I ran away from home last weekend. To celebrate Betsy's birthday, she, Andrea and I filled a full 48 hours with sunshine, retail therapy and guacamole. Like our other retreats, we started at the temple on Thursday night and it was a perfect beginning. Unlike other retreats we got to bed at a reasonable hour and didn't shop once for the kids! We took long walks and seriously discussed the doctrine of grace the whole weekend. I am constantly inspired by these two friends of mine. They helped me understand in a new way that suffering or discomfort is an integral part of the atonement. I have spent most of my life going to extreme measures to avoid discomfort, including being "good". My work is to submit to discomfort, accept the enabling power of grace, and have the faith to know that the discomfort will end and will be for my good. If my suffering turns me to the Savior, my eternal reward is a changed heart. If it doesn't, my reward is temporal; extra attention from people or justification for my actions. Most importantly, I don't keep commandments or be obedient to "pay for mistakes." I keep commandments because I want to become like Heavenly Father and to show my gratitude to the Savior. Since the majority of my discomfort is coming right now from my children, I need to really apply these principles. Just like Heavenly Father, I'll acknowledge their mistakes (without freaking out) and remind them that a Savior has been provided for them.
That was the gist of my weekend. I'm blessed to have a good husband who held the fort down, friends who helped babysit, and my lovely aunt who put us up in resort style accommodations.
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