When we are exposed to something new or live somewhere outside our comfort zone, we tend to feel more vulnerable. For me, this feeling drew me to my knees in the most humble state, asking for courage and strength to approach each day with a positive attitude. . . When we turn to the Lord daily and ask where He needs us most, or ask how we can reach out to people we are prompted to help, that is what brings about a deep, most eternally satisfying happiness. It is not a temporary satisfaction, but a rich connection with heaven.
Alisa Crowell is the mother of 4 children ages 9, 7, 5, and 1–each of them are absolute miracles in her life. Outside of enveloping herself in tidying her 900 square-foot home and splurging in imaginative play with her kids, she adores the viola, photography, art, hiking in the mountains, and traveling the world with her husband, Corey. Together they enjoy eating fabulous food. Life has taught Alisa many lessons, the most important being how to forgive and love through Christ. He helps her see the good in people and allows her glimpses of how God sees them–this brings her the most joy.
How have your experiences in different parts of the world allowed you to learn about Christ’s love for all His children?
I think when we are exposed to something new or live somewhere outside our comfort zone, we tend to feel more vulnerable. For me, this feeling drew me to my knees in the most humble state, asking for courage and strength to approach each day with a positive attitude. One day when I was walking the streets of Spain, it hit me how I was probably not the only one to feel this way about life–each of us has felt vulnerable, alone, and afraid. These feelings were relinquished every time I knelt in prayer and immediately replaced with strength, courage, and love. It was then I learned that everyone deserves to feel these same emotions. This was only possible if I looked for ways to love others as Christ loves me–to actively think of ways to help other people. Christ atoned for ALL of God’s children to fill the void of pure love.
How did you learn to accept and adjust to change as you moved from place to place?
Change is an interesting thing. I have learned to love change–especially as we have moved from place to place. It’s amazing how we adapt to the seasons of the year. Even though the coldest season hits, we bear it because we know spring and warmth will come. Christ is all about change. He created the earth to change. There is no room for growth if there isn’t a previous cold winter and a pruning season. Seasons happens every year, and the greatest growth happens when there is change. Christ also created us to change. It seemed as though when we moved to a new place, my daily reach toward heaven through prayer and seeking the words of Christ helped me see hard things–or winter seasons–as opportunities to grow. Change is inevitable, and I feel the greatest strength and growth comes from reaching towards our Creator—ALL the time, every day.
How have you come closer to Christ through your experiences?
I have depended on Him and continue to depend on Him every day. I need to talk and listen to Him–every day. As I make an effort to seek Christ by praying to my Heavenly Father in His name–kneeling by my bedside to have Christ take my doubts, fears, and concerns, He gives me peace, courage, and direction–every day. He has changed the way I see people. He has changed the way I see life.
Have there been any particular experiences or people in your life that have helped you develop meekness?
When we lived in the UK, work was not going as planned and I realized I was not in control of what my circumstances were. As I humbled myself and turned to Christ, I realized with Christ I was in control of how I responded to my circumstances. I could be angry and close the door of happiness–making life miserable; or, I could choose to see how the Lord had blessed me in my life–constantly thanking him for the good things that were happening.
The wife of our bishop (local congregational leader) in Spain was an answer to my prayer when she told me she would ride by bus on the opposite end of town to pick me up and take me into town. She showed me how to shop, taught me how to speak, and made me feel confident. She was a busy, young mother. In her shoes now, I completely understand that role as well as the sacrifice she made to reach out to me. I know she asked the Lord where she could be of help, and she answered my prayer.
My good friend and leader of the children’s organization in the Ipswich, England Ward constantly showed a gentle love, kindness, and interest in not just the children of the ward but to each of their families as well. Whenever I was around her, I felt the love of Christ in the way she spoke, and saw His light emanate from her countenance. In every way she tried to BE like Him–in her visits with families and their children, in the messages she prepared, and the activities she planned. I could tell she knew Christ’s love and wanted others the feel the same.
How do you practice meekness when opposition arises?
This is by FAR the greatest challenge to the mortal man. How can we be gentle, kind, and submissive when there is opposition?? It takes an extra amount of turning to Christ in the height of opposition. It takes a complete trust, knowing that even though we are not in control–He is in control. I’ve mentioned this before, but prayer is a miraculous tool. It is a necessary tool if we are to truly practice meekness when things are not going like we think they should.
In England, there were a couple of times when Corey was out of town (it always seemed to happen this way) when I knew of nothing else to do, but to plea for help from heaven. To plea for strength beyond my own to deal with the present circumstances. As the hymn says, “Prayer can change the night to day.” I testify this is true. When we pray, Christ can help us see things we couldn’t see before. He can show us how to clearly react to a stressful or vulnerable situation. This happened to me when Corey was in Prague and all of our personal documents on paper and on his laptop in his briefcase were stolen. Christ healed my heart, blessed me with peace and the direction I needed to go to replace the documents.
I was blessed another time when I accidentally cut open my hand (Corey was out of town), and I had to calmly figure out how to get to the ER with 2 children under 4 and a baby. The Holy Ghost blessed me to know who to contact, how to calmly explain to my children what was going on, and how to get to the ER.
Prayer has blessed me in my home now as a mother–when opposition is at its prime and I can’t take the chaos or disobedience from my sweet children. Now, I may not be able to drop to my knees in those circumstances, but I certainly look heavenward and pray in my heart for help as to how to respond with simultaneous sharpness, love, and compassion.
How does being meek help to build your earthly relationships (even from a distance)?
I believe being meek allows us the opportunity to see ways to strengthen our relationships with others. By being humble and prayerful in our interactions with others, the Holy Ghost can prompt us to help others where God needs us most. When I approached the Lord every day, I would have promptings to call my mom or sister, send an email or picture to a friend, or prepare a small package of hearts and notes to family/friends. Many times I would find in my conversations with friends or family at home, how I could help my friends that were like family wherever I was living. The key is prayer with this one–a constant prayer in your heart about being where you need to be; and actively looking for ways to help. I am certainly a long ways out from being where I want to be on this one—somehow my own agenda and my own desires tend to creep in, and I forget to ask the Lord where He needs me that day.
How does practicing meekness bring you joy?
Meekness bringing joy is perhaps the greatest irony in the world we live in today. We are encouraged to do what we want and stand up for ourselves—to do what makes us happy. The truth is, we can search everywhere and anywhere in this world to find what makes ourselves happy and never truly find it.
When we turn to the Lord daily and ask where He needs us most, or ask how we can reach out to people we are prompted to help, that is what brings about a deep, most eternally satisfying happiness. It is not a temporary satisfaction, but a rich connection with heaven–feeling totally content. We feel purpose. We feel valued. We feel joy. I feel like it’s not something that just happens; it really does take practice. It is a daily effort to ask God where He needs us, and then to act. When we do, the happiness and joy we experience is so great, we can’t even express it.
Interviewed by: Lindsay McConkie
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