Women's each week and say the theme? "I am a daughter of our Heavenly Father, who loves me, and I love Him" . It's true. And, if I needed it weekly as a teenager, I definitely need to remind myself daily as a mother! Susan, the teacher, also encouraged us to wear rubber bands around our wrists (which I did all last week) and snap ourselves whenever we had a negative thought. Believe me, that works fast!
The gospel is true. It's meant to bring us joy, not guilt. We're meant to feel Heavenly Father's love through our learning, growing, and obedience. So, cheesy as it sounds, I challenge those of you that mean so much to me to take a look at the way you look at yourself. Remember who you are, cut out the guilt, and enjoy life!