We can grow up in the Lord as we organize our lives according to His laws and constantly seek His Spirit to guide and comfort us. Then, whether or not we currently have everything we want, we become worthy heirs of Joseph Smith’s prophetic blessing—that they “may grow up in thee, and receive a fulness of the Holy Ghost, and be organized according to thy laws, and be prepared to obtain every needful thing” (Doctrine and Covenants 109:15)… The spiritual maturity that emerges from committing to build the kingdom is one of the ultimate markers of adulthood for all members of the Church… (LDS Ensign).
Jamica and Aubree are a dynamic mother-daughter duo who have grown up in the Lord. Aubree has a special gift with music and loves playing the cello, guitar, and piano. She just finished her first year of college where she relied on what she learned in her youth to strengthen her relationship with Christ. She always finds the positive in difficult situations and blesses everyone with her light and faith. Jamica is a loving wife and mother to six children. She offers an endless amount of love and support to each of her children and so many others who might be in need of a listening ear or helping hand.
In this interview, Jamica and Aubree discuss the transition into adulthood as Aubree moved away from home.
What was one of the biggest lessons you learned after moving away from home, and were there any habits you created beforehand that helped you?
Aubree: Moving away made me realize that everything was now up to me. I had to make the decision on whether I spent my time wisely or went to church or read my scriptures. All those little decisions were things I had to remember on my own. My parents weren’t going to call us for scripture study or family prayers every day. I had to choose to do it myself, especially because none of my roommates were making the same choices. Not seeing my family as often made me realize what great influences they are in my life and realize how much my parents have done for me. They always taught me to have a strong relationship with Christ. They really gave me the chance to do things because I wanted to and not because I was forced to.
Jamica: Aubree has always practiced some great habits like reading scriptures on her own or listening to conference talks while she gets ready. I think that helped her already know how to have a strong relationship with Christ without having to try and figure it out once she left home. As a parent I think you’re always going to go through a moment of panic when your kids are getting ready to leave and you don’t know if you taught them enough. Not just spiritually, but also about finances and cooking, to name just a few. Quite frankly you find yourself lacking in every area. But if you’ve at least tried to teach them a few of those things and tried to create habits of involving God in their lives, then you have some reassurance that they will learn it eventually. Even if don’t know how to cook or budget everything, even if they don’t know how to manage their time, it brings so much comfort knowing that if they know how to feel the Holy Ghost then He can then calm them and help them learn those things. You never know what situations your kids will find themselves in. You can’t teach them everything or prepare them for every single situation, but you can help them know what having the spirit feels like, and hopefully that’s what they will choose. So many stories in the scriptures are about kids who look back and remember what their parents had taught them. I think as a parent that’s how you send them off – you have no idea if they’re going to choose to go to church or say their prayers, but you hope at some point they will look back and remember what that peace felt like and then seek it out.
How did your testimony or relationship with Christ change?
Aubree: I grew a greater appreciation for Him, and for my family and the gospel in general. My testimony was strengthened by knowing that I was choosing the gospel for myself and it wasn’t just because I was going along with what my family was doing. My family had always gone to church together every Sunday, and in college I would have to wake up and go to church by myself. It was hard at first, but I made friends and always felt better and happier about my life when I went. I learned that it’s a lot easier to surround yourself with people who are making good choices, and sometimes you have to go out of your way to find those people.
Is there anything you wish you would have known, or any advice you would give to someone who is getting ready to move away from home?
Aubree: Try and make the most of it. Finding a little piece of home and surrounding myself with people who were good influences while I was away from my family really helped me. Spiritually, I would say don’t take for granted what you’re doing with the gospel right now. Study your scriptures and pray and continue with those habits, and really do it for yourself rather than relying completely on your parents’ testimonies. I had my own testimony when I was living at home, but I really grew when I had to choose for myself instead of my parents being the ones to help me along all the time. Choose for yourself if you want to be all in with the church or not.
Jamica: A lot of times people in college make the decision not to go to church because their parents aren’t there. But Aubree saw a couple different instances where people who had moved away from family were now deciding to learn more about God. They realized that they were making decisions about the rest of their lives and wanted to know how to really be happy. So I don’t think all college kids are blowing off parents or choosing not to have God involved in their lives. There are some who are sincerely and intentionally trying to put God in their lives where He hadn’t been in the past. People are either choosing to have God more in their lives or not at all. This could be true of all of us, but this younger generation in particular has so many choices about what they can do with their time. It makes the term “choice generation” more applicable because there are so many more choices that they can make, especially at that stage of life.
What gospel principle have you learned more about throughout this experience?
Aubree: Probably repentance, forgiveness, and the atonement. Not just for myself, but seeing it in other people’s lives. Realizing I have to forgive people who have made things hard or done things that are hurtful. With the people I have met at college who have asked me questions and wanted to learn more about the church, seeing what repentance has done through their lives has helped me grow my testimony. It strengthened me to to see how the Atonement can affect someone else’s life and how meaningful it is for other people. A lot of people get stuck doing things and making bad choices because they didn’t know any different. But seeing how the church and repentance has changed their lives, I know that no matter what happens in my life I’ll be able to repent and Heavenly Father will forgive me. I won’t ever end up without Him in my life.
No Comments