I was at the playground with my kids, nursing my youngest on a bench, when I heard a kid cry out an urgent, “mom!” It wasn’t my child, but on instinct I immediately turned around and stood up to help. I saw her parent coming towards her, so I sat back down. I thought about this moment as I read CFM this week. Moroni says anyone who wants to be baptized must “take upon the name of Christ, having a determination to serve him until the end.” As I read this, I considered again what it means to take upon myself Christ’s name. What does that look like? I thought about that moment at the playground and realized that I’ve taken upon myself another name besides the name of Jesus Christ—the name of “mom.” And taking upon myself that name has changed everything about my life. My body has changed. My sleep has changed. How my day is organized has changed. But deeper than that, the thoughts I think have changed. The way I love and sacrifice has changed. My heart has changed. I’ll always remember, because being a mother is woven into the pattern of my day and my being. Just as a caveat, I know that not everyone who will read this is a mother. I also know there are other powerful ways to understand the covenant of taking the Lord’s name upon you. This has simply been a poignant one for me. Taking upon me the name of mother has changed me forever. And when someone calls mom, I answer. And that is how I want to take upon the name of Christ. I want it to change how my day is organized. How I love and how I sacrifice. I want to always remember Him because He is woven into my heart and my day. And when Christ calls, I want to answer. Every time. Art: @paigepayne_creations

During a family scripture study one night, I placed a paper outside on the sidewalk and asked the kids to read it from the house. They couldn’t even see the paper. Then, I took them upstairs and had them look out the window. They were suddenly able to see the paper and read the words “I love you.” All they had to do was get to a higher plane, change their altitude, and they could see. Over this very full, very beautiful, very hard summer, I read the sermon on the mount over and over again. I marveled at what Christ taught. I felt like he was continuously telling me, like I taught my kids that night, to change my altitude. What if I truly lived what He taught in this sermon? What would my life look like? Letting my light shine, Doing good to them that hate me, Turning the other cheek, Being compelled to go one mile, and choosing to go another. Laying up for myself treasures in heaven, Considering the lilies of the field, Taking no thought for the morrow, Letting my eye be single; Seeking first the kingdom of God The scriptures only have power when they are applied in the fire of every day living. These aren’t just platitudes or catchy phrases made for bumper stickers. What Christ is asking is radical. Radical kindness. Radical forgiveness. Radical charity. Radical faith. Yet, I found myself coming to situations with excuses to not follow His counsel. I would think “Surely, God sees how hard this is. God understands.” And He does He understands when we fall short. But He also understands that the greatest happiness comes as we continually push higher with Christ. I realized I needed to stop talking to others for justification and start applying God’s word for sanctification. And when I was able to get to that higher plane, I was able to better see His love— for me and all those around me. Art @paigepayne_creations

One thing that I have thought about as I’ve read the words of King Benjamin this time around is the backstory leading up to his words. Omni talks about how Mosiah and a group of Nephites were told to flee the land of Nephi and wandered until they found the Mulekites in the land of Zarahemla. The Mulekites’ “language had become corrupted; […] and they denied the being of their Creator.” (Omni 1:17) . This group of Nephites and Mulekites then united together and Mosiah became their king, followed by Benjamin. But imagine the challenges that came with uniting these two very different groups of people! They spoke different languages and the Mulekites didn’t believe in God! In addition, there are many wars with the Lamanites, false teachers, and dissensions. Mormon states King Benjamin, “by laboring with all the might of his body and the faculty of his whole soul […] did once more establish peace in the land.” (1:18) . And after laboring with all his might and his whole soul for peace, what is the answer King Benjamin comes to? Covenants. He asked them to take upon themselves a new name—the name of Christ. This was the way to stop the dissensions. This was the way to unite his people. To focus on a common, unified identifier—Christ. I think there are many times we may feel—whether in our ward, family, or the world around us—that same divisiveness. And I believe the solution is still the same. As we focus on our covenants and identify ourselves first by the name of Christ, we will be blessed with peace, even in the most challenging of settings and divisive of situations. “Unity comes by following the light from above. It does not come out of the confusions below.” (Marion G. Romney) Art @paigepayne_creations

I haven’t discussed this on here yet, but I am two weeks away from having a baby! My creative energy has been right around a zero recently, and this account has been more quiet because of it—but I’m still reading and loving CFM! Hasn’t King Benjamin just been delightful? Today, I was at Aldi and had a cart full of groceries (of course, no bags because that would take me being on top of things!) and a stranger came up to my car and offered randomly to help me load all the groceries in. I was going to say no. But then, I said yes. I could use the help. She carefully organized the meat, bread, snacks, fruit, and vegetables and loaded them in, and all the while chatting with me about how she just moved to the area and tried to teach my 16 month old how to say “Jesus.” It was such a wonderful moment. I’m so grateful that she stopped and offered. I’m also grateful I said yes. King Benjamin said “when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God,” (Mosiah 2:17). I think that also means that when we are served by our fellow beings, we are being served by God. We are seeing little glimpses of His character and His goodness reflected in the actions of those serving us. What a beautiful thing! What did I learn about God from this stranger? God is not in a rush. God is in the details. God is kind. God is looking for any opportunity to help us. Aaaaaaand now I should go unload my groceries. 😂 When was the last time you were served by a stranger? Or a friend? I would love to have the comments full of “God glimpses” so we can get to know God a little better today. ❤️ Art by @hymalayah

As a parent, I don’t think of many scriptures more than the Lord of the vineyard weeping and saying “What more could I have done for my vineyard?” . Part of me deeply relates. And another part of me feels frustrated when I think of it in context— the Lord of the vineyard being Christ or God, they are literally, perfectly taking care of it. But me? I’m not. I make mistakes every single day in my little part of the vineyard. Maybe I forget to water. Or I hate dunging. Or I grafted wrong. Or I was too harsh with the pruners. Like just today, when my son broke the window screen and it just feels like everything in our house is getting broken and me and my “pruners” got carried away. But in those moments I love thinking about Christ looking at me and all my imperfections and saying “spare her a little longer.” (Jacob 5:50) Maybe that’s one of the most important parts of this analogy—not giving up, on yourself or others. Because Christ doesn’t. It helps me realize that I am not meant to be the master of the vineyard. We already have a master—and He is working perfectly in our lives and the lives of those around us. Our job is to just keep loving. Keep saying sorry. Keep trying. And never give up. . The parable of the olive tree is a story of compassion. . And even though I am not a perfect servant, or a perfect tree—however you want to take the analogy, Our God is a God of “wait a little longer.” Who weeps and loves. Who never stops working hard for us. Who knows when we or our loved ones are in a “poor spot” for that minute or that day or our whole lives and will nourish us extra to make up the difference. Truly, “God is in relentless pursuit of you. He wants all of His children to return home to Him, and He employs every possible measure to bring you [and your children] back.” (Elder Kearon) Art @foxandpebble

There once was a Tibetan monk who prayed so often in the same spot each day that he left permanent footprints on its wooden floor. If you slide through the pictures on this post, you will be able to see his imprint. I love it. The worn floor, The familiarity and intimacy. The slow transformation brought by consistent weight, time, and faith. The personalized imprint And lasting impression. Nephi asks us to, “pray always, and not faint; […] that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.” (2 Ne 32:9) . It’s easy to wonder, especially when things don’t go as planned, “Why pray when God’s will is going to happen no matter what?” The point of prayer is not to change God’s will, but to allow His will to be impressed on our hearts and to open the windows of Heaven in our lives. As the Bible dictionary says on prayer, “The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them.” Intentionally coming to the Lord in prayer brings a powerful confidence into our lives— The confidence of knowing that as we both put in effort and pray in faith, whatever outcome comes will be consecrated to our good. We’ve asked. And now we can act with confidence. The most important change that prayer will bring in our lives will not be any change in our circumstance, but a change in us. One prayer at a time, Lasting impressions are made from soles And on souls. How have you applied Nephi’s advice to “pray always” in your life? Art @eva_timothy Photo from BBC commentary Footprint of the Buddha

There was once a farmer whose sheep got bitten in the face by a rattlesnake. The sheep’s face immediately started swelling up. For two days, it continued to swell. The farmer was worried, but the sheep was not. It kept drinking, eating, and climbing just like normal. Then, after those two days, the sheep started to recover. Miraculously, he soon came back to full health. It turns out, anti-venom is often made out of sheep’s blood. In those two days, the sheep’s blood slowly but steadily destroyed the venom. The sheep was fine, just like he knew he would be. 2 Ne 28 talks about some of the tools of Satan: He stirs us up to anger. He pacifies. He flatters. But Nephi follows up with the antidote: “Satan shall have power over the hearts of the children of men no more,” (30:18). Why? Because Christ will come again. He will reign as King. Knowledge of Christ “removes the scales of darkness from our eyes” (30:5-6). And when Christ comes, all darkness will flee at the presence of His life. But we don’t need to wait until the second coming for Christ the King to reign in our lives. We can let Him reign now. He is the antidote. Trust in Him, and Satan’s tools will not have power in your life. The blood of the Lamb is running through us. Focus not on the serpent who poisons, but on the God with an antidote. We can have the confidence that comes only through His peace. He will heal you; He will save you. Art @foxandpebble

Yesterday, my six-year-old son rushed inside saying he needed to capture something beautiful and asked me for a notebook and pencil. I gave one to him and he ran back out to the front yard. I came out a minute later to see what he was drawing. There was a rainbow peaking out from our blossoming tree. He looked at his drawing, then at me, and asked earnestly, “Have I missed anything?” . His question struck me. I wondered, how much more full would my life be if I took the time to ask God this question. “Lord, have I missed anything?” He is doing a work and a wonder in our lives. (2 Ne 27:26). Are we taking the time to witness the wonder? He teaches “line upon line” (28:30) Are we taking time to ask for the next line? “For unto him that recieveth he will give more.” (28:30) As we take the time to come closer to Christ, the “scales of darkness will begin to fall from our eyes” (30:6) and we will see the blessings of God that surround us. Art @yongsungkimart

There was a man named Lee that felt he should go into his business office one day and ask a friend to attend church that Easter Sunday. He walked to his friend’s desk and said, “you know, Easter is coming up. Do you want to come to church with me?” His friend said, “you know I am an atheist.” Lee testified of Christ’s resurrection, but his friend did not listen. Disheartened and confused, Lee left. A decade later, he was in church and a man came up to him and thanked him. Lee didn’t know the man. The man explained, “I was in the business office of the newspaper, and I was on my hands and knees on the floor behind a desk working on some tile on the floor and you walked in the door. “You invited a guy to church and testified of Christ and my heart started beating fast. When you left, I called my wife. I said, “We’re gonna go to church on Easter”. “We came to church that Easter and have kept coming since.” I was reminded of this story as I read Isaiah’s call to prophecy. The Lord asks him to “make their ears heavy and shut their eyes, lest they understand with their heart and be converted and be healed.” . At first glance, this seems like a very confusing passage—why would God ask Isaiah to do such a thing? Doesn’t He love his people? But, as seen from the verse above, the people’s eyes/ears were already shut, and God respects agency. He also plays the long game. Yes, his words might have made his people shut their eyes and ears more, but they have helped millions to open them. Isaiah is quoted 600 times in the Book of Mormon, 137 times in the NT, and 106 times in D&C. Christ Himself quoted him and told us to search them. . Truly, God’s ways are not our ways. Instead of looking at isolated principles to prove if God is loving, What if we started with “I know God is loving, so how does this principle fit into that love?” Like Isaiah, we might have moments where we wonder, “Lord, how long?” (2 Ne 16:11) But as we follow Him, we will be able to feel His love and peace. Art @celestecclark Beginning story by @lee_strobel

I think it is interesting to juxtapose Nephi and Alma the Younger—Nephi being the first to step up as Nephite king and Alma the Younger being the first Nephite chief judge, who eventually stepped down. Alma stepped down from his position of power, gave it to someone else, and “confined himself wholly to the high priesthood […] to testify of the word.” (Alma 4:20) . I think it is easy to look at what Alma did as a “more righteous” choice than Nephi, who became king and ordained Jacob and Joseph to teach the word of God (2 Ne 6:2). But Nephi states in the verse following his decision to become king that “the words of the Lord had been fulfilled that I should be their ruler and teacher.” (2 Nephi 5:19) . He became a protector to a people during a time of great difficulty and they depended on him for safety (6:2). Sometimes, I think we make decisions based on what we feel is the greatest sacrifice—like we are biting the bullet for God—but we don’t even take the time to see if it is what God wants us to do. And all we end up with is a bitter taste in our mouths. Truly, it is better to obey than to sacrifice (1 Sam 15:22). Suffering doesn’t bring blessings, coming closer to the Savior does. A martyr is rarely needed, but consecration always is. As we turn to the Lord, we will learn what He needs us to do. The Lord just might surprise us. “Consecration […] requires letting some things go and other things grow” (Uchtdorf) Stepping up, stepping down. Speaking up, staying quiet. Following our desire, sacrificing our desire. Acting, being still. There is a season for all of it. God will help us know what season we are in as we walk with Him. Art @paigepayne_creations

One day, a man who was teaching a Sunbeam class asked his friend, Mike, if he would like to help teach that class. Mike had black hair and a long beard and hadn’t come to church since he was 12. To his surprise, Mike said he would. The teacher told his class that they had a visitor that day. They were much quieter than usual, and their eyes kept wandering back to Mike. Suddenly, one little boy got up, stood across from Mike, and said, “Are you Jesus?” From the way all the other kids leaned in when the question was asked, they all had the same question. Mike was shocked. He looked at the teacher, unsure what to say. The teacher said, “No, this isn’t Jesus. It is His Brother.” . Without hesitation, the boy wrapped his arms around Mike’s neck and said “I can tell.” . We grow up singing “I am a child of God.” . We quote each week in young women’s “I am a beloved daughter of Heavenly parents.” . But sometimes, it is hard for us to be like that little boy and be able to tell...for ourselves and for others. Like that classic “one dollar bill” analogy, it doesn’t matter how torn or crumpled or dirty that dollar bill is, it is still worth a dollar. Likewise, our worth is set. And it is great in the sight of God. “This is a paradox of man: compared to God, man is nothing; yet we are everything to God. While against the backdrop of infinite creation we may appear to be nothing, we have a spark of eternal fire burning within our breast.” (Dieter Uchtdorf). . Life brings curve balls. Sometimes we may feel a bit crumpled. But just like that little boy, God can always tell our divine nature. Our worth is set. No matter what situation you find yourself in, “Look unto the rock from whence ye are hewn.” (2 Nephi 8:1). . And let that Rock be your foundation. [Story paraphrased from “The Visitor,” by Ken Merrell, from the May 2000 New Era.] Art @foxandpebble

When I was a teenager, I read 2 Nephi 4 and was so impressed with Nephi’s sincerity. I was inspired how he spoke of God and how He spoke to God. I also felt that overwhelming sorrow and weakness of the flesh, and I decided I would say the most sincere prayer I could, and I would keep praying until I felt that God was there answering my questions. So that I, too, could say like Nephi “nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.” (2 Nephi 4:19) . I poured my heart out to God. I asked him my sincere questions. I prayed. And I prayed. And I prayed. ..And I felt nothing. I went to bed crying. In the morning, I went to church, even though I felt rattled inside. I gave my talk I was assigned to give. I sat, a bit numb, on the stage and listened to the other speaker. Then, I heard the speaker say, “some of you may be wondering...” and she asked my first question I prayed about. And gave the answer. Then she said, “or maybe you wonder...” and gave my second question. And gave my answer. I knew in that moment in whom I had trusted. And I was so grateful that even though I was shaken, I had gone to church. I realized that day that if I have questions, I need to keep showing up to the places that have the answers. The Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign from Heaven to prove He was the Savior. (Mark 8) Christ told them no sign would be given to them..but if they had just followed Him, they would have seen Him heal a blind man. No sign would be given to them, but not because God stopped doing miracles. They asked the questions, but weren’t willing to follow the Savior to the places they could find the answers. As Elder Dieter Uchtdorf said, “Often, the answer to our prayer does not come while we are on our knees, but while we are on our feet serving the Lord.” . I learned that day that God’s timing isn’t always our timing. I learned to get up off my knees anyway. And seek to follow the Savior—knowing in Whom I have trusted. Art by @paigepayne_creations