I am a Child of God

“There is something about spirituality that is central to the life of a woman. Not the kind of spirituality that only takes you to church on Sunday. I am talking about the kind of spirituality that makes you behave like a child of God.” ~Marjorie Pay Hinckley

I think most people would concede that we have a spirit, even if some might say that there is no God. I wonder then, where do they think our spirits come from, if not from God, but then again, that’s a whole different question and topic.

I can remember, as a small child, sitting in a chair and looking at my hand. Around the outside of it I could see a glow, an aura . . . and I can remember thinking to myself, that’s my spirit. Even today, when I look at my hand I can see the same thing. My spirit still looks the same to me now as it did to me back then. It’s the very essence of my being, the part of me that makes me, well . . . Me! It’s the part of me that comes from God. My parents here on earth gave me my body, that part of me which will one day die and be no more, but it’s God, my Heavenly Father who gave me my spirit, the part of me that was with him before I came to earth, the part of me that he breathed into my body at my earthly conception and the part of me that will leave my body when my body is no more. My spirit is that part of me that is eternal and will go on forever in one place or another. I knew that even as a child. It was not something anyone had to ever tell me.

Knowing that you are a literal child of God makes a big difference in how you think of yourself and how you behave in and of yourself and towards others, because, let’s face it . . . if I am a child of God, then so are you and so is everyone else here on this earth. We don’t just happen to all know it. I think if we did, we’d all be behaving in a much different way, and earth would be a completely different place . . .

This is a precious knowledge to me. When I look in the mirror every morning yes . . . I see the me that is getting older, a few more wrinkles around the eyes, those extra pounds that I have to lose, grey hairs appearing at my temples . . . I also see the me that shines out from behind my eyes and that me is not any older than I was when I came here to earth. I still feel the same way inside that I did when I was sixteen or six, except I like to think I am a whole lot wiser now. All my experiences here have taught me things I did not know before and I continue to learn and experience new things every day.

I hope that most of the time I behave like a daughter of God, a daughter he would not be ashamed to call his own. I know that once in a while I fall down and I must disappoint him, and probably at some times more than others, but I like to think that as I get older and experience more, learn more, those moments become far and fewer between. I hope that when people look at me and watch the things that I do they see a difference and that they see a good person, that they see a reflection of my Heavenly Father and all that is good about people, and the good things they can do.

I am far from perfect, and I still have a long ways to go to be the person that I truly want to be. But with each day that passes I get closer and that’s a good thing. I see so many people around me struggling with the problems of life, and in the struggle to find their place in it, and I’m so glad that I have this knowledge of who I am and why I’m here. It makes things so much easier, and it helps me to feel so much better about myself. How can you not love someone you know is a daughter of God? How can you not respect them? That is how I feel about me, and how I feel about each of you. When I see a young girl struggling to find herself in this crazy world, someone like Britney Spears for instance, my heart breaks and I think to myself, if she only knew who she was, what a difference that might make in her life, in the way she behaves and the things that she does. Instead they have bought into the hype of the world, which tells them who they ought to be and they measure their worth on a scale of unrealistic proportions and distorted opinion, instead of trusting on that quite still voice inside which will tell them who they really are and what they're really worth. . . if they would only be still enough to listen and wise enough to hear.

We are not here by accident. There is a purpose to all of this and to these lives that we live. I am so blessed to know that. I wish everyone did.

I was so tired yesterday when we got home from church. I could have slept for England. I expect it was that “all-nighter” catching up on me. I often struggle several days later and find myself so bone tired I can hardly move and so it was with me yesterday. All my plans for cooking Todd a full Sunday lunch went out the window and all I could manage was this, which was quick to put together. Not the best picture in the world, but . . . it is mighty delicious, all the same!

*Chili Dog Pizza*

Makes 1 12-inch pizza Printable Recipe

All kids love this, both big and small. It’s very easy and quick to put together, and oh so very delicious! All you need is a tossed salad on the side to make your meal complete.

1 ½ cups plain flour

2 TBS caster sugar

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp cream of tartar

¼ tsp salt

¼ cup vegetable shortening (such as Crisco, Trex or White Flora)

½ of a beaten egg

¾ cup of milk

1 (410g) tin of chili with beans (as spicy as you like)

½ of a package of frankfurters, thinly sliced

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

To serve:

½ medium onion, peeled and finely chopped

Mustard

Pre-heat the oven to 205*C/425*F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet or a 12 inch pizza pan and set aside.

Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, cream of tart and salt in a bowl and mix well together. Cut the shortening in with two knifes or a pastry blender until it resembles bread crumbs. Mix the egg and the milk together with a fork and then stir it into the dry mixture, mixing with the fork until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it a few times.

Pat the dough into a 12 inch circle with a slightly raised edge on the prepared baking sheet. Alternatively pat it into the pizza pan to fit. It’s important that you make a raised edge on it so that the filling doesn’t spill out over the edge of the pizza.

Spread the chili evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the cheese over top and then scatter the hot dog slices over top.

Bake in the heated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the crust is nicely browned and done on the bottom and the chili is hot and the cheese is melted and bubbly and the hotdogs are starting to brown a bit.

Remove from the oven and let sit for about 5 minutes before cutting into slices to serve. I like to scatter the chopped onion over top and drizzle my piece with some mustard for that real chili dog experience!