In His Image

A few days ago I was reading a blog of a good friend of mine and as I read, my mind began to wander... began to fully appreciate the wonderous power that the Lord has given to women... the power to be mothers... and the power to bring life into this world. I have been blessed (or I should say my husband and I- I don't want to leave him out of all this, because clearly, I could not do it by myself!) to have been entrusted with five special spirits from our Heavenly Father. I look at each one of them with such great love and gratitude for their diversity and uniqueness. Each one has his/her own strengths and weaknesses, that together, make up our little family unit. Although some are more challenging than others at times, I am grateful for those challenges that strengthen me as a mother, wife, and as a daughter of God.

It is amazing how the time passes so quickly. One minute I am nine months pregnant- very uncomfortable, finding difficulty with mobility in the simple and ordinary things of life, and anxiously yearning to hold the little one that my husband and I, with the Lord's help, have created tightly packed inside my womb. Beyond the pain, and the misery, and the discomfort brings a new little baby - a little spirit from our Heavenly Father (and a little piece of Heaven) that we are allowed to hold in our arms and get to claim as "ours" for a short time.

It is hard to believe that Emma is almost six months old now. It seems like just yesterday that I was in the hospital waiting for her to come and join our family - not knowing beforehand what she would be or look like! I am reminded of how she would curl her little legs up and perk her little bum out (like a stink bug!) when I held her up. Her little forehead would wrinkle up (just like her daddy) and her arms would be stretched out and upward. I just love that early stage of infancy; it is perhaps one of my favorite parts of motherhood. I love to feel that little, tender body in my arms, that molds to me because she is not strong enough to hold herself up on her own. That little body that smells so fresh, new, and clean and is as soft as silk. So fragile... so dependable... so recently departed from our Father in Heaven.

Now her little head and body can hold their own weight, although her legs still need some time to strengthen themselves. She slowly begins to develop a small amount of independence, as parts of her little tiny body continue to develop and become stronger. And slowly, her personality is devleoping as well. Her eyes brighten as she recognizes that someone has acknowledged her existence, has said her name, or has spoken in a slightly-higher pitched "baby tone" that is more compatible with her kind of communication. Her face is written with smiles when she discovers that you are offering her attention. She giggles with delight when she is tickled under the chin. She "ooohs" and "cooh's" as expressions of intrigue, comfort, and gratitude that bring her joy. She cries when I leave her with someone and she knows that I am gone. Her head follows the sound of my voice. And although she is learning to be her own little person, she still relies on me for so much... for cleanliness... for nourishment... for support... for security... for love. She knows where I am. She knows who I am. I am her mother.

I often relate this to how we feel, as children of our Heavenly Father, even as GROWN children (a.k.a. ADULTS). We come here to earth so fragile, so dependable, and so recently departed from our Heavenly Father. We begin to develop our own strengths and personalities, with help from our earthly parents and acquaintances. Though it seems as though there are things that we can clearly do on our own, we still need help beyond our capabilities.

I think perhaps our eyes brighten as we acknowledge that we are indeed, children of God, as we feel the love of our Heavenly Father, and as His spirit speaks to us in the still, small voice. Our face is written with smiles as we continue to feel His love and recognize the blessings (attention) that we get from Him in our lives. We giggle with delight when we are tickled with the joy of righteousness. We "ooh" and "cooh" at our Father in Heaven as we humbly kneel before Him to express our inner delights and gratitude. We cry out to Him in prayer when we find ourselves alone and away from the comforts that only He can offer us. Hopefully our heads (and hearts) turn to the voice of the Lord-whether through Him or His servants-and focus on Him, having an eye single to His glory. And although we are trying to become our own person, we still rely on Him for so much... for cleanliness (the atonement) ... for nourishment (the scriptures) ... for support (prayer) ... for security (the Holy Ghost) ... and for love (the gospel). We know where we can find Him and feel of His love to the fullest (the temple). We know who He is-our loving Father in Heaven.

We have all been created in His image. How perfect. How pure. To look into the eyes of a child and to see the love of our Father in Heaven is fantastic! To know that that little spirit was in His presence not long ago and to see the SINGLE-MOST AMAZING CREATION OF ALL TIME - the body (of flesh and blood)! The gift of LIFE. I am so grateful for the tiny little treasures that are in my life, that are constantly growing into bigger treasures! Oh, how rich I am getting!!! I get richer as the days go by. How great are the joyous moments that enrich my life, of the little treasures from heaven-children- that the Lord has blessed us with. I am grateful for the heritage from which my husband and I both come, for the posterity that my husband and I are now creating, and for the generations that are yet to come. And... I am grateful to be a mother.