I totally have a mom super power. Yep, I’ve been holding out on you. I’ve known about my super power for a very long time. No, I haven’t lost my mind and I haven’t been watching too many super hero movies with the 5 males in my house. Although, I probably could never watch too much Thor (long hair Thor, not short hair Thor). You know what I’m talking about. My goodness what AM I talking about? Sorry, super powers, super powers. Ok I’m back on track.
Ready for it? I have the ability to completely tune out any sound I choose. In some cases I can even completely ignore what is right before my eyes. I guess it developed out of necessity. I have four boys who believe in order to prove they are living a sound must be coming from their body at all times. I also have a daughter who was constantly coming up with and asking the most absurd “what if” questions you could possibly imagine. She would even ask them as if they had some actual validity. “Mom, what if my cheeseburger turned into an alien and ate me? What would you do?”
Tuning things out was is necessary for survival; survival of myself AND my children. It’s not like I don’t know that the sound is there. Like right now I know my son is asking me over and over again, “Mom, if you were a vegetarian would you still eat animal crackers?” It just automatically floats to my subconscious unless I choose to retrieve it.
Sound is actually good because my mom instincts kick in if it sounds like someone is being mortally injured. Then I’d consider paying attention. If sound stops all together then I know something is REALLY wrong.
Like the time I was unpacking boxes in my home that I had just spent 18 months building. We hadn’t even spent one night in it. My kids were in the playroom right off the kitchen with all their boxes of toys. I let myself slip into silent bliss, actually believing it was possible for there to be silence in my house and every thing be ok. It was a moment of weakness that I have never let happen again. When I came to myself I rushed into the playroom sensing the impending horror.
There was RED EVERYWHERE. Walls, carpet, furniture.
Don’t worry it was also accented with blue, green, and yellow. My boys had found the finger paints in one of the boxes. No, not the little cute containers of fingers paints. If only. Four HUGE Costco size bottles of finger paints completely empty all over my brand new home. That carpet had a permanent pink tinge to it. I’d show you a picture but it was one of those things I chose to block from my mind with my unseeing super power.
I know, I guess my super power isn’t that special. You can relate all too well. You have it too don’t you? I think most moms do. Hey! I guess that just makes us all super!
I was reminded of our super power the other day when I was reading my scriptures:
And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
Isaiah 6:9 KJV
See! Scriptural proof of our super power! Pretty much the same scripture is in Matthew.
And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
Matthew 13:14 KJV
I couldn’t help but wonder with my great ability to tune things out, how much do I fail to see and hear that the Lord really needs me to hear? As great as I thought my super power was I realized the opposite power can be even greater. The next verse made me want the power to see and hear even more…
For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Matthew 13:15
You see that!? Seeing and hearing those things that are hard to see and hear is what changes and heals us. I’m always up for healing ‘cause I got a plenty to be healed. You too?
Here’s the problem. You know how it is super easy to see the faults of others but when it comes to our own faults we are kinda clueless? The even bigger problem is that we don’t know we are clueless.
Is there something you find annoying about someone else? Well, there is something about you and me that someone else finds totally annoying and we don’t even know it. How do we get around that?
It’s the same case with seeing and hearing. It is incredibly hard to know what we aren’t seeing and hearing because, well, we can’t see or hear it! I guess we are out of luck, right?
Unleeeess! Let’s add in a couple words to that scripture.
“…lest at any time they should see with their {spiritual} eyes, and hear with their {spiritual} ears, and should understand {through the Spirit} with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”
I suppose we have to do a little seeking. Here’s a little trick to help you find what’s hiding.
Ready?
The most important things we aren’t seeing and hearing aren’t necessarily the huge mysteries of the universe. They are usually basic and they are things we think we already have totally right. That’s why we can’t see or hear them. Still with me? It can also be spelled P-R-I-D-E.
How will you know when you’ve found something? Trust me, you’ll know. Thoughts like, “How did I never see that?” or “I can’t believe I was soo blind” will come to your head. At least that’s what I say to myself.
Last week as I pondered that very scripture in Isaiah something came to my mind. It didn’t come all at once and it took a bit to process. It was like being in a dark room that was slowly letting in light. I had to stop and strain to see and for a moment I couldn’t believe it was right.
I want to share it with you because I don’t feel like I’m alone in this. In fact I think most everyone reading these words needs to see and hear what is still becoming clear to me. The cool thing about seeing and hearing this, is that it will give us more “super power” than we can ever imagine.
It all started when I read this question in a book, “How does the Atonement strengthen me to do things in my daily life that I could never do with my own limited capacity and in my own strength?”
As I read those words I realized I was really good at seeing all the ways the Lord had strengthened me in the past but when it comes to the future, when it comes to having confidence to do the things to stretch myself and reach my potential? I’m a whole mess of fear and lack of confidence. I needed more faith in the power of Christ in my life but I didn’t know where to get it. What was my problem?
Well the Lord showed me my problem as I read Isaiah 6:9-10.
You know that thing that hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not? It is something you’ve been told your whole life, you even repeat it and would claim you believe it for yourself and others.
You don’t believe it because if you did you would be unstoppable. You would be able to access the Lord’s strength with faith and confidence every day.
Here it is.
You are of infinite worth to your Heavenly Father and He loves you beyond description.
So basic I never realized I didn’t really hear and see those words. You may even be reading them and thinking you already knew that. Do you really see though?
Believing those words leaves no room for despair, discouragement, feeling inadequate. Believing those words is the key to accessing the power of Christ’s Atonement because He never would have suffered for us if it weren’t for our worth and His love for us. It is all connected.
You are of infinite worth to your Heavenly Father and He loves you beyond description. If we want the most amazing super power in existence we HAVE to ask Heavenly Father to help us believe those words with every particle of our being.
“Seeing” and “hearing” our worth ignites our faith in Christ’s power for us and Christ hath said If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me. Moroni 7:33 BofM
You’ve got the power in you. Go get ’em girl!
