I realize that I rarely talk about spiritual matters on my blog. However, today was our last time attending our church here in Detroit. Dave and I both spoke today, and I decided to add my talk. (Or, the majority of it.)

I want to ask a question that each of us can ponder and ask ourselves. Why do we go to church? What gets us here? What motivates us? Why do we make such an effort to be here every Sunday for 3 hours?
Sometimes, I think there may be several answers to the question. Let me read a few that I brainstormed. There are so many reasons why people may go to church. Is it because it is simply our duty? Or out of obligation? Our parents taught us to, so now we must go? Or maybe we go to church for our children? Do we sometimes go because we feel pressure from our leaders or maybe we go just to fulfill our calling? Do some people attend church because that is where their friends are? Church is part of their social life. Or maybe someone might want to go to church to show off a beautiful new dress or outfit? I know that when I was 17 years old, all of a sudden I had a huge motivation to come to church. I moved into a new house the summer before my Junior Year of high school. After a few months I had my eyes set on one blond boy in particular. All of a sudden, my Sunday school class became the highlight of the week. I have never been so excited to come to church! This "secret crush" that lasted for probably 8 months before we ever said a word to each other is now the man I am married to.
So, as we can see, there are numerous reasons why we may decided to come to church. I have attended church for many years now, ever since I was a little girl. Now, I believe I have found the main reason why I choose to come to church every week. And, that reason is also the topic for my talk today. The topic I was assigned is, "The love of God." Coming to church each week is a sure way for me to feel God's love. I am able to strengthen that personal relationship between my Father in Heaven ,and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Now, I could ask the question, "What are the reasons we choose not to go to church?" I bet we could rattle off 100 reasons or excuses for missing church. I will be the first to admit that I don't always have the best attitude Sunday morning as I struggle to get the whole family ready and out the door. Often times I get frustrated and stressed and even in a bad mood before I come to church. However, (maybe you know what I am talking about here) when you sit on the bench and this wave of peace comes over you saying, "This is where you should be." Then, as I sit in Sacrament, I have a prayer in my heart and ask my Father in Heaven to let me feel the Spirit and to feel of His love. When I feel that direct love coming into my heart, it just seems to make any worry or stress about coming to church all worth it. God's love is so real and so wonderful.
For the two years I lived in the Caribbean, I taught the Primary. It was very different than the primary that we see in most wards and branches. First off, I never met the majority of these childrens' parents. Most of our Primary kids would walk to church with or without their parents knowing where they were. Some weeks we would have 10 kids, the next week we would have 30. I knew that these children felt God's love at church. They felt the Spirit, they felt happy, but most important, they felt loved. That is the reason I believe they kept coming back. Tiffany Ross and I were the only two adults who worked in the Primary. We had one small room for the two hour block. On my last day of church before we came back to the states, I wanted them to remember one thing. The most important thing that would stay with them forever. I took each child aside that day: Akayla, Akevah, Jamal, Celina, Vashe, Sister, Trevor, and many others and spoke to them one on one. I told each of them that God loved them, individually, and always would, no matter what. I hope and pray they will always remember God's love, just as we must remember God's love. (I am skipping a few paragraphs)
When I looked up "Love" in the Bible index, we know that love is interchangeable with charity and also goes hand in hand with compassion. Some of the most common scriptures in the Book of Mormon on charity tell us, "except men have charity, they are nothing." "The love that the Lord has for men is charity." Without charity, men can not inherit the place prepared in their Father's mansions." "Cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all." "Charity is the pure love of Christ and endures forever." "Except ye have charity ye can in no wise be saved in the kingdom of God." "You can do nothing without faith, hope and charity." "Let your bowels be full of charity towards all men."
I like that last line, "full of charity for ALL men." It is not God's plan for us to pick and choose who we will show love to. It is not right to choose not to love someone because of the way they may dress, or talk, or because their beliefs are different from ours. We are commanded to love all men- even our enemies.
I want to share two examples of friends I have that show Gods love in all that they do. My first example is a girl who I knew vaguely in Grenada, but got to know her much better when she came to Michigan. She may be one of the most Christian people I have ever met. She is a member of the Baptist church. This girl radiates God's love unlike any friend I have had. her eyes sparkle, she is completely selfless and so considerate and compassionate for all. The other day Josh was at McDonalds with one of his friends. When Josh came home he said, "Mommy, I saw one of your friends at McDonalds." I asked, "Oh really? Who was it? Do you remember her name?" Josh didn't know the answer but he said, "You know mom, she is the friend of yours who always gives everyone hugs and is always happy and smiling." I immediately knew who he was talking about. Isn't it cool that my 5 year old had noticed her God like love.
Do we have God's love radiating in the same way to the people we come in contact with? Can we? Of course we can, and the more we know and feel of our Father's love for us, the more we can share His love with all.
The other wonderful example that I want to mention today is someone sitting in this room. A few weeks ago, Dave and I were talking in the car about people we admire in the branch. We started to comment about how the majority of us are all such good people who are trying to be more kind, or trying to be more loving, or patient, or just plain happy. I am emphasizing the word "trying". This "trying" seems to be work, and difficult at times. Then, every once and a while, there is someone like Sister Edwards who doesn't appear to be "trying" at all, she just "is". Sister Edwards, thank you for the loving and caring example you have set for me. You are another person, like my Baptist friend, who feels completely natural giving everyone in the room a hug, or giving a genuine smile, or kind remark. It doesn't look like work or effort, it just is who you are. This is an example of the love that our Heavenly Father and our Savior has for everyone on this earth. It is not work to love. It is not strained. It is given so freely and openly. It is unconditional. God's love will never run out. It overflows.
I want to close my talk by sharing a personal story and relating it to a very beautiful moment in the New Testament. My first winter in Michigan was not an easy one for me to get through. I had not had a winter for two years while living in Grenada. On top of feeling trapped in our little apartment and trying to deal with the cold and darkness, I was pregnant. Normally, I don't really mind being pregnant. I think the physical discomforts are very small compared to the emotional roller coaster pregnancy can take me on. On top of that, my husband was in New York for 6 weeks doing an away rotation. Then, on one cold morning I was driving down Mack and as I headed through a green light, a big black truck making a U turn crashed right into me, totaling our only car. This happened in the month of January, and as February approached, I felt that life was just getting too hard. There were a lot of other personal things going on in my life. But the point I am trying to make is that I hit a low point. A very, very, low point. I had so much anxiety about having another baby, I wasn't even sure I wanted to be a mom anymore. This was not just one or two bad days. This was two or three weeks of a complete breakdown. I was a horrible mom during that time and my poor two kids just watched me cry all day long.
One night, when I felt completely alone, unloved and unworthy of being loved, I got the impression to open my scriptures. A story in the scriptures burned into my mind and I became desperate to find it. I believe this to be such a beautiful moment in the Saviors life and I compared myself to this woman. In Luke Ch. 7, it reads...(37-39)
"And behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, and stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him; for she is a sinner."
Jesus then tells a parable to relate to this instance and goes on in 44, " And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet; but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss; but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint; but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much; but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.........Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace."
This story illustrates the kind of love that I am talking about. God loves us. Christ loves us...despite our sins, despite all the times we turn our backs to him. Even when we feel that we are so low that we may literally break. His love is still strong. This story in the scriptures spoke to me in my pleading that night. I knew that there was nothing that I could do that would make God stop loving me. His love is always there for all of us. What a gift, so undeserving and often I feel so unworthy of this love. Yet, I am eternally grateful to know that I have a father who loves me and can't wait for me to return to Him.
Just as I told the children in Grenada that God will always love them no matter what, these are the last words I would like to leave with you all today. Let our main reason that we come to church each week be because we love God. And each week as we partake of the Sacrament, let us feel of His love for us. Let us feel the love from the atonement, the price Christ paid for our sins, his suffering, as well as God's suffering while watching his son on the cross was all because of love. May each of us strive for this love.