"Ball Crushers"

So it being Sunday and all I'm going to leave you all hanging on the title for a minute and start off with something a little more churchy. Church was amazing today, and I was definitely touched by our Relief Society Lesson. It was entitled "Turn to the Lord." I could feel the Spirit so strongly as the women discussed the trials, heartaches, and disappointments we face in life, and how often our first reaction is to just throw an emotional tantrum and scream and cry it out...but let's be honest when does that ever really fix anything? (Ok but it does feel great, I won't lie.) How many times do we have to bang our head against a wall before we finally get it, and turn to the Lord? Many inspiring things were said, and I won't go into all the details, but I do want to get this off my chest. I had one of those moments where I knew I had to bear my testimony as one girl was speaking about pain and heartache. One of those moments when you're heart starts pounding as the Spirit whispers to you and you know you have no choice but to raise your hand and speak. But I didn't. I ignored the pounding heart. I didn't say anything. I don't know why I did this, and so now I feel like I need to make it up by writing it here. As said girl was speaking about trials, the Spirit testified to me once again that it is only through completely turning to the Lord that we can feel comforted, and our burdens can be lightened. This trust in the Lord comes from an understanding of the Atonement, understanding that the Lord did not just suffer for my sins, but for the sins of everyone else....for the injustices done to me, and to those around me....for my pain, my sorrow, my heartache. He has felt what I have felt, and Christ, my Savior, has sunk beneath it all, and overcome all, even death. He knows beginning to end, and He knows me personally, my hopes, my fears, my desires, my life. He knows me better than I know myself. This gives Him, and Him alone, the ability to succor me and lead me through my trials, if I would only humble myself and turn to Him. He may not take my trials or my pain away, but He will give me the strength that I need to get through them. And He will take me by the hand and lead me out of them, in His own due time. It is trials that shape us and refine us into more perfect, more Christlike, people. I know that this is true, and I know that Christ can do this for you too, whoever you are, if you but turn to him, and trust him completely.

The Savior said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” -Matthew 11:28


“Commune with the Lord. … He is your best friend! He knows your pain because He has felt it for you already. He is ready to carry that burden. Trust Him enough to place it at His feet and allow Him to carry it for you. Then you can have your anguish replaced with His peace, in the very depths of your soul” -Dallin H. Oaks, "He Heals the Heavy Laden"

"Trying to comprehend the trials and meaning of this life without understanding Heavenly Father’s marvelously encompassing plan of salvation is like trying to understand a three-act play while seeing only the second act. Fortunately, our knowledge of the Savior, Jesus Christ, and His Atonement helps us to endure our trials and to see purpose in suffering and to trust God for what we cannot comprehend.

Revealed truths reassure us that we are enclosed in divine empathy. As Enoch witnessed, we worship a God who wept over needless human misery and wickedness (see Moses 7:28–29, 33, 37). Jesus’ perfect empathy was ensured when, along with His Atonement for our sins, He took upon Himself our sicknesses, sorrows, griefs, and infirmities and came to know these “according to the flesh” (Alma 7:11–12).

He did this in order that He might be filled with perfect, personal mercy and empathy and thereby know how to succor us in our infirmities. He thus fully comprehends human suffering. Truly Christ “descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things” (D&C 88:6)."-Neal A. Maxwell, "Enduring Well"

I testify that Christ loves each and everyone of us, so much that he suffered for our sins, our pains and our afflicitions. He loves us so perfectly that he suffered more than any of us could imagine or bear--he bled from every pore so great was his agony. And he did this out of love and compassion for all humanity-- so that we might be able to repent and be forgiven of our sins, so that we might return to our Father in Heaven.
And I will close there for now...but the gospel truly is a gospel of love and happiness....isn't it beautiful?

Ok now on a completely different note....the title of this post...
Casey (the said boyfriend mentioned in the previous post) came all the way out to The Farm in Forest Grove (yes we do have running water and electricity out there) and met some of the extended family for the first time. Of course I warned him that it would be loud and overwhelming, and that it was very likely he would be put on the spot. The night actually went very well though and everyone was on their best behavior...we almost made it out the door without anything too awkward or embarrassing being said. But of course that is asking for too much in my family and so as we were about to head out, my dad, gotta love him, says (and these are his exact words, and this is in front of all the family): "Casey, if you marry Nicole, you better make sure you don't cheat on her because Jacque's family has these ball crushers (aka a bull castrating tool) and they will use it on you." Dad!!!! This is not the first time he has brought up the M word and mind you Casey and I have only officially been an item for about two weeks. There is no filter on my Dad. He then proceeded to tell the story of the "ball crushers" and use the word "ball crusher" at least 20 more times. Casey took it all in stride though and laughed it off. If that doesn't scare him away I don't know what will, right? Haha props to Casey.