Loving the Lord

Last night I threw a shower for a friend in the ward. Despite the fact that the guest of honor got lost on the way (no thanks to stupid map quest for not updating our street into existence) and arrived an hour late, we had a blast. We enjoyed some tasty food and then proceeded to sniff diapers as we tried to guess the different candy bars melted into each one. We had some laughs and some were grossed out as one of the ladies cheated by sampling each of them.

We all had the opportunity to sit and chat about many different things, as women do best. Some of the topics of discussion included the neti pot, books, and raising children in the gospel. I have been pondering much on the latter. One of the ladies said "Do our children choose to follow the gospel because they see the blessings it brings or because they truly love the Lord?" That invoked some self-reflection on my part. Do I choose to follow the gospel because of the safety and love that I feel being a part of it or am I also diligent in sharing the gospel with others and doing the work of the Lord because I love Him? This brought on more ponderings of the purpose of this life and what is expected of us in the life to come. Heavenly Father has work for us to do and if we can't choose to follow Him and do his work in this life, then we will not be prepared to do it in the next. It is true, that I look forward to having an eternal family, being sealed with my spouse and having children forever and ever. Do I follow the gospel solely in hopes of receiving that great blessing, or can I devote my life, love and purpose to the Lord and show Him how much I love Him. I know I love the Lord and the best way I know how to show that love is by serving others and keeping His commandments. I know that I could do more to focus my love more on Christ and Heavenly Father and that is the never ending journey. Any thoughts?