The Sacrament Is a Love Letter, Not a Checklist

My family is almost always late to church. Three boys, a baby on two naps, and a husband who runs on a different time schedule than I do. For years I showed up frustrated, having missed the sacrament again, sometimes crying in the bathroom about it. That is not where I am anymore.

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What the Prayer Actually Says

For a long time I was focused on one line of the sacrament prayer. That they may always have his spirit to be with them. I had been taught that in order to have the spirit throughout the week, I needed to take the sacrament. Miss it and you lose something.

But when I actually read the full prayer, there is so much more in it.

Taking on the name of Christ. Remembering him. Standing as a witness. Keeping the commandments.

The spirit is not a reward for performing a ritual. It is the result of doing all of these things, of living in a way that is tuned in. And more than that, I have come to believe we never actually lose the spirit. We just tune in or tune out. It is always there. We just have to choose to listen.

A Love Letter, Not a Worthiness Test

My aunt said something that shifted everything for me. She suggested that maybe the sacrament prayer is just a love letter from Jesus. A moment to sit with him.

That rang so true.

When I stopped seeing the sacrament as a worthiness checkpoint and started seeing it as an opportunity, everything changed. A quiet moment. A meditative pause in a busy week. A collective moment with a congregation all sitting in the same spirit together, with the youth distributing bread and water, representing something profound.

That is actually beautiful.

And the most interesting thing happened. Now that I do not feel like I have to go, I love going even more.

"I stopped seeing the sacrament as a worthiness checkpoint and started seeing it as an opportunity. A love letter from Jesus. A moment to sit with him."

What the Sabbath Is Really About

"The spirit is not something you lose. You just tune in or tune out. It is always there. You just have to choose to listen."

The same reframe has been happening for me around the Sabbath. For most of my life it came with a long list of rules. No homework. Church clothes all day. No movies. No sporting events. No eating out. I remember being confused as a kid because we could play basketball at grandmas but could not watch it on TV.

I have been peeling back the rules to find the principle underneath.

God rested on the seventh day. Is the Sabbath fundamentally about rest?

Is it about family? Is it about remembering? When you take ownership of your why, it becomes a delight instead of an obligation. Our Sundays have gotten more flexible as I have gotten more flexible. We traveled to California on a Sunday, swam in the hotel pool, ate dinner together, and were genuinely present as a family all day.

Was that not honoring something sacred?

Permission to Evolve

None of what God has given us was meant to make us feel less than. The sacrament. The Sabbath. The commandments. They are opportunities to tap into more love, more light, more peace.

Not checkboxes. Not ways to measure our worthiness.

Figure out what it looks like for you. Give yourself permission for it to evolve.

And if you have been using any of these things as a reason to shame yourself, please stop. Our loving Heavenly Parents would not want that for us.

You got this 💗

Brynne

"None of what God has given us was meant to make us feel less than. They are opportunities to tap into more love, more light, more peace."

Thanks for Being Here

Hi, I’m Brynne. I share my journey of becoming through stories and reflection - guided by a higher power as I explore identity, faith, and everyday life, inviting you to grow alongside me.

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