The Finisher of Our Faith

I'm going to be honest, I'm not one that will read scriptures or religious talks and then ponder on it for the rest of the day. In fact I will typcially forget about the message within a few minutes of reading it. Isn't that sad? Either I have that bad of a memory or I simply just don't pay attention. Lets be real, it's probably the latter.
Today was different.
I was reading an article from The Ensign called Family: The Foundation of Happiness by Elder Erich Kopischke. One paragraph struck a cord, pricked my heart, and seemed to ripple though my mind throughout the day; it read, "Because of our faith in Jesus Christ, we can pursue the course in life we need to take. But if we stumble because of weakness or missed opportunities, He will reach out to us, fill in the gap, and become the finisher of our faith. He stated, 'For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts'." (Referrencing D&C 137:9)
Lately, I have realized what little faith I have. Don't get me wrong, I have faith in my savior, Jesus Christ, and in the restored gospel.  But sometimes I lack hope that we will be able to get through trials stronger than before. Honestly, sometimes I find myself thinking there is no way we will get _____ blessing. I often doubt that I have enough faith to get me through Trial # 1823841953.
That's why this paragraph hit me so hard. When I am lacking in my faith, when I have a little but not a lot, "He will reach out to us, fill in the gap, and become the finisher of our faith." The statement from the New Testament, "...Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." means more to me now. I feel like I can, in a small way, relate. Heavenly Father, I know we can get through this... I believe... help thou mine unbelief or doubts.
Do you know what I am saying?? We have to give.it.our.all. Everything that we have. Every ounce of energy... then "He will reach out to us, [and] fill in the gap..." Incredible.
He is full of mercy. He wants us to succeed that we might have joy. He will reach down and pull us up, he will fill in the gap. He will be the finisher of our faith. I know He lives. I know He loves us. I love what Elder Holland has said, "However late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don't have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ's Atonement shines"
I just had to share this experience, they don't come very often, but when they do it's eye opening. t

Our next chapter has begun

Well we have made it to Utah, we utilized every inch of our U-Haul truck and two vehicles. Although we are farther from my immediate family, we are closer to my nephew, Blake, some of my mission companions, and almost all of Dayne's family.

I am so lucky I am able to stay home with Noah, he is the cutest and smartest munchkin around. He is almost 22 months, I cannot believe it. I swear he learns multiple words and new phrases every day, he is a chatter box! Just yesterday we were playing outside and he was playing on his small 4-wheeler, he pushed the red go button on accident and he got off and came running over to be saying "Care me! Care me!" (Scare me, his car scared him) I don't remember ever teaching him that phrase! He just amazes me. He is incredibly smart. 

This picture cracks me up! He got some new glasses from his dentist appointment the other day. When he came across them he immediately wanted me to help him get them on and ran over to his car, sat down and waited for me to take a picture, haha! 

He LOVES when Dayne gets home, he refuses to leave his side, and I don't blame him a bit, he has a pretty great daddy. We are pretty nervous, but excited about this new adventure. After working a few years in Healthcare Administration, he decided he just wasn't enjoying it. He wanted to return to school and get a DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy), so that's what we are doing. It's a little scary, but having a happier hubby will make it all worth it. Happy spouse, happy house! 

A couple of weeks ago Noah and I had the opportunity to take a quick weekend trip up to Washington to go to my sister's baby shower. It was so fun being able to celebrate with her and help her prepare to welcome twin boys into their family. I just adore my sister! She is so fun, down to earth, easy to talk to, and she's a pretty awesome example of being a great mama. These boys are lucky to call her their Mom. I think Noah had just as much fun as I did!