Lately I have really been feeling a huge burden knowing that the things that I do, and the decisions that I make will shape Jaya's life. I guess I've never really thought about how much my own parent's decisions effected me, and while I knew that once I became a parent I would have to be really careful about what I choose to do, I found this poem and it really hit home. This was in Elder Richard J. Maynes' talk this April General Conference:
’Twas a sheep not a lamb
That strayed away in the parable Jesus told,
A grown-up sheep that strayed away
From the ninety and nine in the fold.
And why for the sheep should we seek
And earnestly hope and pray?
Because there is danger when sheep go wrong:
They lead the lambs astray.
Lambs will follow the sheep, you know,
Wherever the sheep may stray.
When sheep go wrong,
It won’t take long till the lambs are as wrong as they.
And so with the sheep we earnestly plead
For the sake of the lambs today,
For when the sheep are lost
What a terrible cost
The lambs will have to pay
Reading this made made me really stop and think about the things that I am doing, and how they are affecting Jaya. It also made me soo grateful for the gospel in my life, and for the great examples of my parents that taught me to do the right thing, even when it is difficult. And of course I am so thankful for my Savior, and for the opportunity that I have to raise my family in His gospel!!
