The Queen's Kingdom

In pondering upon the topic the "Queen's Kingdom" my first thoughts of a Kingdom were what you would see in the movies; a castle with a courtyard surrounded by an impenetrable wall with guards on the lookout and a mote to keep out the enemies.
I thought about the people who would live in such a kingdom, going happily about their daily tasks knowing that they were perfectly safe-guarded and of course the King and Queen in "my" kingdom would be kind and wise.

Back to reality! My "castle" is about 1600 square feet and sits on several acres of "kingdom" with too much grass to mow and not enough people to mow it! My "wall" is an electric fence and my mote is a small creek off to one end of the property that I cannot see without climbing down to it!(the view from my house standing out on our back deck)
But though it's not a large home or a fancy home I try to keep it neat and attractive and cheerfully decorated with simple things.(my kitchen window)
I love flowers and plants and trees and gardens. Unfortunately my health issues keeps me from attending to them the way I used to and keeping up with the weeds and watering is a challenge. (the weeds and old daffodils on one side of the house)
My sister-in-law, Nancy, was over the other day with her kids and we were outside talking and I said something to the effect that I hadn't been able to keep up with the weeds, and she very bluntly and almost disgustedly responded, "Peggy! Do you think I would notice a weed?!!" Though her house has been sitting on their property for about 5 years she is just wishing for a finished yard and some grass for her kids to play on. It's interesting the perspectives we see things from. Though my yard is weedy, for now the grass is green and the perennials and bushes are green and many are flowering. It's definitely a yard to be grateful for. (front view looking from the porch)
(looking towards the front of the house from the drive-way)(the flower bed along the drive-way)
The most important aspect of our homes, however, is that the spirit of God can dwell there. Our homes can be, and should be, as sacred in nature as our Temples. Even if it's small, or just an apartment or whatever, it can be neat and orderly, and as sacred as being at the temple. Our leaders have stressed the importance of having a picture of the temple hanging in our homes. I think nearly every member now has that and it helps remind us of the spirit that should dwell in our homes. Watching only appropriate television programs and movies, and listening to wholesome music keeps and invite the spirit in our homes. The smell of good food cooking makes home comfortable and welcoming and adds to a good spirit in the home. Eating meals together as a family builds family unity and gives time for comfortable conversations. Keeping words kind and thoughtful and avoiding contention can most definitely bring the spirit. Our homes should be a refuge of safety and comfort for family members. A place where parents & children feel safe to retreat from the difficulties in the world. Of course this will take some work and effort and it certainly won't be perfect all of the time, but we can be working towards that and achieving much success if we try. But there is yet another "kingdom" that we should be working to attain than just that of a temporal nature....

In Luke 17:20 the Pharisees demanded of Jesus when the Kingdom of God should come. Jesus replied that the Kingdom of God was not come by observation...then in verse 21 he says, "...the kingdom of God is within you."

The dictionary describes a kingdom as a "body of government having a king or queen as it's head." It is also described as the "domain over which the spiritual sovereignty (status, dominion, power---royalty) of God or Christ extends, whether in heaven or on earth."

We know from the scriptures that Jesus Christ is the King over all the earth, and that when He returns He will be the King of Kings and take over the reign of the government of His Church. But obviously he meant something when teaching the Pharisees, that His kingdom will not come by observation, but by becoming a part of it. By having it live within each of us.

Jeffery R. Holland said, "I am filled with an overwhelming sense of duty to prepare my life (and to the extent that I can to help prepare the lives of the members of the Church) for that long-prophesied day, for the time when we will make a presentation of the Church to Him whose Church it is. I do not know when this singular day will come. I do not know who will be present to see it. But this I do know: when Christ comes, the members of His Church must be looking and acting like members of His Church are supposed to look and act if we are to be acceptable to Him. We must be doing His work, and we must be living His teachings. He must recognize us quickly and easily as truly being His disciples." (July 2007 Ensign)

Our day is a day filled with much trouble and trying times, but it is preparing us and making us stronger if our heart is in the right place. As we strive to build up that "kingdom" inside us and incorporate that into our homes and families we will be blessed with the help we need from the Savior himself. His desire is to watch over and protect us as we come unto Him.

Jeffery R. Holland also said, (April 1998 Ensign) "May I be bold enough to suggest that it is impossible for anyone who really knows God to doubt his willingness to receive us with open arms in a divine embrace if we will but “come unto him.” There certainly can and will be plenty of external difficulties in life; nevertheless, the soul that comes unto Christ dwells within a personal fortress, a veritable palace of perfect peace. “Whoso hearkeneth unto me,” Jehovah says, “shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil”

We don't need to have a castle with an impenetrable wall and a mote to dwell safely in these troubled times and to be free from fear of evil when we have the Savior in our lives.

I was resolving an issue for my missionary daughter, Lindsey, this week. Of course I only get once a week emails and no weekly phone calls, even if the matter is urgent, so we were resolving the issue with the help of the England London Mission Elders serving in the office. I wasn't particularly troubled with the issue, but I have been about some other things. I had asked the Elder who was helping us to just let me know if he got the email ok, and he wrote back that he had with such a simple message I have been thinking about it for days. He said, " 'Be not troubled' as the Savior told his disciples." I feel so blessed to know that it can be as simple as that in this complicated world, to "be not troubled." To know the Savior loves us so much that He wanted us to know that we need not fear. "Doubt not, fear not" is another simple and very comforting statement.

Sister Patricia Holland, who is the wife of Jeffery R. Holland, both of whom I love to read their talks because they are so full of love and so tender in their affections towards us as members of the church; she said in a Women's Conference talk (in The Best of Women's Conference), "Perhaps we forget that the kingdom of God is within us because too much attention is given to the kingdom of women outside us, this outer shell, this human body of ours, and the frail, too-flimsy world in which it moves...when the soul reaches the stage where it pays less attention to praise, it then also cares very little when the public disapproves. Comparing...and competition and jealousy and envy begin to have no meaning... Just imagine the powerful spirit that would exist in our female society if we finally arrived at the point where, like our Savior, our real desire was to be counted as the least among our sisters."

Mathew 6:33 is so fitting...."but seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."

And an oh-so-fitting quote by Truman Madson, "Sisters, you who are living temples. I suggest that your best fortress against the adversary is simply to be who you are; to know that in the pantheon of heaven there is no higher order of personality and being than a woman and sweetheart and mother."

Ahhh,the Queen and the Kingdom.....is in us....hold tight to that thought! =)

(Roses picked from my yard 2 days ago.)