I actually have a smidgen of a bit of time to blog today! Yay! But because I don't have as much time to blog as I want, we're going to have to keep this short. Sorry, but that's the way my life is going for the next three weeks—and the way my life has been for the past month. Yes, I live in Busytown, USA!
As you might have guessed from this post's title, I've gone up, over, and I'm heading straight down the dreaded I-40 hill. That's code for "I'm 40 years old now!" 😂 Ha ha. I've never thought I would ever share my age on Enthusiastic Fantastic, but now that I'm closer to death than birth (according to who, I don't know—but that's what's been said for years!), I don't really care about my age anymore.
Anyone who knew me 10 years ago would probably be shocked by my previous sentence, but it's true! When I turned 30, I reallystruggled. I don't know what it was about turning "The Big 3.0." that freaked me out so much, but I was not happy to see my 30th birthday come. Don't worry, I was so happy to be alive, but I would have been happier to stay 25-years-young forever! 😀 Yet now that I'm 40, I'm like, "Woohoo! I'm 40 years old! And I don't even care! Life is so awesome!" 😁
I've learned so many things in the four decades I've been alive. I feel so much more at peace now than I ever did before. Also? The past 10 years of my life have been the hardest years e.v.e.r., so the fact that I survived them and I'm thriving, well I feel like the Champion of Living! #yayme! 😉 In all seriousness, the fact that I endured 2007–2017 so well nearly blows my mind. If I can survive that decade, I can literally do anything! (No, I'm not trying to jinx myself!)
I didn't have a big blow-out birthday bash this year because I wasn't feeling particularly partyish. In other words, everything I wanted to do for my birthday included being physically active and being able to participate in said active activities. Because of Fankle's incomplete healing (I'm in month five+ of my recovery), I decided to keep my birthday simple this year. But have no fear, I was well-cared-for and felt very loved by my family and friends! 🎁💐💌
That said, I'm predicting that year 41 will be a huge celebration! Of course, that idea is so fun!for me because I'm assuming that Fankle will be fully healed in less than one year. 🤞! Yet I'm under no delusions that I'll finish Fankle's Run with a perfect recovery; I'm painfully aware that I might not ever be able to physically do everything that I used to do before Fankle joined my life. 😔 But I have hope that I'll be able to enjoy many of the activities (pretty please?!) that I used to before June 7th, 2016.
What I'm really grateful for (among so many things) after 40 years on this precious, beautiful earth, is that I've had so much FUN in my life! Yes, there have been moments of extreme sadness, stark loneliness, a little regret, some wincing, a few grimaces, a lot of eye rolls, multiple face squinches, dreary tears, and frustrations galore, but I've spent the vast majority of my life's minutes having fun and being happy! 🎆🎈🎉
As my time for blogging is now up 😞, I'll leave you with these fantastic photos that my brother-in-law edited for me. I'm so grateful he shared his artistic time with me! I told him it was the best 40th birthday present he could have given me! He really is so talented!
I'm so happy my brother-in-law jumped on the Meitu Instagram bandwagon because I wasn't brave enough to do it! Supposedly, the Meitu app is dangerous because China is spying on us through our phones when we download it. As much as I assume and hope China isn't trying to make my life miserable by gathering my data and photos, I'm definitely a "Don't spy on me!" kind of girl. I mean, I know my life isn't that interesting, but I still want to keep my privacy on my terms! 😎 I.e., I'll share what I want to share with the world! Don't steal from me!
Actually, I didn't know about Meitu until my brother-in-law told us about it, but it's definitely trending on Insta! If you click on the above link, be aware that there are a few spam hashtaggers who want to ride the Meitu popularity wave. Be sure to page down to see the app's real photos.
I'm pretty happy with the way my photos turned out! Yes, they're totally "out there" and I look like a cartoon character, but one of the greatest things we get to enjoy in this life is having fun!, and these photos are a pretty great start to my 41st year! (You know, because I've completed 40 years already. Ha ha.)
Now, I want all of you to promise yourselves that you'll do something FUN today because we only live once and we must enjoy every minute! 😊
This one makes me laugh because the filter makes everyone chubby!
P.S. I just realized this is my 150th post published on Enthusiastic Fantastic! That is most definitely a cause for celebration! 😁🎆🎊🎈🎉
This morning, as I laid in bed trying to go back to sleep, I thought about blogging. Actually, I think about blogging a lot! :) Thus, I decided to write a blog post listing my reasons I think everyone should create and maintain their own blog. My reasons are in no particular order, so one reason isn't more important than another. Here we go!
Blogging is therapeutic. Over the years, I've read multiple articles that all say the same thing: there is immense value in writing about our lives. Whatever life issues we may have truly diminish as we write down our feelings.
Blogging makes me happy, thus, I think blogging will make everyone happy! :) It's true. I legitimately feel better when I'm blogging. If I ever feel not at my best, i.e., cranky, sad, frustrated, etc., I realize I haven't blogged in a long while—refer back to point one. :)
Blogging stimulates the creative side of our brains. I honestly believe creativity is vitalin keeping our brains healthy. :) Even if someone doesn't like writing, per se, they could still have a blog about art, or cooking, or sewing, or home improvement projects, or photography. A blog with photos and a brief description is so easy to create, and there isn't much writing required. :)
Blogging is a window to our souls. We can tell a lot about a person through their consistent writing. It really is so much fun to "get inside" someone else's head—well, to the point that someone is willing to share!
Blogging creates understanding, which may lead to unity. Each of us have unique life experiences. No one is a clone of anyone else—not even identical twins. Even if we are involved in the same life situation, each of us has a different perspective of what did or didn't happen. Thus, it really is so good to share our thoughts and feelings with others. Think of blogging like a town hall meeting where we can freely and safely present our thoughts to others without fear of retaliation. *Of course, that depends on the good social etiquette of others. There are many blog commenters in the world who aren't supportive and can be downright mean and ugly with their words. I hope everyone chooses to be uplifting in their comments, or remain silent!
Blogging tells our stories best! There are many ways to express ourselves with the various social media outlets, but I truly believe blogging does the best job of telling our stories. Yes, there are people who aren't wordy and may like Twitter better, but even Twitter just extended their character limits to 10,000. Yet for those of us who are more wordy, Twitter probably still doesn't have enough space! Ha ha. Instagram is so lovely for photos and users can leave a description, but I feel everyone's stories still get somewhat lost on Instagram. Plus, even though we can view Instagram on any device, users can only create content from cell phones, which is definitely limiting. Now onto Facebook...well, don't even get me started! Ha ha. If you'd like to know my position about FB, feel free to read my posts, "My Facebook Experiment," "Unfriending vs. Unfollowing" and "Farewell, Facebook!" Google+ is okay, but I honestly don't really use it for anything other than sharing my blog links and keeping my name searchable in Google—see reason eight for clarification. Pinterest is okay, but it only shares what a user is interested in through a linkto a website or blog! Again, users have to create their content if they want someone to really know what they're about. In fact, I mostly share my blog's content on Pinterest and Instagram! I'm not on Reddit, Snapchat, Twitch, LinkedIn, or any of the other social media sites I've never heard of. Ha ha. Yes, I'm sticking with blogging!
Blogs can be viewed without others having to sign up with an account of their own. This is very helpful for anyone who doesn't want to have a large social media presence. People can happily view blogs without the pain of having to sign up with their own account—unlike other social media websites. *Granted, this only applies to public blogs. If someone has a private blog, they must invite their desired readers to create an account with their blog hosting service. Chances are, if someone we care about wants to invite us into their world, I'm certain we'd be willing to create an account—I know I would. :)
Blogging helps eliminate public confusion as to who we are. There are many websites based on "public records" that claim to have all the information anyone would ever desire. After searching for myself over the years, I still can't believe the gross inaccuracies available on multiple websites. Those ridiculous websites created off of public real estate records, credit information and generic mailing lists (that are totally outdated), aren't helpful to anyone! Professionals who want to keep their name in the positive areas of the internet should most definitely write their own blog. We must own our names!Don't allow anyone else to define your name or your values! Sorry if it seems like I'm "screaming," I'm really not. I'm just very passionate about keeping the internet honest!
Blogging helps create our legacy. No one likes to talk about dying and death, but the fact is, we will all die one day. I have many loved ones who have passed on that I would love to know more about. I cherish the writings of my little sister and dearly wish she had written more! I think there is nothing better than to have a place to go remember our loved ones—which is why cemeteries are not scary places to me, they're sacred. *Having a blog to go "visit" our departed loved ones is a gift I wish more of my extended family members would participate in. Hey, I would love it if everyone wrote books because I love paper so very much(!), but publishing a book is expensive! Thus, writing a blog on a free web service is amazing and awesome! No offense meant to anyone, but why isn't everyone blogging for free to leave their legacy?! Um, that totally rhymed and I didn't even mean to! Ha ha.
Now, I'd like to share my opinion as to why Blogger is the best blogging platform. *To clarify, no one has asked me to write this, and no one is paying me to promote my buddy, Blogger!
Before I created Enthusiastic Fantastic I researched Wordpress. I have nothing against Wordpress and I have many friends who use (or have used) Wordpress—it's a perfectly nice place to share your life on the www. Yet after studying Wordpress for a few hours, I realized I simply like the features of Blogger better. In fact, I used Blogger for my Adrie World blog for five years and thoroughly enjoyed it.
The best news about Blogger came in 2015: Google, who owns Blogger, began hosting individual domain names again! Thus, I instantly dropped GoDaddy and switched to Google as my host of Enthusiastic Fantastic! There was nothing wrong with GoDaddy, they were perfectly fine, and kind, and all those good things. I just like the convenience of having my blog easilyconnected to my domain name—I went through quite an extensive amount of researching hours to connect my Blogger blog to GoDaddy. Plus, Google is cheap! My website is good to go until like 2020! :)
That said, Blogger allows anyone to create a blog for free through their .blogspot.com address. I began Enthusiastic Fantastic with a .blogspot.com address and changed to my own web address only one year and three months ago. Setting up a blog on Blogger is seriously so easy and they have all sorts of forums to help with questions. Granted, creating a blog takes time, but anything worth doing takes time!!
I also really like the fact that Blogger is connected directly to Google (It's right inside Google! Yeah yeah!), which is helpful if you're trying to get your blog noticed. My blog hasn't really taken off, and I'm okay with that. I don't know if my blog will ever take off in the sense that I could make a lot of money at it, and I'm okay with that. I just love blogging, so it doesn't matter if I'm noticed, or not. :)
A few weeks ago, I repeatedly thought, "Should I quit my blog? I spend so much precious time and energy blogging, but is it really worth my efforts?" I've had those feelings before—read "I Shall Continue!" to know more. Thus, I found it utterly hilarious when I awoke one morning to a bird literally tapping on my window. I was like, "That darn bird woke me up! And on a Saturday when I could have been sleeping in!!!" I was so sleepily annoyed, you have no idea! ;)
Because I was already awake, I laid there, wondering. I debated with myself again about quitting my blog. Yet after rolling over, I checked my email and saw I had gained another couple followers on my Google+ account. (Thank you friends, you know who you are!) In that moment, I instantly knew that my answer was no, I should most definitely not quit blogging...I know because a little birdy told me so! Ha ha. I rolled back over and saw that my husband was awake. I told Greg about what happened and he thoroughly agreed with me! Yay! :)
Lastly, this is my happy motto for everyone: "Choose To Write!" It's a play on words of one of my church's favorite themes: Choose the Right. :) I think of my motto often and take notes whenever I'm inspired with a new blog topic—I hope you'll do the same!
Yes, I'm telling the world: that little bird wants you to blog, too! Thus, go forth with greatness and write your story!
P.S. I just realized I wrote and published my "nine reasons" on the ninth of January! I so did not plan this! :)
*Update: Before you read this lengthy post, please know that on 04/04/2019, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints changed its policy that I wrote about below. If you can find the time, please read the entire news release "Policy Changes Announced for Members in Gay Marriages, Children of LGBT Parents." Even though the Church's policy has changed, I'm leaving this blog post as-is for the sake of history. You have to admit that this policy saga is super fascinating, right?! I still totally love and fully support my church and its leaders. I am and will remain an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints forever! I wholeheartedly believe in inspiration and continuing revelation—both personally, and for The Church as a whole. With that said, read on, and I hope you have a beautiful day!
The past two+ weeks have been interesting—to say the least—for my church and its members. (In case this is your first visit to Enthusiastic Fantastic, you might like to know that I'm a very happy member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!) I was surprised that some of my church's policy information was sneakily released to the media on November 6th, 2015. That said, I wasn't surprised about the content of the news, just the way in which the news was released—for it wasn't released by the Church's typical channels.
Because I'm not on Fakebook anymore, I don't know for sure where the news story first broke. All I know is that one of the blogs I follow, Fair Mormon, released the first blog post I saw about it: "A Look at the Church’s New Policy on Children of Gay Couples." It's a great read, I highly recommend it. Here is the information verbatim from Fair Mormon that first introduced me to what was going on in my church:
Those who enter into a same-sex marriage are considered apostate, and will need to undergo Church discipline possibly resulting in disfellowshipment or excommunication;
Local leaders should seriously consider Church discipline against members cohabitating in same-sex relationships but not married;
Minor children in same-sex households are not to be baptized into the Church until they reach adulthood. At that point they must understand and accept the Church’s doctrine regarding the sinfulness of same-sex acts and marriages in order to be baptized
I thought those two sources were very clear and self-explanatory. I was not confused as to where the Church stood on the issue of same-sex marriage within its membership. Thus, I was surprised at the uproar seemingly everywhere on the internet, local/national media, and social media—and even within my own extended family. I mean, it's not a huge surprise where the Church stands in regard to SSM, so I couldn't understand why everyone was so shocked with the policy change—especially after the Church further explained and kindly clarified their position.
My church has been talking about the importance of families forever—and especially in the past 20 years! For reference, please read "THE FAMILY, A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD," that was released in 1995. Not to mention, please notice how many videos The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has produced about families and religious freedom—and I didn't even include them all. (You don't need to watch all of them, I just included the links in case anyone is interested.)
Also, the major motion picture, Meet The Mormons, does a great job of introducing what the Church is all about. I wish everyone on the planet would watch it! :)
Yes, with all of those previously listed sources, there should be zerosurprises about where the Church stands in regard to same-sex marriage.
As the past 17 days have unfolded, I've read and listened to many sources about the topic shared above. Here some of the links to what I've been researching (There are other sources I've read/watched/listened to that I won't be linking.):
"The New LDS Church Policy on Same-Sex Families"—There were several comments made in this podcast that rubbed me the wrong way. I didn't like the way some of the guests were making my church and its members out to be "evil meanies" (they didn't say that, it's just how I felt they were portraying us) because we're not evil nor mean!
"Pride and Faith," the recently-released video by Scott Raia. His video's tagline reads, "A BYU film student documents his growing awareness of the LGBT community, especially within the Mormon church. He sees his nervousness for graduation from college as a something of a parallel for the uncertainty faced by some of his friends as they transition to adulthood as gay Mormons."
Hopefully, anyone reading my blog can see that I check a wide variety of sources for information. I most definitely do not live inside a vacuum! ;) I truly try my best to see all sides of every life issue before coming to a conclusion or making a decision. Thus, please believe me when I say that after all of my researching, I don't have a problem with my church's same-sex marriage policy. The information my church has presented makes sense to me.No, my support of the Church and its leaders does notmake me heartless nor a bigot. Oh no, it most certainly does not! (By the way, I strongly dislike that previously mentioned b-word.)
While I hope this blog post doesn't attract haters, there's no guarantee of that not happening (Did I say that right? Or, is it a double negative? I'm overcome with wordiness! Ha ha.), which makes me a little nervous. That said, I still want to share my opinion on the subject.
First off, despite what others may think or say, I truly believe the Church has no ill will directed at the LGBT community—nonewhatsoever—and for the record, I don't, either. (For more on my views of my country's actions toward legalizing SSM, please read my post "The Supreme Court's Decision"—I wrote it before the historic and final announcement.) The Church's leaders have simply stated what they believe is right and true. I support my church leaders 100% because I believe they receive direct inspiration and revelation from the Lord, which means this policy change has been given to them directly from the Lord.
"Serving with these representatives of the Lord [in the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles], I have come to know their greatest desire is to discern and do the will of our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son. As we counsel together, inspiration has been received and decisions have been made that reflect a degree of light and truth far beyond human intelligence, reasoning, and experience. As we work together in unity on perplexing problems, our collective understanding of an issue has been enlarged in marvelous ways by the power of the Holy Ghost."
Second, I get frustrated when people who aren't members—or are less-active members—of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints get so opinionated about something they don't even want to be a part of themselves! Seriously, what?! I wish I could say to them: Why are you being mean toward the Church and its members when you're not following its teachings, and you want nothing to do with it anyway?!
It's ridiculous to me that the only time haters care about the Church or its policies is when the Church has made a stand that the haters don't agree with. That's like me having an opinion about any number of other churches' policies. Am I an active/participating member of said church that I'm having issues with? No? Well, then I don't get to have a say about how they run their church. If, however, I was an actively participating member of said church whose policies I disagreed with, then I'd have something to talk about.
*Side note: I saw a news clip about the "mass" membership resignation of Church members that happened Saturday, November 14th. What I think needs to be pointed out is this quote from KUTV 2News:
"When asked if those in the LGBT community are actively wanting their children to be raised in the LDS faith, Matson replied, 'Honestly, no. They don't...'
"A recent poll conducted by event organizers and posted on the LDS Mass Resignation Facebook page shows only 5 percent of those who resigned this weekend attend an LDS church on a weekly or monthly basis."
So not only do most of those in the LGBT community not even want to be a part of the Church, only 125 of the approximately 2,500 people giving up their membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are actively participating members!Yeah, I'm pretty sure 2,500 members out of the Church's total population of 15+ million doesn't constitute the definition of a "mass resignation." (At least that's the number I've researched in the media up to this point.)
Third, I've been puzzled by some active Latter-Day Saints' negative reactions to the Church's new policy. To them I say: Pray for guidance and peace.Please read or watch all of the statements put forth by the Church. (I linked them above.) Realize that either you do or you don't support the Church and its leaders. (I support the Church and its leaders.) Either the brethren are spiritually in tune, or they're not. (I believe they are in tune.) Either they've made the correct policy update, or they haven't. (I believe they are acting according to the revelation/inspiration they've received from the Lord. Refer to the comment I previously shared by Elder Bednar.) If you believe the brethren/leaders are in tune to inspiration and revelation from the Lord, through the Holy Ghost, then accept what they've done. (I've accepted their actions, and apparently so have the vast majority of the Church's members.)
*Side note: I've been writing this blog post for a little over one week. Late last night, as I was shutting down my computer, I read a beautiful blog post, "Sustaining, Suffering and Enduring Each Other," by Bruce E. Dale, Interpreter, A Journal of Mormon Scripture. Brother Dale does a wonderful job of defining and describing what it means to sustain the Church's leaders and members. It is so worth five minutes of your time! :)
Fourth, for years, the Church has stood up for what it genuinely believes is right and true: that same-sex marriage should notbe legalized. I think it's fair to say that the Church did literally everything within its power to prevent that legal social change. But once the Supreme Court legalized SSM, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints supported the law, while simultaneously requesting that rights for religious freedom be protected. For reference, please see Elder Dallin H. Oaks' General Conference talk, "Loving Others and Living with Differences," given in October, 2014. His marvelous words were presented just two days before SSM was legalized in Utah—which catapulted the Supreme Court's country-wide decision. I know I've already shared portions of this talk previously, but I feel it's good enough to share again:
We all have the right to live according to our religious/spiritual beliefs and consciences, as is presented in an awesome PBS video I watched a few days ago (linked below). Religious liberty/freedom should not be squashed by anyone—including those who request tolerance and acceptance of their personal views and choices, but aren't willing to extend the same generosity to those with deeply held religious beliefs!
"No one wants to see our gay and lesbian neighbors mistreated, bullied, harmed. At the same time, we need to protect the pluralism of the public square that allows people to dissent from whatever the dogma of "the church of the sexual revolution" is. And that's the dangerous place that we're in right now, is there are many people who are suggesting that this wave of sexual revolution ought to trump religious liberty and conscience rights in a way that simply paves over the consciences of people. That's not the sort of society we ought to live in."
Of course, I could have easily shared many of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints' leader's speeches on religious freedom, but I chose to share the perspective of Russell Moore—President of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission—simply to illustrate that the Church is not the only church that feels this way.
So where are we now? Obviously, same-sex marriage is legal in the United States of America and in other countries across the world. While there are many places that same-sex couples can get married, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints isn't one of them. The Church has the right to unequivocally state that they won't support or allow SSM within their membership, church buildings or temples. They aren't holding anyone back from being allowed the standard/legal definition of marriage in the worldly sense, but when it comes to the Lord's way of eternal marriage, yes, the Church has put their foot down—and they have every right to do so. The Lord has drawn the line in the sand so there is zero confusion about same-sex marriage—it's not up for debate in the Church.
What some people are forgetting (or conveniently ignoring?) is that not only does the Church not allow SSM, but it also has the following list of dos and don'ts that apply to all current and potential church members (I included as many as I could find/remember):
do our best to "build up" Zion, i.e., the pure in heart
To further illustrate my point, Doctrine and Covenants 38:16 tells us (emphasis added), "And for your salvation I give unto you a commandment, for I have heard your prayers, and the poor have complained before me, and the rich have I made, and all flesh is mine, and I am no respecter of persons."—meaning the Lord's commandments apply to everyone.
To go along with that scripture, I found this awesome quote by President Joseph Fielding Smith, the 10th president of the Church,
It's no secret that the Lord expects the same devoted discipleship from every member of the Church! And when we make mistakes, the Atonement of Jesus Christ is there to help us out—pending we utilize it through our full repentance! :)
I hope I've illustrated that the same-sex-marriage-is-not-allowed-in-the-Churchissue is a much smaller fraction of what it means to be an active and faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints than what the media is portraying. There will always be fluidity in the membership of the Church due to people becoming (and hopefully staying) converted, while simultaneously others neglect their personal testimonies (and all that encompasses) and become inactive members, or resign from the Church altogether. If people want to leave the Church, surely SSM won't be the only reason they choose to focus on.
What it all comes down to is this: we each have the right to believe what we believe! Those negatively affected by the Church's SSM policy change alwayshave the option to make different choices in order to access those beautiful and sacred ordinances, and receive the promised blessings.
Just like any actively participating Latter-Day Saint, everyone who has heard of the Church can choose to obey its teachings...we can all be blessed for our faithfulness. If people decide to follow our Savior, and do what is required to become and stay an active member of the Church, there are no restrictions holding anyone back—the "Blessings of the Gospel [are] Available to All"! That previous link is a talk by Elder Joseph W. Sitati.
As I've been happily thinking about what The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints means to me, I get emotional if I try to envision my life without it. Because of the Church's teachings, I have been brought closer to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ than I ever could have imagined! My relationship with Them is, of course, made possible due to the Holy Ghost daily speaking to my spirit—and I wouldn't have received the gift of the Holy Ghost without my baptism in the Church! And don't even get me started about the amazing people I've met through my membership in the Church, for my life would be completely different without their positive influence!
Also, I can't help but reflect back on these lovely scriptures and their meanings—as I understand them (emphasis added):
Luke 12:6–7, "Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows." *We are all important to our Heavenly Father and Savior.
Isaiah 25:8, "He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces..." *We are all saved; the Lord will always be there to comfort us.
Colossians 3:2, "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." *Don't get sidetracked by worldly issues, we need to keep our focus on eternity.
Colossians 1:23, "...continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel..." *We must stay strong and true to Jesus Christ and His gospel!
Romans 8:35; 37–39, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ...Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." *Heavenly Father will always love us and wants us to come back to Him; our Savior's Atonement makes up for everytrial/problem we're given in this life (but that doesn't mean we should give up following the Savior's example—none of us get a free ride!); Jesus Christ is our connection to God, our Heavenly Father.
John 6:68–69, "Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God."*Those verses say it all: who or what else can give us all that Jesus Christ and His gospel offers? I'd also like to point out that with this scripture (there are many others to reference), God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are established: the trinity is incorrect.
John 14:15, 21, "If ye love me, keep my commandments... ...He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." *We can show our love and devotion to our Savior by keeping His commandments. Our Heavenly Father will love us even more for following Jesus Christ.
Alma 34:32, "For behold, this life is the time for men [and women] to prepare to meet God..." *This scripture is one of my favorites! I always shorten the verse simply because I feel there is nothing else to say! :) We must do everything within our power to be prepared to meet our Heavenly Father!
Finally, I lovethis statement by President Joseph Fielding Smith, for his words say it all (emphasis added)!
"If we are living the religion which the Lord has revealed and which we have received, we do not belong to the world. We should have no part in all its foolishness. We should not partake of its sins and its errors—errors of philosophy and errors of doctrine, errors in regard to government, or whatever those errors may be—we have no part in it.
"The only part we have is the keeping of the commandments of God. That is all, being true to every covenant and every obligation that we have entered into and taken upon ourselves.
"Do not get the impression from what I have said that I feel that we should keep aloof from everybody outside of the Church and not associate with them. I have not said that, but I do want us to be consistent Latter-day Saints, and if the people of the world walk in darkness and sin and contrary to the will of the Lord, there is the place for us to draw the line." – "Chapter 19: In the World but Not of the World," Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith.
What I find interesting about the quotes I shared from President Joseph Fielding Smith, is the fact that, yesterday morning, I mistakenly thought the Church's 2015 curriculum has us studying President Smith—even though I subconsciously knew full well that we are studying President Benson! (Because I'm the first counselor in my ward's Young Women organization, I don't get to study the Teachings of Presidents of the Church lessons in Relief Society. Thus, every so often, I listen to the lessons on my phone while I'm getting ready for the day.) I strongly believe the Spirit (Holy Ghost) wanted me to think we were studying President Smith so I would find his steadfast words for precisely this post! :)
When all is said and done, I simply don't want to have squandered my days here on Earth. As imperfect as I am, I'm trying my best to be prepared to one day meet God and Jesus Christ—and I want to bring as many prepared people with me as I can (so to speak). I truly believe the Church is thevehicle of choice to safely deliver each and every one of us back to Them! :)
I had a fascinating conversation this past week. I won't divulge any specifics because I keep everyone else's lives totally private unless they ask me to share. During that conversation I was brought to "spiritual" tears because of the words the other person spoke. I don't like to cry, but sometimes my tears come to the surface and I can't help it! :')
In that teary moment, I was reminded of just how much Greg and I have been through in our lives as an eternally married husband and wife. Simultaneously, I had lightning-fast flashbacks of so many trials! As I reflected on our seemingly endless growing experiences, I was able to see the beauty of the strength Greg and I have obtained. Yes, we have suffered, but we have been blessed even more. Our hearts have been squeezed to their breaking points, but they've never shattered—even though it felt like that would happen more than a few times! Despite our struggles, Greg and I have seen absolute miracles brought to pass in our lives!
As I listened to the revelatory—and personal—spiritual truths this excellent person shared with me, I was instantly reminded that our Heavenly Father allows us to struggle. He knows we won't grow to our full eternal potential unless we are challenged, tried and tested on an almost-daily basis.
We grow spiritually in the same way our bodies become powerful. If we don't intensify our hard work or exercise throughout our lives, our muscle strength won't improve. In fact, if we don't participate in strength training throughout our lives, our chances of developing osteoporosis increase. If we never strive to better our bodies' conditions, they will atrophy and decrease in effectiveness and functionality as our years progress.
Just like our physical bodies are not meant to sit around on plush couches all day, our spirits are not meant to blithely sail through life. The quote, "Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors." is totally applicable to both our bodies and our spirits.
The great thing about our spirits is they can actually grow stronger and improve the longer we are alive! Unlike our bodies, our spirits don't diminish as the years go by. Thus, we must be humble enough to hand our wills over to our Heavenly Father, for they are the only thing we can give that genuinely express our gratitude for what He has given us. We must graciously allow Him to direct our paths—to enable Him to introduce us to our best selves! :)
Over the past two years, I've had many amazing conclusions to my life questions—I've written about a lot of them here. I specifically remember one moment in which I literally cried to the Lord, asking Him why? we were allowed to suffer so much, when He already knew that our family's outcome would be utterly happy and positive?
In that very moment, the Holy Ghost plainly spoke to my soul, "Would you change it?" My heart stopped in its tearful tracks. My soul was on fire as I contemplated His question.Would I change it? Would I want to erase the immense spiritual progress my family and I have gained through our trials and challenges??
I felt so small and cried even harder as I prayed, "No. I wouldn't change any of it."
I fell silent after that moment as I realized I had gained a greater perspective than I ever thought possible in my little life. When I really think about it, that crucial life moment makes me cry even to this day because I know that I matter to our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ. And just like I know I matter to Them, I know everyone who has ever lived or will live on this earth matters to our Heavenly Father...and that connection is made entirely possible through our Savior, Jesus Christ.
It's impossible for us to comprehend the ways of Heaven, but I firmly believe that if we constantly endeavor to be spiritually in-tune, we will be able to connect to our Heavenly Father and the eternal hopes He has for each of us.
I told the person with whom I was speaking that I was truly grateful for all of Greg's and my trials. Of course, it's always easier looking back on our struggles when we're in a good place in our lives (you know, hindsight is 20/20; all is right with the world) but I wouldn't change it. No way. I wouldn't give up what we know nowfor the ease and convenience of having never experienced our difficulties—not for any amount of money or worldly possessions!
As I finished the fascinating and spiritually uplifting conversation, my soul solidified —without any doubt whatsoever—the fact that there are no coincidences. Everything happens for a reason! If we try our very best to live our lives in harmony with the Spirit, we will be led in the right direction; we will be guided to the things we need to do; we will be inspired with the words we need to speak.
I was also reminded that our spiritual connections with others are vital for our well-being! We need each other's souls in our lives. We must do our best to learn from others' experiences. We must not be fearful for we are meant to share our insights! Our wisdom is most definitely not meant to be hidden. Besides, why would any of us want to suffer more than necessary—especially if we can learn from others' mistakes and successes? :)
I'm honored that that wonderful person freely opened their soul to li'l ole me. I only hope I helped them in some way! :)
Another reason I've been a little quieter here on my blog over the past few weeks is because I've been thinking, praying and grieving for some people in my life who are suffering.
Over the past several weeks, I've received news of two of my dear extended family members who are dealing with life-threatening cancers. Unfortunately, these are not simple cancers that will simply and completely disappear with the prescribed treatments. Don't get me wrong, the excellent care my extended family members are receiving will extend their lives for a time, but the cancers they are battling mightily will eventually win. Until that happens, they are dealing with the dreaded unknowns that specialists can't predict, or cure. Even though I know none of us are getting off this earth alive, this news breaks my heart to a point that I can't describe. I hate losing people I love!
I have another extended family member who is in active duty in the military. This wonderful soul is most assuredly in harms way, and I am deeply concerned for his safety and well-being. I can't fathom the worry his close family members are suppressing on a daily basis, either!
One of my good friends recently shared with the people in her life that she is suddenly dealing with a life-altering long-term illness. Tears have filled my eyes multiple times as I've read blog posts about what this chronic illness is doing to her. Unless she receives a medical miracle (And believe me, I'm praying daily and fasting {on Fast Sundays} for one!), her life is changed forever. Forever. Thankfully, she is a very strong woman. I have no doubt she will endure this trial well, but I dearly wish I could wave my magic wand and banish her suffering! :)
I can't even count the other great people I care about who've been dealing with death of loved ones, divorce, unemployment, infertility, significant financial woes, emotional instability, physical limitations, etc., for a long time. Even though the initially-mentioned bad news is in the forefront of my mind—because it's new and shocking—that doesn't diminish my thoughts and prayers for my other extended family members' and friends' previous setbacks, struggles and losses. That said, I've noticed when news of a loss isn't so fresh—and our loved ones are dealing with their new normal on a daily basis—our thoughts and actions tend to revert back to whatever our normal is because it's virtually impossible to continually live with our minds in those sorrowful moments. Nor would our loved ones want us to go to those dark places.
Yet as I think about those beloved souls, I have faith. I firmly believe they are being watched over, blessed and protected! I know their lives matter greatlyto our Heavenly Father, He sends angels to look after His suffering children! I know each of them are living their lives to the best of their abilities, and our Savior's Atonement literally makes up the difference—that fact always gives me great hope.
Just last week, I was shown again that the miracle of Greg and I moving back to our beloved Utah was not small. As I've reflected over the past seven years, I have zero doubts we were meant to move from Colorado to Utah in 2008; we were meant to move from Utah to Texas in 2010; and we were absolutely supposed to move from Texas to Utah in 2013. Even though I didn't see it at the time, I now see with 20/20 vision that the Lord was always very aware of our situation—to the point that every bit of our lives mattered to Him! It still blows my mind when I really go back and think about everything that happened from 2008 to 2013, and the revelations and confirmations we've received since June, 2013. There are no coincidences in our lives! There simply aren't enough explanations or justifications to explain away Greg's and my miracles! :)
Thus, I can't reiterate enough to this crazy internet world that every day we live matters! Every choice we make is crucialto our personal development and eternal futures! We must be constantly prayerful to know what our Father in Heaven (God) wants from us, for only Heknows everything about our divine potential and true greatness!
Yes, to my dear family members and friends who are suffering,my heart is with you!Even though I can't fully understand what you're enduring, my thoughts, prayers, and fasting efforts are completely directed toward you! :)
I don't know if this thought helps you at all, but if you ever find yourself in the deepest, darkest, saddest corner of your misery, please imagine me smiling at you—trying my best to relieve your suffering...and possibly annoyingyou in the process?! It's true, I've been known to annoy others with my extreme optimism! Ha ha.
As much as I sincerely wish I could change everything to be sunshine and hyacinths for everyone (Those lovely little flowers smell sooo heavenly!), I know from personal experience that we attain so much more from faithfully enduring our soul-wearying experiences than we ever could just by hanging out in Everything is Awesome Land!
Thus, in the meantime of waiting, wondering, praying and trying our best, I hope we'll follow the advice of this marvelous quote from March's Visiting Teaching message (from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) about patience,
I just read a comment on a blog post of a friend of mine. The reader was sharing her ongoing doubts about her belief in God, our Heavenly Father. I wanted to give her a virtual hug and say the following:
He's absolutely there for you! He hears your prayers! He IS listening!
I acknowledge, it may not feel like anyone is out there in our grand and astonishing universe, but I assure you, our Heavenly Father is there. He is the father of everything. We are secured to our Heavenly Father through His Son, Jesus Christ—our eternal Savior! The precious Holy Ghost is the warm, comforting cloth that binds us to both of Them! Can my human mind comprehend all thatentails? No, of course not, and I don't expect myself to be able to. However, I do expect my spirit to comprehend any experience the Holy Ghost sees fit to inspire me with. In return, I have to allow the Holy Ghost access to my soul, for if I have locked-up my spirit tightly, He can never fully open the windows of Heaven for me!
I have great faith in my spiritual abilities, as should everyone! We were spiritual beings before we were human beings. Spirituality is our native language!
Just like with anything else in life we try to accomplish or achieve, we must practice our spirituality on a daily basis, and prayer is the best way to start. Talking (praying) to our Heavenly Father, in the name of His Son, is the way we can be intimately and eternally connected to Him. We will truly understand what He wants for us if we will simply open that line of heavenly communication! :) Reading our scriptures, following the commandments, obeying the Word of Wisdom, attending church, serving others, attending the temple, and receiving priesthood blessings are also amazing avenues to work on our spirituality.
When we ignore those opportunities to grow spiritually and become connected with Heaven, we are effectively pulling ourselves away from eternity and all of the miraculous and marvelous possibilities it presents!
Will we have grand spiritual experiences every minute of every day? Well, probably not—although I'm not writing off that possibility entirely. I mean, how great of a payback would that be for us to experience spiritual greatness on a daily basis?! I think it's absolutely possible! And when we do what Heavenly Father desires of us, we should be able to expect blessingsand angelic help! But we shouldn't feel badly if we think those spiritual blessings haven't come to us, for they might have simply come in a different way than we expected. Besides, one of the biggest reasons we're here on Earth is to prove ourselves even when we aren't receiving much—spiritually speaking.
Try to completely internalize that our Heavenly Father is truly there for all of us—because He really is! He watches over everyone—He is blessing us! Sometimes our "blessings" might not feel like blessings at all. And it might take a while for us to see and fully understand those blessings. We might feel as though we are being tossed aside by our Heavenly Father, never to be cared about again. But I can assure you, it's simply not true.
As we learn in Jeremiah 18:6"...cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand...", we are the clay in the hands of the Lord. He will not give up on us until He is satisfied with His excellent work.
We've all heard about the refiner's fire as well. This is a beautiful video that talks about how we can handle the heat! We must be patient for the resulting beauty that comes from the constant "blows" to our souls. Please watch it if you have time! :)
In the end, we will leave this earth. Our bodies will break, and our spirits will go to Heaven—of that, I have zero doubt. Because I've lost loved ones, and have felt their angelic spirits from time to time, I could never deny that we'll go to Heaven—I absolutely know it! Thus, if our loved ones have gone to Heaven, we will too.
When we really think about our lives here on Earth, what else matters but the connections we have to others and following our Heavenly Father's great plan of happiness?!
Our job is to endure this life as wellas we possibly can. We must be strong! We need to remember where we've come from, and where we are destined to return! We cannot become discouraged or give up, for that is what will break our hearts when we finally see everything with eternal 20/20 vision!
And when those moments of depressing doubt wash over our souls, we must remember what we've learned in the past! We must follow the counsel found in D&C 6:23"Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?" Seriously! :)
Oh, I've been reminded of this advice sooo many times in my life! Hopefully, I've finally learned my lesson that when I receive an answer from the Holy Ghost (which is an answer from Jesus Christ, given to Him by our Heavenly Father), I must not question or doubt it. I must remember the peaceful feeling that accompanied my original answer and stick with it, no matter how long or arduously my trial may last.
Speaking of peace, I read Psalms 4 the other day. The words of David warmed my soul! I've edited it to include the words that were most meaningful to me:
1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer...
3 ...the Lord will hear when I call unto him.
4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still...
5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord.
6 There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.
7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart...
8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.
Yes, we must have faith that (because of our Savior's sacrifice) our Heavenly Father will hear our prayers. We need to live the kind of lives that open our souls to Heavenly experiences. And when our spirits receive answers, comfort, or direction, we must trust what we've been given. When we do those things, we will be truly happy and feel peace that cannot be found in any other way!
