Nurturing = Small and Simple Things

 "Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children." (The Family: A Proclamation to the World). I titled my blog after this crucial role and yet I find myself still striving to understand what nurturing really means.

Nur·ture

 [nur-cher] Show IPA verb, -tured, -tur·ing, noun

verb (used with object)

1.to feed and protect: to nurture one's offspring.

2.to support and encourage, as during the period of training or development; foster: to nurture promising musicians.

3.to bring up; train; educate.

 *From Dictionary.com

 I just loved this definitions! When I feed my family dinner, I'm fulfilling my divine mission. When I potty train my three-year-old, I'm nurturing. When I read the scriptures to my children, I am am example of a righteous woman. Those simple, seemingly mundane things I do every day are crucial to the development of my children and the success of my home. 

  God wants all of this children to be happy. In fact, when if we are obedient to His commandments, we qualify, through Christ, to obtain a state of never-ending happiness after this life (Mosiah 2:41). It is through this we can know that obedience to each of God's commandments will bring us a portion of that happiness. 

 So, why not? When I do a clean & put away a load of laundry, when I wake up to comfort an ill child, and what I'm making the seemingly 5th meal of the day (which is all too real with a toddler at home), I CAN BE HAPPY because I am fulfilling my divine mission to nurture my children. It doesn't have to be anything grand or famous. In fact, no one may know about it but me and God. Truly, "by small and simple things, great things are brought to pass".