Compassion and Creating

I really enjoyed President Uchtdorf's talk he gave during Women's Conference. Lately I have been feeling especially discouraged and frustrated, the "I can't do it all" type of feeling. So I was sitting listening to the conference, feeling kind of bored with the first couple of speakers, Relief Society is so great, yeah, yeah, blah, blah (sorry! but that's what I was thinking!) I said a prayer that I would hear whatever message God needed me to hear during the Conference, that the spirit would carry it to my heart, and that I would feel uplifted. President Uchtdorf was the next speaker. Wow. It was exactly what I needed.

He said, "To me it appears that our splendid sisters sometimes undervalue their abilities—they focus on what is lacking or imperfect rather than what has been accomplished and who they really are. The good news is that this also points to an admirable quality: the innate desire to please the Lord to the best of your ability. Unfortunately, it can also lead to frustration, exhaustion, and unhappiness."

Exactly what I had been feeling.

"I would like to speak about two principles that may help you find a path to peace, hope, and joy—even during times of trial and distress. I want to speak about God’s happiness and how each one of us can taste of it in spite of the burdens that beset us. "

Those two principles are Compassion and Creating. So the past few days, at the end of the day, I think about all the things I've created and all the ways I've had compassion. Compassion is sitting by Ally for an hour while she does her math homework, not because she doesn't understand it or really needs my help, but just because she needs and enjoys my support. Compassion is spending an hour looking for a cat costume for Katie. And creating... I create lots of clean spaces where there were none before. I created cinnamon dried apples yesterday. I helped the girls create cute jog-a-thon costumes. I created a master temple for all of Cascade's PowerPoints - complete with their own customized color scheme.

President Uchtdorf concluded his talk with, "I believe that as you immerse yourselves in the work of our Father—as you create beauty and as you are compassionate to others—God will encircle you in the arms of His love.¹⁵ Discouragement, inadequacy, and weariness will give way to a life of meaning, grace, and fulfillment."

I know I am a daugther of Heavenly Father, and as such, have infinite worth. And even though it's still easy to get discouraged at the close of the day when the endless list only has a few checkmarks... it does help when I think about the plethera of amazing opportunies I have had to create beauty around me and show compassion for others.