Our Ranunculas Life: February 2017

Engagement Photo Story

This photo is the one we sent out with our wedding announcements. There is a story behind this photo. My sister-in-law was taking our engagement pictures. We decided to go to a park with a small waterfall. It was very picturesque. We took a bunch of nicely posed pictures there. When we were leaving we drove passed and decided to stop at The Flower Fields, in Carlsbad. I wanted to see the flowers up close. The flowers that they plant are called Ranuculas. The plant rows and rows of the flowers on the hill, and they plant them by color. If you ever have the chance, you should go visit. It is very beautiful.

While we were there my sister-in-law said squat down by the flowers and I will take some pictures, so we did. I had taken off my shoes, because heals don't work to well in loose dirt. I was squatting with my dress hiked up to my mid thigh. Brian squatted down behind me, we smiled and Vicki snapped a few pictures; then we left.

This was in the days before instant digital photography. We had to wait a few hours for the picture to be developed so we would know if they had turned out. As we looked thru them, I was kind of disappointed. The pictures didn't seem very flattering to Brian or me. I was thinking, we are going to have to take more pictures, not very fun. Then we came to the pictures from the flower fields. They were great! We were very relieved that we had pictures we could use to send out with our announcements. We both looked great in the pictures.

This picture has always been a reminder that things aren't always as they seem. It wasn't very comfortable getting this picture taken. If you could see our legs you would laugh at how we were squatting. That is just how life is sometimes, we can't always see the big picture. Sometimes things are hard and uncomfortable, but they are going to turn out beautiful in the end. Sometimes we look at others and their lives seem perfect from the outside looking in. We can't always see the trials they are going thru. Brian and I have been married almost 20 years and there have been trials and hardships, but our lives are beautiful.

Sunday, February 26, 2017

Fear Ye Not

What are you afraid of? I think we all have fears, one of my greatest fears has always had to do with how other people perceive me. Was I good enough, pretty enough, smart enough, tough enough? Because I had these fears I was easily intimidated by others. If somebody with a big bold personality would get in my face and challenge me I usually backed down. I hated confrontation (I still struggle with it) and I would question if I was guilty, even if I knew I wasn't. In my reading of the Old Testament this week and after reading another student's post about it I realized that this was a way that Satan has had control over me in my life. I was reading Isaiah 51:7 and it says:

7 ¶Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.

8 For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.

This was talking to me, when I let others intimidate me, when I am afraid, I am not trusting in the Lord. He will protect me, he will always be there for me I just need to get rid of my fear and have faith in him. I am being like Laman and Lemual from the Book of Mormon when I am letting other's control me by being afraid of them.

Laman and Lemual were on an errand for the Lord. It was an extremely important task that would affect their children for generations if they didn't accomplish it. They tried, but when they faced resistance they were ready to give up. There have been many times as a mother when I have faced resistance I have been ready to give up. I have called my husband and said "I am done". Even after seeing an angel of the Lord Laman and Lemual complained that they couldn't accomplish their task. They were afraid and army of fifty men might be sent after them. Laman and Lemual had a younger brother with them on this journey. He wasn't ready to give up. He knew what the scriptures taught and he had faith that the Lord would help them accomplish their goal. He reminded his older brothers that the Lord is mightier than all the earth, so he is mightier than fifty of even tens of thousands of men. He then proceeded to accomplish what the Lord had asked him to do. I will ask the Lord to give me strength to face my trials and confrontations and I know that as I show faith in him and his power, I will be strengthened to face the trials in my life.