Lifeguard on Duty

I just had a visit from my wonderful visiting teachers. The message this month is entitled "The History and Heritage of the Relief Society" - a great topic.

As we were talking, my mind returned to some of my very first experiences with Relief Society.  I was very young when I got married - just a couple of months out of high school.  I moved away from my family, leaving me without the influence of my mother and sisters.  My mother-in-law had passed away a few months earlier, and so I really did feel alone. I almost felt as if I were drowning.  I had this new life, and I was the one in charge of running my household.  It was very daunting. 

I was, at first, a little hesitant to attend my Relief Society meetings.  After all, everyone seemed so much older than me.  It didn't take long, however, until I was fully immersed in all that is the Relief Society - visiting teaching, charity, cooking classes, organizational classes, and of course crafting.  Before I knew it, I was fitting right in.  Although nothing can replace the comfort and closeness of a mother/daughter relationship, I found that I had many surrogate mothers.  The Relief Society was an invaluable asset to the beginning of my new married life.

When Relief Society functions in an inspired way, it lifts women up...into a way of living that prepares them for the blessings of eternal life. (Sister Julie B. Beck)

If I had felt as though I were drowning during those first few months, the Relief Society was definitely one of the life preservers that Heavenly Father threw my way.  I'm grateful that I grabbed on with both hands and allowed that incredible organization to take hold in my life.

©Darrell Wyatt

There have been, since then, so many different times that I have felt that same sense - that I was drowning.  Whether it's been bringing children into the world or facing financial or health difficulties, sometimes life can get can get very overwhelming.

...therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters. (Ether 6:7)

There has never been a time when I have felt overwhelmed and remembered to turn to the Lord, that he did not comfort me.  He hasn't always taken the troubles away from me, but he has always brought me back to the surface where I could breathe again.  I am so incredibly blessed to constantly feel of His love for me.

Click here to read what I read today: Ether 6