{Sacrament} 2.0

"We can remember those who give us a chance, and a second chance, with honesty, kindness, patience, and encouragement. And we can become someone others remember when they most needed help. Gratefully remembering the assistance of others and the Spirit's guiding influence is a way we remember Him. It is a way we count our many blessings and see what God hath done."
-Elder Gong

It is very profound that for several months, the prophet has been prompting the world to identify ways to "Hear Him." We are in a point in life when it may be the most important time for us to hear our Savior.

I find myself hearing Him the most when I'm thinking about the sacrament.

And so, yet again, I find myself blogging about the Sacrament. In case you're interested, I'll link my first post regarding the Sacrament here.

It's interesting that most of my profound experiences that I have had in life were surrounding the Sacrament. But I also find it very touching that something as incredible as the Sacrament continuously reminds me of my Savior and what he has done for me. But, I also find myself a little sad that something this amazing, that I often have very personal experiences during, and this thing that literally saves me, is something that I also find myself taking for granted so often.

Life is weird right now. And I think the word weird, is an understatement. I never thought that I would see a day in my life when church was 100% canceled. I've only lived a short 27.75 years and this is something completely new. There were times when we spent Sunday assisting in cleaning up the neighborhood after a natural disaster, rather than attending standard, in building church services. But we are going on 6 weeks of no in building church. While General Conference was super uplifting and came at, quite possibly, the perfect time. Even General Conference was different enough that you could also use the word weird to describe it.

And now partaking of the Sacrament isn't something I can even take for granted anymore. It is something that has to be planned, has to be arranged, and, for lack of better words, is complicated. I can honestly tell you, that I miss it. I miss the ease of it. I miss not having to focus and plan in order to have it. I miss it.

It's probably new to my blog world, but I go to a singles ward now. And I recently bought my own house. And with church being canceled, partaking of the sacrament for me has drastically changed. Because of health concerns of my parents I haven't been going to see them. And even if I had been seeing them, the authorization for in home administration of the Sacrament can only be administered to those that reside in my parents ward boundaries. So, I drastically went from having the sacrament weekly and having a priesthood holder in my home always, to not being able to attend church and no longer having the priesthood holder in my home.

I don't want to act as if things aren't attempted to be in place to try and help these efforts. My ward definitely has placed efforts with ministering brothers to administer the sacrament to the sisters in their homes. I have had great ministering brothers reach out to me. And I had a wonderful opportunity to go to my Bishop's home to attend his family sacrament meeting as well. All of these efforts have built my testimony in the church and in the sacrament. Watching the priesthood power and authority to administer the Sacrament in such an intimate setting is something that etches in your mind.

With me being a nursing home social worker, and the community risks of coronavirus increasing overtime, I found myself having gone nearly a month without taking the sacrament. When asked one week, it would feel perfectly fine to say "I'm good for this week. Thanks." But overtime, you start to notice that one thing that you are lacking.

So, you can probably see my conflict. I was trying so hard to make wise decisions on the benefit of those vulnerable that I work with that I was having a hard time figuring out a way to do something that would benefit me. These conflicting thoughts, lead to maybe one of the most profound experiences that I have had while partaking of the Sacrament.  It is definitely an experience that I will never forget.

Picture this.
It's a beautiful, spring, April, Sunday afternoon. You're sitting on a porch, with a serene view of the mountains, the perfect spring breeze, and rocking in a rocking chair. It's one of the first moments that you spent any time away from your own home in weeks. It is maybe one of the most calm moments of your week. The door and window to the house open and you are able to hear the Sacrament prayer. The priesthood holder comes outside to administer the Sacrament to you. And the peaceful, Sunday afternoon begins to be even more peaceful and full of the Savior and His love for you.

It's a moment.
A moment that you can see how Christ would be ministering to you at this time.
It's not rigid, normal, or to the book.
But it's exactly what you need.
The exact process to calm your worries, anxieties, fears, and help you Hear Him.

It's a moment.
That I'll be forever grateful for.

Until Next Time...

#HearHim