"For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater" (Isaiah 55:10).

Some days, when it rains, mud appears. It happens. Mud gets on my boots, my clothes, and then my floor and I don't even know it. So, I have to clean. But there are benefits to mud and rain. As I walked home the other day, there were tiny buds poking their heads out of the ground, through the mud, indicating that spring is about to come. Hallelujah! I need spring. Spring means flowers, warmer weather, and more sunshine. It also means rebirth. I love seeing these buds coming out of the ground after their rest all winter long. As I have pondered this, I think it is a perfect metaphor for life. We all have cycles of good days, bad days, periods of rest and rejuvenation, also rebirth and growth. There is no getting around it, it's part of life to have to go through the "winter" of life in order to enjoy the "spring" of life.

The prophet Isaiah said, "For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater" (Isaiah 55:10). Every stage of life is a process and has to be done in order. Gratefully, rain and mud and dung help in this process. Dung is the "fertilizer" that gives us the strength and wisdom to learn and know the difference between right and wrong, truth and error. And we get to do this! We don't have to do it. All the steps are important so that we can the bread that comes from the process, "eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days" (D&C 64:34)

The Savior said, as He has taken care of His vineyard, (the vineyard being symbolic of His people): "Have I slackened mine hand, that I have not nourished it? Nay, I have nourished it, and I have digged about it, and I have pruned it, and I have dunged it; and I have stretched forth mine hand almost all the day long, and the end draweth nigh" (Jacob 5:47). He cares for and nourishes us, even fertilizing us with dung. Sometimes, the "dung" in our lives is awful, smelly, terrible and very difficult to deal with. Dung isn't something we want to lay around in, but there is always a purpose. Dung as a fertilizer makes us stronger, healthier, and more vibrant. Without fertilizer, eventually plants don't get the nourishment they need and aren't strong enough to withstand the trials and challenges that come their way. Too much dung can also have the same effect and make us weak. We don't need to go around looking for dung to walk in and bring it into our homes, adding an extra burden to our already overloaded garden of life. But sometimes we step in it and we have to clean it up. Dung is part of life...we can choose to wallow in it or clean it up and throw it out where it belongs.

Rest is definitely needed, probably even more than we get in our fast paced, busy lives. In the vineyard, there is a time to rest. Spring reminds me that rest is a good thing. It's funny that winter isn't the reminder of that, but spring is. As these tiny buds are poking their heads out of the ground they are waking up from a long winters rest. We are all seeking to "enter into His rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of His glory" (D&C 84:24). When we are in the "rest of the Lord" the prophet Joseph F. Smith taught:

 “The ancient prophets speak of ‘entering into God’s rest’; what does it mean? To my mind, it means entering into the knowledge and love of God, having faith in his purpose and in his plan, to such an extent that we know we are right, and that we are not hunting for something else, we are not disturbed by every wind of doctrine, or by the cunning and craftiness of men who lie in wait to deceive. … The man who has reached that degree of faith in God that all doubt and fear have been cast from him, he has entered into ‘God’s rest,’ … rest from doubt, from fear, from apprehension of danger, rest from the religious turmoil of the world” (Gospel Doctrine, 58; see also Matthew 11:28–30)" (New Testament Teacher Resource Manual, (2002), 223–25).

Just as the tiny buds need the "snow from heaven" to water them and they in turn give us beauty and joy, our lives too need water, "that [we] might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25). Christ said, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:14). As we "drink" of His water, it will fill us up, bringing forth "the fruit of the Spirit...love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith" (Galatians 5:22). Who doesn't need more of that kind of fruit in their lives these days? I know I sure do. This spring we can drink of His water through small acts of kindness, feeling His love spread as the buds of love push their way through the mud and make a wonderful garden in our lives. Gratefully, we have a new day, every day to keep trying, to work in our "garden of life" and keep "pressing forward with a steadfastness in Christ" (see 2 Nephi 31:20), planting seeds of faith (see Alma 33:1) and try again.

I love spring. I love the signs of new life, of hope, of rebirth popping out of the ground all around us at this time of year. Every day is a new day, for all things "are the typifying of [Christ]" (2 Nephi 11:4). Christ lives! And we can too can live with renewed faith in Him, every day, a little at a time, just as the tiny buds push their way up through the mud and grow into a beautiful garden. Gratefully we only have to do it one day at a time. This I testify is His way, "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass" (Alma  37:6).

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me...and ye shall find rest unto your souls." Matt. 11:29

I have always had a hard time saying that I am an artist because I don't sell my art. I make art, but I don't sell it. But then again, there are many things I enjoy doing that I don't make money at and I call myself by those names, such as: I am a mother. I am a cook. I am a teacher. I am a wife. I am a maker of vessels. There are many things. But my point of all this actually has to do with art and "rest".

I have always been fascinated with women and mothering and how we are caretakers of many, yet, too often we forget to take care of ourselves. So, for one of my projects, many years ago, I did a series about "Women at Rest". I made over 100 women and all of them were in, on or a part of various types of cradles. The idea was as women we need to "rest" at times, or we would end up "resting"...i.e. dead. The cradles were symbolic of the care women need and provide.

Over the years I have continued to be a little fixated with the idea of "rest", not just for women, but for everyone. I have studied it in the scriptures a great deal and have it highlighted throughout my scriptures. I love the idea of being in "The rest of the Lord". In the scriptures this means "the fulness of his glory" (D&C 84:24). I have always had it in my mind that we don't need to wait until we are "at rest" to be in His glory. We can be in His rest now.

Jesus Christ says, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matt. 11:28-30).

The Latter-day prophet, Joseph F. Smith defined God's rest like this: "The ancient prophets speak of 'entering into God's rest'; what does it mean? To my mind, it means entering into the knowledge and love of God, having faith in his purpose and in his plan, to such an extent that we know we are right, and that we are not hunting for something else, we are not disturbed by every wind of doctrine, or by the cunning and craftiness of men who lie in wait to deceive. We know of the doctrine that it is of God, and we do not ask any questions of anybody about it; they are welcome to their opinions, to their ideas and to their vagaries. The man who has reached that degree of faith in God that all doubt and fear have been cast from him, he has entered into 'God's rest.'...rest from doubt, from fear, from apprehension of danger, rest from the religious turmoil of the world..." (Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p. 58.)

Put that definition in the scripture: "...and I will give you rest." That is a peace beyond description. The Lord is wanting to bless us with His peace, and with His happiness. This is how we can be happy in the midst of crisis. I have felt it and lived it in my own life. Even when things have been very difficult and emotionally challenging, I knew that His way was the right way. 

The world my not define me as an artist because I don't make money selling my art work, or they may not value me as a woman because I am a stay at home mom and don't make any money. But I know that what I am doing is beyond measurable value. God knows what is important and man's ways are not God's ways (Isaiah 55:8-9.) There is only one way to find true rest in this life and in the life to come, and that is "Come unto [Christ], and [He] will give [us] rest." (Matt. 11:28) Follow Him (2 Nephi 31:10; Matt. 9:9) , Learn of Him (Psalms 119:71; D&C 19:23)  and you will have true rest, God's rest. This I testify.